Meditation Retreat Day

Coming from the restlessness and confusion of everyday life, we settle in—and practice to be mindful. We are meditating together – a group of like-minded people – practising self-awareness. Meditation. We allow ourselves to open to a conscious presence, moment by moment, breath by breath, second by second. Sitting upright, we invite ourselves to be fully present—in body and in mind.

We let presence flow inward and outward—ideally relaxed, surrendered to the rhythm of life breathing through us. Life unfolds only ever now. We practise steady, open attention—an awareness that meets the moment without judgement or resistance. We meet what’s happening—what we ourselves are—through breath, through seeing, through listening, through receiving. We train in wholehearted mindfulness.

We come into contact with the essence of our awareness—our innate capacity to know, untouched by the content it holds. We practise becoming more aware of the mind’s movements, so we can rest in this awareness and sustain it gently, without being pulled off course by mental stories or strong emotions. When we can lean into this pure mindfulness, we’re better able to meet difficult emotions. And when we touch this state of awareness, we realise it’s always there—quietly present behind the veil of thought.

In this way, heart and mind begin to align. We feel ourselves held by the flow of life. Slowly, the restlessness eases. We begin to see how we create stress for ourselves—or how we let the world stress us.

And everyday life—the one we all have to live—soon reveals itself as the real place of practice. We practise practising—we practise the art of being present in a space of quiet and retreat. And in so-called daily life—in our work, in schools, in families, in public—we reclaim presence, reclaim being, and bring meditation to life in the everyday.

— we practise awareness behind the veil of thought —