New Feature: Reviews!

Submitted by Jonathan Kaplan, Ph.D.

Given my personal and professional interest in mindfulness and meditation, I often get asked the question, "Where should I go to learn how to meditate?"  And, my answer is always the same, "It depends."  There are so many factors to be considered (e.g., personal preferences, prior experience with meditation, religiosity, etc.) that it is impossible to select the #1 meditation venue for everyone.  It's a matter of fit:  some meditation centers will be more suitable for some people than others.  For example, maybe you want a lot of didactic instruction and time for questions.  Or, conversely, maybe you prefer silence.  Fortunately, because there are so many centers available (in NYC and elsewhere), there is sure to be a place for you.

So, to help our readers navigate the confusing (and sometimes intimidating) world of meditation centers, we are proud to announce a whole new section of our site:  Reviews! This summer, our intrepid intern, Ms. Alyssa Barba, visited as many centers as she could and wrote descriptive summaries of her experiences.  Rather than being evaluative, these reviews objectively describe the setting, instruction, and other factors, in order to help each of our readers find the most personally suited place to begin learning meditation.  New reviews will be posted on the page each week, so be sure to check it regularly.  We are launching our new feature with a review of the Chakrasambara Buddhist Center.

When you find a place to visit, be sure to tell them that UrbanMindfulness.org sent you.  Also, don't forget that we provide free meditation handouts in our Resources page.