Mindfulness of breathing meditation - 10 week introductory course

The Samatha Meditation Centre is running a 10-week introductory course on mindfulness of breathing, starting Wednesday 14 October at 7pm. It's aimed at complete beginners, so if you've never sat with a meditation practice before, this is where you'd start. The sessions are taught in a group by a competent teacher, with a guided meditation followed by a talk. The centre says the best way to learn is in a group, though they also offer short one-to-one meetings with the teacher if you want a bit of individual guidance.

The practice itself is mindfulness of breathing: you gradually turn your attention away from distractions and towards the experience of the breath, and from there you develop calm, insight and well-being. It's a tradition the centre traces back more than 2,500 years to the time of the Buddha. The techniques come from the Buddhist tradition, but there's no requirement to be Buddhist to take part.

The centre is owned and run by the Samatha Trust, a UK registered charity (No 1179867) set up to foster calm and insight meditation. If you can't make it in person, online classes are available through the Trust. The course runs over ten weeks, so it's a commitment rather than a one-off, and it's designed to take you from the very beginning.

There's no fixed charge for the course; the teachers give their time free of charge, and the centre welcomes donations towards running costs. The sessions are at The Samatha Meditation Centre, 1 Gatcombe, Great Holm, Milton Keynes, MK8 9EA, starting Wednesday 14 October at 7pm.