January 2019
Neelam ~ The Role of the Nervous System in Awakening and Freedom – What does it mean to Be Here?
10 am to 12 noon (Pacific Time - San Francisco, CA, USA) Time Zone Converter
"Awakening is a shift from identifying yourself as this body to knowing yourself as Presence. Freedom means a true independence from the past, where our ability to Be Here and the action in the moment are not guided by our attachment to the arising past. To truly be Free we need to embody our recognition of Presence, and that requires growing of the capacity of our nervous system to Be Here. It is in the meeting of what arises that we find true and lasting freedom."
~ Neelam
This call is an invitation to Presence and to Neelam’s teaching and a practical exploration of the role of the nervous system in Awakening and Freedom. The nervous system and its capacity to Be Here is an essential element for Awakening, Embodiment and for Freedom.
When unmet, un-experienced Tendencies of the Past arise - and we so often believe it and identify ourselves with that – it affects and manifests in our physiology and that shows up as thoughts and as feelings, emotions and sensations.
If there is no awareness of that, and no Capacity to Be Here, our nervous system reacts and moves into fight / flight / freeze or overwhelm, and we end up re-enacting or suppressing and thus perpetuating the Past.
The capacity of our nervous system to Be Here and experience the arising Past is often the missing link between our Desire for Truth and our ability to independently experience Presence and Self-Inquiry, which is what takes us directly into Awakening, Embodiment and Freedom.
Neelam is a direct disciple of HWL Poonja (affectionately known as Papaji), whose own teacher was Ramana Maharshi. Neelam’s unequivocal commitment to Truth helps us turn inward and release underlying patterns of conditioning which block the recognition of our True Nature. With the utmost tenderness, she invites us into the same recognition of Truth that her teacher, Papaji, transmitted to her, while helping us to address all aspects of daily living, including past conditioning and trauma.
Testimonials from Participants:
“What's different about Neelam is that she demystifies the actual practice of being present - she's helped me see what's actually happening when feelings and emotions come up, and how, in a very practical way, to deal with them. Her strong point is "how to actually do this being the present thing." It really helps to take it out of the mind and into the body”
“Neelam showed me that Being Here was what I was looking for. Then she showed me how to build Nervous System capacity to Be Here and that took time and repetition”
Suggested donation: $15 to $25
Find out more »Mukti ~ Discover Your True Self
What is the most essential you that is present regardless of thought or emotion? Who or what has been present for all of your life experience? How does this spirit of constancy touch your life? Mukti will offer a mediation and then speak on these compelling topics followed by the opportunity for questions and answers pointing directly to the true nature of Self.
Mukti, whose name is translated as "liberation," is a teacher in the lineage of Adyashanti, her husband. Prior to 1996, when she began studying the nondual, Zen-flavored teachings of Adyashanti, Mukti studied the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda for over 20 years. In her own teachings, Mukti points audiences back to their natural state of wholeness or undivided consciousness. Licensed in acupuncture and certified to teach hatha yoga, Mukti has a love of the whole, in form as well as the formless.
Ajaya Sommers ~ Awaken to the Intimate Embrace of the Heart
Please note that this gathering is limited to approximately 15 people, so pre-registration is strongly recommended. Please see below for more information.
Within a field of unconditionally loving presence, Ajaya facilitates a unique discovery process called Core Embodiment®, an integrated system of embodiment practices, principles and perceptual orientations to awaken and align with the power of your human potential. She is a Biodynamic Craniosacral Integration Teacher, Authorized Continuum Teacher, gifted healer, writer and creative catalyst in the field of embodied awakening and trauma resolution for the last 26 years. All of her programs are grounded in science, expanded through devotional practice, and made real through direct experience.
Due to early developmental trauma, ancestral trauma and our cultural context at large, there is a prevailing unconscious nervous system habit of using spirituality, and particularly the non-dual orientations, to hide, bypass or otherwise disassociate from the intelligence of your core human needs and desires. It is as if your needs and desires are problems to be ashamed of; to fix or get rid of, on your way to spiritual realization.
This is not a sustainable, humane or truly integrative path. We long for the tangible felt sense of our wholeness. We long to passionately embody all that is present within our very human, holy and messy majesty of being alive. It is time that we compassionately discover how to allow everything to be lived within the intimate embrace of the Heart.
In this introductory evening, we will melt below our habit patterns of the default nervous system and connect directly with this core intelligence ─ discovering our own intimate, ever fresh, self-healing, oxytocin-replenishing, cell-renewing, inspired embodiment practice.
