Upcoming Events
Clear Seeing - One Day Retreat
The Clear Seeing day retreat is a gentle invitation to pause and come home to yourself. Through rest and embodied awareness, the body settles, the mind softens, and space opens for clarity to emerge.
Throughout the day, we explore the core teachings of the Buddha and the foundations of insight meditation. By slowing down and gently inquiring into direct experience, we learn to meet experience with curiosity and care, allowing insight to unfold naturally.
Insight (vipassanā) means “clear seeing” - an embodied understanding of the nature of reality that arises through mindful presence and direct inquiry.
The retreat will include:
Guided meditation
Silent and Walking meditation
Dharma talk
Gentle Mindful Movement
TRE® (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises)
Relational inquiry
This retreat is suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners.
When: Sunday 29th March 2026
Times: 10:00am - 4:30pm
Where: Bilarong Reserve - 55 Wakehurst Pkwy, North Narrabeen NSW 2101
Cost: $55 + Dana (donation)
The course fee covers hall hire and admin costs only.
Additional Cost 'Dana' - In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the course, you are invited to give a donation (dana) to express your appreciation and to support the teacher to continue her work.
For more Information email stillwaterinsight@gmail.com
About the Teacher
Renata Malinauskas - Renata Malinauskas has been a dedicated Dharma practitioner for over 15 years, beginning in the Vipassana tradition and later deepening through Vajrayana, Western Insight, non-dual teachings, and the Diamond Approach. She has extensive experience both participating in and managing long silent retreats, and now serves as an insight meditation teacher, leading residential retreats in Australia as well as daylong workshops and courses. Renata is the co-founder and resident teacher at Still Water Insight, where she offers programs across NSW and online. She completed a four-year Dharma Teacher Training with the Insight Meditation Institute, where she now also serves on the committee. With a professional background in somatics and trauma healing, drawing on modalities such as Hakomi, TRE, and Focusing, her passion lies in exploring the meeting point of psychological transformation and spiritual awakening, and in sharing the Dharma as a living practice of presence, inquiry, and unfolding in everyday life. Renata also works with clients in private practice in Wilsons Creek, NSW and online. somawisdom.com.au
Foundations of Mindfulness - An Eight-Week Course in Cultivating Insight and Embodied Wisdom
An Eight-Week Course on the Buddha’s Teachings of Mindfulness and Insight
An Eight-Week Course on the Buddha’s Teachings of Mindfulness and Insight
This eight-week mindfulness and meditation course offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding of mindfulness as taught by the Buddha. Rooted in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, these teachings present mindfulness as a direct path to insight, realisation, and freedom.
Mindfulness practice is a direct path back home to the truth of who we really are. As we learn to rest more fully in direct experience of what is unfolding in a given moment, clarity and wisdom naturally arise. From this place, there is a growing sense of inner stability, groundedness, and ease, along with a shift from reactivity toward a more responsive and authentic way of being in the world.
This course provides a supportive and consistent container to deepen meditation practice and understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. It is designed for those who wish to practise regularly, to explore mindfulness and insight in an embodied way, and to be supported by the presence of Sangha.
How the Course Is Taught
The course is experiential and practice-based. Teachings are offered within a clear Buddhist framework while remaining responsive to what is alive in the group. Understanding is encouraged to arise through direct experience rather than through concepts alone.
Each session includes:
Short Dharma teachings grounded in the Buddhist tradition
Guided meditation practices
Somatic practices to support nervous system settling and interoceptive awareness
Space for inquiry, reflection, and relational practice
A strong emphasis is placed on embodiment. Mindfulness practice is incomplete without the body, and somatic supports are woven throughout the course to help participants come home to direct experience through the felt sense. These practices support the settling of the nervous system and create the conditions for insight and wisdom to arise more naturally, especially within the pace and complexity of everyday life.
