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.
I offer individual and couples counselling in South Vancouver for a wide range of issues.
I have online scheduling. We can correspond by phone, email or text before you schedule an appointment or you can go to the scheduling page by clicking on 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 does a good job of identifying issues and mindfulness practices offer a great way to change how you react to these issues.
My rate is $120 per hour.
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.
Metta or Lovingkindness Meditation Course
4 Wednesday nights starting May 13, 2020
Cultivate the natural warmth and tenderness of metta.
Guided meditations
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.
These recordings are freely offered but are not freely supported by the website, Soundcloud, or cable companies. Nor do the hardware and software companies used to produce this recording offer their products freely.
I freely offer this guidance, and it's like we're spent 20-45 minutes together. I welcome a donation to keep these recordings online. Imagine offering me a cup of coffee for our 45 minutes together. A short dark coffee at Starbucks is $2.15. That's typically what I order. A donation of any amount is welcome.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More guided meditations are coming
and will be moved to a separate page
on this site.
Silent Meditation Retreat
Johnson's Landing
Aug 23 to 28 Kootenay Lake
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.
Contact James
My availability varies so
please contact me for a meeting.
E. Kent Ave, Vancouver BC
604-432-7600
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Get notified of upcoming classes, walks and hikes
My goals
Hello, I'm James Lowe and I'm 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, my aim is to help you discover your natural 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 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. Through counselling and meditation, you can discover your natural capacity for joy and acceptance. You can re-define 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 the most portable and transferable asset you have.
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 so you can be comfortable in within yourself no matter what situation you are in.
About Me
If you are interested in seeing me as a counsellor or teacher, you may wish to know a bit about me.
I have a bachelors degree in Political Science from UBC and started working in social services in 1992. By 2002 I completed a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology.
I grew up playing hockey in Vancouver and as a adult started hiking, climbing and skiing. I love the outdoors and have completed a couple of Ironman Triathlons and some even longer recreational bike rides. Today I love to backpack the West Coast Trail and do day long hikes along the Sea to Sky highway.
As a professional, I started as an adult educator, then a manager, and then a 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 into the 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 and its has played a significant role in my life ever since. Every year I take three weeks off for a silent meditation retreat to deepen my mindfulness practice. In 2012, I completed Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leader Program so I can teach mindfulness classes. In 2017 I've 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, home and community. I want bring these classical practices into the real world in a practical and relatable way.
