BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Clear Sky Meditation Centre - ECPv6.13.2.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Clear Sky Meditation Centre REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Denver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20250309T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20251102T080000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Edmonton BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20250309T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20251102T080000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250419T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250517T170000 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250223T004058Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250329T161107Z UID:24046-1745074800-1747501200@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Integrating Mindfulness Spring 2025: Tools for Holistic Living (In-Person or Online) DESCRIPTION:The Integrating Mindfulness course has been described as one of the most transformative experiences of many people’s lives. \nIt has helped individuals cultivate greater awareness and compassion while providing practical tools for real-world integration of mindfulness into life and work. This is not just another mindfulness course—it is a groundbreaking approach to creating lasting transformation. \nThis course is an invitation to those seeking deeper meaning\, a fuller embrace of life\, and a practice that nourishes both their inner world and their connections to the community around them. \nNOTE: This course can be attended online or in-person at Clear Sky. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \nfocus area\nMeditation  \n& Daily Life \npractice\nInteractive \nWorkshop \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nApril 19\, 26 and May 10\, 17 \n3-5pm MT; 2-4 pm PST \nformat\nOnline \nWhy integrating mindfulness?\nIn a world that feels increasingly uncertain\, many of us struggle with pressures and distractions that pull us away from our center. Even with a meditation or mindfulness practice\, you may feel disconnected or that your efforts aren’t bridging the gap between your intentions and your daily challenges. \nThis course is your sanctuary—a refuge to breathe deeply\, reflect intentionally\, and reconnect with what truly matters. Together\, we create a supportive space for you to flourish\, offering tools and practices to integrate mindfulness into every facet of your life. \nOur unique approach addresses not only your inner world but also the external environments\, relationships\, and systems that influence your well-being. \nWe see you\, and we walk this path with you. \nA holistic approach\nIntegrating Mindfulness addresses the fullness of life—our habits\, our relationships\, our environments\, and our deepest aspirations. \nUnlike other mindfulness or personal development programs\, we use a threefold approach: cultivating mindfulness\, crafting a supportive container\, and powerfully integrating mindfulness into all aspects of life and work. \nThis synergy ensures that participants experience profound\, tangible transformation. \nThrough this course\, you will: \n\nStrengthen your mindfulness or meditation practice to bring more calm\, clarity\, and presence to your days.\nBuild meaningful connections that inspire and uplift you.\nTransform your environment and routines into a sanctuary of growth and intention.\nCreate lasting change by addressing areas that drain your energy or hold you back.\n\nWe work with heart-centered guides and a community of like-minded individuals\, fostering a circle of belonging that nurtures transformation. \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n There are big areas of my life I needed to look at… that I didn’t know I needed to. I am more aware of them now\, and have perspective on how to bring daily mindfulness to them. Now I have a technique to structure my life and prioritize the things I actually want to do\, and a dialogue technique that is helping in my relationships. Integrating Mindfulness allows you to think about issues in a different way (such as money!). Insightful and nourishing.\n Daniel\n Participating in the Integrating Mindfulness course has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It has helped me cultivate greater awareness and compassion and provided me with practical tools for managing stress and anxiety. I am deeply grateful for the Clear Sky community and support provided by the course.\n Artin\n “I’m so stressed out… I cannot see an end to it”—says everybody. I’m always considering options\, and I had doubts around the authenticity of the Integrating Mindfulness programme\, but I’m glad to report those doubts were completely unfounded. With this course\, you learn to stop and breathe\, and the teachers will show you that it is indeed possible—necessary\, even—to put mindfulness at the very centre of your life. At first it might not seem there have been any changes\, but on reflection the changes have been huge.\n Pat\n I wanted more clarity on which direction to go. In Integrating Mindfulness\, I found fluidity and a variety of approaches to things I need\, like scheduling\, conversation\, clearer speech\, and language. In it\, I also discovered a definite need for clearing and dissolution. The question of work and overall change remains\, but I have moved forward on that journey.\n Zoe\n Previous\n Next\n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \nWhat’s inside the course?\nOur four-week journey is rooted in Clear Sky Retreat Center’s Five Principles\, offering a framework to create a mindful container for growth. These principles are: \n\nHonor Your Space: Transform your surroundings into a supportive and nurturing environment.\nStructure and routine: Develop rituals that ground and stabilize you through life’s ebbs and flows.\nCommunication: Deepen your connections by cultivating authentic and compassionate dialogue.\nCleaning Up Big Areas: Reclaim your energy by addressing unresolved challenges in key areas of your life.\nIt’s Easier with Others: Community and transforming our relationships with others.\n\nEach week builds on the last\, inviting you to: \n\nCreate space for growth.\nTransform habits with intention.\nQuiet the monkey mind and invite clarity.\nFree energy by resolving areas where you feel stuck.\nIntegrate mindfulness into lasting\, transformative tools.\nStrengthen your sense of belonging and connection.\n\nThis course is a unique synthesis of practical tools and profound awareness practices\, designed to address the whole of your life. \nWho is this course for?\nThis course is for those ready to step into their wholeness: \n\nTo deepen their mindfulness practice.\nTo navigate life’s challenges with grace and ease.\nTo feel profoundly connected to themselves and others.\nTo embrace awareness as a catalyst for sustainable\, heart-centered change.\n\nWhether you join online or in person\, this course meets you where you are and provides flexibility and tools to support and ignite your personal path and journey. \n \n \n \n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n I was hesitant to commit when things are already so busy\, but thankfully I committed and encountered incredible wisdom! Now I have an increased awareness of the healing power of community when trying to heal deep\, sticky\, collective traumas. I’m cleaning up my money relationship\, building better habits\, and learning how to deal with temptation and blind spots. The next plan is to create a meditation room. Integrating Mindfulness provides teachings and practical opportunities for application; anyone wanting to take up the spiritual path would benefit.