⋆☕︎ brewing now ☕︎⋆
in the Bardo Café
workshops for curious minds
and wandering bardonauts.
༼༜༽ Next Dates: 30th & 31st of May ༼༜༽
⋆✬⁂ Drift down to the first stop below for details ⁂✬⋆
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༼༜༽ Next Dates: Coming Soon ༼༜༽
⋆✬⁂ Drift a little further to the next stop for details ⁂✬⋆
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༄༅། Entering Basic goodness
Discovering freedom from suffering ༔
㋛ Ever feel like something’s just… off?
That low-key restlessness, dissatisfaction, and sense that something’s missing — it’s called dukkha.
But what if it’s not a flaw to fix, but a sign pointing us inward?
This weekend workshop offers down-to-earth practices and powerful insights to help you shift from struggle to spaciousness — and reconnect with the basic goodness that’s already within you.
A quiet kind of strength comes from knowing you are already whole.
Join the workshop and untangle common meditation pitfalls, refine our inner compass, and even orbit a little closer to wisdom.
⋆Day 𝟙⋆
⋆˙⏾ First, we will see how to develop a simple practice that can cut through all of our mental patterns. We will take a close look at the technique itself, highlighting the common mistakes that we make when beginning to work with our mind. By clearly understanding the practice we will see how to effortlessly sidestep many of the difficulties we face in meditation.
⋆Day 𝟚⋆
⋆˙✦ Next, we will see how to refine and develop this practice to take us beyond our ordinary experience. This simple practice can lead us directly into the heart of the Buddha’s wisdom. In this way, we come to see how gaining an understanding of our basic goodness can take us far beyond what we may have thought possible.
⋆About The Teacher⋆
⋆˙༓ Ben Isbel is a mindfulness teacher with over 25 years’ experience spanning both traditional Buddhist meditation techniques and contemporary psychological approaches to mindfulness. Ben has studied in both the Theravadin and Mahayana Buddhist traditions and holds a B. of Psychology (Honours) and a PhD in the neuroscience of mindfulness.
Ben began training in the Burmese Vipassana tradition before spending many years studying with Tibetan lamas from a range of different traditions. As a neuroscientist and contemplative researcher, Ben developed a model of mindfulness and used neuroimaging techniques to show how mindfulness training can improve cognition, mood, and well-being. Ben now focuses on developing innovative methods to present the essential core of the Buddha’s teachings in a way that is accessible and engaging.
Scroll Through Glimpses Below
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See What Bardonauts Are Saying
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༼༜༽ Next Dates ༼༜༽
Coming Soon
To join us please register using the link below.
This helps us manage numbers online and prepare the space accordingly.
You'll receive further event details and the zoom link.
We Look Forward To Seeing You 𑗍
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༄༅། Coming Home
Embodying Wellbeing ༔
⋆˙⏾ This weekend immersion invites you into a gentle, playful, and grounded exploration of your inner landscape. Through somatic practices, breath awareness, Buddhist wisdom, meditation, and sound, we cultivate the capacity to meet life with clarity, balance, and kindness.
Across two days, participants will be guided through trauma-sensitive experiential sessions designed to nourish the nervous system, restore ease, and reconnect body, breath, and awareness. Whether you are new to contemplative practices or an experienced Buddhist practitioner, this workshop offers a safe and supportive environment to deepen your relationship with presence.
The immersion weaves together moments of quiet, rest, gentle activation, subtle energy awareness, connecting with nature, contemplative dance, and a Dharma sonics session on Saturday evening. Offering opportunities to explore inner qualities through both stillness and expressive movement. The overall intention is to create a nourishing space where you can be curious, soften, reconnect, and explore what inner balance and well-being are for you.
Throughout the weekend, you will:
learn body-based tools to regulate and stabilise the nervous system
cultivate awareness of breath, posture, and emotional balance
explore Buddhist-inspired frameworks in a secular-friendly way
deepen awareness of the five elements and five energy centres
practice self-kindness, compassion, and explore presence
start noticing when you are present or have “checked out”
connect with community in a supportive and nurturing environment
create a nature based mandala together
rediscover the natural ease, play, and vibrancy of being in your body
⋆Dates & Times⋆
Day 1 – Saturday
9:00am – 6:30pm
Day 2 – Sunday
9:00am – 5:00pm
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Saturday Evening Special Event (Open to All)
On Saturday evening from 5 - 6:30pm, Dharma Sonics invites you to a Buddhist mantra singalong with Yeshe Reiners & friends—an immersive evening of voice and sound that opens another pathway home to presence. This special evening is open to all, warmly welcoming those not attending the full weekend to join in and share the joy. We will reach full capacity at 25 people. With 15 retreat participants there will only be an additional 10 spots available.
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⋆Catering & What to Bring⋆
Morning and afternoon tea will be provided each day.
Please bring your own lunch and a water bottle.
Meditation cushions and blankets will be available; however, you’re welcome to bring your own favourite cushion to support your comfort.
⋆Location⋆
⚲ Lapis
140 Yankee Creek Rd
Mullumbimby Creek NSW, Australia
⋆About Giselle Martins⋆
⋆˙༓ A qualified mental health and wellbeing therapist with over a decade of experience, she supports individuals through evidence-based therapeutic approaches and embodied, contemplative practices. She has worked internationally with diverse communities and has supported hundreds of clients through one-on-one therapy, workshops, and retreats.
Trained in counselling and psychology across New Zealand and UC Berkeley, California—studying directly with Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing—Giselle integrates somatic, trauma-informed, and contemplative methods into her work. She is also a certified Taiji and Qigong instructor. With over fifteen years of Buddhist practice in the Vajrayana tradition, Giselle studies under her root teacher, Lama Yongdu Chokyi Gyaltsen, and has received transmissions and empowerments from H.E. Drikung Lho Ontul Rinpoche, including Drikung Yangzab Dzogchen and Mahamudra teachings. She weaves this contemplative depth into her therapeutic work, guiding individuals toward inner balance, resilience, and embodied wellbeing.
⋆About Zangmo McDermott⋆
⋆˙✦ A qualified Somatic Shiatsu bodywork practitioner, she's been exploring bodywork for 24 yrs with a deep curiosity about the mind/body connection. Zangmo is a Buddhist Nun, a student of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, an instructor with Siddhartha’s Intent Global community, and completed a Three year retreat under his guidance 2009-2012. The groups she offers were developed in response to people expressing that they are overwhelmed by the pace of life, find it difficult to meditate and feel disconnected from their bodies.
Influenced by the work of Julie Henderson, Tony Richardson and her experience as a meditator and bodyworker, the groups took shape. Living in the Yarra Valley in Victoria., she loves the sense of local community and enjoys walking with friends, cooking and sharing food as part of creative expression and self-care. Zangmo also loves learning about people's diverse expressions of their spirituality and is passionate about all phases of life, including conversations about living well and dying well. She has a deep love and connection with animals and lives with her best buddy Toby love bug, a 5 year old Bordoodle.
Scroll Through Glimpses Below
⤋⤋
See What Bardonauts Are Saying
⤋⤋
༼༜༽ Next Dates ༼༜༽
Coming Soon
If you'd like to join us please register using the link below.
This helps us manage numbers and prepare the space at Lapis accordingly.
You'll receive further event details and the zoom link.
We Look Forward To Seeing You 𑗍