Apr
13
to Apr 14

Wake Up Now: A Two-Day Journey Through the Stages of Awakening

Awakenings come in many shapes and sizes and are as diverse as the people who experience them. Yet they tend to follow a similar trajectory, from the initial recognition that you’re not who you thought you were to the full realization of your nondual spiritual nature beyond the mind. Along the way, you may have a range of different experiences and insights that offer motivation and inspiration and deepen and expand your understanding.

In this weekend mini-retreat, we’ll explore the journey of awakening through teachings, guided meditations, self-inquiry, dialogue, discussion, and ample time to rest in the silence and stillness of Being. In the process you’ll discover that awakening is not a noun, but a verb, not a state but an endless unfolding into the Mystery of what is.

This two-day online weekend retreat runs 9 am-noon US PST both Saturday and Sunday. Sliding scale: $60-90. For more information or to enroll, click here.

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Dec
9
to Dec 10

Meditation Without a Meditator: A Weekend Online Retreat

From Deliberate Awareness to Nondual Presence

Many seekers who shift from progressive approaches like deliberate mindfulness to a more direct approach continue to search for the right meditative strategy, the sweet spot that allows them to let go of their efforting and drop into their natural state of nondual presence. But paradoxically it’s this very strategizing that needs to drop away as presence reveals itself to be the nature of reality, the deeper ground beyond a separate self, not something that you can strategize into being. You can’t do it—you can only join the nondual presence that’s always already taking place.

So how exactly can you position your awareness to fall into nondual presence? In this two-day mini-retreat you’ll learn how to take the backward step to illuminate the deeper ground of Being as your true nature or true Self beyond all division. Once that deeper identity has been revealed, you no longer have to search for what is already so blatantly obvious. You merely need to be it.

The retreat will feature self-inquiry, direct pointers to the nature of reality, and a series of guided meditations that lead you through the stages of awakening to nondual presence. In nondual presence life unfolds effortlessly, without an illusory someone in charge of the unfolding, as an expression of the exquisite intelligence at the heart of the Mystery. Absolute and relative dimensions of Being—universal and individual, trans/impersonal and personal, one and many—dissolve into a single, vibrant, multidimensional, perfectly imperfect current of love and manifestation. Just This!

(Although the title is the same, the approach and content of this retreat will differ from the retreat I gave last March. Given the empty, impermanent nature of reality, how could it be otherwise?)

This two-day online weekend retreat runs 9 am-noon US PST both Saturday and Sunday. Sliding scale: $60-90. For more information or to enroll, click here.

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Oct
14
9:00 AM09:00

Nondual Wisdom in Challenging Times

On the relative human level of time, space, and history, our species teeters on the edge of self-annihilation. We could easily destroy ourselves (and possibly our planet as well) in half a dozen ways within the lifetime of babies born now. At the same time, from the perspective of awakened awareness, everything is complete and perfect just as it is, no matter how it unfolds. These are the paradoxical truths we embody.

How do we face the facts—not only about our potential fate as a species but about the inevitability of our individual demise—and do what we can, while remaining grateful, open-hearted, compassionate, and joyful? How do we stay connected with our inherent wakefulness while living engaged and dynamic human lives? Please join me in satsang for an in-depth exploration of these themes and more. Our gathering will include guided meditation, direct pointers to our true nature, and plenty of time for dialogue and discussion.

Saturday morning, October 14, 9-10:30 US PT. Online. For more information or to register, click here.

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Mar
4
to Mar 5

Meditation Without a Meditator: A Weekend Online Retreat

From Deliberate Awareness to Nondual Presence

Many seekers who shift from progressive approaches like deliberate mindfulness to a more direct approach continue to search for the right meditative strategy, the sweet spot that allows them to let go of their efforting and drop into their natural state of nondual presence. But paradoxically it’s this very strategizing that needs to drop away as presence reveals itself to be the nature of reality, the deeper ground beyond a separate self, not something that you can strategize into being. You can’t do it—you can only join the nondual presence that’s always already taking place.

