This course is currently not being offered, though if you may be interested in taking it in the future, please let me know!

“I just can’t manage to meditate.” 

Have you heard someone say this before, or ever heard yourself thinking or saying it?  The goal of this online course is to help make meditation manageable, no matter your level of experience.

You’ll learn the Shamatha (“calm abiding”) form of mindfulness meditation, where the object of the mind’s attention is the breath, and receive instruction and support on how to build a sustainable meditation practice.

Start Here Now Book

My meditation teacher, Susan Piver, wrote the book Start Here Now:  An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation which she used to train me as an instructor.  This slim yet comprehensive volume covers all aspects of establishing a sustainable meditation practice in a simple, funny and relatable way and is used as the main text for this course.

Outline

Week 1 Week 2
  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Course Overview & Logistics
  • Group Practice
  • Pre-Conceptions and Misconceptions
  • Meditation Defined
  • Introduction to Shamatha Meditation
  • Tune Your Practice:  Posture
  • Group Practice
  • “How to Meditate”
  • The Building Blocks
  • Benefits of Meditation
  • Tune Your Practice: Space
  • Tune Your Practice: Routine
Week 3 Week 4
  • Group Practice
  • Tune Your Practice – Routine cont.
  • Obstacles to Practicing
  • Working With Obstacles
  • “The Joy of Discipline”
  • Team Up: Benefits of Group Practice
  • Group Practice
  • Meditation, Compassion and Assertiveness
  • “Gratitude in Discomfort”
  • “Virtues of Boredom”
  • Final Full Session Closing

Course Feedback…

“…learning the physical process for meditating was extremely helpful.”

“I really liked the no-pressure attitude from Jesse and the course book.”

“Jesse has a great voice and cadence to encourage calm and mindful meditation.”

“…being gentle with myself is a revolutionary concept. It is amazing how much calmer and happier that makes me.”

“Jesse is a great teacher, committed to this practice and his students, and is always working on improving his material and teaching style.”

“Thank you, Jesse, for creating this opportunity for me to learn and grow.
It has been a great joy to me!”