apps don’t meditate, people do
Meditation is not new.
Though “western” (European and American) audiences have only known about and/or practiced mindfulness and meditation for the last 50 years — in fact the oldest images of people engaged in what would be described as meditation date back to between 3,500 and 5000 BCE.
Meditation, then, as a technology (yes, meditation is a technology, a tool for exploring our mind and our experience) and a science has been studied, practiced, and handed down from person to person for millennia.
As such, there is nothing “new age” about meditation. It is part of who we are. It is part of what we, as human beings, do.
We live at a time of unprecedented abundance. Due to platforms such as Zoom and YouTube, and apps like Calm and Insight Timer teachings on mindfulness and meditation have never been more widely available and accessible. Still and especially for those who are just beginning to learn about and practice meditation, there are key benefits to learning meditation from a trained teacher:
Lived experience — In mindfulness and meditation practice, context is critical. Learning from and working with a meditation teacher, they can provide guidance before and feedback after a practice so that you can get the full benefit of the practice, and work through any difficulties that may arise. In this way they can provide immediate, quality feedback and support for your practice.
Certification — In terms of the modern meditation market there is no standard for certification. But of course it will make a big difference whether the person teaching your mindfulness studied for 10 hours, 100 hours, or 1000! When I selected ClearLight Meditation Institute for my training, it was because I wanted to be able to learn and communicate an authentic, transformative experience of the practice.
Community — Mindfulness has an image problem. Literally! So many photos of “mindfulness” or “meditation” depict someone sitting alone, legs crossed, eyes closed. And this is completely unrealistic! Haha. No one ever “figures out” or “gets” meditation on their own. Everyone needs a teacher — and more importantly — everyone benefits from learning and growing in the support of community. Being with others energizes us — and it helps our practice develop more quickly!
Compassion — Whenever we are learning a new skill, we want to “get it”, right? We don’t just want to understand it, but we want excel at it — to be great from the start! But mindfulness is a habit like any other — it takes time to develop. In the meantime, being a beginner can be so hard, so confusing, so uncomfortable. Learning from and working with a meditation teacher, they can offer the compassion and support that we sometimes find so difficult to offer ourselves.
For the first time in nearly 3 years I am offering in-person meditation instruction. Check out these upcoming classes, and see which one fits your schedule and interest!