Looking for advice on teaching my first meditation class

[BipolarGrowth]

Hey everyone,

It looks like I’ll have the opportunity to start leading a meditation class at a local yoga studio about a month from now. I’m planning to offer it as a general “Buddhist Meditation” class which will cycle through breath meditation/Ānāpānasati, Metta, Vipassana, and fire kasina until I find what most people are interested in and getting results from. 
 

It looks like it will be a weekly class. I anticipate most people going will be there for things less than Liberation such as stress relief, developing a peaceful mind, etc. I still would like to introduce the class as a path to deeper realization though. 
 

A rough framework I’m thinking could work well would be like this: 

10-15 minute Dhamma talk/reading of a related text/watching related video content 

30 minute meditation

15-20 minute discussion of what specifically came up or was noticed during meditation for each person with feedback and tips given based on what came up, this time will also likely be used to share our spiritual perspectives and build rapport among the individuals in the group

 

What are your thoughts on this? I’d love to get feedback and tips from anyone who has led people in meditation either individually or in a group context. 
 

Thanks for the help in advance,

 

Brandon 

Edited September 9, 2022 by BipolarGrowth

[cetus]

30 min. meditation may be a bit long for newbies. 15-20 min. would be more doable as an introduction.

[BipolarGrowth]

@cetus this is a good point. If the sessions usually run 1 hour, what would you suggest to fill that time with something relevant and helpful?

[Razard86]

31 minutes ago, BipolarGrowth said:

@cetus this is a good point. If the sessions usually run 1 hour, what would you suggest to fill that time with something relevant and helpful?

Story-time. 

[BipolarGrowth]

@Razard86 good suggestion. I’ll definitely consider this

[cetus]

Maybe 10 or 15 min. of contemplation on a question you pose. For instance: What is time? What is space? What do you refer to when you say "I"? Ect.

Then an open discussion where they can share their insights with each other.

Edited September 9, 2022 by cetus

[GrandeOrso]

i think 30 minutes is fine, when you do it in company you can hold much longer

i was with newbies (and i was one) in a kung fu retreat and we all did 30 minutes meditation 

just dont be silent all the time, sometimes remind to let the thoughts pass, etc, but dont be invasive either

[thepixelmonk]

I agree with 30 minutes being perfectly fine. It's not like you're forced to sit full lotus or anything.

[Christoph Werner]

I give a meditation Workshop every week. What I've learned is, that your vibrational frequency is the most important. You are providing the atmosphere that everyone connects to. So every single emotion and thought you have is important. So prepare well for any theory you want to discuss, don't be nervous, establish a solid connection with source and be very mindful of your frequency throughout the whole day but especially for the session. 

I like to start my Workshop with shaking of the body to music. People are so stuck in their psychological reality that their consciousness is quite disconnected from the body, so that's a nice beginning. 

I would first do practise and then the dharma talk and then again practise. As people will listen much more when they are open from the practise.

I also recommend doing guided meditation at the end. It's very beautiful way of guiding yourself and others to source consciousness and channeling that power to the room and everyone in it. Feel everyones energy and build a database of things to say in your mind, so then in the moment based on how you feel the peoples energy you know the right things to say to bring them closer to love, peace and power.

Make the Workshops about love. No one cares about buddhism or any technique. Everyone is just looking for love even if they don't know that. So address that and don't beat around the bush. Meditation is shifting from pursuing love to realizing you are love.

[BipolarGrowth]

@Christoph Werner This is very helpful. Thanks ??

[JuliusCaesar]

@BipolarGrowth  How much control over what you're permitted to do with the class do you have? You could make it a ganja yoga class, or you could do what I'd do. A class that I'd teach would mostly focus on the use of mantras, because I have the most personal experience with that of all yogic/tantric implements. Though I wouldn't want to teach an hour-long class, that's nowhere near enough time if you ask me. Minimum 5 hours, though something like 8-12 hours long would be best.