The Secret to Deepening your Meditation – and how to conduct a home retreat

It takes time. For almost all of us. Occasionally someone comes new to meditation and simply falls into it, however, for most of us it takes time. As with many things, the more you do; the more you learn, the more you practice, the better you become. 

For meditation, the secret is held within the regularity of the practice, and the time spent practicing. Longer sessions, more frequent sessions do bear fruit. 

And the real secret is what happens when you do some extended, dedicated practice. So this week, maybe something to which you have not given much consideration, how to set yourself up for a personal home retreat, but first

    Thought for the day – and acknowledging a time when gender was not used so skillfully...

To go into solitude, 

A man needs to retire 

As much from his chamber as from society. 

I am not solitary whilst I read and write, 

Though nobody is with me. 

But if a man would be alone, 

Let him look at the stars.

In the woods, we return to reason and faith. 

There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, 

— no disgrace, no calamity, 

(leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. 

Standing on the bare ground, 

— my head bathed by the blithe air, 

And uplifted into infinite space, 

— all mean egotism vanishes. 

I become a transparent eye-ball; 

I am nothing; 

I see all; 

The currents of the Universal Being 

Circulate through me; 

I am part or particle of God.

Emerson

A friend was telling me recently how they were attempting to explain to their boss what happened on a meditation retreat and why they wanted leave to attend. The boss listened with interest, and then replied “you could do all that at home!”

This set my friend to thinking; could I save the effort and money, and do as the boss suggested? 

The challenge is, making the effort to go to a retreat is a big part of the process. 

The commitment it takes to obtain the leave, gain the support from family for the time out, find the finances, make the bookings... 

In truth it is often said by the time you arrive at a retreat, half the benefit has already been gathered.

Then, once at a meditation retreat, everything becomes easy. 

Retreats are designed to create an ideal environment in which you can learn more and actually deepen your experience. 

You are encouraged to let go of work, computers, social media, and to focus on the meditation. A schedule organises your day, meals are provided, comfortable accommodation, good company, teachings; everything designed to support you.

Against all that, there is tremendous value in a home retreat. Firstly, the convenience, the cost savings and hence the possibility of a short retreat. There is real benefit in a retreat that lasts even half a day, a full day, a weekend or more; and these shorter times are very practical at home.

However, if considering a home retreat, how do we set up at home to mirror what is available at an external retreat and provide the most conducive environment? 

First observation – it takes more planning and more discipline at home.

1. Clarify your purpose

Motivation sets the tone for all we do, and it needs an accompanying strong intention. 

Decide if you are preparing for a pure practice retreat, or if you will include listening to or reading supportive teachings. 

Set your intention to prepare a schedule and to follow it.

2. Decide upon the intensity of your retreat

How long? Half a day? A day? A weekend? More??? 

And how much study and practice each day? 

3. Make a schedule

Structure the retreat. 

This is important. 

If you just drift into the day during a home retreat, time will pass quickly and you will look back and wonder where it went. For each session, one and a half hours works well, with 40 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes walking meditation, and another 40 minutes of meditation. A longer, mindful walk or two during the day can be helpful. Do you include some yoga or other stretching exercises? Decide upon start and finish times, and where the meals will fit. Then follow your schedule!

4. Creating solitude

The answer: Do the best you can, and accept the rest. Depending upon who you live with, and where you live, the notion of solitude may be more or less real. 

If you do live on your own, you can put an Out of Office message on the computer, change your mobile’s message to suit, determine to avoid the TV or radio, and effectively isolate yourself. Then you live with whatever sounds drift into your home from the outside world.

If you live with company, then their buy in can make or break a home retreat. 

Young children are a clear challenge, but not insurmountable. 

With a committed partner, you can structure the day so you have some time to yourself, and accept you probably need to give some time to the children as well. 

Then they need to become a part of the retreat and noises from within the home need to be accepted. 

They become part of the practice; part of the learning, and the deepening.

5. Prepare

Stock up the kitchen; maybe pre-prepare some meals. 

Complete the list of all those things “that need doing” so you can feel comfortable to focus on the retreat.

6. Tell those close to you

Now need to make a major announcement – unless you chose to – however, it can be helpful to tell family and close friends of your intention. This raises the accountability. Some people do post their intention on social media and request support; this has worked well for some.

