Testimonials
Responses to August 2010 Magic of Allowing Mindfulness Retreat Weekend – July31/Aug1, 2010
Nick Bousie, Action Sports
1 day later
Kate, still flying after experiencing the most uplifting and REAL weekends of my life!!
I missed that amazing experience of “Being’’ I experienced yesterday.
Jacki and I sat down on Sunday night and compared mandalas. We are having a day/night per week specifically for each person to stop and enjoy life.
Just wanted to ask you where I could find some music to have in the background – similar to some of that you used over the weekend?
We both love you and your amazing family so much!!
1 week later
I have already downloaded Olivia Newton John song, and a couple of albums from itunes!!
I have also been doing 10 minutes a day of the Dalai Lama meditation from YouTube.
It’s fantastic – you have truly achieved with me!!
3 weeks later
Dear all,
How wonderful was that weekend we spent at the Balmoral retreat !!!!
It has certainly had a most profound effect on me , some of the effects I can try to articulate, but others are not quite as easy.
I was very lucky to be able to go home on the Sunday and discuss with jacki (my wife ) what had just occurred and we compared and discussed mandalas. That was a great way to begin my mindful start until the next level we attend with Kate.
I made IMMEDIATE changes to my life , to eliminate as many “blackies” as I could day to day.
Well I now make sure I take stock in the morning to slow down and have a good breakfast and a coffee, I travel to work in complete silence as opposed to the radio or music….I have identified a tree at the oval where I run my business that helps me remain mindful. My approach to work and the joys I experience because of the effect I have on people is now very much appreciated from within , rather than waiting to be judged, critisised or perhaps complimented…..
Work has NEVER felt or been better. (that was a real issue prior to the Balmoral retreat !!
We have also set aside 1 day of the week at home …that we call (including our 4 YO ) spirituality day…on that day NO TV , radio (a little emailing) but just quiet music, which I downloaded from itunes and discs that Kate had organised me. Ben , Jacki and I play games /puzzles and read by the fire ….IT IS SOOOOOOO NICE , and I cannot tell you how quick the working weeks fly . I play the Olivia Newton –john song daily to myself to remain mindful .
I have had a couple of set-backs , but nothing that my green mental circle cannot conquer…. !!
Generally I have slowed down, listened and viewed life quite differently , I am discovering that my “blackies” are no body else’s doing , just MINE and habits to remain focused I not allow self-doubt are most definitely a work in progress.
One last thing is I make sure EVERY DAY I LISTEN VIA YOU TUBE THE MEDITATION FROM THE DELAI LAMA ( same one I missed on Sunday am ) it only lasts for 10 minutes ,…..wow it is good.
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a step !!!!
I believe I have taken a step or 2 !!!
Thank you to EVERYONE , a weekend I will never forget !!!! What a wonderful 40th birthday gift I got from my wife !!!!
Nick xxxx
Sally Guyatt – Yoga Teacher
2 days later
I loved your course and would happily pay to do it again! It was just what I needed. The song “I can see clearly now, the rain has gone” has been running through my mind.
Congratulations on creating a wonderful course and delivering it with such empathy, compassion and professionalism.
3 weeks later
I’ve had a very interesting time since our wonderful weekend together.
On initial reflection after the course I felt I had returned to my ‘old’ patterns – too much activity, not enough mindfulness, not enough integration between what my brain understands and what my body ‘knows’. But on reflection I have made some changes and the more I think about it the more profound the effects have been.
I now look forward to longer eye contact where I used to find it confronting. It feels like an opportunity to give the other person my complete attention and results in a deeper connection. For me it feels like truly being with the other person.
During several bouts of deep worry about a potential catastrophe (and having to teach a yoga class in the middle of said worry) I automatically returned to my breath every time my mind strayed to panic. This helped enormously. Knowing that it really works in challenging circumstances is reassuring.
I was surprised how enthusiastic my family was with my mandala drawings. This prompted me to give them each a book and crayons to play with. I suggested it was a tool they could use to express what ever they wanted to – dreams, inspirations, confusion, hurt, anger – the whole gamut of emotions.
I’ve found routine household tasks less frustrating by keeping Kate’s phrase ‘find the joy of being in doing’ in mind. This helps me to transform resentment and boredom into pure mindfulness and creativity
I’m looking forward to phase II of the course and taking these new found habits deeper.
