Staff Spotlight: Michelle Heinz

I love living and learning with groups. When you get people in retreats and practicing deeply, all the helpful planning and structures work like a well-oiled machine. This opens up and holds space for people to experience profound shifts and transformations. I have seen people come fractured and lost. I see them leave engaged, alive and strong. I have many of these memories, and they all make my heart sing.

I'm lighter, brighter and happier for one! The biggest gift is that I have a solid meditation practice which serves me daily and keeps me on my game. Professionally, skills I learnt with Clear Sky led me to a professional career which I love. I have a wealth of experience working with others in ways that empower and grow us all.

One of our return students left to be an entrepreneurial catering business. Now he is a resident at Clear Sky, running a catering business and creating food products from the food forest at Clear Sky. He shared with me how he has never been around such bright, clear and wise people. He loves to contact and study with the co-founders, trainers and onsite community. He moved his life to the centre where he grows himself, business and Clear Sky. Clear Sky's kitchen and farm have never done better. Win-win!

I would choose the Mindfulness and Beyond Program. It is like a deep 3 month retreat. The power of this length of time is that you can integrate the learnings very deeply into your life. Science tells us that it takes 30 days or more to re-wire unconscious or no longer useful habits. When you are in an environment geared specifically for depth work like this, you can co-create habits that you want. It's a life changer giving you life-skills for your career, relationship and long-term happiness.

Clear Sky is a modern day monastery. In years past, this required devoting your life to solitude. In today's world we can do this with internet, high integrity and world class teaching. Activities at Clear Sky incorporate how to bring deep care and attention into our study, meditation and daily activities- together; in the kitchen, on the farm, online and during play time too. I've never experienced anything like it anywhere else.

The desire to grow, paired with a willingness to listen and look deeply at challenges, is what I think is the key to our success. Many people today feel lonely and crave community. When we come together with shared motivations and goals, this gives us fuel and wisdom to make changes as individuals and as a team. It allows us to change and ride on the momentum of each others energy, making it easier together. It also makes learning way more fun and interesting! That alone is cause to celebrate.