Utilizing conscious breath, sound vibration, subtle intrinsic movement, embryological anatomy and provocative inquiry, we enter into the inner alchemy that allows a dissolve of any outdated structures that may be obstructing our path. A psycho-spiritual somatic reorganization and higher order of self-regulation arises as our cells surrender into the all-pervasive holding ground of nature that is always present, when we are seated in the Core.
We will re-emerge renewed, resourced and ready to re-engage our senses such that they become thresholds where the divine, the natural world, our culture and the mystery of being human coalesce as the dynamic dance of Life.
“The beauty of any true transformational path is that it will involve pattern interrupting the normal way in which you breathe, and thus your unconscious identity, taking you home to the innocence of your origins and the birthright of your Biological Breath – a systemic breath that unifies your body, mind and heart. You awaken as a whole body, mind, and heart breathing, reclaiming ALL that you are.”
Pre-registration (strongly recommended): $25
At the door (as space allows): $25
Please note that this is one of an ongoing series of special intimate gatherings to be held in the new Open Circle Room at Chochmat HaLev (the first door on the left down the side passageway).
Due to limited space, and in order to facilitate a more intimate container, these gatherings will be limited to about 15 people. Therefore, we strongly recommend pre-registration for these special evenings.
For anyone who has not pre-registered, admission at the door will be as space allows. So, be sure to sign-up early, and please try to arrive at least 5 minutes before the starting time.
Also note that, unlike most Open Circle events, these gatherings are not by donation. We require a specific admission price, whether by pre-registration or at the door. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Find out more »February 2019
Rupert Spira ~ The Essence of Non-Duality
“Meditation is what we are, not what we do; the separate self is what we do, not what we are.”
In the last few years Rupert Spira has become one of the most respected and sought-after teachers of non-dual wisdom, known for his crystal clear use of language, laser-like intellect, skillful guided enquiries, and powerfully direct pointing to aware presence—all delivered with warmth, wit and an unmatched and distinctive eloquence.
In his meetings, Rupert explores the perennial, non-dual understanding that lies at the heart of all the great religious and spiritual traditions, such as Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mystical Christianity, Sufism, Zen etc., and which is also the direct, ever-present reality of our own experience. This is a contemporary, experiential approach involving silent meditation, guided meditation and conversation, and requires no affiliation to any particular religious or spiritual tradition. All that is required is an interest in the essential nature of experience, and in the longing for love, peace and happiness around which most of our lives revolve.
After thirty years of intense seeking, Rupert met his primary teacher Francis Lucille, who introduced him to the direct way taught by his own teacher, Jean Klein. Rupert lives in Oxford, England, with his wife Ellen Emmet, a therapist and yoga teacher in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. . He is the author of several books, including his latest two, The Nature of Consciousness and Being Aware of Being Aware, and two book/CD box-sets, Transparent Body, Luminous World and The Light of Pure Knowing.
www.non-duality.rupertspira.com
The event will run from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm, with a lunch break in the middle.
To save time from having to go out, bring your own lunch, if possible, as there are no restaurants in the immediate vicinity.
Parking is limited, so please carpool if at all possible.
Sliding Scale: $50-$100
To receive notices on upcoming events, sign up for Open Circle's email newsletter at top of this web page.
Please contact LocalEvents@opencirclecenter.org with any further questions.
Find out more »Saniel Bonder & Linda Groves-Bonder ~ Waking Down in Mutuality – A Natural Path to Your Radiant Embodiment of the HEART
"Can you imagine living with a deep trust in your being – so strong that you know without a doubt that you are the Heart, the One Being, living uniquely as you, the local, particular, ordinary person you are? Can you imagine having no confusion about who you are, not fundamentally different or separate from your body, others, the world…. the Divine reality?
The Sun in the HEART of every human being and all sentient beings is “rising”: the radiant feeling-intelligence of our eternal nature and condition is intensifying, coming alive and awake in us as both the source-engine and the emergent expression of what and who we are becoming.
This “rising” is as natural a process as being human itself and with guidance it can lead to Radiant Whole Body Awakening.
The HEART is our humanness and our divinity all at once, our Totality Identity encompassing all Spirit and all Matter. It is the Mystery of all mysteries, the Love-Unity that holds us together even when life appears to be falling apart.
As individuals and as a species we have been suffering and perpetuating a chronic developmental predicament, “the Spirit/Matter split.” This nearly universal split manifests in and among us as a paradigm, a worldview. It creates and continually reinforces in each of us a fundamental sense of separateness, confusion, and incompleteness.
The fundamental healing of the Spirit/Matter split is the whole body, whole being, whole world realization or radiant embodiment of the HEART."
For over 22 years, Saniel Bonder and Linda Groves-Bonder have been helping hundreds of people move into their own unique expressions of Embodied Awakening. Their work — Waking Down in Mutuality® — is a primary expression of what human beings go through when the HEART becomes ever more Self-aware in, as, and through them.
