General Questions
The film Samadhi Part 1 “Maya the Illusion of the Self”, is a great place to start. A meditation practice will then help you move from identification with the conditioned mind and doing, towards awakening to the dimension of Being.. Check out the introductory meditations and the Samadhi guided meditation series for the core practices. Once you have some direct experience with meditation, we invite you to attend one of the online retreats.
We are deeply grateful for every monetary gift that supports the ATW initiative, regardless of the size. We have a wonderful Patreon Community for those who wish to support us with a monthly donation as small as $1. Our Patrons receive invitations to our on-line events as well as free gifts such as music tracks, and transmissive pointings via the “I AM Project” (Dan and Lilla) as a show of appreciation for their ongoing support. We can also receive one-time donations via Paypal.
Once you have explored the Samadhi guided meditation series, check out the many additional resources and join the ATW community for live events. Please make sure you subscribe to the newsletter (below). The “I AM” retreat is designed to give you a clear understanding of post-awakening sadhana.
The ATW community is a great way to connect with others on the pathless path. Check out the community forum here. We have free drop-in online meditations happening regularly. Some meditations are in silence while others provide guidance. A wonderful online community is developing! The gathering happens via Zoom conferencing, which is free to download. Details and upcoming dates can be found here.
Questions about the Perpetual 7 Day “I AM”Retreats
The IAM Retreat is a continuous, weekly 7-day retreat you can join from home. Each cycle begins on Saturday at 1:00 pm ET. The program combines meditation, self-inquiry dyads, daily recorded teachings, guided meditation/ direct pointing, and a live Q&A with Dan every Tuesday (11:00 am – 12:30 pm ET).
It is called perpetual because the retreat is ongoing. It is a field of practice you can return to again and again.
If it is your first retreat with us we recommend that you begin when a new 7-day cycle starts (any Saturday). We recommend that you FULLY set aside 7 days to dedicate yourself to awakening/liberation, especially if this is your first retreat. It is not something casual to fit in around life. It is the most important endeavor that you can engage in during your human existence. True sadhana is not casual… It is fueled by intention and the heart’s longing to awaken and be free of suffering. If you feel this fire, the full 7-day immersion is a powerful container for transformation. That being said, sometimes unexpected or unavoidable external things will come, and if that happens, then just do whatever works to stay in presence, treating whatever arises as an opportunity for acceptance and surrender of all resistance.
If you have attended a retreat with us before, you are welcome to jump in any time.
The invitation is to dedicate yourself to the full retreat whenever possible. Awakening is not about adding another activity to a busy life. It is about creating space for silence, self-inquiry, and the deep undoing of the false self. hat’s completely fine. Some participants do the full 7 days, while others join only the evening dyads or whichever sessions are possible. The retreat is designed to support you wherever you are.
It’s natural to wish for complete silence and privacy during a retreat, but life rarely arranges itself so neatly. Living with others can bring noise, interruptions, and distractions; but these too can become powerful parts of the practice.
The key is clear communication: let your family or housemates know how important this retreat is for you, and ask for their support during the scheduled times. Even if they don’t fully understand, they can often respect your commitment if they sense its importance.
At the same time, sadhana is not about resisting what arises. Each sound, each interruption, each flicker of daily life can be included in your practice. The invitation is to rest in no resistance, to be fully okay with what is happening in this moment. When nothing is pushed away, everything becomes part of the retreat.
So while “perfect conditions” may be rare, the so-called imperfect ones can be even more transformative. They remind us that the real silence is not outside, but within, unshaken by whatever appears.
The live components include:
Evening dyads: Live sessions with partners, via the “I AM” app.
Daily silent meditations on zoom (4 sessions daily)
Tuesday Q&A with Dan: Always live, every week, from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm ET.
There is also sometimes an evening self inquiry Q&A session with Dan on the Saturday evening when you start. If it is happening it will be on the schedule page.
The retreat includes over 86 recorded sessions from past retreats, transmissions and meditations that you can access at any time.
This retreat is designed to invite you into direct experience, but it’s not about forcing yourself into rigid postures or enduring unnecessary suffering. The practice is about awareness, not about “powering through.” If you find it difficult to sit for long periods, you are invited to find the “middle way”, by noticing the mind’s conditioned habit pattern of moving away from what is uncomfortable.
