On being overloaded – and some options. A personal account

Remember this feeling??? As a teenager, I often went on long hikes through the wilderness areas of Gippsland. Spectacular country... rugged, steep and incredibly beautiful. We often went out for a week and carried all our food; sometimes even our water, so our packs could be really heavy. At the end of the day, we would select a campsite - and then the feeling. The feeling of lightness as the pack came of the back. A mixture of relief, satisfaction, tiredness and joy. Remember that feeling? The lightness of the load lifting...

Sometimes in life it can seem as if the load we are carrying is really heavy. Sometimes too heavy. Having been through a period of life like this recently myself, and now having the feeling of lightness arrive and bring relief, maybe it is useful to discuss what we can do when our load is too heavy and the potential to become stressed out is very real, but first

Thought for the day

   Alexander the Great's famous last words 
- three wishes he made on his deathbed: 

 

    Let my physicians carry my coffin

       Scatter my treasures along the path to my grave

       Let my hands hang out of the coffin

   To demonstrate 

       Doctors cannot stop death

       Wealth cannot be taken with you

       Everyone leaves this world empty-handed.

Maybe this can come as a salutary reminder. 

We hear a great deal about managing stress from the inside. About how we can learn to maintain our balance and equanimity independently of our external circumstances. That is true. We can. However, it is also true stress can come from being overwhelmed by external events. There is a limit to what we can take on, and yet sometimes, the demands to do more can seem unavoidable.

This was my experience recently. Many will know just how unwell my beloved Ruth has been for nearly 9 months. And this on top of my own major bout of life-threatening ill-health around 18 months ago, which was preceded by Ruth being unwell the previous couple of years. We have had a lot to deal with.

Now normally, this would be manageable. 

However, I had a major commitment to lead a Meditation Teacher Training in November, and to follow this with a meditation mini-retreat. 

That too would have been manageable, however, for the training, there was the need to prepare a new manual – all 200 pages of it. 

Having deliberately left the 3 months prior to the training free so I could concentrate on writing what was effectively like a new book, Ruth then became critically ill and was hospitalised right through until the training commenced. I spent much of that time with her in the hospital. 

So first, the obvious decision. Go ahead or cancel? Being mindful of people putting 5 days aside, and many making travel and other arrangements to attend, we decided to go ahead. 

So the manual had to be completed – and printed on time. Basic 3 principles of positive thinking:


1. Make a clear choice

2. Do whatever it takes

3. Chose to enjoy doing it.

So during the months of being in Ruth’s hospital room, amidst visits from doctors and nurses, amidst drips alarms sounding regularly, amidst communicating with family and friends, amidst dealing with the day-to-day stuff, and the general overwhelm of the difficult times we live in; amidst all manner of interruptions, a remarkable opportunity to practice being non-distracted, of remaining focused and committed – and getting the job done. But high pressure. And the feeling of a very heavy backpack.

So how to maintain some balance? 

How to manage an extreme load? 

Some options to consider

1.     Make time to meditate

It is not easy making time for this. 

Fortunately, I am in the habit, but I ramped it up. Knowing the pressure was on, I made the effort to increase my practice

2.     Make time to exercise

It is not easy making time for this. 

This was harder for me and I was not so consistent as with the meditation, but it is easy to feel the benefit; and we know the science is all for this; as with the meditation.

3.     Take time out – and let go of the guilt

To be clear, I did feel on the edge more than once. And it seemed obvious, if I became overwhelmed or sick myself, we were in really deep trouble. 

So time out is a necessity. In what form? I visited the hospital café regularly, as much for the break as for anything it had to offer to eat or drink. Then there was at least one lunch with a friend each week. Many phone calls with family and friends. And a massage. And just having the occasional slow morning or longer break in the afternoon. 

4.     Do ask for help

Taking time out, spreading the load, was made possible by family and friends coming in and being with Ruth when I was not. While the Epworth Richmond was wonderful in many ways, my strong sense is for anyone in hospital, particularly if critically ill, there is a need for a minder. We set up a roster and it was a delight to have this very tangible support. Such gratitude...

