Meditation Sampler (Zoom Only)

Curious about meditation—or ready to deepen your practice? Join Don for Meditation Sampler, an eight-week exploration of meditation’s many pathways. Experience guided visualization, word and sound meditation, candle gazing, movement, insight meditation, sacred reading and receptive practices, and meditation through the senses. Whether you’re a beginner or longtime meditator, discover approaches that resonate with you. Pastor’s Class begins Wednesday, September 23 on Zoom at 7:00 p.m. and continues weekly for eight weeks. Come sample the possibilities!

September 23 — Getting Started: Foundations of Meditation
An introduction to meditation, including posture, relaxation, mouth and jaw position, breathing, attention, working with distractions, and establishing a sustainable meditation practice.

September 30 — Guided Meditation & Visualization
Explore one of the most accessible approaches for beginning meditators: following spoken guidance. Experience relaxation and body journeys, visualization, sacred imagery, and the contemplative use of imagination.

October 7 — Word, Phrase & Sound Meditation
Explore the use of repeated words, phrases, prayers, and sounds to gather attention and quiet the mind. Experience practices from several traditions, including mantra, japa, repetitive prayer, and the contemplative use of affirmations.

October 14 — Single-Pointed Meditation
Develop concentration by intentionally focusing attention upon a single object. Practices can include candle gazing (trataka), breath counting, visual objects, and other techniques for cultivating sustained attention and returning the wandering mind to a chosen focus.

October 21 — Movement Meditation
Discover meditation through the body. Explore walking meditation, labyrinth practice, mindful movement, Tai Chi/Qigong, and ways of bringing meditative awareness into ordinary physical activities.

October 28 — Insight Meditation
An introduction to mindfulness practices. Learn to observe sensations, thoughts, emotions, and experiences as they arise and pass, cultivating awareness without grasping, resistance, or judgment.

November 4 — Sacred Reading & Receptive Meditation
Explore meditation as listening and receiving. Experience sacred readings with the class, including contemplative sharing and receptive listening. Extend the practice to include poetry and wisdom writings from diverse spiritual traditions.

November 11 — Meditation with the Senses
Explore sight, sound, touch, scent, and taste as gateways into contemplative awareness. Experience several brief sensory practices demonstrating how meditation can move beyond formal sitting and become a way of attending deeply to ordinary life.

About the Facilitator

Rev. Dr. Don Chatfield began exploring meditation in high school, when he learned Transcendental Meditation—and discovered that sitting quietly could be considerably more interesting than it sounded. Over the years, he has cultivated meditation practices through retreats at monasteries and spiritual centers across the United States. His studies have included training at the Mindfulness Center, Interspiritual meditation training with the Spiritual Paths Foundation, and formation with the Charis Foundation for New Monasticism and Interspirituality. Don approaches meditation not as something to master, but as a lifelong exploration—one that keeps offering new ways to become still, pay attention, and listen.