The Lockdown

It’s been just about a year now, give or take a day or two, since my visiting European friends, Sue and Suzi, left Santa Barbara. The U.S. was locking down and they flew home. That’s when I received a call from a dear friend, Reed Cowan, a meditation and mindfulness teacher who also just happens to be a multi-Emmy-award winning prime time newscaster.

“It’s time. Sarah, you’ve got to go online. Everyone needs meditation right now.” Oh, no, I thought, I can’t do it. I am not ready. Though I’ve been teaching meditation since 1993 and have been a keynote speaker comfortable in front of thousands, there was something about being seen up close and personal while I sit in my office that seemed too intimate, too personal, too much.

I am sharing this story with you to encourage you to say yes, even when your self-limiting beliefs shout, oh no, I don’t have what it takes! Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway

That’s what I did that day. It was March 14, 2021 and by March 16th, I had recruited Sue and Suzi who were back at home now, both certified meditation and mindfulness teachers to help me. They were joined by teachers from across the US, Canada, and Europe. We volunteered taking turns to host daily guided meditations free of charge to anyone and everyone. We called the program Alone Together.

I got over trying to do everything perfectly. Like everyone else, I got comfortable showing up as I was, however I looked. I got comfortable with the dog barking in the middle of my meditation, or the power going out. It was a divine appointment to connect with people from all over the world in real time. I loved it!

Creating Community

We got to know each other, ask about each other, and after the daily practice, some would stay in the Zoom room for casual conversation and to share what was going on with them. Many were dealing with grief, sadness, and anxiety. For some, the gathering was what they structured their day around. Others said the daily meditations were the only way they could get through the loneliness and seclusion. Some were tuned in while lying sick in bed, others were hooked up to oxygen machines. Couples came, family members who live across the country from each other tuned in to meditate together, and some brought their pets. We were Zoombombed only once. (Zoom bombers are feisty people who find out how to get into a meeting, then show porn, or shout obscenities, or are generally disruptive. Zoom has managed to create more security now.)

We kept the momentum going until December but started up again right after the New Year, when we began again offering the annual 40-day series of daily meditations for the Feast for the Soul. Now, we’re in the middle of offering MOMM, Moments of Mass Mindfulness each day. What started off as a “temporary solution” in my mind, has become a way of life for me. Getting online to meet up with my community is certainly a silver lining in these uncertain times. The unexpected benefit of being in an international community of people just like you and me who are finding ways to navigate these times is truly important to my spiritual practice.

Finding Peace with Meditation

So many people are finding their way to meditation, not only do they need it to create more resilience during this stressful time, it is so much more accessible than ever before. Hundreds of MMI Certified Meditation & Mindfulness teachers, no longer having to compete with meditation studios with deep pockets. are finding their way online, too, sharing their wisdom, talent, and much-needed services.  Some offer weekly online meditations via Facebook while others stream live on YouTube. Some guide meditations from their bathroom (the only quiet space in a household with homeschooled kids), while others lead practices from an outdoor patio with a view. Newer teachers are honing their skills as they say yes to opportunities, too, and are gaining practice guiding meditations along with their colleagues who have trained with them.

Being Resilient Rather than Resistant

I have changed the way I work too, though it wasn’t my plan. I loved being in person and teaching people to meditate, all in 3D, and was unsure it could work any other way. Now, I love being online and training teams, organizations, and individuals to adopt mindfulness practices to upgrade their perspective, wellbeing, and life. And, all of the meditation and mindfulness teacher certification programs are moved online so people everywhere can take advantage of the training. (It used to be that they had to attend a 10-day intensive in person in Sedona, Nashville, or in County Cork, Ireland.) The next Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher Training begins on Earth Day, April 22, 2021. Find out more about it here.

Join Me for Meditation

I have committed to continue leading live meditation sessions every week after our MOMMentum event is over. Join me any Wednesday starting on April 14, 2021 at 9 am PT, 12 noon ET, and 5 pm GMT, free of charge! (Friends in Asia and Australia/New Zealand can tune in to additional faculty members who lead practices in those time zones, or tune in to the recorded calls on YouTube.) I hope you can join me!

A note to fellow Meditation and Mindfulness Teachers

If you are still a little reluctant to share yourself online, remember to turn nervous into service and say yes! Then figure out how to do it.

I put together a list of what you probably need to guide people in a meditation practice online while they sit in the comfort of their own home or workplace:

• A beginner’s mind – let go of the idea that meditation instruction only works in person.
• Your willingness to give it a try – set aside your shyness or your worries about being perfect.
• Patience – have patience with the technology as sometimes it doesn’t work – and a backup plan (download Zoom app to your phone!)
• Kindness – be kind to others as they learn to navigate the social aspect of the virtual gathering, and be kind toward yourself if you make a mistake or you forgot something.
• Front lighting – no need for expensive lights, simply sit with natural light from a window on your face, or get a light to light up your face – much preferred to having the light behind you, ala a guest from a witness protection program.
• A webcam – adjusted so you are about eye level with people. There are some tricks to fix your appearance and lighting if you get the paid version of Zoom.
• A decent microphone – test it out and adjust it so people can’t hear your breathing.
• A Zoom account, they’re free for up to 40 minutes.
• Familiarity with how to invite people to join your session.
• Create safety as you learn how to mute/unmute people and remove people or put them in the waiting room.
• Use the chat to tell people a little about you and how to get in touch with you after the session.
• Suggest they play around with the two types of views in the upper corner of the screen, speaker view and gallery view so they can see others on the call.
• Have people imagine they are in a circle with each other.
• Welcome everyone, even if they are late. However, you can choose to not let them in if you are alone and in the middle of the meditation.
• Leave time for Q & A before you close the session.

Bonus!

• Have someone help you as a co-host to answer questions, help to mute people, or generally keep order while you do your thing.
• Get used to screen sharing and share some graphics!
• Learn to record the session and post it on YouTube or your FB page for people who missed it or who want to hear it again!
• Arrive early and let people in, welcome them and say hello before the recording or official meditation period start.
• After the practice, keep the Zoom room open so people can “chat” with each other, and play music, sharing your favorite songs after the session – an advanced share mode.
• Pay for a Zoom account and learn to use breakout rooms and stay on the call longer!
• Discover how to livestream the session on Facebook or YouTube!
• Have lots of fun!

Thanks for being part of the peace team. I imagine a day when there is peace for all beings everywhere. That’s why I teach meditation.