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Join us for our Weekly Meditation at the library!

Each week, we hold two sessions of meditation, led by experienced staff and volunteer instructors.

Mondays 6 – 6:45 PM

Wednesdays 12:15 – 1 PM

Learn a variety of styles in a welcoming format! Open to all ages and all levels of experience. Drop in any time!

Weekly meditation at the library is hybrid - attend in person or online.

Click this link to connect via Zoom. Password: 3GWdHC

No registration required. 

Find out more about each instructor, and view the current schedule, below.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of meditation can I expect?

+ This program is a collaboration between the library and local practitioners. The format of the meditation will change based on the teacher. See descriptions below.

Do I need to have prior experience? Do I need to register?

+ No. These sessions will be drop-in, and appropriate for all levels of experience. Our volunteers have introduced many new people to the practice of meditation.

Should I eat before I come?

+ We recommend not eating a large or heavy meal just before meditation.

Do I need special clothing?

+ Comfortable, non-restrictive clothing is best. You will be sitting or walking for up to 45 minutes.

Will I be meditating on a cushion or in a chair?

+ If you're meditating at home, it is up to you! Please ask your instructor if you have questions about comfortable posture. At outdoor meditation, we will provide chairs, but we are not able to bring cushions outside. Feel free to bring your own materials to make yourself more comfortable.

 

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Instructor Schedule

Day

Date

Instructor

Monday

September 30

Cathy Okhuysen

   

Wednesday

October 2

Laura Horwood-Benton

Monday

October 7

Cathy Okhuysen

Wednesday

October 9

Suzanne Woodland

Monday

October 14

CLOSED

Wednesday

October 16

Bonnie Wible

Monday

October 21

Candradasa

Wednesday

October 23

Maia Rizzi

Monday

October 28

Laura Horwood-Benton

Wednesday

October 30

Cathy Okhuysen

   

Monday

November 4

Candradasa

Wednesday

November 6

Suzanne Woodland

Monday

November 11

CLOSED

Wednesday

November 13

Maia Rizzi

Monday

November 18

Maia Rizzi

Wednesday

November 20

Cathy Okhuysen

Monday

November 25

Laura Horwood-Benton

Wednesday

November 27

Laura Horwood-Benton

   

Monday

December 2

Maia Rizzi

Wednesday

December 4

Suzanne Woodland

Monday

December 9

Laura Horwood-Benton

Wednesday

December 11

Laura Horwood-Benton

Monday

December 16

Cathy Okhuysen

Wednesday

December 18

Maia Rizzi

Monday

December 23

Cathy Okhuysen

Wednesday

December 25

CLOSED

Monday

December 30

Laura Horwood-Benton

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About the Volunteer Teachers

Dh. Candradasa is an ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, and teaches at the Portsmouth Buddhist Center, which offers introductory and regular meditation and Buddhism classes by donation. He has been practicing and teaching meditation for over twenty years. Candradasa teaches two ancient practices: the mindfulness of breathing, and the cultivation of loving-kindness. Both practices are utilized to develop concentration, tranquility and positive emotion.

Cathy Okhuysen will lead contemporary and traditional chants from different traditions as a way to center and focus before and during meditation. Cathy has offered contemplative singing in a variety of public spaces, sacred places and retreats settings. She works in the library's Circulation department.

Laura Horwood-Benton has been practicing meditation within the Triratna Buddhist Community since 2011, and is the library's Assistant Director. She teaches a combination of mindfulness of breathing and cultivation of loving-kindness. 

Maia Rizzi will lead a visualization to create healing energy, calming you and focusing the subconscious mind to connect with the body. Maia is a Clinical Hypnotherapist whose work focuses on combining Hypnosis with energy work and integrative core counseling. She is certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners as well as National Guild of Hypnotists. She has practiced this work for over twenty years, in the United States, the Caribbean, and Asia. She is opening a private hypnotherapy practice in the Portsmouth/York area.

Bonnie Wible will lead guided meditations around the breath, loving kindness, or reflection questions. Bonnie has been meditating for around 30 years, first with Transcendental Meditation and for the past 9 years she has participated in a local Portsmouth sangha, of the Plum Village tradition (Thich Nhat Hanh). For the past 3 years, she has been co-facilitating a weekly local gathering for women, called “Refresh & Gladden My Spirit.” She works for Green Acre, a Baháʼí Center of Learning in Eliot.

Suzanne Woodland is an attorney who has had an established meditation practice for over 20 years. She has led meditation at her workplace, and at the Aryaloka Buddhist Center in Newmarket and the Portsmouth Buddhist Center. The last several years she has been practicing and sharing the meditation techniques offered by the Dharma Ocean community. Her emphasis is on the body as the object of mindful attention, tender awareness. You will be invited to arrive in and explore the breathing body and what arises in that process of being present.  Through the gateway of the body work, other meditation practices are unfolded.