Inner (R)Evolution
10-Week online course | Next course will start in autumn 2024
Inner (R)Evolution is a ten-week deep dive into the inner art and science of transforming ourselves and our relationship with the world. The course 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 experience takes place within a community of practice and support using a microsolidarity framework.
Introduction Video
Course Overview
How can we stay centred, grounded and balanced in the face of an increasingly complex and overwhelming world? How can we cultivate a mindset of friendliness, care and compassion towards ourselves and others? How can we understand ourselves better and become more mindful, compassionate and wise? How can we bring more awareness into all areas of our lives? How can we make the process of self-exploration and transformation into a continuous and sustainable path? And, importantly, how can we walk this path together and support and care for each other along the way?
These and others are the guiding questions of the Inner (R)Evolution Course – a twelve week journey of deep inner exploration and transformation. We will take inspiration from a variety of sources, ranging from the ancient wisdom of Buddhism and Daoism to the modern insights of psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. Together we will explore various methods that can support us on the path of self-discovery. Among them are meditation, contemplation, mindful movement, dialogue practice, reflective writing, peer coaching and group exchange. The entire experience is embedded in a community of support and care.
The content and tone of the course are influenced and inspired by a variety of traditions and disciplines and from my personal experiences gained from
- studying psychology, neuroscience and philosophy
- years of practicing meditation, Yoga, Qigong and Taichi
- studying Buddhist and Daoist psychology and philosophy
- various meditation retreats
- teaching courses on mindfulness, inner science and mind-body medicine
- leading and taking part in mutual support and microsolidarity groups
- my work as a facilitator, coach and mediator
- exploring breathwork and plant medicine
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 your attention, mindfulness and meta-cognition
- Learn the theory and practice of various kinds of meditation
- Establish a sustainable meditation practice
- Learn the fundamentals of Qigong theory and practice
- Cultivate wholesome habits, behaviour and world-view
- Bring more awareness into all areas of your life
- Understand stress and systematically let go of it
- Learn to maintain a healthy relationship with digital devices and (social) media
- Identify personal challenges and turn them into opportunities for growth
- Learn to relate more authentically with yourself and others
- Learn to regulate your emotions and become more resilient
- Find a deeper sense of gratitude, meaning and joy
- Become a conscious creator of your life
The Inner (R)Evolution is about…
- deepening our ability to sense and feel
- befriending our mind and body
- letting go of self-judgement and self-hatred
- approaching ourselves and others with friendliness, gentleness and tenderness
- allowing and accepting what is (especially when it feels uncomfortable)
- embracing and practicing silence and stillness
- letting our minds and bodies settle in their natural state of relaxation, safety and ease
- seeing and letting go of harmful mental patterns, destructive emotions and trauma
- cultivating benevolence, compassion, joy and equanimity
- moving from thinking to feeling
- getting out of our heads and coming to our senses
- practicing generosity, collaboration and a mindset of abundance
- un-learning, de-programming and letting go of things we think we know
- surrendering, yielding and letting go
- having our feet on the ground and our head in the clouds
- systematicity, sustainability and lasting change
- non-doing, non-reactivity and non-identification
- discovering objectivity within subjectivity
- establishing healthy boundaries
- supporting each other on the path
- setting our inner compass clearly towards understanding and wisdom
- self-discipline, committment and continous practice
- deveoloping enthusiasm and inspiration
- understanding our physiology and nervous system
- deepening our relationship with ourselves
- discovering compassion as our natural state of being
- showing each other our blindspots which, by definition, we cannot see alone
- embodying our highest truth and living our full potential
- being here and now
The Online Course Experience
Live Interactive Sessions
Each week will feature a 2-hour live class with the course facilitator. These sessions will contain presentations, meditations, contemplations, deep listening exercises, mindful movement practices, group dialogue and time for questions.
Community of practice and support
The course is embedded in a community of practice and support. Join participants from around the world who are embarking on the same journey of self-discovery. You’ll have opportunities to connect to like-minded people and develop a network of support to carry your inner journey forward.
Community learning platform
You will have access to a private online space to connect with the facilitator and other students through an online platform. Each week new learning materials will be uploaded to the space, including guided meditations, texts and exercises. You’ll also be able to watch previously recorded sessions.