5.     Request prayers

We had a huge number of people – and groups – praying for Ruth. 

It may be subtle, yet it is tangible; this undercurrent of positive, healing energy that prayer and well-wishes provides. 

It does feel like a current that is heading in the right direction, and provides a counter for what can seem like a fairly bleak reality at times.

6.     Practice gratitude

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the difficulties and go into grumpy mode. To become despondent and angry. So I am told... Fortunately, I have a long-term habit of practicing gratitude: thank everyone – some vocally, some quietly. Thank the people who support the hospital with philanthropy, thank the staff, thank those who grew the food that turns up, thank whoever developed all the machines Ruth is relying upon. Gratitude is so easy. There is so much to be grateful for. And it transforms grumpy into grateful. Feels better and makes others feel better as well.

7.     Do persevere

I have been very fortunate. 

The manual was printed 2 days before the training began. 

We had a lovely group attend. Melissa Borich co-facilitated and was magnificent to work with – as usual. 

And at the end, it felt like taking a huge pack off after a very long walk. 

But sometimes we simply need to endure. To push on. 

Find the extra energy. Draw upon reserves. 

And balance and sustain that willpower with the other things we are discussing.

8.     When all else fails, procrastinate!

Procrastination does get a lot of bad press. In many situations, this is justified. But when the load is extreme, that old Irish saying may be the answer: 

If you put something off long enough

It will take care of itself

But then, I was fortunate. This period of overload was finite. While Ruth remains in hospital, she is improving steadily now and appears likely to be home again soon. Life is getting easier once more. The load lighter.

So for most of us, life will bring these periods of overload. Having the sense they will pass makes persevering easier. But then, if the load is likely to remain longer-term, the need to plan for how to manage it becomes even more important. No doubt there is great merit in learning to cope – and ideally thrive – from the inside; but perhaps this post offers some ideas around how to manage on the outside.

 

 

 

Fifteen years and 490 blogs later, time for a mini celebration and a dance back in time...

It is 15 years since the first in this series of blogs was posted. So much has happened since then. Forays into Apps, now the online Meditation Community, maintaining meditation retreats and Meditation Teacher Training. So many topics discussed through the medium of the blog (you can use the search bar and find articles on most things to do with meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, imagery and lifestyle medicine; plus a little on my own life’s adventures).

So it seems timely, and a bit of fun, to reproduce the first ever blog from back on the 28th September, 2025, but first

         Thought for the day

   If you want others to be happy: 

   Practise compassion

   If you want to be happy: 

   Practise compassion

                  H. H. the Dalai Lama

Here it is, with its title :)

IN THE BEGINNING…..

“It is a great feeling to have recovered from cancer – to have been through it all and to be living a full, happy life again. I have done it. I have seen others do it and I know many more will repeat the process in the future”

This is how I began “You Can Conquer Cancer” when I first wrote it in 1984. Those lines encapsulated the elation I felt coming out the other end of a very difficult illness, the realisation that what had helped me to recover was already helping others and the promise of things to come.

First diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma and leg amputated in 1975, my cancer recurred later that year. Then given 2 weeks to live in early 1976 and yet almost miraculously, declared cancer free in July 1978.

Apart from being elated, was I just lucky? Or was there something repeatable in what had helped me?

I was convinced that it was the things I was able to learn and do for myself that had made the difference. This is not to minimise the terrific support I received during my recovery, but I felt a compulsion to attempt to help others with the key things I believed had the potential to make the difference between life and death. The key things that people can learn to do for themselves.

These key factors are best described as lifestyle factors. They are the things that we can do in the course of our daily lives that have so much influence on our health, our capacity to heal and our wellbeing. What we eat and drink, how much we exercise, whether we smoke or not. How we manage our relationships, our work, our emotional health, what we know of the workings of our mind and how we use its potential; and how our spiritual values and practices inform our lives; these are lifestyle factors. These are things we can learn about, study and practice. These are things which are within our own control and have the capacity to radically transform our lives for the better.

