Programs for beginners to meditation and Shambhala as well as seasoned meditation practitioners.

Wednesdays(WESTSIDE Center/Mar Vista).Topics by week(look for Westside: TALK)

Thursdays(EAGLE ROCK Center / Northeast LA). Topics by week(look for Eagle Rock: TALK)

(7.30pm 9pm)

Listen to a dharma talk by Shambhala teachers. Free meditation instruction for those who wish. This evening gathering is open to all, for beginners to meditation and Shambhala teachings as well asseasoned meditators in other meditation traditions. Join us! Learn more

Freemeditation group sittingand meditation instruction available for those who wish. No reservations nor prior experience necessary to attend. Welcome!View Open SittingSchedule and Meditation Group Locations

All Day Meditation Retreat,third Sunday of every monthat Westside Center;(9am 5pm).Childcare offered to families with children. Learn more

Second Tuesdays(7:30-9pm) &Last Saturdays (6:30-8pm) at theEagle Rock Center.We welcome meditators of color to practice together in an open and supportive community.We seek to voice and explorethe personalchallenges that people of color face in a safe space.On the cushion, we foster a deep friendship with ourselves and our fellow practitioners. Off the cushion we seek to meet the world with a greater confidence in our basic sanity. Learn more

Mondays atWestside Center&Fridaysat Eagle Rock Center;(7.30pm 9pm):A group for anyone in their 20s and 30s who is interested in learning and experiencing the benefits of meditation and socializing other like-minded individuals.Learn more

Mondays, 7 pm (Eagle Rock)

Tuesdays7:30 pm (Westside)

Yoga is so much more than just about the physical; it is a tool to unite body and mind with our true nature andwillprepare us to sit more comfortably in our meditation practice. Join us weekly at our two Los Angeles centers for weekly Yoga. Open to all. Learn more

Wednesdays at Eagle Rock Center (7:30 pm to 9 pm)

Ameditation and sharing support group with the purpose of bringing together the practice of meditation, the Shambhala and Buddhist teachings, and the Twelve Steps of Recovery with the goal of integrating the basic sanity of the Dharma and the basic goodness of meditation with our commitment to abstinence. We welcome all those who wish to share in these common interests. Learn more

The Healing Circle: First Saturday of the month (10:30am 1:30pm), Eagle Rock Center

Creativity Lab: Second Saturday each month, alternating between the Westside and Eagle Rock Centers;(11am 1pm). Open to all. No art experience or meditation experience necessary!

Family Groups:Third Sunday each month(1pm 2:30pm), Eagle Rock Center.New families welcome!

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Meditation, Buddhist Classes, Free Weekly Programs | SMCLA

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Sixth-graders in Penny Seiferts class are used to solving problems, but this 90-minute class is a little unique.

Throughout the week, students will spend a few minutes meditating.

"People really love it, like they enjoy it, 6th-grader Mason Opitz said. Every time she says we're doing it, I'm like yes!"

This is the first year Turner teachers are doing trauma training.

What trauma training is is it allows staff to have a new outlook on how they interact with students and how they approach students. A lot of our students go through what I would never have experienced and cannot relate to, Seifert said.

She said meditation was mentioned to her from the school counselor as a way for students to deal with trauma.

She said it'd be a great way to do Mindful Minutes, where we just take 10 to 15 minutes out of the day and just relax and let the kids just kind of turn their brains off, she said.

For this new initiative called Mindful Minutes, Seifert uses the fitness app called Aaptiv.

I use Aaptiv in my own life; I use it for running, she said. I tweeted it out, and said hey I'm using Aaptiv for this and within hours, they called me and said we want to know more, we want to know what you're doing.

Aaptiv gave complimentary memberships to the school, providing all the teachers a chance to bring meditation into their classrooms.

Thats what we are aiming to do, is really serve as a greater support in anyone's general wellness, Aaptiv Marketing and Communications Director Clara Artschwagersaid. I think what Penny did and how she introduced it to the students to serve as an amazing example of that and that's what inspired us really to extend the complimentary memberships to the school because we hope it carries just that much value to them too.

Students listened to words of affirmation as they meditated.

It makes you feel good about yourself and about others, 6th-grader Phoebe Ramirez said. Some people just think that they're not loved, some think that they're not cared about and they really are.

