On Tuesday, September 14, The Dancing Elephant will launch a 5-week meditation class via Zoom, co-facilitated by Rachel Nixon and Kelly Richards. The class is open to the community by donation. Registration is required to receive Zoom link.

Fall is a time to slow down, breathe, and let go after the busy summer season. It is a time to turn inward and reconnect with our hearts, to cultivate compassion for ourselves and each other, according to Dancing Elephant, in a news release. 

In this five-week class, the group will practice shamatha “calm abiding” meditation and contemplate the Four Immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The recommended book is The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön. Everyone is welcome. No previous meditation experience is needed.

Rachel Nixon has been exploring Buddhist teachings since 1999. She has trained at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts, as well as at Shambhala Buddhist Centers in the U.S. and Canada. Kelly Richards’ fascination with Buddhism began in the 1970s, and she has had a daily practice since 2005. She is a certified Cognitively-Based Compassion Training instructor through Emory University and has taught meditation to children since 2006.

The Dancing Elephant is a community center for yoga, meditation, and art with online offerings and yoga classes at Union Hall in Rockport. All programs are donation-based and available for all levels. For more information and to register, visit www.rocklandyoga.com or contact Rachel at rachel@rocklandyoga.com or 207-594-1694.