7. Take a sense of joy into the retreat

Be kind to yourself. 

If you do make the effort to create a home retreat, celebrate doing what is both good for you, and as a consequence, good for those around you.

The bottom line is, a home retreat can be very valuable, very beneficial, very doable.

And speaking personally, I am about to enter into a 10 day, personal home retreat while the beloved is away on a formal retreat of her own. 

So wish me well, and do consider following suit – even a half day or a day of home retreat can be very worthwhile.

If you are interested in making the extra effort to attend a formal retreat, Ruth and I are offering two this year, plus we have our Meditation Teacher Training coming up shortly; here are the details:

COMING EVENTS

Is this your time? Your time for a deeper dive into the experience of a meditation retreat – some time out for you - the heart and essence of meditation? 

Or maybe your time to learn the wonderful skill of teaching meditation to others? 

Seven day Meditation Retreat – The Heart and Essence of Meditation

June 7 – 13 

Everything about this retreat has been designed for experiencing what meditation has to offer more directly, more fully. Take time out, leave behind the activities and concerns of daily life and enter into an environment that supports the process of deepening the direct, inner experience. A gentle blend of teachings, guided practices, contemplation, optional yoga, and more... This retreat will offer the culmination of all the study, practice and teaching of meditation with which I have been engaged these past 50 years.

Apply here

Meditation Teacher Training (MBSM) 

May 11 - 15

What a privilege to teach others to meditate. Maybe you want to do this as a new career; maybe this is something to offer within your workplace or elsewhere? These trainings are approved by Meditation Australia and help meet their requirements for registration. And you learn so much and deepen your own practice once you start to teach. 

A wonderful thing to do... Apply here

Three day Meditation Retreat - Deep Natural Peace

November 6 - 8

A moment’s peace. Deep natural peace. Sometimes we just need some time out. Time to step back. Slow down. Reconnect with the practice. Be in nature. Reconnect with our selves. Be refreshed. Experience Deep Natural Peace.

The retreat and trainings are all held amidst the natural beauty and serenity of the Upper Yarra Valley at the delightful Yarra Valley Living Centre.

Apply here

So is this your time?

Details and applications to join the retreat and the trainings are available 

via the website

 

The Joy of the Dentist – why I love going...

Yes, strange but true... I love going to the dentist. Went again just recently and was sitting close to a window of the 10th floor looking down the “Paris” end of Collins St in my hometown of Melbourne. The best of autumn days, delightful Plane trees lining the boulevard, comfortable seat, time for a phone call with a relative overseas; what could go wrong?

Well here is the thing of course... the dentist awaits! Me with a very unhappy tooth in need of a major repair with the potential to escalate all the way up to removal of the tooth. And me with a long-standing commitment to not having anaesthetics at the dentist. What could go wrong indeed? But first

 

    Thought for the day

         He who fears he shall suffer

         Already suffers what he fears

                    Michel de Montaigne

Going to the dentist is a definitive way to check out where our meditation is at; and how we manage our mind along with its hopes and fears.

Sitting in the dentist’s waiting room recently, the choices seemed clear. In that moment, all was good. Great view, comfortable seat, good conversation. With my mind on all of that; lovely.

If my mind were to wander into the fantasy of what could go wrong during the impending dental treatment – pain and suffering, the possible ignominy of breaking my rule and asking for an anaesthetic; with my mind on all of that, hope and fear – and misery.

So then the moment of truth. 

Into the dentist’s rooms, the pleasant chatter, lying down on the chair, mouth open, examination, poking and prodding, drilling, repair work, tooth saved, rebuilt, no anaesthetic, completion, thank yous and goodbye. 

Lots of sensations, but no pain. 

For here is the key to pain management – and why I love going to the dentist. Pain has 2 aspects – the physical sensation, and the psychological reaction. The contention is that the physical sensations are just that; physical sensations. The hurt we feel, the distress, the aversion; all of that comes from the way we react to the sensations. The hopes and fears they generate, the conditioned, habitual attitudes around pain always needing to be avoided or masked wherever possible. So much to say about this, but it all comes into play at the dentist.

