Finding Ground: Meditation For Uncertain Times
with Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister
Are you feeling stretched thin by the pace of modern life? Struggling to stay centered when the world feels unsettled?
Join us for a four-week evening series offering simple meditation practices and communication tools to help you find your ground and reconnect in these unsettled times. Through guided practices, we’ll learn to settle the body, come back to the breath, and draw on nature and community as sources of support.
Each session includes guided meditation, reflection, and time for questions. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, come as you are.
No experience necessary. Complete beginners welcome.
When: Thursdays 7:00-8:15 pm MST from April 9 – 30, 2026
Where: In-Person: Mountain View Therapeutics, 14 A 13 Ave S #204, Cranbrook, BC V1C 2V3
Cost: Pay-from-the-heart (Dāna). Suggested range $20-50 per class (and welcome regardless of what you are able to offer).
Curious? Before this series starts, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.
Click To Contact Us (or call 250 429 3920)
About these Community Meditation Classes
These community classes help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion.
These classes run semi-regularly throughout the year at Clear Sky or locally in Cranbrook, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings.
Drop ins are welcome, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible.
Class Series Teachers
Karen McAllister
Through over 25 years of meditation practice in the Namgyal lineage with Qapel and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei, and more than a decade of teaching meditation and mindfulness, I’ve come to trust the importance of staying present with life as it is, especially in times of uncertainty. As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004, I’m continually inspired by the power of intentional community as a place to deepen awareness, navigate challenges, and grow together. Alongside my teaching, I serve as Co-Executive Director of Clear Sky and lead the funding of the Temple project, supporting a long-term vision of refuge and deep practice for generations to come. I’m also the founder of Mindful Money Coaching, where I support people to bring greater awareness and care to how they give, receive, and relate to resources, aligning their material lives with what matters most.
Duncan Cryle
Through 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness, alongside an active career working all over the world, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life. As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected. Alongside. my Clear Sky work, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees. I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement. I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together, and be of better service in the world.
Course Cost: Dāna
We offer this course on the basis of dāna. If you’re not familiar with dāna, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.”
Dāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West.
Dāna is a radical and we believe viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin, consumerism. We maintain that, together, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative.
For this course, we give a suggested range $20-50 per class (which would be $80-200 for the 4-week series). You are welcome regardless of what you are able to offer.
To help you choose an amount that feels right for you, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.
Checking in with your heart
1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation.
2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind, a body, senses, the good karma to have heard the teachings, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this!
3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation, and expressive of your aspiration.
It’s our joy to offer this course, and we trust you’ll match our time, energy, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us.
FAQ
Who leads the Meditation Circle?
The series is led by experienced meditation teachers Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister, who specialize in integrating mindfulness into daily life and community practice.
What is the purpose of this meditation series?
The program helps participants find stability, grounding, and emotional balance during challenging or uncertain times through simple meditation and communication practices.
What practices are included in the sessions?
Each session includes guided meditation, reflection, breath awareness practices, and group discussion, supporting both inner calm and connection with others.
What can participants expect to experience?
Participants learn to settle the body, reconnect with the breath, and draw support from nature and community, creating a sense of steadiness and clarity.
Is prior meditation experience required?
No. The meditation circle is open to complete beginners as well as experienced practitioners.
How does this program support wellbeing during uncertain times?
The practices help reduce overwhelm by strengthening presence, emotional resilience, and grounded awareness, allowing participants to stay centered despite external stress.
Is this suitable for stress or anxiety relief?
Yes. The series is designed specifically for people feeling stretched, unsettled, or disconnected, offering practical tools for calm and stability.