HOW TO MEDITATE
A Year-Long Mindfulness Meditation Training with Will Duncan and Kate Gallagher
Begins October 13
HOW TO MEDITATE
A gentle, progressive mindfulness training | Begins October 13th
Mondays 5:30PM - 6:30PM
Drop-In Via Zoom (Jump to How to Join a Session) Free or By Donation
HOW TO MEDITATE | BEGINS OCTOBER 13TH 2025
Starting October 13th, MNM will undergo some shifts! CSI Director, Kate Gallagher, has been collaborating with her long-time teacher, Will Duncan, on a gentle, progressive curriculum to support understandings of Buddhist meditation methodology and the nuances of this style of contemplative path. This program will likely resonate with beginner, intermediate, and experienced mindfulness and meditation practitioners alike, as structured, long-term meditation trainings can be hard to come by!
While you're always welcome to drop in over the coming year, this is also a unique opportunity to cultivate meditative stability and clarity, with consistent support and instruction week by week. Interested folks who complete all sessions (via Zoom, video recording, or making up material with a friend) will be eligible for a certificate of completion in late summer 2026.
The curriculum will be centered on shamatha and vipassana styles of meditation, along with the loving-kindness and compassion practices that anchor us in our natural goodness and remembrance of our interconnectedness with all beings. The approach is non-dogmatic and the skills and learnings can likely be applied to a range of meditation objects and styles. Practice, poetry, and community will continue to be central to each session, and our regular team of MNM facilitators, Rick, Lynda, Julie and Vicki, will continue to step in, occasionally facilitate sessions, and support this new endeavor.
Last little note – starting October 13th, the sessions will be recorded so these lessons and practices can be revisited and utilized by our team at a later date. Due to privacy, should they ever be shared, videos will always be edited such that only our teaching team are seen and heard. Sharing and questions amongst the group will be limited to the live offering only.
We hope you'll join us. Please share far and wide, as all are welcome.
The best way to “register” is to sign up to receive weekly email reminders. Or, simply mark your calendar and this webpage, and connect in each Monday.
APPROXIMATE FORMAT
5:30PM - 5:40PM: Welcome, Settling Practice
5:40PM - 6PM: Instruction, Poetry Reading
6:00PM - 6:20PM: Meditation Practice
6:20PM - 6:30PM: Reflection/Sharing, Q&A, and Dedication
DATES
Fall: October 13th - December 15th 2025
Winter: January 5th - March 9th 2026
Spring: April 6th - June 8th 2026
Summer: Dates coming. . .
HOW TO JOIN A SESSION
Via Zoom
Click the following link to meet with us via the Zoom meeting platform.
Password: 108
Via Phone
If you'd like to connect to audio-only via telephone you can do so by calling: 1-253-215-8782 and entering the meeting ID: 167 669 289.
Password: 108.
Some community members gather on zoom early to connect! At 5:30pm, we ring a bell to signal the beginning of the session. Please mute your zoom microphone at or before 5:30pm.
about the teacher
Will Duncan...
is a Buddhist teacher whose work focuses on integrating traditional Buddhist practices with contemporary life. He has trained extensively in Tibetan Buddhism (Gelugpa lineage) as well as Zen (under Daido Roshi) and in a number of Theravadin lineages (Goenka, Mahasi, Insight). His approach blends these traditional teachings with insights from Christian and Yogic traditions, creating a unique and inclusive path. He has taught throughout the world including Asia, Europe, Eastern Europe, South America and throughout the United States. He has worked as a hospice chaplain and presently is a lecturer, meditation teacher, consultant, and lavender farmer. Will completed the traditional three year Great Retreat of Tibetan Buddhism, having spent four accumulative years in silent and solitary meditation retreat since he began his practice 40 years ago. Known for his non-dogmatic, down-to-earth, humor and ease, Will teaches by way of inquiry and lively discussion pushing students to think clearly for themselves and to uncover their own insights. You can get to know Will through this podcast episode and his Youtube Channel.
about the teacher
Kate Gallagher...
met contemplative practices through postural yoga as a sophomore in college. It took a few years to develop an interest in the quieter, more still practices of meditation -- and the importance and value of embodiment work remains a vital piece of her practice and teaching. Kate's pursuit of yoga teacher trainings across the U.S. in 2009 unexpectedly landed her in the good care of teachers in the Gelug and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. It is in these styles of study and practice, and in the rich lineage of Indian yoga, that she has since found a personal, contemplative home. . . all while maintaining a great love for contemplative and mystical perspectives from many traditions.
