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Below are comments participants have made at the conclusion of the 6 week More Than Meditation course.
Comments after the July 2009 Course
"This course has opened my eyes to the world. I have experienced a range of emotions, but the most beneficial aspect was my acceptance of my injury/pain and eventually I will be able to heal myself. It has given me insight into controlling my negative thinking and transforming them into positive. I have a big way to go with my healing but I now have direction".
Slavica Velkovski, Heatherton
"It forced me to start looking after myself. I'm starting to really enjoy stillness". Mirco Kabat Director Doncaster East
" This course has opened my mind. Changed our lives. We had never experienced meditation before but found it has become a part of everyday". Faye Cameron Retired Frankston
"I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. I didn't think I could sit up to meditate or would enjoy group meditation, I can and I do now! Vassie Kakolyris Teacher Forrest Hill
"I loved the course, I experienced inner peace and will definitely continue to practice meditation" Lara Bronfman Accountant Glenhuntly
"The beginning of an amazing and wonderful journey. At the very least I now know that pain can be parked, put aside and accepted ... a very positive feeling. David Hanrahan General Manager Rowville
"Allowed me to compare a range of techniques. I liked the information showing the scientific research regarding meditation and the effect on the brain" Rosemary Wealthy Coach Viewbank
"I have regularly meditated (which is a minor miracle). Impossible to say where I be if I didn't meditate! Simon Michnowicz Engineer Glen Iris
"during the six weeks I have looked forward each day to the time I meditate and sometimes have meditated twice. I would love to repeat the course yearly." Josephine Britton Pilates instructor Somerville
"The course has allowed me to better understand my mind and the power of my mind". David Wilson veterinary surgeon
"opened up a whole new world of self-awareness" Chris Barker Company Director Endeavour Hills
Comments after the April 2009 Course
Participants were asked, “ How beneficial did you find this Courses? Please give the Course a rating from 0- 10.
Petuna Ley, flight attendant. This course was extremely beneficial and I rate of 10 out of 10.
I had no idea how energising meditation can be after both my sessions at home and in the group classes. I often feel a sense of renewal and lightness which illustrates to me the power of this technique. It has also helped me to achieve a level of detachment which is beneficial for someone who is quite sensitive.
Linda Murray,Box office assistant. This course was extremely beneficial -10/10. I learnt that meditation can be used in the acceptance of pain and therefore with acceptance, pain may decrease in your mind. Also the use of meditation in sleep or using meditation to relax your mind to help with sleep.
Atida Naphtali- Director. I rate this course 9/10. I'm now beginning to be able to switch off the noise in my head. I now understand about watching my thoughts and letting them go. I am beginning to be able to deal with pain both physical and emotional.
Susan . For me this course was 10 out of 10.
I now cope much better with stress - feel more relaxed and get into a relaxed state quite quickly. I have more self-awareness when I start to stress. This course has helped me manage fibromyalgia better especially during very busy times. A big thank you to Bill, Kati and Daniel.
Michael Karitsis, Truck driver and personal trainer. This course was extremely beneficial- 10/10. I have now become more understanding of others and have slowed down.
Catherine Hills, graphic design. This course was 9/10. I found the insights delivered during the course to be helpful. In order to practice meditation it is a great assistance to understand the pathways to stillness and awareness. The Course has provided a path for me to follow. Thank you Bill, Kati and Daniel.
Leah Shaw, retired teacher and company director. I rate this course 10/10. As a result of this course I am now less anxious about very stressful situations. I have great calmness, more awareness and acceptance. I now experience inner peace. Meditation allows me “me space and me time”.
Grace. I rate this course 9/10. I've learnt about the structure of meditation and the “Power of 50” component of the programme was a great motivation. I gained an appreciation and value from meditating in a group.
Lynn. This course is 10 out of 10. I gained a deep feeling of peace and well-being. Less anxious and better sleep. I am keen to pursue more in this area. I have the feeling of calm and recover quicker from a stressful event.
Mel. This course I rate 9/10. Enlightening! An experience that will change my life for ever.
