Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor are true gems of the yoga world. Both immensely skilled teachers of yoga asana and philosophy, brimming with warmth, humor, and understanding.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
ABOUT THIS COURSE
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Establish a consistent shamatha (calm-abiding) meditation practice at home
CULTIVATE
Incorporate the qualities of gentleness, discernment, and precision in your being
DISCOVER
Learn techniques to work with strong emotions, in meditation and on-the-spot in your day-to-day life
PROCESS
Employ strategies to live a life of contentment in the here and now
PRESENCE
DEVELOP
Build your capacity for compassion through six actions
RELEASE
Move away from the trap of doubting yourself toward touching your innate bravery and strength
COURAGE
Experience inner peace through addressing change and fear head-on
ENGAGE
Engage with whatever comes up in your life as part of your spiritual path
THIS COURSE INCLUDES
CULTIVATE
DISCOVER
PROCESS
PRESENCE
DEVELOP
Establish a consistent shamatha (calm-abiding) meditation practice at home
Incorporate the qualities of gentleness, discernment, and precision in your being
Learn techniques to work with strong emotions, in meditation and on-the-spot in your day-to-day life
Employ strategies to live a life of contentment in the here and now
Build your capacity for compassion through six actions
COURAGE
Experience inner peace through addressing change and fear head-on
Move away from the trap of doubting yourself toward touching your innate bravery and strength
RELEASE
Engage with whatever comes up in your life as part of your spiritual path
ENGAGE
SIX 15- TO 20-MINUTE DOWNLOADABLE VIDEO LESSONS
Taught by Lodro Rinzler (plus printable transcripts)
Downloadable PDFs from Sit Like a Buddha and The Buddha Walks into a Bar . . .
Integrate what you're learning into daily life!
Listen at your convenience
Make sure you understand the essential concepts
Learn at your own pace whenever and wherever works best for you!
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please e-mail us within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
COURSE CURRICULUM
LESSON 1
The Power of Why
Meditation sounds easy enough on first glance: find a quiet place to practice and follow your breath for five or ten minutes or more each day. And it may even be pretty easy to make this happen for the first week or two, but nearly everyone eventually hits a roadblock that throws the practice off course or stops it in its tracks. This is the point at which knowing your intention for meditating becomes essential for sustaining the practice. Your intention for meditating answers the question why do I meditate? In this first lesson of the course, we’ll explore the importance of getting clear about why you want to meditate.
LESSON 2
Meditation Instruction
The practice of shamatha meditation is both less and more than it may seem. There are no challenging mantras or visualizations in this practice. It is as simple as following the breath. The power of this simple practice, however, can reach into every aspect of your life, as you practice being attuned to each moment as it arises. In this second lesson of the course, Lodro introduces you to the practice itself, providing clear instruction on how to meditate.
LESSON 3
Mindfulness and Awareness
Now that you’ve been practicing shamatha meditation, you may begin to notice that sitting still and following your breath is not nearly as easy as it may have looked. We may think that we want nothing more than quiet and stillness, but often as soon as we settle into the meditation pose, our minds give us anything but quiet or stillness. In this third lesson of the course, Lodro introduces mindfulness and awareness and describes the roles they play in meditation. In the talk and the reading, you will also learn about the three main obstacles to meditation practice: laziness, speedy busyness, and disheartenment.
LESSON 4
When the Going Gets Emotional
Even if you haven’t yet had emotions come up while practicing meditation, you certainly know what it is to have emotions arise when you’re at home or at work or out in the world. Emotions are a part of life, even for the most calm and well-balanced among us. Meditation practice gives us an opportunity to work with our emotions in an environment that is less charged than our off-the-cushion life. Over time, the habits and insights built through meditation practice start to affect our ability to handle emotions wherever and whenever they arise. This fourth lesson of the course dives into the discussion of emotion and what to do when it arises, both on and off the cushion.
