Meditation: Opening Hearts and Minds

When Tara Brach started leading weekly meditation sessions 15 years ago, she might have 30 people show up on a good night.

These days, Brach regularly attracts 300 people or more to her Wednesday evening classes. They gather in the main hall of a Unitarian church in Bethesda, sit quietly for nearly 30 minutes and then listen to the diminutive woman (she could double for a school librarian if not for the candles and lotus pose) talk about how to lead a loving, peaceful existence.

"It's an intentional strategy that allows people to be more present, more openhearted and more at home in themselves in some way," says Brach, a clinical psychologist by training.

On a recent Wednesday, in the middle of a talk on fear, Brach made references to ancient philosophers, modern scientists, poets, myths and anthropologists. She even got a laugh by invoking a Mark Twain saying: "The worst things in my life never actually happened."

Brach's sessions with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington are among the most popular in the region, but the area is rife with opportunities to seek stillness in the company of others. At most centers, there is a suggested donation ($12 for Brach's class), but they're just suggestions and almost never required.

Several yoga studios in the area, including Boundless Yoga on U Street NW, also offer free weekly meditation programs, often on Sunday evenings when busy professionals are looking to prepare themselves for the week ahead.

At the Washington Center for Consciousness Studies in Adams Morgan, Rudolph and Sharon Bauer hold a daily meditative webcast that's often joined by 60 or more listeners from around the world. The discussion portion of Brach's classes, called dharma talks, can also be downloaded free from the organization's Web site.

Brach's meditative practice is rooted in Buddhist traditions, but she says people of all religions attend the sessions and often report that "it deepens their experience of their own faith."

INSIGHT MEDITATION COMMUNITY OF WASHINGTON 202-986-2922.http://www.imcw.org. Regular weekly sessions offered in the D.C. area. $12 suggested donation. Visit Web site for full schedule.

WASHINGTON CENTER FOR CONSCIOUSNESS STUDIES 1834 Swann St. NW. 202-234-2866.http://www.centerforconsciousnessstudies.com. Daily online meditations at 6:30 a.m. Free.

BOUNDLESS YOGA STUDIO 1522 U St. NW. 202-234-9642.http://www.boundlessyoga.com. Free meditation sessions Sundays at 6:45.

STILL WATER MINDFULNESS PRACTICE CENTER 301-270-8353.http://www.stillwatermpc.org. Several weekly sessions in Maryland and the District. $10 suggested donation. Visit Web site for full schedule.

MARUKA SCHOOL FOR YOGA, HEALING ARTS AND RETAIL BOUTIQUE 1300 Ninth St. NW. 202-745-1881.http://www.marukadc.com. Sessions Thursdays at 7. Christian meditation the third Friday of every month. Payment by donation.