Awaken Wednesday
A 22-Week Online Meditation Journey
Beginning on the New Moon — Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Awaken Wednesday is a welcoming online community created to help you establish a meditation practice that feels natural, nourishing, and sustainable. Whether you’re just beginning or returning to a practice you love, you’ll find encouragement, inspiration, and kindred spirits waiting for you each week.
Led by popular meditation mentor Sarah McLean, the program begins on the new moon, when we’ll gather live on Zoom. For twenty-two Wednesdays we’ll meditate, reflect, explore timeless contemplative wisdom, and discover simple ways to bring greater awareness, compassion, freedom, and joy into everyday life.
This isn’t a course, and there is nothing to complete. It’s a sanctuary where you can return each week—a virtual circle of practice to reconnect with yourself, nourish your spirit, and find renewed inspiration.
Each Wednesday we’ll gather for approximately one hour and enjoy:
- A welcoming community of fellow meditators
- A 22-minute guided meditation
- A reflection on meditation and Soul-Centered Living
- Time for questions and conversation
Throughout the 22 weeks we’ll explore a variety of meditation practices and contemplative teachings drawn from the wisdom traditions such as Zen, Vedanta, Contemplative Prayer, Mindfulness, Self-Inquiry and more.
Whether you come every week or simply join us when you can, you’ll always have access to the recordings and listen as often as you like, when you like.
Awaken Wednesday is a community for anyone who longs to make meditation a meaningful part of everyday life.
You may be just beginning, returning after time away, seeking greater consistency, curious to explore new approaches, or simply looking for companions on the path. Meditation teachers are warmly welcome, too.
Wherever you are on your journey, you’ll be among people who understand the value of taking time each week to nourish the heart, settle the mind, and remember what truly matters. And you’ll fall in love with the practice and benefits your regular meditation will offer.
Program Details
August 12, 2026 – January 6, 2027
22 consecutive Wednesdays
Live on Zoom
Time:
- 10:00–11:00 a.m. Pacific
- 1:00–2:00 p.m. Eastern
- 6:00–7:00 p.m. United Kingdom
Cost: $88 for the entire 22-week journey.
Your registration includes every live gathering and all session recordings. If you can’t attend a session live, you can enjoy the recording whenever it fits your schedule.
We’d love to welcome you.
A Personal Note
Hi, I’m Sarah McLean. For more than 30 years meditation has been both my life’s work and my greatest teacher.
My path has taken me from an ashram in India to a Zen Buddhist monastery, from serving as Education Director at the Chopra Center to directing Byron Katie’s School for The Work. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of studying with remarkable teachers from many wisdom traditions and training hundreds of meditation teachers through the McLean Meditation Institute.
But what matters most isn’t where I’ve studied or taught, it’s what meditation has given me.It has helped me to navigate life’s challenges, opened my heart, deepened my connection to the Divine, and continually reminded me to be present to this beautiful life we live.
That’s why I created Awaken Wednesday.
After teaching for so many years, I’ve learned that the hardest part isn’t learning to meditate—it’s making your practice non-negotiable. Even experienced meditators can lose the rhythm that keeps meditation alive. Awaken Wednesday grew from that understanding and a desire to support you in your practice.
It also grew from our Alone Together community, which began during the early months of the pandemic. What started as a way to stay connected became a community of people who discovered the simple power of gathering each week to meditate, reflect, and encourage one another.
My hope is that Awaken Wednesday becomes that kind of place for you—a sanctuary to return to, week after week, where your practice can deepen naturally and where you’ll always be welcomed.It would be an honor to meditate with you.
Sarah