LESSON 5
The Fastest Road to Awakening
Most of us live in a world that surrounds us constantly with the message that we’re not enough. Not thin enough, not successful enough, not rich enough, not popular enough, not stylish enough. Just simply not enough. With consistent meditation practice comes the potential for experiencing the state of peaceful abiding—and it is in this state that we experience our own basic goodness, resting in being enough. In this fifth lesson of the course, we’ll look more deeply into the state of peaceful abiding and explore practices for cultivating the experience of basic goodness.
LESSON 6
The Qualities of a Dharmic Person
At some point in a meditation practice, it comes time to move the practice from the cushion into the larger world. Bringing the skills cultivated in meditation practice into your daily life can be challenging and it helps to have guidance. In both the talk and this lesson’s reading, Lodro will discuss one helpful form of guidance: the seven qualities of a dharmic person, as taught by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1979. You’ll spend the final week of the course contemplating each of these qualities individually and considering how they manifest in your life. This final lesson of the course guides us in moving outward, beyond the meditation cushion, as we take our practice into the world.
LESSON 7
Becoming More Awesome
This first lesson sets a context for understanding how the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is relevant for navigating life in the 21st Century. We introduce the ideas of waking up to what is right before us, including our often complicated relationships, and our fears and confusion about impermanence. We examine how important it is to stay embodied as we find our way through the complexities of daily life.
LESSON 8
Becoming More Awesome
This first lesson sets a context for understanding how the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is relevant for navigating life in the 21st Century. We introduce the ideas of waking up to what is right before us, including our often complicated relationships, and our fears and confusion about impermanence. We examine how important it is to stay embodied as we find our way through the complexities of daily life.
BONUS MATERIAL
COURSE EXCERPTS
COURSE SUMMARY
100 Hours of Video Teachings
Become More Awesome
Get Less Stinky
Prove Math Exists
Exist for Math
Belly Dance Better
ABOUT YOUR TEACHER
Lodro Rinzler is a teacher in the Shambhala tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. He has taught numerous workshops and retreats. His column "What Would Sid Do?" (Sid = Siddhartha, the Buddha) appears regularly in the Huffington Post.
“Don't let Rinzler's youthful exuberance fool you. The kid knows his stuff.”
~ Tricycle
READING ASSIGNMENTS
CONTEMPLATIONS AND PRACTICES
DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO FILES
"CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING" QUIZZES
UNLIMITED ACCESS
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please e-mail us within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
When does the course begin?
The course is available as soon as you register and does not have a specific start date. All lessons are available and you may go through the course materials at your own pace.
How long does it take to complete the course?
There are six lessons in the course and each lesson is designed to last a week. However, the course is flexible and you can work at your own pace as well, so you can benefit just as much from the course even if it takes you longer to go through it. We encourage you to download videos as you go through the course for your own personal use in the future. You will continue to have unlimited access to the course materials online as well.
How long will I have access to the course?
Your access to the course is unlimited. It will not expire.
Can I still take this training without a desktop/laptop computer (for example, if I only have an iPad)?
Yes, you can access this course using the browser on your device. However, please note that if you’d like to save any of the course materials, you will need to download to a computer first and then transfer the files to your device.
What if I have technical difficulties with the course?
We have a dedicated course support person who can help you with any issues you may encounter in navigating or accessing the course. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Want to learn to ride the waves of life with mindfulness and compassion? We all do—and yet we so often fall short of our goal to bring more wisdom into our lives at work, at home, and with our friends. In this course, author and Buddhist teacher Lodro Rinzler serves as your guide in how to develop a spiritual backbone, regardless of whether or not you’re interested in religion.
This course includes meditation instructions to help you become calm and centered, guidance on how to work with strong emotions (what Lodro calls the pervasive “Incredible Hulk Syndrome”), and practical steps you can take right now to connect more fully to your own heart of wisdom. You’ll learn how to embody contentment, joy, and fearlessness so you can live your life to its fullest and be of benefit to the world.
~ Tricycle
“Don't let Rinzler's youthful exuberance fool you. The kid knows his stuff.”
