Primer Series

This is a series of four classes that ground students in the fundamentals of living a Zen-inspired life. All classes are on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 pm and on Saturday mornings from 10-11:30 am. All classes are held at the Zen Life & Meditation Center, located at 38 Lake Street in Oak Park. Check our "Featured Events" on our home page for specific dates each month.

Due to the growing popularity of the Primer Series classes we have added a second series of Primer classes on Saturday mornings. Beginning January 2012, you'll be able to sign up for the Primer classes on Tuesday evenings (7-8:30pm) or Saturday mornings (10-11:30 am). 

Primer 1: Living a Zen-inspired Life

This class will provide an overview of what it means to live a western life influenced by Zen principles. It will consist of a short guided-meditation and a talk that presents the benefits of living a Zen-inspired life through three important areas: openness, empathy and clarity. The class will present concepts of "reactivity", "hub of awareness", "mindfulness", "integration", "attunement" and "resilience". 

Each Primer class costs $20. Clck Here To purchase the Primer 1 Class Now,

Primer 2: Foundations for Zen-inspired Living

This class will introduce you to foundations of living a Zen-inspired life. Grounded in our lived experience, a Zen-inspired life can help you overcome some of the crippling effects of shame that prevent you from trusting a larger and more authentic sense of your self. It will introduce a deep breathing exercise and a practice of Loving Kindness or metta meditation.

Primer 3: Meditation 101

This class will introduce the nuts and bolts of how to do Shamatha one-pointed meditation. This meditation for beginners will demonstrate the basic techniques of how to meditate and will provide tips and hints on how to continue a regular practice in one's daily life. The class will present concepts of "spiritual materialism", "ego", "spiritual path" and "executive control". 

Primer 4: Meditation 102

This class will introduce a further refinement to meditation practice called Vipassana mindfulness awarness. This further development in mindfulness meditation will open you to a larger context with important implications for how you learn and grow as a human being. The class will present concepts of "mindful learning", "context", and "clarity". This discussion will be framed in terms of the your own daily life challenges, such as stress, anxiety, depression, illness, conflict and negative emotions. The class will conclude by giving you an overview of what ZLMC has to offer you going forward and how you can continue to increase your growth and learning at the Zen Center.

Practice Workshop

Once you finish the Primer Series, try out our Practice Workshop which we have designed as a way to help support you in learning and practicing mindfulness meditation together. The Practice Workshop always takes place on the Saturday following the Primer 4 class, from 1 to 2:30 pm. To find out more, click here. 

Sequence of Classes

We ask that you take the classes in the order they are given. For example, you begin with Primer 1 and then take Primer 2. If you are not able to take a class in the series we ask that you wait until a following month to continue the series. So for example, if you miss Primer 2, we ask that you wait and take Primer 2 in a following month before you take Primer 3. We do this because each classes builds and extends what was learned in the previous class.

Whenever you purchase a series of classes at ZLMC, you save money. You can purchase the Primer Series for just $70. To purchase the Primer Series, Click Here. (Pull down the item list and select "Primer Series Bundle - Nonmember", and follow the checkout procedure to pay by credit card.)

Register for the Primer Series Now!