Cranioga Meditation Retreats
Calmly immersing into the felt-sense awareness of ones natural biodynamic presence facilitates a powerful opportunity to expand beyond the dissatisfactory pressures and limitations of ones cyclical Tendencies, Impressions, Machinations and Experiential patterns (T.I.M.E) and feel - rather than conceptualise - inherent vitality as these restrictive habits dissolve allowing stuck potency to flow again
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1 day Biodynamic meditation morning and treatment afternoon
Dates: Contact for dates
8am - 4.30pm
Location: Cooran, Sunshine Coast, QLD
Fee: Donation
Number of attendee's: Numbers are limited
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2 day Biodynamic meditation mornings and treatment afternoons
Dates: Contact for dates
8am - 4.30pm
Location: Cooran, Qld
Price: $240
Number of attendee's: Numbers are limited
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Cranioga 3 day meditation retreat
Theme: Sensing Potency by learning how to bathe in the birth & death of each moment
Dates: Contact for dates (Sat arrive 8.30pm; Saturday all day; Sunday finish at 4pm)
Location: Cooran
Accommodation: On site single or shared accommodation or camping (2 nights)
Price: $400 for yoga and biodynamic craniosacral instruction/guidance; camping area and food.
Single or shared accommodation is available for a scheduled fee.
Meditation teaching is free (any donation in this regard is accepted at the end of the retreat)
Number of attendee's: Numbers are limited
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Rough overview of schedule for 3 day retreat
Satday am:
- 8.30am Gathering on the land
- Temple gathering
- Introductions; guide (andy), assistants, and retreat attendee's
- Retreat explanation
- Fundamental meditation practice
- Short talk
Saturday, Sunday, Monday am:
Sat, Sun, Mon mornings are designed to enable silent embodied introspection
- 8.30am Arrive
- 8.45am silent tea circle gathering - in temple
- Guided sitting presence meditation (zazen) - in temple
- Heart sutra chanting (optional to sit and join in, or, lay down and bathe in the sound)
* No rites or rituals are required during this retreat
- Raja restorative yoga practice - in temple
- Breakfast
- Guided insight meditation (expanding upon presence meditation) - in temple
- Individual zazen/insight meditation practice - in nature (shinrin-yoku). The use of a provided meditation tent (zapod) is suggested for relative comfort - but not required
- One on one guidance
** Shinrin-yoku (Japanese for "forest bathing") is a very important part of meditation practice, but is best not ventured into abruptly.
The rhythms of nature are not separate from us and by immersing in them they encourage the subtler expressions of our body/mind to harmonise and find balance.
The process of the body/mind finding its way back to balance can dredge up unrealised compulsions, preferences and attachments. Yet, by not identifying or reacting to these temporary arising tendencies, they will start to subside and, at some point, the nature of nature will be revealed - some refer to this insight as the "realising the unborn" - which provides deep physiologic resource and energy, in addition to providing a clearer perspective of the things that matter and don't matter in life.
Meditating in nature has been encouraged by many sages and traditions through the ages. Nevertheless, as comfort and conveniences became more prioritised for sitting meditation practice, artificial settings replaced the forests and fields. These constructed meditation zones (buildings set up to maximise isolation and limit sensory distraction) resulted in the mind formulating methods that mimicked the biodynamic rhythms of nature to help prevent the body's physiology from losing relationship to the whole (natures expression free from needing to incorporate survival strategies). This is true to this day.
When these artificial environments and allied techniques are not sufficient for awareness to synchronise with nature (biorhythms and the subtler vibrational expression of mind and matter (mind objects) rapidly arising and passing), the mind will often recruit other strategies, in order to 'tread water', until the rhythms and synchronisation with nature can be re-accessed (attuned to). These strategies are survival based strategies, primed by the brain stem, and transmitted via specific neural pathways (notably the dorsal vagal network). These physiologic responses enact a state of involuntary immobilisation and can (and often do) result in the body and mind dissociating from the present moment. This is a situation in which the mind creates an alternate reality, which can be pleasant, unpleasant, full of images and experiences, or, relatively uneventful.
