Foundations of Mindfulness & Meditation

A 4-Week Introduction to Practice: Learning to meet life with greater awareness, compassion, and steadiness.

For nearly 30 years, meditation has been one of the most important companions in my life.

Like many people, I didn't begin meditating because I was trying to become enlightened. I was looking for a different way to be with stress, uncertainty, difficult emotions, and the constant activity of the mind. What I discovered was not an escape from life, but a way of becoming more present for it.

That is the spirit in which I'm offering this course.

This 4-week introduction to mindfulness and meditation is designed for beginners, as well as those who have explored meditation before and would like a stronger foundation for practice.

Each session includes guided meditation, teaching, reflection, and discussion. We'll spend time learning about mindfulness and we'll spend time practicing it. Together we'll explore both the theory and the lived experience of mindfulness—how attention works, how emotions affect us, what current neuroscience can teach us about the nervous system, and how contemplative practices can help us navigate everyday life with greater awareness.

The emphasis throughout is on direct experience. The teachings are meant to support your understanding, while the practices allow you to discover for yourself what mindfulness feels like in real time.

What We'll Explore

Week 1: Taking Your Seat

Learning to come home to the body, the breath, and the present moment.

Week 2: Being Fully Human

Exploring how mindfulness can help us develop a wiser relationship with emotions and the challenges of everyday life.

Week 3: The Wise Heart

Exploring kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity as natural capacities of the human heart.

Week 4: Bringing Practice Into Daily Life

Learning practical ways to integrate mindfulness into relationships, work, decision-making, and everyday moments.

What You'll Take Away

You'll leave with a meditation practice that you can continue on your own, a greater understanding of how your mind, emotions, and nervous system work, and a growing trust in your ability to return to the present moment when life becomes challenging.

Over time, mindfulness can help us develop more steadiness, self-awareness, and clarity - not because life becomes easier, but because we learn how to meet it with greater presence and compassion.

About Me

I've been practicing meditation and mindfulness for nearly 30 years and have studied with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program.

My journey began after discovering the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and has continued through years of study and practice in Zen, Theravāda, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, including extensive retreat practice over the past two decades.

Professionally, I work as a somatic psychotherapist, coach, and mindfulness teacher. My teaching integrates contemplative wisdom, mindfulness-based somatic psychology, and an understanding of the nervous system to help make these practices accessible and relevant to everyday life.

Most importantly, I continue to be a student of the practice myself.

Course Details

Dates: Wednesdays, July 22 & 29 and August 5 & 12

Time: 5:30pm MDT/7:30pm EDT

Location: Zoom

Cost: Free

Email me to register at the following link

https://www.scottlilleston.com/contact

Questions are always welcome.