If you find it difficult to sit for long periods, of course you are free to adjust your posture, stretch, or even lie down if needed. What matters is the continuity of awareness, ultimately not how your body is positioned. Think of the meditation schedule not as a demand, but as a container and a supportive rhythm that helps us deepen together as a group.
At times, discomfort or restlessness may arise. That is natural. Part of the practice is to notice what comes up, to see the mind’s patterns of craving and resistance. But there’s also a difference between productive pain and unproductive pain. The invitation is to explore that middle way: to lean into discomfort enough to see through it, without harming or depleting the body. There are teachings and pointers on the retreat which go into this in-depth.
Even if you can’t sit for the full session, simply staying present with what is, whether sitting, standing, or walking, is the practice. Liberation is not about forcing the body into stillness; it’s about awakening to the awareness that is already present, beyond the stillness and movement (duality) of the mind. Use your intuition and discernment to adjust your posture, and stretch when needed.
No. Perfect posture is not required. The essence of true sadhana is not about how the body looks or is held, but where the attention rests.
In the original Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, posture (asana) is defined simply as “stable and comfortable.” That’s it. Posture is barely a footnote. The elaborate poses you see in modern yoga were never part of classical meditation.
If your body is in too much pain, it may distract your attention, so gentle stretching or finding a supportive seat can be helpful. But awakening is ultimately not dependent on having a flexible body or a straight spine. Your true nature is here whether you are sitting, lying down, walking, or resting. On a relative level, posture and an intimate connection with the breath are helpful stepping stones, so honing the body so it can sit comfortably is of benefit. But on the absolute level, you are already That, unchanging and free.
Dyads are a structured form of self-inquiry in pairs. Two participants alternate speaking and listening in presence, using a simple instruction such as “Tell me who you are.” The practice allows conditioning, blocks, and patterns to surface, while opening space for direct experience of your true nature.
The fear and trepidation that is coming up is actually a sign that something very real is being touched. Many who attend the IAM Retreat come with a similar sense of trepidation. There’s something about being seen in our raw, unfiltered humanness, in the mystery of what we don’t know about ourselves that can feel incredibly vulnerable. And yet, that very vulnerability is the threshold of transformation.
Self-Inquiry Dyads are not about presenting polished ideas or even saying something profound. They are about being with what is true in the moment even if what is true is: “I don’t know what to say.” Or “I feel scared to share.” Or “My mind is blank.” Every expression that arises honestly from Presence is valid.
One might ask “What more is there to say after I’ve faced the Witness and reported who I think I am?” .. this is where the inquiry becomes truly alive. The mind wants to have it all figured out in the first session, to wrap it up neatly like a presentation. But the Self isn’t a concept to be reported on. It is an unfolding mystery that reveals itself in layers and often in silence, stillness, or even laughter when we realize we’ve been chasing shadows.
What tends to happen is that, through repeated dyads, the familiar narratives begin to soften, and something deeper begins to speak… not as a “me” explaining things, but as a movement of Being. Some sessions may feel dry or frustrating; others might surprise you with emotion or insight you didn’t expect as the clearing process unfolds (clearing of past conditioning and samskaras). Over time, many find that the dyads help loosen the habitual grip of identity, and point them toward a spaciousness they had only glimpsed before, or perhaps there is a kind of remembrance.
The structure of the retreat is designed to support this process gently. You’re not being thrown into the deep end alone. The guided instructions, rhythm of the day, and the presence of others walking the same path all help hold the space. And know this: you are never required to go beyond what feels true for you in the moment. There is a profound power in simply being authentic.
So if what arises is hesitation, share the hesitation. If silence comes, rest in the silence. What matters most is not what you say, but where you’re coming from when you speak. Explore what is coming up in your feelings, and in the body as felt patterns of resistance.
We’ve seen many people begin the retreat feeling unsure, nervous, even resistant and by the end, they are glowing with the quiet joy of rediscovering something essential within themselves. I invite you to stay open to the possibility that what initially feels uncomfortable might be the gateway to something deeply liberating.
