Newsletter: In embracing what is, Asha gently surprises

Living in Asha: A continuation of letting go and creation

Slowly the signs of autumn begin to show themselves. The light is dim, mist hangs over the forest, the trees shed their leaves and fruits, and mushrooms sprout from the ground. Life retreats to its roots. The old becomes a source of nourishment for the new that is yet to come. The air is crisp, and the whole spectacle reminds us that everything passes. It is the movement of life itself, as Yoginâm puts it:

 

‘I/World’ is Asha, a continuous spectacle of phenomena in situations.

 

 

The movement of life - an example from daily living

As summer draws to a close, life in Asha takes on a more tranquil pace. We were expecting only one guest, and despite the delay in maintenance work, we were assured that our sewage system would be ready and functional by 3 p.m., so we were confident that we would be able to welcome our guest without any issues.

As the day progressed, however, we discovered that the toilets would be out of service until 6 p.m. Imagine how awkward it is to tell a guest who has just driven for three hours that they cannot use the facilities upon arrival. The idea was a bit uncomfortable, but the guest was probably already on his way. While we were pondering this, we received a phone call: the guest had fallen ill and decided not to come. The situation resolved itself.

At ten to six in the evening, the doorbell rang. There was a new guest at the door, asking if he could stay the night. Now that the toilet problem had been solved and a delicious soup was already waiting for our original guest, we welcomed him with open arms.

Adding to the day's unexpected turns, our cleaning lady, who would normally have come that morning, informed us that she couldn't come because her car had broken down. Normally her absence would have been missed, but given the circumstances, it now seemed perfectly logical.

At such moments, we are reminded of the beauty of Asha—filled with awe and wonder, and grateful for the unexpected twists and turns that life brings. We realise once again that we cannot control life, we can only trust that life will take care of itself!

 

Acceptance of what is

Instead of limiting potential to meet our expectations while protecting our needs, it is possible to be present in the moment and open to whatever comes. When guests come to the Asharum, they bring their own history, their own life experiences, their own desires and needs to find peace and let go. Sometimes people come for a Private Meditation Retreat, but are not yet ready to stay in silence; other times, people participate in the activities and find themselves entering into a deep silence. Being able to trust that everything that is needed will present itself is perhaps the key to fully accepting what is. The same applies to living in a community:

The Nâm Community is primarily sharing in an Ethics. In that Ethics it is recognised that people who are rooted in this same endeavour behave towards each other as a family.

...

Nobody is ever judged, because from the perspective of the community everything and everybody’s behaviour is Asha, and as such a teacher for finding Abbah for those who witness it.

From: Nâm Community by Yoginâm, September 2025

 

Thanks to the community

We were very and pleasantly surprised by the news that Yoginâm was planning to contribute his birthday present to help pay for the maintenance work that urgently needs to be done in Amonines. Thank you for this wonderful gift!

Thanks to everyone who donated -whether for Yoginâm’s birthday or in response to our earlier appeal- an incredible sum of over €9,000 has been raised! This amount will enable Amonines to cover all essential expenses.

All this support – financial or otherwise – nurtures a deep sense of community and belonging and is greatly appreciated. Indeed together, we keep this place alive as a beacon of silence and beauty. Thank you very much!

 

Events

What Came Before and….

In terms of events, September was a relatively quiet month, marked by a Yoga Retreat and the Weekend of Silence. During the yoga retreat, one participant –who turned out to be a photography student– took photographs of the garden; green and vibrant, a testament to a summer of rainy nights and sunny days.

Garden-Impressions by Sarah Rodriguez

 

… What Lies Ahead

The Essence of Meditation

This course explores different ways to enter a meditative state, including the unique practice of "breathing through the skin". Often seen as the boundary between self and world, the skin becomes a gateway—opening us to greater spaciousness and connecting us to a state beyond boundaries.

Meaningful Living

Held several times a year, the value of this programme becomes more apparent with each time. It’s both moving and inspiring to see participants step out of their comfort zones and into the unknown. While it’s natural to interpret new experiences through familiar lenses, this event gently challenges you to let go of that tendency—and open fully to something truly new.

Nâm Retreat of Silence

For those seeking to reconnect with the essence of being and embrace inner quiet during the transition into the new year, we offer the Nâm Retreat of Silence.

Through a daily rhythm of meditation, silence, and shared meals, this retreat creates space for stillness and inner discovery. As thoughts settle, the gentle rhythm of the breath anchors you in the present.

A daily online HarpMood with Yoginâm in Spain significantly deepens the experience, gently dissolving inner barriers and guiding transformation.This retreat brings lightness to daily life and opens the way to a sense of unconditional wellbeing, the inherent potential of all living.

 

Returning to Letting Go and Creation

Letting go makes room for something new. This can happen on many levels—especially in how we think and what we believe. Often, we’re not aware of how these ideas shape the way we see ourselves and the world.

