We find ourselves in a unique time in history, where time-saving technology is encroaching on our ability to relate to each other and ourselves. We spend more time engaging in stimulation and entertainment and less time integrating emotional experience.

The result?

Chronic, low-level stress and a nagging sense of disconnection.

Enter meditation.

Meditation is a tool for us to down-regulate our nervous systems. This, in turn, allows us to turn toward what we value. By engaging in meditation and sharing the practice with others, we have an opportunity to provide tools for health and happiness to a wide range of individuals, including ourselves.

Teacher training

Learn more about meditation and how to share this powerful tool with others at the upcoming Beginning Meditation Teacher Training, held at the Vail Vitality Center starting in June. The training, which is open to yoga teachers and meditation practitioners, will take place over the course of four weekends; it will be held one weekend a month, June through September.

This course will explain meditation along traditional lines, offering teachings that are accessible to all. By taking a close look at the various types of meditation, we will gain insight into the benefits of different techniques, and when they might be appropriate for an individual. Learn about common difficulties encountered during practice, as well as traditional methods to overcome these difficulties. With this knowledge, you will not only improve your own practice, but also learn how to guide others effectively.

The training is a great opportunity for yoga instructors who want to feel confident leading a meditation at the end of a yoga class, or for regular meditation practitioners to get a better understanding of their own practice and possibly begin to guide others.

We will explore mindfulness meditation and heart practices, and begin an inquiry into the practice of concentration and opening to insight. While the practices will be based on Buddhist meditation traditions primarily those of Theravadin Buddhism it will also include context for practices in other traditions. Rather than a religious-based training, the training will have a secular approach, for broad application in modern culture.

It is a common belief that meditation is simply forcing the mind to be quiet; with this attitude the practice appears difficult, and many people are afraid to begin, or quit after trying a couple of times. Learn how to overcome this resistance and employ a powerful tool that will reduce stress, increase self-awareness and happiness, and improve your emotional and physical health.

For more information, visit http://www.vailvitalitycenter.com.

Karen Anderson is the yoga director at the Vail Vitality Center. She has attended 10 month-long silent meditation retreats in Asia and the U.S. Her training in meditation is primarily in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. She is empowered and certified to teach meditation by Noah Levine in the lineage of Jack Kornfield and the Thai forest tradition.

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Beginning Meditation Teacher Training begins mid June at Vail Vitality Center - Vail Daily News