Upcoming events.
MBSR Plus: An 8-Week Journey of Awareness, Healing and Inner Compassion
New 8-Week Online MBSR Plus Program – Starts 11 August
We’re excited to offer our fully updated Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Plus (MBSR Plus) program online from Monday 11 August at 7:00 PM (AEST).
This course brings together the core of MBSR with important new insights from neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, compassion-focused therapy, and ecological psychology. There will be an additional session offered each Sunday, and you may attend either or both each week.
📅 Course Duration: 8 sessions over 9 weeks (break on 15 September)
🌞 Day of Mindfulness: Saturday 20 September (in-person or online)
🧾 Cost: $400 (or $230 with MHCP rebate—group component applies)
🚫 No one is turned away due to cost.
Register your interest here: committeemanainc@gmail.com
MBSR Plus: An 8-Week Journey of Awareness, Healing and Inner Compassion
Week 1 – Awareness and Automatic Pilot
Exploring mindfulness and attention. Discover how often we live on "automatic pilot" and what it means to wake up to life.
Practices: Body scan, breath awareness, noticing habits.
Week 2 – Living in Our Heads
Understanding how thoughts dominate our lives and disconnect us from the body. Includes new education on the embodied brain.
Practices: Qigong-inspired movement, embodied breath, Body Scan.
Week 3 – Gathering the Scattered Mind
Training attention, working with mind-wandering and re-focusing.
Practices: Lying-down yoga, sound meditation, attention practices.
Week 4 – Recognising Aversion
Learning to stay present with unpleasant experience instead of avoiding it.
Practices: Standing mindful yoga, R.A.I.N., somatic tracking.
Week 5 – Allowing / Letting Be
Letting go and meeting experience with kindness. New nature-based focus to support emotional regulation.
Practices: Outdoor/visual nature meditation, inner compassion reflection.
Week 6 – Thoughts Are Not Facts / Real Compassion
Unhooking from unhelpful thoughts. Introducing real compassion as an active, brain-based motivation.
Practices: Thought reframing, short compassion meditation.
Week 7 – Working with the Self-Critic / Taking Care of Myself
Using functional analysis to understand the critic as fear-driven, not helpful.
Practices: Self-reflection, compassionate letter writing, soothing rhythm breath.
Week 8 – Maintaining and Extending New Learning
Integration, values-based living, and sustaining mindful awareness.
Practices: Gratitude, mindful walking, closing reflections.
🌱 What’s New in MBSR Plus?
Inner compassion (not “self-compassion”) to support safety and emotional repair
Nature-based focus in Weeks 4–6
Functional analysis of the self-critic (Week 7)
Relapse prevention drawn from MBCT
Neuroscience of embodied awareness throughout
Mindful movement via Qigong and Siegel's work
Natural Mindfulness – Practice in the bush
Our Natural Mindfulness program continues to take root, and the depth of awareness and care it’s cultivating heartens us. As you may know, our course is MANA’s evolution from the original “Nature bathing” model to a unique practice adapted for Australian bush and landscapes.
Natural Mindfulness is more than a quiet walk. It’s a structured, embodied way of reconnecting with the living world through:
Breath and movement awareness
Sensory noticing and ecological curiosity
Reflections on kinship, slowness and care
Deep presence with distinctive textures of country - eucalypt leaves, grass trees, dry creek beds, bird calls and fallen bark.
In our program, we encourage people to develop a deeper appreciation of bushland and native plants, and become involved in the preservation and restoration of Australian nature.
We are now training Nature Mindfulness guides across Victoria and NSW who are learning to lead small groups into this practice of reconnecting with nature. As part of their skills-building , we’ll be holding a Practice Afternoon.
Join us at:
📍 Cork at Cooks Corner – 2 Kallista-Emerald Rd, Kallista VIC 3791
🕒 12:30pm - 4:30pm on Sunday 31 August
🌿 Open to current trainees, MANA members and anyone interested in Natural Mindfulness.
This will be a gentle, welcoming afternoon to walk slowly, practise guiding and sit in shared reflection under the gum trees. Whether you’re a trainee or simply curious about reconnecting with the bush in a deeper way, we warmly invite you to join us.
Please RSVP us at committeemanainc@gmail.com.
Feel free to bring a thermos of tea or coffee, or food to share.
Let’s learn how to dwell attentively — with presence, humility and love for this land.
