Free drop in sit
Thirty minutes guided, Wednesdays at noon and 6pm, no registration needed.
Teaching since 2013
Learn to meditate from someone, not from an app
Beginner courses, drop in sits and eight week programs, taught in person by trained instructors. Sliding scale on everything, because attention should not be a luxury item.
13 yrsteaching in Burlington
3,900people through our courses
Slidingscale on every program
Freeweekly drop in sit
Classes and programs
From a first sit to an eight week course
Sliding scale means you choose your rate within a published band, no explanation asked for.
Learn to Meditate, four weeks
The fundamentals of posture, breath and attention with a small group and homework.
Eight week stress reduction
MBSR style curriculum including a daylong retreat, best for stress and chronic pain.
One to one instruction
For people with trauma history, ADHD or a practice that has stalled.
Quiet room access
Drop in to a silent room during opening hours, cushions and chairs provided.
Workplace programs
Four or six week series delivered on site for teams of ten to forty.
About the center
Secular, evidence informed and deliberately unmystical
Stillwater was founded in 2013 by two instructors trained in mindfulness based stress reduction who wanted a place that taught the practice plainly. There is no lineage to join and no belief required. Our instructors complete recognised teacher training and continue supervision.
•Sliding scale on every class with no means testing
•Chairs available in every room, floor sitting never required
•Trauma informed instruction with opt outs built into every guided practice
•Scent free rooms and a wheelchair accessible elevator entrance
Reviews
What students say
“Three years of apps did less for me than four weeks in a room with someone who could answer my questions.”
Owen G., Learn to Meditate
“The eight week program was the first thing that touched my chronic pain in a decade.”
Faye L., Stress reduction course
“They let me pay the bottom of the scale without a single awkward conversation.”
Sasha B., Winooski
FAQ
Getting started
I cannot stop thinking. Am I bad at this?
No, and that expectation is the single most common reason people quit. The practice is noticing that the mind wandered and returning, over and over. A busy mind gives you more chances to practice, not fewer.
Do I have to sit on the floor?
Never. Every room has chairs, and plenty of long term students use them. Posture matters only in that you should be upright and reasonably comfortable, and we will help you find something sustainable for your body.
Is this religious?
No. The techniques come from contemplative traditions but we teach them secularly, with no chanting, deities or belief required. Students here include people of every faith and none, and nobody asks which.
How does the sliding scale work?
Each program has a published range. You choose what you pay within it at registration and nobody asks why. People paying at the top of the scale make it possible for others to pay at the bottom, and that is the entire mechanism.
Contact
Come sit with us
The Wednesday drop in is free and needs no signup. Just come to the second floor a few minutes early and someone will get you settled.
Phone(888) 555-0188
Address215 College St, Second Floor, Burlington, VT 05401, Burlington, Vermont
HoursMon to Fri 7am to 8pm, Sat 8am to 4pm, Sun 9am to 1pm
AreaBurlington, South Burlington, Winooski, Essex, Shelburne