Overview
The inner science course is an eight-week program of deep self-exploration. It combines the wisdom and meditative techniques of the ancient contemplative traditions of Buddhism and Daoism with the insights of modern psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. The goal of the course is to explore our inner worlds in order to understand ourselves better and become more mindful, compassionate and wise. To do so we look at our own minds as a kind of laboratory and our stream of consciousness as data which we can observe, understand and ultimately transform. The course combines theory and practice and integrates the scientific method and ideals with an approach of secular spirituality and existential philosophy.
Content
The course consists of eight in-person sessions of 2,5 hours featuring various meditations and contemplations, lectures, dyadic deep listening exercises, mindful movement practices and reflective writing exercises. The total time commitment for live-sessions and meditation practice at home is about 5 hours per week. The course language is English. It is suitable both for beginners with little previous meditation experience as well as experienced meditators who want to deepen their practice. All you have to bring is an open mind and some curiosity 🙂
Some aims of the course are to
- Find greater inner calm, balance and well-being
- Cultivate a mindset of self-care, self-acceptance and self-compassion
- Train our attention, mindfulness and meta-cognition
- Establish a sustainable meditation practiceÂ
- Cultivate wholesome habits, behaviour and world-view
- Bring more awareness into all areas of our lives
- Understand stress and systematically let go of it
- Learn to maintain mental hygiene in times of information overload, building a healthy relationship with our digital devices and (social) media
- Identify personal challenges and turn them into opportunities for growth
- Learn to regulate our emotions and become more resilient
- Find a deeper sense of gratitude, meaning and joy
Dates and Times
The in-person sessions are 2,5h and take place once a week from 19:00 – 21:30. The 1st, 5th and 8th session are 3h, from 19:00 – 22:00. The next dates of the course will be announced soon.
Costs
The costs for the course are 280€ (including VAT).
Covid-regulations
The in-person sessions will be held in accordance with the current covid-guidelines respecting max. number of participants, 1,5 meters distance and mask regulations.
The location
The course takes place in the beautiful large workshop space at the CoopSpace, a self-organised coworking community in Berlin-Kreuzberg (see picture below).
Address
Glogauer Str 21, 10999 Berlin, first courtyard, door on the right, 1st floor.
Application
The course includes a free preliminary talk. This serves to clarify questions and expectations and determine whether the course is right for you.To register please send me an email to nicolasendres(at)posteo.de or use the contact form below.
About the facilitator/guide
Nicolas Endres has an academic background in psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and works as a coach, mediator and educator in Berlin. In his early twenties he became extremely fascinated with the mind which led him to study psychology at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK. He then returned to Berlin where he studied psychology, neuroscience and philosophy at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain at Humboldt-University. During this time he worked at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human, Cognition and Brain Sciences within one of the largest longitudinal studies on the effects of meditation. After his studies he designed and taught an experimental inner science university course at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain which formed the basis for the present inner science course.
Besides Western science and philosophy his main interest lies in Eastern contemplative traditions, especially Buddhism and Daoism, and the meditative techniques associated with them, e.g. meditation, Yoga and Qigong. The more he practised these techniques the more he realised their value for individual and collective mental health and well-being. He is fascinated by the idea of applying the scientific method directly to the mind in order to gain a more complete understanding of the inner workings of the human mind and brain. He works towards integrating the wisdom of ancient contemplative traditions with the insights of modern science and technology with the ultimate goal of raising our collective level of consciousness. Nicolas teaches courses on inner science, gives talks on philosophy and psychology and is currently founding an organisation for consciousness research, -education and -culture.
Experiences of past participants:
“It was a wonderful experience to participate in Nicki’s Inner Science
Course. Nicolas is a warm, attentive and inspiring host who created a space with humour and ease where I felt safe and comfortable. I received a broad overview of various meditation techniques, traditional as well as modern scientific backgrounds and was able to learn a lot for myself. The weekly gathering in a fixed group has helped me to establish my own routine in my meditation practice. I was looking forward to the interaction with each other every week and benefited from the group exchange. I can warmly recommend anyone who wants to deal with themselves and meditation to participate in the Inner Science course of Nicki!”
“This course was for me like a rich buffet with many carefully selected meditation techniques and positive psychology exercises. They were introduced in an open-minded secular manner without any myths and dogmas. Everyone was able to taste them and test whether they resonate with him or her and boost his or her well-being in daily life. Although I had been busy with various meditation methods for years before I learned new ways and aspects of meditation. But I also recommend the course for beginners.”
“My experience went beyond what I had expected and turned out to be what I needed at the time. The course let me experience an open, friendly atmosphere where I felt safe to be myself. I was looking forward to Wednesday evenings to take part in the course. One of the highlights for me was our checking-in & checking-out routines. I found myself more interested than usual in knowing about how others spent their day, even if we didn’t know each other out of the context of the course. Nicki would actively take part in such activities, therefore, I observed him as another participant and companion more than a teacher but there were also times when he would present a well-prepared topic properly like a teacher. Although a lot of the time we didn’t let him finish what he brought with him to the class simply because we had too many questions, thoughts, and ideas we wanted to share- it felt more like our class together more than his. He was the only one who would prepare before the course but we all shared what we brought to the class with ourselves. Nicki introduced fruitful material, created a community for us but above all I enjoyed the time spent in the class and the experience itself. After the course, we decided to stay in touch with each other.“