\n Ben \n Seeing two sides of a story\, being still more often\, and listening are principles I’m taking with me. I have a lot of friends who need to take time to take Integrating Mindfulness and see things differently. You will see things clearer.\n Yvette\n What is really important\, what is not? I’ve been running round in circles and always end up the same: No direction\, but stress! In Integrating Mindfulness\, I realized things that aren’t my highest priorities have been taking up a lot of time and money\, and I was missing a daily\, intentional structure. With these teachers\, you’ll get clarity about what you do\, why you do it\, and how you should do it to feel and think better.\n Jutta\n The key word is integrating—not compartmentalizing\, but establishing a wholeness. I was looking to ground\, focus\, and develop a formal practice\, one in which I could develop commitment to self. I have found that I am deep in shadow\, and am struggling with subtle traumas that need to be nurtured with loving kindness. Going forward\, it’s small steps to reach out to community and allow myself to be vulnerable.\n Jennifer\n Previous\n Next \nmeet the teachers\n \n \nKaren McAllister\n Karen McAllister brings a wealth of wisdom as Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development. She founded The Mindful Money Coach and has helped hundreds of people better integrate and align their spiritual path and relationship with money. Her passion lies in nurturing spaces\, structure\, and communication to support awakening in everyday life. With her decades of spiritual leadership\, Karen gently guides participants to uncover their innate wisdom and clarity. \nDuncan Cryle\n Duncan Cryle is a co-founding member of Clear Sky Center\, Dharma teacher\, and certified mindfulness instructor. He blends years of co-creating Clear Sky’s conscious community and dynamic team\, with an international executive career. He has created and run mindfulness programs at major companies\, including one of the creators of the IBM mindfulness community.  Duncan’s compassionate and holistic approach invites participants to weave spiritual growth seamlessly into their lives\, making profound insights accessible and transformative.\n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I had been struggling with consistent practice\, conflicts within marriage about my practice\, and finances. Now I have a dedicated space for my practice\, am solidifying my need for sangha\, and am reassessing myself and my blocks and shadows. I would encourage someone interested in this to be open to change\, and know that change is always occurring—it doesn’t need to be a negative.\n Leslie \n Mindfulness is so much more than just truly enjoying my cup of tea! I was struggling to find balance with all the big life issues that are changing in my life; finding Integrating Mindfulness was serendipity. It is what I need in my spiritual toolbox to help me stay open and connected. I am more aware now when I am losing myself in grief\, when I am handling difficult conversations\, and in seeing how human differences are to be enjoyed\, as I enjoy different flowers. There is so much more to discover about life. Integrating Mindfulness is about interactions with fellow travellers! If you want to take mindfulness deeper\, you need this course.\n Kirsty\n I am doing a lot of other courses. They are all good—this one is special. Integrating Mindfulness provides a good foundation to support any other studies. People who express feeling unhappy\, overwhelmed\, lacking connection\, would find an ideal fit here. Now\, I am committed to being aware of my boundaries\, and doing what it takes to maintain them\, including clear communication to others. I’m going to continue working on my spiritual container and structure. I plan to come to Clear Sky for more!\n Kim\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I was exploring many directions\, and this was sapping my energy and making me ungrounded. I have been intending to discover a “middle way.” Through this course\, I have been getting clearer on my core\, non-negotiable values. I have gained confidence in asserting and communicating my boundaries and initiating conversations\, whereas in the past I avoided conflict. My sense of self-worth is deepening and I am valuing my time and energy more. I am discovering solutions for meeting my basic needs\, not subscribing to short-term gratification impulses\, and being in communion with conscious community\, all simultaneously.\n Aila\n Since Integrating Mindfulness\, I’m beginning to see how mindfulness is a part of everything\, and how much of my life I have let slip out of my hands by not being mindful. I’m seeing how much power I will regain as I learn to be aware of myself more constantly and expand my ability to actually choose what I want to choose in each moment. Talk about life-changing!\nIntegrating Mindfulness will give you the opportunity to peel back some of the daily veils put up around painful and confusing areas of your life. Doing it with a group\, and with Karen and Duncan as wonderful teachers who really know what they are doing\, will set you up to get closer to the direction and peace that you so deeply crave.\n Erika\n Previous\n Next \nready to transform?\nMindfulness is not just a practice; it’s a way of being that illuminates the path to wholeness and connection. This course offers a nurturing container where you can pause\, reflect\, and embrace the beauty of your journey. \nThis course stands apart because it combines mindfulness with real-world integration\, creating a path for sustainable transformation. \nJoin us for Integrating Mindfulness\, and together\, we will uncover the power of awareness to create a life filled with intention\, compassion\, and deep fulfillment. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \nLEARN more about clear sky’s five principles\nBased on Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, Integrating Mindfulness helps you build a sustainable meditation practice that permeates your body\, career\, relationships and all other areas of your life.  \nYou can learn more about our Five Principles here and get our free pdf overview by clicking the link below. \n \n FREE PDF – Five Principles of a Mindful Container URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/integrating-mindfulness-spring-2025-tools-for-holistic-living-in-person-or-online/ CATEGORIES:Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Integrating-Mindfulness-Feature-Image.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250508 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250530 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250220T225705Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250220T230858Z UID:24008-1746662400-1748563199@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Meditation Circle: Sīla - Bringing Relief and Coolness for the Mind DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nMeditation Circle: Sīla – Bringing Relief and Coolness for the Mind\nwith Maureen Smith\nWhat could be more refreshing than Sīla – the feeling you get when you come across a tall shady Aspen tree on a scorching hot summer day? \nAlong the path of your meditation journey there are moments when we find ourselves as if walking across burning hot sand\, bare foot. As we apply ourselves to our practice- again and again\, we begin to discover moments of coolness and relief. We come to know that we can navigate towards the shade and like a salve\, it brings relief. Come\, get refreshed with us as we explore Sīla\, coolness for the mind! \nMaureen is a senior practitioner in our lineage\, which in light of our topic\, makes her very cool ; ) \nShe is the founder of Alive Mindfully\, certified with MBSR and will share the latest from her personal and professional explorations on the topic. \nMay 8th – May 29th \nOnline or In-Person at Clear SkyThursdays 7:30-8:30 pm MST \n— \nExcited? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes\nThese community classes at Clear Sky Center help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nJoin us for Meditation Circle\, Thursday nights (7:30-8:30pm MST) at Clear Sky Center. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nThis series\, Sīla – Bringing Relief and Coolness for the Mind\, runs from Thursday\, May 8th – May 29th and is lead by Maureen Smith. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nThere are two ways to attend – in person or online. Just click the appropriate button to register. See you soon!  \n \n \n Attend In-Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \nQuestions?  \nContact Michelle via email or phone: \nmichelle@clearskycenter.org | (250) 429-3929 \n \n\n\n “Meditation is like turning on a light in a dark room. The power of awareness lets us see what is there – in our bodies\, emotions\, mind\, workplaces\, homes and relationships. Seeing what is there gives us the freedom and the courage to make deeply impactful changes.” \n Duncan Cryle\n \n \n\n\n “I feel like we’re so disembodied today in our technological culture that meditation is my little kindness to myself in saying ‘hello body\, you’re part of my day.” \n Karen McAllister\n \nMeditation Circle Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\nAs Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development\, I’m passionate about teaching the much-ignored principles of nurturing the factors – like honor your space\, structure\, and communication – that create the conditions we need to wake up more in daily life. I see how I learned and embodied these principles in my different roles at Clear Sky as the center went from self-starter to second-stage growth. This is what I call “the hands-on way of doing an MBA with a spiritual bottom line!” \nIn my free time\, I love travelling\, speaking Portuguese and reading history\, architecture and art books. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \n \nMaureen Smith\nMaureen Smith (MSW\, RCSW) is a therapist and meditation teacher. Passionate about what she does\, she will guide you to a more alive\, aware and mindful path of living. \nMaureen is a well-respected Cranbrook-based therapist and educator. She works with individuals and couples in the public sector in addictions and mental health. Not only was Maureen the first acting caretaker at Clear Sky Meditation Center in BC\, she has studied numerous meditation practices intensively for over 10 years. She has a Master of Social Work degree and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in British Columbia. \n \n Attend In-Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n \n Attend In-Person\n \n \n Attend Online URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-sila-bringing-relief-and-coolness-for-the-mind/ CATEGORIES:Coaching,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250530T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250601T170000 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250126T231620Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250523T041200Z UID:23794-1748624400-1748797200@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Come to Your Senses: A Spring Renewal Retreat DESCRIPTION:With Maureen Smith & Dean Nicholson \nLife is busy.  It is easy to get caught up in the everyday demands and worries of work\, family\, finances and social media.  Do you find it hard to slow down\, pause\, connect with yourself and rest in the moment?  Do you long for a chance to feel refreshed and rejuvenated? \nIf this sounds like you\, then take a much needed break\, and join us for this two night\, three day in-person retreat of self-discovery and renewal.  Tune into your senses and experience the wonder and beauty of everyday moments.  Learn and practice simple mindfulness techniques that will increase your ability to stay grounded\, calm and enlivened at work and at home.   \n \n REGISTER NOW\n \nCourse Details\nA weekend residential retreat at Clear Sky Meditation Center (click here for details)\nWhat you can expect\nThis weekend retreat is an opportunity to unplug from your devices and rejuvenate in nature while being guided in sense-based meditations. Through the profound exploration of the senses we learn to be more conscious\, slow down and taste the beauty of what life is meant to be for each of us. Perhaps you are looking for an opportunity to learn and grow at Clear Sky Retreat Center\, or you want to connect with your inner wisdom or gain sustainable skills for living well – if any of these scenarios apply to you\, come and join us!As local meditation teachers and counsellors we embrace the complexity of modern life and see the benefit of combining our passions. You may know us as counsellors through our private practice business Alive Mindfully. You may have meditated with us at Meditation Circle or Meditation Foundations. We are offering Come to Your Senses\, a weekend  residential retreat\, as meditation teachers with Clear Sky Retreat Center. However you know us\, or if we haven’t met before\, we welcome you to join us in exploring nature\, the senses and Clear Sky Center.In this retreat we will be giving you a taste of Clear Sky’s 5 principles which are designed specifically to support you to live in health and integrity.This weekend we invite focused attention\, sincerity and aspiration thereby honoring the space we inhabit and our time together. The carefully crafted structure and routine of this weekend will create a health-focused retreat\, in a space beyond words in which we can relax.Starting when you first arrive we will gently and skillfully guide you into a weekend retreat community focused on health\, inner peace and respect. Using thoughtful communication we will shape the space where we meet. You may be amazed at how being in a room with other people who are disciplined in their speech can create a healthy resonance in your being.Being present in the moment with our senses means we are focused\, calm\, and concentrated. This frees up energy and affords us the opportunity to clean up big areas of our life\, which in turn frees up more energy.Together we will support each other in this powerful opportunity to unwind and reconnect with our essential human birthright of joy and compassion.Join us for this weekend residential retreat and discover the power of meditation in nature with others.\n \nMeet Your Teachers\n \nMaureen Smith\nA Registered Clinical Social Worker and Certified Imago Relationship Therapist\, Maureen has been a Mental Health and Substance Use Counsellor since 2011. Initially drawn to social work in order to support folks in Hospice and Palliative Care\, she is also a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) facilitator and meditation teacher. \nSince 2005\, Maureen has been a resident and co-manager of the Clear Sky Retreat Center.  The year 2000 was when Maureen began studying meditation and mindfulness with awakening masters Qapel (Doug Duncan) and Sensei (Catherine Pawasarat).   Maureen believes life is a delicately woven tapestry.  Her life’s purpose is exploring consciousness and gaining wisdom into human nature in order to support people to grow into fully developed human beings.  \n  \nDean Nicholson\nDean is a psychotherapist\, educator and meditation practitioner.  He has a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology and over 35 years of clinical counselling experience in the mental health and substance use field.  