Day of Mindfulness 19/07/25
A Day of Mindfulness: Mindful Communication & Nature
📅 When: Saturday 19 July
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Where: St. Stevens Anglican Church Café,
111 North Rd, Brighton, VIC, Australia, Victoria
💰 Cost: Free
Your support is always welcome, and you can do this via a tax deductible donation.
Join us on Saturday, 19 July at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Gardenvale, at 10 am for a Day of Mindfulness.
Led by John, who trained directly with Marshall Rosenberg and has taught NVC for over 20 years, this special day will explore how mindfulness and compassionate speech can transform our relationships and communities.
Through guided meditation, mindful movement, and practical exercises, we will deepen our ability to listen with presence, express ourselves with clarity, and engage in conversations that foster understanding rather than division.
This day will be especially valuable for anyone seeking to cultivate greater peace in their interactions—whether in personal relationships, workplaces, or community spaces.
Schedule Highlights:
· Morning meditation and mindful movement
· A full hour will be spent on Core NVC practices: Observation, Feelings, Needs, and Making Requests
· Closing reflection and mindful listening practice
The event runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a break for lunch (please bring a plate to share. All are welcome).
For more details and to register, please contact committeemanainc@gmail.com.
Come and discover the power of mindful, heart-centred communication!
Day of Mindfulness 21/06/25
A Day of Mindfulness: Mindful Communication & Nature
📅 When: Saturday 17 May
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Where: St. Stevens Anglican Church Café,
111 North Rd, Brighton, VIC, Australia, Victoria
💰 Cost: Free
Your support is always welcome, and you can do this via a tax deductible donation.
Join us on Saturday, 17 May at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Gardenvale, at 10 am for a Day of Mindfulness on Mindful Communication, focusing on Compassionate and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
Led by John, who trained directly with Marshall Rosenberg and has taught NVC for over 20 years, this special day will explore how mindfulness and compassionate speech can transform our relationships and communities.
Through guided meditation, mindful movement, and practical exercises, we will deepen our ability to listen with presence, express ourselves with clarity, and engage in conversations that foster understanding rather than division.
This day will be especially valuable for anyone seeking to cultivate greater peace in their interactions—whether in personal relationships, workplaces, or community spaces.
Schedule Highlights:
· Morning meditation and mindful movement
· A full hour will be spent on Core NVC practices: Observation, Feelings, Needs, and Making Requests
· Closing reflection and mindful listening practice
The event runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a break for lunch (please bring a plate to share. All are welcome).
For more details and to register, please contact committeemanainc@gmail.com.
Come and discover the power of mindful, heart-centred communication!
Beliefs and How They Affect Us - 8 Week Course
🌱“Beliefs and How They Affect Us: Reclaiming the Roots of Self”
Facilitated by John Julian & Joanna Walz | Hosted by MANA Inc.
Have you ever wondered how your beliefs were formed… or how to gently shift the ones that no longer serve you?
This 8-week journey explores how beliefs shape our emotions, relationships, and sense of self and our relationship to nature, and how we can meet them with compassion, curiosity, and awareness.
Embedded into each week is also an examination of how our beliefs impact our relationship to nature.
Each week includes: ✨ Guided mindfulness & compassion-based practices
✨ Thought-provoking inquiry into personal and cultural beliefs
✨ Creative expression (drawing, metaphor, journaling)
✨ Buddy reflection and group connection
✨ Integration of science (CBT, CFT, IPNB) and consciousness studies (Siegel, Hoffman, Kastrup)
🧠 Themes include:
Week 1: What Are Beliefs? Awareness & Mapping
Week 2: Evolution & Culture – Where Beliefs Begin
Week 3: Cognitive Distortions & Survival Patterns
Week 4: Changing Beliefs with the ABCDE Model
Week 5: Non-Duality & The Self Beyond Belief
Week 6: Shame, Perfectionism & Safety Strategies
Week 7: Letting Go & Replanting Values
Week 8: Integration & Collective Wisdom
📅 Starts Sunday, 1 June at 9 AM AEST
🕘 Time zones: 7 AM HKT · 4 PM PT (Sat) · 7 PM ET (Sat)
🧑🤝🧑 Delivered live via Zoom (with optional recordings)
💸 Contribution Guide:
• $450 full fee (for incomes over A$130,000/year)
• $80 for Australians on Commonwealth benefits with a mental health care plan (bulk billing provided)
• Others: pay what you can between those points
Pay Here
🔗 To register or learn more, please contact committeemanainc@gmail.com.
