Introduction to Buddhist Meditation Course

A 4-week course – Four Saturday afternoons of 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st January 2026

Suitable for complete beginners, but those who already know the practices and would like more help and input are also very welcome.

Start the new year with that resolution to learn the two meditation practices we teach here at the Buddhist Centre – the Mindfulness of Breathing and the Metta Bhavana.

In Week 1 we’ll spend some time finding you a comfortable posture to sit, before discussing what mindfulness is and then learning the “nuts and bolts” of the stages of the Mindfulness of Breathing. We’ll also discuss setting up a space for meditation at home so that you can practise during the following week.

In Week 2 we’ll review how your home practice went, answer any questions, hear your observations and ideas, sort out any difficulties etc. Then we’ll try making you Mindfulness of Breathing practice more rounded and natural. We’ll discuss how to deal with distractions, aches and sleepiness but also with broad awareness, positivity, concentration and enjoyment in your practice.

In Weeks 3 and 4 we’ll discuss what metta and bhavana mean before learning the “nuts and bolts” of the second meditation practice, and how the two practices complement each other.

To finish the course we’ll discuss next steps – setting up a regular home practice, further classes and courses at the Buddhist Centre, retreats and we’ll suggest some follow-up resources.

Although we won’t be following this book, it is a highly recommended complement to this course as it gives you more information, ideas and advice than we can cover in our 4 weeks together: Change Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation by Paramananda

Led by Shuddhadhara and team – Watch a video of Shuddhadhara introducing the course