PP

Through meditation and practice, | started to notice that action [of constantly turning to his phone], and then just stop. | started to get really conscious: ‘what-do |. need to go to my

phone for?’ ‘what is there, that | can’t find right here?

— Andrew Fredericks

has contributed to heightened self-control in his meditation practice. He explains that gaining control over his devices gave him the tools to improve his dhyana. “Through meditation and practice, | started to notice that action [of constantly turning to his phone], and then just stop. | started to get really conscious: ‘what do | need to go to my phone for?’ ‘what is there, that | can’t find right here?’ That’s what would develop that curiosity around ‘what can be found in meditation?’ Five minutes maybe can extend to 20 minutes. If we’re just taking time for ourselves to breathe, to hear the sounds outside, to notice any tensions or sensations in the body. Five

minutes doing that and it can just keep going and going. [...] Taking control in some balance to these two things, there’s much to discover.”

Fredericks notes that similar to the focus he receives when turning of his social media and device notifications, the time spent away from society during COVID has also decluttered his mind and allowed him to better focus on creative endeavours. “(Prior to COVID] there was no room for my creative expression to come out. Everything was in here and in here,” he says as he points to his head and heart. “But it was staying in there. [...] | could never finish anything; | could never put anything onto paper and

complete it. I’m only coming to realize that now, it’s taken a tremendous amount of time with myself [to have] the mental space to allow for it to come out.” What principles can we learn from Karma Teachers and Fredericks to incorporate into our own lives? Which of these will improve the dimensions of health that are absent in our day-to- day lives? “Karma Teachers hopes that its services will be helpful to those who need it. The world has collectively just experienced a trauma.” Want to learn more? Practice with Karma? Volunteer? Donate? Check out the studio’s website.

Photos by CJ Sommerfeld