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All the information about Alistair Appleton's Mindsprings online six-week study group looking at the spontaneous songs and teachings of the medieval Tibetan mystic, Milarepa. 2nd Feb - 9 March 2023. 6 Week Course: Milarepa 2 February - 9th March 2023 Tibet's great mountain mystic - studying the "100,000 Songs" together Immerse yourself in Tibetan Buddhism and the magical life of Milarepa The 11th Century was the time of the Norman period in England, and the Song Dynasty in China. The Toltecs were ruling Mexico, Angkor Wat was being built. It was the twilight of the Byzantine empire. But in a mountainous region of Tibet, a young man was undergoing a profound spiritual transformation from a murderer of 35 people to one of the most legendary and highly-regarded practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism. Milarepa (c.1051-1135) was from a well-to-do family who had been cheated of their wealth. And driven by a vengeful mother he learned black magic and caused the death of 35 of his relatives. Inspired by simply hearing the name of his teacher, Marpa, he went through gruelling penances to get to a place where he could receive the highest Buddhist teaching and then spent the rest of his long life teaching from icy mountain retreats - and singing spontaneous songs (doha) of enlightenment. These "Hundred Thousand Songs" were collected many years after his death and are considered one of the pinnacles of Tibetan religious literature. As well as being astonishing works of poetry, they are also inspirational for practitioners of Buddhism. I feel they are also a wonderful gateway into the sometimes dizzying world of Vajrayana Buddhism. Having loved these Songs for many years, I thought it would be wonderful to spend six weeks exploring them. We'll start with an overview of Milarepa's life on the 2nd February and then take one song each week for the subsequent five sessions. We'll meet at 7.30pm UK time on Thursday evenings - for about an hour. Book a place on the 6-week course Pricing You can attend the six-week course as part of your Baobab membership (and if you book Baobab before the end of January it's only £10 a month for the first three months of 2023). Or you can pay £30 for the six week course. Book £30 course Get it free with Baobab membership Book the 6-week study course 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: helping people with anxiety, dissociation, stress. working with mental health in the LGBTQ community. exploring the growing field of embodiment and somatic practices. teaching Buddhist practices for mental health and well-being Alistair teaches in England, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands. Any more questions?

All the information about Alistair Appleton's Mindsprings meditation Retreat at the Salisbury Centre in Edinburgh in November 2023 Edinburgh Weekend: Tapping into Freedom 18-19 November 2023 Turbo charge your meditation. Clear troubling blockages. Alistair shares with you his secret weapon in powering meditation. And life. Book your place for November now For more than 10 years, I've been using the techniques of energy psychology (tapping, chakra clearing) to break through blockages in my life and the life of my clients. And - until recently - I only spoke about it in the context of therapy. But now I've decided to share how I work with tapping in my meditation practice. Mastering the basic EP skills of tuning-up, muscle testing, tapping and chakra clearing have consistently helped me along the meditative path. And I want to share them with you . On this in-person weekend in Edinburgh you will: get an overview of energy psychology and how it works learn to bring your mind-body 'online' when it's scrambled communicated directly with your mind-body using muscle-testing integrate EP techniques into your meditation practice master 'central clearing' to remove troubling patterns that stymie practice expand EP into dharma practice and into your life What is Energy Psychology? Energy Psychology is a relatively recent arrival in mental health, starting in the field of kinesiology in the 1980s. Still, its roots go back to the yogic practices of the subtle body (chakras, meridians etc.) and to the Tibetan practice of Vajrasattva. In essence, EP works to clear the debris of trauma from the human nervous system/energy body. A common metaphor is that of a river. Trauma leaves big boulders in the river of life and water has to take a highly-pressurized or distorted route to continue. EP removes the boulders and allows the natural health of the body-mind to re-establish itself. Combining cognitive elements (phrase making) with meridian work (tapping on acupressure points or holding energy centres) this unusual form of therapy achieves astonishing results. Many people feel that psychic knots that have bedevilled them for many years are released all at once without remainder. Combining EP techniques with meditation practice can lead to great leaps in our spiritual path and a much more optimistic viewpoint for enlightenment. Master the basics of EP to improve your life FEEDBACK FROM LONDON Thank you so much. I feel this has given me new and refreshing energy to get unstuck. Your teaching was really engaging. Thank you Alistair! I really enjoyed the course. I think it's the most beneficial one I have attended. I appreciated the respectful approach to personal issues (no pressure to explore personal issues with strangers) Thanks! Pricing Mindsprings is well aware that many people are having to tighten their belts at the moment, financially. So we offer two prices for this weekend. A full, supporters fee which helps us cover our costs and a subsidised concessionary rate for any of you who are struggling financially. Paying the full fee allows us to invite more people on the lower rate. But if you would even struggle to pay that reduced ticket rate then please do drop us a line. We never want people to miss out on meditation because of poxy old money. We can sort something out for you. Book the two kinds of tickets here. Enquire about bursaries here What to expect at the Salisbury Centre this November... • the course begins at 10am and finishes at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. We'll have an hour for lunch and a couple of 15 minute tea-breaks. If you can get to the Salisbury Centre a little early on Saturday to make sure we can start promptly that would be great. • The postcode of the centre is EH16 5AB t heir website is www.salisburycentre.org and their number is 01316675438 . • The centre has a kitchen with a microwave so some people like to bring their own lunch but there are also several nice eateries along the nearby Newington Road. • we'll be using the beautiful Studio Room at the Centre (upstairs) and sitting in chairs in a circle. • the weekend will consist of practice sessions, some instruction and discussion, working in smaller groups and some individual processing. • we'll provide electronic notes after the course so you don't need to write things down though it would be great if you could bring a pen and some paper or a notebook for some of the exercises. Recordings of the teaching will also be sent out after the course. • the Studio Room is usually lovely and warm but please bring some layers, especially if you feel the cold. • If you have any specific psychological concerns, are on prescription psychiatric medication or have a condition that you think I should know about before the course then please do let me know in a private email. 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: helping people with anxiety, dissociation, stress. working with mental health in the LGBTQ community. exploring the growing field of embodiment and somatic practices. teaching Buddhist practices for mental health and well-being Alistair teaches in England, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands. Join us in London this April Join us in Edinburgh this November Getting to the Salisbury Centre By Train The nearest train station is Waverley Station. By Bus Buses from the city centre that pass Salisbury Road: 2, 14, 30, 33, N30 (west end of Salisbury Road, Commonwealth Pool stop – nearest bustop) 3, 5, 7, 8, 29, X29, 31, 37, X37, 47, 48, 49, N3, N31, N37 (on Newington Road, Salisbury Road stop – a two minute walk) By Car Parking: The Salisbury Centre is in the City of Edinburgh restricted parking zone 7. There are 12 pay parking spaces on the street with more in adjacent streets. Parking is free after 5.30pm. We are 5 minutes from the nearest unrestricted parking area. Park & Ride If you driving from out of town, please consider using Park & Ride on the South-West of the city P&R SherrifHall postcode EH22 1FF : busses 33 and 49 P&R Straigton, postcode EH20 9NP : busses X37, 47, X47 Any more questions?