One question that often comes up in this context is: “How can I stop myself from overstepping my boundaries?”

Irma wrote a blog about this, showing how your perception can change the flow of Asha. To read the blog, click here

 

Newsletter: Nâm Retreat, the Quran and Meaningful Living

Nâm Retreat of Silence

Sitting silently
Doing nothing
Rain falls
And the grass grows by itself

Zen-poem

Beginning on 28 December, the Nâm Retreat of Silence will take us into the new year. Through a daily rhythm of meditations and silence, the retreat offers space to pause and reconnect with the essence of being. Unique techniques are used to guide the participants into meditative states. As the days pass, the gentle rhythm of the breath anchors you in the present; thoughts settle, and the inner space of silence deepens. A daily online HarpMood with Yoginâm in Spain significantly enriches the retreat. The sounds in the HarpMood reflect the state of those present. Through tuning the harp in different moods, Yoginâm guides the retreat in such a way that hidden barriers can surface and dissolve. The Asharum provides a safe environment to support this transformative process.

 

 

As the Nâm Retreat of Silence at the end of this year is fully booked, we are very happy to welcome you for the next retreat in April. If taking part in the Nâm Retreat feels like too big a step you might consider one of our Weekends of Silence instead. The next Weekend of Silence begins on 30 January.

 

A Nâm Selection from the Quran

Last month a new book by Yoginâm was published: “A Nâm selection from the Quran”. The front cover is modest, white and simple like with most of the other books. When opening the book the beautiful and intriguing Arabic script immediately captures your attention.

The introduction begins:

Although I was living in an islamic environment and shared in its customs, I had only glanced superficially at some translations of the Quran. I was not really caught by it. It is only now, when I finally decided to make an effort and read the Quran in Arabic, that I discover a very different book. Both clear and ambivalent, both ordered and seemingly incoherent. I discovered a richness in meaning that is often lost in translation.

Struck by how close the text is to Nâm, Yoginâm explains how he began to make some notes on these correspondences.

Gradually it turned round and I found in the Arabic text of the Quran a beautiful way to explain Nâm and the Ethics of Nâm.

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The newly published book has a way of its own.

Lying open on the floor, the electrician saw it when he made his round through the house. Pleasantly surprised by the familiarity in relation to his Arabic background he asked: ‘Are you reading Arabic?’ After a brief explanation his curiosity grew and he began reading the Arabic text with the translation underneath. “Yes, that is correct” he commented. He then started reading the longer quotation above the other; “No that is not right,” he said. But not entirely sure of his own judgement, he took his phone and looked it up, “Yes, indeed, it is correct”

“A Nâm Selection from the Quran” is now available for online order.

 

Meaningful Living

This course explores a particular perspective on life, using meditation, imagination and contemplation. A central challenge in this journey is the aspect of letting go of preconceived ideas and a strong identification with the self, in order to attune to something beyond - an unknowable reality that cannot be grasped by the mind. As Yoginâm explains,

Attuning in the first place involves a humility; a readiness to listen and discover. It also involves not imposing your programmes on everything. They are the obstacles that make you deaf and blind. Attuning is an all-in transformation: ultimately a transformation into Abbah.

Yoginâm, "A Nâm selection from the Quran’, 2025

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Each course develops a character of its own

Despite its structured programme, each course develops a character of its own. Last month, we had a small group of five participants, with whom we ventured into largely unfamiliar territory.
The differences in experience were clearly felt, ranging from someone with deep life and spiritual experience to another for whom everything was entirely new, with others in between. It was beautiful to see how these differences complemented one another.
Naturally, each participant faced their own challenges. For the person who had been exploring spirituality through Taoism and Zen Buddhism, the challenge was to remain open and not fall into the habitual comparison with what he had learned before, concluding, “I already know this.” Such an attitude can easily close a door rather than open one. Given how difficult it is to let go of one’s own ideas, there was deep respect for the way he navigated this challenge.
By contrast, for the participant to whom everything was new, openness came more easily. With nothing to measure against, there was simply an invitation to engage with the material, unburdened by preconceived ideas.
The process unfolded harmoniously, showing how people at different stages of life can enrich one another.

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Thank you very much! I really needed this, and you have taught me a lot once again. It was important to me.

Participant of Meaningful Living

If you have serious questions about life, and the idea of gradually letting go of your personal story resonates with you, you are welcome to join the next course!

Calendar Calendar Info Meaningful Living

 

Visitors in November

The visitors who came to the Asharum in November were relatively young—a fact they themselves noticed.

One guest said he had been surprised by the low average age; he had expected to be one of the youngest. The place, and the drum as part of the meditation, brought him a deep sense of peace—something he had not expected to experience so quickly.

