Chantal Garneau standing outdoors in autumn, smiling gently, wearing a dark shawl among native plants

Becoming Present Meditation Course

A supportive foundation for integrating meditation into daily life

A different way of approaching meditation

Most of us don’t need another thing to improve or manage.

What we do need is a way to come back to ourselves when we get pulled away.

The Becoming Present Meditation Course offers a calm, structured way to develop a steady meditation practice. Not by doing it perfectly, but by learning how to return to breath, body, and the present moment, again and again.

This practice doesn’t ask you to become someone better or different. It invites you to meet yourself where you are, and to remember that you already belong.

The practice behind the course

The Becoming Present meditation practice at the heart of this course has grown out of more than 25 years of personal practice and has been refined through hundreds of group sessions.

It offers a way of coming back to centre as a lived, embodied experience, one that can meet you in real life.

This course is for people who are drawn to a meditation practice that feels supportive, practical, and sustainable, especially if past approaches felt too prescriptive or disconnected from daily life.

How the course unfolds

The course is made up of five core elements of the Becoming Present meditation practice. Each element is offered as a short mini course designed to integrate gently into everyday life.

Each mini course includes:

  • simple explanations

  • guided audio and video practices

  • gentle exercises to support an ongoing meditation practice

There are also optional 21-day reminder prompts for each element, offering light cues to help you return to the practice in daily life, without pressure or obligation.

Along the way, there will be optional opportunities to practice together live online and to ask questions that arise. These gatherings are offered as support, not requirements.

The five elements

Breath awareness
Noticing the breath as it is

Body awareness
Listening to the body as it is

Conscious breathing
Exploring nourishing ways of breathing

Softening and relaxation
Inviting ease and settling down

Connection with the flow of life
Experiencing breath as acts of belonging and contributing

The intention is simple: to help meditation become a natural part of life, something you can return to when you need it.

The Founding Circle

This first release of the Becoming Present Meditation Course is offered as a Founding Circle.

I’m inviting a small group of approximately 20–30 people to move through the course with me as it takes its final shape. The five mini courses will be released gradually, allowing time to practice, reflect, and refine along the way.

This is a live, shared experience. Participant reflections and feedback will help shape the pacing, language, and structure of each element before the course is offered more broadly.

There will be opportunities to gather online for shared practice and reflection, including an opening gathering, optional sessions connected to each element, and a closing gathering at the end.

Founding Circle · At a glance

  • Small-group Founding Circle

  • Five mini courses, released gradually

  • Approximately five to six months total

  • Largely self-directed practice

  • Minimum of 12 live group sessions

    • one opening orientation session

    • two live practice and Q&A sessions per mini course

    • one closing integration session

  • A full-length recorded meditation practice to use throughout

  • Additional live sessions may be added in response to the needs of the group

Founding Circle · Course structure

The Founding Circle will move through approximately one mini course per month, allowing time for practice, integration, and reflection.

There will be a full-length recorded meditation practice that serves as a steady anchor throughout the course. You’re welcome to use it daily or return to it as often as feels supportive. As you move through the mini courses, your experience of this same practice may naturally deepen and shift.

Over the full Founding Circle, there will be a minimum of 12 live sessions, including:

  • one opening orientation session

  • two live group practice and Q&A sessions per mini course (10 total)

  • one closing integration session

For each mini course, we’ll begin with a live session to orient to the element. You’ll then have time to practice on your own, followed by one or two live sessions to practice together, reflect, and explore questions that arise before closing that element and moving on.

All live group sessions will be held online.
Dates and times will be chosen once the Founding Circle has formed, with care for the schedules and time zones of those participating.

You’re welcome to return to any of the mini courses as needed, using the recordings and prompts to support your practice.

This structure is designed to be supportive rather than demanding. You’re invited to engage in a way that fits your life, energy, and capacity.

The course is expected to begin in mid-February.

Investment

The investment for the Founding Circle is $240 CAD, which includes full access to all course materials, recorded practices, and live group sessions, with access to the course space for one year from the course launch.

This rate is offered in appreciation of those joining at the beginning and helping to shape the course in its first release.

A sliding-scale option is available, and payment plans are offered so you can choose what works best for you. Payment options are shared in the registration form below.