Begins February 13
⊹ ࣪ ˖
Begins February 13 ⊹ ࣪ ˖
Are you ready to unlock the power of your authentic self and deepen your relationships?
Join us for an 8-week, mindfulness-based course designed to help you strengthen connections, clarify your boundaries, and nurture self-compassion. In this course, you'll explore how to communicate your truth with confidence and navigate the challenges of both personal and social relationships. Through guided mindfulness practices, reflective exercises, embodiment techniques, and group discussions, you’ll gain essential tools to foster emotional well-being, resilience, and more meaningful connections with others.
Together, we'll explore questions like:
What does it truly mean to be authentic?
How can we communicate our truth when it hasn’t felt safe to do so?
How do we stay connected with others when emotions run high?
What tools can help us repair relationships after conflict?
What’s the difference between personal sovereignty and disconnection?
The Details:
Eight Thursday Evening Zoom Calls:
February 13
February 20
February 27
March 6
March 13
March 20
March 27
April 3
Zoom calls will be from 7 - 8:30 pm ET
Group Chat Thread: Join us on Signal for the course duration to share photos and ongoing digestion from our weekly themes.
Replays will be available if you can’t make a live call
Why are we offering this course?
Because the world needs more of YOU. In a time when social media and constant comparison shape our perceptions, we often lose touch with our true selves. If we don’t intentionally create space to tune into our authenticity, we remain disconnected, stuck in roles and expectations that don't serve us. It's time to practice showing up as our true selves. We’re here to guide you on this journey, creating a safe and supportive space for you to explore what it means to be truly authentic in your relationships.
Many of us are burdened by shame or an overly critical inner voice, which can make it hard to show up fully in our relationships. Yet, it’s our authenticity that has the power to disrupt those negative cycles and create the deeper, more honest connections we crave.
Q+A about the course:
Do I need to participate in the live calls to benefit?
No, you don’t need to, but we encourage it. Of course, the live calls will give you access to directly working with our facilitators and receiving peer support. There are some excerises you won’t be able to recieve benefits from when watching the replay because they need to be practiced with others. This is a relational mindfulness course. Our group chat is additional support for the duration of the course to help you stay accountable to your process and to integrate the material between our calls.
Do I need to be on camera?
If you plan to attend the course we ask that you try to be on camera some of the time. It is nice for us to feel connected! We understand it’s not always possible, or it may be too uncomfortable. That’s okay. But show up when you can.
How does this course work? What happens on the calls?
Every call includes mindfulness and embodiment practices to ground you, stabilize awareness and cultivate presence. We offer teaching and group dialogue on the call theme (eg boundaries). We may include journal prompts, dyads (mindful listening practices), or compassion-based meditation practices. Group sharing, called Council, is a core practice in many of Sarana Institute’s programs, including this course.
This course is part of the Yana Program
What is Yana?
Yana is Sarana Institute's young adult-focused program serving those aged ~18-35. For us, it stands for 'Young Adult Nature Awareness', and yāna is also a Buddhist term meaning 'vehicle'. Our intention is to provide a “vehicle” to ride the waves of life with these skills: mindfulness, compassion, nature connection, and food awareness. The Yana program offers online mindfulness and compassion courses, workshops, resources, and our in-person Yana Retreat in August.
Why is This Course Free?
Our Yana programs are sponsored by the Lang Family Foundation. This supports us to reduce registration fees or even offer courses entirely for free! If you have the means to donate we greatly appreciate it. Your contribution helps us to further offset registration fees for the Yana Retreat and provide bursaries for those who need financial assistance.
How Can I Donate to the Yana Fund?
After you submit your registration for this free course you will be taken to our donation page. Any contribution helps! You can also directly donate here.
When and Where is the Yana Retreat?
2025 dates TBA soon. Our retreat takes place at Sarana Springs, a 171 acre wildlife refuge outside of Chatsworth, Ontario, approximately 2.5 hours North of Toronto. Taking part in this free course will introduce you to some of the material we’ll be exploring much more in-depth at the retreat. Learn more about the retreat here.
Andrew is Registered Psychotherapist, Buddhist Chaplain, and Meditation Teacher. He’s also one of the Co-founders of Sarana Institute. He brings his decades of experience navigating the inner territory and how this reflects in our lives, his BIG capacity, and a really great laugh.
Maxine has been teaching with Sarana Institute since 2017 as one of the core members for the Yana Program. She’s a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and Embodiment Coach. Maxine brings her courage for inner transformation work, her heart and her depth.
Together, Maxine and Andrew have navigated many real moments in their relationship as co-teachers, co-workers, and members of Sarana. They bring their bond, honesty and skills to this program.
