Skymind Yearlong: A Transformational Immersion Program
March 21, 2027 @ 10:00 am – December 19, 2027 @ 12:00 pm
A Nine-Month Transformational Journey into the Nature of Mind, Meditation, and Compassionate Living
With Pieter Oosthuizen and Charlotte Rotterdam
Guest teachers: Lama Tsultrim Allione, Sarah Harding, Elena Brower
Skymind is an invitation to rest into our true nature. In the Buddhist tradition this nature is inseparable from the ground of being – vast, luminous, and compassionate – embracing all things like a Great Mother. But how do we recognize the innate wakefulness and primordial wholeness of our true nature? How do we access the ground? “Rest,” say the teachings, “rest in the natural state.”
Our nine-month immersive journey is guided by the wisdom of the great 11th-century Tibetan yogini, Machig Labdrön, whose teachings are held in the non-dual Mahamudra lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Her direct and piercing instructions point us to the nature of mind – our true nature – and call us to meet our lives and the world with vast awareness and a fiercely loving heart.
Beginning at the spring equinox and unfolding through the winter solstice, Skymind is a program of focused study, committed practice, and everyday integration, so that these ever-green teachings become not merely understood but lived experience. It unfolds along the time-tested Buddhist structure of Ground, Path, and Fruition.
Three Interwoven Streams
Throughout the nine months, the course weaves together three complementary streams of study, practice, and integration.
1. Study: The Teachings of Machig Labdrön
At the heart of the program are the extraordinary nature-of-mind teachings of Machig Labdrön, founder of the Severance (Chöd) lineage. We explore her repeated instruction to “rest in your nature” – drawing on her core texts and pith verses to carry through everyday life.
2. Practice: Open Awareness Meditation
A central thread is meditation as a doorway into direct experience of the nature of mind. You will train in focusing attention, recognizing awareness itself, attuning to loving radiance, and resting into open awareness through the Skymind meditation practice.
3. Integration: Bringing the Teachings Into Life
How do these teachings transform the way we live? We walk the Skymind path – cultivating radical acceptance and fierce compassion, turning toward our obstacles with awareness and curiosity to uncover the awakened heart (bodhicitta) even within our difficulties.
Five Life Dimensions
You will have the opportunity to apply these teachings to key areas of your life:
- Relationships, community, and service
- Work and livelihood
- Body, health, and environment
- Intellect, learning, and creativity
- Spirituality
Why Nine Months?
The nine-month arc provides the time and container for real transformation to take place, allowing teachings, meditation, and integration to deepen, stabilize, and mature together. The extended timeframe also creates a committed community of practitioners traveling the path together – a sangha that strengthens both individual practice and collective learning.
Who Is This Program For?
Skymind offers significant benefit to both the experienced practitioner and those with little or no previous experience. It is particularly suited for those who:
- Are interested in the nature of mind and non-dual teachings through the lens of Tibetan Buddhism
- Wish to cultivate and deepen their meditation practice in a structured, supported way
- Seek a path that integrates deep contemplative insight with everyday life
- Want to cultivate greater compassion, resilience, and clarity in the face of life’s challenges
- Would like to become part of a supportive community of learning and practice
Included as a recommended but not required retreat within Tara Mandala’s Magyu Program.
Skymind is more of a path rather than a course — but for a small number of practitioners, Deep Blue is where that path goes deepest.
A limited cohort will meet monthly with Pieter and Charlotte, in a group small enough to go straight to the source: Machig’s own words, read closely and allowed to work on us. Woven through it is direct, ongoing mentorship — more time to bring your real practice and your real life, and be met with honesty. This is the “feet to the fire” track, where you’re held to your practice and offered the clear, loving feedback that only arises in genuine relationship.
At its heart is an invitation into solitary retreat — prepared for, supported, and integrated with us alongside you. You’ll also work with creative expression to track and support your progress.
Space is limited. Entry is by application and perhaps a short conversation with us.
Meeting Times: Wednesdays, 9-11am MT (1hr teaching + 1hr small group focus. Charlotte & Pieter will each lead one small group.) March 31; April 7; May 5; June 9; July 7; September 8; October 6; November 10; December 8, 2027.
Cost: $750-$900 sliding scale.
Registration for Deep Blue is separate and additional to registering for the Yearlong program through Tara Mandala (below). To apply for the Deep Blue add-on Program, please fill out the Deep Blue Application Form below.
Your Teachers
Guest Teachers
Program Details
- Dates: Spring equinox through winter solstice – March 21 to December 19, 2027
- Two live teaching sessions each month: Sundays 10am–12pm Mountain Time (1st & 3rd Sunday)
- Two live practice sessions each month: guided meditation and discussion (dates & times TBD)
- All sessions live online and recorded for those who cannot attend live
- Translation: via Zoom with instantaneous subtitle translation into most languages
- Breakout discussions, optional peer pods, and personal practice between sessions.
Retreat Opportunities
For a more complete Skymind experience, we invite you to attend at least one in-person retreat – offered in the US and in Europe – over the course of the program. These retreats are complementary to the coursework, but optional, with separate registration.
“The realization of the nature of mind includes all phenomena without exception.” — Machig Labdrön