Thankful...
with the discovery of this place
the peace, the space, the silence,
the gentleness, the kindness...
It has done me a lot of good

Kristel

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The last

The last apples, the last pruning and a final flower before the garden surrenders to winter.

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Open for Awareness to enter your life and become authentic

There is nothing in life that is not Asha

Everything that is stressed in NâmLiving tries to activate Awareness.
Living in Awareness, which is the same as Attunement in Abbah, is called Optimal Living.
Asha is as Abbah appears in 'I/World'.

Yoginâm, 2023

It is also Abbah that is remembered in Asha
Whereby every aspect of life as it appears
In the phenomena and circumstances of daily living
Is demonstrating Abbah as Asha is its face
There is nothing in life that is not Asha
It is in Asha that Peaceful Acknowledgement
Awe, Wonder and Guidance are optimally realised

Yoginâm, The Book of Nâm

 

 

Nâm Retreat of Silence and how it was experienced

This retreat is an instrument to open the door to awareness and the deeper layers of who we are. The five daily meditations—known as Attunements—follow a rhythm of chants, recitations, drumming, and silence. Participants do not actively engage but are invited to be present with an open attitude. This is a challenging invitation, as being truly open and present necessitates the "self" stepping aside. Often, mechanisms such as fear and resistance come into play, obstructing trust and surrender.

It was remarkable how, on the first day, I had to overcome strong resistance when you began singing. I felt trapped, anxious, and drawn into something I didn’t want. However, I allowed it to pass… everything within me—through my body, spirit, mind, and soul. It turned out to be the exact opposite: a liberation. I felt freer than ever.

I am grateful for what Yoginâm brings to the world. What he conveys through words and energy feels so unconditional and open-hearted. Life is joy and celebration!

Sofie

 

Once in surrender and trust, one may experience a sense of being lifted up, especially through the recitations, another participant shared. Whether one is aware of it or not, the attunements, recitations, and HarpMoods possess a transformative quality that bypasses the mind and understanding, initiating a process that is not restricted to the moments when one sits down for meditation:

I noticed that the peace, a kind of thoughtlessness I experienced increasingly during the attunements, at some point continued in the moments between the meditations. That way I moved very pleasantly throughout the day.

Marketa

In particular the presence of Yoginâm with the online HarpMood at the end of each day is invaluable, guiding the retreat in such a way that hidden barriers can surface and dissolve:

Yoginâm is not just playing the harp; It really comes to you.

Mike

 

To read the feedback of all the participants click here or book a retreat below, you are most welcome!

Calendar Calendar Nâm Retreat of Silence

 

If taking part in the Nâm Retreat feels like too big a step you might consider one of our Weekends of Silence first.

Calendar Calendar Weekend of Silence

 

The longer Personal Meditation Retreat

I wish I had discovered the Nâm Retreat of Silence much earlier. Can I also attend for a longer retreat?

Emerging from silence after five days, one participant remarked that she would have liked the retreat to continue. And indeed, longer retreats are available.

The programme is called the Personal Meditation Retreat and, as the name suggests, it can be tailored to individual needs. It offers the opportunity to withdraw from everyday life and live according to one’s own rhythm; to recover from a challenging period or burnout; or to stay in an environment that supports a creative process that requires focus and clarity.

Depending on individual needs, the retreat may include two to four meditations per day, silence throughout the entire retreat, or only during certain parts of the day. For those wishing to engage in contemplation and reflection, a guiding text is also available.

The programme is normally offered for a maximum of five days. However, there are two occasions in the coming year when a longer stay is possible: from 19 to 31 May, and from 14 to 26 July.

If you are interested, please find more information and book your stay below

Calendar Calendar Book a Personal Meditation Retreat

 

 

The Feast of Lesser Light and its significance

December 21 is celebrated across cultures as the day of the solstice. From this day onwards, the sun will gradually ascend, remaining above the horizon a little longer each day until it reaches its highest point. The Feast of Lesser Light is celebrated on this day, but what is the significance of this celebration within Living Nâm?

The Feast of the Lesser Light is a celebration in which people come together in order to celebrate that in this togetherness Asha is realised as the Way in which we aspire Attunement in Abbah. It is the Feast of darkness that searches for the Light. In Asha we recognise that this Light is not coming from somewhere, but that we are the wick that needs to be lit.

Yoginâm, 2023

 

The celebration itself is a ritual that includes songs, dance, and recitation. The recitation provides continuous support for Attunement throughout the day. The songs and dance are a celebration in joy, not for amusement as Yoginâm says, but with the purpose to open the participants for a certain reality.