In this workshop, Saniel and Linda will discuss key elements of the three foundational principles of this process, Waking, Down and Mutuality, and how you can explore and integrate those principles to further your own Embodied Awakening. There will be a 20 minute talk, a short period of Q&A for immediate questions and responses, followed by 15 minutes of gazing and meditation, after which we will open the rest of the event for questions and answers.
Suggested donation: $15 to $25
Find out more »Brian & Alexandra ~ Relationship as a Path of Awakening
Brian and Alexandra draw on A Course in Miracles and the tradition of Ramana Maharshi in their exploration of relationships as a path of wakening. What they have discovered is that the structure of any relationship can be a vehicle to go beyond that structure itself. Relationship, if given to truth, is a path of awakening to what lies beyond all concepts and definitions.
In the stillness of our hearts, we want not only to have an experience of awakening, but to consistently live in the harmonious field of loving awareness which is already fulfilled in its Self. And we get many chances to be truly intimate with ourselves every moment. How many of those miraculous invitations do we accept?
To consistently live in the light of love, is never what we think it is. It takes honesty and courage to walk our talk, and the willingness to raise all darkness to light. It takes a willingness that far exceeds any identification with personal enlightenment experiences.
True exposure happens when a deeply felt sense of safety is present, holding us all, however we seem to be in any given moment. Without judgement, an awareness of communion replaces all differences, and comes with readiness to know our shared Mind and Heart. No one is ever excluded. Although we may not yet seem to fully know it, we can experience it together.
"What makes us deeply grateful is how love continues to extend beyond all the definitions of our relationship. And as our purpose gets lighter and clearer, light pours through us to spread more love to everyone. We’re not doing anything. By sharing a feeling of deep presence with those we meet, our hearts are profoundly nourished. We all feel it."
Suggested donation: $10 to $20
Find out more »Rupert Spira ~ The Essence of Non-Duality
“Meditation is what we are, not what we do; the separate self is what we do, not what we are.”
In the last few years Rupert Spira has become one of the most respected and sought-after teachers of non-dual wisdom, known for his crystal clear use of language, laser-like intellect, skillful guided enquiries, and powerfully direct pointing to aware presence—all delivered with warmth, wit and an unmatched and distinctive eloquence.
In his meetings, Rupert explores the perennial, non-dual understanding that lies at the heart of all the great religious and spiritual traditions, such as Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mystical Christianity, Sufism, Zen etc., and which is also the direct, ever-present reality of our own experience. This is a contemporary, experiential approach involving silent meditation, guided meditation and conversation, and requires no affiliation to any particular religious or spiritual tradition. All that is required is an interest in the essential nature of experience, and in the longing for love, peace and happiness around which most of our lives revolve.
After thirty years of intense seeking, Rupert met his primary teacher Francis Lucille, who introduced him to the direct way taught by his own teacher, Jean Klein. Rupert lives in Oxford, England, with his wife Ellen Emmet, a therapist and yoga teacher in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. . He is the author of several books, including his latest two, The Nature of Consciousness and Being Aware of Being Aware, and two book/CD box-sets, Transparent Body, Luminous World and The Light of Pure Knowing.
www.non-duality.rupertspira.com
The event will run from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm, with a lunch break in the middle.
There are places close by to go out for lunch, or you may bring your own lunch.
Note: Per venue policy, only vegetarian food is allowed on premises at Chochmat HaLev
Sliding Scale: $50-$100
Registration will be available here soon.
To recieve notices on upcoming events, sign up for Open Circle's email newsletter at top of this web page
Please contact LocalEvents@opencirclecenter.org with any further questions.
PARKING: There is some limited street parking in the neighborhood, free and without time limit on weekends. There is also parking a few blocks away at the east parking lot of the Ashby Bart station: www.bart.gov/stations/ashb/map
You may also find paid parking just a few blocks away at Alta Bates Parking Garage: Enter on Colby between Ashby and Webster St.
Richard Miller ~ Living Enlightenment
Throughout the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, Richard had the good fortune of meeting a series of spiritual teachers, including Laura Cummings, J. Krishnamurti, Adi Da, Dadaji, Jean Klein, Adyashanti, and Suzanne Segal, who helped him directly realize the nondual teachings, as exemplified in the paths of Advaita, Kashmir Yoga, Taoism, and Dzogchen. Richard now shares this realization, and its integration into daily living, through meditative self-inquiry, the presence of being, and what lies beyond all sense of separation and self-awareness.
Richard is the co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, co-founder and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, and founder of the iRest Institute, where he teaches retreats and trainings internationally, and conducts research on the nondual program he’s developed—iRest Meditation—a synthesis of ancient nondual practices of yogic meditation, studying its efficacy on health, healing, well-being, and awakening.