He provides individual counselling in-person and virtually through www.alivemindfully.ca.  Dean has facilitated hundreds of therapy groups and leads meditation classes and retreats. \nDean is a resident at the Clear Sky Meditation Center\, and studies meditation and mindfulness with awakening masters Qapel (Doug Duncan) and Sensei (Catherine Pawasarat).  Dean actively lives the healing practices he teaches his clients. \n  \n \nCourse Details\n\nLocation: Clear Sky Meditation Center\, 3567 Cockell Road\nDate: May 30 -June 1\, 2025\nTime: 5:00pm Friday -5:00pm Sunday MT\nCost: Premium Private Cabin – $576\, Private Cabin – $406\,          Shared Room – $356\n\n \n REGISTER NOW\n \n \n Dean is a very skilled\, knowledgeable and interactive presenter. He delivered a two day introductory Counselling Skills Training for the Akisqnuk First Nation Health and Administrative staff which was very well received and beneficial to all participants.\n Gerard GregoireAkisqnuk First Nation Health\n You are never quite sure how the unknown is going to be\, but mindfulness will exceed your expectations and open your eyes to how beautiful the mind really is. Maureen’s warm personality and patience helped ease us into it\, especially for those of us in unfamiliar waters. Her delivery\, tone and pace were perfect for me to digest.\n Gareth WebbCounsellor\, Youth Substance Use\n As I mentioned I have some experience (but don’t have a structured daily practice except in times of Crisis). The wording that Maureen used was very clear and could easily be understood and added to my knowledge. Also she made it very easy to incorporate into everyday life. The second best thing was the profound peace that I felt by the end of the second day. I left feeling absolutely lovely and this state lasted the rest of the weekend. Thank you.\n Ann Morin MSW\, Invermere BC\n Dean is a professional with an amazing ability to understand what I couldn’t. Dean never did the work for me and he always seems to know what to say to help guide me towards making up my own mind and figuring out my issues. Having Dean as a counsellor is like having a caring knowledgeable friend help you through hard times.\n PK\n I appreciated the longer meditations in all the senses.\nAlthough I have been engaged in guided meditations fairly consistently for 2 years plus; having your support really helped me to ‘stretch out’.\n Doug P. URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/come-to-your-senses-a-spring-renewal-retreat/ CATEGORIES:Group Retreats and Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Untitled-design-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250613 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250623 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20241024T232522Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T142214Z UID:22596-1749772800-1750636799@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Vipassanā Meditation Retreat DESCRIPTION:“Our problems are noisy\, but our breakthroughs are quiet. All great mystics are born of solitude and silence.” \n-Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nMany first-time meditators choose Vipassanā for their first retreat.  \nThis practice is ideal for those new to meditation because it introduces you to the foundations needed to build a strong meditation practice.  \nRegardless of one’s experience level\, this practice is a doorway to profound insight and realization.  \nJoin Catherine Pawasarat Sensei in an eight-day Vipassana meditation retreat\, where we will practice a balanced meditative approach using the foundations of mindfulness from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. \nwith Catherine Pawasarat Sensei | June 13-22nd\, 2025 \nRegistration Deadline: May 30th in person\, June 6th online \nEarly Bird Ends: April 13th in person\, April 20th online!  \nWe recommend in-person retreats as the best way to get the most out of your experience. That said\, we recognize that travel is inhibitive for some people and are offering an online option to people living outside of Western Canada.  \n \n Registration (In-Person)\n \n \n Registration (Online)\n \nfocus area\nBuddhist Foundations\npractice\nVipassana\n(Insight)\nDuration\nNine Days\nSkill Level\nAll\nformat\nIn-Person & Online\nA Life Changing Experience\nAt this retreat\, the practice itself is awakening\, life-changing and healing. And most importantly\, you will reap great benefit from the rare in-person guidance of an accomplished meditation teacher and wisdom holder\, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. Sensei’s teaching is radical\, down to earth\, and one-of-a-kind. \nIf you have a background in Vipassana retreats and are interested in doing something that is similar but a next step\, with a live teacher\, then this retreat may be for you. You will receive more detailed instructions based on the Buddhist satipatthana sutta\, and opportunities for asking questions and receiving feedback on your practice. This is priceless. \nAn online option is also available for those not in Western Canada\, to make participation possible from anywhere in the world. \n \n Register for In-Person\n \n \n Register for Online\n \n \n \n \n “I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting\, vibrant\, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual\, informative\, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!”\n Jenai L. \nEight Day Meditation Retreat\nWhile we believe any undertaking can be a vehicle for awakening\, there’s no substitute for the power of one’s own profound experience of truth\, gained through meditation. This is why meditation is one of the four foundational practices of our teaching. \nAnother of our foundation practices is learning. A guiding text for this retreat is the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta\, or Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness.  It is an incredibly powerful methodology. In it\, the Buddha describes four foundations of mindfulness: body\, feeling\, mind\, and mental objects. It is a guide to liberation. \nThis simple yet powerful framework will extend your meditation experience to everything from subatomic particles to the vastness of space\, and all that’s between. It includes practice in all four postures—sitting\, walking\, standing\, and lying down. Experience will transform. And\, finally\, we will offer support for bridging the gap between retreat and daily life when you get home. \n \n \nSchedule\nFor those traveling short distances\, please arrive by 3pm on June 13th. For those coming from international or longer distance travel\, please plan to arrive 1-2 days early to allow time to rest and acclimatize before the start of retreat.  \nSample brief daily schedule: \n9am Class with Teacher \n11am Group Meditation led by a Senior Student \n12:30pm Lunch \n3pm Group Meditation with Teacher \n6pm Dinner \n7:30 pm Meditation led by a Senior Student \nDeparture: \nDepartures will begin on June 22nd\, however we also recommend adding some extra nights to your stay for a more easeful transition from retreat to daily life. \n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date.\n \n \n \n \n Register (In-Person)\n \n \n Register (Online)\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n \n \n \n \n “Clear Sky is my favourite place to retreat. I am so grateful to find such an amazing place to study various meditation practices\, walk in stunning nature and eat fresh food from the farm. I always enjoy going there for more.”\n Maya L.\n \nFAQs\n About Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course.  \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us.  \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n Scholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.  \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart).  \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n Detailed Daily Schedule (Long retreats) \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \n Food\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares.  \n Cannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.  \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects.  \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.  \n Early Bird & Registration Deadlines \nIN-PERSON: Please register as early as possible so we can plan for the retreat. Save 10% on fees until April 13\, 2025. Registration deadline for in-person retreatants is May 9th 2025. \nONLINE: We encourage early registration. Save $100 on the online fees until April 20\, 2025. June 6th is the final online registration deadline. \n \n \n \n Register for In-Person\n \n \n Register for Online URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/vipassana-insight-retreat/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250711T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250713T170000 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250124T040517Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250516T165939Z UID:23732-1752253200-1752426000@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:As the Spirit Moves (In-Person and Online) DESCRIPTION:“When the training is for the rest of your life — and all future lifetimes — that’s when it gets really fruitful.” \n-Catherine Sensei \nShow up for teachings from Sensei and find out what she’ll teach. It will be eclectic and sure to inspire. In the spirit of Guru Yoga – unorganised\, undetermined\, unregulated. No seatbelts allowed.  \nJuly 11 – 13\, 2025 \n \n Attend In-Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \nBuddhism\nfocus area\nGuru Yoga\npractice\nWeekend\nDuration\nAdvanced\nSkill Level\nIn-Person & Online \nformat\nAs the Spirit Moves\nJoin Catherine Sensei for an eclectic weekend of ‘old school’ style dharma teachings. In the past\, people ‘showed up’ for dharma teachings\, regardless of topic. The teachings given were inspired by the energy of the people there. \nIn the spirit of Guru Yoga this course will be relatively unorganised\, undetermined and unregulated. So\, think of this weekend like a challenge – what will happen if you have no idea what will be taught\, where the teachings might flow\, how the spirit will move? \nIn tantrayana\, guru yoga is considered the pinnacle practice – and our Western egos tend to have a hard time with this. So\, throw down the glove! Are you willing to take this leap of faith. Can your ego handle it?  \n \n Attend In-Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \n \n \n \n “I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting\, vibrant\, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual\, informative\, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!”\n Jenai L. \nCourse Details\nTime and Location\nAs the Spirit Moves will be led by Catherine Sensei at Clear Sky Meditation Center in Eastern BC. \nAn online option is also available for those not in Western Canada\, to make participation possible from anywhere in the world. \nWhat Does the Course Cost?\nIn-Person Participants: 1) dāna to the Teachers and 2) accomodation and meal costs for your stay Clear Sky Meditation Centre. \nOnline Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher and 2) online administration fee of $150. \n \n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n \n \n Attend In-Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \n \n \n \n “Clear Sky is my favourite place to retreat. I am so grateful to find such an amazing place to study various meditation practices\, walk in stunning nature and eat fresh food from the farm. I always enjoy going there for more.”\n Maya L.\n \nFAQs\n About Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course.  \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us.  \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n Sample Daily Schedule \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \n Food\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares.  \n Scholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.  \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart).  \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n Cannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.  \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects.  \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.  \n \n \n \n Attend In-Person (Coming Soon)\n \n \n Attend Online (Coming Soon) URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/as-the-spirit-moves-2025/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/As-the-Spirit-Moves-Weekend-Course.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250717 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250808 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250511T202234Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T194452Z UID:24568-1752710400-1754611199@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Meditation Circle: Kṣānti DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nMeditation Circle: Kṣānti – Building Resilience and Strength for Challenging Times\nwith Duncan Cryle\n  \nIn this series we continue our exploration of the six paramis (perfections) in Mahāyāna\, exploring Kșānti\, or patience.  \nThe path of meditation and spiritual growth is a long one\, with many twists and turns. We can easily get knocked out of our own center by difficult situations.  \nKșānti\, or patience\, is about developing a strong inner balance and resilience in ourselves so that we have the strength to persevere. It’s a vital resource to support us making the journey towards a heart of peace and compassion. \nNote this is a standalone series and you don’t need to have come to the earlier ones. \nDuncan is a senior practitioner in our lineage\, with 35+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness. He is the Co-Executive Director for Clear Sky. He has also created and led global mindfulness programs at major corporations.  \nJuly 17th – August 7th \nOnline or In-Person at Clear SkyThursdays 7:30-8:30 pm MST \n— \nExcited? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes \nThese community classes at Clear Sky Center help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nJoin us for Meditation Circle\, Thursday nights (7:30-8:30pm MST) at Clear Sky Center. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nThis series\, runs from Thursday\, July 17th – August 7th and is lead by Duncan Cryle. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nThere are two ways to attend – in person or online. Just click the appropriate button to register. See you soon!  \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nQuestions?  \nContact Michelle via email or phone: \nmichelle@clearskycenter.org | (250) 429-3929 \n \n\n“Meditation is like turning on a light in a dark room. The power of awareness lets us see what is there – in our bodies\, emotions\, mind\, workplaces\, homes and relationships. Seeing what is there gives us the freedom and the courage to make deeply impactful changes.” \nDuncan Cryle \n \n\n“I feel like we’re so disembodied today in our technological culture that meditation is my little kindness to myself in saying ‘hello body\, you’re part of my day.” \nKaren McAllister \nMeditation Circle Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\nAs Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development\, I’m passionate about teaching the much-ignored principles of nurturing the factors – like honor your space\, structure\, and communication – that create the conditions we need to wake up more in daily life. I see how I learned and embodied these principles in my different roles at Clear Sky as the center went from self-starter to second-stage growth. This is what I call “the hands-on way of doing an MBA with a spiritual bottom line!” \nIn my free time\, I love travelling\, speaking Portuguese and reading history\, architecture and art books. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \nMaureen Smith\nMaureen Smith (MSW\, RCSW) is a therapist and meditation teacher. Passionate about what she does\, she will guide you to a more alive\, aware and mindful path of living. \nMaureen is a well-respected Cranbrook-based therapist and educator. She works with individuals and couples in the public sector in addictions and mental health. Not only was Maureen the first acting caretaker at Clear Sky Meditation Center in BC\, she has studied numerous meditation practices intensively for over 10 years. She has a Master of Social Work degree and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in British Columbia. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-k%e1%b9%a3anti/ CATEGORIES:Coaching,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251011T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251101T120000 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250129T035717Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250513T195127Z UID:23840-1760176800-1761998400@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Integrating Mindfulness Fall 2025: Tools for Holistic Living (In-Person or Online) DESCRIPTION:The Integrating Mindfulness course has been described as one of the most transformative experiences of many people’s lives. \nIt has helped individuals cultivate greater awareness and compassion while providing practical tools for real-world integration of mindfulness into life and work. This is not just another mindfulness course—it is a groundbreaking approach to creating lasting transformation. \nThis course is an invitation to those seeking deeper meaning\, a fuller embrace of life\, and a practice that nourishes both their inner world and their connections to the community around them. \nNOTE: This course can be attended online or in-person at Clear Sky. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nfocus area\nMeditation  \n& Daily Life \npractice\nInteractive \nWorkshop \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nOctober 11\, 18\, 25 & November 1\, 2025  \n10am-12pm MT; 9-11am PST; 6-8 pm CET \nformat\nIn-Person \nor Online \nWhy integrating mindfulness?\nIn a world that feels increasingly uncertain\, many of us struggle with pressures and distractions that pull us away from our center. Even with a meditation or mindfulness practice\, you may feel disconnected or that your efforts aren’t bridging the gap between your intentions and your daily challenges. \nThis course is your sanctuary—a refuge to breathe deeply\, reflect intentionally\, and reconnect with what truly matters. Together\, we create a supportive space for you to flourish\, offering tools and practices to integrate mindfulness into every facet of your life. \nOur unique approach addresses not only your inner world but also the external environments\, relationships\, and systems that influence your well-being. \nWe see you\, and we walk this path with you. \nA holistic approach\nIntegrating Mindfulness addresses the fullness of life—our habits\, our relationships\, our environments\, and our deepest aspirations. \nUnlike other mindfulness or personal development programs\, we use a threefold approach: cultivating mindfulness\, crafting a supportive container\, and powerfully integrating mindfulness into all aspects of life and work. \nThis synergy ensures that participants experience profound\, tangible transformation. \nThrough this course\, you will: \n\nStrengthen your mindfulness or meditation practice to bring more calm\, clarity\, and presence to your days.\nBuild meaningful connections that inspire and uplift you.\nTransform your environment and routines into a sanctuary of growth and intention.\nCreate lasting change by addressing areas that drain your energy or hold you back.\n\nWe work with heart-centered guides and a community of like-minded individuals\, fostering a circle of belonging that nurtures transformation. \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n There are big areas of my life I needed to look at… that I didn’t know I needed to. I am more aware of them now\, and have perspective on how to bring daily mindfulness to them. Now I have a technique to structure my life and prioritize the things I actually want to do\, and a dialogue technique that is helping in my relationships. Integrating Mindfulness allows you to think about issues in a different way (such as money!). Insightful and nourishing.\n Daniel\n Participating in the Integrating Mindfulness course has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It has helped me cultivate greater awareness and compassion and provided me with practical tools for managing stress and anxiety. I am deeply grateful for the Clear Sky community and support provided by the course.\n Artin\n “I’m so stressed out… I cannot see an end to it”—says everybody. I’m always considering options\, and I had doubts around the authenticity of the Integrating Mindfulness programme\, but I’m glad to report those doubts were completely unfounded. With this course\, you learn to stop and breathe\, and the teachers will show you that it is indeed possible—necessary\, even—to put mindfulness at the very centre of your life. At first it might not seem there have been any changes\, but on reflection the changes have been huge.\n Pat\n I wanted more clarity on which direction to go. In Integrating Mindfulness\, I found fluidity and a variety of approaches to things I need\, like scheduling\, conversation\, clearer speech\, and language. In it\, I also discovered a definite need for clearing and dissolution. The question of work and overall change remains\, but I have moved forward on that journey.\n Zoe\n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nWhat’s inside the course?\nOur four-week journey is rooted in Clear Sky Retreat Center’s Five Principles\, offering a framework to create a mindful container for growth. These principles are: \n\nHonor Your Space: Transform your surroundings into a supportive and nurturing environment.\nStructure and routine: Develop rituals that ground and stabilize you through life’s ebbs and flows.\nCommunication: Deepen your connections by cultivating authentic and compassionate dialogue.\nCleaning Up Big Areas: Reclaim your energy by addressing unresolved challenges in key areas of your life.\nIt’s Easier with Others: Community and transforming our relationships with others.\n\nEach week builds on the last\, inviting you to: \n\nCreate space for growth.\nTransform habits with intention.\nQuiet the monkey mind and invite clarity.\nFree energy by resolving areas where you feel stuck.\nIntegrate mindfulness into lasting\, transformative tools.\nStrengthen your sense of belonging and connection.\n\nThis course is a unique synthesis of practical tools and profound awareness practices\, designed to address the whole of your life. \nWho is this course for?\nThis course is for those ready to step into their wholeness: \n\nTo deepen their mindfulness practice.\nTo navigate life’s challenges with grace and ease.\nTo feel profoundly connected to themselves and others.\nTo embrace awareness as a catalyst for sustainable\, heart-centered change.