Posts

Showing posts from October, 2025

No Fear: A Journey of Courage and Mindfulness with Horses at Clear Sky Center

Image
  In the open grassland forests of Clear Sky Retreat Center , surrounded by stillness and nature, I was invited into the world of horses. Known for its teachings on awakening and transformation, Clear Sky became the setting for an unexpected inner journey—one that began with fear and ended in deep connection. I had never been especially drawn to horses. During our first session with Yvonne , a Natural Horsemanship trainer, several of us shared feelings of uncertainty or even fear. When I admitted, “I’ve never really understood horses, and I’m afraid of them,” the group simply listened. No one rushed to fix or reassure me. Their quiet presence offered something rare—acceptance. In that shared silence, I felt safe to be vulnerable. Facing Fear and Training the Mind My relationship with fear came from an old belief that life’s challenges were things that happened to me, not experiences I could engage with. Under the guidance of Catherine Sensei , my spiritual teacher, that bel...

Integrating Mindfulness: A 4-Week Journey Toward Holistic Living

Image
  Even when we meditate and try to live consciously, life can still feel scattered. Habits drain our energy, communication feels strained, and daily routines slip away. Many of us work hard on ourselves but still feel something’s missing — a way to truly bring all the pieces together. The Integrating Mindfulness : Tools for Holistic Living course at Clear Sky Center offers exactly that — a safe and supportive container to explore how mindfulness can infuse every part of life. Guided by Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle , this four-week program helps you move beyond surface-level practice into deep, embodied transformation. A Framework for Real-Life Mindfulness Instead of focusing only on meditation, this course helps you build a mindful life framework using Clear Sky’s Five Principles . You’ll discover how to create space, structure, and supportive relationships that allow awareness to flourish — not just on the cushion, but in your home, your work, and your daily interact...

21st Century Tantra: Integrating Energy, Sexuality, and Spirituality

Image
  What does Tantra mean in our modern world—and how can it support a deeper, more integrated spiritual life? 21st Century Tantra is a four-week online course with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei , running Sundays from November 9 to 30, 2025 . Rooted in Vajrayana Buddhism , this course explores Tantra as a path of conscious energy work, spiritual integration, and healthy relationship with sexuality. You’ll explore: The roots of Tantra and its place in Tibetan Buddhism How to balance the divine feminine and masculine —in all gender identities The role of sexuality in spiritual practice How to work with the shadows of power, money, and sex What Tantra means in daily life for modern practitioners The course includes guided meditations and an optional Flash Retreat on the final weekend (Nov 29–30), which can be done from home or in person at Clear Sky Centre in BC. Whether you’re looking to integrate Tantra into your Vajrayana path, or simply w...

No Fear: The Transformative Path of Horse and Mind Training

Image
Amid the serene forests and open meadows of Clear Sky Retreat Center , I stepped into a new kind of practice — one that wove mindfulness, courage, and connection through the presence of horses. At first, I was afraid. I had never worked closely with horses and didn’t understand them. Yet, under the guidance of Yvonne , our Natural Horsemanship trainer, and the spiritual teachings of Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Qapel , that fear became a doorway to transformation. Through each lesson, I discovered that horses mirror the human mind. They respond not to control, but to calm awareness. When I was tense, they reflected it; when I was grounded, they softened. Over time, I realized that training a horse is much like training the mind — both require patience, clarity, and compassion. This experience showed me that fear isn’t something to fight, but something to understand. By meeting it with mindfulness, fear transforms into trust, openness, and quiet confidence. What began as a chal...

Three Month Intensive Karma Yoga Program: Awakening in Action

Image
  The Three Month Intensive Karma Yoga Program is Clear Sky’s most advanced and transformative offering. It is designed for those who are ready to go beyond theory and experience awakening in daily life through conscious community living. Grounded in Buddhist wisdom, modern psychology, and integral spirituality , the program immerses participants in a mindful environment that supports deep self-understanding, emotional resilience, and purposeful living. Program Highlights Daily Meditation and Teachings led by founding teachers Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. Embodied Karma Yoga Practice , including mindful service through ecological restoration, cooking, and community projects. Personal Guidance and one-on-one check-ins with associate teachers. Holistic Learning Modules exploring mind, body, and speech for integrated development. Private Meditation Retreat in a peaceful cabin setting to deepen your inner ...