 

How one of the participants experienced the Feast:

It was chilly outside, and daylight faded early. In the Ardennes, clouds hung low between the hills. Silence enveloped Asharum Amonines. But inside, a lovely wood fire crackled as we enjoyed warm tea and reunited with old friends while meeting new faces. The winter solstice was approaching, the shortest day of the year. From then on, the days grow longer, and a little more light will surround us each day. In Asharum Amonines, we were able to experience the entire feast in Nijár with Yoginâm. Online, indeed, but we were there above all in our hearts. It was a celebration to remember. With fourteen participants in Amonines, it was pleasantly busy and lively, yet quiet and subdued at the same time. Every moment possessed its own intensity.

We recited Yoginâm's texts in unison, we listened, touched to our very cores by the beautiful singing, and we danced as one, united by the compelling sounds of live music and, of course, the HarpMood. Time ceased to matter; the celebration felt endless and, before I knew it, it was over. Next year again, at the same time, in the same place.

Marjolein

 

Events calendar:

To view all inspiring events in 2026, click below!

Calendar Calendar All events overview

How people experience the Nâm Retreat

Read more

How take care of myself without boundarie

How can I take care of myself without protecting boundaries

Recently, I wrote a blog about protecting one’s boundaries and how, from a spiritual perspective, this may not be very helpful. You can read the full blog here. Today, I want to delve a bit deeper into this topic, as it’s truly a shame to close off doors, and I invite people to open them—both for themselves, for their surroundings, and for the world, which so desperately needs this!

I was never someone who established my own boundaries

This time, I’d like to approach the topic through a personal story. I always write from personal experiences. I was never someone who established my own boundaries, and it really affected me at times. I couldn’t say no, nor could I stand up for myself. And honestly, I still struggle with that! However, what used to cause me issues has now become my strength. It benefits me and those around me!

I have learned something much more beautiful, powerful and fruitful

Over the last twenty years, I’ve learned something much more beautiful, powerful, and fruitful. I’ve increasingly realized how everything is part of a larger whole. This isn’t something to explain in detail; we cannot fully grasp that greater whole. However, we can relate to it and live in accordance with it.

I take care of that whole, which includes myself

Within this larger whole that I am a part of, I try to listen to the signals that speak to me. I aim to do this with an open attitude. I take care of that whole, which includes myself. I am not separate from this whole, as it is important to remember that the ‘greater whole’ is not something I relate to as a separate entity!

Even if I am feeling tired myself

This means that sometimes I help someone who looks tired and might need a boost, even if I’m feeling tired myself. I can choose to believe that the other person may need it more. At other times, I can opt to step back and take the rest I realize I require—not because I want to, but because I know that others benefit when I’m fit and healthy.

When you learn to listen well

When you learn to listen well, you start to notice the right signals and can tell when it’s better to take care of someone else or yourself. The whole shows this. We also refer to this as Asha. This is always personal; others cannot determine what your Asha is.

Taking care of yourself is not a selfish act

#Self Care

Taking care of yourself is not a selfish act; quite the opposite. It’s always about making balanced choices, considering the circumstances involved. Self-care can sometimes be postponed, though at times it cannot!

The moments when I feel the urge to establish a boundary, forgetting that we share in a larger whole, often come when I’ve ignored the signals that have already been presented to me. I may have gotten lost, charged ahead, or simply didn’t feel like listening, thinking it would be fine. But eventually, there are consequences, and that impacts others as well.

Signals in Asha are neutral and do not consider what we find pleasant or unpleasant. They point the way—period. So, I know now that I better avoid those delicious chocolates after many times learning the hard way, facing consequences that others around me can also endure.

I had a listening attitude

Returning to how my lack of assertiveness and ability to say no has turned into an advantage: because I’ve always had a caring attitude—sometimes at the expense of myself, I discovered how everything comes back to you.

I had a listening attitude that helped me discover Asha, a journey of discovery that is still ongoing! Now, I know that I only need to care for the whole and simply listen to the signals coming from it.

Tools for transformation

On this path HarpMood by Yoginâm was certainly one of the very helpful tools for transformation.

Being in Yoginâm's presence through HarpMood, either live or through a recording, has opened me for the many subtleties life holds and helped me to learn to see these signals which can be subtle as well.

And now I can trust!

I can trust now that the whole will take care of me! I could never have discovered this if I had solely focused on myself. Should you wish to explore this theme further, book a spot for the “Meaningful Living” event we’ll hold on November 26 2025, a powerful five day event. More information here.

How can I prevent myself from overstepping my boundaries?

How can I prevent myself from overstepping my boundaries?

How can I prevent myself from overstepping my boundaries. This is a frequently asked question that I sometimes hear from our guests or read online. But actually, from a spiritual perspective, this is not a helpful way of thinking. And when you start making decisions based on this mindset, such as “I must learn to say no”, you actually end up further away from home, or rather, in this case, “further away from yourself” than you would like. With this way of thinking you just limit yourself, this can have far reaching consequences.

