About
Welcome to Awake Minds! My name is Meghan Leighton and I’d love to share information about me and my background by sharing what matters most to me in life.
What matters most?
Personal practice. In my early days of life, you couldn't get me to sit still! Now I look forward to meditations and moments of stillness. I have come to realize that training my mind is the most beneficial thing I can do, for myself, family, and the world at large in building peace and transformation. It hasn’t always been easy, but with a positive and inspirational meditation coach by my side for the past seven years, it has been one of the greatest gifts to be able to transform from the inside out.
Family. Spending time with my husband Asa and our dog Bella. We love to go on hikes, head to the beach, and spend time at home. Asa has been one of the most supportive people in my life and am beyond grateful for him and the love we share. Our families live in MA and RI and we love visiting them as often as we can.
Service. It brings me much joy to be able to support others in the community who may not have access to the tools of meditation and yoga. What a gift to be able to work with organizations like Girls Inc., Inward Bound Mindfulness in Education, Vitality Family Medicine, and Westborough Behavioral Health Hospital. Rewarding, beyond measure.
Collaboration and facilitation of yoga retreats and yoga teacher trainings with Jess and Val. People have described our trio over the years as synergistic and the three of us feel it, too. Not only are these two ladies my co-partners but also my dear friends. Jess, Val, and I have the same meditation teacher and yoga mentors, yet each of us offers our own unique twist on what we offer. It has been incredible to experience and watch our unique partnership grow in ways I could have never imagined that have led us to places beyond our dreams like Costa Rica, California, Greece, Portugal, and Maui.
Spending time outdoors every day. I feel a deep sense of connection and awe in nature and in all of its beauty. Nature reminds me of our interconnectedness.
Ayurveda and taking care of my mental, physical, and spiritual health. The teachings of Ayurveda (yoga’s sister science) are vast, but over the past six years I have been able to delve deeper into its practices around foods, life style, and routine with Yoga & Ayurveda teacher trainings from Kripalu and working with an Ayurvedic doctor, and have found healing, deeper peace, and wellbeing.
Working with folks (like you reading this page ;) who are interested in waking up to their fullest potential and purpose. Offering private meditation sessions and group classes (for differing ages and abilities) matters. I have seen clients transform in front of my eyes from waking up from limited beliefs about themselves and feel more empowered in their life and wellbeing. It is an honor to be doing this work along others’ sides and to see these transformations. As a previous special educator, I have worked with young people, teens, and adults with varying abilities - and feel called to offer meditation and yoga classes for folks of all ages and needs (ADHD, Autism, etc.), as well. Feel free to explore this Awake Minds’ classes and offerings for more information or reach out with questions below.
Meghan, E-RYT 800, offers 30-hour, 200 & 300-hour yoga teacher trainings, as well. For more on trainings, click here. Meg’s professional background may be found here.
What does it mean to live life awake and consciously?
It means that we have the tools to make choices that influence a greater sense of wholeness, connection, acceptance, and balance in life and with the world around us.
Yoga offers us these tools.
What does it mean to live a healthy and balanced life? How can I serve and support greater connections in my community and world? How can I support a healthy and thriving environment and world? Where do I find lasting fulfillment? Who am I? What is my purpose?
These questions are the stepping stones to leading a conscious and fulfilled life.
Turning within can lead us to the answers.
The practices of yoga and meditation:
build kind and curious attention to what we experience in life - joys and challenges - within and without - which can lead to empowerment and ease.
support choices to hold our personal balance and health as priority.
promote empathy.
point to the deep interconnections of humans and nature.
enhance intuition and connection to Source within, which leads to lasting fulfillment and a heightened sense of purpose and freedom.
Join Awake Minds mission in supporting a world where each person has the opportunity to learn and grow through these tools.
Sign up for our newsletter, review our programs, or reach out to Meghan for more information.
Awake Minds Mission
The mission of Awake Minds is to offer meditation and yoga for individuals and communities - to awaken to their purpose, uncover their essential nature, inner resources, and live conscious lives that support sustainability for themselves, and the earth.
“May we awaken to the joy, love, and peace that is within- and remember our deep connection to one another and the earth. May this awakening be for the benefit of all.” ~Meghan
Past and Current Community Programs:
West Borough Behavioral Health Hospital - Yoga & Meditation Programs
Teen Moms Mindfulness Program - Newburyport, MA
Girls Inc. - Yoga and Mindfulness
Support Meghan in raising funds for iBme mindfulness scholarships for teens
Testimonials
“I love the affirmations. You created exactly what I need to say to myself, especially with my mala beads, and throughout the day as you suggested. Working with you makes me happy.”
“Meghan worked with a member of my family through a very difficult time consisting of change, health struggles, stress, and uncertainty...
We are so grateful for her help and the support she provided our family. We couldn’t have managed through it all without her.”
“The 200-Hour program with Awake Minds was life changing. Meg is so encouraging and patient. Many guest speakers helped helped deepen our knowledge on a variety of topics. The training deepened my understanding about the history of yoga philosophy and its relevance to modern life. I now feel confident and equipped to teach yoga to others. ”
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the land we currently reside on is Narragansett & Pokanoket (RI), Pennacook, Pawtucket, and Abenaki, and is the historic lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Generations of Indigenous peoples lived and passed through this land on the north shore of MA for centuries - they farmed, fished, discovered and invented, traded, raised families, and, above all, honored the sacred lands upon which we stand today. We acknowledge that this is Indigenous land and also acknowledge the tribes, who continue to hold and honor this sacred land into the present.
At Awake Minds we support the indigenous peoples who live here in Essex County and Massachusetts - through monthly donations to Massachusetts Center for Native America Awareness and attending local native cultural events and fairs.
There is always more we can do and we will support native cultures and tribes any way we can - whether that is here in MA or in the various countries visited on yoga retreats.