Kate earned a Master's degree at OSU in Applied Religious Ethics, completed and taught several advanced yoga teacher programs, trained in the secular, research-based curriculum of mindful self-compassion (MSC) and in 2018, had the immense privilege to spend a year in a solitary, largely silent meditation retreat centered on shamatha (calm abiding) and vipassana (inquiry/insight). Kate works as OSU's Contemplative Studies Initiative Director, teaches courses in the School of History, Philosophy, & Religion, and oversees the Marigold Center. Kate's approach to postural yoga is dynamic, intuitive, and biomechanically mindful; her approach to meditation is systematic and welcoming.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ACCOMMODATIONS
For ability-related accommodations, please email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 541-737-4785.
NEED CLASS PASSES?
We offer both a membership and class pass options for drop-in classes. Both can be purchased via OSU's eCommerce system. Your purchase will be manually added to Momence, daily, by our staff. Feel welcome to take class while your purchase is being processed.
CANCELLATION
If you’ve pre-registered for a class, and you’re unable to attend, you’ll need to cancel your pre-registration at least one hour in advance, in order to retain your pass. If you don't show up to a class you have pre-registered for, or you cancel late, the class credit equivalent will be deducted from your account.
FAQs
How to Meditate is a year long program of practice and study; will the Monday Night Mindfulness meeting times stay the same after that?
We intend for meetings to continue in the 5:30-6:30pm PT slot after the “How to Meditate” program concludes.
How will you track participation for those who hope to complete the full year of training and earn the Certificate of Completion?
Each participant can track their own engagement with the program. For those who would like a certificate, we highly recommend planning to attend a minimum of 80% of sessions live. If you miss a session, please make it up via the method given below. There will be some form of a knowledge check to complete at the end of the year (~ September 2025). Engaging the program in its entirety will require a fair amount of interest, dedication, and intrinsic motivation, but we'll help where we can. Of course, you can attend this program to your heart's delight without pursuing the COC.
How do I make up a missed session?
To make up a session, you'll need to visit our shared spreadsheet (contact us for the link) to connect with someone else in the training to share notes and meet up 1:1 on Zoom/phone/in person to take ~10-15 minutes to discuss the presented material from that week (and maybe even practice together if you wish)! Discussing the material helps to reinforce knowledge and understanding, offers new perspectives, and builds community connections. If you've attended sessions regularly, please offer to assist others when you can. 🙏🏽
Can I watch a recording of a session?
We are recording the sessions for our future use. They require editing and are not currently available. Likely, they will be made available to the public for a modest/ sliding scale fee sometime down the road. We'll keep you posted as our staffing bandwidth allows for processing these recordings; when made available, viewing them can help you in substituting missed sessions. In an effort to not overcommit, we're not yet clear about when they'll be available. Again, connecting with others is the best (and currently only) way to make up missed sessions.
What are the dates for the How to Meditate Program?
How to Meditate will be offered over the course of 4 seasons, 10 weeks at a time. Fall dates are October 13th- December 15th. Winter dates are January 5th - March 9th. Spring dates are April 6th- June 8th. Summer dates are TBD. Note that optional (with regard to the certificate), practice-based sessions may be offered between seasons.
Is How to Meditate Free? By Donation?
How to Meditate, and the Monday Night Mindfulness program more generally, is always free! Programs like this have been made possible by the generosity of donors. If you'd like to support Contemplative Studies at OSU and future programs, guest speakers, and more, here's a link with more information. Another way to "pay it forward" is to take a few notes so that you can offer to help someone fill in a missed session.