But what is the right way? How can I feel better without thinking in terms of boundaries and without limiting myself? 

I will explore this theme further in this blog.

Let's first look at the approach of 'boundaries'

You must have read about it and may even already embraced the idea which is the foundation of all serieus spiritual traditions in one or another way:  We are Sharing in a wider Whole. We are of a Oneness we cannot know.

And this is not just a nice idea, everyone seriously exploring this can draw these conclusions, even science comes up with these conclusions these days.

Exploring and embracing this we can do by implementing it in our thinking and in our way of living.

So the first question relating to the theme is: "If all is One, how can there be boundaries?!"

It depends on perspective

Ofcourse there are different perspectives and in our daily lives we continuesly switch in perspectives.

Indeed if you try to open a door that is locked there is a boundary, if you bump yourself against a table you feel a boundary.  So indeed from one perspective only, you could say we have boundaries, and you may need to deal with that on a very practical basis which can include a no.

But I am talking here more psychologically and from spiritual perspectives. This level of everything sharing in Oneness is transcendental and shimmers through all other levels. This also means that with regard to for example a level of thinking this influences other levels and can be a cause of a consequence you cannot oversee.

Oké let's decide there are no boundaries

If we drop the idea of boundaries can you imagine a whole world opens up? Without boundaries suddenly limitation changes into potential! And now I hear you thinking 'but....what about this headache I get everything I cross my.....'

I get it, you have a headache, or a sense of stress, digestion problems, skin rash, difficult emotions or anything else that may appear whenever you cross....

You can't cheat life!

So let's reframe this in a more helpful way. If we want to look at this from the perspective that we share in a wider whole and we don't want to put that perspective aside, we don't want to make an exception like 'yes we share in a wider whole but only...', no we cannot do that, it's cheating and you can't cheat life!

Even though we cannot know it, we can relate to this wider whole

It is very helpful when we start relating to this unknowable wider whole in a sense. We don't need to know or understand in order to embrace and relate.

We can say; "Within this wider Whole, in which I share, I can witness Signs. And I always have the choice and responsibility to listen to them or to ignore them". These Signs can be inner Signs or Outer Signs, they give ongoing direction and Guidance in daily living.

So a headache becomes a Sign

So a headache becomes a Sign, a skin rashe, stomach pain, stress, emotion, attachments ....But also the angry neighbour, the annoying colleague, your partner behaving strange...

Do you see the slight difference in te way we put it? And can you see the keys that come with this different perspective?

A little change in thinking can be the cause of big life changing experience!

It may be subtle, but on very unconscious levels this resonance may have a big influence in your daily inner and outer life.

We will dive deep into the basics of this during the event 'Meaningful Living'.  Join in and explore how this can change your life and help you become the creator of your own life!

A closed 'No' changes in an open 'Yes'

Observing these Signs, listening to them, working with them keeps an open mind.

Instead of saying "no, I don't want to cross my bounderies" you say Yes to the Signs and you ask what is needed to do something with this, this is a change in attitude that opens doors. It invites reflection, contemplation and with that answers and solutions will come, you can dive as deep as you want.

It can be helpful to take some distance from your daily life sometimes by leaving things behind and visit a retreat centre.

We facilitate an environment that support this kind of reflection and contemplation. For example during the event 'The Essence of Meditation'. 

A compass for living

This different way of approaching life is not only practical, it generates much more meaning and potential, beyond your imagination! In a sense, by starting such a relation with living you start building an inner and outer compass, something many people these days have lost!

The very basic principal to this way of living is absolutely beyond understanding. You can't read yourselve into Wisdom as Yoginâm states. Therefor we facilitate the incredible powerful 6-day Nâm Retreat of Silence.

Don't forget, everything is resonance!

Because everything is resonance, including our thoughts, ways of thinking and believing, this influences the Whole, which is resonance as well.  Therefor it is just practical as well as wise to take this into consideration. Even to become more aware of how you think and what you believe.

It is this resonance that has a creating force and creates our everyday living, over and over again in very subtle and unconscious layers.

So if you can change the believe that you have boundaries which need to be protected and with which you limit yourself into an attitude of 'Listening to Signs' you start creating a different world for yourself.

You want to explore this in a supporting environment with like minded people? Book a Personal Meditation Retreat

By changing this perspective you start creating a different world for yourself

This is also because the energie of boundaries in a sense has a conclusion on the level of intent. It is a fixed thing based on earlier conclusions. This stops movement, you are convinced about it and that can be a closure of doors. This als is a closure to potential solutions and a potential different  course. A boundaries will not likely change unless you make an effort to widen the boundaries but again you just move the closed door a little bit further away, but you keep it closed.

Keeping the doors open

If you want to keep the door more open in a more exploring way using the idea of Listening to Signs can be a great help. You can also still draw conclusions but they are not fixed, you keep moving in openness.