The first time I had a dental treatment without anaesthetic, it took several weeks of preparation. 

The hurt free experience that resulted was truly amazing and liberating. 

Since then, there have been several root canals with live nerves treated and many other procedures. 

Each time a visit becomes a celebration of what a trained mind can accomplish. 

Amazing; really wonder full.

Not to sound too proud, but this is such a useful life skill, maybe this recount might encourage you or others to retrain your own relationship with pain...

If interested, my books Meditation – an Indepth Guide and You Can Conquer Cancer have written details, while there is a download available from the website.

Personally, learning and applying effective pain management has been one of the great benefits from meditation and mind training.

I love going to the dentist!

COMING EVENTS

Is this your time? Your time for a deeper dive into the experience of a meditation retreat – some time out for you - the heart and essence of meditation? 

Or maybe your time to learn the wonderful skill of teaching meditation to others? 

Seven day Meditation Retreat – The Heart and Essence of Meditation

June 7 – 13 

Everything about this retreat has been designed for experiencing what meditation has to offer more directly, more fully. Take time out, leave behind the activities and concerns of daily life and enter into an environment that supports the process of deepening the direct, inner experience. A gentle blend of teachings, guided practices, contemplation, optional yoga, and more... This retreat will offer the culmination of all the study, practice and teaching of meditation with which I have been engaged these past 50 years.

Apply here

Meditation Teacher Training (MBSM) 

May 11 - 15

What a privilege to teach others to meditate. Maybe you want to do this as a new career; maybe this is something to offer within your workplace or elsewhere? These trainings are approved by Meditation Australia and help meet their requirements for registration. And you learn so much and deepen your own practice once you start to teach. 

A wonderful thing to do... Apply here

Three day Meditation Retreat - Deep Natural Peace

November 6 - 8

A moment’s peace. Deep natural peace. Sometimes we just need some time out. Time to step back. Slow down. Reconnect with the practice. Be in nature. Reconnect with our selves. Be refreshed. Experience Deep Natural Peace.

The retreat and trainings are all held amidst the natural beauty and serenity of the Upper Yarra Valley at the delightful Yarra Valley Living Centre.

Apply here

So is this your time?

Details and applications to join the retreat and the trainings are available 

via the website

 

 

The Joy and Challenges of a Meditation Retreat – and a very special retreat – The Heart and Essence of Meditation - with Ian, Ruth and Melissa coming in June. With a day-by-day guide... And this is the 500th blog since inception!!!

Whatever it was that first brought you to meditation, you probably realise there is something more profound on offer. For me, as for many, it was major illness. For others - too stressed, wanting to perform better, difficult relationships, loss and grief, too much pain... All very valid reasons for beginning meditation.

But then, as the practice begins to kick in and the dust feels like it is settling, there may come a glimpse... A glimpse of an inner reality. A glimpse of a peace “beyond understanding”. A peace, and a clarity that is beyond words, beyond thought; and yet it can be alluded to with the spoken word, and experienced directly within our own mind. 

This glimpse can be genuinely transformative… 

It is as if we have lived under clouds for all our life, and then suddenly, the clouds clear, and reveal this glorious, vast, pure, pristine blue sky. 

It only takes a glimpse to know the sky is for real. 

Then it becomes a matter of how we may experience it more regularly? 

More frequently? 

When it comes to “the mind”, the journey to know the inner essence of the mind is called meditation.

So now, this is actually the 500th blog since the first way back on the 8th September 2010. I enjoy writing, have not written a new book for a while, and writing the blog keeps that side of my creativity and expression active. So thank you for all of you who continue to show an interest and read... On this landmark occasion it does seem fitting to be writing about meditation, and another passion – leading meditation retreats, but first

   Thought for the day

      Just as both light and warmth blaze from the sun, 

     Wisdom and loving compassion radiate out 

     From the mind’s innermost nature. 

                 Sogyal Rinpoche

Here is the problem. 

Amidst the busyness of daily life, becoming settled enough to experience this inner stillness of our mind can be tricky. Hence the value of making the effort to go on a meditation retreat. 

By removing ourselves from the activities and concerns of our daily life, by going into an environment that supports the process of settling the mind, by taking time out and joining like-minded people; we give ourselves a real chance of experiencing what we can call the heart and essence of meditation.