My work in this field had begun rather tentatively in 1981. Perhaps what had helped me might help others. In those early days there was an incredible amount to learn. And I asked questions. Many questions - of many people. 

In fact, most of the questions were directed at the large numbers of people who attended the groups I ran. What works? What works to make the groups function better? What works at home that you learn at the groups? What do we need to give more attention to? What is irrelevant? What is useful?

Many people reported many benefits and the groups flourished, You Can Conquer Cancer was written, an organisation grew to support the work. 

As the positive results became more obvious, we moved into preventative health as well as adding to the cancer programs with specific Multiple Sclerosis programs. 

We expended into the field of wellbeing – how is sustainable happiness to be found.

When I retired from The Gawler Foundation at the end of 2009 there were around 50 staff and many volunteers providing a wide range of services that focus on the capacity for lifestyle factors to positively influence health, healing and wellbeing. Happily the organisation has continued to flourish since I have stepped back.

It was a tough thing to retire. I am only 60 and there are so many people needing help. But as well as feeling the need for a break (which I could have accomplished with a sabbatical) and the need to allow the Foundation to fully mature and to establish its bona fides independently of myself; I recognise the value of stepping outside of what you are immersed in, to reassess and refocus. Being so committed to this work for so many years, it would be nice to think I had become a little better at what I was doing as the years passed by.

But being so involved, it is hard to think really freely, really creatively. My work has always valued innovation and creativity. Curiously, the core of the programs is very similar now to what they were in the early 80s. The value of good food, and what it is, the value of regular meditation and how to do it; these are the constants.

But is there is a better way that I could be assisting people? It may be helpful to say that it felt to me to be a huge responsibility to step out of something that clearly was, and continues to be, so helpful to so many people, to step into the unknown and to explore new unchartered possibilities. Let us hope something useful emerges.

Why then a blog? 

Well, firstly, I pretty thoroughly avoided computers for the first 60 years of my life! 

We had plenty of them at work and while enjoying learning about what they could do and being involved in developing good systems to use them, I never had one myself or used one personally. 

I love the feel and the flow of writing with a fountain pen. 

However, one of the areas that I am bound to give my attention to in future blogs is the exciting new discoveries in the field of neuroplasticity – how the brain changes its structure and function depending upon how we use it. It adds good science to the old adage “use it or lose it.” 

Personally therefore, I am choosing to stretch and work my brain by delving into what for me are new fields of IT and the web.

In the broader terms of what I have to offer, and how I might be helpful, a blog seems like a great medium to explore. 

Just like when I first started Australia’s first lifestyle-based cancer self-help groups back in 1981, now I am interested in how new technologies can be useful – not just for people with cancer, but also those interested in the wider scope of lifestyle factors – that cover health, healing and wellbeing.

So, the current intention is to begin with weekly posts covering a range of topics. Please feel free to comment. Those early cancer groups were dramatically shaped by the feedback of their participants and as a consequence they rapidly grew into something useful. Maybe we can do the same thing here and use this medium to develop something that is really relevant and helpful. 

Maybe the blog will be useful in its own right and will warrant development. Maybe it will lead to something else in IT land. Maybe my energies will be better directed into the garden?!

This then has been an introduction and a beginning. The first focused blog is posted now too – on meditation. So, read on. Give feedback if you feel to. Unsubscribe if you prefer and let us see what happens...

Meditation – Ten minutes? Two hours? How much is enough?

Are you one of those meditators who often feels like you “should” be doing more practice? This is one of the most common concerns shared with me – by thousands over the years. So how much meditation is enough? Do you have realistic expectations, or are you already doing enough?

In this post, we share exciting new research that investigates the “dose” required to feel meditation’s benefits, but first  

    

 Thought for the day

   It is inappropriate to hold a view 

   That is logically inconsistent. 

