Meditation in Berwick upon Tweed
- Alex
- Feb 11
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 23
Are you looking for meditation in Berwick? I’ve brought together a little list to get you started.
Berwick Meditation Group
Silent group meditation (and more)
Practitioners from all traditions are welcome here.
Friday evening meditation
The core offering is an unguided hour of silent meditation, with 20 minutes sitting in a circle in chairs (although it is possible to bring your own kneeling bench or cushion to sit on the floor), 20 minutes walking around the chairs or outside (sometimes someone does yoga poses in the middle of the circle of chairs as well!) and 20 minutes of sitting.
This is great if you already have a rough idea of what you’re doing in meditation.
A simple technique to start out with is following the breath with your awareness, coming back to the breath when you notice you’ve become lost in thought.
This group meets every Friday at 5pm at the Parish Centre. There is a WhatsApp group where updates are shared. There is a small quarterly fee which is very, very reasonable.
More meditation
Sometimes there’s “more meditation” where there is an extended session to have a discussion or talk about a topic. Ones I’ve attended in the past are a discussion on Tibetan Buddhist approaches to meditation, and a discussion on music and meditation, listening to a piece of classical style music.
Retreat days
They also run retreat days and half days for a deeper practice. This sometimes includes what we typically think of as yoga, with physical poses (although meditation in general is yoga too!), and has guest teachers from time to time.
The group is full of very lovely, thoughtful, wise people, who are great to ask for advice and resources.
What I love about this group as an introvert is I can enter, meditate, and exit without speaking a word if I like. Yet, I can still feel the joyful energy of being together in silence.
See the most up to date information on the website.
Berwick Contemplative Arts
Group guided meditation
I believe Ben still offers guided group meditations, although it’s worth reaching out directly. That might be on hiatus right now.
I used to attend a non-duality book club with Ben and many of the Berwick meditators. It often opened with a short meditation. So I heartily recommend this as a nice middle ground between unguided meditation and one to one tuition!
Transcendental Meditation Berwick
One to one meditation coaching
Transcendental Mediation or TM, is a simple, standardised mantra meditation, that is associated with a global meditation organisation.
It’s amazing having one to one coaching in meditation. It can feel a bit vulnerable opening up to peers about personal meditation experiences, so having a trusted teacher, who has gone through rigorous training, and can confidentially answer questions is so refreshing. Knowing there are monthly “checks” helps with consistency too.
Our local TM teacher
We’re lucky to have a teacher, called Christian, who lives just outside Berwick upon Tweed. She is hugely dedicated, completing the full suite of main trainings on offer by the organisation, and even building her house according to Vedic (ancient Indian lifestyle/philosophy) architectural principles (known as a Vastu house). Honestly, I am in awe of that. A wonderful bonus of doing TM training in Berwick is that it can happen in this very special, spacious, light, airy, intentional house.
I'm happy to talk about my experiences about TM, in messages or in person, if you'd like more detail on my views.
If you'd like to learn more directly from Christian, here are details for an upcoming public talk:
Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Time: 7.30pm
Location: Berwick Granary Youth Hostel
What's the best meditation technique?
I don’t personally believe there is one best meditation technique. There are many paths, and we are all on our unique journeys, all leading to the same destination. I find value in all teachings.
I know for sure that meditating, using any technique, makes me happier. That is enough.
Follow your instinct, and find someone you feel trust and connection with if you choose a meditation teacher.
Meditation in yoga
Meditation is a key part of yoga
In the eight limbed path - also known as Ashtanga (not the yoga asana posture style, the philosophy is much bigger than than that sequence!) - meditation is associated with the last three, inward, branches:
Dharana: concentration
Dhyana: meditation
Samadhi: transcending the ego
"Earlier" limbs include asana (yoga poses) and pranayama (breath/energy expansion exercises). These can be taken as preparation for meditation. I say "earlier", because they are given first, in the text.
The limbs are like limbs of a tree, growing together, and not necessarily sequential. They bleed into each other.
However, I do see the wisdom of Patanjali, the sage, ordering them in this way, from outward to inward.
From personal experience, I feel more centred for meditation after an asana and pranayama practice. These tend to calm and align the physical body and the energy.
Physical comfort, posture and preparation
Having a comfortable and steady asana, or seat, it very useful for meditation.
I have personally experienced my meditation practice become much easier over the last decade, as my body doesn’t scream in pain and for attention when I sit cross legged quite as much any more. Youth doesn’t necessarily equate to ease and comfort. Although meditation can overcome physical pain, and pain is not necessarily a barrier.
One of the few pieces of advice the Buddha gave on meditation posture was to maintain a straight spine, which physical yoga practice certainly helps with. Although I can think of accomplished meditators who do not have a perfectly straight spine, so it is not a hard and fast rule.
Glimpses of absolute peace
Experiencing the peace of savasana (the final resting pose in yoga class) was one of the nudges that first ignited my interest in meditation many years ago. It can be very similar in terms of the potential for bliss, spaciousness and emptiness experienced. My teacher in India suggested that it is one of the few poses in a yoga class where samadhi can be experienced.
He was also careful to point out that meditation techniques are not the same as meditation the state. I understood that to mean there are many techniques, only one state. Of samadhi, that is. Yoga translates to joining: oneness. The opening of the yoga sutras can be translated to: "yoga is the stilling of the turnings of the mind".
There are lots of experiences you can have while practicing meditation techniques, for sure. All described and categorised differently in different traditions. My teacher in India also said that the ultimate state of meditation is indescribable. Words definitely feel inadequate when exploring this subject. One imperfect description might be: “the experience of consciousness, truth and bliss”.
Thinking there is somewhere to get to or something to achieve is one of the traps, though! It is difficult to navigate talking about meditation. I like the analogy of putting down a glass of water and allowing the ripples to disappear. Holding tightly to the glass does not create stillness. It's a letting go rather than a grasping...
I'm not claiming to be enlightened by any means, by the way, just sharing some of what I've picked up along the way from other teachers in the hopes of inspiring!
A natural unfolding
Interest in meditation as part of the path of asana/postural yoga practice is something that feels like it blossoms naturally and does not need to be prematurely forced. So if you enjoy yoga classes and formal meditation doesn’t interest you right now, don’t worry!
Others
It’s worth keeping a look out for other pop up events. For example, there was a zen meditation event at the Straw Yard a while back.
Meditation at home
Personal practice is hugely worthwhile
There are lots of apps out there to help guide you through. One that’s often mentioned in the Berwick Meditation Group is Sam Harris’ “Waking Up” app. I believe there is a free trial. There are also lots of books and YouTube channels that can help.
You don’t need a fancy set up. I invested in lots of things like a meditation cushion and large zen floor cushion, but lately, I’ve found sitting on my bed/sitting cross legged on a pillow is just as good. A chair also works.
I would recommend 15 minutes every morning soon after waking as a lovely way to start your day. I prefer unguided myself for the most part, but it can be useful to have some guided meditation for getting started.
My yoga teacher friend, Marietta (Switzerland-based, not in Berwick!), has some samples of free meditations on her Patreon:
Here’s a zen Buddhist guided meditation, you might like to try (11 minutes):
Another from Ajahn Brahm, who I binge watched at the beginning of my Buddhist/meditation journey (30 minutes):
Did I miss anything? Please comment below if there are any meditation communities in Berwick I haven’t heard of yet.
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