Online Weekend: The ABC of Buddhism
14th June 2026
Everything you need to know but were too afraid to ask
Get up to speed with one of the World's great Wisdom Traditions
I've been a Buddhist for more than 25 years now and I'm still finding out how little I know.
What I do know is that the teachings of Buddhism (dharma) have really helped me reduce the noise in my rickety brain, brought down my levels of everyday unhappiness and opened up the possibility of kindness and real connection.
When I say that I'm a Buddhist, then 95% of the time people say, "Oh, I like the sound of that" or "Yes, Buddhism is the one religion I might be able to get on board with". But then they admit that it's a bit impenetrable and they don't know much about it.
So this weekend is my little attempt to map out the broad strokes of Buddhism and give some meaningful pointers for anyone interested in exploring the Dharma more deeply.
What you can get from the one-day online course
If you're intrigued by Buddhism and why it seems so popular in our contemporary world, then this day-long seminar will:
give you a basic overview of the three major flavours of Buddhism
unpack some of the key concepts of Buddhist teaching
dispel some of the big misconceptions about Buddhism
spotlight some of the big names in the Buddhist world
explore how the insights of Buddhism might help with your mental health
What to expect from a this online workshop
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This is an online workshop using Zoom. It is not an in-person retreat but we like to hold a strong container for the weekend. The zoom link will be sent to you when you register.
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We will begin on Sunday morning at 10 am (all times UK time) with introductions.
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We'll finish at 4 pm on Sunday and have an hour's break for lunch. There will be tea and pee breaks too.
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Alistair will teach and guide practice throughout the weekend. His teaching will be illustrated where necessary with slides.
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There'll be plenty of time to share experiences in break-out groups.
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The teaching and Q&A sessions will be recorded and shared with you after the retreat. (For reasons of confidentiality please don't share beyond the group!
About the teacher
Alistair is a broadcaster, psychotherapist and meditation teacher.
He's worked for the BBC for more than 20 years and works as a UKCP-accredited therapist in East Sussex. Since 2004, he's run Mindsprings, his therapeutic meditation organisation which teaches body-based and Buddhist solutions to many of our everyday problems.
Mindsprings offers popular meditation-based courses on many subjects:
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helping people with anxiety, dissociation, stress.
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working with mental health in the LGBTQ community.
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exploring the growing field of embodiment and somatic practices.
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teaching Buddhist practices for mental health and well-being
Alistair teaches in England, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands.