\n\nWhether you join online or in person\, this course meets you where you are and provides flexibility and tools to support and ignite your personal path and journey. \n \n \n \n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n I was hesitant to commit when things are already so busy\, but thankfully I committed and encountered incredible wisdom! Now I have an increased awareness of the healing power of community when trying to heal deep\, sticky\, collective traumas. I’m cleaning up my money relationship\, building better habits\, and learning how to deal with temptation and blind spots. The next plan is to create a meditation room. Integrating Mindfulness provides teachings and practical opportunities for application; anyone wanting to take up the spiritual path would benefit.\n Ben \n Seeing two sides of a story\, being still more often\, and listening are principles I’m taking with me. I have a lot of friends who need to take time to take Integrating Mindfulness and see things differently. You will see things clearer.\n Yvette\n What is really important\, what is not? I’ve been running round in circles and always end up the same: No direction\, but stress! In Integrating Mindfulness\, I realized things that aren’t my highest priorities have been taking up a lot of time and money\, and I was missing a daily\, intentional structure. With these teachers\, you’ll get clarity about what you do\, why you do it\, and how you should do it to feel and think better.\n Jutta\n The key word is integrating—not compartmentalizing\, but establishing a wholeness. I was looking to ground\, focus\, and develop a formal practice\, one in which I could develop commitment to self. I have found that I am deep in shadow\, and am struggling with subtle traumas that need to be nurtured with loving kindness. Going forward\, it’s small steps to reach out to community and allow myself to be vulnerable.\n Jennifer \nmeet the teachers\n \n \nKaren McAllister\n Karen McAllister brings a wealth of wisdom as Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development. She founded The Mindful Money Coach and has helped hundreds of people better integrate and align their spiritual path and relationship with money. Her passion lies in nurturing spaces\, structure\, and communication to support awakening in everyday life. With her decades of spiritual leadership\, Karen gently guides participants to uncover their innate wisdom and clarity. \nDuncan Cryle\n Duncan Cryle is a co-founding member of Clear Sky Center\, Dharma teacher\, and certified mindfulness instructor. He blends years of co-creating Clear Sky’s conscious community and dynamic team\, with an international executive career. He has created and run mindfulness programs at major companies\, including one of the creators of the IBM mindfulness community.  Duncan’s compassionate and holistic approach invites participants to weave spiritual growth seamlessly into their lives\, making profound insights accessible and transformative.\n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I had been struggling with consistent practice\, conflicts within marriage about my practice\, and finances. Now I have a dedicated space for my practice\, am solidifying my need for sangha\, and am reassessing myself and my blocks and shadows. I would encourage someone interested in this to be open to change\, and know that change is always occurring—it doesn’t need to be a negative.\n Leslie \n Mindfulness is so much more than just truly enjoying my cup of tea! I was struggling to find balance with all the big life issues that are changing in my life; finding Integrating Mindfulness was serendipity. It is what I need in my spiritual toolbox to help me stay open and connected. I am more aware now when I am losing myself in grief\, when I am handling difficult conversations\, and in seeing how human differences are to be enjoyed\, as I enjoy different flowers. There is so much more to discover about life. Integrating Mindfulness is about interactions with fellow travellers! If you want to take mindfulness deeper\, you need this course.\n Kirsty\n I am doing a lot of other courses. They are all good—this one is special. Integrating Mindfulness provides a good foundation to support any other studies. People who express feeling unhappy\, overwhelmed\, lacking connection\, would find an ideal fit here. Now\, I am committed to being aware of my boundaries\, and doing what it takes to maintain them\, including clear communication to others. I’m going to continue working on my spiritual container and structure. I plan to come to Clear Sky for more!\n Kim\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I was exploring many directions\, and this was sapping my energy and making me ungrounded. I have been intending to discover a “middle way.” Through this course\, I have been getting clearer on my core\, non-negotiable values. I have gained confidence in asserting and communicating my boundaries and initiating conversations\, whereas in the past I avoided conflict. My sense of self-worth is deepening and I am valuing my time and energy more. I am discovering solutions for meeting my basic needs\, not subscribing to short-term gratification impulses\, and being in communion with conscious community\, all simultaneously.\n Aila\n Since Integrating Mindfulness\, I’m beginning to see how mindfulness is a part of everything\, and how much of my life I have let slip out of my hands by not being mindful. I’m seeing how much power I will regain as I learn to be aware of myself more constantly and expand my ability to actually choose what I want to choose in each moment. Talk about life-changing!\nIntegrating Mindfulness will give you the opportunity to peel back some of the daily veils put up around painful and confusing areas of your life. Doing it with a group\, and with Karen and Duncan as wonderful teachers who really know what they are doing\, will set you up to get closer to the direction and peace that you so deeply crave.\n Erika \nready to transform?\nMindfulness is not just a practice; it’s a way of being that illuminates the path to wholeness and connection. This course offers a nurturing container where you can pause\, reflect\, and embrace the beauty of your journey. \nThis course stands apart because it combines mindfulness with real-world integration\, creating a path for sustainable transformation. \nJoin us for Integrating Mindfulness\, and together\, we will uncover the power of awareness to create a life filled with intention\, compassion\, and deep fulfillment. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nLEARN more about clear sky’s five principles\nBased on Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, Integrating Mindfulness helps you build a sustainable meditation practice that permeates your body\, career\, relationships and all other areas of your life.  \nYou can learn more about our Five Principles here and get our free pdf overview by clicking the link below. \n \n FREE PDF – Five Principles of a Mindful Container URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/integrating-mindfulness-tools-for-holistic-living-in-person-or-online/ CATEGORIES:Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Integrating-Mindfulness-Feature-Image.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251109T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251130T110000 DTSTAMP:20260428T104340 CREATED:20250412T221230Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250511T193617Z UID:24389-1762680600-1764500400@test.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:21st Century Tantra (Online) DESCRIPTION:21st Century Tantra\n“Tantra means weaving\, and it’s about the weaving of energies in our life. The human organism and all of the cosmos is operating on these waves\, flows\, particles of energy— it’s learning to be able to sense that\, perceive that\, visualize that\, and work with that consciously.”  \n—Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nAre your divine feminine and divine masculine on good speaking terms? This four-week course is for people who want to understand the role of Tantra in Vajrayana\, the role of sexuality in spiritual practice\, and the spiritual aspects of sexuality in daily life. We invite you to dive in with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, a lineage teacher who has been practicing Tantra nearly three decades\, for this one-of-a-kind exploration of Tantra in 2025. \nNovember 09 – November 30\, 2025 \nSunday morning online classes 9:30-11:00am MT \n \n Register Now\n \nfocus area\nVajrayana \nBuddhism \npractice\nCourse & Optional \nHome Retreat \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nSundays from 9:30-11am MT \nformat\nIn-Person or \nOnline \n21st Century Tantra\nOur modern moment calls for integration and balance in ourselves\, our relationships\, our communities\, and our planet. For the benefit of all beings\, our 21st-century labor is a labor of love\, a labor for the reintegrated health of this entire Earth and cosmos. That’s what 21st-century Tantra is all about. \nTantra is many things. Similar to Daoism\, it’s an interweaving of our inner feminine and inner masculine natures. This work can be done alone\, with a tantric partner\, or with tantric partners\, and that choice is yours. The key is to actively explore the energies without being distracted by attachment\, aversion\, or confusion. In this four-week course\, we’ll explore the roots of Tantra in what is now modern day Pakistan\, Tantra’s adoption and evolution in Tibetan Buddhism\, some of the challenges of translating Tantra to our contemporary cultures\, and how we can approach the practice today.  \nOur cultural conditioning can make understanding and integrating Tantra practice challenging. This course is also for those who would like to understand and their Vajrayana practice with the conditioning around sexuality and relationship they received from the tradition they were raised in. \n \n Registration Coming Soon\n \n \n \n \n \n “In 10 years I have NOT missed a course with master teachers Qapel and Sensei! Every class reflects the light of oneness in prisms of direction and understanding and thus a lighter load to carry in the relative world and a lightness of being. If one aspires to be a bodhisattva and to benefit all beings\, this one recommends the next one.”\n Brendan R. \nWhat You’ll Learn\nSpiritual awakening is a series of questions\, and in this course\, we’ll explore a myriad of tantric questions together.  \nTwenty-first century living and practice: How does Tantra relate to my daily life in the contemporary world? What does Tantra mean for contemporary Vajrayana practitioners? How do we incorporate Tantra into our practice\, and what different kinds of ways are there to do so?  \nSexuality and Tantra: Do we get to have sex? Do we have to have sex? How does Tantra integrate with healthy sexuality? What does “healthy sexuality” mean?  \nMasculinity and Femininity: Are your divine feminine and divine masculine speaking to one another? What if you’re non-binary? \nAnd\, what does it take to be qualified to do this practice?  \nThis Course if for you if:\n\nYou would like to get greater clarity about the nature of Tantra in historical and contemporary practice.\nYou would like to get clarity about the role of sexuality in spiritual practice.\nYou would like to integrate your sexuality more. \nYou would like to cultivate healthier relationships.\nYou would like to better understand the causes of sex scandals in Buddhism\, and how we can empower ourselves and our Sanghas to better equip ourselves.\nYou would like to explore integration of the shadow around the first three chakras. – Checkout Money Sex Power free chapter/webpage\nYou’d like to grow stronger contact with the divine feminine and divine masculine. \nYou’d like to feel more comfortable with your non-binary sexuality in Buddhism’s heteronormative tradition.\n\n \n \n \nCourse Schedule\nClass Times (Mountain Time)\n\nSunday\, November 9 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, November 16 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, November 23 – 9:30-11am\nSaturday & Sunday\, November 29-30 – 9:30am and 2:30pm (approx 60-90 minutes)\n\n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date. \n  \nThe formal and participatory teachings for this course will occur on Sundays with a Saturday-Sunday flash retreat on the fourth weekend.  Class times are estimates and may change slightly. \nWe encourage you to connect with sangha outside of class times to discuss and deepen your learning of the material. \nFlash Retreat Weekend: November 29-30\nTo deepen and integrate your experience\, the final (fourth) weekend during the course will also be an optional at home Flash Retreat . This can be done at home\, or with us at Clear Sky Meditation Centre\, in Eastern British Columbia. We highly recommend clearing your schedule over the weekend to focus on the retreat. Formal group sessions will be held at these approximate times. \n\nFlash Retreat morning session: 9:30am MT\nFlash Retreat afternoon session: 2:30pm MT\nSessions will be 60-90 mins in length.\n\n \n \nMeet the Teacher\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher\, attendant\, consort\, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and universal spiritual tools including transpersonal astrology and Japanese arts. \nShe has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003.  \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \n \n Register Now\n \n “The teachers have brought together ancient teachings with scientific findings that prove how and why Dharma teachings radically improve life\, reduce pain and increase global peace. It doesn’t matter what you believe\, you will embody a healthy new way of being. Because of their vast collective wisdom\, you leave their presence radically altered for the betterment of humanity.”\n Evangelos D.\n \nFAQs\n Dana and Pricing \nDana: \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart.” Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity.” With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No one is excluded for lack of funds. However\, it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able. \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure. Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nIf you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n About the Online Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, the costs of setting up good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online can be surprising. \nOur admin fee changes based on the date of registration. \nRegister four + weeks prior: $80Register two to four weeks prior: $100Register less than two weeks prior: $120 \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nHigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nOnline class systems (Zoom)\nRegistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\nCommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nOnline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nQuality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nOnline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nWebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n \n \n \n Register Now URL:https://test.clearskycenter.org/event/21-century-tantra/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://test.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/21-Century-Tantra.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR