Meditation Meetups
Find peace with us every week, without leaving home
Relax & Meditate Together
In partnership with area practitioners, York Public Library is pleased to offer online drop-in guided meditations. All ages and abilities are welcome. No prior experience needed. This event is free and open to the public.
Currently Offered Meditations:
Mid-Day Meditation with Kalyana Bliss, Thursdays from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. Fifteen to thirty minutes may feel like a small amount of time, but even a short meditation can reset the tone of our busy and distraction-filled day. Guided sessions with practitioner Kalyana Bliss provide an opportunity to practice mindfulness, reduce stress, regain focus, boost productivity, and be fully present.
Kalyana joins YPL each Thursday at noon; please plan to join the zoom session before start time to allow for an uninterrupted practice. To join Thursday’s Mid-Day Meditation (12:00pm-12:30pm), click here
Miss a meditation? View previously recorded sessions here.
Meet our Practitioners
Avi Magidoff belongs to the 43rd generation of the LinJi Meditation School, and has been a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh for more than two decades. He practices acupuncture in Portsmouth, teaching mindfulness, meditation and acupuncture in North America, Europe and Asia. “In each session we practice sitting meditation as well as walking meditation for calming the mind as well as developing, concentrating and observing our habitual patterns so as to gain insight and free ourselves of those patterns. We shall then extend the space created within ourselves to daily life through telephone meditation, eating meditation, etc.”
Jerry Mayfield is a 20-year practitioner of Sahaja Yoga meditation. He regularly leads are classes for Adult Education programs and will soon resume teaching at Yoga by Donation in Portsmouth.
Maia Rizzi is a licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist. She will lead guided visualizations to create healing energy, thereby calming and focusing the subconscious mind to connect with the body. She has practiced this work for over twenty years in the United States, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Brian Bliss is a teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Supported by more than 600 scientific studies, MBSR is the world’s leading evidence-backed mindfulness program. Brian’s training is through the Mindfulness Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health. Brown, a global leader in MBSR research and training, has partnered with the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, where Jon Kabat-Zinn first developed MBSR in 1979. In his own words: “Mindfulness practice has transformed my relationship with every aspect of life. It has taught me to cultivate a kinder way of being in touch with my body, mind, and heart. My relationships have grown deeper and more supportive, and I’m very grateful to be able to share these teachings with you.” Brian’s website is blissmindfulness.com.
Sarah Gaetano has studied meditation and mindfulness practices at Blue Cliff Monastery and with independent teachers throughout the United States. She is a certified Usui Reiki practitioner and believes that finding stillness and connection to our breath is what will sustain the life-force within us all.
Kalyana Bliss is a current master’s student at Bangor University (Wales, UK) in the psychology department’s Mindfulness-Based Approaches program. Her areas of interest include embodiment, interoception, trauma, and group practice.