I invite you to meditate with me every Saturday at 7:30AM Costa Rica time, via Zoom (see international times below in notes).
Meditative Gatherings is a space for inner exploration... a weekly pause to stop, move our body, breathe consciously and spend quality time with ourselves.
Throughout each session, we will work with breathing and meditative exercises developed over centuries by various contemplative traditions in India and China. These simple yet profound practices can, over time, transform how you relate to your emotions, thoughts, body, and everyday experiences.
The gatherings are basic level and are open to anyone, whether or not they have meditated before.
Warning: if you are going through deep depression or are undergoing psychiatric treatment, show this program to your doctor so that he/she can enable you to join these meditations.
"Don't feel alone, the whole universe is within you"
– Rumi –
The program consists of 5 gatherings that explore different aspects of breathing meditation, both from the perspective of practice and from an understanding of the principles that underpin it.
Each Saturday we will work on one of the following topics. Once the fifth gathering is completed, the cycle begins again from the first, allowing you to join at any time and repeat the sessions as many times as you wish.
Saturday 1
Stillness and rest
Physical stillness has been considered for centuries one of the fundamental pillars of deep meditation.
In this gathering we will explore practices to learn to keep the body still, and to use rest as a meditative resource. We will also learn procedures to go through those moments where the body hurts or the mind is very agitated in the middle of meditation, allowing us to stay longer in the practice without turning meditation into a fight against ourselves.
Saturday 2
Somatic meditation
There are states of tranquility that can be cultivated through movement.
In this gathering we will work with exercises developed in the ancient traditions of India and China, where the body stops being a simple biological support and becomes a gateway to introspection. Through movements coordinated with breathing we will learn to generate favorable conditions for calm, attention and presence.
Saturday 3
Mythology and ancient tales
Many breath meditation practices exist thanks to stories that have accompanied entire generations for centuries.
We will explore some of the most influential myths and tales of ancient India, seeing how these narratives gave rise to numerous meditative techniques that currently guide us with surprising precision when we decide to look inward.
Saturday 4
Breathing pauses
Between an inhalation and an exhalation, there is a space to which few people pay attention.
Ancient meditative traditions discovered that breathing-pauses possess an enormous capacity to foster concentration, mental stability, and contemplative depth. In this gathering, we will learn to understand and use them safely, gradually incorporating them into our daily practice.
Saturday 5
Sensory meditations
The oldest meditative traditions agree on one essential principle: the more we develop our capacity to feel, the more deeply we can know ourselves.
In this gathering, we will explore practices that refine our sensory perception and help us discover dimensions of inner experience that usually go unnoticed. Conscious breathing and bodywork become tools for exploring more attentively what is happening within us, cultivating a form of knowledge that arises less from ideas and more from sensorial experience.
"Meditation provides a vision that configures life according to the sense that serves as the foundation of everything that is"
– I-Ching –
We'll begin with a brief introduction in which I'll explain the exercises we'll do that day and the purpose of each one.
Then we'll immerse ourselves in the practical experience, step by step, with clear and accessible instructions. At the end, there will be time for questions, comments, and for everyone to share their experiences from the session.
My goal is for you to finish each session understanding both the practice and the underlying principles, so you can continue exploring it throughout the week at your own pace.
I'm Antonio, and I have more than 25 years of experience in meditation and ancient yoga, in India, Nepal and Costa Rica. Here you can read more.
– Each gathering is held (in spanish) on Saturdays at the following times:
7:30AM-8:30AM — Costa Rica / Mexico
8:30AM-9:30AM — Colombia / Peru
10:30AM-11:30AM — Chile / Argentina
3:30PM-4:30PM — Madrid
**The virtual classroom will close 5 minutes after the start time to avoid interrupting the session.
– The gatherings will not be recorded.
– I recommend something to take notes at the end of each gathering, in case you want to write down precise instructions to practice during the week, and thus implement the habit of meditation safely.
– All gatherings are basic level. To go deeper into the practice, I recommend the other programs that Modo Elefante works with.
– You can do the gatherings in any order; that is, join during any Saturday. Of course, I recommend going through all 5 sessions to obtain a broader and more integrated vision of this program. Remember that the 5 gatherings are cyclical: once the fifth is over, we start again from the first one.
– I recommend participating from a quiet place where you can move around comfortably and remain uninterrupted. If sitting on the floor is difficult for you, you can use a chair or a low stool that allows you to keep the soles of your feet flat on the floor. A firm meditation cushion may also be helpful.
– Please keep your camera on throughout the session. This allows me to better guide you through the exercises, and at the same time helps maintain a close, more human connection during our meeting. With that said, for security reasons, connections without an active camera will be disconnected.
– Regarding the previous point about keeping cameras on: I want to inform you that I don't usually record people to later post content on social media. I am very careful about the privacy of those who attend my events, both in person and online.
– A great recommendation: preferably be on an empty stomach or have eaten at least 2 hours before. It will help you a lot to feel more comfortable during the practice.
– Here you can read about Modo Elefante's concept.