In order to practice direct awakening, a clear understanding and experience of awakened consciousness is essential. In this opening session, we will take an experiential journey into our own true nature, noticing how this luminous consciousness differs from ordinary consciousness and learning how we can allow this sacred dimension of being to naturally begin to reveal itself as none other than our own true self.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to recognize your own “true nature” or “awakened consciousness” and how to make room for this essential mystery to begin to animate your being.
• What it means to “practice awakening” right now and how this differs from practicing in order to prepare for awakening.
• How to discern the difference between “awakened consciousness” and other altered states of consciousness that can often be distractions on the spiritual path.
• Why the practice of direct awakening is the most natural practice we can do, and how to allow that naturalness and easefulness to begin to “meditate you.”
• The most common pitfalls and detours you’re likely to encounter on the path of Direct Awakening and how to recognize and avoid them so that the grace of natural awakening can flow without obstruction.

Like any practice, Direct Awakening rests on a set of fundamentals that together create a strong foundation for the deep transformative work we’ll be doing. In this module, you’ll learn a clear and simple set of steps to follow each time you practice that will enable you to establish this unshakable foundation for the great work of awakening.

You’ll learn . . .

• The 3 foundations of optimal meditation posture that will enable you to practice without the distractions of unnecessary physical tension or pain. (No, you don’t have to sit on the floor with your legs crossed, but it does matter how you sit and these dos and don’ts can have a big impact on the quality of your attention!).
• The 5 key environmental factors that support a deep meditation practice, and how to create a simple “virtual temple” wherever you are that will help you bring your full presence and attention to the practice.
• How to generate a powerful intention rooted in “enlightened motivation” prior to each practice session (and why practicing without this awakened intention often leads to dullness and distraction for even seasoned meditators).
• A simple practice for boosting your concentration to help you reduce inner distraction and enable you to bring an “easeful focused attention” to your meditation.
• How to leave your “inner critic” on the temple steps so that you can allow your meditation to unfold naturally without the distraction of worrying whether you’re “doing it right.”

From dawn to dusk, we’re always doing something. We’re trying to achieve something, accomplish something, change something, make something happen. And while this engaged orientation to life is essential for participating in and contributing to the world, it tends to obscure a more fundamental reality: the inherent freedom and fullness of Being itself. In this module, we’ll consciously undertake what may be the ultimate challenge for any human being: allowing ourselves to rest in the unimaginable contentment and freedom of simply being as we are.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to short-circuit the ego’s relentless insistence that there is something missing from this moment and discover the profound depth and fullness that is always already here.
• Why “doing nothing” changes everything, and how to avoid turning “not doing” into another, more subtle form of “doing.”
• How to suspend the habitual presumption of lack and limitation long enough to make room for the essential perfection of your “true nature” to reveal itself.
• How to go beyond mere “self acceptance” and discover the deep peace and contentment of embracing all of reality as it is.
• Why taking time to “simply be” is paradoxically one of the most transformative things you can do.

Our culture places a premium on knowledge. We are valued and rewarded for what we know and often afraid to admit it when we don’t. Yet when it comes to the mystery of spiritual awakening, our conceptual knowledge can only take us so far. To truly enter into the vast, limitless territory of awakened consciousness, we must be willing to step beyond our certainties and enter into an awakened innocence. In this module, you’ll learn how to “live in the unknown” so that a profound energy and intelligence which lies forever beyond our comprehension can begin to reveal itself in your experience.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to open the door to profound intuitive wisdom and spontaneous creativity by letting go of “the need to know.”.
• Why the discovery of our “true nature” does not depend on conceptual knowledge and how to relinquish our attachment to certainty so that this awakened essence can continuously reveal itself.
• How to meditate deeply even if you have an active mind by learning how to disembed your awareness from the stream of thought.
• Why innocence is more powerful than certainty and how to become comfortable living in “the unknown.”
• How to meet each moment of meditation-and life-with a “beginner’s mind” and discover the expansive freedom of not knowing.

One definition of awakened awareness is “awareness that is aware of itself.” Although this might sound esoteric, learning how to be aware of your own awareness is in fact one of the simplest and most accessible practices of Direct Awakening we’ll explore. The discovery that this awakened awareness is always present brings our search for freedom outside ourself to an end, liberating us into a natural state of ever present wakefulness. In this module, we’ll engage a series of exercises to help you discover how to activate awakened consciousness by paying attention to the movement of awareness itself in meditation and in daily life.

You’ll learn . . .

• Why our habitual identification with thoughts and feelings blocks the recognition of awakened awareness, and how to release this habit and penetrate directly into your awakened nature right now.
• Why becoming aware of awareness itself is the easiest entry point into awakened consciousness.
• 3 accessible practices for awakening awareness to itself without needing to activate any special state of consciousness.
• How to recognize the essential qualities of awakened awareness and unleash their liberating power into your life.
• How to directly access the liberating spaciousness of awakened awareness even amidst challenging emotions and mental chatter.

