Mada Eliza Dalian (also written Eliza Mada Dalian) is a spiritual teacher, meditation guide and author based in Canada. [1] [2] She is the founder of the Dalian Method and teaches that meditation is, at heart, the practice of witnessing your thoughts and emotions without reaction or judgment. [3] [4]
Who is Mada Eliza Dalian?
Mada Eliza Dalian was born in Armenia, which was then part of the USSR. Her mother tongue was Armenian, and she went to a Russian-language school. [2] She later emigrated to Canada, settling first in Montreal, where she learned French. At university she first studied languages, planning to become an English teacher, and then turned to architecture. [2]
Her spiritual search began early. At the age of five she witnessed her grandfather’s death, and she says she began asking herself: “Who am I? Where do I come from? Where will I go when I die?” [1]
At twenty-four she came across the teachings of George Gurdjieff and Osho, and those childhood questions came back to life. [1] She told Rick Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump that after moving to Canada a friend gave her In Search of the Miraculous, a book about Gurdjieff’s teaching, and later a book by Osho. Reading Osho, practising his meditations and visiting him was, she said, “the beginning of my internal search.” [2] She left behind her training in education and architecture to devote herself to meditation and the search for truth. [1]
After years of meditation and introspection, she describes a profound experience of awakening at the age of thirty-three. [1] In 1997 she created the Dalian Method, which she now teaches to adults, young adults, teens and children. [3] [5]
She is the author of two books: In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness, which tells the story of her own journey, and Healing the Body & Awakening Consciousness with the Dalian Method. She has also created several meditation CDs. [1] At the time of her 2012 interview she lived in Vancouver, and she offers private sessions, seminars, online courses and retreats. [2] [1]
Her teaching in brief
- Watch. Observe thoughts and feelings without judging them.
- Practise daily. The witness grows stronger with regular practice.
- Move and express. Use active meditation to let go of tension.
- Take responsibility. Do the inner work yourself.
At a glance
Known for: Witnessing, active meditation, the Dalian Method
Topics: Meditation, self-awareness, emotional honesty, spiritual awakening
Influences: George Gurdjieff, Osho
Books: In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness
Watch: Her YouTube channel
Good fit if
You are interested in meditation as a way to watch your mind, and you would like more lively, expressive practices than silent sitting alone.
Our take
A direct, practical teacher whose core message is simple: learn to watch your thoughts and feelings, practise regularly and take responsibility for your own inner work. Her free talks and the No-Yes meditation are good places to start.
Mada Eliza Dalian’s key teachings
These come from her own website and interviews. Tap a card to read more.
Meditation is witnessing
For Mada, meditation is not about a particular technique. “Although there are many meditation techniques, meditation is not a technique. Meditation is the practice of witnessing,” she writes. [4]
She describes the essence of meditation as “a detached observation or witnessing of whatever happens inside (the body, mind, and emotions) and outside (the world around you) without reaction or judgment.” [4]
By learning to observe your thoughts and emotions in this way, she says, you can step out of “the chattering mind” and settle into the stillness of your being. She also believes a dedicated practice can build self-acceptance and self-confidence and deepen your understanding of yourself and others. [4]
Strengthening the witness
In her Buddha at the Gas Pump interview, Mada explained how the witness grows. When you can see a thought or a breath happening on its own, she said, “your witnessing starts strengthening.” [2]
“You start cultivating the witness by watching. So as you watch, as you observe, the more you observe, the more you watch, the more distance is created between you, the witness, and what you are observing.” [2]
That distance grows as the witness becomes stronger, which is why she says “meditation has to be a regular practice.” If you only meditate now and then, she explains, it is hard to build the inner environment where the witness can grow. [2]
Active meditation
Mada teaches active meditation as well as quiet sitting. She defines it as “being in activity while simultaneously witnessing what is”: your movements, thoughts, emotions and the activity itself. [6]
She draws on the active meditations devised by Osho, which move through four or five stages. In them, she writes, “you can laugh, cry, jump, shake, run, hum, shout, dance, and be free to express whatever you have been suppressing.” After that release, the silent stage that follows can feel deeper. [6]
She sees no real conflict between active and passive meditation. “Their intent is the same,” she says: “to empty the mind and help you strengthen your inner witness.” But she finds that many busy modern people find it easier to begin with an active practice. [6]
The No-Yes meditation
One of her own creations is the No-Yes Active Meditation, which comes with a guided CD. [7] It starts from an everyday observation: “Throughout life we continually say ‘Yes’ to people and situations when actually, we feel like saying ‘No.’” [7]
Many of us do this, she notes, because we are afraid of seeming impolite, hurting other people’s feelings or being rejected. Holding back our true feelings creates inner stress and stops us from living authentically. [7]
The meditation gives space to express the “No” and then turn it into an authentic “Yes” to yourself, others and life. Among its aims, she lists building self-confidence and healthy boundaries, and understanding “the contradictory nature of your mind and emotions.” [7]
The Dalian Method
Mada created the Dalian Method in 1997, and she describes it as a new system for health and consciousness, not derived from any other approach. [3] She is clear that it is “not about replacing negative beliefs with positive ones.” Instead, the aim is to become conscious of the causes of inner unrest. [3]
A session works systematically through the whole body, from the feet to the head, using the breath and out-loud verbal expression to bring buried thoughts and feelings to the surface. [8] She also presents it as a spiritual practice, saying it can increase your “ability to witness and dis-identify from your thoughts and emotions” and deepen self-awareness. [8]
This profile focuses on her meditation and self-awareness teaching. You can read her own full description of the method on her website. [3]
A teacher of responsibility
Asked how she would describe herself, Mada told Buddha at the Gas Pump: “I’m basically a teacher of responsibility.” [2]
“People need to take responsibility for their own awakening. Tools are there, but you still need to use them,” she said. [2] Elsewhere in the same interview she put it even more simply: “The person must be willing to take responsibility to do this work for themselves.” [2]
So much of her teaching is about practices people can do on their own.
Videos with Mada Eliza Dalian
These videos come from her own channel and from interviews, checked one by one.
Start here
Talks from her channel
Interviews
Articles about Mada Eliza Dalian
Mada Eliza Dalian’s books
Her books and meditation CD are available in print and from her website.
Find her books in your country: US · UK · Canada · Australia · India.
Courses, sessions and retreats
Mada runs online courses for adults, young adults and teens, plus workshops, retreats and private sessions. [5] [1] Her YouTube channel has many free talks. Prices and dates are listed on her website.
What the Research Shows
Mada’s teaching is spiritual rather than scientific, but two ideas close to it, putting feelings into words and noticing where your attention goes, have been studied by researchers.
- Naming feelings. Simply putting a feeling into words reduced activity in the brain’s alarm centre. [9]
- Being present. People were happier in the moments when their attention was on what they were doing. [10]
Frequently asked questions
Who is Mada Eliza Dalian?
A spiritual teacher, meditation guide and author, and the founder of the Dalian Method.
Is she the same person as Eliza Mada Dalian?
Yes. Both forms of her name are used; her own website uses Mada Eliza Dalian.
What does she teach about meditation?
That meditation is the practice of witnessing your thoughts and emotions without reaction or judgment.
What is active meditation?
Being in activity, such as moving or dancing, while witnessing what is happening, often followed by a silent stage.
What is the No-Yes meditation?
Her guided practice for expressing the “No” we hold back and turning it into an authentic “Yes”.
Who influenced her?
She says the teachings of George Gurdjieff and Osho sparked her search at the age of twenty-four.
Where should I start?
Her Buddha at the Gas Pump interview gives a full overview, and her free YouTube talks are short and practical.
Sources
- Mada Eliza Dalian: About Mada
- Buddha at the Gas Pump: Eliza Mada Dalian interview and transcript
- Mada Eliza Dalian: What is the Dalian Method?
- Mada Eliza Dalian: What is Meditation?
- Mada Eliza Dalian: Online courses
- Mada Eliza Dalian: What is Active Meditation
- Mada Eliza Dalian: No-Yes Active Meditation
- Mada Eliza Dalian: How it Works
- Lieberman et al., Putting Feelings Into Words, Psychological Science 2007
- Killingsworth and Gilbert, A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind, Science 2010
By Saj Ali. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.