Dhyāna and the Yoga of Meditation By the time we reach the early centuries BCE, the ancient Indian search for liberation had already taken on many forms—ritual, mantra, asceticism, and the insights of the Buddha. Yet out of this spiritual mosaic, a clear and structured pathway began to crystallize and bridge the Vedic and Buddhist […]
The Way of Still Sitting
Zen and the Practice of Presence By the 6th century CE, Buddhism had travelled far beyond its Indian origins, taking root across East Asia. In China, it mingled with the wisdom of Taoism, giving rise to a uniquely spare and luminous tradition: Chan, which would later become Zen in Japan. Zen is part of the Mahayāna stream of Buddhism, which developed a […]
Flowing Stillness
Taoism, Qi Gong, and the Meditation of Movement One of my most favourite practices – is Qi Gong (you will be seeing much more of this influence on my own meditation journey in coming months and years). A quietly powerful practice, this era brings together the natural elegance of Taoist philosophy, the embodied grace of […]
The Path of Insight
Vipassana and the Birth of Mindfulness Around the 5th century BCE, in the rich spiritual landscape of ancient India and Nepal, a prince named Siddhartha Gautama sat beneath a Bodhi tree in India and resolved not to rise until he had seen clearly into the nature of suffering and liberation. His journey into stillness gave rise to […]
The Vedic Era
Mantra, Mystery, and the Sound of the Sacred After the mists of prehistory, the next great milestone in the story of meditation arises in ancient India, with the Vedic civilization, dating from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE. The Vedas, among the oldest sacred texts in the world, offer us the first written records of meditative practice … […]
Whispers from the Ancient World
“The origins of meditation can be traced to prehistoric times, long before recorded history. Archaeological findings suggest meditative practices were integral to early spiritual life.”— Paul Harrison, Elements of Meditation The Earliest Origins of Meditation The exact origins of meditation are truly lost in time. There are no carved dates or names, and no single birthplace […]
The Evolving Art of Meditation
I’ve been researching and writing a new series for you … and for me …because, truthfully, I’m completely fascinated. For many years, I led a post-graduate yoga teacher training program that delved into the art and science of meditation. Recently, I stumbled across an old PowerPoint I used to share in class .. a simple […]