Deepening meditation group

An on-going, closed meditation group
for people with some meditation experience
who want to enjoy more of the life-changing benefits of meditation

Meetings online Tuesdays fortnightly 19.00-20:30

It can be frustrating when your practice doesn't take you deep enough to change sticky habits.

If you already know that meditation is a powerful way leading to genuine self-love, acceptance and inner wisdom, you'll certainly want it to help you propel your life towards a brighter destination.

Practicing by yourself or working only with apps can dry you up, and you feel ready for personal teachings that focus on your day-to-day issues.

You wonder if there's a group where you can feel seen and safe, and where sharing matters.

Nourish your heart, open your heart and relax any of the heart's contractions

Learn how to deal with charged feelings and complex situations
Find support for your challenges and resonance for your dreams through meaningful connections with people like you
Transform your insights from the cushion to every-day life
Deepen your knowledge of meditation through the Buddhist teachings in an accessible and engaging way

In Deepening you can expect to:

You have some meditation experience (e.g. yoga classes, MBSR, apps, etc)
You're a yogi or a yoga teacher but perhaps never had proper meditation training
You're looking for a community (sangha)
You're willing to participate in the group for at least six months
You want to make meditation part of your wisdom tools

“Taking part in the meditation group is a breath of fresh air in a busy world. It is very powerful to sit together in silence with a group of likeminded people, and to have someone to share and reflect with. After every session I'm filled with new insights on some topic which I bring into my attention about my relationship to my family. Shelly brings warmth and wisdom to the meditations and her anecdotes beautifully exemplify the teachings.” ~Guro

The Three Most Important Elements that Make Meditation Life-Changing

Anything that starts with the words “life-changing” is at risk of sounding a bit too pompous.

I get that.

And yet, after 20 years of intense meditation practice and teaching I can peacefully say that when you know how to work with the three following elements the stars of change in your life start to shine brightly for you:

Effortlessness — You don’t have to try harder, be better or prove something to yourself or others. This might be hard to believe or to apply. Yet your body knows how to listen to this. Your mind can be guided towards that spaciousness.

The birds-eye view — Narrowing mindfulness to the function of a 'tool' or a 'life-style' is like cutting a branch from a tree expecting it to continue to yield delicious fruits. Learning mindfulness from the original teachings and in a community gives you a wider context that brings all the pieces of your life together.

Making it personal — Treating meditation as a technical solution to a problem just makes everything more stressful. Instead of a transactional mind-state where you alone need to make things happen you learn to apply the practice in an intimate and personal way.

“Shelly‘s deepening sessions are islands in my busy life. Islands that I look forward landing onto and retire, relax and let go of all the scattered energies of every day's hustle, islands that provide the space and creativity for explorations of how to live in the here and now.

The exchange with the group brings in a variety of perspectives on ultimately the same daily issues and longings and helps to unearth them and explore possible ways of dealing with them.

In a loving and caring way Shelly has the incredible ability to unravel intricate knots, pinpoint root causes and offer crystal clear guidance on possibilities how to embrace change and nourish the neglected and fragile.

The sessions spark creativity and confidence and have helped me connecting my head to my body, allowing me to feel more 'at home' with myself“ ~Zuzana

This is for you if:

HI, I'M SHELLY

I'm a meditation practitioner with 20 years of experience and have been teaching meditation for the past 15 years - including leading mindfulness teacher trainings. My practice and teaching is grounded in Insight meditation with some Zen.

I’ve studied with some of the most celebrated teachers in the world and applied the teachings on my own flesh and blood through dozens of long, silent meditation retreats in Israel, India and Thailand, amongst other places.

Meditation has taught me how to be my whole self, to dismantle self-doubt, judgment and low self-esteem and discover joy and freedom that is unparalleled. I’m inspired to help people have that kind of inner resources and autonomy in their own life.

Deepening is a closed meditation group that delves into the Buddhist teachings in light, non-dogmatic and enriching ways.

To allow a sense of togetherness you are asked to join with the intention to stick around for a full period of teaching over three months (8 meetings). This is not a drop-in class.

Teaching terms for 2022: March 8 - May 31; June 14 - Sep 20 (break over August) ; October 4 - January 24 2023

Each meeting includes silent and guided meditation, teachings on different themes, group or pair experiences and Q&A time.

The teachings focus periodically on different sets of teachings (such as the five powers, the eightfold path, and so on).

Meetings take place online, Tuesday fortnightly 19.00-20.30 CET

Participation is based on pay-from-the-heart. (Look at FAQ if you don't know what it is)

JOINING

To make sure we're a good fit, joining is by application.

Click the 'join' button below.

Once your form has been received, I’ll reach out to schedule a time for a call to get to know each other and answer any questions you might have.

JOIN DEEPENING

HOW DEEPENING WORKS

“Shelly's knowledge, care and approach in the Deepening Meditation Group has been so enriching for me. She is so full of knowledge and shares and teaches it in such a loving, down to earth and practical way. I am learning so much about Buddhism and love the thought provoking conversations we have“ ~Andrina Tisi

FAQ

I'm not sure I can commit to three months

You can come to the first meeting to see how you feel and then make a decision.

What is pay from the heart?

Talking about money and heart feels strange to many people. Yet when we want to truly invest in ourselves it can be tough when there's a set price that doesn't align with our capacity.

Pay from the heart is an opportunity to pay based on trust and mutual support.

There are many ways in which you can define, for each meeting, how much to pay, taking into account: your financial capacity, supporting the teachings, the equivalent rates for such a service and any other factors that can help you feel supported and supporting.

Do I need to know how to meditate?

Preferably, to some degree yes. But you don't have to have a certain "level" or consider yourself a "good meditator".

That's why I hold a conversation with you prior to joining, to make sure that it's a good fit.

If you'd like to start with the basic of foundations to mindfulness meditation please check out my annual course.

I've experienced/am dealing with trauma, grief, depression or burn-out. Can I still join?

Yes!

I'm a seasoned meditation teacher and an experienced, trauma-informed life-coach. I've successfully helped many people through such emotionally demanding situations. That's why learning with a skilled and knowledgeable meditation teacher makes such a difference.

In the application form I'll ask you to elaborate on your needs so I can make sure that this group is the right support for you.