My practice and approach
“Like all other living things, we must make our descent into the darkness then wait for some new kind of wisdom to take root.”
Valerie Andrews
My name is Raphaela.
My work centres around meeting ourselves and our experience with openness, curiosity, and space.
I am deeply supported and inspired by my ongoing daily meditation practice and mentorship (see below).
The offerings you’ll find on this website are for everyone, exactly as they are. They are born from my own ongoing and unfolding practice of allowing myself fully, exactly as I am. As I continue on this journey I experience more space, deeper satisfaction and connection, and more possibility available to me in every moment.
“In service of the whole, supported by the whole.”
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
My approach
My approach can be described as ‘presence holding space’. By this I mean…
I notice a common thread throughout my life: I have always felt deeply nourished and energised by being real, and allowing myself to be in the world in a genuine and honest way. That said, I have not always found this easy, living in a culture where it’s popular to hide parts of oneself away or strive to ‘fit in’.
I now recognise this is both unkind and unnecessary. Gradually I am releasing delusionary concepts I’ve once believed about ‘how to be’ and ‘how not to be’, and instead embracing who and what I am. This often involves ‘holding space’ for myself, by honouring feelings and welcoming parts of myself which have historically not been met with love and acceptance.
This process, of holding space for myself and welcoming myself exactly as I am, is an ongoing, empowering and healing journey. It’s also a deeply rewarding journey, bringing me more into contact with my innate courage, power, freedom and joy.
I find that my authentic presence also nourishes others: when I offer my genuine attention and deep listening to others in a non-judgemental way, it often offers them a healing space to explore feelings or experiences. When I facilitate mindfulness, relational mindfulness and The Work That Reconnects, holding space from presence and sensitive awareness helps me respond skillfully to the needs of the group.
Mentors, Teachers and Inspiration
Deborah Eden Tull
Since 2019, I receive ongoing mentorship from Deborah Eden Tull (Eden).
Eden is a dharma teacher, author, spiritual activist, and the founder of Mindful Living Revolution.
I continue to find Eden’s mentorship deeply transformational and notice its impact on my life in a myriad ways. Her strong sensitivity and capacity for clear seeing, and her fierce commitment to living from presence, true nature and love, have profoundly supported my commitment to presence in every moment, strengthened my innate knowing of what it means to live as love from love, and fuelled my courage to live my true fire.
My mentorship with Eden includes Relational Mindfulness, Deep Time, Heart of Listening Facilitator Training, Seeing with The Heart: A Mentorship Programme for Leaders and Facilitators, Listening to the Invisible, Relational Mindfulness Facilitator Training, Restoring the Deep Feminine, Body as Pilgrimage, and the sacred role and wisdom of darkness.
I am currently completing the Engaged Mindfulness Institute Mindfulness Teacher Training (MTT300).
Image by Dori Midnight
Joanna Macy
Joanna Macy Ph.D, author and teacher, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with learning from six decades of activism. She is the root teacher of The Work That Reconnects: a framework for personal and social change.
I am deeply impacted by Joanna and her work. Engaging in The Work That Reconnects feels like a homecoming for me: finally I see my strength as a sensitive being and recognise how this sensitivity and awareness lend themselves beautifully to facilitating real and deep personal and social change. I feel immense gratitude to have this incredible body of work to draw on (The Work That Reconnects).
Joanna has helped me understand how my felt responses to the suffering in the world are natural aspects of my interconnection in the web of life arising out of my capacity for love and caring. Her work lets me experience the empowerment and deep sense of belonging and connection, arising out of honouring my feelings and remembering my interconnection with all beings. It also unblocks and inspires my conscious, creative responses, fuelling me to do what’s mine to do, on behalf of the whole.
I have completed the Spiral Journey Facilitator Training and am offering workshops which are ever-deepening my capacity to facilitate The Work That Reconnects.
S.N Goenka and Dhamma Dipa
I feel deep gratitude and appreciation for the deep-dive into meditation I have received at Vipassana Meditation intensives as taught by S.N.Goenka at Dhamma Dipa. Thank you Rachael for your part in inspiring me to attend my first meditation retreat here, and for all the heartfelt guidance and support from S.N.Goenka, the assistant teachers and volunteers at Dhamma Dipa. I remember crying tears of deep gratitude and commitment to this path on one of my times here. The support and inspiration I received through these experiences have been truly life-changing and have paved the way for my unfolding practise following them.
Martin Aylward
I am deeply grateful to Martin Aylward for his profound yet simple approach: his teachings have helped me greatly, in bridging the on-retreat-experience with the messy experiences of day-to-day life. His influence has been invaluable to me, in grounding the Buddhist teachings in very accessible language and a deeply human approach.
Teachings I’ve received from Martin include the course Wide Open and Free, and day-long intensives.
Meditation and dharma teacher
The Natural World
The Natural World
I come from the Earth, and will one day return to the Earth at the end of my life.
Every day and night the Earth-system I am part of sustains me with nutrition, oxygen and water.
When I find myself tempted into conditioned ideas and thoughts, and become aware of this through bodily feedback, I allow myself to breathe out, settle back into my body and root down into my natural Earth-connection: from here I once again see clearly, embody my true nature, and access the steadfast support available to me in every moment through my intricate interconnection in the web of life. Time and time again I am astonished and humbled at the clarity of guidance available to me in every moment through my natural Earth-connection.
I am of the Earth.