So how exactly can you position your awareness to fall into nondual presence? In this two-day mini-retreat you’ll learn how to take the backward step to illuminate the deeper ground of Being as your true nature or true Self beyond all division. Once that deeper identity has been revealed, you no longer have to search for what is already so blatantly obvious. You merely need to be it.

The retreat will feature self-inquiry, direct pointers to the nature of reality, and a series of guided meditations that lead you through the stages of awakening to nondual presence. In nondual presence life unfolds effortlessly, without an illusory someone in charge of the unfolding, as an expression of the exquisite intelligence at the heart of the Mystery. Absolute and relative dimensions of Being—universal and individual, trans/impersonal and personal, one and many—dissolve into a single, vibrant, multidimensional, perfectly imperfect current of love and manifestation. Just This!

This two-day online weekend retreat runs 9 am-noon US PST both Saturday and Sunday. Sliding scale: $60-90. For more information or to enroll, click here.

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Feb
1
9:00 AM09:00

Chop Wood, Carry Water: An Embodiment Group for Experienced Awakeners

This group is currently closed but will probably have openings again when it starts a new eight-session cycle in three months. Please check back then.

This ongoing group is designed for those who have attended the School for Awakening, or who have been practicing the direct approach to truth for years and experienced some level of realization, and are looking for a seasoned teacher and a group of kindred spirits, fellow awakeners, to continue to explore the path of embodying this realization in everyday life. 

How do we stay true to our deeper ground amidst the challenges of making a living, raising the kids, maintaining a healthy relationship, facing illness and loss, and negotiating the other challenges that life inevitably provides? 

Each session features guided meditations, themes for exploration, short talks/pointers, and plenty of time for sharing and discussion. The group meets every other Wednesday for eight sessions, beginning on February 1. Open to “graduates” of the School for Awakening and others in the midst of the awakening journey.

Alternate Wednesdays, February 1-May 10, 2023, 9-11 am US PT.

Cost: $395. Register soon. Group resumes shortly.

To apply to participate, click here.

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Dec
4
9:00 AM09:00

Wake Up to Your True Nature Beyond the Mind

This half-day webinar/mini-retreat is offered through the Infinity Foundation in Chicago. Here is the course description as it appears in their catalog:

As the great masters have been teaching for millennia, you do not suffer because of circumstances outside yourself, but because you believe the negative narratives concocted by your mind. These stories are based on a lifetime of conditioning that causes you to catastrophize about the future and obsess about the past.

Nondual wisdom traditions such as Zen and Advaita Vedanta offer a powerful antidote, a direct path beyond suffering to recognize your essential spiritual nature of pure awareness as inherently awake and free of the conditioning imposed by your mind.

Join spiritual teacher Bodian, author of the bestselling guidebook Meditation for Dummies and Wake Up Now on a journey of self-realization. Engage in dialogue and discussion about truths by:

  1. Practicing basic meditations for resting in your inherent wakefulness

  2. Relaxing and releasing your compulsive attempts to control your experience

  3. Receiving core teachings and pointers to awaken awareness that is always present as the backdrop of all your experiences

  4. Using self-inquiry to explore direct answers to the questions "What is reality?" and "Who am I really?"

Awaken to your true nature as timeless, boundaryless awareness. Embody the lifelong process of your awakened realization each moment of your life. You have everything you need to find happiness right here and now. All you need to do is claim it.

This webinar is available on Zoom. You will be emailed a Zoom link closer to the time of the class. The course will be recorded and you will receive a link to watch it.

Time and date: Sunday December 4, 9 am-12 pm CT, 3-6 pm UK, 4-7 pm CET. Cost: $40 preregister

To enroll, click here.

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Nov
12
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Heart Wisdom in Challenging Times 2

“All you need to do is find out your source and take up your headquarters there.”

—Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

This is a simple and elegant prescription for an awakened life from one of the great sages of the nondual tradition. But of course it’s trickier and more elusive than it might sound at first read. How do we realize our source, our natural state of inherent wakefulness? And once we do, how do we establish our headquarters there? 

