16 Dec Mindful Masters
L.A. has almost as many places to meditate as it has one-dollar taco stands, from luscious outdoor gardens (see page xxx), to yoga studios, and independent and chain meditation centers. A particular form of meditation called mindfulness focuses the attention on the present moment, without judgment and with calm acceptance. Most mindfulness practices are based in contemporary Buddhism. Because this method is so deceptively simple, many claim to have mastered it after a weekend workshop, but it is an art that yields greater benefits the longer one practices.
Out of L.A.’s plethora of meditation centers, here are two headed by phenomenal women who’ve been walking their talk for decades, dedicating their lives to spreading mindful awareness.
This growing meditation community offers classes, retreats, events, and a teacher training program with three locations around L.A. Founded twenty years ago by Trudy Goodman, Ph.D., InsightLA was the first center to combine traditional meditation with mindfulness practices such as those popularized by Jon Kabat-Zin. Trudy is InsightLA’s lead teacher, a psychotherapist of twenty-five years, a meditator for forty, and she teaches and travels with her husband, best-selling Buddhist author, Jack Kornfield, Ph.D.
1430 Olympic Bl, Santa Monica, Ca 90404
4300 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
9940 Westwanda Drive, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210
Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC)
MARC is two-fold: the scientific research center at UCLA, and the public programs. Founded by heavy -hitter authors and scientists, Susan L. Smalley, Ph.D., and Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., MARC has done much to bring mindfulness into the mainstream.
The public programs offer classes, workshops, and the very popular Weekly Drop-in Meditations at the Hammer Museum and online, which are also available as a podcast. These meditations are led by Diana Winston, Director of Mindfulness Education. Diana has been practicing mindfulness since 1989 and teaching since 1993, and is according to the Los Angeles Times “one of the nation’s best-known teachers of mindfulness.” You can experience Diana’s teachings anywhere on the free downloadable app UCLA Mindful. If you prefer meditating in Spanish, Dr. Eric Lopez-Maya will guide you into deep relaxation.
MARC at UCLA
740 Westwood Plaza Room C8-237, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
© 2020 Catherine Auman
This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman’s book Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True
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