So, to avoid such somatic and psychologic dissociation, especially during extended meditation, it is extremely useful to progress the initial meditation practice into the ever shifting natural (less artificial) environment, bugs and all!
In such environments stillness is imbued with presence, and 'things' are not separated by the tendencies of the mind as much - but, as mentioned, it is good not to rush into these settings unprepared.
It is recommended that a meditation 'pod' (provided) is used to avoid having the elements and insects impact meditation practice excessively.
Pm (aft) Sat, Sun, Mon afternoons are designed to encourage social engagement and embodied connection
- 12.30 Lunch
- 2pm Gentle (post lunch) engaged body movements
- Guided biodynamic craniosacral practice (relational touch)
- Relational kindness (metta) meditation (Sunday finish at 4pm)
General practicalities and provisions
Arrive: Saturday 8.30am
Depart: Monday 4pm
Accomodation: Camping area (camping spot provided in price), or, air bnb etc (if not local to the area)
Facilities: Temple; Kitchen; Toilets; Undercover gathering area; Swim hole; Quiet valley; Tranquil bush; Walking tracks
Provided:
Zabuton (large floor meditation cushion)
Zafu (supportive small meditation cushion)
Meditation tent (pod)
Zarp (square tarpaulin to protect from damp during outdoor sitting)
Yoga mat & props;
Treatment table (for hands on practice)
Bolster
Head/face mosquito net (for outdoor meditation);
Two simple vegetarian meals on Saturday & Sunday (breakfast & lunch)
What to bring: Lunch, curiousity. Aditionally, If camping, - Sleeping bag; Tent; Blanket(s); Shawl; Torch; Water bottle; Alarm clock
Attire: Wear whatever you feel will be comfortable. Loose and temperature appropriate clothing tends to work best.
Good to relinquish slogan based comments printed on the clothes to save others intellectualising/philosophising over what is written.
Meditation methodology
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Initial relaxed yet attentive zazen meditation (one pointed attention; opening to equipresent perceptive fields and calm abiding stillness)
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Progressing to raja yoga embodiment practice (restorative postures; embodying breathwork; trauma release exercise; elemental inner-sense)
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Continuing meditation practice with gentle exposure to the awareness & equanimity of body sensations (vipassana insight meditation; awareness of the arising and passing nature of thoughts/emotions/feelings and their associated body sensations)
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Finishing each day with biodynamic relational touch:
This is the non-doing sensitive, respectful physical contact of another's body (e.g touching the feet or the head or other relevant region) whilst acknowledging the expressive nature of their ever changing physiology. This kind of touch is free from analysis, judgement or agenda.
It is very rare to be met by someones touch in this way and yet potentially profoundly transformative as far as the body's balance and health is concerned. The fact that this kind of touch is so rare is unfortunate as it is very often a precursor to helping the recipients body (and your own) resource and reintegrate.
** Such relational contact could be considered the crescendo of meditation practice as it encourages the expression of health in both you and another person - i.e it is no longer just a self improvement pursuit.**
This style of meditation, therefore, incorporates and synchronises foundational settling and embodying practices (zazen), which evolve into sensation insight practice (vipassana), which opens to the rhythm of nature synchronisation (shinrin yoku), which then enables the meditator to sense the natural rhythms of another and help settle/balance the body patterns which may have lost their natural (w)holistic rhythm.
In addition, this meditation approach incorporates yogic and contemporary scientific understanding / felt-sense 'inner'standing of the body's settling, release, and reorganising processes.
Guide (Andy)
I (andy) started practicing meditation in 1990, whilst serving as a soldier in the British armed forces. This was during a time when I was working through the paradoxical nature of trying to witness and pacify my overly zealous machismo, whilst being immersed in an environment of both loyal camaraderie and heightened aggression.
As my familiarity of meditation practice developed it became obvious, during moments of reflection, that as a child, I had entered into meditational states without knowing it at the time. I feel many people, especially those who feel drawn to practice meditation and subtler therapies, have had early experiences of accessing states of embodied meditation by merely being settled enough to notice the subtler expressions of the body and mind.
