"Added Health Benefits"

 
“I looked forward to each of the sessions and was delighted with the result as it affected my daily life.”
— Marlene D., Los Altos

I had the opportunity to enroll in the Mindfulness Meditation class presented by Usha Welaratna at the Los Altos Recreation and  Community Services Program. The class has added so much to my life with the techniques presented by Dr. Welaratna. I was looking for some added health benefits to complement my age of 80. I have found her program easy to follow and her personal input most enjoyable. I was an elementary school teacher in earlier years, therefore I am very aware of teaching presentations that have lasting value.

I looked forward to each of the sessions and was delighted with the result as it affected my daily life. If you are interested in learning and practicing a skill that will enhance you from age eighteen to eighty, then this is the class for you. I hope to make what I have learned a daily habit and continue to reap the benefits as taught by Dr. Welaratna.

"I now have a parachute"

 
“I am so grateful I found this class when my son is a toddler, so I can work on myself and how I parent.”
— Alexis I., Los Altos

Two words: life changing. I attended Dr. Usha's mindful meditation class because I am currently experiencing a huge life change and needed tools to deal with it. The class and Dr. Usha's teachings was a huge help. I have lived 37 years of not really addressing my inner self and if I addressed my inner self, I used had negative self-talk and was very hard on myself. Listening to the loving kindness meditation was so life changing for me. 

"may I be kind to myself" 
"may I be compassionate to myself"
"may I be generous to myself"
"may I forgive myself for any wrong I have done intentionally or unintentionally"

Phrases like the above I had never even come close to saying to myself before. This was so amazing to hear and tell myself.

Before I started meditating, I felt like I was falling in the sky and talking to friends about my problems would temporarily slow my decent. But after I began meditating, I feel like I am still falling but I now have a parachute. I am of course still going through it, but I now a very powerful tool to help me deal with it.

I had a lot of similarities with Dr. Usha, so hearing how she coped and adjusted to change her life for the better was very helpful for me. I too chose to be a stay-at-home mother, but I wasn't happy and became quite angry as a result. Hearing how meditation changed how she parented was very inspiring. I am so grateful I found this class when my son is a toddler, so I can work on myself and how I parent. Hearing how she rarely gets angry now is also inspiring. 

Having Dr. Usha share other parts of her personal life was also very helpful for me. Hearing how she told herself "life is impermanent" when she had a life change last year was a huge help for me. I am currently separating from my husband so to hear this and consistently reminding myself this phrase has been very helpful.

Of course I am still healing, but I am also very excited to keep learning about mindfulness awareness so I can have a much different, improved second half of my life. And probably the best testimonial is from my 3-year-old son who says, "Mom, go meditate because it makes you calmer." 

I cannot thank Dr. Usha enough for her course. And also for her kindness and compassion. I will absolutely continue my meditation practice. I was also very inspired by my classmate, an 81-year-old woman. Seeing her learn and apply new skill at her age was so inspiring. Taking Dr. Usha's course was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it.

Kindness, insight and understanding

I participated in Usha Welaratna’s eight-week Mindfulness Meditation course when it was offered by the City of Los Altos in the winter of 2014. I was originally introduced to meditation several years ago when I lived in Canada and had continued practicing meditation on my own over the intervening years.

I moved to California about two years before I read about Usha’s course in the local newspaper and decided it offered a very welcome and timely opportunity for a mindfulness meditation “refresher” as I adjusted to my new life and surroundings.

Usha is very knowledgeable in this field and guided us with great kindness, insight and understanding and I am most grateful for the contribution she has made to my own, personal, mindfulness meditation practice.

 
“Usha is very knowledgeable in this field and guided us with great kindness, insight and understanding.”
— Erika W., Los Altos

"Unexpected yet priceless"

 
“Today, the practice of meditation continues to help me manage the challenges in my everyday life.”
— Dawn C., Mountain View

I took Usha’s meditation class in Spring of 2014. When I started, I did not have any expectation, other than wanting to learn more about meditation. Usha was a very patient and well-rounded teacher. Not only did she teach us meditation, but she also encouraged the discussion on many aspects of life. At times, we got into very passionate discussions. When I was taking the class, I was also going through a phase in life, interpreting past events (again) but with another perspective. The class really helped me anchor my feelings, so I could open my eyes to things and people that I under-appreciated before and re-evaluate life’s priorities. Today, the practice of meditation continues to help me manage the challenges in my everyday life. The benefit I got from the class was unexpected yet priceless.

"I CAN control my response to stressful situations"

I met Usha Welaratna through my work. It is an extremely stressful job and i was suffering all of the side affects of that stress, from sleeplessness to headaches to occasional chest pains, along with a lot of anger and frustration. Usha's calm demeanor and air of serenity immediately struck me. As we got to know each other, she revealed that she teaches mindfulness meditation and that it has been shown to help people with symptoms like mine.

Under normal circumstances, I might have nodded politely and moved on to another subject, but Usha is a poster child for the person I want to be, so I signed up. I have now completed the 8 week "beginner's" course. I cannot claim to be as diligent as Usha in finding a set time to meditate every day, and I cannot claim to have been a model student. However, I DID find more peace than I thought possible.

As obvious a truth as it should have been before, I finally accepted that I do not have to let toxicity into my mind and into my life. I CAN control my response to stressful situations and now I do...at least a lot of the time (there is room for improvement). I practice a full meditation when I can, but I have the mindfulness words forever running in the back of my mind and I practice the various meditations where and when I can, if only for abbreviated sessions. I cannot claim to have no stress in my life now, but I definitely have less.

In addition to the actual meditation, I enjoyed learning more about Usha's background and beliefs, but I must stress that this is not a religious class and that Usha discussed her Buddhist beliefs in response to my direct questions.

I recommend mindfulness meditation for everyone!

 
“I recommend mindfulness meditation for everyone!”
— Trish E., East Palo Alto