Teaching Meditation has a lot to do with experience and training. You would want somebody who has an ongoing daily personal meditation practice under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Ideally, s/he would have received qualified training to teach meditation or the specific program. Of course! The teachings can be understood as a philosophy and specific techniques can be helpful for everybody.

It is theoretically possible to learn meditation from a book. However most people who teach and practice meditation agree that a teacher can be an invaluable aid in learning a meditation technique and making sure it is practiced correctly. The beginner will usually have several questions which a teacher will be able to answer. Also, learning with a group of people, eg a meditation class, allows you to experience the benefit of meditating with a group of people.

Q11. "How does an expecting mom meditate and pray for the health and spirituality of her developing baby?"

Instructors are addressed as "Sensei". Sensei is a Japanese title of respect (sort of like "Sir" or "Mister"). It means "teacher" and is literally translated as "before birth" which infers that the instructor is someone older than yourself. In this case we are speaking of "karate age". In other words, an instructor is someone who has more karate experience than yourself.

For maximum results, it's highly recommended that you listen to the meditation each day. For those who order this month, this is why the 22 minute Quick Deep Meditation is also provided, to help make this task easier. The meditation becomes such a pleasurable part of your day, you'll find that you'll make room for some meditation every day - because you'll simply never want to miss out on it.

Not necessarily. Some people find they sleep less with meditation, but for others their sleep patterns do not change at all. Sleep gives us a level of rest to get rid of the fatigue that has accumulated during our day's activity, whereas meditation goes to a much deeper level. Meditation helps us to release the stresses and tension that have accumulated throughout our whole lifestyle. So, although both sleep and meditation give us rest, the levels of rest are very different.

If you are suffering from a mental illness it is advisable to ask your doctor's opinion before learning to meditate. It is also important that you do not discontinue any medication without first consulting your doctor.

Our view is that a group can be helpful for learning meditation, but is not necessary for practising it. On the other hand, there can be "stronger meditation forces" at work in a group and the group can give you more sense of direction and intention. So you may at times have more powerful experiences in a group. But in our view meditation is a skill that you must be able to practise by yourself, regularly, so being comfortable and able to meditate alone is essential.

Please PM the teacher and explain what you'd like to discuss with them. They will either start a thread in their office or allow you to start one.

The basic idea generally associated with why people meditate is that during our day we are constantly subjected to sensory input and our minds are always active in the process of thinking. We read the newspaper, study books, write reports, engage in conversation, solve problems, etc etc. Typically, as we do these normal activities we engage in a constant mental commentary, sort of an inner "The Drama of Me.

Send a note with your child or call the main office and leave a message for the teacher. She/he will call you back either before or after school or during a planning period. You can also send an e-mail. If your question can not be satisfactorily addressed over the phone, a conference can be scheduled.