Meditation and community with Dahlia
13 weeks from Imbolc to Beltane, February 1 – April 26
Pricing variable, see details below
Scholarships, equity pricing, and payment plans are available
When I lived in San Francisco my friend Tim gifted me a magnolia tree. He wanted to thank me for bringing yoga to his life. He said that trees made more sense to him than people, and wanted to bring what he loved to my life. Such sweet reciprocity! Soon after our planting of the precious magnolia in front of my home a big storm rolled toward the city. One of my neighbors called with strong feelings about tying the little tree to stakes to hold her up in the wind. I reached out to Tim, who said we should leave her just as she was; the tough conditions would strengthen her growth and she would become more resilient. That was 13 years ago. I no longer live beside her, but I check in when I can; my husband visited her a few weeks ago and brought photographs home. She has indeed grown into a large and sturdy being!
This story holds my best wishes for all of us in the heavy weather that seems to lie ahead: that the need to nurture internal resilience might help you grow stronger, to thrive amidst the storms. In service of this I offer this workshop, which will hold connection, community, refuge, and support – so much so that now, in honor of 30 years of teaching and 10 years of this work I am changing the name from “meditation course” to “workshop for living”. This is my longest offering yet: 13 weeks of cultivating energetic integrity.
The Field of Being is what I call the meditation practice in which we visualize and attend to the subtle and vital aspects of our being. This is powerful work! I hear often that folks who took part when I last taught it 8 years ago continue to use this as core personal support. It’s the kind of thing you can carry all your days: we center, ground, clear, vitalize, and boundary. Having the capacity to nourish ourselves in this way makes us both more self-reliant and more able to engage with other people. It is often glorious and transformative stuff.
Some people think of this as energy work: tending to our human being for healing and basic wellness, a form of fundamental self-maintenance. Some people think of this as a symbolic practice of meditative visualization which has deep emotional resonance. Whether you think of it as literal or metaphoric, the somatic and visual aspects of the practice tend to make it engaging for people of many different natures of mind. I would love to share this with you.
Old-timers: I spent last year gleefully innovating my meditation teaching. The work has reached a sweet spot and I'm holding steady. This workshop will ask for less reading and offer more connection than courses in the past. There will be no discussion of how much or often you should practice unless you initiate it: I trust you to use what I am offering as you wish. New tools and refinement of process make accessing materials simpler during and after a course. You have the option for a lot of live connection, but it isn't required – the only time you have to do something at a specific time is your 1-2 hours 1:1 with me. If you've got questions about logistics after reading the description below, reach right out. If you took the autumn Love in Action course, you know the structure and can jump down to Participation Options & Pricing!
I really love this practice – the feeling of home, safety and comfort. I feel nourished and replenished. I like how I can escape from life around me for a little while, but still be within myself. I like how I'm getting to know myself better. I have more trust in myself to handle thoughts, feelings, situations. I am better able to sit with the impermanence of life, both for the good and the bad. – Amelia Urban Romaine, MA, ATR-BC, LPC
Teaching & Community: Weekly Gatherings
Teaching is shared in a weekly session of meditation and conversation which takes place from 8-9 Pacific on Saturday mornings. You can join live or watch the recording later. Zoom recordings will be available until May 18th. The meditation portion is shared as an audio file to use as you wish throughout the course and keep afterward. The trust and understanding we build in our practice create a loving, thoughtful community. Schedule:
- Gathering: February 1, 8
- Integration (no gathering): February 15
- Gathering: February 22
- Integration (no Gathering): March 1
- Gathering: March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12
- Integration (no Gathering): April 19
- Final Gathering: April 26
“There’s this ease now that I’ve been craving for so long. The meditation makes me feel safe and confident in my body.” - Sarah Itani
"Meditations were so easy to drop into, and gave me more value than any other meditations I've done. I've never had actual insight from meditation before." - Catherine Miller
1:1 Support
Connecting with me in private conversation brings greater intimacy and immediacy to your experience. Most people choose to engage in conversation about how the seeds of practice are taking root in their personal lives; we share personal counsel and coaching. Some people choose this time for guidance in yoga, self-massage, to work with energetic healing, or to have me create them a personal meditation recording. All of my skills are available for you during these sessions. Depending upon the Weave you choose, you get one or two 1-hour private sessions with me.
"The gifts Dahlia brings in the form of intuition, empathic listening, resourcing and encouragement are a testament to her deep knowledge of spirituality, meditation, mind/body medicine and relationships. Our work together reminds me of who I am and how I want my life to be."
Sharing Circles
Each week there is a written conversation. We take turns sharing to keep the volume of reading enjoyable and feasible. Folks might speak about their experience of our practice, how the practice is blossoming in their living, or what's going on in their lives right now. They might pose questions or ask for advice. I reply to each person's share with a personal letter full of encouragement, support, teaching, and advice. Everyone who joins the Deep or Core Weave gets to read all of the Sharing Circle posts and my replies to them. Folks who join the Deep Weave share twice, Core Weave once. The Light Weave does not participate in the Sharing Circle.
"I am still blown away by Dahlia's response to my questions. I feel that each of her responses to my posts are like little love letters to me as I practice, which motivates me even more." - Meghan Elliott
Touchstone Pods
Quick, love-drenched, daily conversations by text are optional in small peer groups; I aim for pods of 3. It's astonishing how transformational a few quick minutes of daily connection can be! This little reminder of the values and practices we are working with along with loving witness and social support threads into our living like honey, like stardust. Folks often choose to continue these relationships beyond the workshop.
Participation Options & Pricing
Sweet friend, costs are higher than last year because you are getting far more: this workshop is 13 weeks long; most prior events were 8 or 9. The goal is to go deeper with the time we share so that you end up with more skill, support, connection, and value.
- Deep Weave: All Gatherings, two Sharing Circle posts & responses, reading access to all Sharing Circles, two private hours with Dahlia, optional Touchstone pod.
$500 – 700 - Core Weave: All Gatherings, one Sharing Circle post & response, reading access to all Sharing Circles, one private hour with Dahlia, optional Touchstone pod.
$400 – 600 - Light Weave: All Gatherings, no Sharing Circle, one private hour with Dahlia
$250 – 450
The Light Weave omits the weekly Sharing Circle and Touchstone pods. This may be just right for you when time is tight or energy is low! It is a significantly different experience.
Your spot is reserved when you register with your $200 deposit. Balance is due by January 31. Longer payment plans, scholarships, and equity pricing are available. Contributions toward scholarship are warmly received and will be granted to someone in the current workshop. Want to discuss cost or payment? Not sure which weave is right for you? Wondering if this can work with your schedule? I'd truly love to hear from you; this is how I understand what folks need as I create my work. Drop me a line: dahlia@beloved.org.