   This is taboo. 

   But even more taboo than holding a view 

   That is logically inconsistent 

   Is holding a view that goes against direct experience

          HH The Dalai Lama 

Good research can actually inform our meditation practice. That is its purpose. Yet remarkably, much of the meditation research from earlier days is very short on details of what practices people did, and how much. So it is good to know the Contemplative Studies Centres at Melbourne University led by Nicholas van Dam, is keenly investigating this issue.

And happily, there is quite a strong correlation between the research and what we discovered from the lived experience of many long-term, committed meditators.

I do not normally post big chunks of research but there is always an exception! The abstract from this paper is worth reading in its entirety, so it follows on.... 

But first, it is worth noting that over the decades in our groups we have had many hundreds, if not thousands who had a strong commitment to meditating as much as needed. 

These people meditated regularly, often after an intense beginning - as in meditating 3 times daily for 40 - 60 minutes; and then tapered off to what seem to sustain them. 

What happens when one does do a lot of meditation is you become sensitive to, and more aware of many things, including how much is enough. 

So they sensed when more was needed, or when less was enough. And in doing so, they arrived at what personally felt adequate. 

This is where our recommendations re time for practice have come from – putting together all this feedback. 

Most meditators who were basically well found 20 mins once or twice daily felt enough. By contrast, those with significant illness who were focussed on therapeutic outcomes, felt three longer sessions were necessary - 40 probably ideally 60 mins each session. 

This matched my own personal experience as I recovered from cancer back in the 70s.

Interestingly, Nicholas tells me most meditation teachers to whom they have spoken say they recommend a minimum or 15-20 min. 

Nicholas suspects the necessary time to achieve benefits may be closer to this amount, but other studies they have completed and which are in early stages of analysis should provide further information on that front! 

Perhaps it really is 30+ minutes. 

Maybe more???

Nicholas also commented it is worth noting that the data from this first paper contains quite a bit of “noise” as they looked at meditators using many different practices. To follow up on this, the Centre is near to publishing a big randomised controlled trial comparing 10, 20, and 30 min doses to a minimal contact control. This next trial has focussed upon people using insight meditation as taught by Patrick Kearney, so there will be more uniformity to help with the evaluation. Results will be available very soon as they are assessing the data now! 

And finally, if you are keen, you can follow the link and read the full paper...

Enjoy – and happy practicing :)

 

Dose–response effects of reported meditation practice on mental-health and wellbeing: 

A prospective longitudinal study 

Bowles, N. I., & Van Dam, N. T. (2025). Dose–response effects of reported meditation practice on mental-health and wellbeing: A prospective longitudinal study. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 17(4), e70063. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.70063

ABSTRACT

The popularity of meditation has surged in recent years, driven by the accessibility of digital platforms. In this context, shorter sessions have become common, often accompanied by claims of substantial benefits. The vast differences in practice intensity—from traditional monastic training and residential retreats to multi-week Mindfulness-Based Programs and infrequent digital home practice—raise the question of how much practice is necessary to see meaningful benefits. Our previous analysis of lifetime practice history suggested that 160 hours were required for clinically meaningful improvements in psychological distress and life satisfaction, with more needed for stable changes in affect. However, those findings could not address the effects of newly undertaken practice, the best ways to accumulate experience, or how these effects vary by practice history. This study fills these gaps by examining dose–response relationships in a diverse sample of meditators engaging in self-directed practice in ecologically valid settings, while testing the moderating effects of practice history, personality traits, and meditation goals. One thousand fifty-three participants provided data across nine surveys over a two-month period of prospectively monitored, self-directed meditation practice, followed by a 2- to 4-year follow-up. Using a longitudinal design, we examined associations between meditation practice dose and outcomes including positive and negative affect, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Meditation practice dose was significantly associated with improvements in well-being, affect, and distress, with practice frequency being a stronger predictor of beneficial outcomes than session duration. During the 2-month prospective period, after controlling for prior lifetime practice, 35 to 65 minutes daily practice was required for meaningful improvements in well-being, and 50 to 80 minutes daily was needed for meaningful improvements in mental health outcomes. Dose–response effects were moderated by lifetime practice experience across all outcomes, while negative emotionality moderated the relationship for mental health-related outcomes. Additionally, valuing mental health as a practice goal moderated dose–response effects for mental health outcomes, and cumulative practice from baseline to follow-up predicted increased valuation of spiritual growth as a practice goal. Our findings indicate that practitioners with varied practice histories, personality traits, and practice goals/motivations benefit from meditation on outcomes measuring mental health and well-being, with such benefits maintained over a 2–4 year follow-up period.