So for this year’s main, annual retreat, this is the focus. The direct experience of the stillness of our own mind. Deep, natural peace. This retreat will offer the best I have learnt from my own wonderful teachers, and be styled along the lines Ruth and I have learnt from presenting retreats over decades. Everything about the retreat has been designed with experiencing this elusive stillness more directly. Here is how we will go about it...

Day 1

We settle in, get to know each other a little, have a short overview teaching and focus our guided practice sessions on simply relaxing; leaving behind the busyness, and entering into the spirit of the retreat. 

Key methods will be introduced – the use of contemplation and how to structure your practice sessions to best effect while on retreat.

In the evening; the delight of Michael Johnson and his meditative harp – profound peace and relaxation through music...

Day 2

The focus turns to deep relaxation. 

Easiest felt in the body, easiest to accomplish in the body. 

Deep, physical relaxation. 

Aided by Melissa Borich’s much-loved gentle, meditative yoga sessions (optional but highly recommended). 

We are preparing ourselves to be free to let go and enter into the meditation proper. It is well worth being patient and thorough...

Day 3

So now we take the relaxation even deeper... relaxation of the mind. 

Key techniques for letting go of those persistent thoughts and emotions. 

This may well come as a relief...

Day 4

Next, we use the device of focusing our awareness upon sounds to actually experience something of the stillness. It is like we use the sound to become aware of the silence. From sound into stillness. This technique is incredibly practical and effective, and when practiced in a retreat setting can lead directly into the experience of the stillness.

Day 5

But what then of thoughts? 

And emotions? 

Even as we settle and begin to have longer glimpses of the inner peace and clarity, thoughts and emotions are bound to come up. 

Some welcome ones; some unwelcome. 

So what to do? 

First we explore this theoretically. Then we contemplate; knowledge can lead to wisdom. And finally we enter into another series of exercises that reliably leads from thoughts and emotions into peace. This is the heart of the practice.

Day 6

Having established some experience of real meditation, now we have a day of practice guided by Ian, Ruth and Melissa. A chance to rest in the direct experience...

Day 7

Preparing for the transition back into our home environment. 

Being on retreat is not like anything else. 

It provides this special opportunity to take time out, to reflect on where we are in our lives and where we want to be heading; to learn new skills to review and re-group. 

So a lot to integrate; to make sense of, and to merge back into our daily life. 

The intention is to return refreshed, revitalised; with a new sense of purpose and a clear sense of the way ahead.

So is it your time? Will you join us as we leave our daily lives behind for a while, and travel into the heart and essence of meditation? 

The Heart and Essence of Meditation will have great appeal to long term meditators, but due to the inherent simplicity, it also will be very accessible to those newer to meditation; even beginners.

Your days will include:

• The delight of being in a meditative environment free of external distractions.

• The Upper Yarra Valley is renowned for its natural beauty and inherent peace; The Yarra Valley Living Centre has been a place for meditation for many decades. You can feel it; and relax into it…

• A daily teaching from Ian combining the best of timeless wisdom with modern science.

• All the meditation sessions will be guided personally by Ian, Ruth and Melissa. Enough practice to be meaningful but not inconsequential or onerous.

• Relaxing, gentle yet powerful daily yoga led by Melissa – optional.

• Space for personal quiet time, along with the possibility of walks amidst the natural beauty of the Upper Yarra Valley.

• Wonderful plant-based meals; simple yet delicious; highly supportive of the meditation.

• Being amidst like-minded company. 

Some come on retreat preferring silence (a personal choice), but many delight in meaningful conversations with the diverse groups that inevitably gather for these retreats.

• Good time for discussion, questions and answers. If you have nagging questions around your meditation, or the philosophy that wraps around it, be sure to bring them along…

REGISTRATION – How to apply

1. The first step is to download the Application Form HERE, fill it out and return it by email to our Program Manager, Mel Crow: mel@insighthealth.com.au

2. Once Mel has received your completed application, she will arrange a short phone conversation to clarify what the retreat offers, discuss your needs, answer any questions and ensure the retreat is suitable for you.

3. Once accepted for the retreat, 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.

The retreat does not end on the last day! 