Both retreats serve different purposes, and both have their place. The traditional 3-Day Enlightenment Intensive (E.I.) is a powerful container for awakening experiences. Its strength is the intensity and focus: for many, it can catalyze a direct recognition of one’s true nature. However, what often happens is that people return home from an E.I. and fall back into the same life patterns, samskaras, and conditioned habits of mind. The awakening glimpse may remain as a memory, but it is not always integrated into daily life.
The 7-Day IAM Retreat was created as a response to this gap. It still includes the power of self-inquiry dyads, but it also offers a broader field of support: dharma talks, guided meditations (meditation and self inquiry are realized as one), and teachings on vasanas (latent tendencies), samskaras (conditioning), and the pathless path. In other words, The IAM retreat is not only about awakening but it is about the stabilization and integration of awakening, or liberation. It helps participants understand the unfolding after the initial glimpse, and provides tools to live from truth in the midst of life.
In short:
- 3-Day E.I. → Highly effective for a breakthrough or glimpse of awakening.
- 7-Day IAM Retreat → A fuller immersion that supports both awakening and the ongoing work of integration, allowing participants to begin reshaping the trajectory of their lives.
Neither is “better” … it depends where you are in your journey. Some may resonate more with the short, intense format; others may feel called to dive deeper into the 7-day container of sadhana, inquiry, and integration.
It is completely normal for the body and energy centers to respond in unexpected ways during a dyad. Some participants notice fear, laughter, tears, or waves of peace; sometimes all within the same session. This “dance” is simply energy moving and old patterns loosening.
The most important thing is not to resist what arises. Allow each experience to come and go without judgment. Fear, joy, release, stillness, all are welcome, and none are a problem. Over time, these movements can become doorways into a deeper stillness and presence.
Remember: the dyad is not about achieving a certain state, but about being open to whatever is here, moment by moment.
The most loving and compassionate thing you can offer in a dyad is your neutral presence. Simply remain as the witness. In this way, the inquirer is supported to move through their own process without interruption. If you react, comfort, or intervene, even with the best intentions, it can pull them out of their unfolding and interrupt the natural release.
In many psychological or therapeutic contexts, it is natural and often skillful to engage, to guide, or to help regulate another’s emotions. Dyad practice is different: here the invitation is to do less, not more. If impulses arise in you to step in, notice them. That noticing becomes part of your own inquiry and is an opportunity to observe the patterns of wanting to manage, control, or soothe. By staying rooted in presence, you create the most supportive field possible for your partner’s clearing to continue.
If you have already completed an IAM 7-day retreat with us, or an in person or online self inquiry intensive at the Samadhi Center, then you are most welcome to join any time.
If you are new or have attended with other facilitators or explored different systems outside of the Samadhi Center/Awakentheworld, we ask that you first complete the sign-up form and engage with teachings and instructions that are provided.
In the spirit of dharma we will allow anyone to sign up if they have a sincere call to liberation. We invite a donation as an energetic exchange for several very important reasons. First on a practical level the ATW initiative uses money to function and to produce and maintain everything that we do.
The second reason is something you might not be aware of. We have found that in almost all cases where someone does not provide an energetic exchange, they usually are not “invested” energetically in doing the retreat. Almost all people who get it for free will not show up or be “all in”, which is required for the retreat to be effective. So the donation is actually a way for you to symbolically, energetically, and materially invest in earnestly entering into sadhana, while honoring the great deal of work that the ATW team has put in to make it all happen.
After you have completed the sign-up and you are welcome to join the retreat as many times as you wish… now or in the future.
No , one donation is enough. That said, your offering, of any amount, helps sustain the retreat and the ongoing creation of resources, so that this space of practice and transformation can remain available to all who need it. So please give when it is possible for you and it feels in alignment. The AwakenTheWorld Initiative and the IAM Retreat exist only through the generosity of those who feel moved to support this work and you would be surprised at how little actually comes in monthly.
You are still welcome. We never let money be a barrier to participation. If the heart is called to join, the door is open.
At this time, there are no plans to offer in-person retreats. For now, the focus is fully on the online retreat, where the same depth of practice and transmission is available without the need to travel. We have been pleasantly amazed that participants can go just as deep in the online retreat.
You can always reach out to us directly. We are here to support your journey. Email us at contact@samadhi.ca