This is the first year Turner has used the app. Seifert said she plans on implementing this for years to come.

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Turner Sixth Grade Academy practices meditation to deal with ... - KSHB

In his new book The Science Of Enlightenment, the meditation teacher Shinzen Young claims that if you meditate for a few minutes a day, youll double your lifespan. There are two obvious possibilities here. One is that hes a charlatan. The other is that hes talking in an annoyingly metaphorical way, as when certain new age authors claim that you are the universe, which may be true in some sense, but isnt much use when youre trying to get out of a parking ticket. Actually, I think neither applies. I think he might be right. Bear with me.

If youre older than about 25, youll be familiar with the way time seems to speed up as we age. Thats probably because we encounter fewer novel experiences, so with less information to process, we pay less attention; and, in recollection, the months and years feel shorter. You can test this: just recall a recent time when you did expose yourself to lots of novelty. A five-day trip I made to Sweden last year still feels like a substantial episode in my life, but the five days either side of it have evaporated, lost to memory for ever.

The usual advice, to slow time down, is to have more exotic experiences. But few of us can spend more than a fraction of life visiting mind-blowing foreign lands; if you have a job, or kids in school, much of life will necessarily be routine. Yet, as Young points out, theres another option: what if you could increase the attention you paid to every moment, no matter how humdrum? The result would be the same: experiencing each moment with twice the usual intensity, your experience of each moment [would be] twice as full as it currently is, he writes. So any given period of time would seem to have lasted twice as long. Well, meditation certainly improves concentration. And, now that Young mentions it, the meditation retreats Ive done do seem, in memory, far longer than a few days each.

You might object that this is exactly the annoyingly metaphorical talk mentioned above. Youre not really living longer. Or are you? When we say we want to live longer, we surely dont care about the numbers on our birthday cards. We mean precisely this subjective sense of a long, full life, of expanses of time spent with those we love, or on work we enjoy. In the only sense that actually matters, then, a life to which you paid twice the attention would indeed be twice as long.

Moreover, citing psychology research, Young argues that high concentration is intrinsically rewarding, independent of what youre concentrating on. If you could fully focus on the sensations of any given experience, rather than being lost in thought about it, youd never suffer, he insists. (On those retreats, I found the searing pain in my legs eventually became a merely interesting combination of hot and cold sensations.) In short: concentrate better and youll have a happier, longer life without needing to alter your circumstances or life expectancy. After all, isnt it weird to yearn for more years when youre not even fully showing up for the ones youve got?

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Want to live twice as long? Meditation might help - The Guardian

By Nancy Weingartner Monroe

Published: 2017.04.21 10:34 AM

Hamid Jabbar gave up his practice of law for a full-time yoga/meditation practice.

The trials and tribulations of multi-tasking as an intellectual properties litigator brought Hamid Jabbar to the mat, first as a yoga instructor and then as a meditation guide.

Jabbar, who studied music at NYU before earning his law degree at UCLA, got into meditation when he first started practicing law. Law created a disconnection between me and my body, he says.

While we thought Jabbar was a novelty, he says, Its not that uncommon to find lawyers who teach yoga and meditation. But to do it welland full timerequires leaving behind all the lawyer trappings of expensive homes, fancy cars, Rolex watches, fine wine, five-star hotels in Europe. You get the picture.

The 37-year-old is one of the instructors at a new franchise, Current Meditation, in Phoenix, that was started by family members from three health-related franchises, Massage Envy, European Wax and Amazing Lashes. Ross Weisman is the CEO of Current.

Mindfulness is making its way into the mainstream. Most yoga classes have a few minutes at the end of the session to close your eyes and concentrate on your breath, but its not enough. Yoga has become exercise, for the most part, Weisman says. Which is why his meditation studios will be separate facilities, not just add-ons for yoga studios or gyms.

Meditation has been described as being akin to rebooting your internal computer. Benefits include reduction of stress, improved concentration, increased happiness and slowing the aging process. While waiting for the franchise to get up and running, here are some tips from Jabbar on how to do begin a meditation practice on your own:

Get in a comfortable position (sitting, lying down, lying in a hammock) and close your eyes;

Turn off all external distractions (thoughts, cell phones, fitness trackers, barking dogs may have to be marooned temporarily in the backyard);

Switch from a tight-breathing model to a more relaxed state of being;

Try to clear your mind of all thoughts, good or bad;

Breathe in through your nose, out through your nose;

Try not to fall asleep, but dont get focused on staying awakebreathe.

