Dating back millennia, meditation, in its many forms, has been an ancient, Eastern spiritual practice. Meditation in Latin is meditatum, meaning “to ponder.” Although we do not know when, exactly, people began to meditate, experts agree that the practice probably began many thousands of years ago, before the birth of modern civilization.

So why has this practice stood the test of time?

The Buddha, who lived and taught in Southeast Asia about 2600 years ago, founded an experiential path that inspired generations of practitioners to sit in mindful awareness and notice their breath. People would come together to meditate and pray, making room for wisdom, compassion and peace to come forward.

To cultivate peace within, we need to practice creating space to observe our busy minds. We have the power to observe, release, and let our thoughts, feelings, emotions, go. We do not have to think about anything other than being right here and now. We can let the past be the past and future be unknown, to live the life right before our very eyes.

​In one formal meditation practice, we can practice allowing our thoughts to drift by, like a leaf floating down a stream. If we cling to our thoughts, and go into mental loops, we can start to sink and drag ourselves down to the bottom by our mental chatter. This can feel exhausting, overwhelming and anxiety ridden (to name a few things).

Instead, we can give our brains a time to relax from “thinking” through mindfulness-meditation, one way to cultivate this skill for inner peace! AND we do NOT have to do this alone! We can create a sangha — which is a Sanskrit word for “community” — which is one of the three gems of Buddhism.

One client said to me the other day, “Eleanor, I feel scatter brained and I’d like to connect with my true self. I know I have to do something differently. I have been trying to meditate on my own, but I just don’t do it! Maybe having a kind of meditation support group would help?”

I said, “OMG i love that idea! Let’s do it. I could use that too.” So, we decided to call it the ‘Magic of Meditation.’ The group was launched on November 22, 2022.

Often, we think of meditation as a solo journey, where we are asked to sit in isolation as we observe our own thoughts. We sit still, alone, on our cushion, eyes closed, in our own world, and on our own journey. But we are not alone…

Contrary to popular belief and traditional doctrine, meditation gains much of its power of transformation through community. The benefits of meditation in community are far-reaching, backed by science, and with many unexpected gifts that are gained with others. As American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead, once said, “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

Below are some of the benefits of meditating in community and the magic that a sangha can bring to our meditation experience: