Meditate With Dan : About Daniel Lamontagne

About Daniel Lamontagne

Memphis meditation teacher Daniel Lamontagne has guided thousands of students in the study and practice of meditation and the healing arts. His teaching incorporates various styles of meditation that he’s explored over the past 37 years and particularly draws upon the ancient Eastern traditions as well as Jon Kabat-Zinn’s mindfulness meditation methods.

In 1997 Daniel was selected to participate in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Professional Training Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He has also obtained training in the Loving Relationships Training program, Mindful Schools Training Curriculum K-12, and the Mindful Schools Difficult Emotions Course. Some of his earliest studies in Memphis consisted of classes in transcendental meditation and self-development, as well as training in conscious breathwork and other healing modalities. Throughout his own spiritual journey and cultivation he has studied with various instructors and participated in numerous meditation workshops and retreats.

In 2012 Daniel received the Natural Awakenings Favorite Meditation Teacher Award in Memphis. He leads about 25 eight-week courses a year and has conducted meditation weekend retreats at St. Columba Retreat Center and elsewhere. Class participants learn how to stay centered in the present and to develop and strengthen their natural abilities for healing, intuition, and mindfulness. The students gain important tools for shaping balanced, healthy, and meaningful lives in a challenging world and for making the most of their personal potential.

He has taught meditation classes and workshops at FedEx, Loving Arms, Healing Arts Medical Group, Siskind Susser Law Firm, Jewish Community Center, Lausanne Collegiate School, Youth Villages, and local yoga centers. He has also taught at healing centers and churches around the country.

He has given talks about meditation to groups such as the American Heart Association, International Paper, Whole Foods, La Paloma Treatment Center, Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Public Library, Southern School of Optometry, Youth Villages, Southwest Community College, and Hilton Hotel Operations Center.

A graduate of Christian Brothers College, Daniel has long recognized that awareness of the body-mind-spirit connection is essential to maintaining a full and healthy life. Before becoming a meditation teacher, he started the Peddler Bicycle Shops and LaMontagne’s Natural Food Restaurant, which was the first of its kind in Memphis, and LaMontagne’s Natural Food Store. He grew organic vegetables for the restaurant and taught master-gardener classes on organic gardening and composting. He also served as the organic-garden manager for the Memphis Botanic Garden for nine years and president of the Mid-South Organic Network for three.

As Daniel’s entrepreneurial ventures expanded, he remained focused on the body-mind-spirit connection. Raised a Roman Catholic, he built upon that foundation through daily meditation and the study of other world religions and spiritual practices. Through those studies he has seen the common threads that weave through and unite all faiths and spiritual endeavors, and he greatly enjoys exploring and sharing with others the many benefits of meditation.