Hi Mel! Yes, this is an ongoing head-scratcher. 😊 Basically, the self-study courses (Beingfulness, Tapping into Freedom, Dharma Days, Mastering the Monsters etc.) and the 2 Holy Island retreats are all on the Mindsprings School site which is separate from the new Mindsprings mother site. I haven't found a way of synchronising those two yet. You can access this from the main site using the SELF STUDY tab under COURSES. All your courses and bookings are all visible when you log in - as before - to the school. I'm trying to find a way of bringing those courses over into the new site, but the software is not quite up to the standard of the Mindsprings School. So for the time being there will have to be two parallel accounts. Hope that makes. sense! Big hug, A

Many thanks Alistair.

Beautiful

I have always felt that our zipping up hand gesture is a ' fountain' motion that comes from the core of our being and sprays out all the togetherness, love and connection that we have experienced during our session. A bit Tonglenlike.❤️🙏

Hi Alistair. Re your weekend retreat this month, as much as I would love to join, I could only do one day, ie Sunday. I wondered if you would consider sometime doing an online one day on meditation? I always have trouble stilling my mind, however hard I try, and a one day session would be a great help, perhaps with a dash of yoga thrown in?! Anita

Thanks to you Patti and to you Alistair for the video. I really like the idea of being friendly with our critical thoughts, to learn to have a different relationship with it and not just reject it. It's really motivating me to try do it, when I listen to your last sentence. In the end, they might behave themselves indeed !

Oh wow 😍😍🙏

A theory called Sentic Cycles - Manfred Clynes mentions this also

@Alistair Appleton Thanks for the question Patti and the response Alistair.

Thank u. Starting the Fives with shamatha is often recommended to "stabilize" the mind and cultivate focus before delving into deeper practices. It sets a solid foundation, making it easier to engage with "object no 1" or any other practice with greater clarity and presence. Trust your intuition and observe what works best for you, as personal experience and comfort with the practice are key.

Many thanks Alistair. I’d be really interested and will be sure to join. Look forward to it, best wishes Anita

Thanks for the video and comments. I suppose I had thought of it as a sort of zipping up to 'seal in' any positive energy generated, and perhaps to protect some vulnerable areas that may have been energetically opened during the meditation before going back into the world. I'm preferring the ideas here, of connecting to the of uprinsing life- force, and Patti's fountain spraying loveliness out into the world. Much more generous!