In this series of brief online meetings, you will be guided to ground yourself in your deepest inner knowing, the source of all genuine wisdom and compassion, and respond to life’s inevitable challenges from this awakened perspective. Sat sang (“being together in truth”) features guided meditations, pointers and teachings, and ample time for dialogue and discussion. I invite you to join me and look forward to seeing you there.

Suggested donation: $15. To register, click here.

All times are in US PT.

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Oct
8
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Heart Wisdom in Challenging Times

“All you need to do is find out your source and take up your headquarters there.” —Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

This is a simple and elegant prescription for an awakened life from one of the great sages of the nondual tradition. But of course it’s trickier and more elusive than it might sound at first read. How do we realize our source, our natural state of inherent wakefulness? And once we do, how do we establish our headquarters there? 

In this series of brief online meetings, you will be guided to ground yourself in your deepest inner knowing, the source of all genuine wisdom and compassion, and respond to life’s inevitable challenges from this awakened perspective. Sat sang (“being together in truth”) features guided meditations, pointers and teachings, and ample time for dialogue and discussion. I invite you to join me and look forward to seeing you there.

Suggested donation: $15. To register, click here.

All times are in US PT.

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Oct
3
to Oct 24

Discover Your Natural State of Awakened Awareness

Once we have an initial recognition that our thoughts and feelings do not in fact constitute who we really are, the next step is to realize our “natural state” of inherent wakefulness, which is never lost or gained and never sullied or disturbed by the thoughts and feelings that arise. This direct recognition, beyond the mind, of our essential spiritual nature is the breakthrough awakening to which the nondual spiritual traditions point.

Yet many seekers read the books and watch the videos but never come to this clear recognition, which is traditionally transmitted, and then confirmed, by direct pointing in the presence of a teacher. This four-week class will offer teachings, guided meditations, and pointing-out instructions to introduce you directly to your natural state—what Tibetans call the “nature of mind” and Zen calls your original face before your parents were born. Once awareness awakens to itself in this way, you have experienced a major shift in identity and can’t completely revert to your old, dysfunctional way of being again.

For those who may be interested in enrolling in Stephan’s six-month School for Awakening, this class will provide a brief introduction to the content and approach. Participants are encouraged, though not required, to read Stephan’s book Wake Up Now: A Guide to the Journey of Spiritual Awakening, which will be a primary foundation and resource for the course. 

Dates: Mondays, October 3, 10, 17, and 24, 9-10:30 am PT/5-6:30 pm UK

This offering is part of the Integrated Awakening series sponsored by Teachers of God. For more information or to register, click here.

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Dec
4
to Dec 11

Awaken to the Sacred in Everyday Life

“That which you are seeking is always seeking you.”
—Anonymous

”I’m in love with the mystery—and I don’t know what it is.”
—HWL Poonja

The desire to relieve our personal suffering is often the driving force behind our seeking. But once we begin to discover our natural state of pure wakefulness, we may realize that we have been called to awaken by a deep longing of reality to awaken to itself through us. The limitless heart that originates the search is the very reality that we aspire to discover. What began as our individual journey of spiritual awakening turns into a love affair with Being itself.

The Beloved is calling to us in every moment of existence—in the sounds of the birds or the silence of the forest, but also in the noise of traffic and the angry words of a friend. Only our limited beliefs and expectations prevent us from perceiving it. In the Buddhist tradition this sacred dimension is sometimes called bodhicitta, at once the essential nature of existence and the deep love of Being for its expressiions in form.

In this two-part retreat, on successive Saturdays, we will explore meditations and contemplations that peel back the veils and open us to connect with the sacred dimension of Being, which is always available right now in our very own heart. This connection—more accurately, this recognition of our undivided nature—is the ultimate medicine for the loneliness, alienation, and fragmentation so common in our 21st-century lives.

Times: 9 am to noon US PT both days. (European equivalents: 17:00-20:00 UK/18:00-21:00 CET)

Cost: Sliding scale, $60-90 USD. Please pay what you can afford. To register, please click here.