Start with a minute and gradually work your way up to 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, then longer.

And that iswhy theres a need for guided classes.

Jabbar says he thought about buying a franchise, but decided, I just prefer to teach.

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You Can Try This At Home, But Meditation Studios Are Currently in Vogue - Franchise Times (blog)

Spoiler alert: These are the colors of the six levels.

What if a meditation app didnt ask you to focus on your breathing? What if you didnt have to listen to someones voice telling you what to think about? A new meditation app, Sway, takes a different approach.

Instead, Sway (iOS, $2.99) connects your mind and body by asking you to move your phone slowly and continuously. When you do, it plays soothing sounds and undulates a colorful landscape on your screen. If you move too fast or too slow, it chimes and asks if youre ready to end the session.

Ive tried a lot of meditation apps, and Sway is the most beautiful Ive seen. The aesthetic comes from UsTwo, the same people who designed the achingly gorgeous Monument Valley game. And I love that it doesnt ask me to focus on my breathing, because when I do that my nose always starts to feel weird.

To keep you coming back, Sway has six levels, and you can only unlock one each day. If you miss a day, you backtrack a level. On the first day, you meet your goal (announced with a gentle chime) after just three minutes. The next day, it takes four. Then six, then 10, and finally 20 minutes. The apps makers hope you build a 20-minute-a-day habit.

The levels have different colors and, I think, different soundscapes. Each level introduces a different idea, too. At first, you just move your phone. In the second level, youre encouraged to look away from the screen (pretty as it is) and use sound from your headphones as your feedback. My favorite was the level called Balance, where you walk as slowly as possible, challenging yourself to stay steady even while youre on one foot. Youre just walking, but mindfully.

You may feel a little self conscious Swaying while waiting for the bus, although happily it works just fine to have the phone in your pocket while youre walking from place to place. In any case, this app is a novel way to meditate that is easy on the eyes and the ears.

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Sway Is a Beautiful Meditation App That Doesn't Tell You What to Think - Lifehacker Australia

USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero examines the 5 quarterback prospects that have the best chance of being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. USA TODAY Sports

David Njoku(Photo: Associated Press)

The first time David Njoku took a seat in Todd Hartleys room, it didnt go well.

Hartley had just been hired as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach of the Miami Hurricanes. It was the spring of 2016. Njoku, a promising tight end, was one of the handful of Hurricanes watching film. The others pulled out notepads and jotted down Hartleys pointers. Hartley noticed that Njoku, keeping his eyes attached to the projector, didnt. Hartley continued, anyway.

Several minutes passed. Hartleys eyes kept returning to Njoku. He felt himself distracted at the sight of Njoku, no pen or paper. He couldnt help it.

Dude, Im getting pissed, Hartley said. You should be taking notes.

Njoku, after all, had only played tight end one season of his entire career.

What he was doing was he was watching, he was listening, Hartley told USA TODAY Sports in a phone call. He is an unbelievable learner at seeing something. Hes so visual that he didnt have to take notes. He saw it and went out to the field and applied it and did it.

Njoku may be the most intriguing prospect in the draft, and now, hes using another visual tool to help his transition to the NFL: meditation.

NFL draft TE rankings: Impressive class could be in high demand

For the better part of this past year, Njoku watched and scrutinized film of the great Miami tight ends of the past: Jeremy Shockey, Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham, Kellen Winslow, Clive Walford. Then he cued up tape from his own one-on-one battles in practice, put the clips in slow mo, and analyzed every aspect of his hand placement, route running, catching, footwork.

Then, I go home, meditate a little bit, visualize myself doing those extra things, Njoku told USA TODAY Sports in a phone call recently.

Whether it was a certain route, running it a certain way, or after the catch, trying to find a way to break tackles with a juke, a stiff arm, a hurdle, or a spin move or whatever it was I sit down, play some nice music, and meditate and focus on more of my instincts and reactions, imagining defenders when I have the ball in my hands. I think that really helped me.