Kevin Ringrose. Co Director. I rate this course 10 out of 10. This course is extremely beneficial. I now appreciate discipline as a wonderful way of life.
Lucy. 8/10. I can now sleep better. I actually laughed after a couple of sessions. I find it much easier to stop negative self talk. I'm encouraged to practice more.
Rob Murray, Manager. I rate this course 9/10. It has given me another way to relax when suffering from anxiety. It made me look how I react to different situations in life.
Sue Vittori manager, public servant. I rate this course 10/10 This course has helped to deepen my practice of meditation and to institute it as a vital, natural part of my daily routine, something that this time last year I would have thought impossible. Each session has been a calming and reaffirming experience. I enjoyed the group discussions and learning.
Martin Wells, marketing. This course is 10 out of 10 and extremely beneficial A wonderful insight into the power of the mind and how bountiful resource it is. We all have it and courses like this provide the path to get started.
Heather. This is the second time I have participated in the course. It reinforces my motivation to continue meditating regularly and I do think I feel calmer and more able to deal with difficult situations. The motion seemed to be controlled better
How To Register Now.
1. On line registration. >>next page.
2. Telephone registration. Call Eileen during office hours tel. 9529 6094
Comments after the July 2008 Course
I came to this course with scepticism and a belief that it would not be of much benefit. I am now a believer! I meditate daily and find it enables me to achieve pain relief. I am sleeping better and feel a sense of calm I did not feel before the course. Thank you Bill, Kati and Daniel. Jan Rothwell Short
The course has helped me relax and be aware of the present moment. It has also been very helpful in dealing with chronic back pain. Braham Kormon
The course was extremely beneficial. It was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed each week. I counted the days until the next session. Jenny Serebro
Dear Daniel, Just want to let you know the work you are doing is fantastic. Thankyou for sharing your wisdom with me on the beauty and benefits of meditation. Kind regards, Lauren Lauren Cukierman Jeweller:
Thank yooouuu Bill! Your course has enabled me to stay above water during an extremely difficult and stressful time. I had my mother in hospital receiving blood transfusions, I had a boyfriend and an old girlfriend walk out of my life and I nearly lost my faithful dog, Benson. Yet my practice continues with grace. Thank you to Katie for my one day from work sick to experience her love and sharing. Daniel was clear and great too. Cheers, Marilyn
Donna Johnson, Aged-care worker: This course has proved to be an incredibly uplifting and rewarding experience in my life. Having experienced pain on an off for the last 23 years and more recently depression and anxiety I was at an extremely low point in my life. During the third week of the course I suddenly realized I felt really happy; something I hadn't felt for most of the past year. Now at the completion of the course I'm feeling extremely positive about the future and I feel I am more at peace with the circumstances of my life. I feel I can cope better with the pain and I'm finding that it isn't as bad probably because meditation is helping me to let go of my anger and accept my situation. Meditation is now an integral part of my life many thanks.
An email from a participant after the first week of the March 2008 course
Hi Bill & Kati, First of all thanks for a most informative session last Thursday - thoroughly enjoyed it! The practice is going well managing between 10 - 13 minutes per day.
This morning I woke up at 3.00 am tossing and turning the mind extremely active, full of chatter and simply frustrating, I remembered your advice to one of the participants last Thursday so I got out of bed and went to my meditation room and before I knew it 25 minutes had passed, I was amazed at how crystal clear my mind was and how easily I was able to find that inner silence without all the chatter - the surrounding silence was also blissful.
Upon returning to bed it still took me about another 30 minutes, but then I was able to fall back into a very peaceful sleep. Going on past experience I probably would have been awake until 6.00 or 7.00 in the morning. I was thrilled. See you on Thursday.
Phillipa H.
Here is a recent email received from a past participant.
W.W. Consultant The meditation course that I attended with Bill Patterson and Daniel Lewis was useful and I have kept it up. Tangible benefits are evident after some 4 months. Specifically, improved short term memory and concentration on analytic problems, An improved sense of smell might be coincidental but could also be a consequence of meditation.
