Name: James Lowe Counselling and Mindfulness Teaching
Address: East Kent Ave., Vancouver, V5S-3T9, CA
Telephone: 604-432-7600

James Lowe

Hello and welcome. I am a counsellor and mindfulness teacher in Vancouver, BC.

Ever feel hassled trying to get to a retreat?

Wouldn’t it be great if your retreat started when you got on the bus in Vancouver?

Get on the Yogi Bus. A retreat that starts and ends with a bus ride to and from the Retreat Centre. No Customs, Airports, Ferries or Gas Stations.

1. Individual
Psychotherapy

I offer individual and couples counselling in South Vancouver for various issues.

I have online scheduling. We can correspond by phone, email or text before scheduling an appointment, or you can go to the scheduling page by clicking the button below.

I practice a range of counselling styles depending on your wishes, but I do like to incorporate mindfulness with classical psychotherapy. Western psychology identifies issues well, and mindfulness practices offer a great way to change how you react to these issues.

My rate is $120 per hour.

Schedule appointment

2. Online Counselling

Counselling is a very personal conversation. It has to be one of the most intimate and personal interactions that we engage in. And it can be difficult to find and see the right counsellor for you.

For these reason, I offer video and telephone counselling sessions if you are out of town or can't get to my office. It is very helpful for the first session to be in person if you are in Metro Vancouver area, however I work with clients on different continents and in different cities through Zoom Video Communications.

Other than a computer with a video camera, you don't need any additional equipment to have a video call with me.

Schedule appointment

A 7 Day Wilderness Meditation Retreat 2025
Pacific Rim National Park, Keeha Bay
West Coast of Vancouver Island

Sunday July 13 to Saturday July 19, 2025

More information

First Timer Retreat 2025

James Lowe

Friday, August 29 - Monday, September 1 2025
Sea to Sky Retreat Centre, Whistler BC

More information

“I don’t really know what happens on a retreat, but I kinda want to try it. I have so many questions and feel intimidated because I’m new.”

“I don’t think I can meditate for that long, especially with more experienced meditators.”

“I know someone who wants to try a retreat, but they're intimidated to start.”

If this sounds like you, or you know someone who thinks these things,

then this retreat might be a good fit.

Sea to Sky Retreat 2026

James Lowe and
Jeanne Corrigal

Nature and Lovingkindness

Saturday, April 18 - Saturday, April 25 2026

More information

Mindfulness for Professional Counsellors, Therapists and Healthcare workers

A private online group of professionals meeting each week to support each other and discuss the practice of Buddhist mindfulness through their professional work.

Topics include:

Professional and personal challenges
Transference
Metta, compassion, empathic joy and equanimity practices
Boundaries
Identity
Impromptu dharma teachings as they apply to day-to-day work.

Group members click here

Guided meditations

I'd like to offer you a few recorded meditations. These are based on the meditation teaching I do. Feel free to return to these meditations whenever you wish.

A bell will ring at 20 and 30 minutes if you only want to sit for that long.

The first 20 minutes guides you through a grounding, anchoring or concentration practice. At the 30 minute mark the guided meditations take on a different direction.

GroundingJames Lowe

00:00 / 30:25

Concentration: grounding in the body

This is a guided concentration practice. The aim is to strengthen your concentration and focus. Like a baseball and glove, the intention is to "catch" and "hold" the ball, or rather catch and hold onto your anchor in order to be grounded. A bell will ring at 20, but try for 30 minutes.

MindfulnessJames Lowe

00:00 / 45:40

Classical mindfulness

This is a basic mindfulness meditation. After grounding you'll practice bare attention or the practice of noting sensations without embellishing or adding to them. The purpose is to understand how we are always changing, and to release whatever thoughts and feelings are being held.

Lovingkindness: inner safetyJames Lowe

00:00 / 45:30

Inner safety

This is a Lovingkindness (metta) meditation. The aim is to cultivate a sense of natural warmth and tenderness. A subset of this is the feeling of inner mental and emotional safety. This meditation uses guided imagery to lead one to a sense of inner safety.

Lovingkindness: being healthy and strongJames Lowe

00:00 / 45:31

Inner health

This is a Lovingkindness (metta) meditation. The aim is to cultivate a sense of natural warmth and tenderness. A subset of this practice is developing an internal feeling of health that supports our mental and emotional life. As of April 2020, this might be very appropriate at the moment. It is helpful to be grounded in our body's natural health, and the body's natural ability to take care of itself.

Lovingkindness: inner easeJames Lowe

00:00 / 45:28

Inner ease

This is a Lovingkindness (metta) meditation. The aim is to cultivate a sense of natural warmth and tenderness. A subset of this practice is developing an internal feeling of ease. This meditation uses guided imagery to lead you to a sense of personal ease.

Sense doors and opening to natureJames Lowe

00:00 / 45:02

Sense doors and the beauty of nature

Opening to the sense doors and the beauty of nature. This guided meditation was used on a July 2021 Online Nature Retreat. The intention was to take your ear buds and phone to your favourite outdoor place (patio, park, trail) and practice this meditation.

Contact James

My availability varies so

please contact me for a meeting.

E. Kent Ave, Vancouver BC

604-432-7600

james@jameslowe.com

Send me a message

I'd be happy to hear from you.

Send a message

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My goals

Hello, I'm James Lowe, a counsellor, psychotherapist and mindfulness (Vipassana) meditation teacher who practices cross-cultural counselling.

My goal is to make good people great. You have a natural talent for contentment, creativity and generosity. Whether counselling or teaching, I aim to help you discover your innate capacity for happiness and ease. Without losing track of what's practical, I strive for the ideal in you.

Right now, you can feel comfortable with who you are and what you have - instead of chasing after the next best thing. With greater levels of personal contentment and worthiness, you can calmly deal with the challenge of everyday living. It's possible to lessen the nagging dissatisfaction in life. You can discover your natural capacity for joy and acceptance through counselling and meditation. You can redefine how you live.

The benefits of counselling and meditation include better decision-making, less frustration, and greater efficiency. Counselling is an investment in yourself. No matter what you do or where you go, your mind is your most portable and transferable asset.

I can help you as a counsellor or as a meditation teacher. If you meditate or have a spiritual practice, I combine both the spiritual-meaning side of meditation with the counselling aspects of Western psychology. I aim to support and guide you with practical tips to be comfortable within yourself no matter your situation.

About Me

If you want to see me as a counsellor or teacher, you may want to know a bit about me.

I have a bachelor's degree in political science from UBC and started working in social services in 1992. By 2002, I completed a Master's in Counselling Psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology.

As an adult, I grew up playing hockey in Vancouver and started hiking, climbing and skiing. I love the outdoors and have completed some Ironman Triathlons and even longer recreational bike rides. Today, I love backpacking the West Coast Trail and doing day-long hikes along the Sea to Sky highway.

As a professional, I started as an adult educator, manager, and psychotherapist. I've trained volunteers to work on crisis lines and as victim services volunteers. I've managed a transition house for abused women and overseen a range of counselling and education programs. I've taught triathletes, volunteers, massage therapists, and naturopathic doctors, and I bring all of my teaching experience to counselling sessions. Teaching adults has always been my interest. My goal as a counsellor is to help you learn about yourself.

In 2004, I started practicing mindfulness meditation, which has played a significant role in my life ever since. I take three weeks off for a silent meditation retreat every year to deepen my mindfulness practice. In 2012, I completed Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leader Program so I could teach mindfulness classes. 2017, I started a four-year training to become an Independent Authorized Retreat Teacher through Spirit Rock again. This four-year program prepares me to teach residential meditation retreats in addition to the classes I teach in the city. I'm especially interested in the workable day-to-day practice of Lovingkindness and Mindfulness at work, at home and in the community. I want to bring these classical practices into the real world in a practical and relatable way.