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Oct
9
to Oct 16

Realize Your Inherent Wakefulness

“Just remain as you are, without question or doubt. That is your natural state.”
—Ramana Maharshi

Once we have an initial recognition that our thoughts and feelings do not in fact constitute who we really are, the next step is to realize our “natural state” of inherent wakefulness, which is never lost or gained and never sullied or disturbed by the thoughts and feelings that arise. This direct recognition, beyond the mind, of our essential spiritual nature is the breakthrough awakening to which the nondual spiritual traditions point.

Yet many seekers read the books and watch the videos but never come to this clear recognition, which is traditionally transmitted, and then confirmed, by direct pointing in the presence of a teacher. This two-day workshop/retreat, on successive Saturdays, will offer meditations and pointing-out instructions to introduce you directly to your natural state—what Tibetans call the “nature of mind” and Zen calls your original face before your parents were born. Once you know who you are without question or doubt, you have experienced a major shift in identity and can’t completely revert to your old, dysfunctional way of being again.

Times: 9 am to noon US Pacific Time both days. (European equivalents: 17:00-20:00 UK/18:00-21:00 CET)

Cost: Sliding scale, $60-90 USD. Please pay what you can afford. To register, please click here.

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May
8
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Finding Deeper Ground in Challenging Times

As a response to the extraordinary circumstances of our times, which continue to unfold in unexpected ways, I'm offering this regular satsang/webinar series as an opportunity to come home together and rest in the boundless openness and love of our essential nature, while we share and relate with our very human experience. Each session will include teachings and pointers grounded in the nondual wisdom of the heart, guided and silent meditation, and plenty of time for dialogue and discussion. I hope you'll be able to join.

Times are in US Pacific Time.

Please click the donate button to register. If you’re unable to afford the minimum donation, please email me for the password to join for free. Zoom link and password will be emailed a day or two before the event.

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Mar
13
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Finding Deeper Ground in Challenging Times

As a response to the extraordinary circumstances of our times, which continue to unfold in unexpected ways, I'm offering this regular satsang/webinar series as an opportunity to come home together and rest in the boundless openness and love of our essential nature, while we share and relate with our very human experience. Each session will include teachings and pointers grounded in the nondual wisdom of the heart, guided and silent meditation, and plenty of time for dialogue and discussion. I hope you'll be able to join.

Times are in US Pacific Time. There will also be satsangs on March 13 and May 8 of this year.

Please click the donate button to register. If you’re unable to afford the minimum donation, please email me for the password to join for free. Zoom link and password will be emailed a day or two before the event.

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Jan
16
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Finding Deeper Ground in Challenging Times

As a response to the extraordinary circumstances of our times, which continue to unfold in unexpected ways, I'm offering this regular satsang/webinar series as an opportunity to come home together and rest in the boundless openness and love of our essential nature, while we share and relate with our very human experience. Each session will include teachings and pointers grounded in the nondual wisdom of the heart, guided and silent meditation, and plenty of time for dialogue and discussion. I hope you'll be able to join.

Times are in US Pacific Time. There will also be satsangs on March 13 and May 8 of this year.

Please click the donate button to register. If you’re unable to afford the minimum donation, please email me for the password to join for free. Zoom link and password will be emailed a day or two before the event.

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Nov
14
9:00 AM09:00

The Role and Integrity of the Teacher on the Journey of Awakening

Some people would argue that spiritual teachers are unnecessary and outdated in the 21st century, and that in fact we’re all teaching one another all the time. Yet we seem to keep being drawn back to those who have experienced what we aspire to experience, help point the way for us on our own journey of awakening, and hopefully embody some of the qualities of wisdom and compassion we seek.

What value do spiritual teachers have these days? What are the different roles they can play, from spiritual friend to mentor to trusted spiritual guide? And how can we assess our potential teachers clearly, determine what they may have to offer us, and discern whether they have the capacity to do their job with genuine devotion and integrity? No teacher is perfect, of course, but it can be extremely helpful to know how to differentiate those few who are actively exploiting their position for their own personal power and self-aggrandizement from those who offer their guidance with love, dedication, and integrity.