Njokus schedule is a little tighter now, well into the pre-draft process, but he does this every day to every other day. If hes running late, hell unplug for just five minutes. With more time, he stretches it to about 20. Hell do it in bed before he goes to sleep, or in the middle of the day.

It has all paid off.

Njoku caught 43 passes for 698 yards (16.2 yards per reception average) in 2016. He hauled in eight touchdowns or one on 18.6 % of his receptions.

This past season he caught passes and ran for huge chunks of yards that youd normally see from a deep threat: 76, 54, 48, 46, 33, and 30.

Is this the year there's a first-round run on tight ends in the NFL draft?

Njokus athletic traits shine. Hes 6-foot-4, 246-pounds with a track background that boasts a high school national championship in high jump. His 4.64-second 40-yard dash, 37.5-inch vertical leap and 133-inch broad jump at the NFL scouting combine all reinforce whats available on film.

But hes raw. Njoku started playing football in seventh grade. Miami recruited him as a receiver, but his Freshman 15 turned into a Freshman 30. Coaches tried him at linebacker for one week, something Njoku said humbled him. Eventually they settled on tight end.

He has played the position for only two seasons. At Miami, he appeared in just 26 games and only started nine times. He wont turn 21 until July, and is one of the youngest players eligible for this years NFL draft.

I can do it all, Njoku said. I can line up on the line of scrimmage attached, or go outside and make it happen at receiver. It hasnt really stopped me or made me think twice of making this step and coming out. Ive only played tight end for about two years. Im new to the position, but I think Im improving very fast. I think I can only get better from here on out.

Said Hartley: You can tell he has immense talent, but he just hasnt had enough reps to perfect his craft. His ceiling is so high.

So now, Njoku is trying to become the first tight end selected in the first round of the draft since 2014, when the Detroit Lions chose Eric Ebron with the No. 10 pick. Hell compete for that distinction with Alabamas O.J. Howard.

Im very relaxed, Njoku said. I feel like I put in all the work that I was supposed to put in. I showed everybody what I could do. Honestly, I feel like I could do even more than what I showed. But whatever team drafts me will see that. Im calm, you know? I probably wont be on draft day, but right now, Im relaxed.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes

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Draft prospect David Njoku uses meditation to help him improve as a TE - USA TODAY

Life is shaped by our thoughts. (Photo: Bill Smith, Flickr)

After fumblingfor about four months with my mindfulness and meditation practices, I've finally regained some motivation and balance. (In my head, I'm doing a dorky, shameless happy dance about this.)

I'm back at it more regularly, which issatisfying and calming. And I'm thankful I managed to keep up efforts enough to bring myself back to it.

Even when my practices were waning, I thought a lot about themthe need, the benefits, the results of not practicing, how they fit into my overall life goals.

And maybe the simple act of reflecting has given me some additional clarity. It feels that way now.

So here are four musings I've had recently about mindfulness/meditation.

Each morning when I step outside, I try to take a few deep breaths and really feel the morning's beauty, instead of rushing out the door and missing it. This week, I took time to appreciate simple and slightly drooping irises. (Photo: Staff)

They're a lifestyle, a mindset.Even when I wasn't actively meditating every day, I held on to mindful tendencies.

I personally distinguish mindfulness and meditation, although some don't. But for me, meditation is actually sitting for a period of time in silence, focusing on breath, the present moment or a specific visualization, which can be guided by a teacher or app.

Mindfulness can be done throughout the day and involves focusing on specific tasks and being present.It's fully engaging in whatever moment you're in without judgment and distraction. It's being outside the egoic mind.

It's walking to work and feeling the way each footstep hits the ground, instead of meandering mindlessly or multitasking and checking emails on your phone. It's noticing and appreciating a lovely purple iris speckled with dew.

It's a certain awareness.

I definitelyfind it easier to be mindful when I'm meditating regularly, but I came to appreciate that I can utilize mindfulness techniques at any time. I can take a few centering breaths in a moment of stress. I don't have to be a slave to my racing, anxiety-ridden mind.

These techniques don't make all my problems or worries go away. But they aren't supposed to.

They make you uncomfortable.I've touched on this before, and the idea has proved itself true again.

Sometimes during meditation, there's nothing to do but sit with my anxiety, which is sometimes just there and outside my control.

