Connect with your inner wisdom.
Mindfulness & Insight Meditation
Discover practical meditation tools rooted in traditional Buddhist wisdom and adapted for modern life, supported by community and spiritual friendship.
About Ari
Ari Pluznik walks alongside his students as a spiritual friend on the path of mindfulness and creative expression. As a Certified Mindfulness Teacher - Professional (CMT-P) grounded in Buddhist lineage and trained in the lineage of Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Stan Eisenstein, and other respected teachers, he offers meditation guidance in the Insight tradition that helps practitioners navigate life's challenges with wisdom and compassion.
Through his music with Ari and the Buffalo Kings, he creates contemplative and joyful spaces where audiences can experience deep emotional connection and open-hearted creativity. Whether leading a meditation session or performing intimate concerts, Ari brings together traditional wisdom and artistic expression to foster genuine human connection and transformation—creating spaces where individuals can connect deeply with themselves, experience genuine community, and transform suffering into understanding.
Community Classes
Weekly Drop-In Mindfulness Meditation
Join our welcoming sangha for 90 minutes of guided meditation practice, gentle teachings, and community sharing. These sessions offer a supportive environment where practitioners of all levels can deepen their mindfulness practice together as spiritual friends.
Sundays at 10AM EST | Online via Zoom
What You'll Experience:
Concentration practices to develop focused attention and inner stability
Insight practices cultivating nonjudgmental open awareness
Heartfulness practices to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, and gratitude
Group sharing in a safe, supportive space where all experiences are welcome
Who This Is For:
Beginners seeking an accessible entry to meditation practice
Experienced practitioners looking for community support
Anyone interested in exploring Buddhist teachings in practical ways
Those working with life's challenges through mindfulness
All levels welcome. Classes are freely offered with donations gratefully accepted.
Sign up for classes here and you will receive a weekly email with the link to our virtual Dharma hall.
One-on-One Sessions
One-on-One Mindfulness Coaching
Work directly with Ari to strengthen your meditation practice and develop practical tools for navigating life's challenges. These personalized sessions are designed for beginners looking to establish a consistent practice or experienced practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding.
What We'll Work On:
Establishing or strengthening your daily meditation practice
Working skillfully with difficult emotions and challenging life situations
Developing concentration, insight, and heartfulness practices
Integrating mindfulness into your daily activities
Addressing specific obstacles in your practice
Who This Serves:
Beginning practitioners who would like support in cultivating and maintaining a daily mindfulness practice
Intermediate and Advanced practitioners who are seeking practice support and deeper guidance
Individuals who would like to more deeply explore Buddhist psychology and philosophy
Practitioners who are seeking to overcome barriers and blocks to their mindfulness practice.
Guided Embodied Inquiry (GEI)
These specialized sessions help you work with personal challenges and explore the deeper patterns that keep us feeling stuck. Using embodied inquiry practices, we'll gently investigate the unconscious patterns that limit our freedom and discover new possibilities for growth.
What We’ll Work On:
Deep exploration of recurring life patterns and challenges
Working with the "psychic knots" that create suffering
Integrating body awareness with psychological insight
Discovering your authentic path forward
Transforming relationship with inner critic and self-judgment
Who This Serves:
Those ready to go deeper than surface-level stress relief and detangle the “psychic knots” that keep us feeling stuck in life
Practitioners working with persistent emotional patterns, habits, and thought loops that cause stress and suffering
Individuals seeking to understand root causes of suffering and learn tools for their uprooting
Creative professionals addressing blocks and resistance who would like to open to creative flow and authentic expression
Session Format:
One-hour sessions via Zoom or in-person (Baltimore area)
Flexible scheduling to accommodate your needs
Ongoing support between sessions as needed
Cost: $80 - $120 Sliding scale and non-monetary arrangements available
Workshops & Retreats
Step away from daily demands and reconnect with your inner wisdom through extended periods of meditation, mindful movement, and contemplative discussion.
Retreat Elements:
Extended guided meditation sessions in various styles
Walking meditation and gentle mindful movement
Dharma talks offering practical wisdom for daily life
Small group sharing and reflection
Periods of noble silence for deeper practice
We regularly welcome guest teachers and co-lead workshops, bringing together diverse wisdom traditions and approaches to mindfulness practice. Past collaborators include Phillip McKnight and other respected teachers in the insight meditation community.
Past Retreats Include
Connect to Presence: Mindfulness Daylong Retreat with Ari Pluznik & Phillip McKnight
Roots & Refuge: Mindfulness Daylong Retreat with Ari Pluznik & Phillip McKnight
Resounding Presence: Mindfulness Daylong Retreat & Sound Bath with Ari Pluznik & Alex Beckmann
Upcoming Workshops Include
6 Week Intro to Mindfulness Course
Mindfulness for Musicians: Cultivating Creative Flow and Authentic Expression
Dwelling in the Brahmaviharas: A 6 Week Meditation Course
Workshops and retreats are scheduled on an ongoing basis. If you would like to keep up-to-date with current offerings, please sign up for Ari’s Music & Mindfulness email list.
While retreats and workshops regularly include RSVP fees, no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. If you would like to apply for a scholarship rate, please reach out to Ari with interest.
Supporting the Teachings
“Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.” - the Pali Cannon
In keeping with the Insight Meditation tradition, meditation classes and retreats are freely offered, and no one is turned away from workshops or one-on-one guidance due to lack of funds.
If you would like to give a donation of dana (generosity), you may do so on Venmo at @Ari-Pluznik, PayPal at adpluznik@smcm.edu, and CashApp at $AriPluznik.
Your donation goes to supporting future classes, offerings, administrative services, and guest teachers.
With gratitude,
Ari Pluznik