As always, this satsang with Stephan will include guided meditation, teachings, and plenty of time for questions, dialogue, and discussion.

Times are in US Pacific time. To register, click here.

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Oct
17
9:00 AM09:00

What Does Nondual Really Mean?

Everyone seems to be using this spiritual buzzword these days, but misunderstandings and misconceptions abound. In fact, there sometimes appear to be as many versions of nondual as there are teachers espousing it.

Does it mean reality is just a single undifferentiated whole, and being awake means experiencing oneness with everything all the time? What about our differences? Does the nondual view invalidate science, which is based on studying and measuring discrete phenomenon in a seemingly objective world? Is this world merely an illusion, or is it an expression of a deeper whole? And how do the major traditions of Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, and Taoism differ in their understanding of nonduality?

In this satsang, we’ll explore the concept of nonduality in the spiritual traditions of the East and ground it in direct experience of nonduality through guided meditations and contemplation. As always, there will be plenty of time for questions, dialogue, and discussion.

Times are in US Pacific Time. For more information and to register, click here.

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Oct
14
to Nov 4

How Teachers Go Astray: Exploring the Core Principles of True Spiritual Integrity

Those who assume the role of spiritual teacher represent a whole world of meaning to their students. When they fail to embody the truths they teach and act in unconscious, manipulative, or abusive ways, they betray their students’ trust and shake their confidence in the value and validity of spiritual awakening. Over the years I’ve worked with many people who have reported being exploited or betrayed by their teacher, and I’ve written extensively about the issue, including a recent article outlining what I consider the basic principles of teacher integrity*. 

Among these principles: the teacher doesn’t need anything from you, including your love, admiration, veneration, power, or money; the teacher does not require your loyalty or allegiance to anything but the truth of your being as you understand it; the teacher’s primary purpose is to further your spiritual unfolding, not to build her organization or expand her popularity on social media; and the teacher does not attempt to organize, orchestrate, or control your personal life and does not purport to know what’s best for you on a personal level.

In this class we will explore these guideliness in detail, including why they are so important for the student’s evolution, how teachers go astray, the problem of narcissism, and how the failure to live up to these guidelines can cause lasting pain and trauma. The course is intended not only for those who have been hurt in this way who might want to share and investigate the issues it’s raised for them, but also for those who want a clear sense of what to look for in a teacher and what genuine integrity really entails.

As always, each class will include guided meditation that grounds our exploration in an awakened perspective, teachings and pointers, and ample time for dialogue and discussion.

*(The root of the word integrity is the Latin for whole or complete; when we act from our wholeness, our essential non-separateness, as a teacher is called upon to do, we’re unable to take advantage or cause harm to others.)

Four Wednesdays, 9-10:30 PT/5-6:30 UK. Sliding scale: $75-95. To register, click here.

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Sep
19
9:00 AM09:00

The Awakening Power of Relationship

Intimate relationships offer us the opportunity to awaken from the dream of separation and realize our essential oneness with all of life. At the same time, paradoxically, they stir up our deepest fears and reactive patterns and cause us untold suffering if we’re attached to our expectations and beliefs. In other words, relationships are a fertile ground for profound transformation.

In these times of social distancing, when intimacy with loved ones has become increasingly tenuous, we realize all the more how precious intimate relationships are to our emotional and spiritual well-being. In this satsang, we’ll explore the role of relationship as a sacred mirror that reveals our stuck places, core stories, and limited identities—as well as our genuine heartfelt devotion to truth—in order to free us to be more fully awake, authentic, and heartful with family, friends, and, in the most important relationship of all, ourselves.

This satsang is an introduction to a four-week course that Stephan will be offering in October and will include guided meditation, teachings, and plenty of time for questions, dialogue, and discussion.

Times are in US Pacific Time. To register, click here.

