Life Transition Meditation Center

09/22/2026

On August 25th, 2026, Life Transition Meditation Center Executive Director Ralph Steele - MA, LMFT, SEP - gave a virtual talk entitled “What Are You Doing In There?”, the foundations of which are the full truth of being a mind and body, for incarcerated individuals across 40 different prisons within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This talk was given through the guidance and in collaboration with Chaplain Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC, the “Chaplain of the Heart” (www.chaplainoftheheart.com/) and part of the Buddhist Prison Ministry (www.buddhistprisonministry.com/).

Ralph has long been a proponent of bringing meditation and Buddhist psychology to the most marginalized. In 1972, he served as a Rehabilitation Counselor at the Work Release Unit in Spokane, Washington, providing alcohol, drug abuse, career and vocational counseling to prisoners who had served a minimum of five years in prison; he helped design and implement the Casa Libre Prison Project Rehabilitation Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from 1986 to 1989; and in 2015 and 2016 at the San Quentin Level 2 Security State Prison, California, he led a Day-Long Meditation Retreat sponsored by the Chaplaincy Department.

07/03/2026

We’re thrilled to share we received a $750 Spark Good local grant from our local Walmart Santa Fe - Cerrillos Rd. This grant will help us with our fourth annual Veterans Meditation Retreat held this coming September 25th-28th, 2026, at The Clyde Hotel Albuquerque. We are proud to spark good in our community!

06/25/2026

We are slowly but surely climbing to our goal! Thank you so far to our stellar donors Barbara Friedman and Stephen Brown, who is sponsoring one Veteran's entire three-day insight meditation retreat experience. You can fully sponsor a Vet for $1,200 or contribute even $5 to this extremely valuable annual cause. Empowering military Veterans to manage their mind and body generates ripple effects in their families and communities for us all to move through the world with more mindful choices, actions, speech, and livelihoods. Thank you for sharing and contributing!

We’re reaching out with urgency and hope. The 2026 Veterans Meditation Retreat (VMR)—a lifeline for Veterans struggling with trauma and suicidal thoughts—needs to remedy our funding shortfall in order to host our fourth edition of this retreat, complete free for New Mexico and national Veteran...

06/19/2026

This piece on the criminalization of freedom for Black people after emancipation, to this very day, makes even clearer the need for the consistent practice and action towards true liberation. Happy Junteenth from the Veterans Meditation Retreat team and LTMC. https://open.substack.com/pub/thehumanityarchive/p/everyone-reads-the-first-line-of?r=jdahw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

This Juneteenth, we join in honoring freedom, resilience, and the enduring strength of Black communities.

While Juneteenth marks a historic moment of emancipation, it also invites reflection on liberation as an ongoing practice. The Dharma teaches that freedom is both collective and personal—shaped by the conditions of our communities and by the qualities we cultivate in our hearts.

In times marked by real division and uncertainty, the Dharma reminds us that separation is a misunderstanding of our deepest nature. We belong to one another, and the path forward is strengthened through compassion.

May racism and all forms of racial bias be uprooted through wise action in our communities, tireless dedication to the path of interdependence, and fearless inquiry into the roots of ignorance in our own hearts. Blessings and a joyful Juneteenth to all.

06/19/2026

What an honor to be granted an award from The Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Norte last week. We are very grateful to be recognized for our work in mind-body education and practice with insight meditation. This award will fund our fourth annual Veterans Meditation Retreat from September 25th to 28th at The Clyde Hotel Albuquerque.

Yesterday, Del Norte Foundation President Carol Rickert presented the 2026 Del Norte Foundation Grant Awards to an outstanding group of nonprofits that are improving lives across New Mexico every day.

This year's recipients include:

• Camp Enchantment — outdoor camp experiences for children with cancer
• Rio Grande Food Bank — fighting hunger across New Mexico
• Christina Kent Early Childhood Center — early childhood education and family support
• Adult Learning Center — literacy and adult education services
• National Dance Institute — arts education for young people
• Backpack Program — weekend meals for food-insecure children
• Crossroads for Women — housing and recovery support for women
• Life Transition — helping individuals overcome homelessness
• Meals on Wheels — meal delivery for homebound seniors
• Rock at Noonday — mentoring and opportunities for youth
• Children's Grief Center — grief support for children and families
• Locker 505 — free clothing for youth in need

Together, these organizations are feeding families, supporting children, strengthening education, promoting recovery, helping individuals regain stability, and creating brighter futures throughout our communities here in Albuquerque.

