About Bart van Melik

Bart loves playing meditation, just like musicians love playing music. He started his journey of playing meditation in 2002 when he was introduced to Insight Meditation in Thailand. The simple instructions of being present for oneself, for other and for life felt liberating.

Since that time Bart has practiced many styles of Insight Meditation. His primary teachers are Joseph Goldstein and Carol Wilson, who introduced him to the power of a relaxed awareness that allows us to meet life with kindness—especially in times of difficulty. From Gregory Kramer, Bart learned Insight Dialogue, a fully engaged relational meditation practice. And from his wife Chantal and son Lou, he continues to learn about unconditional love, patience and playing.

Bart is a strong advocate of meditating in community. He is the guiding teacher of the Community Meditation Center in New York City. He also teaches at New York Insight Meditation Center and he brings meditation to a wide variety of populations from incarcerated youth, and veterans with PTSD, to people working in corporations. 

Bart teaches residential meditation retreats in the US and Europe. He is a co-author of Still, in the City:Creating Peace of Mind in the Midst of Urban Chaos. His meditation instructions can be heard on the Meditation Studio App and on Dharma Seed.

Bart is affiliated with Community Meditation Center, Lineage Project, Insight Meditation Society, New York Insight Meditation Center, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Dialogue Community, Stichting InzichtMeditatie (SIM), Vipassana.nu and Nalanda Insitute for Contemplative Science.

Bart graduated from the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training and Community Dharma Leader Program, and holds an M.A. in Psychology of Culture and Religion from Nijmegen University, The Netherlands. Bart is also fully matriculated as Insight Dialogue Teacher.