We’ve all heard that the “false self” or ego is the primary obstacle on the spiritual path. But how do we move beyond this mind-constructed story of self to unleash the extraordinary capacities of our true nature? In this module, we’ll engage a series of powerful practices for dissolving the limitations of our “false self” so that we can open to the infinite power and depth of our authentic self.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to systematically deconstruct the deeply held “false identity structure” that we all take for granted as who we are.
• Why letting go of yourself is the key to fully experiencing the beauty and fullness of Life.
• The key to embracing the radical and liberating truth that “you are not your ego” so that you can begin to accept the limitless reality of your essential self.
• How to open to the freedom, joy and fullness of being alive without needing to tie that experience back to a narrow, limiting idea of self.
• A simple but effective practice that will enable you to experience the boundless freedom of your true nature and unleash its built in “supercapacities” into every area of your life.

Most of us are familiar with the idea of “oneness.” For many of us, the belief in our essential unity has even become a new religion. But how many of us can truly say we have transcended the illusion of duality? In this module, we’ll dive deep into one of the most essential and life-changing revelations of Enlightenment-the truth of non-duality, the liberating reality of no separation.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to cut through the most powerful illusion there is.
• A potent practice for stepping directly into the deepest part of who we are.
• How to experience the great liberation of embracing everyone and everything as an inseparable part of yourself.
• What it means to go beyond subtle “spiritual dualism” by learning how to directly perceive the “already enlightened nature” of all that arises.

Most of us have accomplished great things in life by trying to control and drive events and circumstances to work in our favor. But spiritual awakening is ultimately about getting out of the way so that a greater wisdom and power can begin to guide and ultimately animate our life. To allow the miraculous energy of awakening to begin to operate without obstruction, we must each find a way to surrender ourselves to a mystery beyond our mind’s comprehension. In other words, we have to let go of control. In this module, we’ll learn the subtle art of letting go in meditation so that we can begin to be carried by the current of awakening.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to give up control of your meditation so that awakened consciousness can begin to “meditate you.”
• What it really means to surrender to a deeper wisdom or higher power without giving up your sovereignty over your own life.
• How to navigate your way between the polarities of mindful effort and unconditional surrender.
• Why letting go is the key to accessing a profound “inner GPS” to enable you to navigate life with wisdom, clarity and unshakable confidence.
• How to let go so deeply that you’ll never want to hold on again.

The human condition is dominated by an underlying sense of lack. This assumption of insufficiency keeps us in an endless cycle of always looking elsewhere for happiness and fulfillment. In this module, we’ll learn the life-altering meditative practice of seeing the inherent perfection and wholeness of reality as it is right now. When we stop insisting that there is something missing from this moment, we open the door to the overwhelming revelation of fullness and unimaginable contentment that is our natural state.

You’ll learn . . .

• The secret to moving beyond a paradigm of lack into the direct recognition of unconditional Fullness and inherent Freedom here and now.
• Why it’s necessary to abandon any investment in the future in order to allow the extraordinary nature of the present to reveal itself.
• How to cultivate the equanimity to stay steady as the uncontainable Truth of wholeness begins to overwhelm your being with its immensity.
• Why finally accepting the moment as it is is the key to a life of unimaginable meaning, purpose and contribution.
• How to let go once and for all of the insistence that you aren’t enough.

As we deepen in the Practice of Direct Awakening, we gradually discover that the less effort we make, the more the process of awakening begins to take on a life of its own. In the later stages of practice, we’re learning how to navigate the subtleties involved in making room for a mysterious energy and intelligence to open up within us, but without making the mistake of becoming entirely passive in the process. In this module, we’ll learn the delicate art of “getting out of our own way” so that the miracle of awakening can begin to have its way with us, ultimately allowing it to permeate every aspect of our life.

You’ll learn . . .

• How to “get out of the way” in meditation so that the process of awakening can unfold naturally.
• What it means to stop making effort without sinking into unhealthy passivity or complacency.
• Three powerful but simple practices for experiencing “effortless meditation” and spontaneous awakening.
• How to access the humility required to accept that the process of awakening works better when you don’t try to steer or control it.
• What it really means to allow meditation to happen on its own.

Although the precious time we spend in meditation establishes the foundation for an extraordinary, awakened life, we all spend the majority of our time outside of meditation, actively engaged with the world. What if it were possible to turn our daily life into a profound spiritual practice, so that every moment could become a moment of awakening? In this module, we’ll take our contemplative practice out of our “virtual temple” and into the marketplace, exploring how to practice Direct Awakening even as we engage with the complexities and challenges of relationships, work, play and creative pursuits.

You’ll learn . . .

• Why trying to hold on to meditative awareness in the midst of a busy life usually doesn’t work and can actually be counterproductive-and the key shift that will enable you to turn daily life into a profound field of awakening.
• How to use “engaged inquiry practices” to continue to deepen your awakening as you move through your day.
• An active approach to transformation that enables you to defuse, disarm, and deconstruct the ego in the midst of engagement with everyday life.
• How to transform your relationships into dynamic “evolutionary partnerships” that both support and challenge you to fully live your awakening.
• The 8 inner postures of enlightened action that enable awakened consciousness to freely express itself in everything you do.