It'd be easier to distract myself from it, and if that distraction came in the form of cleaning or other chores (it usually doesn't), perhaps that's productive.

But sitting with anxiety, which is anchored physically in my body, is also fruitful. It's uncomfortable, but worthwhile, because it builds a resilience that can't be cultivated when the mind is distracted.

Similarly, practicing mindfulness, especially during times of anxiety or depression, doesn't evoke the "let-me-take-a-moment-to-notice-this-lovely-flower" feeling.

But just as important as recognizing life's beauty is being able to observe and accept unpleasant realities without judgment.

It's not fun or easy, but it builds an invaluable wherewithal and inner strength that make dealing with the ebb and flow of emotions less painful.

The acceptance and exploration of negative emotions also provide learning opportunities. We might be surprised what happens when we listen to ourselves and our feelings. They might be telling us something, and we just need to quiet down so we can hear the lesson.

Additionally, what we resist will persist. Learning how to accept inevitable discontentment will allow us to move past it.

They open up the world.Although practicing mindfulness and meditation can bring into focus uncomfortable realities of life, it also opens up your world in a marvelous way.

It wakes us up; it helps combatnarcissism; it creates balance and can positively impact your life perspective.

The lessons practiced in mindfulness and meditation can be applied to life.

During meditation, we might be able to quiet the mind to focus on the moment or breath for only a few seconds. The more you practice, the easier it gets to do it for longer, but it's natural that the mind might wander.

Teachers will direct you not to judge yourself for that and not to judge your thoughts. You just gently redirect your focus back to the breath and the current moment. The practice might involve doing this over and over. You literally just start over every second, if needed.

There's a certain comfort that comes when you apply that practice to daily life.Every second is a chance to start over, do something better, to change your mindset or refocus on the present moment.

They promote a positive perspective.When we get outside our maddening minds, there's more room for kindness, empathy and optimism.

When we are present, there's more opportunity to observe, listen and learn.

When we are quiet, that's when we can connect deeply with ourselves and with life.

All this promotes a positive life perspective, which is priceless.

After all, life is mostly what we think it is.

The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.

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4 musings on mindfulness, meditation - Nooga.com

Artist Justin Matherly's New Show Is a Meditation on Healing Wall Street Journal (subscription) Justin Matherly's interest in rebirth is so pervasive that even the materials he used to make his newest works reflect the concept. All but one of the sculptures in his show A recrudescence, opening April 22 at Paula Cooper Gallery, were made out of ...

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Artist Justin Matherly's New Show Is a Meditation on Healing - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

We all experience anxiety differently, but the feeling can be crippling for anyone. Whether youre overwhelmed by work duties, a challenging relationship, financial struggles, or something else entirely, stress can come with some serious health consequences, from increased inflammation in the body, which has been linked to common diseases like depression and cancer, to digestive problems.

The main issue with stress is that most of us dont have the time to adequately address its source. So it piles up. And then we feel more stressed. Cue the vicious cycle. To rectify this, we wanted to find a way to beat stress fast. Thats why we asked Yoga Medicine founder Tiffany Cruikshank to lead us in a quickie meditation session that calms the mind without seriously impeding our day.

RELATED: The Best and Worst Ways to Cope With Stress

It all starts with your breath. Focusing on deep breathing can help you connect with the natural ebb and flow of your body patterns. Because youre probably not in tune with your inhalations and exhalations while you buckle down at your desk every day

As you settle into your breath, youll also feel your mind and body quiet. No micro-managing. No to-do lists. Just yourelaxedfor five minutes.

Ready to get rid of all that mental clutter? Us too. In this video, Tiffany will teach you how to get centered with a guided meditation that only takes five minutes to complete. Simply clear a space in a quiet place and start to inhale and exhale your way to a more mindful, less anxious you. And if you just cant get enough of Tiffany, visit YogaGlo for more of her classes.

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A 5-Minute Meditation to Help You Find Your Calm Now - Health.com

LETTER: 'Meditation Began My Life' Patch.com Letter submitted by Easton resident Casey DeLorenzo. To submit a letter to the editor of the Weston-Redding-Easton Patch, email joe.lipovich@patch.com. Allow me to preface this article by stating that I have no intentions of this article being an ...

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LETTER: 'Meditation Began My Life' - Patch.com