Format
The course features various meditations and contemplations, lectures, deep listening exercises, peer coaching methods, Qigong, dialogues in large and small groups and reflective writing exercises. An essential part of the course is the the community platform and the microsolidarity framework which involves peer group calls. To get the most benefit from the course daily practice is highly recommended. The total time commitment for live-sessions, peer group calls and practice at home is about 6 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 🙂
About the facilitator
Nicolas Endres
Nicolas studied psychology, neuroscience and philosophy in Bristol, Madrid and Berlin and is a certified coach and mediator. He worked in academic science, university, schools, hospitals and non-profits. He worked within the ReSource Project, one of the largest longitudinal studies on the effects of meditation at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human, Cognition and Brain Sciences and designed and taught an experimental inner science university course at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain at Humboldt-University. This course formed the basis for the present Inner (R)Evolution course. Besides Western science and philosophy his passion lies in the path of ancient contemplative traditions. Since hie early twenties he studied Buddhist and Daoist psychology and philosophy and practiced extensively in the fields of meditation, Yoga, Qigong, Taichi, breathwork and plant medicine.
His current work focusses on integrating the wisdom of ancient contemplative traditions with the insights of modern science and technology with the ultimate goal of creating a true first-person science of consciousness and raising our collective level of awareness. Towards this goal he teaches courses on inner science and meditation, gives talks on psychology and philosophy, coaches individuals and teams and is currently stewarding The Garden, an organisation focussed on inner and outer regeneration.
Course schedule
The live zoom-sessions will take place weekly on Tuesdays from 19:00 – 21:00. The sessions will be recorded so that you can rewatch them if you miss a date. In between the sessions you will get videos, texts and exercises for the week.
Course syllabus
- Week 1: (R)evolution is an inside job
- Week 2: Setting up your inner laboratory
- Week 3: Ancient hypotheses
- Week 4: Whatever the question, community is the answer
- Week 5: Letting go
- Week 6: You are the love of your life!
- Week 7: Mindfulness day (3 hours)
- Week 8: Trauma release
- Week 9: Taking the fruit as the path
- Week 10: Harvesting, outlook and aftercare
Experiences from past participants
The Inner (R)evolution course helped me to establish a sustainable meditation practice for the first time, and beyond that, it really changed something inside me that I find hard to put in words. I liked that the theoretical input was broad and varied, while the practices stayed simple and consistent. Probably my favourite part was the feeling of community with the others in the group, I felt connected quickly and deeply through the commitment to showing up and being vulnerable in front of each other. I am left inspired, curious to learn a lot more about ancient traditions, and deeply grateful.
“I had been practicing on my own for some time before the Inner (R)Evolution course, but was not able to build up a regular practice. Right at the beginning it was much easier for me, because Nicki gave me great input about the benefits and also obstacles of a regular practice – I now practice (almost) daily and take a lot of it into my everyday life, which makes me more present and happier.
The topics of each session are very well chosen and presented by Nicki. It was great that we were able to shape the course according to our needs and desires. Nicki creates a great atmosphere where you feel comfortable and there is a lot of space for sharing personal experiences. I was surprised how connected we felt – even though it was a digital format and I didn’t know anyone before.
I learned a lot about myself as there were nice assignments to do at home, and I learned new ways of communicating with others that I use in my social circle as well. This has already changed my relationships in a deeper and more connected way.
When I decided to take the course, I didn’t expect it to change my feelings, thinking, and behavior so much. It has also given me different and new approaches to the problems of society, which I think about a lot.
I am very grateful to have had the Inner (R)Evolution experience, so that now I can live with less stress and be more aware of my life, which is very good for me in the upcoming decisions to make.”
“It was a wonderful experience to participate in Nicki’s course. Nicki 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 this course!”
“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. A lot of the time we didn’t let Nicki finish what he brought with him to the class simply because we had too many questions, thoughts, and ideas we wanted to share and it felt like our class together more than his. Nicki introduced fruitful material, created a community for us but above all I enjoyed the time spent in the class and the experience itself.“
Get in touch
If you have questions regarding the course that are not answered in the description, write me a message using the contact form below. I will get back to you as soon as possible.