The Essence of Meditation -

Dates 2025:

April 10 - 13

Juli 17 - 20

October 30 - November 2

This course starts at 5 p.m. on Thursday (check in is possible from 3 p.m.) and ends at 12 noon on Sunday (with the possibility to check out after lunch at 3 p.m.).

Why we meditate

Is there not a wish deep inside of all of us, a desire, a longing not just to grow old but to grow up, to  become mature and ultimately to become a wise man or woman? And is there not an expectation that eventually life will guide you there? Will this happen by itself?

Well of course life's events are the best learning school. Having said that, the Western culture is no longer supporting this evolution very much because it has become so materialistic. These days becoming adult means reaching a certain age, getting a job, having a house, a car, a career, kids perhaps... but that is something very different and has nothing to do with the maturity we talk about here.

The mystical poet Alāl ad-Dīn Rumi said:

Who does not enter this state of maturity has been living life only half.

We talk about the evolution that every person should naturally go through. At birth everyone equally starts in a state of ignorance. We grow into a state of Adolescence when questions come up like 'what is the meaning of living?'. The mature state can become realised when we have dived into this question and start living our task.

~

"Whoever has become mature

- a human being living in the NOW -

sees the world in wonder

as through the eyes of a child"

~

Meditation is a powerful tool for this exploration and realisation.

What is Meditation

A quote from Yoginâm:

Meditation belongs to your daily life. It is like eating, drinking, breathing and sleeping. It is opening to your deepest essence. Meditation is not an activity. Real meditation is a moment of letting go. It is going back to your base, and then allow things to happen without expectation, without trying to influence things.

Meditation is preparing for a moment that the door opens. It is allowing a moment of infusion of Awareness . We cannot know, see or feel Awareness. We cannot manage Awareness. We can only open the door by letting go.

Letting go is like opening the shutters in a dark room by which the light comes in by itself. This is like the moment of infusion of Awareness. And in that moment it takes care of itself. It is this moment that feeds you. It is your cure, the moment of healing. Meditation is a moment of ultimate peace.

For that Asha- and Breath Meditation are pure meditations. The more we live in Awareness, the more complete and natural we are. We are able to make our choices on a better basis, for better consequences and become better able to deal with problems.

And for those who can hear and understand, for the individual and the human race as a whole, the importance of meditation is to keep the connection with Awareness alive. To keep this connection with ultimate peace. For living Now and what comes after.

Content of the course

No one can teach another to meditate, this is something to discover for yourself. During this course we provide helpful and proven meditation techniques that are powerful and supportive in the process of letting go and opening. In addition, we provide a framework that clarifies what meditation is and what it is not. Also the not helpful myths like 'you should stop thinking during meditation' will be looked at. Thinking for example is not wrong, thoughts coming up is natural and this is very much part of the process, this cannot and does not need to be stopped. You can however deal with it in a certain way.

During this course we will practice meditation together.

You will become familiar with Asha Meditation, Walking Meditation and Breath Meditation. To support meditation on a deeper level, we also use HarpMood which is a form of communication that happens beyond words. The sounds of the harp played in this very special way can touch the essence of what we are.

There will be moments of silence throughout the day such as during meals and in some break moments to let the meditation work. This can also contribute positively to the next meditation because you immediately start from the previously achieved silence. But we also facilitate moments to share and ask questions, so the days are certainly not entirely in silence.

Anonymous in Amonines

"Many people meditate, why would that be? And is it more than listening to a story and watching your breath? And if so, what then? And would it be something for me? With these questions I registered for these three days ‘ learning to meditate ’ at the Belgian Asharum Amonines.

On Thursday afternoon I arrive there, together with dog Brody who is happy to come. Asharum appears to be located in a beautiful, three hundred year old house. Not far away in the middle of nowhere, but literally at a crossroads in a small village with well-kept houses on the river Aisne. A few women working in the garden welcome me. I meet Irma, who will let me experience so much news in the coming days. But first she shows me the room where I will stay and makes tea. In the introductory meeting we quickly go into depth. That is already promising…

There are other guests, but no one interferes. That feels strange and uncomfortable, because you are used to meeting and tuning in to the people around you. ‘ Who are you, what do you do, where are you from? ’, are questions that are not asked here. And that turns out to be very pleasant, I don't need anything with them, they don't have to do anything with me. At 6 o'clock I can immediately participate in the first Asha meditation and I look a bit at what the idea is. I gradually learn that the blanket is not to sit on, but that there are mats for it. And that the cushion you sit on during meditation is not in the middle but on the edge of the mat. That way the mat has room for your legs, feet and ankles.

And so three days of new experiences start. Where you can enjoy craftsmanship with, for example, a carpenter or an artist, the same applies to ‘ the meditation game ’. Expert, experienced, with humor and enormous peace, Irma takes me into different forms of meditation and introduces me to new ways of looking at the world, my environment and myself. Asharum is literally at a crossroads and is also figuratively a crossroads where you can go in different directions. In and around the house there are many pleasant places to think about all those experiences and to literally reflect on what is happening to you.

After a few days I notice that I feel energetic, because of the meditations, the peace and the delicious food. I am welcome here and so is Brody with whom I have explored the beautiful surroundings. My questions have been answered: meditation turns out to be much more than conscious breathing and it is certainly something for me. Fortunately, I can come back to the people of Asharum Amonines".

Something to take home with you

You will be given breathing exercises which you can take home and we pay attention to integrating meditation in daily life and on how to continue a meditation rhythm at home. This can be different for everyone. For those who wish, it is possible to get support in the form of joint online meditations.

This meditation course is a perfect way to prepare you for our other meditation programmes such as Silent Weekends, communal retreats and private retreats.

And for those who have difficulties dealing with daily life like stress, anxiety and burnout these meditation tools can become powerfull instruments for transformation.

~

"You learn to be with what is,

to let go by breathing

to open yourself

to that which is more than

what can be perceived by the senses".

~