Guided Meditation: Why meditate?

Many people meditate to grow their attention span or gain clarity, but the possible benefits can go far beyond this, including changing your relationship to pain and suffering (creating a “frictionless” experience) and even healing of trauma. This week we’ll discuss the benefits of different kinds of meditation (e.g., compassion practice, insight meditation, and others). Then I’ll lead a session of vipassana (insight) meditation that involves investigating the nature of the mind, a practice that can lead to lasting change in your outlook on the world.

Chairs are available for up to 15 people, or you can bring a mat or cushion if you prefer. We might sit outside in the shaded patio area if the weather is nice.

In these hour and a half sessions, I will guide us through sitting practice on a different theme each week. Themes will include:

What is your true nature? (hint, you are good)
Compassion in a world on fire
Awakening: what is it, how do you get there?
Digital divide: why in-person community matters
Meditation for neurodivergent minds: no willpower required
Full healing of trauma: no dream too big.

Read more about Open Heart at amritamandala.com, or check out our dedicated Meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/open-heart-guided-group-meditation/

Your instructor:

I’m Lindsay Kriebel, an instructor (skt. acharya) with Open Heart Sangha. I’ve practiced with Open Heart for going on 5 years, following 10 years of throwing every self-help solution I could find at addiction, depression, and social anxiety. It’s taken me this long to see that complex problems can’t be solved by more overthinking. Simple solutions like developing compassion for myself and others work exactly because they are so basic. When I’m not seeking spiritual realization, I’m a librarian, seeking information for law students at the University of Arizona.