Your Instructor
I was first drawn to meditation to find solace from an overly busy life. I was caring for my elderly, ailing mother, working professionally in a field which I loved but which was also quite demanding, and serving as the President on a working board for a burgeoning non-for-profit. I longed for some peace in my life.
I began learning to meditate in 2012 through a loving and very disciplined Buddhist community, but found some of the rigors, such as sitting cross legged, a little too challenging for me. I then switched to a more relaxed, “western” style school of meditation that allowed students to sit comfortably in chairs. Since then, I have meditated daily for years and was certified to teach meditation in 2019 by Master Teacher Carol Weis from the Gnostic Wisdom Center in Milwaukee. I love teaching the Introduction to Meditation Course, the Mindfulness for Meditation Workshop and leading guided meditations, and Peace In has more classes and workshops coming!
I am also part of a small, wonderful and supportive community of certified meditation teachers, meditators and truth seekers. Some of the teachers and authors that we continuously learn from include Paramahansa Yogananda, Ram Das, Mahatma Gandhi, James Finley, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Mooji, Thomas Keating, Edgar Cayce, Adyanshanti and Michael Singer to name a few.
My style of teaching focuses on compassion. Learning to meditate comes easily to some but not as easily to most. In our modern society, most of our attention goes to our external lives – navigating school and jobs, raising families, and cultivating our relationships. Add in the distractions and sensory and information overload from the internet, social media and smart phones, and most of us don’t know anymore how to quietly just “be” to cultivate a rich, inner life. I completely understand and sympathize. Trust me, I “get it”. Every now and then, I still have one of those days where my mind or emotions just…won’t…calm… down!
My meditation practice has grown over the years, and after 10 years, it is still developing. Even when teaching meditation, I often find that I gain new insights from my students. I continue to maintain a beginner’s mindset and encourage this in my students as well.
Meditation has changed my life. Not only have I found peace and contentment in the stillness, but meditation has supported me spiritually as I strive daily to become a more loving, compassionate person to others and myself and bring this love out into the world. I hope you will consider allowing me to help you begin your own, unique exploration into what meditation has waiting for you!
Peace In
Margaret Renas, Certified Meditation Instructor
It is important to know who is teaching you. If you would like to learn more about my background, you can check out my Linked In profile: