One of America’s most senior Buddhist monks is to visit Bermuda next month — thought to be the first time a Tibetan Lama has visited the island.Lama Migmar — a Buddhist chaplain at Boston’s prestigious Harvard University — is to teach classes in meditation and yoga designed to ease the stresses of life.But Lama Migmar said: “Meditation is not just for Buddhists — it can be helpful for many different people.”He added: “Meditation has two effects — it calms destructive emotions like anger and by calming these emotions people can find peace and reduce stress.‘It can also help people to cultivate more mindfulness, like memory and compassion. All the positive emotions.“Meditation is done to reduce negative emotions and cultivate and increase all the positive emotions.“It is very good for emotional health and it can help to reduce stress and help people perform better in the studies or jobs.“If people want to be more happy and at peace, this is something they should try.”The Tibetan-born monk has lived in the US since 1989 and first heard about the Island while on a trip to the UK and the Isle of Man, where locals who had visited the Island praised its beauty.And his interest in Bermuda was further stimulated when he became friends with Bermudian artist Dan Dempster, who now lives in Boston and practises meditation.Lama Migmar said: “It was a combination of that curiosity and interest. This is my first visit and I don’t know how many Buddhists there are in Bermuda, but meditation can be useful for anyone.”Lama Migmar, who has served as a chaplain at Harvard since 1997, was educated in India after he had to flee Tibet in 1959 after a Communist China crackdown on a revolt against their occupation.He was awarded a medal for academic excellence by the Dalai Lama, the head of the Buddhism, and has won numerous other awards for his scholarship and service to the faith.He has also supervised the editing and publishing of more than 50 rare volumes of Buddhist literature and founded the Sakya Institute for Buddhist Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1990.He has also led Buddhist retreats all over North America and Europe.Lama Migmar will be on the island from Friday, November 8 to Sunday, November 10 and will teach classes in meditation, mantra and yoga at the Spirit House, 65, Middle Road, Devonshire over the weekend and at other venues across the Island.Classes will include medicine Buddha empowerment, said to promote healing and classes aimed at promoting calm, focus and increasing energy.Most events have a $20 suggested donation, except the two-hour courses on Tibetan Yantra Yoga, where the suggested donation is $100.For more information or to register for classes, e-mail dandmpstr@gmail.com.