“Living enlightenment entails no less than a fundamental figure-ground reversal within our psyche, where our center of gravity shifts from identification as a separate ego-I to Essential Nature—the Mystery that has given birth to the entire cosmos—that is simultaneously everything, and no-thing.
“Living enlightenment takes us beyond duality and nonduality, where we recognize there is no condition, state, realization, or accomplishment that is ultimately definitive and final. Here, life is a continuous unfolding, with Essential Nature living us—and everything—as Its what, where, when, how, that, and this of each moment.
“Living enlightenment both exposes our absolute helplessness and insecurity when we live identified as a separate ego-I, and reveals our absolute security and stability when we give ourselves over completely to being lived by the intelligence of Essential Nature. Here, we awaken beyond conflict and suffering to living true compassion, kindness, love, joy, and equanimity, and respect for the preciousness of life and the environment, amidst all the changing circumstances and relationships of our lives.”
Suggested Donation $15-$20
Find out more »March 2019
Pamela Wilson ~ Being with What Is
Pamela Wilson is a Bay Area treasure who has been sharing satsang for twenty years around the world, honoring the sage within everyone, and the absolute oneness of All That Is. Her own teachers included Lester Levinson (The Sedona Method), Robert Adams and Neelam. She evokes through dialogue, inquiry and her very presence the qualities of unconditional love and radical acceptance. She endears herself to her audiences with her playful and light-hearted humor, combined with compassion and deep understanding of what it is to be human.
Pamela is celebrated for her ability to open the heart, call forth our own inner sage, and create a space in which long-held struggles and notions about one’s identity relax. And she speaks the truth of non-duality, that the universe is one undivided whole. Featured in the book Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Wisdom, and the author of the forthcoming A Golden Retriever’s Guide to Joy, Pamela is at her best in heart-felt dialogue, so please come and bring your questions!
“Here we are, benevolent rooted space wearing a remarkably sensitive instrument called the body. Most sages report the body-mind insists on being included and permeated by presence, so it too, can know and live its naturalness. The body is the five elements, already free with no history, though it has born witness to all. As compassion we will be instantly aware of any suffering and answer its call; as stillness we will be aware of remaining restlessness. To be with what is in the moment, this is our function and is at the heart of all longing.”
Rupert Spira ~ The Essence of Non-Duality
“Meditation is what we are, not what we do; the separate self is what we do, not what we are.”
In the last few years Rupert Spira has become one of the most respected and sought-after teachers of non-dual wisdom, known for his crystal clear use of language, laser-like intellect, skillful guided enquiries, and powerfully direct pointing to aware presence—all delivered with warmth, wit and an unmatched and distinctive eloquence.
In his meetings, Rupert explores the perennial, non-dual understanding that lies at the heart of all the great religious and spiritual traditions, such as Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mystical Christianity, Sufism, Zen etc., and which is also the direct, ever-present reality of our own experience. This is a contemporary, experiential approach involving silent meditation, guided meditation and conversation, and requires no affiliation to any particular religious or spiritual tradition. All that is required is an interest in the essential nature of experience, and in the longing for love, peace and happiness around which most of our lives revolve.
After thirty years of intense seeking, Rupert met his primary teacher Francis Lucille, who introduced him to the direct way taught by his own teacher, Jean Klein. Rupert lives in Oxford, England, with his wife Ellen Emmet, a therapist and yoga teacher in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. . He is the author of several books, including his latest two, The Nature of Consciousness and Being Aware of Being Aware, and two book/CD box-sets, Transparent Body, Luminous World and The Light of Pure Knowing.
www.non-duality.rupertspira.com
The event will run from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm, with a lunch break in the middle.
There are places close by to go out for lunch, or you may bring your own lunch.
Note: Per venue policy, only vegetarian food is allowed on premises at Chochmat HaLev
Sliding Scale: $50-$100
Registration will be available here soon.
To recieve notices on upcoming events, sign up for Open Circle's email newsletter at top of this web page.
Please contact LocalEvents@opencirclecenter.org with any further questions
PARKING: There is some limited street parking in the neighborhood, free and without time limit on weekends. There is also parking a few blocks away at the east parking lot of the Ashby Bart station: www.bart.gov/stations/ashb/map
You may also find paid parking just a few blocks away at Alta Bates Parking Garage: Enter on Colby between Ashby and Webster St.
You can find details on our calendar for other events we have with Rupert:
Feb. 9th, 2019, 11:00 am to 4:30 pm in San Rafael, CA
Feb. 24th, 2019, 11:00 am to 4:30 pm in Berkeley, CA