Deepening Your Meditation – the Direct Path

Can you remember what it was that got you into meditating? For many of us it was a particular need; a need that meditation offered to fix – and in all likelihood it did...

So where are you now with your meditation? Practicing regularly? Up and down? Lapsed? Reality is, once the immediate issue that brought us to meditation is alleviated or satisfied to some degree, we might well find ourselves asking, why continue?

So here is the thing... After meditating for a while, there often comes the nagging feeling there is more on offer. Something deeper, more profound. An element of the mystical. Transcendent and yet practical. Maybe we even have had a glimpse, a taste of what truly is the heart and essence of meditation. 

And with this the feeling - if only I could concentrate a little more, resist distractions, let go a little more thoroughly... I may well experience this something deeper that is on offer. So in this post, details of how you might make the leap, but first

   Thought for the day

      You cannot go back

      And change the beginning,

      But you can start where you are

      And change the ending

                       C.S. Lewis

I have been practicing and teaching meditation for decades and know this territory all too well. These deeper experiences can be alluring, frustrating, incredibly satisfying, disappointing and then fulfilling once again.

And as we seek to go deeper into meditation, we have 2 choices – the Gradual Path which involves pursuing a method, and the Direct Path which is less about technique and more about simply letting go. But how to do this?

Hence the coming workshop on Thursday, 1st October. We will explore how we can deepen our meditation in a real and practical manner using the Direct Path. During the workshop I will begin by introducing and guiding 3 major techniques that lead past the distractions, help us to move through the barriers, and guide us into the Direct Path. 

And at this level, the key of course is in the experience. So just a little talk, some time for questions, but lots of practice...

So do consider joining me and fellow meditators for this major event...

TITLE: Deepening Your Meditation – the Direct Path

DATE: Thursday 1st October 2026 – 7.30 – 9.00pm AEDT
VENUE: Online only. There will be no break in this 1.5 hour workshop. 

FOLLOW UP: Available courtesy of the Meditation Community where you can gather online with other meditators to learn more, practice together and continue to deepen your practice.

PRESENTED in conjunction with the Meditation Community
RECORDING: The session will be recorded but only made available to members of the Meditation Community.

COST: General $29, Concession $26, free to subscribers to the Meditation Community (subscribers will be emailed a specific link to register for the workshop). 

If you are considering joining the MC, this could be a good time 

BOOKINGS: Eventbrite – CLICK HERE

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT 

with Ruth and Ian Gawler

DEEP NATURAL PEACE

3 Day Meditation Immersion with Ian and Ruth Gawler
NOVEMBER 2026 – Friday 6th to Sunday the 8th - Yarra Junction

These days, many people have had some introduction to meditation and the power of the mind. Soon comes the realisation of the extraordinary depth and breadth of it all. And often we get a sense there is more to it …..   More to experience ..…

So while this retreat will include ample instruction, the focus will be upon direct experience; finding and immersing ourselves in the deep inner peace, the regenerative power and the clarity of our own stillness. And the balance between doing and being...

This process will be enhanced by being in the wonderful, peaceful and majestic forests of the Upper Yarra Valley, by being supported by the staff and amenities of the Yarra Valley Living Centre, and guided by Ian and Ruth Gawler.

For details and to register   CLICK HERE 

Declutter your mind; reclaim your peace

So this is a first. After over 500 blogs, I have decided to run a full Thought for the Day as the post. 

I found this recent piece from Pope Leo XIV so engaging, so timely, so heartening, that felt it just had to be shared. So make some space, maybe a cuppa and a biscuit, sit back, read on, reflect a little and enjoy...

      Thought for the day

When you declutter your mind, you reclaim your peace.

The hardest cleaning you will ever do is not cleaning your house; it is cleaning your mind. 

A house can be swept, windows can be washed, rooms can be rearranged, and unwanted things can be thrown away in a single afternoon, but the mind carries invisible clutter that can remain for years if we do not deliberately confront it. 

Some people are exhausted not because life is unbearably difficult, but because their minds are overcrowded with yesterday’s regrets, tomorrow’s fears, other people’s opinions, imagined disasters, old disappointments, unresolved conversations, and questions that have no answers. 