Jacquie Randall
1 day later
Doing Kate Mathers’ Magic of Allowing for a second time was a treat to myself – of two whole days spent in my favourite place – NOW!
With Kate’s experience and knowledge and wonderful guidance, she allows us to access and experience the NOW at a profound cellular level; we are able to reconnect and reunite to who we are when we are truly Present – Present to ourselves and to others; and, most important, we completed the weekend retreat with powerful tools to help us access the NOW more in our daily lives (for most of us this usually doesn’t happen too much), and the glorious freedom and happiness that brings.
Thank you, Jacquie Randall
2 weeks later
Dearest Kate and wonderful friends, (thanks for starting the Hello, Julie ),
On the Monday after our Magic of Allowing weekend I was scheduled to meet my 26 year old daughter for lunch at 12.30pm. As my day unfolded I sent her a text to say that I could now come at 12noon. Shortly after that however, a sick friend called and asked me to do her a favour. So I called my daughter and said I would now be there at 12.30pm again, as originally planned, as I had to do an errand for a friend.
Not sure what happened during that phone call but thinking about it 5 minutes later I realized somewhere in the flow of words lunch was now off? Despite a dozen or more calls to her before 12.30pm to re-schedule the lunch – she did not answer.
So I went anyway and arrived at her door at 12.30pm as originally scheduled.
Well the barrage of language and accusations that greeted me was astonishing, everything and anything that was hurtful came out, followed by the door being slammed in my face!
A Jacquie without mindfulness and presence, a Jacquie from not that long ago, would have declared war! How dare you ………………………..*#!!!>>>>>>…………..*******###@@@!!!!!…. ,, it would have been very colourful to say the least!
BUT, following on from such a wonderful week end, I left her door and walked quietly a few doors up the street to a coffee shop, bought a coffee and sat on a fence drinking it slowly.
I could not believe how NOT hurt I felt. I could not believe how calm I felt. I reflected on the situation and realized that it was my daughter who was hurting and the lash out at me was really just how she was feeling about herself and her own life.
About half an hour later, knowing she was still at home, I called her and suggested as I was just up the road perhaps she would like to come and have a coffee or lunch with me anyway?
A very sheepish, reluctant daughter did join me and we had a very awkward lunch together, but when we were walking back to my car together I simply put my arm around her and expressed that – if my life had taken the turns that hers had in the last 12 months I would be feeling a bit of an anti-climax at the moment, at the very least.
She confessed nothing was going how she expected and yes, she felt pretty bad about quite a few things.
Without mindfulness and presence this outcome would never have occurred.
Without mindfulness and presence I doubt my daughter and I would be speaking again until at least 2011!!
And there’s more ………….
That feeling in the face of what would otherwise have been a hostile situation was so powerful that I want more of it in my life.
Like Julie, brushing my teeth, showering, even applying moisture lotion after the shower, all the little areas of my life are becoming mindfulness times
Thank you so much to everyone for such a special week end and yes please Kate would love to do the next course with you!
Heart hugs to you all,
Jacquie
Andrew Bousie, General Manager, Esprit
Hello Everyone,
Firstly I apologise for taking so long to send you all my own life experience and learning’s since we were all together at Kate’s back in July.
I am going to start by saying unfortunately human nature kicked in not long after the weekend whereby my commitment to myself about things that we discussed over the weekend did not transpire and for no reason other than my self belief that has probably been hidden within me for most of my life took over my regular daily routine and at the end of the day I just didn’t make time for any of it.
I quickly realised this as I started to plan a holiday (that my business had requested I take as I had so many weeks owing) however with no partner to share the time with I had to think and plan in a totally new / different direction how I was going to fill 3 weeks…. to some a luxury but funnily enough to me a bit scary !!
I decided to immediately pull on all the learning’s, practices and self belief thoughts from our weekend together and found myself feeling very empowered to make decisions for myself and my beautiful boy Josh and started to plan what was an amazing 3 weeks………..
I had wanted to go skiing and took the opportunity with Josh (who was very happy to have the week off school) to book Perrisher for the first week. We took off and arrived to snow bucketing out of the sky followed by 5 amazing days of skiing and adventure. We managed to ski all days and on our last night the slopes were open for night skiing so we took the opportunity and before our last dinner had 2 hours skiing in amazing conditions under the night sky. Our days were a great bonding time skiing and racing one another down his favourite slopes and jumps, our nights were full of laughs, UNO, rumbles on my bed and chats about anything and everything.
