Silence Aloud

Meditation in a cold place is an experience that is impossible to replicate anywhere else.  Of course, in the bigger sense, everything that is, is right now and right here.  But anyone who’s lived in warm places and cold places has had the experience that only the cold can provide.

Calgary does have its temperate seasons, and there are some rather gorgeous days even in the middle of winter.  It’s rare, however, that someone new will move to town solely because of the weather.  People come to find an apartment here for the same reasons they do anywhere else: family, friends, a job, a love.  People who have strong connections with their meditation centers back home are able to find a community here that they can learn from.  There is a very nice array of centers and styles for meditation in Calgary, with a vibrant and always-shifting community of practitioners.

It always takes awhile to settle in anywhere, and in regards to spiritual practices, that can be a more delicate transition.  Although every city has its share of yoga studios, it can take awhile to find the right one.  And it is a lot like the lessons in meditation, where sometimes it takes time to just sit and be, in order to realize that this is the right place right now.  It can also be a question of finding the right teacher, and that can take a very long time.  Until that perfect moment does arrive, however, there are some lovely offerings in Calgary, for practitioners of all levels.

For strict meditation, there are meditation and zen centers where the focus is the same as it is everywhere else in the world: on the breath.  The centers are welcome to newcomers, and can also certainly accommodate those who have been studying for some time.  In any of these communities, one can have the profound experience of waking up.  It is a remarkable thing, too, to come to a new city where it might be a little daunting at first, and make discoveries while it is freezing cold and there is snow on the ground.  The winters in the Great White North can be daunting, and even overwhelming, but with meditation, one can become more attuned to the subtle changes as well as the sudden shifts.  Becoming connected to the cycles of nature here can be as transformative as anywhere else, and that’s to say, just right.

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