For example: 'you got a headache because you crossed...oh no... you got a headache because you forget to sit down and drink a kop of thee, or you started shaking because your blood sugar level dropped because you forgot (or didn't give yourself time) to eat something.

You want to explore this topic through a body approach sign in to one of our Yoga Retreats!

You are always responsible

So you still may need to change behaviour which is nothing else than taking responsibility when a Signs is asking it of you. Looking at Signs in daily living is a way of approaching life in movement, it is always open for change and adaptations when necessary.

Visit our Retreat Centre Asharum Amonines as a regular visitor, work along with others in the house and the garden and explore in depth what this can do for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to deal with Loneliness

How to Deal with Loneliness

Recently, the theme of loneliness appeared repeatedly in my life. It came as a question—first from one person, then echoed by four others in close succession:
“How do I deal with loneliness?”

Each time, the question felt sincere and raw. It touched me. In some cases, it was heartbreaking to witness the struggle.

How do I deal with Loneliness

Confronted with these stories, I also realised something: I don’t really know this theme personally.
I have been blessed with a life in connection which is mirrored in my living in Asharum Amonines.  A sense of being accompanied—by something greater—has always been present.

But then, I asked myself:
Why is this question crossing my path now?
What can I offer when I haven’t lived that same pain?

Looking more closely, there have been moments in my life when I experienced exclusion—both as a child and again as an adult. The latter brought with it an incredibly intense pain, maybe the deepest I’ve ever felt.
And yet, curiously, I wouldn’t describe it as loneliness. Because it was in that pain that something beautiful happened:
I reached out, inwardly. And the help came.

It was painful—and profoundly blessed.
One of the most transformative experiences of my life, connecting me more deeply to what I can only call my God—the presence that has always accompanied me.

Listening to Someone Who's Been There: Loneliness

Still, I felt the need to understand loneliness more intimately. So I asked someone who had lived with it for quite some time:
What helped you through that time?

Her first answer was simple, but difficult and only possible when there is true acceptance:

“Wait patiently. Sit it out.”

Then she added something truly beautiful:

“I learned that giving opens something. If you feel lonely, don’t wait to receive—start giving, no matter how small.
A smile to a stranger is already something.
And if even that feels impossible, then begin by wanting to smile—life will meet you there.
If you feel like you have nothing to give, then begin by wanting to give. Opportunities will come.”

Such a powerful shift.
Giving—even a little—creates movement. And movement can invite connection.

From Loneliness to a Sense of Connection

Her words made me reflect again:
Why have I rarely felt lonely, even when I was alone much?

I think the answer lies in what I can only describe as a sense of connection.
Since early childhood, I’ve had a deep inner knowing—a God-sense, as I call it. A feeling that I was never really alone.

Even as a child, playing by myself in the woods or near the river, I wasn’t lonely. I was in good company—with myself, with the world around me, and with something unseen but always present.

It reminds me of something Yoginâm once shared:

“Loneliness cannot exist when you realise that you share in a wider whole.”

And when I faced deep emotional crisis in life, I turned to that presence once again. I cried out—not just with my mind, but with my whole being. And I was answered, in a way beyond words.

Not Just in the Mind

This connection is not an intellectual belief. It’s a lived, full-bodied experience—a longing and a response.
Many people have learned to pray to something external, an idea of a God far away.
I once did too.

But through Yoginâm’s words—and more powerfully, through his silence and presence—I discovered something deeper:
God is not out there. God, or however you want to name it, is within.
The source of all that is.
Beyond naming. Beyond believing.
A path of exploration, not of doctrine.

And this path—this exploration—can gently lead you into relationship with your own deepest essence.

Yoginâm’s Teachings

Reading Yoginâm’s books, I find language that doesn’t always follow convention. He sometimes invents new words or borrows from forgotten traditions—not to confuse, but to break open old thinking, to help us go beyond habitual understanding.

Words like God, ego, karma—they carry assumptions that limit us.
Yoginâm offers another view. He speaks of us for example not as an “I living in a world,” but as 'I-World'—in which both 'I' and 'World' are completely interwoven with each other.

When we forget this, we can fall into the illusion of separation.
That’s when loneliness can arise.

In The Book of Nâm (p.144), Yoginâm describes this as:

The Double Illusion of Separation:
The first illusion is the belief that ‘I’ and ‘World’ are separate.
The second is the belief that you - being Experience as 'I-World' - is separate from Awareness, which is your true Essence.

It is a profound teaching—more something you must allow to dawn upon than to grasp immediately.