As we drove home I realised how lucky I was not only to have a son I love and treasure so much but how proud I was as his dad to have that time to just be with him and ‘share life’.
My second week was more about just being…. watching my nephew at his action sports (with his dad) lunch, dinners and pubs with friends and of course the chance to be there for Josh at school drop off and pick-up and enjoy some time living and breathing easily with no time pressure……a highlight was Nicko and I taking our Mum out for lunch to Hugo’s, something the 3 of us have never done which not only gave her a thrill it ended being a real reality check for me how we don’t make enough time just to sit and enjoy the now and more importantly appreciating and making time for the 3 of us together….
My 3rd week was weird to say the least….decided on my way back from a network meeting in Melbourne in the middle week in a Qantas magazine was an advert on Darwin so I rang when I got home booked a plane for the weekend and took off… Everyone thought I was nuts… so not Andrew, why Darwin, on your own…. just to tell you a few but my inner strength told me that this would be a great place to meet people on tours and just have some ‘me’ time away from anywhere I had ever been before and as we all learnt… ‘live in the moment’..
It was incredible…Kakadu, Litchfield Park, swimming in natural waterfalls and springs, rain-forests and helicopters over wetlands, crocodile hunting and….. lots of running music and chanting pushing me along the way…
So back to the reality of life and I felt amazing… not only for the experiences on my break but for the opportunity of doing all the things I learnt from you all in our short but incredibly impactfull time together that weekend. Life is good and I am still very focussed on my fitness and about to complete my 3rd 1/2 marathon this Sunday….
I am proud to say that with all this said although my transition had a rocky start, thanks to you all and especially to Kate…………..
‘I am learning to live in the now’
‘Able to see things for what they are’
‘Importance of self and trust’
‘Giving myself space and time’
‘Peace and harmony with all around me’
‘Connection with soft and hard things in life’
And although not quite here yet I am conscious and working towards being ‘At peace with myself’…
So to you all, I send all my positive thoughts and hope you too still spend lots of time reflecting and enjoy just ‘being’…………..
Andrew x
Jacki Bousie, Personal Trainer, (Nick Bousie’s wife, who completed Magic of Allowing retreat in April 2010, writing 2 days after husband Nick’s Magic of Allowing retreat, August 2010)
Kate, after experiencing ‘The Magic of Allowing’ some months ago, I walked away so excited, rejuvenated and more open to everything!!!. I wanted Nick to experience the mindfulness course in the way that I did. So for his 40th birthday I organised for him to come along to your August retreat along with his brother, and share that special weekend together. Thanks for giving me a new husband!!
Nick loved it, thought you were amazing and inspirational, and we shared some special moments together going through both of our notes and comparing each others mandalas, talking about the amazing exercises and experiences that you facilitated for us. So I feel now that we are both on the same page. I can’t wait to do the 2nd level, and get some more friends and family to experience the profound and exhilarating journey that both Nick and I took.
Julie Parkinson, Institute of Executive Coaching
1 day later
Good morning Kate,
I would like to thank you profoundly for a beautiful and life-changing weekend. I woke early this morning and watched the sun rise while drinking my ginger tea – and mindfully made the children’s lunches. My colleagues at work commented on how rested and ‘present’ I am. I loved the journey (or the adventure) and am looking forward to putting myself at the centre going forward. I was very touched by the whole experience, and how a group of relative strangers developed a deep intimacy over a short period. None of this would have happened without your gentle and loving guidance.
Thank you again and I look forward to continuing the adventure.
With warmest love
Julie
2 weeks later
Dearest Kate and wonderful friends,
It is now two weeks almost to the hour when we completed the Magic of Allowing weekend and thanks so much Kate for giving us the opportunity to share with each other what changes we are experiencing, in terms of mindfulness and being present.
My routine tasks to bring mindfulness to included simple things such as cleaning teeth, showering, drinking the one and only coffee of the day, taking time out for myself however busy the day., preparing kids lunches and family dinner.
I have noticed the following changes:
1. With cleaning teeth – I sometimes now achieve the unheard of – of cleaning for the full 2 minutes until the smiley face appears on the brush!
2. Showering – I now have a skin care routine which is simple – but makes my skin much less reptilian! This is great and makes me feel much better.
