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How to Meditate
Meditation is something everyone can do. Practicing can help improve your health and wellbeing.
Explore Meditation
COURSE
Intermediate Buddhism: Vipassana
With Karen Anderson
The Buddha taught 16 steps of mindfulness of breathing to take us all the way from the basics of knowing the breath to the deepest levels of insight. This course will explore practicing mindfulness in a way that is natural, highlighting our innate quality of awareness. Through kindness to ourself, encouraging well-being and trusting the process, we will slowly find our way to steadiness of mind. The key will be cultivating the ability to relax and let go. What we will discover is that distractions fall away, as well as the habits we all have that block our happiness. This course is for anyone, beginners and experienced practitioners alike.
Meet your Teacher
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15 Days
638 students
5.0 stars
18 min / day
Grounded
English
5.0 (61)
Recent Reviews
Bobbie
January 20, 2026
This is such an excellent and clear guide into the process of using the guidelines laid out in the teachings of Buddah in the anapanasati. Karen shares her deep understanding of how each step takes us into developing calm, joy and finally wisdom. Nothing esoteric or other worldly, just the breath, attention and a trust in the process.
Oliver
January 9, 2026
Simply wonderful! A course full of profund insights and deep expiriences. Thank you so much Karen 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Spencer
October 30, 2025
This course was excellent. It introduced me to the Anapanasati Sutta for the first time, and triggered some additional study. The instructor does an excellent job walking the student through each step, and I left each session with a better understanding. The only thing that feels like it's missing is a final, long meditation where the instructor walks the student through all four tetrads in one sitting.
Lisa
October 22, 2025
Thank you for this beautiful course. I will listen to it again & again.🍃
Therese
October 14, 2025
I will take this course again. I used to find mindfulness of breathing difficult and boring. Now it is more where I want to be.
Courtney
September 27, 2025
A wonderful course, thank you so much.
Jess
September 18, 2025
This is one of the best courses I have taken on Insight Timer. Karen explains and teaches Anapanasati with clarity, kindness and care and I found myself listening and relistening to the lessons because of the wisdom she shares. I feel that my understanding of Buddhism and clear seeing has changed in a gentle and distinct way that I didn’t fully grasp before this course. Thank you, Karen, for the time you put into creating this course.
Kal
September 11, 2025
I liked the structure of the course. I follow it each session with twenty minute unguided practice. It’s been great to start a regular practice for myself and intend to repeat it again.
Mara
July 19, 2025
Thank you for these amazing sessions of teaching and guidance for practice. I will be taking this course again and again as it has helped ground me and at the same time open wider ways to practice.
Susan
June 9, 2025
I'm going to listen again. It's changed my internal dialog and I feel space amid my thoughts for the first time. Yippee
Gibby
May 29, 2025
On finishing this course, I look forward to immediately starting it again. Very insightful perspective. Thank you for several "gifts" in this course that truly unlocked a new level of experience in my practice. Specifically, the idea of "easy" has become a valuable touchstone for me. Again, thank you.
Pearly
May 28, 2025
This has been an incredibly helpful and insightful experience of meditations. I gained new experiences of stillness and awareness. Thank you.
Brett
May 22, 2025
A wonderful teaching of the sixteen exercises of mindful breathing. I had read the instruction and do the practice offered by Plum Village, but your course is much more in depth. I took lots of notes and plan on revisiting those to deepen my practice. There are some differences in each exercises step names, but your exercises are very similar to Plum Village’s in practice. I prefer Plum Village’s first two steps: Breathing in I know I am breathing in….. and Breathing in I follow the whole length of the inbreath…. But for the rest of the steps I prefer your wording, particularly for exercises 15 and 16; Breathing in I contemplate the no-birth no-death nature of all that is…. vs your Observing cessation…. and Breathing in I let go of the idea that I am this body…. vs your Observing relinquishment…. Thanks for sharing this course with us.
Arne
April 29, 2025
Beautiful course with a lot of the theory behind mindfulness. An invitation to explore witth care what your experience really entails.
Rebecca
February 11, 2025
This course was excellent for me, particularly after repeating Karen’s Buddhist Concentrstion course several times to get my mind/attention to be more refined and able to let go of thoughts.
Tim
February 7, 2025
Thank you for this course Karen. 🙏 There is a lot of content and I think I will need to listen again to get the most from it. Although there was a medition with each days session, I think the course would be improved with perhaps a session on how the process and stages can be incorporated into a whole process or sitting. Thank you so much for putting this course together, I learnt loads! 🙏🪷😊🧘🏻♂️
Mamita
January 7, 2025
A quality, practical and clear guide to a Buddhist meditation teaching.
Brian
December 24, 2024
I love the way Karen demystifies the practice with both a clear “why” and “how”. Her pacing and guidance are perfect. Thank you, Karen.
Jim
December 22, 2024
Although concepts are not new Karen’s presentation has helped me gain new observations and supported deeper curiosity in my meditation practice. I would encourage anyone to take this course regardless of the amount of meditation that has been their life experience.
Robb
November 26, 2024
Absolutely wonderful teaching of the 16 steps. Very down to earth, powerful explanations, very helpful guided sits. I will come back and do this course often. It generates peace and calm for me.
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