Upcoming Events
Fall Meditation Course: Cultivating Mindfulness, Compassion, and Insight
This course offers a practical, holistic, and grounded approach to meditation.
We’ll begin with mindfulness and concentration practices that help develop clarity, steadiness, and presence of mind. From there, we’ll move into heart-based practices that support compassion and emotional connection. After a short break mid-course, we’ll close with four sessions focused on insight—learning to see more clearly into the nature of mind and experience.
Each session includes guided practice, practical instruction, and space for reflection and group discussion. Along the way, we’ll weave together perspectives from Western psychology and traditional Buddhist philosophy, in a way that’s accessible and personally meaningful.
2025 Meditation Retreat in Costa Rica
Join Noel Coakley for a meditation retreat, nestled in the lush mountains and vibrant jungles of La Fortuna, Costa Rica. At the foot of the volcano, on the shore of Lake Arenal, explore local activities and enjoy nourishing food, while starting and ending the day with meditation sessions.
All are welcome, with a gentle suggestion for those new to meditation to have a basic introduction beforehand.
“A Path of Compassion for Everyday Life”
Mondays 7-830p ET
Live at JP Centre Yoga, via Zoom, or recording
2/2-5/11
This 12 session course is a practical exploration of what it means to live a compassionate, awake, and grounded life in the modern world. Together, we will study The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, a beloved Tibetan Buddhist text that offers clear, usable roadmap for meeting life’s challenges with wisdom and an open heart.
We’ll explore this teachings in a relatable, down-to-earth way. Together, Lama Tsering and Noel will weave the traditional meaning of each verse as well as modern psychological and contemplative perspectives in order to work with them in life - relationships, family, work, and the internal landscapes we all carry.
This course is not just a study - it’s a living practice. Each session will include practicing meditations that help soften reactivity, open the heart, and clarify intention. We’ll practice and engage in discussions together as a mutually supportive community.
This course is appropriate for new and experienced practitioners alike - anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the bodhisattva path (the path of the awakened heart warrior).
As with our previous program, this course will offer an optional opportunity to take (or re-affirm) refuge and bodhisattva vows - a personal commitment to cultivating awareness and compassionate action. (This is approached not as a commitment to any particular teacher or lineage, but to one’s own practice.)
John Makransky 1 Day Retreat: Being harmonized with the unconditional love and wisdom of our Buddha nature
In this daylong retreat, we will adapt this pattern of practice from Tibetan Buddhism, with some assistance from modern psychology, to make it accessible both for Buddhist practitioners and for people of all faiths who have previous contemplative experience and seek an accessible way to cultivate unconditional love and wisdom.
From a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, our buddha nature is the basic space of our being that is undivided from vast capacities of awareness, warmth, love, compassion and wisdom. These capacities are always available below our surface consciousness, but often hidden by our conditioned habits of thought and reaction. In this retreat, we will learn three modes of practice derived from Tibetan Buddhism that empower each other as they harmonize us with those innate capacities.
Restorative Compassion Practice for Community Equity
Join us for an evening of restorative, compassion-based practice in support of JP Centre Yoga’s Yoga Equity Project.
This donation-based gathering will include grounding practices of loving-kindness (metta), guided reflections on refuge within the field of merit, and simple ways to soften the heart toward ourselves and others. These practices are accessible for everyone, whether you are new to meditation or have years of experience.
Mindfulness Meditation for Daily Life
In this two-session mini-course, you’ll learn the core principles of mindfulness meditation and how to bring presence and awareness into your daily life.
Each session includes guided meditation, simple instruction, and open discussion. We’ll explore how to set an intention for your practice, find a posture that works for your body, and establish a routine you can actually stick with.
You’ll also learn how mindfulness supports emotional well-being, nervous system regulation, and greater connection to self and others—from both Buddhist and psychological perspectives.
Whether you’re brand new or returning to the cushion after a break, this is a welcoming space to begin (or begin again).
Introduction to Meditation Practice
In this session, you will be given a broad overview of many different types of meditation practice. We will then focus on learning how to practice mindfulness meditation through direct experience and discussion. By the end of the session, participants will have an understanding of how to begin (or refresh) meditation practice, how to apply mindfulness to the rest of life, and how to maintain a regular habit.
You’ll also learn how mindfulness supports emotional well-being, nervous system regulation, and greater connection to self and others—from both Buddhist and psychological perspectives.
Whether you’re brand new or returning to the cushion after a break, this is a welcoming space to begin (or begin again).