TMAC In-Depth Course Offerings and Info

GEORGE MUMFORD PRESENTS

TMAC IN-DEPTH

A Series of Four-Week Offerings To Deepen Your Practice Between TMAC Cohorts

Students in The Mindful Athlete Course have often asked about ways to stay engaged with and deepen the practices and concepts that I teach between class cohorts/sessions. It’s time to make that happen!

My Team and I are excited to announce the creation of TMAC In-Depth, a series of four-week courses led by long-time students who will be sharing their experience and wisdom with others via these new offerings, beginning in 2026.

The first in the series will be Concentration and Insight, by Shawn Burke, who’s been part of our community for many years. Shawn has a wealth of experience gained over the past 20 years as a meditator, teacher, and author.

He'll begin by taking students on a deep dive into concentration, emphasizing practice and direct experience. He’ll then turn to insight: opening the heart to healing, and freeing the mind to connect with our true nature.

See the section below for more information and how to sign-up.

CONCENTRATION & INSIGHT

February 4 / 11 / 18 / 25, 2026

The mental factor of concentration provides access to that “still, quiet space” from which we can finally see things as they are. Unfortunately, it is often the weak link in many mindfulness meditators’ practice.

In this four-week course, Shawn will lead students on a deep dive into concentration, emphasizing practice and direct experience. We’ll then turn our concentrated minds to the task of insight: opening the heart to healing, and freeing the mind to reveal our true nature.

Classes take place on Zoom on Wednesday nights at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific (the same time as our usual TMAC calls).

SIGN-UP FOR CONCENTRATION & INSIGHT

About The Instructor: Shawn Burke, Ph.D. has been meditating for twenty-one years, accumulating over 6,000 practice hours. He took up formal concentration meditation eight years ago to support and deepen his insight practice.

He has practiced on retreat under the guidance of Alexis Santos, Narayan Liebenson, George Mumford, Steve Armstrong, Tara Mulay, Devon Hasse, Winnie Nazarko, Guy Armstrong, and Sally Armstrong. He will spend January working with Shaila Catherine to deepen his concentration practice.

Shawn has been part of TMAC from the start. He also trained in Mindful Sports Performance Enhancement under Keith Kaufman and Timothy Pineau. Shawn is a whitewater, flatwater marathon, and flatwater ultramarathon canoe racer. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Way of Letting Go.

4-Weeks of Guided Practice

"TMAC In-Depth: Concentration & Insight" Course Outline

Week 1 – The roles of mindfulness and concentration in insight. The two types of concentration. Concentration meditations 1 & 2. Taming the wandering mind. Walking as a concentration practice. Q&A.

Week 2 – Hindrances to concentration. Targeting a problematic hindrance. A “broad spectrum” way to counter the Hindrances. Concentration meditations 3 & 4. Q&A.

Week 3 – Kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity (“Brahmavihara”) meditation. Working with compulsive thinking. “Radiating Brahmavihara” meditation. Contrastive phenomenology as an insight practice. Q&A.

Week 4 – Using reflection and intention to help concentrate the mind. The two types of insight. Concentration & insight meditations 1 & 2. Links to the Five Superpowers. Q&A.

Upcoming: Mindful Dialogue

March's Offering Will Be "TMAC In-Depth: Mindful Dialogue" With Ron Wilcox

Coming in March 2026: Our next TMAC In-Depth offering to complement and deepen our students' experience will be Relational Mindfulness in Practice: Meditating with Others and Under Pressure, taught by Ron Wilcox, another long-time student and member of our community. Please check back for more information coming soon!

Later in 2026: We plan on offering more of these "In-Depth" courses after the Spring Study Group.

Two Price Levels Available:

Choose the level that works best for you.

NOTE: Half of the benefactor level registration rate will be donated to Shawn’s favorite charity, the Merrimack Valley Food Bank (mvfb.org).

BASIC RATE

$

50

One-Time Cost