Welcome to our Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago

Welcome to our Zen Life & Meditation Center.

We are Zen Center rooted in the White Plum lineage. We offer traditional Zen training in a modern context. We teach mindfulness classes as an entry-level program to make the profound spiritual path of Zen more accessible. Our teachings are secular in style, down-to-earth, and practical. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender or class. We strive to make our Zen Center a safe oasis of compassion and clarity by unconditionally welcoming all who come here. We humbly bear the privilege of sharing these wisdom teaching with all those who seek a deeper, more genuine and authentic life.

While many join as members you can participate in almost any program here with out being pressured to join as a member. I’ll style of practice is secular and modern.

Though meditation can transform your life, it is not necessarily easy to do. So we offer entry-level classes in mindfulness that can help you get started. Incorporating findings from neuroscience and psychology these classes offer a modern context for approaching an ancient wisdom tradition such as Zen. You’ll find these classes approachable, and friendly offerig you many practical tips for working with your own stress, anxiety, and other difficult emotions.

While mindfulness is now popular in our culture, we still teach these simple practices in the context of the Zen spiritual tradition of waking up. We are not an app on a cell phone or a computer. All of our classes are taught by seasoned, trained Zen practioners.

Some of our offerings:

  • FREE weekly online meditation

  • Numerous, diverse, comprehensive classes and workshops

  • Sunday Morning Zen

  • Retreats

  • Social Groups

  • Zen Training

Mindfulness Meditation as a Foundation for Zen-inspired Living

We believe the Zen spiritual journey is based on deep wellness, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So we teach an entry level course that introduces the many benefits of mindfulness meditation. We incorporate both neuroscience and psychology to give students a fuller context of how mindfulness promotes deep wellness in all aspects of one’s life.

Some of the many benefits neuroscience has found from mindfulness meditation:

  • Stress Reduction: Mindful meditation helps reduce stress by promoting relaxation and fostering a sense of calmness. It can lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, leading to improved overall well-being.

  • Improved Focus and Concentration: Regular practice of mindful meditation enhances cognitive function, including attention and concentration. It trains the mind to focus on the present moment, reducing distractions and increasing ground embodied awareness.

  • Emotional Regulation: Mindful meditation cultivates emotional intelligence by increasing awareness of thoughts and feelings without judgment. This leads to better management of emotions and responses to challenging situations.

  • Better Sleep: Mindful meditation can improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing racing thoughts. It helps calm the nervous system, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

  • Pain Management: Mindfulness has been shown to alleviate both physical and pyschological aspects of pain. By directing attention away from discomfort and adopting acceptance and non-judgment enabling individuals to bounce back from setbacks more effectively.

  • Enhanced Relationships: Mindfulness cultivates empathy, compassion, and emotional regulation, which are essential for healthy relationships. By improving communication and empathy, individuals can develop deeper connections with others and navigate confilcts more skillfully.

  • Greater Overall Well-being: Mindful meditation promotes holistic well-being by addressing various aspects of health, including mental, emotional, and physical. It fosters a sense of contentment, gratitude, and inner peace, leading to a more fulfiling and meaningful life.