Morning Meditations (online/Phone)

If you are curious about meditation and its benefits, or if you have tried it and liked it, but had trouble maintaining a practice, then join the morning meditations to set a regular practice for yourself.

I ran three meditation courses in 2014, one in-person over the summer and two online for a total of 4 months. I wanted to test how meditations would work on the phone and online and it was an amazing experience for everyone involved. 

Here's how one meditator described it, "The hum on the phone is audible, I can feel everyone meditating with me!" 

Here are other benefits of meditating online with others:

• You don't have to go to a physical space, and can login right from home with your phone or computer
  
• I've meditated for the last 15 years and found group meditation to be the most positive experience 
• Meditating regularly with a group keeps you more accountable to a regular practice

How does it work?

Days: Meditations are held every Tuesday & Thursday
Time: Starting 7:00am and ending 7:30am

• 7:00 to 7:05: Sign in / call in & get settled in a chair or seated on the floor.
• 7:05 to 7:25: Meditation will start promptly at 7:05am and continue until 7:25am.
• 7:25 to 7:30: Meditation will end exactly at 7:25 and have 5 minutes of Q&A.

Once you join, you will receive a link / call-in number. You can join anytime, since these meditations will continue throughout the year. 

Ben Franklin JournaL

In order to build personal character, as he called it, Ben Franklin started journaling at the age of 20 on 13 virtues that he prioritized in his life. He kept track of them throughout the year in a unique journaling format which I have borrowed from and adapted into a modern day Ben Franklin Journal. 

What I discovered when I started journaling in this way is that the virtues were not unique, and in fact they appeared in all religions, spirituality texts, and self-help books. So after a few years of recognizing the patterns across a variety of such sources, I narrowed the list to the following 12 virtues:

• January: Truth
• February: Tranquility
• March: Humility
• April: Patience
• May: Kindness
• June: Silence
• July: Resolve
• August: Sincerity
• September: Moderation
• October: Forgiveness
• November: Strength
• December: Order

How does it work?

The practice is simple, and involves journaling on one virtue for a full month in a specific format and then switching to the next virtue. The virtues continue this way over the year. 

Doing this as a group is a powerful way to build self-awareness. It reveals many things about yourself, others in your life, and the world at large that was hiding just below the surface. 

Once you join, you will receive the format for the journal and more details about starting your practice.