What makes these grants especially meaningful is the rigorous review process behind them. Organizations are evaluated for mission effectiveness, financial stewardship, leadership, accountability, and measurable community impact. Receiving a Del Norte Foundation grant reflects a high standard of organizational excellence and gives donors confidence that their contributions are supporting nonprofits that are delivering real results.

We are grateful to our Foundation Board, club members, donors, and community partners whose generosity makes these grants possible. Through Rotary's commitment to "Service Above Self," we are proud to invest in organizations that are creating lasting, measurable change across New Mexico.

Congratulations to all of this year's recipients—we look forward to seeing the impact of your work in the year ahead.

06/16/2026

Sign up for our newsletter! lifetransition.com

https://mailchi.mp/lifetransition/april-newsletter-18106685

On April 18th, we held our first fundraiser event for the Veterans Meditation Retreat Project. This Jazz Benefit Concert with incredible music by the renowned John Trentacosta Quartet also featured Grammy award-winning tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence.

06/11/2026

Hello, friends and community members!

We have started a Chuffed fundraising campaign to bring us home with the last $20,000 needed to fully fund our 40+ Veteran participants in this year's Fourth Annual Veterans Meditation Retreat. Please share with everyone in your network, family, and anyone interested in supporting the vast ripple effects of empowering emotional and somatic healing for servicemembers.

We deeply appreciate your dāna, your donation, to bring Insight meditation to more Veterans and their families and communities.

We’re reaching out with urgency and hope. The 2026 Veterans Meditation Retreat (VMR)—a lifeline for Veterans struggling with trauma and suicidal thoughts—needs to remedy our funding shortfall in order to host our fourth edition of this retreat, complete free for New Mexico and national Veteran...

06/02/2026

Commemorating Pride Month, all the trailblazing activists working for decades to advance LGBTQ rights, and all the Two-Spirit and LGBT Veterans. You have a place here with us at our annual Veterans retreats, and you have our utmost and honorable respect.

05/09/2026

Veterans, register by Monday May 11th for our first Day-Long Meditation Retreat in Las Cruces, New Mexico! Day-Long Veterans Meditation Retreat

Calling all Veterans in New Mexico! Join our Day-Long Veterans Meditation Retreat, For Veterans, By Veterans, in Las Cruces (Mesilla Park), NM.

Sponsored by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Life Transition Meditation Center, every Veteran is welcome, regardless of discharge status, gender, race, LGBTQI+ and/or Two-Spirited identity

WHEN: May 16th, 2026 9:00 am-4:00 pm (noon lunch)
WHERE: Holy Cross Retreat Center, 600 Holy Cross Rd., Mesilla Park, NM 88047
WHY: Introduce Meditation techniques, improve Veterans' mental health

Register now for our no-cost, day-long gathering for veterans, offering space for stillness, grounding, and connection featuring a highly experienced meditation instructor. Lunch will be provided.

https://forms.gle/595qUyBW4FDVzvvs7

Due to limited space, we ask you to notify us one week in advance if you should be unable to attend.

05/05/2026

Share with New Mexican Veterans today and sign up for our Day-Long Meditation Retreat in Mesilla Park, NM on May 16th.

Calling all Veterans in New Mexico! Join our Day-Long Veterans Meditation Retreat, For Veterans, By Veterans, in Las Cruces (Mesilla Park), NM.

Sponsored by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Life Transition Meditation Center, every Veteran is welcome, regardless of discharge status, gender, race, LGBTQI+ and/or Two-Spirited identity

WHEN: May 16th, 2026 9:00 am-4:00 pm (noon lunch)
WHERE: Holy Cross Retreat Center, 600 Holy Cross Rd., Mesilla Park, NM 88047
WHY: Introduce Meditation techniques, improve Veterans' mental health

Register now for our no-cost, day-long gathering for veterans, offering space for stillness, grounding, and connection featuring a highly experienced meditation instructor. Lunch will be provided.

https://forms.gle/595qUyBW4FDVzvvs7

Due to limited space, we ask you to notify us one week in advance if you should be unable to attend.