Living Connected: A Metaphor That Resonates

To support this dawning upon, I want to share a powerful metaphor from (among others)  Fragments of Voice, a small poetic book that touched me deeply:

 

"In living you become from the ocean a drop

In living too you become from a drop an ocean

Ocean and drop

Drop and ocean

The sameness of water

The saint realises water

The wise one realises the ocean

The ignorant one realises

The drop"

 

Join Us in Exploration

If this reflection speaks to you, and you would like to explore more deeply in a safe and guided setting, I warmly invite you to the 5-day Intensive “Meaningful Living”, starting this summer on August 27.

It’s a beautiful and powerful opportunity to contemplate connection, attunement and the deeper meaning of being alive.

Whatever path you walk—whether alone or accompanied—may you remember that you are never truly separate.

You always share in a wider whole.

With warmth,
Irma

 

 

A Revolution of the Heart

How to Navigate a World in Turmoil

There is so much happening in the world today.
We scroll through headlines, watch the news, and never quite know what’s true. Yet it seems: upheaval is everywhere.

Are these events leading us toward something positive? Or are we hurtling toward disaster—an Armageddon of sorts?
No one really knows. Perspectives differ wildly, and predictions are as varied as the people who make them.

 

We are the world

Some assume that because in Amonines we live a contemplative life, we must be disconnected from the world—that we neither watch the news nor care about what unfolds.

But that is not true.

We are deeply involved. When we read about pain and suffering, our hearts are touched just the same.

How could it be otherwise?

We are the world.

 

Seeing Differently

The difference lies in how we relate to what we see and hear.

We do not take every story at face value.
We question, observe, and try to look beyond appearances to what is.

What is the enemy? Why do we call them so? Where did they come from, How did they become so? And what would it take to turn them into a friend (again)?”

A way of thinking we learned from Yoginâm.

Consider:

A country decides it must defend itself from an enemy. Huge sums are poured into weapons, soldiers are recruited, and people rally behind the idea of war. Many say, “What choice do we have? We must fight!”

But is this the only narrative?

We don’t accept such narratives as absolute truths. Why? Because we hold to a transcendental Truth—a Certainty that transcends all stories and lies within us.

This Certainty, untouchable and unchanging, anchors us even when everything else falls apart. It allows us to question the “truths” of the world without fear of losing our footing.

Becoming the Change

Many ask:
“But what can I do? How can I help? This must stop!”

We agree. Action is needed. But not necessarily on the barricades.

True change begins within.
It begins with becoming different beings—by awakening and allowing ourselves to be Guided.

“You are not separate from the world. You are the world. And when you transform, so too does the world.”

 The Light of Nâm

We place all things within a wider perspective: the Light of Nâm.

But isn’t this just a way to avoid responsibility?
No. It is precisely the opposite.

When you realize that everything is resonance, you discover a profound truth:
We are not passive observers waiting for systems or leaders to change the world.

We are the change.

A Revolution of the Heart

When you read of war or genocide and feel horror, grief, and compassion rising in you, this is not passive.
It is an active resonance —a revolution of the heart.

It is a profound step to affirm, even in the face of suffering:

“What is, is what is, as what is.”

To discover Abbah in Asha—or, poetically, “The Beloved in the Face of the Beloved”—in all things, is to contribute to a world in transformation.

When enough people embody this resonance, the world cannot help but change.

 

A Pathless Path

For this reason, we are deeply grateful:

  • To be Guided on this pathless path of transformation.
  •  To facilitate a place of retreat where others, too, can find their inner Guidance.

We are convinced:

A better world begins with becoming a better human being.

What such a “better human being” might look like is wonderfully expressed in Yoginâm’s poem 'Beautiful Human Beings'.

 

Oh, beautiful human beings,

This is the song of my advice:

 

Discover oneness in multiplicity 

And love it unreservedly

Discover multiplicity in Oneness

And serve it unconditionally 

Discover freedom in beauty

And follow it unabashed

Discover tolerance in openness

And walk in its footsteps

 

These are the principles of Love

These are the precepts of wisdom

These are the preconditions of bliss

This is the Way of

Beautiful human beings 

 

Love each other 

Because you are One

Serve each other 

Because you are One

Destroy the boundaries

Because you are One

Abandon all judgment

Because you are One

This is the way of

Beautiful human beings 

 

Yoginâm, The Eye of Beauty, 2013

 

Take the Next Step

Are you ready to contribute to a world in transformation?

Download our little booklet What is Nâm to explore the meaning of this way of living and how you can embody its resonance.

Or discover how a retreat in the Light of Nâm can guide you on your journey.