COMING EVENTS

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

OUR NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT

DEEP NATURAL PEACE     Long weekend mini retreat    14 - 16 November 2025

Towards the end of the year, an ideal opportunity for some time out, some gentle introspection and reflection, letting go of the busyness and finishing the year on a meditative high.

With Ruth and Ian Gawler

For your part? Simply make the time and come along…Relax. Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Yarra Valley with its big trees, fresh air, beautiful grounds, the Little Yarra River, and sublime meditation sanctuary.

You can simply let go, and let be… 

TIMES: Friday 14th November starting at 11am to 3.30pm Sunday 16th November 2025

VENUE: The Yarra Valley Living Centre, 55 Rayner Crt, Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia

DETAILS and BOOKINGS: Visit our website: Click Here 

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

Meditation Teacher Training – Module 3: Imagery

11am Saturday 1st to 3.30pm Wednesday 5th November, 2025 (inc Melbourne Cup holiday on the 4th for Victorians)

So many people in so many domains recommend the benefits of guided imagery. This training will position you to be able to offer your community something of great value – a reliable way to help your participants to better understand how their thinking minds and emotions work, and how they can mange them so much better – for their own good and the good of others. This training is also manual based and will enable you to deliver a much-needed program.

Of great personal value, this training is suitable for those new to teaching meditation, and for those wanting to go further. Highly experiential, it will provide a review of the first module that will have given more attention to the basics of how to develop, manage and deliver a meditation program or course. Here we will give some attention to theory, research, delivery, session structures, promotion, finances, the special challenges of online courses, but the emphasis will be on experiencing the key practices of imagery, and working on how to best present a course focusing upon guided imagery.

As a feature, ongoing mentorship and peer support is available through a specific group led by Ian, Ruth and Melissa for people who have completed one or more of our trainings.

Additional information is available via this link

How to apply for THIS Meditation Teacher Training:

1.        The first step is to visit our website, download the Meditation Teacher Training application form and return it to our Retreat Manager, Mel Crow.  

2.        Mel will then arrange a short phone conversation to clarify what the training offerS, discuss your needs, answer any questions and ensure the program is suitable for you. 

3.        Once accepted for the training, you pay a deposit or full fee to reserve your place.

4.        Full payment is due 3 weeks prior to the commencement of your training.

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

Ian Gawler and The Meditation Teacher’s Community – an invitation to all meditation teachers

A big welcome to all of you who have already joined the Meditation Community. As outlined in a recent post, this online meeting place for meditators is now well established and I must say, it is a pleasure to be involved. The regular, live Teaching, Discussion and Practice Circles are thriving; well attended, excellent presenters, great content, very useful sharing. Many are using the recorded audio and videos frequently. A real delight...

Now it is time to launch the Meditation Teacher’s Community. Using a similar structure, this will also be an online meeting place, but this time, more specifically for those actually teaching meditation. So in this post, full details, but first

             Thought for the day

   The gift of learning to meditate 

   Is the greatest gift 

   You can give yourself in this life. 

   For it is only through meditation 

   That you can undertake the journey 

   To discover your true nature, 

   And so find the stability and confidence 

   You will need to live, and die, well; 

   Meditation is the road to enlightenment.

