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Miksang Introductory Retreat

Discovering Everyday Beauty

Meditation in Action

Align your heart & mind with visual exercises and photographic assignments

Photographic Art

Always successful pictures, with and without much photography experience

Mindful in Action

Learn how to be in the here and now with looking, seeing and photographing

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Relaxation

Learn to open your heart and calm your busy mind with open-minded looking and fresh seeing. Discover how seeing from the heart is the way in to deep relaxation.

Looking & Seeing

Looking and seeing always takes place in the NOW. Not later or soon. And only in the now you experience joyful direct vivid perceptions. In the here and now.

Focus Now

From inner stillness you focus and from still focus you strengthen calmness. Focus with gentleness towards yourself, others and everything around you.

Fresh Eyes

Looking without mental filters, with zero photographic ambition and seeing with fresh eyes is how you discover the everyday beauty that is always and already present.

Slowing Down

Slowing down starts with coming to a full stop. You stop searching for pictures and practice uninhibited looking. Before you take a picture you allow your perception fully in.

Poetic Pictures

Easily improve your pictures with the Miksang Method. In practical 5 steps with mindful photography. In now-time & no-time you learn genuine poetic photography ;-)

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As designed by Hèlen Vink

How do you bring more stillness and beauty into your life with creative photographic expression?

I have designed the 4-day Miksang Introduction Module in a way so you easily and stepwise get introduced to the ins & outs of Miksang Photography, and experience a full Miksang experience over the course of 4 days

In 2006 I got introduced into Miksang Photography in Cologne, where I coordinated the first Miksang workshop in Europe. At that time I didn't really know what it was up until the introductory talk: I immediately understood the accessibility of this young artistic discipline based on the Buddhist mindfulness approach and the principles of Dharma Art teachings about the process of perception. I fell in love with and the overlap and deepening of the intuition of spirituality within the creative process. This encounter was a fusion of my experiences of photographic art and mindfulness-meditation. Instantly it gave me a sense of calm and relaxation about my creative purpose. Miksang opened the richness of ordinary beauty in my daily life. Inspired I followed all Miksang classes in the US and Canada and subsequently brought Miksang Photography to the Netherlands.

From that moment on I designed the Miksang Photography Training Program in the Miksang Academy

Today, my Miksang Photography Training Program in the Miksang Academy has been followed by more than 250 students and many regularly follow the live and online Masterclasses.

Your introduction to Miksang Photography

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€ 599,-

€ 499 | Now with Early Bird discount: €440

3-day Miksang Retreat | August 31 - Sept. 2, '23

Experience you experiences of clear and delightful seeing with Miksang Photography and let these four days change your habitual looking into unbiased looking and fresh seeing. Discover in a fun and profound way the everyday beauty. With Miksang ‘Good Eye’ your reality unfolds into a playground of visual richness. You learn to recognize your unique resonances, which changes your outlook on life itself as well, becoming more appreciative and connected in the here and now.

You will learn to photograph in a simplified manner with slow photography and the 5 steps of the Miksang Method. Explore the world of form in the harmonious environment of Dechen Chöling and in the natural quietness of the French countryside.

Stepwise you will be introduced to the Miksang basics and guided through the process of pure perception, learning all ins and outs of the dynamics of looking, seeing and seeing from the heart. The series of exercises and photographic assignments help you dissolve mental filters and clearing the ‘colored glasses’ through which you look at things. Each day you set out with a new photographic Miksang assignment. With talks, Q&A, examples, exercises, photographic assignments and each day ends with the image review.

With day trips to the nearby city Limoges and nearby town St. Junien.

• Location: Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, France

• Program price is exclusive accommodation, meals and travel.

• Book your in-house accommodation at Retreat Center Dechen Chöling, this includes all meals.

More information

Slowing down & learning pure photography

Over the course of the four days I learned to slow down and walk with an open mind, discovering and noticing what strikes me visually. And then photographing this as pure as possible, filling the whole frame. Peaceful and just lovely.