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
CULTIVATE
DISCOVER
PROCESS
PRESENCE
DEVELOP
Establish a consistent shamatha (calm-abiding) meditation practice at home
Incorporate the qualities of gentleness, discernment, and precision in your being
Learn techniques to work with strong emotions, in meditation and on-the-spot in your day-to-day life
Employ strategies to live a life of contentment in the here and now
Build your capacity for compassion through six actions
COURAGE
Experience inner peace through addressing change and fear head-on
Move away from the trap of doubting yourself toward touching your innate bravery and strength
RELEASE
Engage with whatever comes up in your life as part of your spiritual path
ENGAGE
Connect to your personal intention for meditation practice
INTENTION
Develop your shamatha (calm abiding) practice by following the meditation instruction
PRACTICE
Apply the tools of mindfulness and awareness on and off the meditation cushion
ENGAGE
Employ strategies for dealing with the three main obstacles to getting a meditation practice going
RELEASE
COURAGE
Handle difficult emotions when the arise on and off the meditation cushion
PEACE
Move toward experiencing the state of peaceful abiding
CULTIVATE
Engage with the qualities of a dharmic person in daily life
ENGAGE
Engage with whatever comes up in your life as part of your spiritual path
THIS COURSE INCLUDES
COURSE CURRICULUM
COURSE SUMMARY
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please e-mail us within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please e-mail us within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
© Shambhala Publications. All Rights Reserved.
ABOUT YOUR TEACHER
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
PRAISE FOR LODRO RINZLER
Review of Love Hurts: Buddhist Advice for the Heartbroken by Lodro Rinzler:
“If you have ever wished for a smart, kind, discerning, and ridiculously funny friend to accompany you, encourage you, challenge you, make you laugh, and point you in the direction of true healing, here he is.”
—Susan Piver, author of Start Here Now and The Wisdom of a Broken Heart.
Reviews of The Buddha Walks into a Bar . . .: A Guide to Life for a New Generation by Lodro Rinzler
“A young, New York–based Buddhist teacher, Rinzler is able to take a relaxed, colloquial approach to meditation and its many benefits because he’s so well-versed in Shambhala and Tibetan Buddhism. With examples ranging from superheroes to YouTube videos, Rinzler brings timeless teachings to the buzz of now in an engaging, richly instructive, genuinely illuminating spiritual guide.”
—Booklist
“Rinzler’s voice is approachable and funny and absolutely credible to all of the young professionals who seem to have it all but who are beginning to wonder if they are missing something really, really big.”
—Beliefnet.com
PRAISE FOR
LODRO RINZLER
In this course, meditation teacher and Shambhala Publications author Lodro Rinzler guides you through everything you need to establish a meditation practice. You will begin by focusing on why you’re practicing and then will learn the basics of how to meditate. You’ll learn simple tips for how to get a steady meditation practice going in your own home. You’ll examine how the tools of mindfulness and awareness can help you navigate the three main obstacles to meditation: laziness, speedy busyness, and disheartenment. You’ll learn how to work with emotions when they arise, both on and off the meditation cushion. And you’ll explore the concept of peaceful abiding that is the core of our being: our “buddha nature.” The course concludes with an exploration of what it means to expand the practice beyond the cushion into the world.
What you've heard about meditation is true: it will focus your mind, open your heart, and surprise you with insight. And it’s not as difficult to learn as you might have thought.
~ Course Participant
“I felt like the structure of the course was most helpful. As things were unfolding in my practice, they were being brought up in the course. I felt as if the person who designed the course understood the natural progression of beginning. I also loved the cleanness of the presentation/ease of use. Masterfully done!”
ABOUT THIS COURSE
What you've heard about meditation is true: it will focus your mind, open your heart, and surprise you with insight. And it’s not as difficult to learn as you might have thought.
Connect to your personal intention for meditation practice
INTENTION
Develop your shamatha (calm abiding) practice by following the meditation instruction
PRACTICE
Apply the tools of mindfulness and awareness on and off the meditation cushion
ENGAGE
Employ strategies for dealing with the three main obstacles to getting a meditation practice going
RELEASE
PEACE
Move toward experiencing the state of peaceful abiding
CULTIVATE
Engage with the qualities of a dharmic person in daily life
ENGAGE
Engage with whatever comes up in your life as part of your spiritual path
Handle difficult emotions when the arise on and off the meditation cushion
COURAGE