Meditation Study Series
Meditation Study Series
Our next online series is on Tuesday evenings starting May 12th at 7pm.
Join our seasonal meditation study series for intermediate and experienced meditators in a supportive community. Facilitated by (Rev.) Andrew Blake of Sarana Institute.
What to Expect
Our Tuesday evening series is a gathering of like-minded meditators interested in deepening practice and integrating Buddhist teachings into daily life. Each class will include sitting and walking meditation, a contemplative practice, and space for council and group discussion of the teachings.
This course is open to all levels of meditation practice and those interested in integrating Buddhist approaches and teachings into their lives and healing. If you are new to meditation, please don't hesitate to contact us before registration.
Starting May 12th:
Meditating with the Five Elements:
Healing Practices from Buddhism and Indigenous Traditions
Register Here
Across many spiritual and healing traditions, the five elements guide us into three layers of awareness or existence: external, internal, and subtle. Many Indigenous traditions embrace the elements as healing tools, teachers, and portals of relationship, helping us remember our wholeness and our oneness with life.
In this series, we will explore not only our physical bodies and how the outer elements affect us day to day, but also their inner qualities as psychophysical energies that give rise to thoughts, emotions, and personality traits. We will then turn toward their most subtle expressions as energetic signatures that inform our spiritual awareness, appearing as illusory forms, dissolving at the time of death, and opening us to the possibility of encountering a state of Pure Awareness.
Our primary sources will include teachings from the Tibetan Bön tradition, an ancient shamanic and Buddhist lineage, alongside Indigenous perspectives on the elements from Turtle Island. Each Tuesday Sangha gathering is held with the intention of advancing and deepening our meditation practice. In this series, we will do that by studying the elements and discovering grounded, contemporary ways to apply ancient wisdom in service of healing, clarity, and wise discernment.
No prior meditation experience is required. All are welcome. New participants are encouraged to schedule a brief introductory call with Rev. Andrew to ensure the series is a good fit. In general, our classes are rooted in Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice, with time for group discussion and reflection.
Recommended book for this series:
Healing with Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen
by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
This series is ideal for anyone interested in building a meditation practice, deepening compassion skills, engaging life from a heart-centered place, and exploring Buddhist concepts and methods. All levels are welcome in our Tuesday Sangha led by (Rev.) Andrew, who brings nearly 50 years of study and practice.
Dates and Times
Tuesday Evenings from 7 - 9 pm ET on Zoom
Starts May 12th for 8 Weeks
Registration Fee
There are a few options for registering:
Base Fee: $250
Supportive Fee: $300 for those who can contribute more
PWYC Fee: Any amount that you can contribute
*as a spiritual gift, the dharma is not a commodity bought and sold. Our registration fees go to support Rev. Andrew and the work at Sarana Institute. If the suggested fee is challenging, pay an amount that works within your finances. Everyone is welcome in our sangha, and finances must never be a reason not to join us.
About (Rev.) Andrew Blake
(Rev.) Andrew Blake, Buddhist Chaplain, Psychotherapist and Co-Founder of Sarana Institute
Andrew is the Director of Program Development at Sarana Institute, and his wife, Angie, is a co-founder. In 2010, Andrew was ordained as a Buddhist Chaplain by Roshi Joan Halifax, a leader in compassion, caregiving and end-of-life. His thesis, Mindful Listening at End-of-Life, was recently published and explores the roles of mindfulness, empathy and compassion, from both neuroscience and Buddhist psychology perspectives, as skills to prevent caregiver “empathy fatigue.”
A teacher and educator of mindfulness meditation, Buddhism, End-of-Life caregiving, and his Mindful Listening work, Andrew has created training and curriculums at the University of Toronto through the Applied Mindfulness Mediation Program, at Sick Kids Hospital through The Mindfulness Project, at Hincks Dellcrest Centre, as well as numerous conferences, hospitals, hospices and organizations involved in service, healthcare, end-of-life care, volunteer caregiving. In addition to his teaching, he guides individuals and families at end of life and serves as an officiant at memorials and funerals. www.andrewblake.ca
