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

 

In praise of fast cars and the need for a heart transplant

What can we learn from a very fast old car?

Plenty really. I drive a Subaru WRX. Fabulous car. I was fortunate and happened to buy the 1998 model, the best looking WRX of all time. Sleek, elegant, relatively cheap, and bloody fast!

This month, my lovely old car is celebrate its 28th birthday, having just turned over 365,00Kms. Yes 365,000Kms! And it still goes very fast!

And yes, I know that these days it is about as politically correct to admit to loving driving fast as it is to being a smoker, but it is a fact. I love speed. Always have.

So this week, let’s go “Out on a Limb” once more, revisit and update a post from 2013 and discover what we can learn from a very fast old car. But first, I love being still as well, so

   Thought for the Day

Profound and tranquil, free from complexity

Uncompounded luminous clarity

Beyond the mind of conceptual ideas

This is the depth of the mind of the victorious ones.

In this there is not a thing to be removed

Nor anything that needs to be added.

It is merely the immaculate

Looking naturally at itself

            Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche

The metaphor is simple but very strong. 

As a fast car, to get to be 28 years old and to continue to look as good as you did in the early days, to continue to go as fast as you did in the early days; it all takes some work. Good care, regular servicing, a few running repairs, and maybe a facelift!

My WRX came with all the raw ingredients. 

The car looks terrific to my eye; it has beautiful lines, is compact and elegant. 

(This one looks the same but is not my car.)

In many ways it looks like a modest hatchback.

But then there is this incredible turbo-charged Boxer motor that is hooked up to everything that matches. 

The outcome? 

A racing billycart. Sure the ride is a little rough, but it moves fast, handles extraordinarily well and has been incredibly reliable. I love driving this car.

But then, the truth is the car is serviced regularly and has never had an accident, despite being driven very hard in its early days, more sedately of late. It did blow up a transmission at 30K, but Subaru recognised an in-built fault and replaced it free of charge. Being automatic, the transmission did need replacing again about 10 years ago.

The only other difficulty was when the failure of a minor part led to a major engine problem at around 200K and the bottom half of the engine needed replacing. And I did have it resprayed a year or so ago.

So the simple metaphor. Compare the car to the body. My body is 76 years old. Still goes quite well despite being short of one leg and one lung. But this body of mine, like the WRX, gets very well looked after. 

Fuel

I am quite particular about what goes into it this body of mine. The WRX would probably run on basic unleaded; splutter along at least; but it goes best on Premium and that is also better for its engine. 

My body, like the WRX, is a combustion engine. 

You put things into it, it burns them up and it goes. 

The WRX has a simple combustion engine and I am very particular about what I put in its petrol tank. 

My body is an exquisitely complex combustion engine. 

It makes logical sense to be even more attentive to what goes into my own tank.

Why not use the best? 

Why not eat the best?

Regular servicing

For me, regular meditation is like servicing. Worth doing daily. Going on retreat is a more deliberate form of servicing, as is having a regular massage, taking time out in the garden or going for a walk. Regeneration time. When I need to, which is often, I want to know that everything has been done, everything is ready, so that I can be at my best. 

Why not be at your best?

Respraying

This seems to be unknown or overlooked by many, but in my view, good food, really good food combined with regular meditation, is way more effective then a facelift. Eat consistently well and skin tone is good, wrinkles smooth out and an inner glow emerges. 

Why not look at your best?

Actually, I treat my body better than the WRX. 

I like to think I treat it like a Formula One racing car, where everything is taken seriously, but there is a lot of fun involved. 

That attitude certainly helped me to recover from a very difficult cancer. 

And these days, while I am not fixated, I am fairly diligent, and this attitude helps me to make the most of the bits that I do have, to live and enjoy life to the full, and to make the most of what it is that I have to offer to others.

And finally, along with the WRX’s milestone 28th birthday, it is currently receiving a heart transplant. After all these years and kilometres, the engine, while still going well, is blowing smoke. For me, it makes more environmental sense to restore the old engine than buy a new car with all the resources that involves. 

So soon, I will be in an old car with a new engine – that may well be faster than ever...

Love that car!

RELATED BLOG

What food goes into your tank?

RESOURCES

BOOK:  You Can Conquer Cancer – for all the answers to your food questions, and how to be confident of, and enjoy Formula One food!

Audio Book Here   

Eating Well, Being Well – MP3 outlining the dietary recommendations found in my experience to be best suited to those interested in eating well - for themselves and the family. Downloadable here  


Eating for recovery – more specific recommendations for those affected by cancer. Builds on the first food MP3, so if you are managing cancer, the two CDs are necessary. Downloadable here   

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Eating More Meat, Dairy, and Other Unhealthful Foods Leads to Worse Aging

After an average 16-year follow-up, people who consumed a “Western-type” diet, including a high intake of red and processed meats, whole dairy products, and fried foods, were more likely to die prematurely and to suffer from various chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and mental health disorders, compared with people who avoided such dietary patterns. Researchers analyzed data from 5,350 participants from the WhitehalI II study in London and scored dietary patterns using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to assess disease risk. People with better AHEI scores had better overall health outcomes as they aged.

Akbaraly T, Sabia S, Hagger-Johnson G, et al. Does overall diet in midlife predict future aging in phenotypes? A cohort study. Am J Med. 2013; 126:411-419.

 

The Critical Brain Hypothesis – what it is and what it means for your way of thinking and meditation

Consider a stringed instrument. Tighten the strings too much – poor sound. Too loose – poor sound. There is a need to be not too tight, not too loose. Well tuned.

In meditation we often use this analogy to remind ourselves to concentrate in the same way. Not so intense we end up with a headache. Not so slack we fall asleep. Just right...

Now research in neuroscience is pointing to this same need for optimal brain function – not too much activity, not too little; and this has significance for how we think, how we contemplate and how we meditate. 

So this week we investigate the fascinating world of the critical brain hypothesis. And a gentle warning, the brain criticality hypothesis is one of the most focused and controversial topics in current neuroscience and biophysics; and also, it may be one of the more useful ones, but first

    Thought for the day

          In an age of constant movement

          Nothing is so urgent

          As sitting still

                          Pico Iyer

Notice what happens with your thoughts. 

Some seem inconsequential and come and go with no lasting memory or consequence. Effectively, we could say they just die out.

Other thoughts can be so strong they precipitate an avalanche of mental activity. When this happens we can feel overwhelmed. When this hyper-activity persists, we could easily get into over-thinking and head towards anxiety, or start to feel overloaded, burnout and drop into depression.

The critical brain hypothesis suggests the brain operates at its best in that place of balance between order and chaos, between under and over activity. In this critical state, neural networks balance on a fine line—activity does not simply fade into nothing, nor does it spiral into uncontrolled excitation. In this state of being “in tune”, our mind is in the ideal state to maximize its capacity to process, store, and transmit information. 

In this ideal state, our mind:

1. Is poised to maintain the widest range or stable states that are vital for both short-term memory and complex computation.

2. Enables different parts of the brain to communicate and synchronize.

3. Is suitably sensitive and responsive to new sensory inputs without getting bogged down by locked-in, rigid states.

Scientists suggest this critical balance is maintained by the delicate tug-of-war between excitation (neurons turning each other on) and inhibition (neurons turning each other off). Through mechanisms like synaptic plasticity and homeostasis, the brain naturally tunes its connectivity to hover right in the "sweet spot". 

Modern neuroimaging models confirm the healthy brain maintains a state of near-criticality, subtly shifting its exact tuning depending on cognitive demands like perception and rest. 

However, for full disclosure, while current evidence does support it, the critical brain hypothesis may yet prove to be wrong, or incomplete. Either way, the understanding it provides is generating an avalanche of questions and answers that tell us much more about the brain — and computing generally — than we knew before.

So what does this theory imply for our thinking, contemplation and meditation?

For optimal value, we need to think in a calm, clear manner. Obviously... Not too excited. Not too deadened. Yet amidst all the pressures of modern life, amidst all the noise and distractions, how to manage being calm and clear.

My guess is you know... Meditation of course!

And when it comes to our meditation practice, this exciting new research confirms the age old wisdom, we need to focus in a way that is not too tight, not too loose. 

Remember the injunction: 25% mindfulness, 25% awareness, 50% spaciousness. It makes good sense!

And for our contemplation, this hypothesis adds more credence to the basic principle: think actively for a while on the question you are contemplating. 

Investigate the question actively with your thinking mind. 

Then let go of all effort and allow the space for insight to dawn. Then repeat. Focus. And let go. Focus. And let go. And repeat. The balance between effort and effortlessness.

My guess is we will be hearing more and more about this Critical Brain Hypothesis. It is wonderful (at least for those with a fixation on the need for “evidence”) when modern scientific research and theory aligns with age old wisdom. And hopefully interesting for all of us... Enjoy your practice. May it ever deepen...

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT

DEEP NATURAL PEACE

A unique opportunity to explore the implications and practical application of the Critical Brain Hypothesis, while experiencing being guided into the deep natural peace and clarity of profound meditation.

3 Day Meditation Immersion with Ian and Ruth Gawler
NOVEMBER 2026 – Friday 6th to Saturday 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