Of the many places to find meditation classes in the Twin Cities, two that have attracted UMRA members are the University’s Center for Spirituality and Healing, on the East Bank campus in the Mayo Building, and the Common Ground Meditation Center located at 2700 East 26^th Street in Minneapolis, near Franklin Avenue and the West Bank campus.

In learning to meditate, you may wish to receive in-person instruction rather than using a book or an app. In-person classes offer the advantage of instruction tailored to your personal needs and questions, as well as the support and camaraderie of fellow students.

The Center for Spirituality and Healing (csh.org) offers a variety of mindfulness programs, two of which are of particular interest: half-day and full-day retreats for $49 and $79 respectively. Also offered is an eight-week course on mindfulness-based stress reduction for $425 (UMRA members get a 10 percent discount). The half-day retreat is for beginners and the full-day retreat is for those with some meditation experience. The eight-week course is for those who want to take a deeper dive into meditation and other mindfulness techniques; it consists of weekly classes and one full-day retreat.

The Common Ground Meditation Center (commongroundmeditation.org) is a community-based center that charges no fees and supports itself with voluntary donations. Serving more than 500 people weekly, the Center offers weekly practice groups, drop-in mediation sessions, retreats, workshops, yoga and qigong classes, as well as talks by visiting teachers and community groups. For beginners, the Center offers a six-week introduction-to-meditation course and an introductory half-day workshop.

— Ron Matross, Cares Committee member

Mindfulness meditation practitioners needed for November workshop

The Cares Committee is planning a workshop for November 2018 on the topic of Mindfulness Meditation. Ron Matross will lead the workshop. If you practice mindfulness or meditation in some form and would be willing to talk briefly about it, please contact Ron Matross ([email protected]) or Ron Anderson ([email protected]).