3. Time for myself – the other day I got home from work and my eldest son was in a flap about something. Instead of getting on the stage with him and getting involved in the drama, I took myself off to Bathers and had afternoon tea of scones and jam and read the paper. When I returned home 40 minutes later the drama had passed and he had resolved the problem himself and was happy about it.
4. Walking the dog – Lucky. I find I am noticing the wonderful nature around me much more – although I still have the “black” spots appearing in my mind. Thanks Nick for the wonderful visual. I loved the learning that 90% of our stress comes from our own self talk – and am sharing this with everyone.
Thanks again for the wonderful journey – or adventure – and do let me know if anyone is up for part 2 – I certainly am.
Warmest regards
Julie
Susie Morgan
1 day later
Thank you again for a wonderful weekend – it gave me such clarity and it was just great to meet all those lovely people (including you).
Love
Susie
2 weeks later
Hello to all of you wonderful people
What an enlightening weekend it was. What a difference it has made to my life, and it is something I shall always remember. A joyful, peaceful (and sometimes confronting) couple of days.
I find it difficult to express what a terrific experience it was meeting with you all, and to feel your empathy and understanding throughout the two days.
So far there are still lots of issues I have to deal with, but they are gradually working themselves out. My "heart hugs" are happening heaps of times and it gives me the opportunity of telling people about the Magic of Allowing retreat.
My 13-year-old grandson has really taken on the "heart hugs" and suggests we have one each time we meet. He is a strong young man and nearly crushes me with love. He also takes great delight in lifting me off the ground in the hug and carrying me along a few steps, showing how strong he is. (He beats me in the arm wrestle too).
I have found it hard to keep up my mindfulness, but try to remind myself every now and then. I took the dogs for a walk yesterday and looked up at the beautiful blue sky with whispy clouds skudding along. That was a good moment. Also the breathing has helped enormously.
Thank you all so much for giving so much of yourselves and sharing your experiences. Our last half an hour was so powerful with such joy and love. It is something I had not experienced before with people who were complete strangers the previous day. You are just great Kate, I have told so many people about The Magic of Allowing. I hope I can join in another weekend again – I know I still need it!
Good luck to you all, hope we meet again some time.
Susie
xxxxxx
Here are some of the things that other past participants have said about Magic of Allowing Mindfulness Retreat Weekend Workshops during 2009, and 2010:
"Thank you for allowing me to come into my own space in such a safe and nurturing environment. I hadn’t realised how much I needed to do this until I was here. Thank you for your soft and gentle kindness and the sharing of your wisdom and love." – Janet, Sydney
"I truly appreciate being invited by the universe to meet you, and then share in the experience of your Magic of Allowing weekend ….you have gathered a lovely group of people with whom to share such a special event …… the thought and effort that shines through as the culmination of your many years of experience and observation dedicated to learning is obvious to all." – Tania, Sydney
"Thank you for a truly wonderful experience. I had no expectations, but found the whole weekend very rewarding and enlightening. Well done for being brave enough to follow your heart and your dreams." – Beverley, Sydney
"Thank you so much for the opportunity that allowed me to reconnect to myself in a safe, comfortable environment…. you have a beautiful approach in conveying and disseminating your knowledge and experience to others." – Bronwyn, Sydney
"Thank you for a very special weekend …. you are a wonderful teacher …. and such an open-hearted woman." – Jono, Sydney
"The Magic of Allowing: it was sheer joy! When is Level 2 happening?" – Jacquie, Sydney
"Thank you for creating the space to allow our bodies and spirits to play through dance, song, art ….. your gracious and compassionate nature brought a quality to the group that encouraged us to get in touch with our inner voice and heart. Magic." – Sally, Sydney
"I am well, remaining as present as possible and realising at the same time that it really is a constant test (for want of a better word). I am reminded of the non-harm theme we explored at the workshop – this is a big test for me! I find that being in a relationship allows me to constantly practice this. I am getting closer to meditating again each day. I have decided to start yoga with my best friend, so this will allow a connection to myself on a weekly basis… I am really looking forward to it! The course was really great, Kate."
“I have been meaning to let you know how I felt after the Magic of Allowing workshop! Some examples of how I have changed:-
• I still have to walk the dog every morning, but when I do I am more focused on the leaves of the trees, the blue of the sky, the crunch of the leaves underfoot, than before when I walked and I thought only about what a busy day I had ahead of me or what a lousy day it had been the day before, or how so and so had annoyed me etc etc.
