As we left Sunday meditation class, Sister Hemaxi Patel, the facilities manager, gave us each a cookie and a card with the words, I am a soul. I have a body. As a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, this was far from my first attempt at the meditation rodeo, or in my case, the meditation three-ring circus, featuring chattering mind monkeys. But it was my first try at this center.

The Anubhuti Meditation & Retreat Centers gate sign at 820 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. has piqued my curiosity many times as I passed by. The other day a friend and I decided to try the free Sunday class, because lately weve been experiencing more than our usual level of mental turbulence.

The 10-year-old Novato center, which employs some 20 part-time staffers, is part of Brahma Kumaris, a group committed to the practice of self-transformation through Raja Yoga meditation. They began in 1936 and now have 8,500 centers in 110 countries.

Kumaris believe meditation to be key in creating a peaceful and just world, and that spiritual living is a lifelong 24-hour-a-day practice.

Brother Harsha Madatanapalli, retreats facilitator, began the gathering by asking each of us to set our intention. When he asked me what I sought, I said, predictably, peace. Yes. I seek the inner peace one achieves in an hour and a half of free (love offerings accepted) guided meditation.

The meditation part of the class is about 45 minutes. Madatanapalli guided us to relax our bodies, and after that I didnt hear much else he said. I fought to stay awake, which is the alternate challenge meditation offers me. As usual, I seesaw between my monkey mind circus and narcolepsy. But when the time came to open our eyes, I felt refreshed.

Then Madatanapalli had us walk around the room silently. He is a kind, welcoming soul, and when he asked us to make eye contact with the other 15 strangers in the room, I felt only slightly uneasy; after all, we are presumably like-minded souls, aware that our human bodies are temporary homes.

Though I did not miraculously overcome my meditation hurdles during this brief visit, I left feeling more peaceful than when I arrived, and with an interest in exploring future gatherings. I believe any curious visitor would be impressed by the aura of hospitality.

The center offers a variety of retreats and workshops, including Building Healthy Relationships, Art of Communication and Vegetarian Living, to name just a few. Tuesday evening workshops, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., address different topics each week, such as The How of Forgiveness, Positive People Skills and Emotional Detox.

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Interested? The free Sunday session is from 10 a.m. to noon. For information, visit anubhutiretreatcenter.org.

The Novato Art & Wine Festival, our annual street fair, is happening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 pm. Sunday. Theres food, music and more, stretching a half-mile along downtown Novatos Grant Avenue between Redwood Boulevard and Seventh Street. For full details, visit novatoartwine.music.com.

Free concerts on the green are returning. Finnegans Marin will be selling beverages to accompany your picnic. The concerts are from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Novato Civic Green, 901 Sherman Ave. The first concert is set for June 17, featuring Marty OReilly & The Old Soul Orchestra. Other shows are planned for July 15 and Aug. 19.

The Fourth of July parade is always a Novato favorite, and what better way to start the day than with the 63rd annual Buckaroo Breakfast hosted by the Presbyterian Church from 7 to 10 a.m. July 4 at the Redwood Credit Union parking lot, 1010 Grant Ave. Donations go to the Novato Youth Center, Rotary Books and Art Around Town Foundation.

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Novato: A visit to a meditation center - Marin Independent Journal