My name is: Sarah McLean.

I’m known for being: a meditation and mindfulness expert. I always believed, as Ralph Waldo Emerson did, that there was a “soul of the whole.” I grew up in Massachusetts and consider myself an American transcendentalist, devoting much of my life in search of this “wholeness.”  In 1989, I discovered what I was looking for through meditation. It’s that which is looking through my eyes; it’s inside myself. It’s inside you, too. You, and I, and all of creation, are an expression of the whole—it’s the field of love that underlies everything. 

I’ve been a sincere student of meditation since 1989, first diving in as a resident at a Transcendental Meditation community in Lancaster, Massachusetts, then moving into an ashram in South India for six month and returning to the States as a resident in a remote Zen Buddhist monastery. I also served as the education director for Deepak Chopra’s Mind Body Center in California and later as the education director at Byron Katie’s the School for the Work. I now live and work in Sedona, Arizona, and have been teaching meditation and mindfulness for over 20 years. I run a meditation center and am the director of the Meditation Teacher Academy® with offices in Sedona, Arizona, and County Cork, Ireland. My latest book release is The Power of Attention: Awaken to Love and its Unlimited Potential with Meditation. I love to facilitate retreats at my center and for the Chopra Center, Esalen Institute, 1440 Multiversity, Art of Living Retreat Center, and many world-class destinations.

I’m hosting a retreat called: The Power of Attention on September 8-10. Guests can register for the Power of Attention Retreat here. Or call (828) 263-4910. The event is open to anyone with any level of meditation experience. 

It’s located at: at the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina. 

I was drawn to this destination because: of the immediate immersion into nature and the mountainous vistas. In addition, there’s something special about leading retreats in a meditation community. It’s a community with purpose, run by those who make meditation and spiritual values a priority. And I appreciate that.

This retreat is special because: The Art of Living Retreat Center is designed to provide a destination where everyone can reawaken true human value—compassion, love, togetherness, joy, harmony. Those at the center hope to provide programs which unite people from all walks of life in the spirit of wisdom, celebration, and service to the world. I love to teach people how to harness the power of attention. It’s so subtle that people take it for granted, and don’t recognize the enormous power their attention offers and its ability to affect and transform all areas of their life.

At the Power of Attention retreat, I will guide attendees on a journey to increase their understanding of the value of attention, what I consider a superpower. I will show them the importance of reclaiming their ability to pay attention on purpose to what matters most to them in order to live a more fulfilling, love-filled, purposeful life. And we’ll dive deep into meditation and mindfulness practices that they can take home and work with.

One thing you can’t miss is: the “aha” moments you’ll experience while working with your attention and accessing the state of transcendence, connecting with the soul of the whole, the power and source of your attention. 

Your body will thank you because: you’ll get to go analog and get the deepest rest and rejuvenation you need. You’ll be nourished by fantastic food, company, and meditations in the natural beauty of the North Carolina Mountains. It’s the perfect touchstone for remembering you are a human being, not a human doing. 

I never retreat without bringing: my favorite journal and pen. That way, I can record my “aha” moments and the soulful commitments I’ve made to myself on the retreat. I love to reflect back on those when I am stressed or feeling off-center by the weight of my to-do lists. 

Retreating is part of my process because: I spent many, many years on retreat in various contemplative communities and it has changed the course of my life. My values first of kindness, compassion, conscience, and service are always in the forefront of my life. I want to offer the opportunity for everyone to do the same. No, you don’t have to go to India or live in a Zen Buddhist monastery, but you can find the place to call home inside you.