🌀 This is a space for healing, honesty, and transformation. We’d love to walk this journey with you.
Day of Mindfulness 17/05/25
A Day of Mindfulness: Mindful & Compassionate Communication
📅 When: Saturday 17 May
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Where: St. Stevens Anglican Church Café,
111 North Rd, Brighton, VIC, Australia, Victoria
💰 Cost: Free
Your support is always welcome, and you can do this via a tax deductible donation.
Join us on Saturday, 17 May at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Gardenvale, at 10 am for a Day of Mindfulness on Mindful Communication, focusing on Compassionate and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
Led by John, who trained directly with Marshall Rosenberg and has taught NVC for over 20 years, this special day will explore how mindfulness and compassionate speech can transform our relationships and communities.
Through guided meditation, mindful movement, and practical exercises, we will deepen our ability to listen with presence, express ourselves with clarity, and engage in conversations that foster understanding rather than division.
This day will be especially valuable for anyone seeking to cultivate greater peace in their interactions—whether in personal relationships, workplaces, or community spaces.
Schedule Highlights:
· Morning meditation and mindful movement
· A full hour will be spent on Core NVC practices: Observation, Feelings, Needs, and Making Requests
· Closing reflection and mindful listening practice
The event runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a break for lunch (please bring a plate to share. All are welcome).
For more details and to register, please contact committeemanainc@gmail.com.
Come and discover the power of mindful, heart-centred communication!
Urban Retreat: Nature and Mindfulness
📅 When: Thursday 24 April 2025 - Sunday 27 April 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Each Day
📍 Where: Anglican Church, Marysville
💰 Cost: $510 plus your accommodation costs, etc.
The fee includes all tuition, rent, and food for lunch each day, and dinner on Saturday night at the venue. Food is vegetarian.
See the full schedule here.
Reconnect with nature and yourself during the Nature and Mindfulness Urban Retreat, a special 2.6-day experience led by John Julian and Joanna Walz.
This retreat features:
Morning Qi Gong or nature walks to start the day with mindfulness.
Guided meditations, reflective writing, and ecological identity exercises.
A serene Labyrinth Walk, offering an unforgettable meditative journey.
Plant-based lunches provided daily and a group dinner on Saturday.
Day of Mindfulness 15/02/25
A Day of Mindfulness
📅 When: Saturday 12 April
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Where: 898 Sheepways Road, Krowera (Near Loch, 3945)
💰 Cost: Free
Your support is always welcome, and you can do this via a tax deductible donation.
Led by John, who trained directly with Marshall Rosenberg and has taught NVC for over 20 years, this special day will explore how mindfulness and compassionate speech can transform our relationships and communities.
Through guided meditation, mindful movement, and practical exercises, we will deepen our ability to listen with presence, express ourselves with clarity, and engage in conversations that foster understanding rather than division.
This day will be especially valuable for anyone seeking to cultivate greater peace in their interactions—whether in personal relationships, workplaces, or community spaces.
The event runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a break for lunch (please bring a plate to share. All are welcome.
For more details and to register, please contact committeemanainc@gmail.com.
Come and discover the power of mindful, heart-centred communication!
Day of Mindfulness 15/02/25
A Day of Mindfulness: Mindful & Compassionate Communication
📅 When: Saturday 15 February
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 Where: St. Stevens Anglican Church Café,
111 North Rd, Brighton, VIC, Australia, Victoria
💰 Cost: Free
Your support is always welcome, and you can do this via a tax deductible donation.
Join us on Saturday, 15 February at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Gardenvale, at 10 am for a Day of Mindfulness on Mindful Communication, focusing on Compassionate and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
Led by John, who trained directly with Marshall Rosenberg and has taught NVC for over 20 years, this special day will explore how mindfulness and compassionate speech can transform our relationships and communities.
Through guided meditation, mindful movement, and practical exercises, we will deepen our ability to listen with presence, express ourselves with clarity, and engage in conversations that foster understanding rather than division.
This day will be especially valuable for anyone seeking to cultivate greater peace in their interactions—whether in personal relationships, workplaces, or community spaces.
Schedule Highlights:
· Morning meditation and mindful movement
· Core NVC practices: Observation, Feelings, Needs, and Making Requests
· Practice groups for real-life application
· Closing reflection and mindful listening practice
The event runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a break for lunch (please bring a plate to share. All are welcome.
For more details and to register, please contact committeemanainc@gmail.com.
Come and discover the power of mindful, heart-centred communication!