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Yvonne van Sprang

Seeing from my heart

Again, as it turns out, it starts and ends with yourself. I rediscovered my peacefulness and was touched by everything that is already present around me. My enthusiasm to photograph the simplicity of beauty has returned and even deepened. Great set up of the daily classes, study material and online talks. I enjoyed the immersion and time for reflection. Four days in a row may seem like a long time, but it immediately set me right on track.

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Conny van Ryn

I feel touched...

I tremendously enjoyed our days together in the Miksang training. Coming to a full stop and standing still for a flash of perception, expressing what has stopped me, so many beautiful images around us, Hèlen's view of Miksang, and the many rounds of the exercise 'human camera'...

Caroline

The Miksang Program

Miksang Introduction - Day 1

Your introduction to the Miksang basics: What is looking, and how do I look? What is seeing and what do I see? How do I recognize seeing from the heart ?

With grounding exercises and visual exercises you align your eyes, mind and heart; settling into a still mind, open heart and awake eyes. You will experience the difference between seeing from your heart and thinking about what you see. Your lightning-fast thinking is - often unconsciously - destructive to real connection, and now you discover the gaps in which you are able to connect directly and genuinely.

From the open space within yourself you set out with the 1st Miksang photo assignment. You will learn to photograph from your heart with a deliberate intention. Ascending from a busy head, into your heart with fresh eyes and your camera as a medium to express. On this first day we have a field trip to the nearby town St. Junien.

Miksang Introduction - Day 2

Now that you have experienced the joy of seeing from the heart, after the first fun and profound photographic assignment, you are able to more consciously let go of what you (already) know about it is that you see, or what you want to photograph. You will land further into the not-knowing, your intuitive knowing; this is the real knowing from inner source, which you feel in your heart, and translates as a bodily sensation. In this spacious and sometimes uncomfortable space of not-knowing, free of reference, you relax. The emphasis is on letting in what you see directly and unexpectedly, noticing what resonates and recognizing 'fresh'.

On this 2nd day likely you will also encounter new obstacles; like seeing too much, or not enough, photographing too quick, too thoughtful or shying away. The exercises will help transmuting obstacles, and in a playful practical manner you further explore the visual world with a new Miksang photo assignment and the Miksang Method.

Miksang Introduction - Day 3

What is Miksang photographing with the Miksang method? How do you do that with more precision and calm mind and with gentle confidence?

Step-by-step you dissolve the veil between 'this' & 'that'. THIS being 'I' and 'what I think, and want and don't want and 'not interested in'. THAT being' everything around me what I can see', described as 'things as they are'. Feeling more appreciation already because things as they are are very nearby. We will explore the Miksang Method more in-depth and relaxing further into begin abvailable and receptive.

This is a day of slowing down with looking, seeing and photographing. Letting fully in what resonates and taking your time to look, see and take a picture with 5 practical steps and applied investigating your direct perceptions.

Miksang Calendar 2025

3-5

APRIL

09:15

3-day Miksang 1 Introduction

Zandvoort, Netherlands

More info

Corona proof

Miksang Photography is Corona-proof partly because we are outside most of the day. The morning program takes place in the training room in the chateau: the 1.5 meters is guaranteed and all necessary measures are taken.

For risk reduction, there is an air purifier with a HEPA filter, VC lamp and ionizer (ozone-free).

If the COVID-19 guidelines change and the training cannot continue, you will receive your money back and we will plan a place for you at the next Miksang Photography program.

Sometimes a training is able to completely change the way you experience and perceive things. The introduction 'Seeing from your heart' is such a training that more than fulfills its promise. Hèlen Vink expertly guides you through the basics of the `Miksang process. During the training I learned to really see the world around me in a different way. There is now more room for wonder, creativity and inspiration…

As a photographer just starting out, it was also a very good introduction to photography and the possibilities of my camera. It is now a few months after training and I still regularly go out to do miksang photography. I am very happy with the photos I took and that leaves me wanting more…

Remy van Gelder - Mindfulness trainer | www.praesence.nl/mindful-fotografie