You can be physically sitting in a peaceful room while mentally fighting battles in ten different places. That is why mental decluttering is not a luxury; it is wisdom. 

You must learn to ask yourself: Is this thought helping me or harming me? Is this fear warning me or controlling me? Is this person adding value to my life or constantly draining my spirit? Is this problem mine to solve, or am I carrying what belongs to someone else? 

Not every thought deserves your attention, not every opinion deserves your reaction, and not every person deserves permanent access to your peace. 

Sometimes the greatest transformation begins when you stop trying to rearrange everything outside you and start cleaning what has accumulated inside you. 

A peaceful mind is built by letting go, not by pretending that nothing happened, but by refusing to allow what happened to become the permanent landlord of your mind. 

Let go of the need to understand everything.

Let go of conversations you can no longer change. 

Let go of people who repeatedly demonstrate that they do not value your presence. 

Let go of the obsession with proving yourself to people who have already decided to misunderstand you. 

Let go of guilt over mistakes you have genuinely learned from. 

Let go of the fear that your future must look exactly like the picture you once imagined. 

And above all, let go of the belief that holding on is always a sign of strength.

Sometimes strength is closing the door. Sometimes wisdom is walking away. Sometimes maturity is saying, “This mattered to me, but it no longer belongs in my life.” 

Your peace may require boundaries, silence, forgiveness, distance, and the courage to disappoint people who benefited from your lack of boundaries. You do not have to attend every argument you are invited to. You do not have to answer every accusation. You do not have to explain every decision. You do not have to carry everybody’s expectations on your back. 

Protect your mind because whatever repeatedly occupies your thoughts eventually shapes your emotions, your decisions, your relationships, and ultimately the direction of your life. 

So begin the cleaning today. 

Make room for better thoughts. 

Replace “What if everything goes wrong?” with “What if I become stronger, wiser, and better prepared?” 

Replace endless overthinking with prayer, action, and acceptance. 

Write down what is troubling you, separate what you can control from what you cannot, take responsibility for your part, release what is beyond your power, and take one meaningful step forward. 

Reduce unnecessary noise. Spend less time explaining yourself and more time becoming the person you are called to be. Forgive without reopening doors that should remain closed. Love people without allowing them to destroy your boundaries. Rest without feeling guilty. Pray without panic. Work without comparing your journey to somebody else’s timeline. 

Remember that peace is not the absence of problems; it is the presence of an inner order that refuses to let problems become the ruler of your soul. 

There comes a moment when you must stop asking, “How do I fix everything around me?” and begin asking, “What must I release within me so I can breathe again?” 

Clean your mind. Clear the emotional debris. Evict the fears that have overstayed their welcome. Silence the voices that constantly tell you that you are not enough. Make room for faith, gratitude, wisdom, purpose, hope, and joy. Your life may not need a complete reconstruction; perhaps it simply needs a deep cleaning. 

And sometimes the miracle is not that God changes everything around you, it is that he changes what is happening within you, giving you a peaceful mind strong enough to face whatever remains.

Pope Leo XIV

COMING EVENTS

Deepening Your Meditation - the Direct Path

Online with Ian Gawler

Thursday 1st October 2026  7.30 – 9.00pm AEST

Register through Eventbrite: CLICK HERE

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT 

with Ruth and Ian Gawler

DEEP NATURAL PEACE

3 Day Meditation Immersion with Ian and Ruth Gawler
NOVEMBER 2026 – Friday 6th to Sunday the 8th - Yarra Junction

These days, many people have had some introduction to meditation and the power of the mind. Soon comes the realisation of the extraordinary depth and breadth of it all. And often we get a sense there is more to it …..   More to experience ..…

So while this retreat will include ample instruction, the focus will be upon direct experience; finding and immersing ourselves in the deep inner peace, the regenerative power and the clarity of our own stillness. And the balance between doing and being...

This process will be enhanced by being in the wonderful, peaceful and majestic forests of the Upper Yarra Valley, by being supported by the staff and amenities of the Yarra Valley Living Centre, and guided by Ian and Ruth Gawler.

For details and to register   CLICK HERE 

Deepening Your Meditation – the Direct Path into the heart of meditation

Have you felt this? After meditating for a while, there often comes the nagging feeling there is more on offer. If only I could relax a bit more, hold my concentration a little more, resist distractions, let go a little more thoroughly... something deeper is on offer. 

The reality is, the most profound experiences – and benefits – of meditation are to be found in the stillness beyond all our thoughts and emotions. In this natural inner silence, we come face to face with our own true nature. We can experience the truth of who we are; and our whole perspective on self and life can change for the better. More loving, more knowing, more appreciative. Better able to engage with others, to see things more clearly, to be as we would truly like to be.

So this week... how we can make this profound shift and Deepen Your Meditation – and news of the workshop coming up on that topic, but first

   Thought for the day

        You are the sky.

        Everything else

        - it is just the weather

                 Pema Chodron

who recently celebrated her 90th Birthday :)

Here is the challenge. 

We are so used to thinking and feeling. Thoughts and emotions are our constant inner companions. We sit to meditate – and who do we meet? Our own inner circus. Well, to be fair, some thoughts are useful – often we become distracted by fiendishly good ideas, or useful planning sessions. Some thoughts can lead us down a convoluted, tortuous path; while others can be just like the dross of the day drifting on by.

And then there are the emotions. Sweeping us along into all manner of delightful and severely fraught states.

So how to move past all of this? Is there even this peaceful, silent inner refuge beyond all this immediate mental action?

Experience tells us this is so. 

On the grand scale, mystics from all cultures and traditions have waxed lyrical about the ecstasy of the transcendent or unified experience they encountered in their own inner silence. 

Many of us will have had powerful glimpses. Moments when it felt as if the clouds parted for a moment and we were able to experience and comprehend the magnificence and purity of the blue sky.

So how to make this leap – from the Active Mind to the Still Mind?

Meditate! 

Meditation provides the royal road, the reliable pathway to this inner peace and revelation. 

So how to proceed?


When it comes to meditation, there are two main possibilities – the Direct Path, and the Gradual Path. The Gradual Path is what works for many – it involves using a technique that gradually helps us to move beyond our thoughts and emotions. There are many possibilities in the Gradual Path; many techniques. A good starting place for most.

And then there is the Direct Path. Here we recognise inner silence, inner stillness is just that. To be still, we simply need to be still! With this understanding we realise if we are doing something, if we are using a technique, we may well be doing something useful, however, we cannot be still. Not if we are doing something.

So real meditation starts when the technique stops.

The Direct Path recognises that to enter into the heart of meditation, we need to stop all the doing. In this practice, there is nothing to do, apart from being aware we are doing nothing.

To explain how this becomes possible, is more about the experience. The theory is simple – just let go and be still. The doing is a bit tricky because we are so habituated to thinking and feeling.

Hence the workshop in October. 

Having been teaching meditation for decades, I have found 3 key techniques that lead past the distractions, help us to move through the barriers, and guide us into that deeper experience.

So this is what I will attempt to convey – The Direct Path, the direct experience. 

The workshop will have some talking – enough to provide the framework; but then mostly we will practice together. 

And while this is ideal to do in a retreat setting, my wish is that even online you may come to experience what truly is the heart and essence of meditation. 

An element of the mystical. Transcendent and yet practical. 

Join me for this major online event...

Deepening Your Meditation - the Direct Path

Online with Ian Gawler

Thursday 1st October 2026  7.30 – 9.00pm AEST

Register through Eventbrite: CLICK HERE

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT 

with Ruth and Ian Gawler

DEEP NATURAL PEACE

3 Day Meditation Immersion with Ian and Ruth Gawler
NOVEMBER 2026 – Friday 6th to Sunday the 8th - Yarra Junction

These days, many people have had some introduction to meditation and the power of the mind. Soon comes the realisation of the extraordinary depth and breadth of it all. And often we get a sense there is more to it …..   More to experience ..…

So while this retreat will include ample instruction, the focus will be upon direct experience; finding and immersing ourselves in the deep inner peace, the regenerative power and the clarity of our own stillness. And the balance between doing and being...

This process will be enhanced by being in the wonderful, peaceful and majestic forests of the Upper Yarra Valley, by being supported by the staff and amenities of the Yarra Valley Living Centre, and guided by Ian and Ruth Gawler.