                                Sogyal Rinpoche

Having taught teachers of meditation since 1988, I know what a delight teaching can be, but also what a wide range of challenges aspiring teachers need to overcome to develop a regular teaching schedule; and then to be sustained in their work.

With this in mind, and while I continue to train new teachers, there is an imperative to support both new and experienced meditation teachers to reach a point of excellence and to feel confident and fulfilled in their role.

Hence the Meditation Teacher’s Community. 

This is an innovative solution to a long-existing problem. 

This new online Community will provide a meeting place that enables ongoing learning, problem solving, peer support and personal practice.

As an emerging teacher, one of the most important fundamentals is your own practice. So we are very conscious of how best to provide this ongoing support. This support involves more than helping new teachers to transition from aspiring to teach, to having a strong intention to begin, to actually teaching regularly. We aim to help them to feel competent and confident in their own practice, as well as providing ongoing learning opportunities, opportunities to practice their presentation skills, mentoring and positive feedback. 

Of course, a major issue for any teacher is how to develop regular work and attract and retain committed students; how to develop a sustainable and satisfying business. Again, this is where having the opportunity to share experiences and to have discussions amongst peers, is important. Mentoring can also be offered through the Meditation Teacher’s Community.

On a more pragmatic level, most new meditation teachers aspire to qualifying for full membership of Meditation Australia. This can take time and be quite costly, so we are offering ways to expedite this in a reasonable time frame and at an affordable cost.

And then, when it comes to actually teaching, we aim to help our people to focus on the needs of their students rather than just the method of teaching. 

There is a need to be flexible and adapt to the needs and capacities of the students. 

Overall, the big aim is to make learning fun, interactive, engaging and meaningful. 

Sure there is the need to assist students working through obstacles they may face – both in learning and life, so we aim to develop teachers who can help their students to continue learning and practicing meditation as a regular part of their lives. 

While the Meditation Community is open to everyone, The Meditation Teacher’s Community is a closed Community, in that it is only accessible to meditation teachers. Membership has some simple criteria; many members have trained with myself and Ruth, and/or our colleagues. But it is open to other eligible teachers, so if you are interested to join, please do contact the Meditation Teacher’s Community’s manager, Daniel Traini via this LINK

As the Meditation Community is proving, this new Meditation Teacher’s Community promises to be both a delight to be involved with, and has the prospect of assisting many meditation teachers...

Have you joined yet???   The Meditation Community, a vibrant online space where meditators and teachers gather to learn more, to share experiences and to deepen their practice. 

Everyone is welcome...

This Community is something I am really enjoying being involved with - teaching, guiding live practices, facilitating discussions, working with exceptional colleagues, and meeting up with like-minded meditators. Joining us?

Here is the LINK

COMING EVENTS

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

OUR NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT

DEEP NATURAL PEACE     Long weekend mini retreat    14 - 16 November 2025

Towards the end of the year, an ideal opportunity for some time out, some gentle introspection and reflection, letting go of the busyness and finishing the year on a meditative high.

With Ruth and Ian Gawler

For your part? Simply make the time and come along…Relax. Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Yarra Valley with its big trees, fresh air, beautiful grounds, the Little Yarra River, and sublime meditation sanctuary.

You can simply let go, and let be… 

TIMES: Friday 14th November starting at 11am to 3.30pm Sunday 16th November 2025

VENUE: The Yarra Valley Living Centre, 55 Rayner Crt, Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia

DETAILS and BOOKINGS: Visit our website: Click Here 

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

Meditation Teacher Training – Module 3: Imagery

11am Saturday 1st to 3.30pm Wednesday 5th November, 2025 (inc Melbourne Cup holiday on the 4th for Victorians)

So many people in so many domains recommend the benefits of guided imagery. This training will position you to be able to offer your community something of great value – a reliable way to help your participants to better understand how their thinking minds and emotions work, and how they can mange them so much better – for their own good and the good of others. This training is also manual based and will enable you to deliver a much-needed program.

