Practice Resources


Below you will find resources to guide and ground you in your mindfulness practice. This resources section is intended to guide you in building the skills that support your daily practice and also bring mindful awareness into your everyday life. Also included are practices that guide you into a reflective contemplations, like compassion, as well as nature connection practices that encourage your relationship with the elements and the earth.

Guided Mindfulness Meditation

Grounding Meditation – Guided Audio

(Rev.) Andrew Blake guides an 10 minute Grounding Meditation practice. Grounding into the here and now through your meditation practice has beneficial ripple effects for being more in tune and centered in your daily life. We hope you enjoy this practice and that it brings you great ease and clarity. Beginner Friendly.

Listen + Download as MP3 Here.

10 Min

Meet the Present Moment – Guided Audio

A simple and grounding practice to connect to the present moment and what is here for you in the now. This practice is beginner friendly.

13 Min

Morning Meditation – Guided Audio

(Rev.) Andrew Blake guides an 11 min Morning Meditation. In those few moments after you wake up you have the potential to enter a powerful place where you can set intentions, align with yourself and reflect on where you’re headed.

Listen + Download as MP3 Here.

11 Min

Shamatha Calm Abiding Meditation – Guided Audio

Shamatha is a foundational skill for formal meditation practice. In this practice you will be guided to bring your mind over and over again into the present moment, utilizing your breath, posture, or something else, as a focal point. Remember – the goal is not to have no thoughts, but to bring yourself present to the Now once you realize your mind has carried you off.

Listen + Download as MP3 Here.

15 Min

Strong Back, Soft Front Meditation – Guided Audio

This contemplative meditation is inspired by the work and teachings of Roshi Joan Halifax. Enjoy the nourishing practice of cultivating a wise and open heart. Guided by (Rev.) Andrew Blake.

25 Min

Breath Counting Meditation – Guided Audio

17 Min

Listen on SoundCloud or download an MP3 here.

Meditation How-To’s and Deepening Your Practice

How to Sit: Meditation Tutorial

(Rev.) Andrew shares with us some simple tips for hot to sit in meditation and increase physical comfort and mental focus. 

10 Min

Building Your Meditation Practice – Guided Audio

Learn with (Rev.) Andrew Blake how to build up your meditation practice. Things to consider our time, space, styles, and intentions. All of these, and more, go into creating a meditation practice that really impacts your life and supports you.

18 Min

Intro to Walking Meditation

(Rev.) Andrew Blake shares the basics, whys, and how-to’s of Walking Meditation. We explore a range of techniques from Informal – Formal style. Waking Meditation can be a supportive method to enliven your Mindfulness practice.

12 Min

Everyday Mindfulness To Change Your Life – Guided Audio

The goal of mindfulness is to help you be in the present moment, so that you can choose how you want to respond, instead of react from unconscious patterns and conditioning. So how can mindfully washing dishes change your life? This video breaks it down a little.

18 Min

Common Obstacles to Meditation Practice

(Rev.) Andrew Blake outlines the common obstacles you will encounter on the path of meditation. These obstacles can be met anywhere along your journey, whether you’re a beginner or advanced practitioner. This video is here to remind you that you’re not alone, and that there are possibilities to support you.

19 Min

Working with Difficult Emotions – Guided Audio

(Rev.) Andrew Blake takes us through various methods to work with difficult emotions – the ones that block us, make us feel small, and fear change. Using mindfulness, meditation, self-compassion, and Tara Brach’s RAIN method, we hope this supports you in riding the waves that come with being human.
22 Min

Contemplations and Reflective Meditations

Undefended Love – Guided Audio

(Rev.) Andrew Blake guides us into a practice for cultivating and feeling the quality of Undefended Love (based on a Meditation from Roshi Joan Halifax). The kind of love where we are not guarding or protecting our hearts, but opening right up to the possibility for increased compassion for self and other.

15 Min

Generosity and A Giving Heart – Guided Audio

At its core, generosity is the foundation for compassion. It’s the lessons of letting go of our self focus to connect to our greater web. It’s also about being fearless in seeing who we are, and how we can meet life from the place of a loving and generous heart. (Rev.) Andrew Blake guides us in an 8 minute reflective practice. May it serve you and inspire your generous heart.

5 Min

Other Resources to Guide Your Practice:

 

Sites with More Guided Practices

How to Meditate – Links for Guided Meditation Practice:

  • This link connects you to an excellent resource with guided practices, talks and videos from teachers such as Sharon Salzburg, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ronald Siegel, Tara Brach and our own local teacher of MBCT,  Zindel Segal.

Jack Kornfield:

Tara Brach:

 

Buddhist Publications:

Lion’s Roar Magazine:  How to Meditate?

Tricycle Magazine:  What is Mindfulness?

 

Secular Publications: 

Mindful Magazine—Getting Started with Your Practice

Meditation Magazine—All About Different Benefits of Practice

Insight Timer:

  • This link to Insight Timer site is home to more than 1,500,000 meditators. Insight Timer is rated as the top free meditation app on the Android and iOS stores.