Samatha means calm. We practice calming the body and mind through mindfulness of  breath. Through calming the mind, we find greater clarity. 

Whether you think of yourself as a naturally calm person or a more restless or anxious person, samatha meditation can help you find stillness, clarity, and calm, both during out outside of meditation practice. One of the first benefits students report is noticing they feel less reactive to things in life that used to bother them more.

All regular classes are free of charge, always.  Donations are warmly accepted and go back into supporting the practice.

Samatha meditation practice is open to all. Additional efforts are made to ensure that the space is  LQBTQIA+ affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, and trauma-informed.

 

Beginners and other newcomers are welcome on the first Sunday of each month 5pm-6:30pm. Classes are held at Culture of Safety Dojo & Wellness Center (6961 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60626).  There will be a brief introduction to the practice. After the introduction, we will all sit together for about 30 minutes. Cushions and chairs are provided. After that we will have tea and discussion about the practice. Expect the intro, sit, and chat to last up to 90 minutes in total. If you cannot stay the whole time, please be courteous and let me know ahead of time and then leave so as to not disturb others. After your first Beginner’s session, you are welcome to attend weekly to continue learning and practicing. There is no charge for the practice. We we ask you please register in advance for the course to enable the teacher to more easily communicate with you as necessary.  If you do not register in advance, you may register in-person once you arrive.

 

Your first few months: Try to clear your schedule for the full 90 minutes and arrive a few minutes early to give yourself time to settle before we begin. Rushing to and from meditation class is counter to the process of cultivating mindfulness and concentration. Cushions and chairs will be provided. Your teacher will support you in finding comfortable ways to sit. Enjoy the process, and give it time to develop. It takes most people a full month or so to get a taste for the practice and begin to see how it can benefit them, and many are surprised that it can take up to 2-3 months of weekly attendance to learn the full foundations of the practice. This scaffolding of the practice is intentional and is designed to help each person develop mindfulness and concentration at the same time. Like any practice worth trying, it takes time and effort. Your teacher will be available for one-on-one chats about the practice (also free) to support you in your weekly practice, and to support you in finding ways to develop an at-home practice.

There is not currently a local Zoom option for Beginners classes. If you need a Zoom class for accessibility reasons (disability or chronic condition that limits your capacity to come to an in-person class, geographical distance of 10+ miles, etc.), you can fill out the form below and I’ll either connect you with another online teacher or add you to a waiting list for if/when a Zoom beginners class is announced. Fill out the registration form to join the next Beginners class or to be connect with online learning options.

 

After a few months: Once you have progressed in the practice (usually after 2-3 months of weekly practices, longer if attendance is less regular), you will be invited to join additional Zoom groups for further support, which include meditators from all across North America. You will also receive announcements about local events (special practices, day-long retreats, practice weekends, and practice weeks) as well as practice weeks held across North America in this tradition.

Giving / Dāna

The practice is always freely given. There is no charge for the practice, nor will there ever be. We

encourage generosity (dāna). If you are so inspired, you may either give online, or donate by cash or check in-person to the following organizations:

Culture of Safety Dojo & Wellness Center, which donates space for weekly classes.
Chicago Samatha Management Group, which supports local practice weeks and weekends, especially for those who couldn’t otherwise afford it and pays for purchase of cushions and other supplies.

 

More about Samatha Meditation 

We practice meditation in the samatha tradition as taught through the Samatha Foundation of North America and the Samatha Trust of the UK, which are both non-profit organizations, run by experienced meditation teachers on the basis on dāna (generosity). You can learn more about the practice through either of these websites.

Samatha meditation has its roots in Buddhist practice. You can learn more the lineage and history of this samatha practice here. Many discussions in groups will center around teachings from Buddhism which directly support our meditation practice. There may occasionally be some chanting in Pāli as well. Identifying as Buddhist is neither a requirement, nor expected. The practice is open to all, whatever your religious beliefs.

In this tradition, we practice in groups, led by–but never centered on–a teacher. Samatha teachers help support each person in their meditation practice through both group and one-on-one conversations, and in turn are supported by the community of samatha teachers, in North America, and worldwide. Through practicing in groups, all who practice samatha meditation are supported both by peers and more experienced meditators. As a community of meditation practitioners, our focus in conversations is how to deepen our meditation practice and connect what we learn from our practice to life experiences.


Beginners Meditation Registration
Please fill out this form to register for a Meditation Beginners class or series. If you do not register in advance of a series, you will be asked to register online in person when you arrive. Note that all Beginners Meditation classes through Culture of Safety are currently in-person only. If you need a Zoom class for accessibility reasons (disability or chronic condition that limits your capacity to come to an in-person class, geographical distance of 10+ miles, etc.), you can fill out the form below and I'll either connect you with another online teacher or add you to a waiting list for if/when a Zoom beginners class is announced.
If you need a Zoom class for accessibility reasons (disability or chronic condition that limits your capacity to come to an in-person class, geographical distance of 10+ miles, etc.), I'll work to either connect you with another online teacher or add you to a waiting list for if/when a Zoom beginners class is announced.