Look! Look. This is your world! You can`t not look. There is no other world. Look! don`t hesitate – look! Open your eyes. Don`t blink.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Miksang Contemplative Photography Hiltrud Enders
Dear friends of art & curiosity
i am thrilled to announce a Miksang Intensive from May 15 to the 24th, 2024 in the beautiful and welcoming village of Methana, Greece.
Methana is a peninsula in the Saronic Gulf. It is worth exploring its wilderness and beauty. Beaches, hot springs, the volcano, little villages and archeological sites. Epidaurus is about 50 km away.
The Workshop
Miksang Photography is Meditation in action. Slow down in the landscape, appreciate the vastness of the sea, the sky and the stars... and share your experiences with others. Together we shall (re)learn 'direct perception', marvel and stay with your perception, feeling its quality and expressing this precisely with the camera. We shall enjoy talks and slideshows, training in direct perception, visual exercises, photo tasks and photo reviews. We shall also take time to go swimming, walking the coast - just plain relaxing.
The exercises and assignments reflect both the curriculum I have taught for many years, together with the particular qualities of this beautiful location. To make it clear, this is not a photography class which will guide you to the „classical greek images“. Rather thee workshops are designed to allow you to 'come to your senses'., to let go of conceptual mind, and rest in nowness; They are suitable both for beginners and experienced Miksang practitioners.
No Prerequisites. Drop me a line if you are interested. We can have a zoom, and get to know one another and explore if this workshop is for you.
Who is teaching My name is Hiltrud Enders, I have been practicing Miksang since 2006 and teaching it since 2012. I am especially insprired that these workshops are not based on talent, nor technical finesse but on a joyful persistence of coming back to the present moment. The heavy backpack full of rules and standards about “what makes a good image” can be put aside. We look at the world with a fresh, an almost childlike view. This is the key to the presence and intensity of our photographs. I am the author of ‚Freude am Sehen’ a book about contemplative photography which is published in German. I am very grateful to have been trained by Michael Wood and Julie DuBose to teach four classes of Miksang Training: "Opening the Good Eye", "Making Contact", "Heart of Perception" and "Space".
You might be interested in exploring my images and my writing about Methana
Miksang - The source Miksang Contemplative Photography is based on the teachings about perception and art of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Miksang Training is founded and developed by Michael Wood over 40 years ago. Michael Wood and Julie DuBose founded the Miksang Institute and they are continuously deepening the teachings in a wonderful way. The word Miksang is a tibetan word and it means 'good or purified eye' - a beautiful symbol for our inherent ability to see the world vividly and clearly, without the interference of conceptual mind.
Schedule May 15 = Day 1: Traveling Day, Welcome & Introduction in the evening
May 16-19 = Day 2, 3, 4, 5: Workshop
May 20 = Day 6: Day off with the opportunity for self organised day trips to Hydra or Mykene or a hike on the beautiful peninsula of Methana.
May 21-24 = Day 7, 8, 9, 10 Workshop
May 25 = Traveling Day
Registration
To register for the workshops please email to mail@miksang-fotografie.de
Tell me in a few sentences about your motivation. I am curious! Please include your address. And if you have any question don’t hesitate to ask.
Pricing for the Workshop Participants can come from very various countries with different income. So we have different prices and we trust you to choose the price that is affordable for you. We will send out an invoice after your registration. You can pay in one or more steps. Not included: Traveling, Accomodation and Meals
1.080 € good income / supporter
800 € general price
Pay what you can option - please send me a note for this pricing
Accomodation Hotel Akti Methana, right down at the sea
Emilia Thomaidis, Hotel Akti is offering:
Double room (30 €, 35 € and 40 € pPN) including breakfast.
Single room (50 € and 60 € pPN) including breakfast
Please note that the Hotel has limited space. It is not possible that everybody gets a single room. So we want to ask you to be open to share a room with another participant (maybe even with someone you don't know yet?). Some of the double rooms are quite spacious ;-) The workshop requires 10 overnight stays. Of course it is also possible to extend your stay.
Meals We will see, when we are there. The last time we stayed in Methana we had homemade lunch with veggies from the garden and fresh fish or a vegetarian option. We will see what we organise. For dinner you have plenty of options around in the Tavernas.
Excursions On some days it will be fun going to go somewhere else on the island. We will organise this spontaneously. You should expect some fee for the driver/taxi.
Traveling By train: I am a train lover, I already went to Athens by train in the 80ties. But unfortunately the long distance trains to greece do no longer exist. You can take the ferry from Italy to Patras, train or bus Patras to Korinth, Bus to Methana
By plane: Athens, take a bus directly from the Airport to Piraeus and the ferry. The Ferry Piraeus - Methana takes about 2,5 hours. You do not need to make a reservation. You just get the tickets at Piraeus Harbour. Right now it is leaving Piraeus on Wednesdays at 10:30 am / once a day. There are much more frequent ferries from Piraeus to Poros and then take a Taxi to Methana. It is not possible to rent cars in Methana, the next place is Galatas.
Together: You have to organise your trip, but you can find a tandem. The last time we were in Methana, some people did this.