For details and to register   CLICK HERE 

 

Deep Natural Peace - at the heart of meditation - or is that, in the heart of meditation?

There are many ways to deepen your meditation — and many reasons to do so. Sometimes we just need some time out. Time to step back. Time to slow down. To be in nature and to reconnect with the practice. Maybe you are seeking a calmer mind, a more loving heart, or the wisdom to meet life with greater clarity and compassion? Good health and wellbeing are definitely on offer.

Deep Natural Peace is the retreat Ruth and I offer at the end of the year to meet all these intentions.

The reality is life seems to be coming ever more busy, more chaotic, more unpredictable. So more than ever, there is the need to retreat from all that, to turn our attention inwards, and to reconnect with our own inner, deep, natural peace. AT least once each year...

So for this post, what happens on retreat and the benefits of attending, but first

   Thought for the day

     In the stillness of waiting, 

     Movement turns inward. 

     Like a lake whose bottom can only be seen clearly 

     Once the surface is calm, 

     The depths of the soul 

     Are revealed when we pause.

                            Wolfgang Held

Our Deep, Natural Peace retreat is designed as a circuit breaker – with added benefits . A carefully crafted few days wherein you can drop all the “stuff” and regain a sense of balance, ease and clarity.

So please do consider taking the time for your self over a long weekend in November and join us for this very special event. 

Be refreshed. Be prepared to approach life in a new light…

Experience Deep Natural Peace.

Your days will include:

The delight of being in a meditative environment free of external distractions. 

The Upper Yarra Valley is renowned for its natural beauty and inherent peace.

The Living Centre has been a place for Meditation for many decades. 

You can feel it; and relax into it…

A daily teaching from Ian combining the best of timeless wisdom with modern science; a guide to deepening your meditation, a pathway into Stillness – the heart and essence of meditation.

Meditation Sessions guided personally by Ian and Ruth.

Relaxing, gentle yet powerful daily yoga led by Ruth – optional.

Space for personal quiet time.

Walking amidst the natural beauty of the Upper Yarra Valley. 

Up close and personal with an abundance of kangaroos.

The birdlife.

The occasional visits from koalas.

The native wildlife is simple amazing!

Wonderful plant-based meals; simple yet delicious; highly supportive of the meditation.

Being amidst like-minded company. 

Some come on retreat preferring silence.

Many delight in meaningful conversations with the diverse groups that inevitably gather for these retreats.

Ample time for discussion, questions and answers. 

If you have nagging questions around your meditation, or the philosophy that wraps around it, be sure to bring them along…

Not long to go now – and the venue is filling, so wise to book soon...

Venue: The Yarra Valley Living Centre – 40 Rayner Crt Yarra Junction

Dates: 11am Friday 6th to 3.30pm Sunday 8th November 2026

Register via our website iangawler.com CLICK HERE

More speed; less time. The paradox of modern life and what to do about it. A guest blog from Ruth Gawler

What a paradox. Seems we are all becoming “time poor” these days; and yet we seem to have more “stuff” than ever. More speed than ever. More choices than ever. More desires than ever. What to do? Are we inexorably caught up, or is there a solution? A way out?

Collectively, in current times, we appear to be trying to do too much too quickly. We try to do many things simultaneously, so often we do those things in a shoddier, less careful way.  

Along with this, we do not have the time, make the time, to take good care of ourselves. So tension builds in our bodies, and we are more likely to develop an stress-related illness. We get more serious illnesses younger. We tend to blame ourselves or someone else for what is happening to us…. which causes emotional pain and disharmony. 

So let us look into this paradox; this dilemma, but first

    Thought for the day

      Never before 

      Has an age been so technologically equipped 

      To record and store semblances of itself 

      While at the same time 

      Being so self-consciously uncertain 

      About who it really is.

                 Kelly Grovier

Everyone wants to sell us something. 

Some give us a material solution like a new machine that can do it all for us –Thermomix or the next level App - faster and more efficient software. A car that can drive itself. Machines that can do the washing, the cleaning, the babysitting; and all we need to do is buy them and learn how to program them. 

So many ways we can buy things, so many things we can buy; and ever-increasing speed with which we can buy from countless places. And there is always more to desire…. 

