Courses for Adults: Meditation for Modern Life

Learn to meditate with our 8 week Meet the Self Signature Course.

Perhaps you have been listening to guided meditations at home and are ready to learn more about meditation. Or you used to meditate and want to renew and deepen your practice. Or maybe youʼre just curious, itʼs something youʼve always wanted to try, and nowʼs the time.

Meditation for Modern Life is an accessible and engaging course that will ground you in a sold meditation practice. Through comprehensive weekly lessons youʼll learn how to be a practicing meditator and how to bring mindfulness into all your encounters.

You will learn all the practical aspects of meditation: how to sit, when / where to do it, how long, how to prepare, what to expect when meditating; all your questions will be answered.  We will discuss the science behind meditation, the mechanics of stress and how meditation beneficially alters your brain.  We will explore the rich philosophy that surrounds the topic of mindfulness.  We will mine ancient texts (still relevant today, perhaps more so) and use that knowledge to learn how to be mindful of our habits, addictive patterns and cultivate more awareness in our choices. In addition, we will train in practices that support mindfulness such as very important pranayama, (breathing exercises), and gentle physical postures. A group meditation practice is included in every class, and at the end of the course participants may opt to receive their own personal Sanskrit mantra based on their birthdate (a mantra is a meaningless yet powerful sound that is repeated silently over and over to help focus the mind).

A special ceremony will accompany graduation from the course.  This course also meets the prerequisite for any Chopra Center retreats/courses.

Course Summary

  1. Week One: What is meditation and mindfulness? Different types of meditation.  What happens when we meditate. Stress response.  Scientific research.
  2. Week Two: The how toʼs, the practical tools, the FAQʼs. Debunking the myths of meditation. Pranayama (breathing techniques).
  3. Week Three: Getting off the Hamster Wheel (our reactive repetitive behaviours), the pause and conscious choice making, Easy yoga asanas (postures). More pranayama.
  4. Week Four: Review of The Hamster Wheel. Layers of life model. Tools for witnessing awareness-Recapitulation. Questions to ask before meditating.
  5. Week Five: Higher States of Consciousness part 1
  6. Week Six: Higher States of Consciousness contʼd.  What is the Self? The nature of maya or illusion. Explanation of mantra.
  7. Week Seven: Chakras, Chants, and Check-in. (Depending on class size some mantras may be given.)
  8. Week Eight:  Passing out of mantras. Graduation. Intro to Advanced techniques.