Published on July 10th, 2017 | by Catherine Tingey
0Meditation in LA
Meditation in LA
Are you interested in learning more about meditation? Maybe you’ve heard of the amazing health benefits that can be gained from just 10 minutes of meditation per day.
If so, here’s a roundup of 5 local resources, all of which I can personally vouch for!
1- INSIGHT LA – This non-profit offers courses in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), Dharma Talks, Sacred Movement, Sound Baths and much, much more. They host many luminaries each month and most events offer a sliding-scale payment option. There are also ongoing donation-based sitting groups. With 4 locations throughout Los Angeles, they are your top resource for all things meditation!
2- SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP – With locations in Pacific Palisades and Hollywood, SRF disseminates the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, a swami who came to Southern California in the 1920’s and is credited with bringing yoga to the West. The Palisades location is particularly beautiful – lakes, waterfalls and white swans offer a peaceful respite from the city. They offer affordable online courses in meditation with the option of face-to-face engagement with senior teachers in your area.
3- NATURAL MEDITATION w/DEAN SLUYTER – Dean is a noted author of several books on meditation and hosts regular meditation groups in Santa Monica. He demystifies meditation, making it accessible, humorous and fail-proof. I highly recommend attending one of his every other Tuesday evening sessions – just get on his mailing list. Free.
4- VEDIC MEDITATION– an offshoot of TM (Transcendental Meditation), Vedic Meditation is a mantra-based meditation technique. Each student is given a mantra to chant after a puja ceremony (a simple ceremony that involves you and your teacher making an offering of fruit, flowers, incense and devotion). If you are easily turned off by overtly religious ceremony, I urge you to reserve judgment. This is the type of meditation I was trained in, and most beginners I teach also find it very accessible. My teacher relocated back to Australia but there are a number of Vedic teachers in LA that a simple google search will unearth. Most Vedic teachers have been students of Thom Knoles. Sliding scale.
5- PRIVATE INSTRUCTION – I teach an intro Meditation course in which you learn 5 different styles of meditation. I’ve found this approach to be very helpful in getting beginners to develop a practice. The course is 3 sessions, each lasting between 60-90 minutes, taken over the course of 1 month at your own pace. Sliding scale – contact me for details.
Feel free to comment below if you know of other reputable meditation resources in LA that I haven’t mentioned!
Be well, be calm and this too – good or bad – shall pass.
xoxo
Catherine