I am probably about 80-90% “well” but I rarely feel limited nor intimidated by the condition these days. I observe many people who are ostensibly 100% well but few with whom I would willingly trade places. I am coming to think that the feeling of wellbeing is far more related to state of mind than state of body. In meditation I am training my mind to know that pain serves no purpose whatsoever and should therefore be ignored absolutely. This does not come easily but has been highly effective."
Here is what people wrote after the March 2007 MORE than Meditation Course
Astrida Roper: Teacher I saw how useful meditation can be to reduce stress - after meditating my blood pressure was 10- 15 points lower. I also realised through this course how the mind has to be "trained"to be still - and how much of who we are as people comes from the subconscious mind.
Alanya van de Weil, Respite programme co-ordinator. This course gave me an increased sense of inner peace and calmness. It changed my mind about meditation and the difference it can make in your life.
Diana Psychologist. This course further enhanced my practice and the breadth of my approach to meditation.
Tony. Second time on the course - my meditation and commitment to it has increased.
Kiran Sagoo: Public servant. I rate this course 10/10. It has given me more peace of mind, less anxiety stress and anger.
Ravi Jaladeeshan: Academic The course has started me on the practice of meditation for which I am grateful.
You can register for the next course online here.
Here is what people wrote after the October 2006 Pain Meditation Course
Susan T, PA North Dandenong After accepting my pain and not trying to find a solution it actually has become so much better. From the course I leant to relax more and that not everything needs to be done now. I breath much more-especially when anxious. I found the course extremely beneficial.
Lain L. Mum Armadale. I thought I would not be able to meditate. I was very pleasantly surprised and am looking forward to doing this the rest of my life.
Rosemary R Bookkeeper, Beaumaris. As a result of the course I am taking less pain medication.
Coral B. Company Director, Endeavour Hills I feel more peaceful within myself. I can now be still. I could not do this previously..I had to work non stop. I can now accept my body benefits from stopping. My blood pressure has improved. I rate this course 9/10.
Jenny D Mother of 2 Macleod. The course was 10/10. I definitely feel calmer. I notice the effect now from not meditating only after a couple of days.
Here is what people wrote after the July 2006 Course
Christine B Suffered chronic neck pain and headaches for 27 years.
I learnt a variety of techniques which I can draw upon at any time and depending upon the severity of the pain
Margaret T. Fibromyalgia 4.5 years
I achieved the method of how to still my mind therefore instilling a sense of peace and calmness. There is a sense of timelessness.
Margaret B Parkinson’s disease 3years
I found the course is to be extremely beneficial in reducing stress I achieved a sense of calmness and more acceptance of pain and working through the pain. I am sleeping better.
Lynn D Fibromyalgia 14 years
I found the course enjoyable and beneficial and developed friendships with people who have the same condition; I was able to slow down a lot and my mood stabilized.
Jo D Irritable Bowel Syndrome 30 years
I have found greater self acceptance and this includes physical problems and my emotional self.
I am happy to report that I am doing the meditation every day since the course finished. I tend to do it after my daily walk, which I have found is a useful pattern for me to follow. I really like the loving kindness one and have been mainly doing that one lately. The interesting thing I have noticed is that many more positive things have come into my life since I started meditating! I am sure its no co-incidence. I am very glad that I did the course and I have highly recommended it to people. Doing your course has been one of the highlights of 2006 for me! Goldie Freedman, Consultant, East St Kilda.
mid way through the April 2006 Course.
I have managed each day since Thursday class and am doing 15 minutes. I have found the beach scene visualisation very peaceful. I am also liking the guided visualisation for pain control and spend quite a bit of time on this. Today I was in pain when I was meditating, but later in the day almost pain free and quite calm. I am not sure if that was due to the meditation but I do feel I am doing something positive for myself with this.
I find I am less attached to the wandering thoughts ( the weeds of enlightenment) and am exercising my return to the breath response with less resistance, or rather with less trying.
I've enjoyed the poetry you have started the class with. I never thought of it as an aid to meditation before.
