Not Your Average Meditation

This isn’t your average meditation gathering. It’s not quiet, and it’s not solitary. It’s a different kind of zen.

This meditation class will be relaxing — to the sound of music. And afterward, meditators are invited to be social: Stay, hang out and sip tea together.

The event is called Meditation, Music and Tea. Instead of in a yoga or meditation studio, this gathering is in the Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway. (In warmer weather, you may be able to find it on the upstairs balcony that overlooks downtown and the Flatirons.)

Check out the next event on Thursday, Feb. 27, and stay tuned for future dates. Check-in starts at 6 p.m., followed by guided meditation and music from 6:30-7:30 p.m. After class until 8 p.m. is music, mingling and tea. Tickets cost $30 and can be booked online.

Many studies have found meditation is good for your health and can reduce anxiety, depression, pain, high blood pressure, sleep problems — and can even help with heart disease and cancer. The Mayo Clinic notes many of meditation’s roles in health and wellness.

Meditation is also a common practice among Buddhists and is considered by some to be a spiritual experience.

In Boulder, it can also be a social activity and fun, sober, health-centric event.

Meditation, Music and Tea will feature music by Zen that Beat (who advertises his style as “badass yoga music). This will accompany the guided meditation centered around self-love and inner peace. Behind the music is Ryan Holiday, but don’t call him a DJ.

“While Holiday might be using beats, loops and rhythms to bring an invigorating dynamism to yoga classes across the country, his music as Zen That Beat is interactive, original and fluid in a way someone simply spinning records would never be able to achieve,” according to his website. Zen that Beat has released more than 18 albums and he performs around the world.

Meditation, Music and Tea is presented by Vacation of the Mind. Vacation of the Mind is a community of meditation instructors with the goal of touching one million or more lives through sharing a  positive lifestyle. It holds unique events, such as sunset meditations, group meditations at live events and meditation classes for corporations.

Other Unique Meditation Offerings in Boulder

• Midday Music Meditation at the Boulder Public Library: The second Wednesday of every month from noon to 1 p.m., take a lunch break at the Boulder Public Library, 1000 Canyon Blvd. The Boulder Public Library Concert Series brings improv music to the library for free, featuring instruments from flutes to the auto-harp to didgeridoo. Although it doesn’t have a guided, structured meditation, it’s called a music meditation because the sounds are meant to be peaceful and bring ease of mind.
• Young Sangha Night: This meditation event’s just for the younger generation. The Boulder Shambhala Center, 1345 Spruce St., invites young meditators ages 16 to late 30s to learn about or practice meditation together. Every Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Youth Sangha Night begins with a half-hour of sitting meditation (instruction available upon request). Afterward, the group goes out for drinks and food to socialize. The event is free but welcomes donations.
• Meditation in Movement: Awake Boulder offers a variety of mindful classes, including Tai Chi and Qigong. While Tai Chi has roots as a martial art, many people also appreciate its mindful aspects; it’s often called “meditation in motion.” Learn more here.

Want to Learn More About Meditation in Boulder?

• Where to meditate in Boulder
• 6 meditation getaways near Boulder