What This Course Supports
Deepening mindfulness and concentration
Developing embodied awareness and interoception
Cultivating insight and wisdom through inquiry
Greater clarity, steadiness, and responsiveness in daily life
Who This Course Is For
This course is for anyone who wishes to deepen their mindfulness and insight practice, whether as a foundation or as a continuation of an existing path. It is suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners.
The course is held within a supportive Sangha container, offering consistency, accountability, and a shared field of inquiry for those who wish to practise sincerely and integrate the teachings into daily life.
Course Details
When: Wednesday 15th April to Wednesday 3rd June 2026
Times: 7-8:30pm (NSW time) on each Wednesday evening for 8 sessions.
Where: Online
Cost: $30 + dana (donation).
Additional Cost 'Dana' - The course follows the traditional spirit of the Buddha’s teachings — offered on the basis of dāna (generosity). At the end of the program, you will be invited to offer a donation that feels right for you, in alignment with your capacity and appreciation.
About the Teacher
Renata Malinauskas is a dedicated Dharma practitioner of over 15 years, beginning in the Vipassana tradition and later deepening through Vajrayana, Western Insight, and non-dual teachings. With extensive experience in silent retreat practice, she now serves as an insight meditation teacher, leading residential retreats, workshops, and courses in Australia and online.
With a background in somatics and trauma-informed work, her interest lies in exploring the meeting point of psychological transformation and spiritual awakening, and in sharing the Dharma as a living practice of presence, inquiry, and unfolding in everyday life. Renata works as a somatic therapist in private practice in Brunswick Heads, NSW, and online. https://renatamalinauskas.com
The Inner Rhythm of Being
"Within this fathom-long body and mind is found all of the teachings." — Buddha
The Inner Rhythm of Being Retreat is an invitation to slow down, soften, and reconnect with the innate intelligence of the body. The body is a vehicle for awakening—for, as the Buddha taught, all the teachings are found within this very body. Yet it is not always easy to drop in and rediscover this inner knowing. Trauma, stress, and the disconnection woven into our culture often keep us estranged from our embodied wisdom.
In this retreat, we will create space to rest, release accumulated tension, and gently inquire into the felt sense of the present moment. As we do, the path becomes clearer, and insight and wisdom naturally begin to arise.
We will weave together Buddha Dharma teachings with somatic practices and relational inquiry, supporting you in returning home to the simple rhythm of being.
The program will consist of various practices. At the core will be Insight Meditation practices, including guided meditation, walking meditation, and talks reflecting the teachings of the Buddha. These will be supported by somatic practices (the Greek word soma means “the body”). These practices are designed to deepen the connection between body and mind as a way to support awakening, concentration, and ease of body–mind–heart.
Practices will include Tension and Trauma Release (TRE®) and interoception exercises.
We’ll also be offering Dhamma Dance sessions—a movement practice inspired by Authentic Movement. These sessions invite a deepening of embodied awareness and a somatic exploration of loving-kindness, joy, compassion, and equanimity.
About the venue
For those coming in person, the retreat will be held at the Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual Learning in Wilton, NSW, approximately 80 minutes’ drive from Sydney. Accommodation is in comfortable twin share rooms with en-suites. Serene gardens and bushland surround the meditation centre.
Click here to see the Daily Schedule
Suitable for experienced and new meditators
When: 26 June to 2 July 2026 (6 nights)
Times: Start: arrive from 4.00 pm on Friday 27 June
Finish at 2pm Thursday 3 July
Cost: for all meals and accommodation
Twin Share - $995
Single rooms - $1345
Concession (Twin Share) - $850, for full time students, pensioners and unemployed. If you need further support, you can apply for a scholarship (see below)
To Book in, register and make payment click here
For more information email: Sandi
Donation: In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the retreat you are invited to give a donation (dana) to express your appreciation and to support the teachers to continue their work.
Scholarships
Scholarships for this retreats are available for people who need assistance paying the full fee. Scholarship applications must be received by the 26 March 2026. Click here for more information and to apply.
