Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church will host a weekly meditation hour starting Wednesday. Jan. 18.

Bryan Field has been meditating since he was 16. Years ago, he said there used to be a group of locals who would meet and meditate for an hour off Route 101 in Peterborough.

“It’s a very nice way to help maintain one’s practice,” he said. The group has since dissolved, but a few Sundays ago, the idea for a mediation circle resurfaced. 

Field said he performed a demonstration of walking meditation in front of the Peterborough congregation, and people started suggesting they would be interested in a weekly meditation circle. The church agreed to let Field and anyone interested use the Parish Hall. 

The current plan is to start the hour with a short reading that is related to meditation, then sit for 20 minutes, take a break with a five-minute walking meditation and then sit for another 20 minutes. 

Field said the space is “open to anyone who wants to sit,” but there will be no guided instruction during the meditation. Field is considering holding an introductory class in the future, but does not have plans to do so yet.

While Field doesn’t believe people should start practicing meditation in order to reap the benefits, there are “all kinds of benefits associated,” he said, “I think it does help you be more able to accept stuff going on around you,” including the parts of life that aren’t pleasant.

Field said people who wish to join the group should enter the church through the back door and walk up the stairs into the Parish Hall. People should bring their own cushions to sit on and should try to be a few minutes early.

The meditation hour will be Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church, 25 Main St. Bryan is planning to start a Facebook  page which will be used to communicate with the group. 

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