Healthy Living

Headergoeshere PresidentandPublisher|RobDevincenzi Advertising Manager | Lori Pearce Advertising Operations | Diane Sartarelli This Healthy Living Special Section is produced in its entirety by the Advertising Department of the Marin Independent Journal and did not involve the editing or reporting staff of the Marin IJ's newsroom. The Marin Independent Journal is located at 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301 in San Rafael, California, 94903. SpiritRock:Pathwayto Inner Peace, Good Health Lefttoright:TheGreatHallinsidetheCommunityMeditationCenteratSpiritRockinMarin;Apractitionerbowing. – Photos provided by Spirit Rock Developing mindfulness Health y Living By Judith M.Wilson M editation is an ancient practice, going back thousands of years. Hindu scriptures, called Vedas, first documented meditation in India in 1500 BEC, but over the centuries, it also developed in other parts of Asia as a spiritual practice, most notably in Buddhism. It took until the 1960s, when celebrities such as the Beatles began studying transcendental meditation, to get the attention of the western world, and since then, it's grown popular as a practice unconnected to religion. As scientific research continues to show benefits leading to improved health and well-being, more people are embracing meditation, making it mainstream. Insight meditation came to Marin County in 1988, when a group of meditation practitioners, including trained Buddhist monk Jack Kornfield and psychologist Sylvia Boorstein, took title to more than 400 acres of former Miwok land in the San Geronimo Valley, which they had purchased from the Nature Conservancy. They established Insight Meditation West and later named the center Spirit Rock to honor the native people who had inhabited the area for millennia. They erected one temporary building, and from there, the center grew to include two permanent buildings, a retreat center, a community center, a kitchen and dormitories that sleep almost 100 people — all nestled in a tranquil setting in West Marin's rolling hills. Nisha Shah, Spirit Rock's director of training, programs and partnerships, describes the center as a place of ON THE COVER: Community Meditation Center at Spirit Rock at night; Group photo of practitioners sitting in meditation inside the Great hall. – Photos provided by Spirit Rock 4 February3,2019 HealthyLiving AMarketingSupplementoftheMarinIndependentJournal | marinij.com

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