Meditation is the cornerstone of Mindfulness. It is basically a practice for developing calming, concentration, awareness and insight. It can be a secular or spiritual practice. At Blue Cliff or any of the other Monasteries founded by Thich Nhat Hanh it will be a more spiritual practice. But you don’t have to be a Buddhist to practice with them. It has been a little over 10 years since I encountered them and no one there has ever tried to turn me into a Buddhist. The Monasteries are a great place to learn Meditation and Mindfulness. You can come for a day, a week or more, or a formal retreat. Check out their website for more information. I would call their approach Zen-Mahayana. I like their approach the best. I find it to be sound psychologically both in calming down our bodies and minds and from a cognitive perspective. A lot of it is very similar to cognitive restructuring, that is correcting misperceptions and our narratives about both ourselves and the world. If there ever was a place to go for emotional and spiritual healing it is Blue Cliff
The University of Massachusetts has a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. It is an evidenced based program and they offer workshops and a certification program, the latter which is quite demanding. I went to a retreat there for several days and had a meaningful experience. The most interesting part was how similar it was to Blue Cliff in practice but without any hint of religion. I call it debuddified mindfulness. I find their approach to be very effective. Take a look at their website to see what they offer.
Shambala is also a good alternative and there are numerous sites throughout the world which practice more a Tibetan style of Buddhism.
I have found it is best to go to the source if possible, that is BC or the MBSR program The further one gets from the center the more divergent the teachings can become. Sangha’s, Buddhist Communities that support the practice, usually groups of people who meet weekly, are good to support one’s practice but they vary in remaining true to the practice. Don’t be afraid to check a few of them out if you have some in your area. It’s good to have support.
Meditation and Mindfulness are hard to explain and must be experienced to be understood. Here are some sites I have found helpful:
The Building Peace Initiative Meditation Sites Fall 2018
Here are a few selections that are relatively brief and that people like. They are on YouTube. Feel free to search on your own and share what you find with us.
Meditation Introduction – Kavita Maharaj (12:27 min)
Simple Meditation – Kavita Maharaj (8 min.)
Metta Meditation (Loving Kindness) – Kavita Maharaj (12 min)
Body Scan Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – Karen Zelin (30 Minutes)
Body Scan Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – Karen Zelin (40 Minutes)
BreathScape Meditation – Jon Kabat Zinn (Usually 20 minutes or so)
Can be found on Youtube
This is part 1 of 3. He has lots of meditations. He is also the originator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. There is lots of research supporting this.
**If this one does not come up just click on one of his other BreathScape ones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS5QpPRFdbg
**Breathscape and Bodyscape (good one, 20 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdG2C8wr1pc&index=2&list=RD4vgKzXdwtRE
*Nowscape (I like it, 20 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHBwwejuwDk&index=3&list=RD4vgKzXdwtRE
Lifescape (good one, 12 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHBwwejuwDk&index=3&list=RD4vgKzXdwtRE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgKzXdwtRE
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Body Scan – Karen Zelin (30min – really good)
*Shamanic Tibetan Meditation (2 hrs)
Sound Therapy – Native American Flute (2 hrs)
Meditation Music – Deep Relaxation Music (1 hr)
The Meditative Gardener
A Flower in Your Heart – Cheryl Wilfong (9:20 minutes)
http://www.meditativegardener.com/guided_meditations.html
In the Shade Meditation – Cheryl Wilfong (6:30 minutes)
http://www.meditativegardener.com/guided_meditations.html