Of great personal value, this training is suitable for those new to teaching meditation, and for those wanting to go further. Highly experiential, it will provide a review of the first module that will have given more attention to the basics of how to develop, manage and deliver a meditation program or course. Here we will give some attention to theory, research, delivery, session structures, promotion, finances, the special challenges of online courses, but the emphasis will be on experiencing the key practices of imagery, and working on how to best present a course focusing upon guided imagery.

As a feature, ongoing mentorship and peer support is available through a specific group led by Ian, Ruth and Melissa for people who have completed one or more of our trainings.

Additional information is available via this link

How to apply for THIS Meditation Teacher Training:

1.        The first step is to visit our website, download the Meditation Teacher Training application form and return it to our Retreat Manager, Mel Crow.  

2.        Mel will then arrange a short phone conversation to clarify what the training offerS, discuss your needs, answer any questions and ensure the program is suitable for you. 

3.        Once accepted for the training, you pay a deposit or full fee to reserve your place.

4.        Full payment is due 3 weeks prior to the commencement of your training.

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

Imagery: Its power in daily life and November’s Meditation Teacher Training where the focus will be on Imagery.

Reflect upon this for a moment... How do you remember the past? We all do it; we know we can remember the past, but HOW do we do it? 

And how do we plan for the future? Again, we are all doing this all of the time, but HOW do we actually do it? What is going on in our minds when we dwell on the past or race off into the future? How do we do it? What is the process?
Welcome to the inner world of imagery. That world where we get to understand how our thinking mind works, and where we can learn to use its incredible potential to offset its capacity for harm, and to make the most of its incredible potential for good, but first

            Thought for the day

   We are what we think. 

   All that we are arises with our thoughts. 

   With our thoughts we make the world. 

   Speak or act with pure mind and happiness will follow. 

   We are what we think. 

   All that we are arises with our thoughts. 

   With our thoughts we make the world. 

   Speak or act with evil mind and trouble will follow.

                                    The Buddha

So while it is all very well to aim to be mindful and to live in present, in reality we do spend an inordinate amount of time in the past and the future; and this in a way that creates our experience of life – for good and bad. Therefore, if we want to shape our present life and the future we are heading for, it behoves us well to learn about how our mind does actually work, and how to use this mind most effectively.

So here is the thing... It is with our thoughts we recollect the past. It is with our thoughts we project into the future. And these thoughts quite literally shape our lives. The thoughts we draw upon from the past congregate to build our memories, our beliefs, our habits. The thoughts we create regarding our future determine our actions and leave us with a range of hopes and fears, a range of doubts and confidence, a spectrum of disappointments and satisfaction, plus of course, things we could not manage and things we did accomplish.

To repeat, it is our thoughts that shape our lives. Yet what are these thoughts made of? How do we even know they are there? How can we recognise them, and take more control over them?

So once again, welcome to the inner world of imagery.

Try this... Bring to mind a favourite place. 

A place where you feel particularly peaceful and happy. 

Got it? 

OK, so now, how is it that you are aware of this place? 

You will probably say “well, I just remember it”, or “I just bring it to mind”. 

Of course, both are true; but how do you “Just remember it”? 

How do you bring this place clearly into your mind?

If you do take a moment to examine this, there are 3 possibilities. The first is that you see a picture of this favourite place in your mind’s eye; maybe like a short video clip. The second is you have a quiet voice in your head talking about it. And the third, is you actually feel as if you are there in the place once again; there is a feeling sense.

This is the mechanism of how the mind works. This is the language of imagery. We all think in one or more of these 3 ways: using pictures, words or feelings. We all pre-dominate in one or the other, most of us use the 3 possibilities at different times. Sometimes we use 2 or more techniques at once.