We know the benefit, indeed, the need, of offering on-going support and involvement. This we do through the Meditation Community. 

The Meditation Community is an online sanctuary for meditators of all levels, where learning, practising, and connecting happen in one supportive space. Here, you can join with Ian, Ruth and Melissa, along with other experienced teachers; come together and learn, grow, meditate together and simply be still…

With the Meditation Community you will find guidance, encouragement, and like-minded people ready to walk alongside you.

Here is what is waiting for you inside:

• Community Chat & Interaction
Ask. Share. Reflect. This is where questions turn into insights, and strangers become companions on the path.

• Recordings: Practices That Meet You Where You Are
Guided sessions with Ian and Ruth Gawler. You can listen to these as you would on an App.
Relaxation, Mindfulness, Awareness, Stillness, Contemplations, Guided Imagery and more. Each practice comes with an introduction and script to help you settle in with ease.

• Regular Live Sessions – We Call Them “Circles”
Why “Circles”? Because everyone is welcome, and everyone contributes. Choose from:
i) Teaching Circles – Learn. Reflect. Practice.

ii) Daily Awakening Circles – guided practice, brief intro, then a solid, nourishing practice.
iii) Healing Circles – the power of guided imagery and collective, directed practice.

iv) Discussion Circles – put voice to your experiences and questions. Listen deeply.

• Evidence That Grounds the Practice
Access a curated library of research showing how meditation supports your body, mind, and spirit.

• Recordings of Talks & Workshops
Did you miss a live session? Revisit powerful teachings from Ian and others anytime you need a boost.

• Self-Paced Contemplation & Meditation Course
Explore Ian Gawler’s 8-part online program in your own time (additional cost).

• Plus, regular themed workshops, new content, and ongoing support
Because meditation is more than just a practice – it is a way of life.

Ready to join us?
Simply click the link below to join us.

👉 Join The Meditation Community

And to repeat, to register for the retreat, download the Application Form HERE, fill it out and return it by email to our Program Manager, Mel Crow: mel@insighthealth.com.au

OTHER COMING EVENTS

Join me for an evening meditation workshop on Thursday March 26th: Meditation in Daily Life – a Way of Being

Or for those ready and willing, train with Ruth and myself to teach others to meditate – and in the process deepen your own practice and understanding: 

Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation 11-15May, Contemplation 31Oct-4November: CLICK HERE

 

Meditation in Daily Life – a Way of Being

It is a curious thing is it not? Most of us; all of us? have this nagging sense we could be better human beings... Sad in one way. As human beings we are so extra-ordinary. We can act, we can love, we can think, we can feel, we can reflect; we can do all manner of wonderful things. Yet there is also the downside. The things we are not so pleased with.

So here is the really good news... we all have this innate, infinite goodness. Perhaps it is this we sense, and it is this that creates that nagging sense of we could be better? We sense it. We sense we do have this innate, fundamental goodness. An inner purity. An aspect of self that is beyond good and bad; an aspect of self that is fundamentally pure and unstainable. 

So in this post, how to experience more of all this, but first

   Thought for the day

     Take your meditation to the next level...

     As a beginner, when you notice you are distracted, 

     You come back to the breath. 

     At the next level, 

     When you notice you have forgotten, or lost touch 

     With who you really are, 

     You come back to the true nature of your mind... 

     It is always there.

                                    Ian Gawler

Maybe you have caught a glimpse of this inner beauty, this inner purity in some sublime moment. A beautiful sunset. A moment of love. A moment that caught you off guard. Maybe you have experienced it more directly in a moment of deeper meditation? A glimpse? Something stronger?

For those who have experienced even a glimpse of this inner reality, this innate goodness; there comes a certitude. A confidence. There is a knowing. The direct experience of this truth; the truth of who we really are.

Sure, on the surface we may get up to all sorts of mischief, and do things good and bad. 

Yet once we know there is this part of us beyond all that, we smile more often, and have a certain sense of humour born of this inner confidence and the perspective that goes with it. 

A contentment...

And of course, the reliable pathway into the direct experience of this inner reality is through meditation. 

In daily life, there is the all too common experience of having so much to do.

 Doing, doing, doing. 

Human beings? 