  

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Jul
18
9:00 AM09:00

Webinar: Sharing the Love That We Are

In this time of widespread fear, confusion, and suffering, we’re called upon to dissolve the apparent boundaries that separate us and share in the boundless love at the heart of reality. In these gatherings, we will be practicing a nondual version of the Tibetan practice of tonglen, breathing in the suffering and transmuting it in the boundless heart into peace, love, compassion, and ease of being. This practice benefits not only our brothers and sisters around the world, who are of course not separate from us, but ourselves as well, as it fills our own being with love at a relative level and transforms our individual heart into a vehicle for universal love.

In addition to the extended compassion meditation, there will be direct pointers to the groundless ground of our essential nature, as well as ample time for Q&A, dialogue, and discussion. Times are in US PDT. For more information or to register, click here.

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Jul
12
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Not Knowing is the Most Intimate

The current pandemic has essentially dismantled and upended the world we thought we knew. Now how do we respond to the groundlessness and uncertainty the virus has visited upon us? Do we flow with the situation as it unfolds while taking refuge in a deeper peace that can’t be disturbed by the constant change and dissolution? Or do we latch on to the latest conspiracy theories so we can regain the false security of presuming to know what’s going on, rather than letting ourselves be humbled in the face of the mystery? 

In this satsang, we’ll explore the Zen teaching “not knowing is the most intimate” in light of our current situation. As always, the meeting will feature guided meditation, talk, and dialogue.  I hope you'll be able to join. Times are in Pacific Daylight Time. By donation. Please click the donate button to register. If you can’t afford to donate, please let me know and I’ll send you the link directly.

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Jun
20
9:00 AM09:00

Webinar: Sharing the Love That We Are

In this time of widespread fear, confusion, and suffering, we’re called upon to dissolve the apparent boundaries that separate us and share in the boundless love at the heart of reality. In these gatherings, we will be practicing a nondual version of the Tibetan practice of tonglen, breathing in the suffering and transmuting it in the boundless heart into peace, love, compassion, and ease of being. This practice benefits not only our brothers and sisters around the world, who are of course not separate from us, but ourselves as well, as it fills our own being with love at a relative level and transforms our individual heart into a vehicle for universal love.

In addition to the extended compassion meditation, we’ll explore the challenges we face in remaining grounded in the heart in these dark and difficult times, where compassion seems to be in such short supply. Ultimately, though we may often lose our connection with it, love is what we are, an essential aspect or quality of the one being we share. I look forward to resting in love and compassion together.

Times are in US PDT.

For more information or to register, click here.

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Jun
14
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Finding Deeper Ground in Challenging Times

As a response to the extraordinary circumstances of the present moment, which continue to unfold in unexpected and unprecedented ways, I'm offering this monthly satsang/webinar as an opportunity to come home together and rest in the boundless openness and love of our essential nature, while we share and relate with our very human experience. Each session will include teachings and pointers grounded in the nondual wisdom tradition of Zen and Advaita, guided and silent meditation, and time for dialogue and discussion. I hope you'll be able to join. Times are in Pacific Daylight Time. By donation. Please click the donate button to register. (If you’re unable to afford the minimum donation, please email me for the password to join for free.)

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May
31
10:00 AM10:00

Sure Heart’s Release: An Online Day of Satsang and Dance with Sue Rickards

In this one-day online event, we will explore the interface between sitting and movement, silence and sound, spiritual insight and awakened activity. For dancers, it can be an opportunity to shine the light of awareness on the question, Who’s dancing? Or even deeper, who am I? For awakeners, it’s a chance to experiment with embodying your insight in the provocative, sometimes chaotic world of form. And for everyone, it’s a space in which to deepen our connection with ourselves and one another at every level.

Sue and Stephan, who will be collaborating for the first time, will weave together interludes of expressive dance, guided meditation and inquiry, and potent pointers and teachings from the nondual wisdom of Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. The day promises to be lively, deep, spontaneous, unpredictable—and fun! For more information or to book a place, click here. For booking inquiries, contact heartandmovement@gmail.com. Times are for the UK and Ireland.

Sue

From working in offices and bars and hitchhiking everywhere I somehow fell into dance; 5Rhythms and Conscious Movement, and 6 years ago I helped to found Open Floor International. Along the way I've been exploring what it is to be awake in a moving body and a wild tender heart--such messy marvellous things--by being part of Movement of Being and having excellent teachers. I'm keen to work alongside Stephan; I have a sense this weekend will be good for my soul.

