Philosophy with Meditation
Introducing a brand-new, one-year course designed to provide you with the best possible introduction to the life-enhancing practice of mantra meditation.
There are many forms of meditation in the world today and almost as many ways of learning - often at great expense! Rarely will you ever find such a complete package of teaching and ongoing support as that delivered by this course - and never at a more affordable price.
Practised twice-a-day, morning and evening for up to 30 minutes, mantra meditation is an authentic, time-honoured practice, used by millions of people every day, including by students in our School since the 1960s. Read more about the practice of meditation.
The course is open to anyone who has previously completed the School of Philosophy's ten-week introductory course and is able to practise the simple Awareness Exercise.
Cost
You can be part of the course and get the introduction to the practice of meditation itself for just 12 monthly payments of £35 per month, payable by direct debit.
Term 1 course dates (provisional)
Tuesday evenings, starting in January 2026
Because of the greater risk of poor weather, we will be online-only in January.
Tuesday 13 January - Online
20 January - Online
27 January - Online
3 February - In person
10 February - Online
17 February - Reading week, no session
24 February - In person
Sunday 1 March - Practice & Study Day, Waterperry House
3 March - Online
10 March - In person
17 March - Online
24 March - In person
31 March - In person
Why learn meditation through the School of Philosophy?
If now feels like the time to bring meditation into your daily life, it's important to choose an organisation with the credentials and expertise that can guide and support your practice. We are a school of philosophy and meditation, closely associated with practising and supporting meditation for over 60 years. These decades of direct, personal and continuous experience make our school the meditation partner you can trust.
What does the Philosophy with Meditation course include?
During the course of three terms, you will:
- Receive expert tuition online and in-person from experienced practitioners of practical philosophy
- Be part of a weekly philosophy and meditation discussion group, sometimes online, sometimes in-person, practising meditation as a group and receiving further support and guidance for your practice
- Receive weekly, easy-to-follow modules to study on your computer at home, giving you a chance to reflect ahead of time on subjects covered at the next group discussion
- Be introduced, at a traditional ceremony at the School of Meditation in London, to the practice of mantra meditation itself - an authentic, Vedic technique, practised in the East for millennia
- Have the invaluable support of a group of fellow ‘truth seekers’ following the same course, learning and practising meditation and philosophy together
- Gain a thorough grounding in key elements of non-dual philosophy most inter-related with meditation. This includes a foundation first term, during which you are introduced to the practice itself
- As part of this, be taught a simple, twice-daily awareness exercise. This is designed to cultivate the beneficial habit of regular practice and to give experience of greater depth and inner stillness – the best possible preparation for the meditation itself
- Deepen and strengthen your own meditation practice over the following two terms, both from the deeper insights the course gives you into non-dual philosophy and meditation and from the chance to practise meditation for up to 20 minutes each week in the group
- Receive regular follow-up checks in one-to-one tutorials with an experienced meditator
- Have the chance to join termly one-day philosophy retreats (practice & study days) during the year, all included as part of your fee for this course
What does the course fee include?
There are two main elements of cost covered by the single course fee:
- Course fee – Our usual course fee for 2026 would be £112.50 per term, £90 with early payment discount. Included in this fee is the termly Practice & Study Day at Waterperry House in Oxfordshire that has become such a popular feature of our courses. Normally priced at £30 per day, these events are included in your fee for this course.
- Donation to the School of Meditation (SoM). An independent charity dedicated to the teaching of mantra meditation, the School of Meditation has been operating in London since 1961. It has particular expertise in teaching and introducing meditation according to the exacting standards required by ancient tradition. This includes a beautiful ceremony, which provides the best possible start to your new practice. Thousands of our students have benefited from this wonderful service over the years and we are delighted to offer it again as part of this course. To support this work, we will make a donation of £150 to the SoM on your behalf. You are, of course, free to make a further contribution to support their work should you wish to do so, but this is not expected. After this, you will be able to receive life-long support with your meditation for as long as you wish, at no further charge.
- Three terms at £90 = £270
- One-off donation to SoM: £150
- Total £420 = just £35 per month by direct debit for 12 months
When does the course run?
The one-year course runs from January to December 2026 and consists of three eleven-week terms. Group meetings are held on Tuesday evenings, starting on 13 January 2026 - see first term dates above.
What happens if I leave the course before the end?
You’re free to leave the course at any time. Each monthly payment contributes £12.50 toward the SoM donation. Should you choose to leave the course before the end of the twelve months, only the outstanding contributions toward the donation would be payable. For example, after two terms, you will have contributed £100, so a further one-off payment of £50 would be requested.
If I wish to continue after this year, are there further courses and how much are they?
Yes the practical philosophy classes continue for as long as you wish to keep studying. They provide invaluable support to anyone wishing to embed the practices into their daily lives. Because there is no further charge for meditation, the course fees are less than for the one year course, so more in line with the Course Fee shown above.
If I can’t join the course in January, will I be able to join later?
Because the course is designed to include the introduction to meditation during the first term of the course, it would not be possible to join later. One possible exception might be for a student returning after a significant break and who had already started meditating with us.
As for running the course again in future, this is the first time we have ever run this integrated course and, while we would hope to be able to run it again in 2027, this cannot be guaranteed.
What equipment do I need?
The course is delivered through a combination of in-person and online meetings plus an audio-visual study module, issued a week before each meeting. This means you need a device such as a PC or laptop with speaker, microphone and camera so that you can (a) watch and listen to the modules and (b) join the online meetings via Zoom. Printed materials are not provided, but a weekly Practices sheet can be downloaded and printed at home.
I've already been introduced to meditation through the School of Philosophy (or School of Meditation). I've been waiting for an opportunity to re-join a philosophy group and revitalise my meditation practice.
Great. This is the perfect course for you! The fee would be reduced to reflect that you would not need a new introduction to the practice.
Can anyone join the course?
The course is open to anyone who has previously completed the School of Philosophy's ten-week introductory course and has been introduced to and practised our simple Awareness Exercise. If in any doubt or you have questions, please just email us and we will be happy to advise you.
I would prefer to make the donation to SoM as a one-off lump sum instead of spreading it across the year. Is that okay?
Yes. In fact this is what has traditionally been done.
More about the practice of meditation
Photocredit: Simon Wilkes on Unsplash