Of course this kind of recollection doesn't mean we should deify ourselves, or project halo's on the numerous others who have had similar experiences. Actually, far from it, it just means you, and those others, probably have an inclination to settle ones own mind sufficiently to naturally start meditating.
Often people don't realise this capacity until they have started some kind of formally directed meditation practice.
The kind of meditation I recommend is not the form of numb tranquillisation which occurs when there is an overwhelming aversion to circumstance, which a great many "meditators" develop as an escape strategy, albeit surreptitiously. Interestingly most people reacting with this tendency have absolutely no idea at the time it occurs (and very rarely upon reflection).
Such survival strategies stem from a desire to avoid the unfolding moment, which, inevitably, reduces the capacity for insight and being present.
Whereas, the approach of meditation I am inspired by is a process of investigation, which encourages and facilitates an embodied 'inner'standing, which, subsequently, develops our felt-sense insight of body sensations arising and passing (the felt-sense of tendencies, impressions, machinations and experiential patterns (T.I.M.E) arising and passing).
Such insight provides an integrated and connected way of sensing oneself and others which, therefore, helps optimise our relationship to the phenomenal world.
Having studied and practiced in the three main branches of Buddhism and two fundamental branches of Yoga (hatha and raja), it has become clear to me that relevant dedicated exposure to experiential meditation practice helps integrate these seemingly disparate branches. Moreover, I have found that a good understanding, and correlated felt-sense innerstanding, of functional anatomy and physiology (the two not being separate), is far more beneficial for meditational insight than any dividing philosophies, beliefs, dogmas or recalcitrant doctrines.
Finally, I acknowledge an often forgotten, or frequently avoided, aspect of meditation, namely the felt-sense insight gleaned by practicing the art of non-doing, sensitive and respectful touch with another individual.
It has become very clear to me that safe social engagement is not just about vocally sharing our thoughts and feelings with another, it also involves a specific kind of subtle proximity based interaction - including neutral (non-doing) touch (relational touch), which is actually the first sense we started orienting to the world with in the womb.
This kind of touch I have found to be a game changer for understanding (innerstanding) meditation practice from a unique and vital angle:
Learning to contact another with presence, free from agenda, judgement or labelling, is often what long term meditation practitioners are missing (in a big way). It is common for such practitioners forget that they are mammals that physiologically thrive from receiving and providing embodied safe touch. Moreover, the insight gleaned by sensitively and respectfully acknowledging the physiologic expressions of another person, is one of promoting a genuine quality of relational kindness.
Such non-doing touch might sound simple, whereas it can be relatively difficult to understand (innerstand) and apply without the afore mentioned meditation practice.
Yet, by immersing oneself into this format of meditation, the physiologic and psychologic benefits which emerge - for both parties - can be quite literally life changing.
I look forward to meeting you.
Warmly
Andy
Some post retreat feedback:
Hi Andy,
Just wanted to many thanks for yesterday. I got a lot out of it, from the meditation and chants in the morning that really set the tone for sitting by the creek and really being aware of our surroundings. Loved it.
And you have really peaked my interest in the CST, an informative and unique experience, that I was feeling for hours after.
Aidan
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Hi Andy.
We wanted to say Thank you for a wonderful day yesterday, Westy slept amazing last night (which he hasn't done for some time) and we both felt really at peace today.
Westy asked me to tell you that he needed that and that he feels closer to home now. ️
I giggled all the way home yesterday .... I don't even know why. Just couldn't stop smiling and giggling. It was a really light and joyful feeling
Thank you and Asuka so much for your time, and to Nicki and Jorrit.
Lauren & Westy
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Hi Andy
I had to race off yesterday to get home to feed the horses so please excuse me.
I enjoyed yesterday totally and am very grateful for the healing of being amidst.such amazing, warm people and yourself and Asuka.
Lynne Lumley
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Thank you for a beautiful retreat day, held in the land at the feet of Pinbarren. Thank you for your teachings and instructions around spaciousness, confidence in presence, aura and the embryo. With gratitude to you and Aska and Nikki
JB
