Ageing Mindfully: Releasing the Illusion of Time

Rediscover the mystery of what it means to be fully human

How do we experience time? To which extent do we realise that the present moment is all we have?

As we age, our thoughts become less preoccupied with possible futures – a freedom which invites us to bring more attention and focus to the present moment. But at the same time, ageing can give rise to fear and anxiety.

An important part of life seems to be behind us. And in growing old, all aspects life slowly require physical and psychological adaptation. As the body slowly becomes more fragile, this experience invites us to question our priorities about what is essential and what is no longer serving us.

Join senior Dharma teacher and seasoned hospice worker Sophie Boyer for a month-long journey into what is constructed around this reality and how we can develop discernment to face the reality of ageing with a more open and embracing heart.

This course is an opportunity to turn toward the challenges and gifts of growing older with mindfulness, care, and curiosity. Together, we will explore how to live with greater presence, to meet the passage of time with wisdom and compassion, and to uncover the timeless essence of who we truly are.

Module 1: Ageing and the Benefits of Paying Attention

In our first week together, Sophie will re-introduce us to the process of ageing – inviting us to approach it with curiosity rather than fear.

Together, we’ll explore how paying attention can be a powerful tool for calming the mind amidst the challenges of growing older.

When we cultivate an awakened presence around ageing through grounding and mindfulness practice, we can develop the capacity to adapt and respond to life’s changes with greater flexibility and ease.

Module 2: To See Is To Care

What does it mean to approach ageing with a sense of care and tenderness?

In our second module, we’ll reflect on experiences such as memory loss, feelings of isolation, the diminishing of desires, and the need for support. By turning towards these realities with care, we can uncover silence as a refuge and generosity as the foundation of a compassionate heart.

Through this exploration, we can open to the possibility of transforming challenges into opportunities for connection.

Module 3: The Reality of Impermanence

In our third module, we turn towards the profound teachings of impermanence.

Together we’ll explore how change manifests through experiences of loss, pain, illness, grief, and death. We will also investigate the human tendency to grasp for what this moment cannot provide, and how this seeking creates unnecessary suffering.

Through meditation on the four elements and deep listening, we will learn to meet impermanence with courage and equanimity, opening to the wisdom it reveals.

Module 4: Who is Ageing?

In our last week together, Sophie invites us to examine the identity we construct around ageing – our beliefs and feelings about what it means to grow old – and to look beyond this conditioned sense of self.

By experiencing the reality of non-separation, we begin to glimpse the timeless nature of our true being. Together, we will explore the illusion of time and our resonance with life as it unfolds.

Through inquiry practices such as “Who am I?” and “What is this?”, we’ll deepen our understanding of who we truly are, far beyond the boundaries of age.

Praise for Sophie's Teachings

“Sophie is a teacher I hold in high esteem for her deep compassion and ability to care for others. She combines a rare authenticity with great sensitivity, creating a space of openness and caring for her students and the people she work with. Her teaching are structured, rich, enlightening, inspiring, and above all imbued with sincere generosity, aimed at encouraging everyone to cultivate care for themselves and others.”

“Sophie’s availability offers me support on different perspectives through powerful and strong teaching. Through her knowledge and experience, she opens up a field that helps to refocus, to settle down, to reflect through her spiritual and therapeutic knowledge, significantly improving my state of mind. The progression, the evolution of oneself in her company is rich in relieving the vagaries of everyday life, the search for moral and physical well-being. Her role as a speaker is precious. This allows me to grow with strength, courage and dynamism. Her experience is essential and her sense of priorities opens paths towards a harmony that is very difficult to find in this hyper-materialistic world.”

“Sophie is a wonderful teacher, sincere and skillful with a special quality of deep listening. She has been dedicating herself to exploring aging and death as a practice for living fully and compassionately for some time. She has an intuitive understanding of the dharma as applied to our modern times.”

Live Online Course Details

Live Interactive Sessions

Sophie will lead our weekly Sunday sessions. Each session will include an insightful dharma talk, guided group practice, and an open forum for students to ask questions and receive support.

Community Connections

Your journey will be in community with other practitioners around the world via our interactive course platform. As you move through each module, course guides will facilitate discussions, answer questions, and provide resources and support. Every Sunday, you will come together with your coursemates in real time to practice together and share your experiences.

Sharing Practice

Sophie will offer and guide group exercises in class to explore, share, and bring awareness to each week's teachings. The aim of sharing practice is to make connection and to realise the common ground we may have on this process of ageing.

Lifetime Access

All teachings, meditations and Q&A's will be recorded, published and archived on our interactive course platform. Video recordings will be permanently available for you to come back to as many times as you like in the future.

Schedule

Dates & Times

Module 1: Sunday, Jan 12, 2025 9:00 am PST / 12:00 pm EST / 5:00 pm GMT / 6:00 pm CET (90 mins)

Module 2: Sunday, Jan 19, 2025 9:00 am PST / 12:00 pm EST / 5:00 pm GMT / 6:00 pm CET (90 mins)

Module 3: Sunday, Jan 26, 2025 9:00 am PST / 12:00 pm EST / 5:00 pm GMT / 6:00 pm CET (90 mins)

Module 4: Sunday, Feb 2, 2025 9:00 am PST / 12:00 pm EST / 5:00 pm GMT / 6:00 pm CET (90 mins)

Replays will be posted in the days afterwards for those who cannot attend live.

About Sophie Boyer

Sophie was born in France. She started practicing Buddhist meditation in 2000 during her time providing nursing care. After 10 years spent in hospices surrounded by the theme of aging, sickness and death, she became more interested in exploring long silent meditation retreats in Europe, and in the United States (Gaia House, Insight Mediation Society, Forest Refuge). She spent over 2 years in Asia (Myanmar) as a Buddhist nun. She later disrobed in 2013.

Sophie completed the Dharma Teacher Training at the Bodhi College (UK) and has been trained to teach the MBCAS program (mindfulness based cognitive approach for seniors).

Sophie lives on the French border, near to Geneva, where she teaches meditation classes in the oncology ward of a hospital. She mainly teaches retreats in France and is part of the Terre d’Eveil teacher council. She is very interested in bringing people and wildlife together in intimate connection through contemplative practice and retreats in nature. Click here to learn more about Sophie Boyer.

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