Stephan

I’ve been teaching spiritual awakening (if such a thing is possible!) for many years and dancing 5Rhythms for almost as long. Dance has been a nourishing complement to waking up for me, an opportunity to drop into the body, surrender to the movement, and just let it happen as it will. I heard about Sue when I taught in London last summer and we immediately hit it off and found ourselves readily aligning on how to work together. I look forward to sharing our creative collaboration with you!

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May
10
9:00 AM09:00

Satsang: Finding Deeper Ground in Challenging Times

As a response to the extraordinary circumstances of the present moment, which continue to unfold in unexpected and unprecedented ways, I'm offering this monthly satsang/webinar as an opportunity to come home together and rest in the boundless openness and love of our essential nature, while we share and relate with our very human experience. Each session will included teachings and pointers grounded in the nondual wisdom tradition of Zen and Advaita; guided and silent meditation; and time for dialogue and discussion. I hope you'll be able to join. Times are in Pacific Daylight Time. By donation. Please click the donate button to register. (If you’re unable to afford the minimum donation, please email me for the password to join for free.)

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May
2
2:00 PM14:00

The Awakening Power of Relationship

This workshop is now available online.

Times: 6-11 am US PDT/9 am-2 pm US EDT/2-7 pm UK time/3-8 pm CET

Intimate relationships offer us the opportunity to awaken from the dream of separation and realize our essential oneness with all of life. At the same time, paradoxically, they stir up our deepest fears and reactive patterns and cause us untold suffering if we’re attached to our expectations and beliefs. In other words, relationships are a fertile ground for profound transformation!

In this five-hour workshop--which is grounded in the nondual wisdom tradition of Zen and Advaita Vedanta--we’ll use relationship as a sacred mirror to explore our stuck places, core stories, and limited identities, in order to free ourselves to be more fully awake, authentic, and heartful in our primary relationships with family, friends, and—the most important relationship of all—ourselves.

The workshop will include guided meditations, teachings, dyadic exercises, self-inquiry, and opportunities to work in the group with our individual relationship issues.

Sponsored by Alternatives.

For more information and to register/book, click here.

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Apr
7
to Apr 28

Finding Deeper Ground in Challenging Times: A Four-Week Online Class

The bad news is, you’re falling through space without a parachute.

The good news is, there is no ground.

—Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

 

For the true bodhisattva, being in Hell is like taking a walk through a beautiful park.

—Zen saying

 

Abide in the heart, not knowing.

—Jean Klein

 

Global pandemic. Climate emergency. Financial meltdown. Wherever we turn these days, we’re faced with circumstances that seem to threaten our very survival, couched in terms designed to strike fear into our hearts. How do we find peace in the midst of what seems like impending catastrophe? How do we ride the waves of change to carry us deeper and deeper into the mystery of who we are?

At the ultimate level we can take refuge from the mind’s preoccupation with past and future in the silence and simplicity of the eternal now. As we drop out of the spinning mind, past the layers of fear and self-protection, we encounter the peace and equanimity of our essential nature, which is not disturbed by the inevitable ups and downs, gains and losses, blessings and catastrophes of life.

But when strong emotions like fear, despair, anger, or helplessness sneak up on us and grip our bodies in their unrelenting embrace, we may quickly lose touch with presence and cast about for ways to regain the peace and balance we’ve apparently lost. What options are open to us then? Where can we find a deeper ground?

In this four-week course, we’ll take the unprecedented events that are currently unfolding as our guru and support one another in welcoming our inner experience just as it is, without struggle or identification, while we let go of old certainties and fall into the groundless ground. Each class will include silent and guided meditation, self-inquiry, direct pointers to timeless truth, and ample time to explore our own evolving experience.

