Beyond Breathwork
Biodynamic 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 and let stuck potency flow again
Rough overview of schedule
Friday Pm:
- 4pm Gathering on the land - tea and organic soup
- Temple gathering
- Introductions; guide (andy), assistants, and retreat attendee's
- Retreat explanation
- Fundamental meditation practice
- Short talk
- 8pm rest (either home or camp)
Saturday & Sunday Am:
Sat & Sun mornings are designed to enable silent embodied introspection
- 5am Arrive, or if camping - wake and freshen up etc
- 5.30 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 with the teacher
** Shinrin-yoku (Japanese for "forest bathing") is a very important part of meditation practice, but is best not ventured into abruptly. Meditating in nature has been encouraged by many sages and traditions through the ages,. Nevertheless, as comfort and conveniences became more prioritised, artificial settings replaced the forests and fields. These constructed meditation zones (buildings set up to maximise isolation and limit sensory distractions) resulted in the mind needing to construct methods that mimicked the biodynamic rhythms of nature to help the body's physiology not lose relationship to the whole (natures rhythms). If these techniques were not sufficient to synchronise with natures biorhythms then the mind would recruit other strategies to 'tread water' until the rhythms could be re-accessed. These strategies were, and are, survival based responses primed by the dorsal vagus nerves (originating from the brain stem) resulting in a state of somatic dissociation.
So, to avoid such dissociation responses during meditation, it is extremely useful to progress the initial meditation practices into a natural environment, bugs and all! That said, it is recommended that a meditation pod is used to avoid having the elements and insects disturb your practice too much.
Pm (aft) Sat & Sun 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)
- Discussion (Saturday - finish at 5.30pm)
- Relational kindness (metta) meditation (Sunday finish at 4.30pm)
Pm (eve) (Saturday evening only)
- 7pm Meditation
- Talk on relevant theme
- Q+A
- 9pm Rest (home or camp)
General practicalities and provisions
Arrive: Friday 4pm
Depart: Sunday 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)
Zapod (meditation tent)
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: Sleeping bag; Tent (if camping); Blanket(s); Wide brimmed hat; Shawl; Hottie (if camping); Torch; Water bottle; Alarm clock (not phone); Fruits/snacks for end of day (fri/sat) if needed; Curiosity
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 (sat and sun) 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 the three branches of buddhadarma (Pali: buddhadhamma):
- Theravada (approach of the elders)
- Mahayana (approach of compassion)
and - Vajrayana (approach of direct experiencing)
whilst incorporating yogic and contemporary scientific understanding / felt-sense innerstanding, of the body's settling, release and reorganising processes.
Upcoming retreats
Beyond breathwork 3 day meditation retreat
Dates: June 21-23 - Friday arrive 4pm; Saturday all day; Sunday finish at 4pm
Location: Cooran, Sunshine Coast, Qld
Accommodation: Camping on site (2 nights)
Fee: $360 for yoga and biodynamic craniosacral instruction/guidance; and food.
$40 for two nights camping space and facilities (if needed i.e not going home friday and saturday evening)
Meditation teaching is free (any donation in this regard is accepted at the end of the retreat)
Number of attendee's: Numbers are limited to provide a sense of comfort and safety (anti-fragility)
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Beyond breathwork 3 day
- mens meditation retreat -
Dates: August 30-Sept 1 - Friday arrive 4pm; Saturday all day; Sunday finish at 4pm
Location: Cooran, Sunshine Coast, Qld
Accommodation: Camping on site (2 nights)
Fee: $400 includes venue; yoga and biodynamic craniosacral guidance; camping area and food etc. This is a remain at venue retreat.
Meditation teaching is free (any donation in this regard is accepted at the end of the retreat)
Number of attendee's: Numbers are limited to provide a sense of comfort and safety (anti-fragility)
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Beyond breathwork 3 day meditation retreat
Dates: Oct 4-6 - Friday arrive 4pm; Saturday all day; Sunday finish at 4pm
Location: Glasshouse Mountains, Sunshine Coast, Qld
Accommodation: On site single or shared accommodation or camping (2 nights)
Fee: $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 to provide a sense of comfort and safety (anti-fragility)
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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