Integrating Mindfulness: A 4-Week Journey to Holistic Living

Image
  Life can feel overwhelming, even when you meditate or work on yourself. Habits, routines, relationships, and spaces that drain your energy often pile up, leaving you unsure how to integrate all the pieces. Clear Sky Center’s 4-week Integrating Mindfulness course provides a supportive container to help you bring clarity and balance into your daily life. Guided by heart-centered teachers Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle , you’ll learn how to weave mindfulness into every aspect of your life — from your routines and spaces to your communication and relationships. Through interactive workshops, practical exercises, and connection with a conscious community, you’ll discover how to apply Clear Sky’s Five Principles to create structure, cultivate awareness, and address the big areas holding you back, including money, career, and habits. This course is available online or in-person , October 25 to November 15, 2025, with flexible participation and sliding-scale pricing from $200–5...

21st Century Tantra: Weaving the Energies of Awakening

Image
  “ Tantra means weaving, and it’s about the weaving of energies in our life. ” — Catherine Pawasarat Sensei In our fast-paced modern world, 21st Century Tantra offers a path to integration, balance, and conscious awakening. Guided by Catherine Pawasarat Sensei , a seasoned Vajrayana and Tantric practitioner with nearly three decades of experience, this four-week course explores the energetic and spiritual dimensions of sexuality, polarity, and relationship. At its heart, Tantra is the art of consciously working with energy — weaving the divine feminine and divine masculine within us and throughout our lives. This program bridges ancient Tantric wisdom and modern practice , showing how to embody Tantra daily with awareness, compassion, and integrity. Participants will learn how Tantra supports healthy sexuality , emotional integration , and spiritual growth , while examining cultural conditioning and shadow aspects related to desire and identity. Through guided teachin...

No Fear: Embracing the Journey of Horse and Mind Training | Clear Sky Center

Image
  In the peaceful grasslands of Clear Sky Retreat Center , a simple encounter with two horses became a profound journey of transformation. Guided by Natural Horsemanship trainer Yvonne , and Dharma Teachers Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Qapel , the Horse and Mind Training experience revealed how learning to connect with horses mirrors the path of training our own minds. At first, fear and uncertainty stood in the way. Yet, through mindfulness and presence, fear was met — not resisted. Slowly, it transformed into trust, curiosity, and confidence. The horses became mirrors, reflecting the inner landscape of emotion, energy, and awareness. Each gentle interaction offered lessons in empathy, communication, and self-understanding. Through Sensei and Qapel’s teachings, participants discovered that true training begins within . By facing fear consciously, we open to freedom and resilience. This practice reminds us that suffering is inevitable — but being ruled by fear is not. With...

Three-Month Intensive Karma Yoga Program: Awakening in Action

Image
Are you ready to awaken through action? The Three-Month Intensive Karma Yoga Program at Clear Sky Meditation Center is a rare opportunity to live your spiritual practice in every moment. From January 7, 2026 , immerse yourself in a conscious community that blends ancient Buddhist teachings , modern psychology , and integral spirituality . Guided by Qapel Doug Duncan , Catherine Pawasarat Sensei , Karen McAllister , and Duncan Cryle , this program helps you uncover the deeper truths of self and cultivate genuine transformation. Through daily meditation, embodied Karma Yoga practice, and personal mentorship, participants develop clarity, resilience, and compassion. From mindful service and ecological restoration to conscious technology use, every activity becomes a path to awakening. Nestled on 300 acres in the Canadian Rockies , Clear Sky offers the perfect setting to reconnect with nature, community, and purpose. More than a retreat, this is an invitation to rediscover your hum...