 

Because when you awaken,

the world awakens with you.

~~~

 

When a loved one dies

~ A text by Irma ten Brink inspired by the work of Yoginâm ~

When a loved one dies

Someone posted a beautiful question:

 

“Do you think those you knew who died

Are in another place then you, right now?”

He referred to a deceased loved one

However I sensed he was not referring to someone

Who stayed in this world as ghost or entity

Like some do

Rather in a sense he referred to a knowing or

A sensing

Nobody ever dies, leaves or is far away

 

The Essence of Meditation

 

Those for whom meditation has become part of daily life,

These questions are actually not that strange, neither are the answers far away.

Actually death is much closer.

Contemplating such questions often bring a warmth, a sense of closeness and intimacy. A remembrance of ‘home’.

Many think meditation is a tool for relaxation, to relieve stress.

And of course this is what it does as well.

But rather more importantly it is a tool to reconnect with our deepest essence, with what we are beyond ourselves.

That part in us that was never born and will never die

Meditation is the way to connect with the part in us that was never born and that will never die.

Just image yourself and ask this question deeper within you

“Where did these loved ones go after they died?

Are they really that far away?”

 

Join us for these and other question during the three day Course Retreat

Essence of Meditation!

 

#image_title

A participant speaks about the event Meaningful Living

Course Meaningful Living - A participant speaks

~ Translated from Dutch into English ~

 

Find here information on the 5-day intensive Meaningful Living

 

Garden of Eden

The garden of Asharum Amonines may be compared to the Garden of Eden. All those flowers and plants, those scents, those colours! Insects buzz around sweetly, the water of the fountain sounds like a soft melody. A curious robin wonders from his hiding place in the bushes what those new, as yet unknown people are doing there. A languid cat stretches on the gravel path and understands it very well, he does exactly the same as those people who walk around there: catch your breath, breathe in beauty and love and gather strength for a possible next step.

The red thread

The statement ‘ Attunement in affirmation is the meaning of human living ’, is the guideline for the course. It sounds a bit ambitious, trying to understand the meaning of life in five days. At the same time, what is not possible in five days is probably also not possible in five lives. So you might as well try it. Irma is our guide these five days. Step by step, day by day, meditation to meditation, she takes us to an answer. She does this very patiently, with a quip and a lot of understanding, with room for everyone's personal account, which she effortlessly places in the great story that we form together.

How do we deal with today's events?

As different as the background of us as participants is, it becomes clear that we also struggle with the same questions, each in our own way: how can we live, maybe even survive, these days which are full of incomprehensible developments, terrifying ideas and hair-raising events? Should we accept quietly and endure everything? Democracy is not for fearful people, is a saying. But can we counterbalance, offer an alternative that goes further than stop watching news out of self-protection? How? How to offer an alternative without losing yourself in political disputes and above all: without making the opponent stronger by your resistance? While we bend over the meaning of attuning, of affirmation, of what it is like to be human and we ultimately also contemplate the meaning of meaning, these questions form a common thread throughout the days.

The insights and answers to the issues come, on stockinged feet. With every meditation something changes in us, something that cannot be captured in words. I see my own changes reflected in the other participants. Their faces become softer, their voices firmer, their gaze radiates more strength and conviction by the day.

The answers are within ourselves

Answers are already here waiting for us deep within ourselves. We take first steps to get in touch with what else is there. With All that Is. And try to face that unknown without fear and prejudice. Perhaps spirituality, like democracy, is not for fearful people either.

Our journey can begin by realising that we are more than an ‘ opinion ’, more than the experience we experience. We are introduced to new concepts such as ‘ I-World ’ and Irma explains the phenomenon of resonance on the basis of a simple mathematical figure.

Irma navigates us around the rocks of our convictions. 'Knowing you don't know is quite a lot," she says. It is already a step to accept that there is more and that you cannot understand it. And she radiates an unwavering confidence: ‘ although you are touched by the things around you, your wonder and your love resonate in All that Is. ’ Then the answer to the previous questions also looms, how to deal with today's challenges? She points out that it is not necessarily necessary to have some kind of  'numerical majority ’ to let Love conquer.

Meditation and visualisation

It is a lot and it is big what we are trying to learn. Our ideas and experiences as participants vary widely, but Irma always guides us to a middle with meditation exercises and visualisations, to the place in time and space where the inner and outer world become as one. Symbols also help to get past words. And of course music brings an answer. When we listen to the chant “ The Breath of Heart ’ by Alexander Gustave on Sunday morning, everything that still looked for a place falls into place. Thus, almost unnoticed, the certainty has grown in us that only love is the way, only love can disarm.

Come and experience it too!

Much more happened, the conversations were more comprehensive and the meditations deeper than words can represent. Actually you just have to experience it yourself. And then be quiet.

It is very pleasant to stay at this place in the Ardennes, if only because of that magical garden full of peace and quiet. The food is delicious, the rooms are sparkling clean, the atmosphere is silky soft. Irma, Annebeth, Katelijn and Louise lead the dance unobtrusively, each in their own rhythm and always at the right pace. The Asharum Amonines lives its own promise of love and devotion.

Participant of the course August 2024

 

Find here information on the 5-day intensive Meaningful Living