The crucial point is, once we know the language of the mind, we unlock its potential. By recognising the pictures, the words and the feelings, we can recognise what they are doing; how they are influencing our own behaviours, and how they are impacting on others.

So this is a wonderful yet vast field of study and practice. 

I have written about it extensively in my book The Mind that Changes Everything, and later in the year, with Ruth and Melissa Borich, will offer a training for meditation teachers on the subject.

The Meditation Teacher Training where we focus upon Imagery is another of my favourite things to teach. 

Like the Contemplation training we present, imagery is rarely taught specifically, and yet it has such wide application. 

The understanding and application of Imagery runs the gamut from how imagery is the basis for all positive thinking techniques; right through to its use in profound spiritual practice.

The manual accompanying the Imagery Training is over 180 pages long and outlines in explicit detail an 8 week program that explores experientially the theory and the practices. You could use the training to teach this 8 week program directly as is, or take sections to apply within other programs you may already be presenting.

The training is open to those who have been meditating for at least 2 years. 

Some will have done more basic Meditation Teacher Training where the focus was full on meditation.

However, in this training, we cover the essentials of meditation and then focus strongly on imagery.

Acceptance into this Meditation Teacher Training based on imagery (MTT-3) is upon application, and if you need to discuss the program, please contact our program Manager Mel. 

This is wonderful work...

Full details: CLICK HERE 

Plus a reminder: You are warmly invited to join the Meditation Community, a vibrant online space where meditators and teachers gather to learn more, to share experiences and deepen their practice.

This too is something I am really enjoying - teaching, guiding live practices, facilitating discussions, working with exceptional colleagues, and meeting up with like-minded meditators. 

Join us?

Here is the LINK

COMING EVENTS

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

OUR NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT

DEEP NATURAL PEACE     Long weekend mini retreat    14 - 16 November 2025

Towards the end of the year, an ideal opportunity for some time out, some gentle introspection and reflection, letting go of the busyness and finishing the year on a meditative high.

With Ruth and Ian Gawler

For your part? Simply make the time and come along…Relax. Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the Yarra Valley with its big trees, fresh air, beautiful grounds, the Little Yarra River, and sublime meditation sanctuary.

You can simply let go, and let be… 

TIMES: Friday 14th November starting at 11am to 3.30pm Sunday 16th November 2025

VENUE: The Yarra Valley Living Centre, 55 Rayner Crt, Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia

DETAILS and BOOKINGS: Visit our website: Click Here 

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website

Meditation Teacher Training – Module 3: Imagery

11am Saturday 1st to 3.30pm Wednesday 5th November, 2025 (inc Melbourne Cup holiday on the 4th for Victorians)

So many people in so many domains recommend the benefits of guided imagery. This training will position you to be able to offer your community something of great value – a reliable way to help your participants to better understand how their thinking minds and emotions work, and how they can mange them so much better – for their own good and the good of others. This training is also manual based and will enable you to deliver a much-needed program.

Of great personal value, this training is suitable for those new to teaching meditation, and for those wanting to go further. Highly experiential, it will provide a review of the first module that will have given more attention to the basics of how to develop, manage and deliver a meditation program or course. Here we will give some attention to theory, research, delivery, session structures, promotion, finances, the special challenges of online courses, but the emphasis will be on experiencing the key practices of imagery, and working on how to best present a course focusing upon guided imagery.

As a feature, ongoing mentorship and peer support is available through a specific group led by Ian, Ruth and Melissa for people who have completed one or more of our trainings.

Additional information is available via this link

How to apply for THIS Meditation Teacher Training:

1.        The first step is to visit our website, download the Meditation Teacher Training application form and return it to our Retreat Manager, Mel Crow.  

2.        Mel will then arrange a short phone conversation to clarify what the training offerS, discuss your needs, answer any questions and ensure the program is suitable for you. 

3.        Once accepted for the training, you pay a deposit or full fee to reserve your place.

4.        Full payment is due 3 weeks prior to the commencement of your training.

You can register for any of the residential programs through our website