The Art of ‘Being with What Is’ – A Six Week Foundational Series of Meditation Classes

6-week series of foundational meditation classes. You will learn, during meditation, how to handle reality (including your mind) as it is. This reduces daily suffering, and allows you to access deep peace, stillness and contentment.

This course is designed for you if you have an inkling (or know for sure) that when you are able to drop ‘behind’ the fickle preferences of the personal self and the judgements of the mind and be fully engaged and present with the inherent fullness of life, you have the opportunity to connect with your true nature and abiding wholeness.

And…when you can consistently practice the art of “being with what is,” life takes on new vibrancy, depth, and meaning.

Willow and Catherine provide a safe haven of peace and presence in a world that often goes too fast for any humble soul. They have a breadth of skills, tools and good humour to support anyone hoping to return to the stillness within us all and cultivate room for a more conscious, creative life.   I can recommend spending time sitting with them.  Their authentic commitment to a soulful journey is both honest and generous.  They continue to provide a space to drop through all the barriers we create for ourselves and find who remains awake with fresh, hopeful resolve.” – Andrea R

These aren’t meditation classes for you to learn to follow your breath or focus on a mantra or candle. It isn’t about learning mindfulness techniques (although you will become more mindful as a byproduct). Mindfulness practises are great for helping you focus your mind and experience some feelings of peacefulness and relaxation. They are unlikely, however, to really allow you to abide in a true place of satisfaction with a deep acceptance and respect for the awesomeness of life.

This is where practises that focus on unwelding the sense of self from the mind and attention come in. Allowing yourself to relax into the “space” beyond the mind, feelings, physical sensations, and circumstances to the sense of self that is always whole, satisfied, at peace, and full, no matter what the mind tells you.

This is a six-week journey we will take together with a small group of fellow travellers: those who recognise that there is much more to life than society teaches and that it is up to us to affirm, and support one another.

Much of humanity is really suffering right now (and you may be too), and we need to gather people together who are willing to prioritise inner freedom and alignment with their true nature—becoming unbound.

We will meet for weekly 1.5 hour meditation classes in our beautiful large bell tent from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on a Thursday evening, where there will be a theme of teaching and focused meditation practise together. You will then work with a guided recording each day throughout the week at home and come back the following week to report back on your experiences as well as any challenges. We will support each other.

We will start with 15 minutes of practice per day, and work towards 30 minutes of daily practice. This consistency over 6 weeks combined with the accountability and group support works wonders in creating an environment conducive to transformation.

What we will explore over 6 weeks of meditation classes:

Module 1: Unwelding yourself from your mind: The recognition that You are not your mind or your attention

• Unpacking the mistaken belief that we are our mind
• Letting go of the need for the mind to be quiet in order to meditate
• Practice dropping into the awareness that is aware of the movements of the mind and attention

Module 2: How to BE content regardless of your thoughts or feelings: The practise of “no problem”

• What is true contentment, and why is it the gateway to becoming more present?
• Practicing the connection between relaxation and contentment
• Practicing “being relaxed” rather than “relaxing”

Module 3: How to be completely satisfied right now: The profound perspective shift that meditation doesn’t happen IN time

• Where and when does meditation happen, and why does this matter?
• Practicing being with the meditation that is always already happening
• Practicing the art of being satisfied

Module 4: The art of “being with what is”: The ultimate practise of wholeness and liberation

• The recognition that there will always be ungracious and gracious parts of the mind expressing themselves simultaneously
• The practise of letting the ungracious mind run by itself without your active attention
• Relaxing into reality as it is

Module 5: The Practice of “No Opinion”: A doorway to true presence and peace

• Unlocking the shackles of our personal preferences
• How to move beyond opinion and the suffering it causes
• Relaxing into the perfection of 13.8 billion years of life revealing itself in this moment

Module 6: The Finale: Nothing changes, but everything is different

• Taking your learning from the cushion into your daily life
• Exploring the paradox of awakened perspectives and how to handle them
• The practise of meditation first, daily living second, and why this is essential to allowing your life to unfold from a place of peace and poise

We really hope that you feel the call towards REALNESS. To shake off the superficial limitations of a pretty unwell society and move beyond your personal resistances towards your own wholeness. The sooner you drop into and live from this deeper place of connection, the more gifts you will see, experience, and share. We need you to come Home!

Cancellation Policy: This ticket is refundable (minus the PayPal processing fee if you pay by credit card) up until 7 days prior to the start of the first session. If you miss a session for any reason, you will still receive the recording so you can continue your practice at home.

Please note: You will be asked to commit to 15 minutes up to 30 minutes of meditation practice each day during the course.