• I have started yoga on Wednesday nights – Iyengar – something for myself.
• I have some lovely moments in the car now at red lights, an opportunity for breathing and a micro meditation!
• Best of all, at the endodontist last week where I was having a second session of root canal therapy, the combination of breathing and focusing on the moment made me so calm and quiet in myself that it was actually a pleasant experience, an hour to myself rather than an hour of torture!
Kate, these are just some of my experiences, in so many little ways the weekend with you has changed me, so thank you."
“I have thought a lot about Ahimsa since the workshop. Specifically in how I choose to use my time. It is actually causing me to re-think how I want to do that within Wake Up Sydney! Been very busy recently with meeting people and doing lots. I am now working on developing a structure where I get time for more writing, stillness and slow living as opposed to so much DOING. It might mean not pushing things as much but I don’t really want to push. I am also seeing that I want the freedom of a lean and flexible business rather than the burden of organization and staff. For me, all related to Ahimsa.”
“As I suspected, once you get out of the special environment, it’s much harder to put into practice what you know you should be doing. However, having said that, I do find myself stopping and thinking about being in the present moment and trying to enjoy and savour the here and now. As for being kinder to myself, I still have problems with that largely due to being too busy and just getting caught up in the daily routine…. no excuse I know!! I thought the whole weekend was fantastic and enlightening…. I just have to get better at implementing change in my life.”
”I notice that I now try to take more time and really enjoy every mouthful of my food. Listen to the noise my jaw makes when it is munching the food. It makes me grateful that I can chew, eat from my mouth and swallow, as there are so many people that have lost this pleasure.
Also, for the first time had a good look at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House when I was driving over the bridge (probably should have been focused on the road!) but the light was setting very beautifully on the Opera House and I was in awe of what a huge structure the Bridge is and how it has connected to sides of the "island" (Sydney) so that we can merely "drive over the bridge" but yet each side used to only be reachable by boat transport. I felt a big sense of gratitude and ‘thankfulness’ that I live in Australia in this beautiful country, and not back in England (my home country), which I love, but the climate and dark days in winter drive me mad!
I really enjoy my shower, stretching my body out and actually ‘experience’ the fall of the water drops on my skin. So often it is a passive activity.
We so often forget and miss what an incredible world it is that we live in. I am sitting at my desk looking out at the water and there are 2 rainbows in front of me, created (I don’t know how) b/c of the rain and sun; they are strong and vibrant and quite a miracle in themselves. I am able to appreciate, and love things like this, with so much more awareness and sense of connection since the Magic of Allowing weekend.”
"It’s been a couple of months now since the inaugural Magic of Allowing weekend but the pleasure of being involved with you and the other people in the group that attended is still with me.
Firstly I wanted to reiterate how impressed I was with the amount of time and effort that you had put into the weekend so that we, the participants could have a seamless experience.
This was apparent on all levels such as your research, the tools we used such as the mandalas and pastels, the music, the venue, the setting, the food. It gave us the ability to really soak up all the new activites and
enjoy again some that we may have experienced before but a different group of people always brings in new factors.
I truly feel that everyone in that group will have gained so many positive tools that they can take through into their daily life as I have.
I am eating slowly and honoring the food I have been blessed with.
I am enjoying my creativity.
I am noticing the amazing colours of the autumn leaves and marvel at the process called nature that made them that way.
I am not whizzing through life as fast as I may have before – even when on my vespa!
I am allowing my teenage children much more space in my life and in theirs.
I am allowing my sense of myself to be present at all times and looking after my needs first for the first time in many years.
And you know what – this is all "allowed". Thank you so much for your patient nurturing loving weekend." – Tania, Sydney
"Congratulations, Kate, on a wonderful workshop! I was so sorry to leave that nurturing space yesterday; the energy, the people, and your beautiful guidance throughout the two days was SO GORGEOUS!! Loved living in the moment and am trying to maintain it today……
Your methods and teachings are distinctly different to anything I have done on any previous courses, and it’s funny, when one says that the course involves ‘singing, dancing, drawing, walking around outside etc’, it is such an inept description of what is really happening!
Those words – and even your flyer – don’t even come close to communicating the essence and magic of what is really going on! So thank you, Kate." – Jacquie, Sydney
