meditation teacher
happiness coach
Let me help you be happy… AGAIN.
Like you were as a child, but have since lost touch. The reason you’re not laughing and playing like you did as a child is not because your life got worse, but because your mental health got worse (sorry but it’s true). We picked up some bad mental habits as we grew into adulthood, and these habits get in the way of our natural happiness. Don’t worry, we can get back in touch with it... if we practice meditation!
Your mind is making you unhappy.
The mind can do many amazing things. It can imagine goals, and plan a path towards them. It can help you problem solve your comfort levels and your relationships. It can help you acquire success, pleasure, and security, but the one thing the mind cannot do is make you happy. In fact, if you are unable to put your mind down every now and then, it will make you decidedly unhappy. This is the nature of suffering: a runaway mind that has long forgotten how to be quiet.
Meditation is the practice of learning to quiet the mind…
For most modern humans, who have spent their whole lives using the mind without a moments rest, it is one of the most difficult practices to undertake. But, it is very much worth practicing, because when we learn to bring stillness to the mind, we also learn to allow happiness back into our life!
I have learned to quiet my mind, and I have learned to be happy again.
Now I want you to be happy too!
It’s not enough to be a casual meditator.
You know what’s the difference between a casual meditator and a consistent meditator?… Happiness!
Casual meditators might get some productively boosts, and some stress reduction, but thats about it. If you start taking your meditation practice seriously, you can have peace, love, and joy, in any moment of your choosing. (No, I’m not joking)
But, there’s a big catch: it is very difficult to establish a successful meditation practice on your own - one that includes the right mindset, a comprehensive set of practices, and lifestyle adjustments, that all fit into your unique life in a way that can be sustained over time. You can experiment on your own, but if you want faster results, a knowledgeable guide (🙋♂️) will help.
I help my clients with the following:
Right understanding (most important). Successful meditators need to be perfectly clear on their WHY they are meditating, otherwise they will never be motivated to practice consistently. I will frame meditation in the context of your unique life situation, and explain how specific practices will help you will your real-world problems. When you understand why, the when, where, and how becomes significantly easier.
A formal practice (that works for YOU). There is no One-size-fits-all meditation practice. There are thousands of practices out there beyond your standard “mindful breathing” practice (e.g., mantra, walking, open-awareness, self-inquiry, loving kindness, body scan, yoga asana, noting, etc..) and they all resonate differently with different nervous systems. I can help you find something that works for you.
An “off the cushion” practice. You’re not meditating to get better at meditating, you’re meditating to get better at living! This means you actually have to apply what you’ve been practicing during meditation in your daily life. It’s important to establish an “off the cushion” practice you can apply throughout the day (e.g, when you’re stuck in traffic, in a meeting, when someone says something triggering, etc), so you can can fully reap the benefits of your practice.
Reducing counterproductive habits. Why go to the gym everyday if you’re just going to keep eating pizza. Similarly, why meditate everyday if you’re still engaging in activities that reinforce an agitated, distracted, mind. I can help you identify distractions in your daily life (e.g., purposeless social media scrolling, compulsive snacking, excess multi-tasking, etc.) and establish habits that foster a strong and focused mind.
Feedback & Troubleshooting. It is often easier to see patterns in other people than it is to see within ourselves. For this reason, getting feedback from a knowledgeable teacher can save lots of time. Further, there are many challenges we can encounter in meditation (especially when starting out), and it can be helpful to have an experienced meditator who is familiar with these challenges to help you navigate them efficiently.
Emotional Support. In the most fundamental way, it is nice to simply have someone cheering you on. So you know that there is another human being out there, on the same path as you, encouraging you along the way. I would be honored to be one of those people for you.
About Me.
Hi, I’m David!
I’m a happiness & meditation coach, a registered yoga teacher, and licensed therapist… but the most important credential I have is the smile on my face!
I’m a genuinely happy person, but my life hasn’t been perfect. I have chronic health conditions that continue to be physically painful, but I no longer mentally suffer from them. I have experienced loss and heartbreak in my life, but I no longer carry them around in my head. I have learned to let go, and enjoy each moment as it comes (even if it’s a pokey-ouchie moment). I attribute this to my dedicated meditation practice, and to the help from my many teachers who pointed me in the right direction.
I’ve spent my life studying with the two happiest groups of people I know: children and monks. I learned how to play from years of working as a preschool teacher, and I learned how to meditate as a teenager and have been practicing ever since. These two practices combined (meditation & play) have helped me cultivate unconditional peace and happiness in my life, and I’m eager to help others do the same!
“We don’t meditate to get better at meditating.
We meditate get better at living.”
— David Gabriel Siegel
Working with me.
The long term goal for any meditation practitioner is to sustainable peace and happiness. We don’t meditate to get better at meditating. We meditate get better at living - living peacefully and joyfully. This is what we will be working towards.
How long it takes to arrive here will depend on many factors. But what matters most is that we are headed there without delay. I am not offering you peace and happiness, I am offering you help to navigate towards peace and happiness as quickly as possible.
To achieve this, we will be working towards the following:
Short term goal: to establish a complete meditation practice, one that includes:
establishing the correct mindset and motivation
a formal meditation procedure to practice 1-2x daily
“off the cushion” practice to apply in daily life
making lifestyle adjustments that hinder progress
and receiving feedback and troubleshooting
The above is not easy to establish, but once you have a complete practice that works for you, the rest is simple... You just practice. In the words of one of my yoga teachers… “Practice practice all is coming.”
My Fee.
Peace and happiness is free. You truly can cultivate it on your own. But if you’d like some help, my time isn’t always free (I need to make a living 🤷♂️). That being said, I will not turn anyone away for lack of funds. Please contact me directly if you need financial assistance.
My fee for a 55-minute individual session is $100
Your sessions can be booked as needed, at a pace that works for your practice and budget.
If you’d like to work with me, please send me a message using the form below.
Wishing you peace, love, joy, and a practice that will help you uncover them!
With Gratitude,
David 🙏💜
Let’s Talk!
Send me a message if you have any comments, questions, or if you’d like to book a session.