To register, click here. Everyone welcome. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Tuesdays, April 7-28, 9-11 am USPT/5-7 pm UK/6-8 pm CET

 

 

 

 

 

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Mar
22
9:00 AM09:00

Freedom from Fear in Challenging Times

Global pandemic. Climate emergency. Financial meltdown. Wherever we turn these days, we’re faced with circumstances that seem to threaten our very survival, couched in terms designed to strike fear into our hearts. How do we find peace in the midst of what seems like impending catastrophe? The short answer is, we take refuge from the mind’s preoccupation with a future that hasn’t arrived, and a past that no longer exists, in the timeless shelter of the Now.

As I often ask in satsangs and retreats: On present evidence only, without consulting the mind, is there a problem with this moment right now? And now? And now? As we drop out of the spinning mind into the heart, past the layers of fear and self-protection into the deepest inner knowing, what do we find? If we delve far enough, we inevitably encounter the peace and equanimity of our essential nature, the ground of being, which is not disturbed by the unavoidable ups and downs, gains and losses, blessings and catastrophes of life.

In this satsang, we’ll rest together in this deeper ground and explore the frightening stories and beliefs the mind keeps churning out. We’ll also practice welcoming the fear that does arise with understanding and compassion as we allow awareness to dissolve back into the Now. Abiding in this deeper, nondual ground frees us to do what needs to be done with clarity and equanimity, rather than the habitual confusion and fear. (Times: 9-11 AM US PT/5-7 PM CET. Please note that DST does not begin in Europe until May 29.)

To register, click here.

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Mar
15
10:00 AM10:00

The Dark Inside the Light: The Perils and Promise of the Teacher-Student Relationship

What do spiritual teachers have to offer us that we can’t access ourselves? And how do they fall out of alignment with the truths they teach and act in unconscious and even harmful ways? Over the years, as more and more teachers who preach emptiness of self have revealed themselves to be insensitive and self-serving, the very role of teacher or guru has been called into question. Yet, the teacher-student relationship has always been a powerful catalyst for genuine awakening.


In this conversation with Grace Bubeck on her Living from Love webcast, we’ll start by reflecting on our own experience with our teachers and then address some or all of these topics: developing discernment when choosing a teacher, getting the most from the relationship despite the teacher’s limitations, and the many ways a teacher can potentially go astray. We’ll also discuss the power dynamics involved; the role of narcissism, both ordinary and pathological; the place of crazy wisdom; and the perennial issues of money, sex, and shadow. In the second part, there will be space for your questions if you’re participating in the live event.

Just click here to join.

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Mar
14
10:30 AM10:30

Wake Up Now! Satsang in Nerja, Costa del Sol (CANCELED because of Coronavirus concerns)

Beneath all our identities and beliefs, our problems and concerns, lies a deeper spiritual ground that’s radiant, limitless, and undisturbed by the ups and downs of life. Awakening to this boundariless openness, which is the source of all genuine happiness, wisdom, and love, is the point of all spiritual practice, yet regular meditation and other techniques may not bring us the peace and clarity we seek. In satsang we point directly to our essential nature, our deeper ground, and offer an invitation to wake up right now to who we really are. This gathering includes teachings, direct pointers, guided meditations, and ample time for dialogue and discussion.

By donation. Suggested donation: €15. Everyone is welcome.

At BioCentro Madre Tierra, Calle Huertos 51, Nerja. (Park at Balcon de Europa Carrabeo lot and walk up to Calle Hertos.)

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Feb
15
5:00 PM17:00

Wake Up Now! Satsang at La Fuente in Orgiva, Spain

Beneath all our identities and beliefs, our problems and concerns, lies a deeper spiritual ground that’s radiant, limitless, and undisturbed by the ups and downs of life. Awakening to this boundariless openness, which is the source of all genuine happiness, wisdom, and love, is the point of all spiritual practice, yet regular meditation and other techniques may not bring us the peace and clarity we seek. In satsang we point directly to our essential nature, our deeper ground, and offer an invitation to wake up right now to who we really are. This gathering includes teachings, direct pointers, guided meditations, and ample time for dialogue and discussion.

The satsang is by donation and will be offered in English with Spanish translation. Suggested donation: €15. Everyone is welcome.

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