a five month online training
The Direct Experience
Weekly live sessions, monthly one-to-one mentorship, and a daily practice that grows with you. A small group, guided by Markus Atmananda.
words from markus atmananda
"The spiritual search can be a lonely place. Good guidance can be hard to come by, and many traditions rely more on technique and lineage than on the direct experience of the present. I want to open this possibility for everyone who feels called. A training where everything is set for you to deepen your self-awareness and find the peace inherent in the present moment. Where you feel supported when you are struggling, confirmed when you just have to hang on, and challenged when needed."
Markus Atmananda
Why five months?
Real practice needs time. The patterns of the mind are set in their ways: how you relate to your thoughts, the habit of believing whatever they propose. These patterns do not change in a weekend. They need continuity. The five months give you time to build that practice, meet resistance, and work through it.
Traditionally, three things are needed: a community to practice with, study of the teaching, and an experienced teacher. This training is built around all three. Enough time to settle into a new approach to life.
example from the training
30 minute guided meditation
what to expect
Depth in meditation comes from three things
1
Sustained practice
A daily sitting practice that builds over five months. Monthly themes. Consistency over time, and a continuous exploration of the teaching of meditation.
2
Proper guidance
Weekly teaching with Markus Atmananda. Monthly one-on-ones where your practice is formed individually.
3
A community
The experience of practicing alongside others who are doing the same work. Questions and progress shared.
how it works
How the training is put together
Every week
75-minute live session
Teaching, sitting together, and open conversation with Markus. Thursdays 19:00 CET.
5 MIN
Introduction
25 MIN
Meditation
25 MIN
Teaching
20 MIN
Conversation
Every month
60-minute mentorship
One to one with Markus. Your practice shaped personally. In English or Swedish.
Every day
A sitting practice
That begins where you are and grows with you. Plus a weekly reflection question to keep alive.
Always
Everything recorded
All group sessions remain yours after the training ends.
What we explore
Five months, five themes that build on each other
Month 1
Thoughts
Week 1: Awareness
What happens when you notice your thoughts?
Week 2: Negativity
Can you get rid of negative thinking?
Week 3: Dissatisfaction
Why do you always want things to be different?
Week 4: Happiness
Where does happiness come from?
Month 2
The Body & Emotions
Week 5: The Intelligence of the Body
What does the body know?
Week 6: The Emotional Rollercoaster
Why do certain situations trigger us so much?
Week 7: Beyond Thought
Why being present in the body matters
Week 8: Fears and Desires
Beyond avoidance and clinging
Month 3
The Practice
Week 9: Attention vs. Awareness
Is paying attention the same as being present?
Week 10: Dark Night of the Soul
What if suffering is trying to show us something?
Week 11: One-pointedness
Why being present in the body matters
Week 12: Self-Inquiry
Who is meditating?
Month 4
Surrender & Trust
Week 13: Purpose
Being of service to the whole
Week 14: Trust & Devotion
Can you trust something you can't understand?
Week 15: Relating
How do you stay present in your relationships?
Week 16: Surrender
How do you let go?
Month 5
The Direct Experience
Week 17: Self-Inquiry
Beyond asking the question
Week 18: Community
You don't have to do this alone
Week 19: Sustaining Your Practice
What makes you continue practicing?
Week 20: Gratitude
Embrace it all
about markus atmananda
From monastic life in India to teaching meditation for everyday life.
Markus Atmananda has practiced meditation for over twenty-seven years, including extended time living as a monk in India. Based in Malmö, Sweden, he teaches non-dual meditation and self-inquiry in person and online.
His teaching draws on the non-dual traditions and on the work of teachers including Nukunu, Mooji, Adyashanti, and Swami Shashwat Ji.
His approach is direct, grounded, and honest. What he shares is always alive, rooted in presence and in this moment.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Testimonials
Having participated in several satsangs and a retreat, Markus Atmananda contributes with great wisdom & heart, inner stillness, experience & humor. Many thanks!
Highly recommend to anyone who wishes to deepen and explore meditation.
Annica Dahlin
Markus Atmananda's teaching has helped me come into deeper contact with myself, by sitting in silence with him and through his intuitive understanding and guidance. In his presence I always feel deeply loved, embraced, and allowed to be as I am.
Ola Winberg
I came to Satsang wanting growth, wanting to be a 'good' meditator. That 'I' is quite disappointed today. Instead I was shown what is already here, the love that is so close, so pervasive. I didn't expect the tears and the courage, and I saw how natural it became to sit with a dying man, grieve a dog fully, love my parents so dearly. Knowing I'm no longer a project to be fixed makes life so much more beautiful.
Anders Persson
video
A taste of the teaching
Don't let positivity become a mask
I remember being on a retreat. A woman came up to the microphone and said, "I'm so disappointed. People here don't seem very happy. They seem so serious. I thought this would be a happy place."
I understand that longing. The wish that a spiritual place would be somewhere everyone is friendly, in a good mood, always smiling. But that is not sincere spirituality. Some groups try to uphold that image. It is not sincere because the most sincere thing is that you can be as you are.
When you're sad, you're allowed to be sad. You don't have to put on a mask. When you're vulnerable, you're allowed to be vulnerable. When you're emotional, you're allowed to be emotional. Everything else creates the suppression we don't want. It is just the ego continuing under a spiritual identity. "Now I am happy all the time. Now I am positive all the time."
Much better to be honest all the time.
practical information
Format
Online via Zoom
Group Size
Maximum 10
Language
English (group sessions). Mentorship and introductory conversation in English or Swedish.
Weekly session
Thursdays, 19:00–20:15 CET
Price
15,000 SEK. Includes all 20 group sessions, 5 hours of one-to-one mentorship, weekly reflection prompts, and full recordings you keep.
Payment
In full or five monthly instalments, no extra cost.
Reduced pricing available for those in genuine financial difficulty. EUR payment on request.
Dates
5th of November to 1st of April (Pause during Christmas and New Years)
You need
A stable internet connection and a quiet place to sit.
common questions
Do I need experience?
No. Many begin with little or no experience. The mentorship meets you where you are.
Is this religious?
No. The teaching is inspired by several contemplative traditions, but nothing is asked in terms of belief.
What if I miss a session?
All sessions are recorded. You will not fall behind.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes. Five monthly payments, no extra cost. The payments have to be completed before the training starts.
What if it's not for me?
There is a free 20 minute conversation with Markus before you commit to determine if this training is a good fit for you. Once you have commited to doing the training, there is no refund.
Does this lead to a certification?
No. This is a training in personal practice, not a teacher qualification.
Is what I share kept private?
Yes. What is shared in the group stays in the group. Recordings are for participants only.
next step
Book a free conversation with Markus
A 20-minute call to see if this training is a good fit. No preparation needed. In English or Swedish.