The Mountain Meditation Circle is a free and open mindfulness meditation practice and discussion group that meets Monday evenings at the Gilpin County Library from 6:05 to 7:30 p.m. The group was formed five years ago to support meditators in their practice, and to learn and discuss incorporating mindfulness into our daily lives.
The group is led by Alisa Witt, who is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and has been practicing insight meditation (also known as Vipassana) for almost 10 years. Alisa completed a two-year teacher certification program in 2021 led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, who are two of the foremost teachers who brought meditation and mindfulness practice from Eastern countries to Western countries beginning in the 1970s.
The format of the meeting is as follows:
Meditation for 40 minutes: Divided into five minutes guided, 30-minutes in silence, and final five minutes of loving kindness (Metta) practice.
Confidential Sharing: Members are encouraged but not required to share how things are going in their lives from a mindfulness perspective. This is a one-way share, where members are fully heard, but typically not responded to directly.
Discussion: A topic is shared with either a reading, short audio, or video lesson that the members will discuss afterwards. Members are also welcome to bring topics to share.
Closing: Brief guided closing meditation.
There is the option to join via Zoom with no software or download required. A web camera must be on to join the Circle and the online option is reserved for those who cannot travel to meet in person.
If you have never meditated before or would like instruction and direct support to develop your practice, Alisa periodically leads a beginner’s group via Zoom on Saturdays. This is a six session class offered at no charge. If you are interested, she will put you on a waiting list and when a minimum of five people have joined the list, she will announce the class beginning in 2-3 weeks. New meditators can take the class and then have the option to join the practice group afterwards.
New participants experienced in meditation are always welcome! If you are interested in learning more or attending the group, please schedule a brief introductory phone call by contacting Alisa Witt at wittalisa@gmail.com or 847-890-5262 to provide your contact information and a good time to schedule the introductory call.
