The benefits of a regular meditation practice are well-documented. Thousands of studies have found that regular meditation improves focus, prevents and relieves stress, enhances kindness and intuition, and promotes relaxation and a sense of balance.
This is why people have been meditating in different ways to improve their health and happiness for thousands of years. It has been practiced in some form in EVERY culture.
People tell me they have tried but face several challenges with meditating.
They ask or worry, “Am I doing this right?”
Or they struggle with how to fit meditation into their busy life, full of conflicting demands and priorities.
And, there’s the problem of how meditation is talked about and frequently taught. It seems some teachers or courses tied to the mysticism industry—and even science-based wellbeing communities—make it feel regimented, rote, confusing, expensive, or tied to beliefs we don’t share or drugs we don’t like and aren’t necessary.
And some say, “It just doesn’t work for me.”
It is possible to learn what meditation really is, how to do it, and how to get all the amazing benefits.
It can work for you.
Several thousand really busy people from >30 countries have successfully completed the Meditation Without Expectations™ (MWE) course and report reduced stress/anxiety, distraction, negativity about self and world…
And improved mental and emotional wellbeing, resilience, quality of life, and work performance.
Many—if not most—of them said they couldn’t meditate before taking the course…
But then found they could, with ease and even joy.
The key is in removing the expectations we’ve been taught, or created ourselves, about what meditation is and how it should go.
If you are like many of the people who have enrolled in my courses, you may have tried meditation but struggle with prioritizing time to do it or integrating it into your lifestyle. Most people do not discover a lasting benefit after one session or a few tries.
Our research shows it takes at least 6 weeks (8 is better) to learn and explore which techniques work in your life and for your perspectives and behaviors to change.
People who join the MWE course for the full 8 weeks really like it. Hundreds have taken the course repeatedly, and encourage their colleagues, friends, and families to join.
The truth is, meditation doesn’t require long, uninterrupted periods to be effective. Even just a few minutes of mindful breathing or another kind of short, focused session can bring profound benefits.
In Meditation Without Expectations™, you’ll discover how to integrate meditation into your day in small, powerful doses. Whether it’s five minutes between meetings, or it becomes part of your waking or bedtime routine, this course shows helps you find small ways to be present, and find your calmness, care, and clarity.
Meditation is as simple as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, breathing, feeling, counting, loving, stepping back, reflecting, and grounding…
It is a natural state, once we put aside our ideas about what it SHOULD be—but isn’t.
Participants of my classes over the years have reported:
All these benefits become available when we put aside our beliefs and assumption in favor of what is simple and true—and discover meditation without expectations.
I have trained deeply in science, spiritual traditions, and physical practices for most of my life.
During the COVID shut down, I offered to teach an online meditation course to support my favorite small business – a yoga studio I worked at – to help them make ends meet.
I literally went to sleep with the question: “If people I don’t know come to class for a few weeks, and I will never see them again, what must they learn that will help them during this immediate crisis and beyond?”
I woke up with the detailed Meditation Without Expectations™ outline and approach.
And the students loved it.
I also received requests for help from stressed colleagues at the Fortune 100 company I worked for as a sustainability and resiliency expert. So, I offered to teach it there too.
The MWE course attracted more than 4000 people from all over the world in just 2 years.
My heart swells just remembering it. I’ve been awed and humbled to witness such strong personal interest and growth from participants—to hear of their challenges and successes, their questions and experiences as we retrain minds and hearts together, and the sense of community and humanity.
Since I’m a scientist, of course we studied if and how the MWE program worked.
And did it ever! Wow… beyond our expectations.
The Course
Is an 8-week course available to the public once a year live online via Zoom. It is also available in-person for contracted organizations.
MWE is proven to deliver reductions in stress, and improvements in mindfulness (focus), resiliency, and empathy.
The program teaches 8 meditation techniques in a specific order and incorporates health coaching strategies and adult learning principles.
Participants
Attend a live session each week, which includes a check-in, short lecture, practice together, and discussion / Q&A.
Develop new habits by practicing in class and on their own over two months. You choose your homework and how to integrate the practices into your life.
Gain new awareness and insight into how we think, feel, live, and work
Are empowered to adapt and chose different actions based on their new awareness
Feel reassured by having by an experienced and trusted guide, and safe supportive community learning and practicing together
The meditation techniques include:
Being Here with awareness through the 5 and 20+ senses
Dealing with Distractions through counting, mantra, and introspection
Compassion and Gratitude through Metta, Tonglen, and Naikan
Open monitoring
Meditation Without Expectations™
is January 27 - March 17, 2025
Three meeting options per week:
Feel free to attend one, two, or all three weekly sessions, as suits your schedule and time zone.
for the full 8-week course
Cost to register is flexible. What matters most is participation. Please contribute what makes sense for your means and life situation, and commit to showing up to a live session each week. People pay >$1000 for meditation - mindfulness programs with lower quality and less experienced teachers. I want to ensure accessibility for anyone who is committed to learning these vital skills, which will help improve our lives and sustainability.
Contribute what you can depending upon your means and life situation. Please contact me if you would like to participate but are facing financial hardship.
Being Here, 5-senses meditation
May everyone who seeks physiological, psychological, and spiritual benefits discover ease and transformation from these simple practices.
Take care, Annie