Maybe we are better described as human doings! 

And the doing, the busyness, tends to obscure this inner reality. 

We need to slow down; slow down and let go of the doing, and then, as the mind and emotions settle, it is just naturally there. Like when the clouds clear the sky. It was always there, only now we can see it. Experience it. It is all in the letting go...

This is what meditation offers. A training in how to let go; how to relax deeply. How to be still. 

And with the letting go, there comes a relief. When we enter into the heart and essence of meditation, we let go of all that doing, and we rest in our own natural, inner simplicity. The simplicity of non-doing. What a relief. We let go... and we let be... we experience the truth of who we really are...

And the effect? 

There is a natural emergence, a natural flow of wisdom and compassion. 

The essence of meditation re-awakens our good heart, and brings out all the finest qualities of what it is to be a human being. 

Maybe this is what we sense is possible... what it is to be a better human being... the simplicity of being in touch with who we really are... and allowing that to flow into our daily life...

The only requirement? 

We do the practice! 

Now for most of us, establishing and maintaining a regular daily practice takes some doing. 

It is my pleasure, and passion to assist with this. Currently, there are a range of options:

Join me for an evening meditation workshop on the topic of this post 

- Thursday March 26th: Meditation in Daily Life – a Way of Being

Dive in deeper at our next retreat 7-13 June: The Heart and Essence of Meditation

Or join daily, online, live guided meditations plus much more on The Meditation Community

Or for those ready and willing, train with Ruth and myself to teach others to meditate – and in the process deepen your own practice and understanding: 

Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation 11-15May, Contemplation 31Oct-4November: CLICK HERE

The suffering of the world – and what we can do about it...

It seems all the astrologers predicted last year would be a tough year. It was. Predictions for the Fire Horse year are much brighter. Thank goodness.

However, there is more to this... Everywhere we look, the world is full of suffering; not just last year. Now. World affairs weigh heavy. The environment is close to, if not past a point of crisis, divisions within societies grow ever wider, finances are uncertain. People everywhere seem over-burdened and suffering. 

So what to do? What can we, as small individuals in a vast landscape do that has any real prospect of making a difference? No need to despair. In my view we can do a great deal that will bring real benefit to ourselves, our families, our communities; but first

     Thought for the day

         Think globally

         Act locally

              David Brower (probably)

My mind occasionally wanders back to Medieval times. 

Seems like it must have been very tough for the average person/peasant. Rough housing, poor heating and cooling, no sanitation, food uncertainties, diseases rampant, childbirth deaths huge etc, etc. Not to mention the constant threat of marauding armies with raping and looting. Tough.

Yet one might imagine there was a close sense of community that brought many benefits. 

And useful to ponder an important distinction between then and now. 

The news cycle. 

News travelled slowly in simpler times. 

Anything in a different country or overseas would take months to arrive – if it ever did. 

Even what happened nearby could take weeks or months to filter through. 

The daily news would have been primarily to do with the reality of the local community.

These days are very different. Much better conditions, and a very rapid, very wide, very international news feed. News that is polarised to gain our attention; our outrage, our reaction, our comments, our engagement. News that is often far removed from our local reality; yet given so much energy, it seems relevant, indeed important to our lives.

So here is the first thing we can do. 

Consider how many of the issues coming at you through your news feed actually do have an impact on your life? 

You may worry about them a lot. 

You may imagine that one day you will be caught up in the horrid things we hear besetting others. 

But in reality, most of these really tough things, tragic as they are for those affected, are highly unlikely to visit our own lives. 

So dial down the attention to world affairs, and take more interest in local news. Where we live, we have a very active Community Group. Read of their activities and you realise how much is good in the world. People supporting each other, offering classes, activities. Local businesses providing great services. Local activism to counter inappropriate developments and put pressure on Government to look after their people and communities.

So the next thing we can do is to give more attention to our local community – and consider how we might contribute. This community of ours has a monthly lunch where someone opens their house, everyone brings a plate and community develops.

Maybe you have a skill to share. 

Maybe just attending local events makes a difference. 

Contribute to the Community Gardens. 

Volunteer. 

Maybe you can become more of a socially activist; someone pushing for good in your local community.