Integrating Mindfulness: Holistic Tools for Daily Life | Clear Sky Center

Image
  Feeling overwhelmed despite meditation and self-work? The Integrating Mindfulness: Tools for Holistic Living course at Clear Sky Retreat Center offers a 4-week journey to integrate mindfulness into every aspect of life. Guided by Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle , this interactive course helps you: Transform your physical and energetic spaces for well-being Build sustainable routines and daily habits Communicate authentically and compassionately Address challenging areas like relationships, money, and career Using Clear Sky’s Five Principles , participants create a supportive “container” for growth—bringing meditation, practical tools, and community support together. Whether online or in-person, you’ll gain clarity, connection, and actionable skills to live with intention and awareness. Course Details: Dates: October 25 – November 15, 2025 (Saturdays 10 am – 12 pm MT) Format: Online via Zoom or in-person Cost: Sli...

No Fear: Embracing Growth Through Horse and Mind Training at Clear Sky

Image
At Clear Sky Retreat Center , surrounded by peaceful grasslands and forests , I was invited into a new world — the world of horses . Known for its teachings on mindfulness and personal transformation , Clear Sky became the perfect setting for a deeper kind of training — one that connected both horse and mind . When I began Natural Horsemanship training with Yvonne , I admitted something I had rarely said aloud: “I’m afraid of horses.” That moment of honesty became the starting point of a journey toward self-awareness , courage , and spiritual growth . The group didn’t rush to comfort me. They simply listened — allowing space for vulnerability and presence . I felt seen, supported, and ready to learn. Under the guidance of my Teachers , Catherine Sensei and Qapel , I began to understand fear in a new way. Fear, they taught, doesn’t need to control us. It can be witnessed, felt, and released. Sensei’s compassion and dedication to training the mind — and all sentient beings ...

Discover 21st Century Tantra: A Four-Week Course with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei

Image
Tantra is the art of weaving energies—our inner feminine and masculine, and the flow of life itself. In this unique four-week course, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei, a lineage teacher with nearly 30 years of Tantra practice, invites you to explore Tantra’s role in Vajrayana Buddhism, sexuality, and spiritual life today. What You’ll Learn: The roots of Tantra, from ancient Pakistan to Tibetan Buddhism. How to consciously sense and work with your inner energies without attachment or confusion. The relevance of Tantra in modern daily life and spiritual practice. Understanding healthy sexuality and its integration with spiritual growth. How divine feminine and masculine energies communicate—including insights for non-binary identities. Addressing challenges around sexuality within Buddhist traditions and empowering communities. Course Details: When: November 9 – November 30, 2025 Format: Sundays, 9:30–11:00 am M...

Clear Sky Farm & Food Forest: Growing Organic, Sustainable Food and Tea

Image
Clear Sky Farm is dedicated to sustainable agriculture and permaculture on its one-acre cold-climate food forest . All produce is organically grown on-site, focusing on perennial crops that become self-sustaining over time. The farm uses no chemical products and minimal organic inputs , with everything carefully tended and harvested by hand. Each summer, the community joins together to grow, harvest, and blend nourishing tea blends . Their favorite is Seabuckthorn tea , sustainably grown in the food forest, valued for its light earthy flavors and recognized as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that supports restful sleep . These teas are available for mail order worldwide . For those interested in hands-on learning, Clear Sky offers a Three Month Intensive Program that combines Karma Yoga service with practical experience on the farm and food forest.

Integrating Mindfulness: A 4-Week Course to Bring Mindfulness Into Your Everyday Life

Image
Clear Sky Center’s Integrating Mindfulness course helps you move mindfulness beyond meditation into all areas of daily life. Over four weeks, you’ll learn practical tools to deepen your practice, build supportive routines, improve communication, and address challenges in relationships, career, and your environment. The course is built around Clear Sky’s Five Principles : honoring your space by creating a supportive environment, developing consistent structure and routines, practicing authentic and compassionate communication, and working through stuck areas with the support of community. Offered both online and in person, the course runs from October 25 to November 15, 2025, with sessions designed to fit busy schedules. It is ideal for anyone seeking to live more intentionally, build meaningful connections, and create lasting change. Tuition is offered on a sliding scale from $200 to $500 CAD to support accessibility. To help you get a sense of the course and teaching style, Clea...