By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Sometimes, we receive good questions about a variety of topics. Below is a question about the specifics of our meditation course and our own approach to meditation practice.

Q: I am a full time Yoga instructor (Power Yoga and Viniyoga) and meditation guide, although I am not “ordained” or certified in a particular meditation tradition. I have attended two, 10-day Vipassana retreats, and half sat and served several others. I’ve had a meditation practice much longer than my Yoga asana practice. I’ve basically taught myself to guide mindfulness meditations, and it’s going really well, but I would like to do some more personal training.

I know finding a guru, say, in India or Tibet, and studying under him/her until I have their ”blessing” would work, but I want my training to remain relatively secular; not that I am opposed to nourishment from all or any religious traditions… I have studied a fair amount of Raja Yoga, but even the path and ultimate goals of this classic Ashtanga system, strike me as doctrinaire.

Anyway, I guess I’m looking for suggestions, and I am wondering what kind of certification your program has for meditation.

A: Funny thing about dogma: It’s hard to digest if you have a mind of your own. As you may have guessed, our meditation course is a foundational Vipassana program. All of the basics are covered, and there is plenty of room for self-guided spiritual growth.

With that said - whichever meditation program you choose to pursue, should not stifle your own intuition or creativity. My background in meditation has been Vipassana, Zen, TM, and Raja. All paths of meditation lead to the same end result. Self-realization, transformation, and spiritual growth are the by-products of regular meditation practice. To be kind to each person we meet, all the time, is our daily challenge.

This belief is within every religion, but it is not put into practice often enough, as you can witness by watching the news. Meditation practitioners continue to be kind to others, forgive, and remain tolerant, because making the world a better place, starts from within. Therefore, you are welcome to join our program, but in the long-run, your true meditation teacher will be discovered within you.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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