But how to let go of the International and national news hype? How to quieten down our own focus? How to develop a more balanced, less stressed, more compassionate state of mind? You probably guess this answer... Meditation provides a reliable means with which we can develop an inner peace and a mental clarity that leads naturally to us becoming more at ease within ourselves, and more at ease with the diversity of the members of our community.

And yes, this is a recommendation to consider attending at least one meditation retreat each year. 

Amidst all the hype of modern living, the frenetic pace, all that is good and bad; it serves us well to take some time out. 

To step back from the busyness of our lives, to withdraw for a while, to regain our balance, to reflect on where we are at and where we are going, and to set our compass for the year ahead.

The meditation retreat Ruth and I will present this year – with the assistance of the wonderful Melissa Borich – will venture into the heart and essence of meditation. 

I have been preparing for this retreat over many years. How to impart the very best, the essence of meditation – the direct experience of the deep natural inner peace, the clarity and wisdom that goes with this state; the heart of meditation.

The retreat is filling, so if you are contemplating joining us, makes sense to register soon. It will be a profound joy... 

PLEASE NOTE

Some people on our database were not being notified of these blog posts, and this has recently been corrected. Enjoy... 

COMING EVENTS

Meditation in the Forest – The Heart of Meditation; its wisdom and its experience

Sunday 7th to Saturday 13th June

Ruth and I have been presenting the annual 7 day meditation retreat Meditation in the Forest at the Yarra Valley Living Centre for many years. 

This year, the retreat focus will be the heart of meditation – the experience and the wisdom of Stillness. 

Highly experiential, we will delve into the theoretical structure that provides the knowledge and the wisdom that helps us to approach this profound inner experience.

Then together, we will practice the techniques that progressively lead us into the direct experience of our own stillness – our own inner essence. Joyful...

There will also be optional yoga sessions with the incomparable Melissa Borich, plus all the delights of the Upper Yarra environment along with the care and food provided by the Yarra Valley Living Centre.

Many do come regularly to this annual retreat, but we always welcome newcomers. Due to its fundamental simplicity, the retreat is accessible to those newer to meditation, as well as those more experienced.

To enquire re bookings, view our website, or contact our retreat manager Mel Crow on mel@insighthealth.com.au. Mel will be happy to talk with you if you do need more details.

Meditation Teacher Trainings 

May and November 2026 

Having presented Meditation Teacher Trainings since 1988, it is fair to say these new trainings – to be frank – are much better developed than those earlier versions! 

We have developed 3 training modules: Meditation, Contemplation and Imagery. 

The Meditation module goes into how to present the 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stillness program that is elaborated in my most recent meditation book – Blue Sky Mind. 

The other 2 modules, cover the very basics of meditation, but give most attention to these very important, but rarely taught aspects of meditation – Contemplation and Imagery.

We now have individual manuals for each training that are at least 180 pages each. 

The trainings are solid in theory, yet highly experiential. You will get to practice leading meditations and groups, while receiving measured feedback from the staff and peers. 

Many who have completed these trainings have now qualified for full membership of Meditation Australia, and have the knowledge and confidence to teach in their own right. 

As part of our commitment to provide ongoing support as you develop your skills and experience, we have established an online Meditation Teacher’s Community that does just that. There is peer support, ongoing professional development, a mass of resources, and opportunities to practice and develop your teaching skills with the audience of the closely allied Meditation Community.

Currently, I have a strong commitment to training and supporting the development of new meditation teachers, so if you are considering this as a possibility, and do meet the criteria, please do join us.

Each year we provide the basic Meditation Teacher Training, this year: 11 - 15 May 2026

Also, this year we will once more present the wonderful Contemplation Training: 31 October – 4 November 2026.

Next year, 2027, we are likely to present the Imagery Training once again; along with the basic Meditation module. 

Attending 2 of these trainings meets MA’s criteria for membership. While you can attend the 3 modules in whatever order that suits, and each module does stand in its own right, we do encourage everyone interested in our approach to complete the Meditation module at least.

You will be welcome; and be joining a group of amazing, like-minded peers.

As with the retreat, to enquire re bookings, view our website, or contact our retreat manager Mel Crow on mel@insighthealth.com.au  Mel will be happy to talk with you if you do need more details.