What Our Students Say ...
My heart is so filled with love and gratitude! What an amazing (virtual) retreat, with the most kind and loving guidance, and the most wonderful collective energy from the group. I have been amazed over and over again during this time, at how much I sank into stillness, in a space of home that is usually so busy. Going into retreat, I thought it would be so hard to slow down without being at the dedicated space of the Hermitage, and it certainly did present its challenges and about a million little hooks for the mind to do! But, over the course of these days, retreating in this way and at home, I learned that accessing stillness of mind, and a greater deepening of love and wisdom, is accessible always. It doesn't matter where we might find ourselves physically. And I smile so big as I write this! Love and wisdom surely overcame the idea of distance and separation, and I believe has forever shifted my perception of the place I call Home.
I found doing a retreat like this from home helped me to get out of the trap of thinking that only great things can happen if I travel to a retreat centre. By participating in a "centre-style" retreat from home it helped link my home with the idea that I can make progress right here in my home, as well. Experiencing progress during a retreat like this reinforced the viability of my home space. Eating vegetarian, main meal at lunch, soup at supper, no wine, attended chanting, etc. helped me transition myself to an experience of being in a retreat, as opposed to just being at home and adding some meditation to my regular day. While I did talk to my pets and partner, I generally avoided worldly engagement and can't believe how well it paid off.
... invaluable for living life the best and only way I can.
... a beginning to a journey to a new but familiar place of wisdom, peace, and happiness.
... exactly what I needed.
... transformative and cleansing. I actually feel cleaner from the inside out. I have released tensions, clutter and just plain junk and it feels incredible. My mind is freer and at peace. In inevitable moments of stress, I am able to access my “center” and regain perspective and calm that allow me to handle the situation much more effectively. My self criticism, while still active, is much reduced. YAY!!
... the essence of my new beginning.
... eye-opening.
... wonderful, more than I expected. The only way I can honor what I’ve received is to engage in the rigorous practice toward wholeness, for the benefit of all people around me.
... through trauma and depression and now realize (again) that suffering is unnecessary. I am surprised that I started this course 8 weeks ago, depressed, anxious and suffering PTSD terrors regularly, and now I am finding myself truly mindful and aware. Surprised that my ego is so strong that it has made it extremely difficult to stay focused, scheduled and open during my meditation sessions. This course, along with (our Facilitator)'s generous and loving guidance, has taken me deeper than I could ever imagine in such a short time. I know I am in the right place at the right time, and I know this course followed by the other Octaves will take me forward to the work I was born to do. I believe it is why I am here, now, in this human body--so I can share this knowledge to help humankind develop its cosmic consciousness. I am deeply grateful for this experience and look forward to going deeper and learning more as I progress. Thank you!
... life changing, eye opening, challenging. This course has opened my mind to a new way of thinking. It’s been a long time since I’ve done any serious studying and it’s been challenging, especially since I’ve had to learn how to operate the computer at the same time. Introducing meditation into my life has made me more mindful of the things that I do during my day.
... heart opening, without a doubt. I now recognize I'm not what I thought, and that has honestly saved me. It's opened my mind and my heart. I have more love in my life as a result.
... an investment in a more beautiful future…a dedication to my child and the longing, devastated child in me…an opening to the sacred…a reminder to be kind to myself, to see my own habituations and impulses as true and desperate longings to remember who I really am…a strange and uncomfortable investigation into the anxiety of daily life…a remembrance.
.... a series of gifts for me. Each gift opens to reveal many changes in my world and or in my perceptions of the world. I have experienced more changes since beginning this course than I have experienced in the last 4 years, and I should mention that the last 4 years have been filled with changes as I've been recovering from the stroke. I'm amazed to see the changes, as are my loved ones who are also noticing the changes in my behaviour. Thank you so much!
... more capacity to focus, more centredness, more love and connection with myself and others.
... joyful, difficult, humbling, fantastic, irritating, perfect.
... I loved the course, learned tons and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The weekly lessons and postings helped me focus on my meditation and deepen my understanding. Thank you for your devotion to sharing this Teaching with all of us with such love!!
... the depth, care, integrity, and quality in the course and in all of (our Facilitator)'s responses contributed to my experience of this as a safe place to be open, explore, grow, and to step out of my comfort zone into new terrain. Thank you!
... I didn't understand exactly what meditation would do for me or how it would affect me or those around me before I started this course. I feel that I now do have a good understanding of how good meditation is for anyone. It has already changed how I see things around me just from the first course. It has helped me to start doing things I wanted to do but couldn't seem to get there. Very enjoyable and enlightening. Thank you!
... a very positive experience for me. I did not know a lot about meditation before this course and now have a much deeper understanding of it as well as how it is helpful in my life. Just reading about meditation does not help the same.
... truly an amazing course, and I felt grounded and safe with (our Facilitator) at the helm. It is weird to do this via a computer, and for a luddite like me, I was surprised to feel so intimately connected with those associated with this first Octave. I have meditated and touched on psychic knowledge since the 8th grade, but have never developed a proper, consistent and learned process of meditation. This course gave me that and I am eternally grateful. I know this is where I am meant to be. I (Laurie) did nothing to get here--consciousness brought me here now. This is beyond my ego. I am energized and excited to go forward and deeper! Thank you for giving this to me.
... the organization and layout of this course were so well thought out and to me seemed seamless. I honestly can't think of any constructive criticism for you. I'm grateful beyond words that this course even exists online. This knowledge has come to me at the perfect time in my life and it wouldn't be so if I had to wait for it to be ear whispered to me. I now see a path towards deeper meditation continually unfold before me and I can't thank you enough for that. With so much love!