About the Teachers
Renata Malinauskas, with Gabrielle McMahon and Sandi Middleton. Click here for information about the teachers
Living Mindfully: 8-Week Mindfulness and Meditation Course
This 8-week course is an opportunity for you to gain a deep understanding of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as taught by the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta. In addition to these ancient teachings, you will learn to integrate contemporary wisdom practices into your daily life.
Throughout the course, you’ll acquire tools for developing compassion toward yourself and others, learn to skilfully engage with difficult emotions and situations, and cultivate a kinder and wiser relationship with yourself and the world around you.
Whether you are just beginning your mindfulness practice or wish to deepen it further, this eight-week course will provide you with the techniques and tools to weave mindfulness into your everyday experiences—at work, at home, in family life, and on the meditation cushion.
Each week will focus on a different aspect of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, while also incorporating modern practices. You’ll receive guided meditations, reflective inquiry, journaling exercises, and home practices designed to keep you engaged and motivated throughout the course.
Who is this Course For?
This course is for anyone who is interested in deepening self-awareness, gaining a better understanding of the effects of stress on the mind and the body, calming the overthinking mind, responding to stressful situations in a wiser way, or simply wanting to be more present to life and relationships.
When: Wednesday 15th October to Wednesday 3rd December 2025
Times: 7-9pm (NSW time) on each Thursday evening for 8 sessions.
Where: Online
Cost: $30 + dana (donation).
Additional Cost 'Dana' - In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the course you are invited to give a donation (dana) to express your appreciation and to support the teacher.
About the Teacher
Renata Malinauskas – Renata's meditation journey began in 2012 in the Goenka Vipassana tradition and has since deepened through Vajrayana, Western Insight, non-dual teachings, and the Diamond Approach. With a background in somatics and trauma healing practices, she is especially interested in the meeting point of spiritual awakening and psychological healing. Renata currently works as a body-centred therapist in Wilson's Creek, NSW (www.renatamalinauskas.com) and shares the Dharma as a living practice of presence, inquiry, and unfolding in everyday life. She is co-founder and resident teacher at Still Water Insight, where she offers courses and retreats across NSW and online in the Insight tradition (www.stillwaterinsight.org).
Awakening the Heart
This one-day silent retreat is an opportunity for you to deepen your connection with the boundless qualities of the heart – kindness, joy, compassion, and equanimity – as a foundation for developing insight and freedom. By connecting with and cultivating these heart qualities in an embodied way, a profound sense of nourishment and well-being naturally emerges, leading to deep calm, ease of mind and intimacy with life.
The program will consist of guided meditation practices, walking meditation, relational inquiry, dharma talks and somatic practices.
When: Sunday 21st September 2025
Times: 10:00am - 4:30pm
Where: Bilarong Reserve - 55 Wakehurst Pkwy, North Narrabeen NSW 2101
Cost: $55 + Dana
The course fee covers hall hire and admin costs only.
Additional Cost 'Dana' - In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the course, you are invited to give a donation (dana) to express your appreciation and to support the teacher to continue her work.
About the Teacher
Renata Malinauskas - Renata has been studying and practicing in the Buddha Dharma for over 15 years, first in the Tibetan tradition and then in Vipassana and Western Insight. She is the co-founder and guide at Still Water Insight Group in Narrabeen, NSW and is currently a committee member of the Insight Meditation Institute. Renata has a particular interest in the interplay between Buddhism and Psychotherapy, most particularly how they benefit and support each other in healing and awakening journeys. She is a certified Mindfulness and Compassion Teacher and works full time as a Holistic Body-Centred Therapist in private practice in Sydney, NSW.
Meditation and Dharma Talk
Join Renata for meditation and Dharma talk at Bluegum Sangha in North Sydney, NSW.
Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome.
The group is run by donation. To find out more about the group, please click below:
Meditation and Dharma Talk
Join Renata for meditation and Dharma talk at Golden Wattle Sangha in Paddington, NSW.
Beginners and experienced meditators are welcome.
The group is run by donation. To find out more about the group, please click below: