Category: Invites

If you are in the Wakefield, Quebec area, the Meditation in the Library group has kindly invited me to share my approach to meditation. Join us for Meditation in Person this Sunday, March 1, at the Biblio Wakefield Library at 1:30 pm.

I bring my lifelong experience in meditation and cognitive psychology. I currently facilitate an online Meditation Community informed by traditional vipassana practice and modern neuroscience. I will outline this hybrid approach to meditation, showing how traditional and scientific perspectives can blend smoothly for greater personal benefit and deeper service to the community.

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event. The library is located at Centre Wakefield La Pêche, 38 Chemin de la Vallée-de-Wakefield, Wakefield, QC J0X 3G0

Join us this Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST

“Depart” is the final meditation in this series. It is a bookend to our first “Arrive” meditation, a gentle practice of letting go and gratitude. It invites you to rest in a posture of ease, calm the mind, and soften the body, mind, and heart. With quiet guidance and unhurried silence, this meditation helps you release what no longer serves you and recognize what sustains you. You leave the online sanctuary renewed and better equipped for the world, with the understanding that every departure carries the possibility of return.

Please join us this Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST at the link below. We look forward to seeing you.

https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

You can always find the latest information on my website. I recommend subscribing to my newsletter for invitations and essays. You can contact me via the email listed on my About page, or by replying to any newsletter. Thank you, John Miedema.

Please join the online Meditation Community this Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST

The online Meditation Community is pleased to announce that guest Nathan Vanek will guide a Metta meditation, a traditional practice of cultivating lovingkindness toward yourself and others. Nathan is a longtime teacher of meditation and eastern philosophies. In January he spoke at the Biblio Wakefield Library and he previously presented to my meditation group at the Bank of Canada.

Please join us this Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST. Feel free to invite others who would appreciate this special experience. It is the second last sitting in this winter series.

All our sittings take place at the link below, last 30 minutes, and are free. We look forward to seeing you.

https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

You can always find the latest information on my website. I recommend subscribing to my newsletter for invitations and essays. You can contact me via the email listed on my About page, or by replying to any newsletter. Thank you, John Miedema.

Mindfulness is the combination of focused attention and non-judgmental observation

Join the online Meditation Community this week (Sunday Jan 25 10 am EST) to learn a vipassana-style body scan. In this meditation, attention moves deliberately through the body, training mindfulness as the combination of focused attention and non-judgemental observation. The practice supports steadiness, reduces reactivity, and deepens embodied awareness, both in meditation and daily life.

All our sittings take place at the link below, last 30 minutes, and are free. We look forward to seeing you.

https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

You can always find the latest information on my website. I also recommend subscribing to my newsletter for invitations and essays. You can contact me via the email listed on my About page, or by replying to any newsletter.

Many people find this practice to be the most useful meditation they learn

Many people come to meditation seeking relief from stress, and Meditation Community begins with a focus on Calm. Learning to settle the body and steady the mind creates the conditions for practice, and for many people this alone brings real benefit.

This week we move into Effort to Develop Technique. This phase will include three sittings working with attention more deliberately. This takes more effort and repetition, but it is a valuable skill that rewards you with feelings of pleasure and happiness.

Join our online Meditation Community for a sitting on Focused Attention. Many people find this practice to be the most useful meditation they learn.

In this meditation, we will use the breath as a reference point. We practice noticing when attention drifts and gently returning it.

All our sittings take place at the link below, last 30 minutes, and are free. We look forward to seeing you.

https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

You can always find the latest information on my website. I also recommend subscribing to my newsletter for invitations and essays. You can contact me via the email listed on my About page, or by replying to any newsletter.

Please join our Meditation Community for a guided meditation that shares Indigenous teachings on the season of winter. By listening to the land and connecting with its rhythm in gratitude and respect, we will journey with winter’s lessons of quiet strength, rest, patience, and inner warmth.

I was privileged to begin the new year as a participant in a virtual Indigenous meditation guided by Melissa Blimkie. Melissa has kindly agreed to offer this meditation to our Meditation Community this Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST. I encourage you to invite others who would appreciate this special experience.

All our sittings take place at the link below, last 30 minutes, and are free. We look forward to seeing you.

https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

You can always find the latest information on my website. I also recommend subscribing to my newsletter for invitations and essays. You can contact me via the email listed on my About page, or by replying to any newsletter.

Meditation Community follows a regular program and occasionally invites guest speakers. For example, our program is scheduled to offer a meditation on Calm this week, and Melissa’s meditation fits beautifully within that arc.

If you are a meditation teacher or speaker and would like to guide a sitting, please feel free to contact me.

This first meditation is called, Arrive, a simple but foundational practice

You are warmly invited to join the Meditation Community tomorrow, Sunday January 4, 2026, at 10:00 am – 10:30 am.

This first meditation is called, Arrive, a simple but foundational practice. We’ll explore what it means to show up, to settle into presence, and to return again and again when attention wanders. This session is less about doing meditation “right” and more about beginning where you are, with care. All are welcome, whether this is your first sit or a continuation of an ongoing practice.

Meditation Community meets using Google Meet at this link:

https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

If the Google Meet app is not already installed you will be prompted to do so. It works on all platforms. You don’t need a Google account or a Gmail account. If you get prompted for a code it is the one in the link: ogf-dnbs-ved. You may get asked for a name. More Google Meet help information can be found here:

Join a meeting – Computer – Google Meet Help

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. This is the first public meeting of the Meditation Community after running it privately for several years. Please forgive any glitches as we get running. I will continue to develop this program, offering new series later in the year. You can stay updated simply by visiting my website. I recommend also subscribing to the Meditation Community Substack to get email updates. Both include essays that will give you a good idea of where I am headed with the program.

🦉 Meditation Community – John Miedema

Meditation Community | John Miedema | Substack

I feel like I should end with a groovy closing. How about, peace 😊.

You are invited to join an online Meditation Community, facilitated by John Miedema, a lifetime student of meditation and cognitive psychology. The approach is informed by vipassana and neuroscience. It is a combination of guided and silent meditation. The first series begins on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 10 am EST and continues for six weeks. Sittings last thirty minutes. The program is free.

Visit the website for more information:
https://johnmiedema.art/%f0%9f%a6%89-meditation-community/

Join the Substack for sitting updates and essays:
https://meditationcommunity.substack.com/

Good afternoon, meditators,

The Meditation Community sittings will be on the Google Meet platform.

We’ll use a permanent link for all gatherings: https://meet.google.com/ogf-dnbs-ved

Google Meet is simple to use and has fewer limits than Zoom. I’ve seen other groups use a permanent link safely for public sessions, so we’ll begin with the simplest method and add more controls only if needed.

I will still send invitations ahead of each weekly meeting, the first being Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 10 a.m. These invites will include the link and details about each week’s theme.

You can always find the latest program information on my website: https://johnmiedema.art/🦉-meditation-community/

You’re welcome to contact me anytime by replying to a newsletter post, commenting on a post, or emailing me through the About page on my website: https://johnmiedema.art/about/.

I look forward to our first sitting in January,

John

This post corrects yesterday’s announcement, which listed a Sunday, January 3 start. The first Sunday falls on January 4. Thanks to Barb and Shoshana for catching it.

The Meditation Community will begin on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 10 am EST. Subsequent sittings will take place at the same time each Sunday for six weeks, ending on February 8.

This first series is a public pilot, designed to introduce the Meditation Community style of practice, informed by vipassana and neuroscience. It focuses on foundational skills, and the sitting descriptions in the schedule will give you a good sense of what to expect. If you cannot attend this round, I plan to repeat it later in the year and introduce a new series next year.

An invitation will be sent through this newsletter before each sitting, including a short description and the Zoom link.

You can always find the latest information on my website.

I look forward to meeting you in January.