"Poetry can clear away the clutter, providing a tranquil space where thinking...is possible.
This is what people who have completed the April 2006 course have written.
“It is seven weeks since I started the course and I now am at the stage that if I do not do it I miss it. I miss the feeling of relaxation and the sense of mental strength my meditation practice gives me” Janet Cohen, aged 39, accountant/mother
"Where have I been all these years. I think meditation has been the world's best kept secret. This course was 10/10." - Annette Obialor, Nurse, Croydon Hills
" I learnt that it is possible to experience stillness, to change harmful patterns of living and that I must now make a commitment to incorporate meditation into my lifestyle."-Salve Crusca, Social Worker,Mentone
"Before I actually started meditating I had always admired people who did. I had an assumption that the people who meditated were generally older and had a lot of patience, which in no way resembles myself. I am twenty years old and have a tendency to get very restless. I couldn’t think of anything more frustrating than sitting for 20 minutes with my eyes closed trying to focus on something like my breathing – now it’s an essential part of my daily life.
Ever since my first meditation session I have meditated at least once a day for a minimum of 20 minutes. I honestly can’t imagine life without it now. I am one of those people who tend to have 500 thoughts whirling around in my mind simultaneously; I am inclined to stress or worry too much and I always feel like I want should be doing something. Within the first few weeks of the course I found that I was overall a happier person and generally a lot calmer and relaxed about things. Obviously I still get stressed and anxious but I use meditating as a tool to be able to get through stressful situations thus I am able to deal with thing a lot more effectively.
Additionally I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), so I get mentally and physically exhausted and my body gets really weak. I am a full time uni student this year so it can be really hard to keep up with going to all the lectures and the demanding workload etc because of my CFS. Now I use meditation to help me get through. For example when I come home from uni, I am normally completely drained of energy. I find that if I take the time then to do a 20-minute meditation I am able to do a bit of work which previously I would never have been able to manage.
Tomorrow is my last meditation session with Bill Patterson which I find quite sad as I have enjoyed the course so much. I can honestly say that I really looked forward to Thursday nights because I knew that I would come out feeling fantastic. After each weekly session I feel so relaxed yet so revived and stimulated. Overall it has been a truly liberating and amazing experience and I am so grateful to Bill Patterson and Daniel Lewis for introducing me to meditation." - Alice Dessewffy, University Student, Hawthorn
The course has allowed me to find a resting space for myself where I am not in my role as mother, wife, daughter or practitioner” – Gillian Zaks, Trager (movement re-education and relaxation) Practitioner, Caulfield.
It has helped my sleeping. Gill Hayden, Retired, Surrey Hills
" From this course I gained a more relaxed feeling both at work and at home. - less agro" Mike Bull, Manager, Dingley.
"Just to let you know that the meditation has really helped me feel calmer. I am keeping it up - not absolutely every day but regularly. I love my meditation time." Sue 53 Marketing consultant
This course was extremely beneficial. 10/10. It has helped me to get back into regular meditation as well as giving me different methods and ways of doing meditation. I have felt less anxious and more confident and relaxed. Arlene Burrows Retiree.
 The greatest asset of this course is the that it has given me the opportunity to silence my mind & its business. Chris Stoik, architect.
This course was very beneficial. I have an improved sense of calmness and patience in everyday life. Andrea Wales, receptionist.
This course gave me a new attitude to meditation. I had previously regarded it as a little "mystical/witchcrafting" but now realise it is not so, and the way that Bill conducts the course is extremely practical and professional. I have found it has opened a new world regarding human consciousness,experience and potential. Barbara Brierly, retired teacher
I rate this course 10/10. I gained a strong sense of "self". Learning to relax and listen to my thoughts. To learn to just "be" Atida Naphtali, journalist
The course provided structure for my meditation, answered several questions I had after months of struggling on alone. The group energy was great. Cathy Manners ,Psychologist. Glen Iris.
The course was extremely beneficial. It really settled the areas where I experience physical pain. It helped me to be calm and in the moment. Toni Kopanidis, Visual artist. Sandringham.
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