... I got really irritated when I saw there was a test as the last assignment!! However, while completing it I realized it is perfect. When I went back and read the past lessons to complete the "test" I saw how much I had forgotten or completely missed. I think it was very helpful to highlight the most important aspects of the course this way. Thanks!!
... was presented in progressive format which facilItated study and understanding. I have learned and gained a lot over the past eight weeks!
... this course has been wonderful. I now have established an almost daily meditation practice and am starting to realize that I can surrender to the reality that I have to fit my life into practice rather than have practice be something to fit in when I can. I received so much valuable guidance from you during our mid-course conference and through your emails and comments. The course materials, both the text and the videos and other linked resources, were amazingly relevant and fascinating. I have grown so much from this experience and I can't wait for the Second Octave to begin. I bow to you in sincere gratitude and I would love to become a teacher of this path. With much gratitude and love.
Thank you for all of your teachings, sharings and caring! It has made this experience so much more than an online program! I appreciate all that you give us!
... Thank you for our (meditation check-in) last night! I left it feeling uplifted, relaxed and inspired to continue this journey with more compassion for myself. Funny, I was so sure that my kids were keeping out of trouble while we talked...When I came back, my 3 year old had found a dark green marker and drawn all over his bare legs! Not so out of trouble in the end ;) Bigger things though: I had to tell you that today I did a 6 minute meditation before running out the door - seemed better than not at all. During that time, my thoughts were running wild but this time, I observed them with humour instead of criticism. All of a sudden, I felt what I assume was my solar plexus open up like the aperture of a camera! The "solar flare" burbled up through me and burst out in a reflexive smile on my face!! I have been feeling open and connected to the energy of the whole universe all afternoon, consciously taking relaxing breaths throughout to keep the openness. You were right (not surprisingly, hah!), the time is never wasted, no matter how brief or how much the mind may be wandering! :) Most of all, thank you for helping me to this point that I am at. I know it is just the beginning but right now, I feel peaceful for the first time in a long time. With gratitude.
... absolutely love this course and find it extremely valuable for my life. There is a richness to the material that is very rare, and to receive these teachings in an accessible way is a blessing that I cherish. I love our fabulous, loving (Facilitator), who so generously and with good humour encourages us down this path of self-discovery. In addition, to have to love and support of the sangha, to participate with such curious seekers brings joy to my life. I love it!
... love the course. I feel for the first time in 15+ years of meditating I really have a grasp on what it is we are striving for (opening to:). It has added great understanding and a renewed effort on my path. I think it has affected how I interact with others and my own life. It is interesting to see the results off the cushion. It is a wonderful offering and I am very grateful for (our Facilitator), the course and all the Lineage.
My goodness, where do I even begin? The course is wonderful. It is exquisitely well thought out in terms of development from concentration, to afflictions, to insight, to Semdzin. As well, the intellectual context it provides is grounding. I see many people who just meditate 'randomly', but I feel like through this course, I am participating in no less than the evolution of the whole of being. The way my experience of self and of life have grown since starting down this Path are indescribable. I'm no longer a boat at the mercy of the wind, but a wily sailor, joyfully navigating through the storm. Being able to see clearly is self-justified, and transmutes all of life into food for the heart. Put less poetically, the mind is able to drop suffering more quickly and effectively by seeing it as self-made. Relationships are more harmonious, my capacity to work is increased, worry about past and future is more and more obsolete. In short, through this work I can participate in life. What a gift. How beautiful!
My concentration has improved. I can often see both sides of a situation now. I am trying to take better care of myself.
The most positive personal change that I have experienced in this curriculum is a greater and deeper sense of peace and wellbeing. When I look back on what I have learned and practiced in this curriculum, I am amazed and in awe of the depth and beauty of the teachings, and the love in which the lineage teachers have passed along these blessed instructions. This gives me faith about what is possible in life, about how much love and light there is to be shared. I am also tickled by how magical, mysterious, fierce and profound these practices are. All this together, with the effects of practice, have given me peace.
I continue with the program because, hands down, it is the most important aspect in my life. These teachings and practices are the shining light of possibility in what can sometimes otherwise be a thick, dark, grey sky. Of all things that I partake in, has the deepest meaning for me and the most reward. I feel so absolutely blessed to have the great luck of finding this school, and the great sense to have enrolled in this program. I just wish that somehow I was better able to dedicate more time to the program, as I feel a heart call to do.
With each Octave, I have struggled. I have had external hurts, I have been embroiled in the world, I have felt like I'm not worth it, I have felt like life is not what it should be, I have felt that I should just not continue with the program. And each Octave, the calm, lovingness that has grown in me through this work pushed me forward in the program, like water. Gentle water. Once you have the clarity and the love this practice brings, nothing else can take its place.
I believe this Path is the most direct way out of suffering, and I want out!
Exceptional teaching, exceptional retreat. The clarity, wisdom and love that Lama Connie imparts, and the humour and beauty that are her style get right through to the essence. She is able to relate to ordinary people, in ordinary lives, and make these teachings relevant and accessible. Her tireless determination and her deep love and reverence for the lineage, the teachings and her students are truly inspirational. I count myself as very blessed to have participated in this retreat. Lama Connie's courage and willingness to take on this new format in a new time in the form of a virtual retreat is commendable and the container that she created made me feel as supported as if it were in person. I left this retreat brighter, lighter and more connected to peace, love and wisdom. I'm so grateful. Do yourself a favour and check out The School of Natural Mind Meditation.