So we work harder to make more money to buy what might help us feel less “under the pump’ or provide some relief. Many seek relief through alcohol and drugs; even wellness holidays. 

Of course, this can become a vicious circle, and for many, the cycle is spinning faster and faster. 

It seems like our desires and “having enough” do not actually lead us to any peace of mind; just the need for more. 

The Buddhists say we live in the desire realm. 

Capitalism’s endless creativity and complexity are the natural product of the desire realm, and it is all based on making money out of selling something. 

And the act of buying something gives us a dopamine hit which feels good. 

Until it doesn’t; until we discover the truth. 

The truth is it becomes increasingly stressful to have another machine to charge, to look after; and then to fix! Or throw out. Look at the hard rubbish collections on the sidewalks, it is mind-boggling how much waste we produce. And sadly, none of this leads to what we are really yearning for – enduring, stable, peace of mind.

Twenty years after Al Gore put out “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006, we regularly hear that “climate change” is a lost battle. Even great people cannot seem to stop the surge of this global civilization of ours towards more people, more stuff, more speed, more waste and more rubbish. And our leaders with integrity are floundering because collectively, we are addicted to this way of life. 

This takes us back to the prophetic song of Bob Dylan’s “ Everything is Broken” to which I offer another verse:

Broken democracy, broken education,


Broken atmosphere , broken oceans,


Broken traditions, broken families,


People zoned-out from broken drugs,


Ain't no use jiving


Ain't no use joking


Everything is broken.

So is it all hopeless?

Certainly not! 

But maybe we need to rethink. 

To refocus.

Most reading this will fall into the category of “the lucky ones”. 

Most of us do have enough to eat. We do have a roof over our heads along with adequate heating and cooling. We have the opportunity to seek relief from being in nature, from medications that work, from going on good retreats and well organised holidays. 

And yet all along, deep inside, we do know these things to be temporary. And there is a yearning to know who we really are and how we might live in a way aligned to our true values.

It seems to me that now, more than ever, we need to know what is possible beyond this material world we live our days in. This current world is in such a difficult state, it may force us to recognise that if we are going to have any chance of living a satisfying life we need to look more deeply. Maybe we need to acknowledge the current trajectory is leading to greater and greater complexity, expense and waste; while forcing us to work more and speed up. 

But we are paddling as fast as we can, are we not? So maybe it is time to seek a deeper meaning than just this material world we recognise through scientific investigation. 

Plain logic and common sense tells me that the answer to having a better life, a more fulfilling life, a more enjoyable life, is to commit a significant amount of time to knowing and loving ourselves more deeply. 

And to understand what “on earth” we are doing here on this planet together. 

Yes, me and you. 

And to dedicate some special time to investigating the mystery of all this. 

The magical and infinite dimension which has power to create and transform that which is beyond the measuring instruments of science.

Bigger than us, yet part of us. 

Invisible, and yet it can be known. 

So hard to grasp intellectually. 

Possible to understand through music, poetry, art and loving relationships… to a depth that is unfathomable. Possible to understand through turning our attention inwards and meditating.

So, it seems to me to be very important that we do slow down regularly. Slow down enough to notice what really matters and to take an interest in it. 

And then when our life is over, we will not end up bewildered, and wondering “what was that all about?”

Maybe it is time to meditate.  So we come to know what we do not know.

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT with Ruth and Ian

DEEP NATURAL PEACE

3 Day Meditation Immersion with Ian and Ruth Gawler
NOVEMBER 2026 – Friday 6th to Sunday the 8th - Yarra Junction

These days, many people have had some introduction to meditation and the power of the mind. Soon comes the realisation of the extraordinary depth and breadth of it all. And often we get a sense there is more to it …..   More to experience ..…

So while this retreat will include ample instruction, the focus will be upon direct experience; finding and immersing ourselves in the deep inner peace, the regenerative power and the clarity of our own stillness. And the balance between doing and being...

This process will be enhanced by being in the wonderful, peaceful and majestic forests of the Upper Yarra Valley, by being supported by the staff and amenities of the Gawler Foundation’s Living Centre, and guided by Ian and Ruth Gawler.

For details CLICK HERE