Why Do Meditation?

Practitioners for thousands of years have known that meditation brings a broad suite of benefits to their health, wellness & happiness. Scientific studies are now catching up and finding abundant and robust evidence that supports what the ancient's experienced. Would you like to be

• more calm & less stressed
• less reactive, angry & emotional
• more at peace & content
• more accepting of people
• better able to focus, concentrate & remember things
• better able to cope with life's curveballs & challenges
• more emotionally & physically resilient
• better able to sleep in terms of not only quantity but quality
• physically healthier and maybe even live younger with a better quality of life?

What is Meditation?

We are thinking beings. The relationship between brain size and intelligence is a function of the ratio of brain weight to body weight. For us, that ratio is about 1-to-50. For most other mammals, it's 1-to-180, and for birds, it's 1-to-220. How is this relevant to meditation? It means that we often struggle to quiet our minds. In a busy world, this becomes even more challenging. Along with the hectic series of tasks and responsibilities, interpersonal interactions, and positive and negative news, often comes a roller coaster ride of emotions. When we identify deeply with our mind states, we can end up acting out these thoughts through our behaviors.

Yoga dates to at least 5,000 years before present and initially was almost entirely seated meditation, with the physical postures (asana) added later as a means to wring out stored physical tension and better practitioners to meditate. The Indian sage Patanjali, believed to have lived between 500 and 200 BC, was the first to write a systematic description of yoga called the Yoga Sutras, In it he stated,

“Yogaś chitta-vritti-nirodha”

Yoga means to yoke, to join, to unite. Chitta means consciousness or the mind. Vritti means fluctuations. Nirodha means the quieting of. Thus, as defined by Patanjali,

meditation is “the quieting of fluctuations of the mind".

In the Yogic tradition, then, meditation is a practice in which we attempt to quiet the mind and is often done by concentrating on a singularity, on one task, sound, or object. Commonly, it is practiced concentrating the mind on the flow of one’s breath.

In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is a practice in which we attempt to become a witness to the fluctuations of the mind without judgement. By becoming a witness to the fluctuations of the mind, rather than identifying with them, we can begin to recognize them as temporary and transient in nature. In other words, we begin to recognize that WE are not our emotions and we do not have to let them affect us or act on them.

…This non-judging (open) witnessing is mindfulness.

In either tradition and with either approach, meditation is a technique for attaining a state of consciousness that is different from the normal waking state. In meditation, one is alert, but the mind is not focused on the external world. It is not dreaming, fantasizing or sleeping. Instead, it is clear, relaxed and inwardly focused.

In meditation, you become aware of dimensions of yourself which are seldom known - your own deepest, innermost levels. Levels beyond thinking, analyzing, daydreaming, or experiencing emotions or memories.

Let me teach you more and, more importantly, let me teach you HOW!

With training in Vipassana (Insight) Meditation and ShivaShakti Yoga Nidra, as well as extensive training in meditation, pranayama, and relaxation techniques through my 1,000 hour certifications in Comprehensive Yoga Therapy and Infinite Light Hatha Yoga in the Kripalu lineage, I am equipped to skillfully teach a variety of techniques, including:

• diaphragmatic breathing
• 3-part breath
• ​breath following
• breath counting
• breath retention
• the "Ha" breath & box breath
• Ujjayi pranayama (the ocean-sounding breath)
• Nadi Shodhana (alternate-nostril breathing)
• Metta meditation (loving-kindness)
• walking meditation
• other moving meditations (e.g. Qigong)
• guided meditation
• Tratika (candle-gazing)
• Yoga Nidra (deep yogic sleep)
• mindfulness (non-judging witnessing)
• ...and others!

Sessions can be held in-person in the studio or remotely on Zoom. We can discuss ways to potentially even arrange an on-site location more convenient to you, especially for group or corporate sessions.

The PLUS package below includes the live sessions plus a full year of access to meditation classes (both my 21 Days to a Home Meditation Habit and my Expand & Deepen Your Meditation Practice courses) in my online Teachable course portal to support your practice in between our live sessions!

My audio recordings of meditations are now available for download from my new online store! View & purchase at skanfou.gumroad.com. And follow me at skanfou.gumroad.com/follow to keep track of when new recordings become available!

Professional Trainings:
• 100-Hour Certified Resilience Meditation Teacher
• 50-Hour Certified Resilience ​Meditation Group Leader

Offered in a HYBRID format of Online plus Live In-Person or Zoom Live

Trainings include:

• discussion of differences between pranayama, meditation & relaxation
• discussion of differences between concentration meditation versus concentration meditatio
• instructions & practice in numerous techniques
• basic anatomy & physiology
• the autonomic nervous system & the vagus nerve
• ”fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system
• ”rest & digest” parasympathetic nervous system
• scientifically-supported benefits
• contraindications
• trauma
• the “secret” to being able to meditate
• the incredible power of a single breathe
• how to lead others in meditation
• how to teach others meditation
• places to teach
• business tips
• professional accreditation & membership
• professional liability insurance
• certificate upon successful completion

To guide you through your training, you will receive:

• a full year of access to an organized, easy-to-use online course portal with 

recorded video & audio lectures and meditation

• a printable pdf training manual 

​The training is formatted to take 100 days to complete, but you have a full year to complete it in case life gets hectic. In addition to completion of all online, asynchronous modules and quizzes and assignments therein, a minimum of 10 live sessions must be attended, either in person or via Zoom - thus this training can be done locally or from anywhere in the world that has Internet access! It is recommended you have some prior experience in meditation, either formal training such as in a yoga teacher training or a personal practice. Certification will require a final live or submitted video of the student successfully teaching a high quality 30-minute class. 

I am a Yoga Alliance Certified Education Provider (YACEP). For members of Yoga Alliance, you can submit this training for continuing education units. For the Group Leader training, 5 hours of in-person, 45 hours remote will be awarded. For the Teacher training, 10 hours of in-person, 90 hours remote will be awarded.