NATURAL FREEDOM

 

The Heart of Awareness
                                           

Natural Freedom is a direct exploration of awareness as it is lived in ordinary life.
 

This is not about striving to become someone else, reaching a goal, or self help. It begins from a much quieter place. It starts with noticing what is already here, already present, already functioning. The awareness that hears these words, that feels the body breathing, that knows experience as it unfolds. Nothing needs to be added to it, and nothing needs to be taken away.

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What we explore together is how this natural awareness can be lived in the middle of real life. Not apart from it. In work, relationships, family, creativity, confusion, joy, grief, and change. All of it belongs. Rather than trying to escape the messiness of being human, this approach invites you to meet it directly, with openness and honesty, exactly as it is.

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Although Natural Freedom is expressed in simple, contemporary language, its roots are deep. The work has grown out of many years of lived study and practice within the Dzogchen and Mahamudra traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, alongside tantric Buddhist practice and close study with teachers in the Himalayan regions. These traditions are not about belief or doctrine, but about direct recognition of awareness itself, here and now.

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Alongside this contemplative training, the work has been shaped by formal training as a Buddhist psychotherapist and by study and practice in Tibetan medicine. These influences help keep the work grounded, embodied, and psychologically sensitive, rather than abstract or idealised. They also help bridge ancient contemplative insight with the realities of modern life, including trauma, emotional complexity, and the pace of the contemporary world.

 

Natural Freedom is shared through online gatherings, ongoing practice, and in-person retreats held in nature.

 

We regularly host retreats at Tiger’s Nest, offering spacious, carefully held environments where people can slow down, rest, and reconnect with what is already present. Retreats are simple and held amongst beautiful nature, surrounded by meadows, ancient forests and dark skies. Free from the constant distractions of screens and the stress of the modern world. Here is an opportunity to dive deep into your true nature!

 

There is no pressure to perform, no expectation to have particular experiences, and no hierarchy of spiritual attainment. Each person is encouraged to trust their own experience wisdom and intelligence. To find their own unique expression of presence.

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This is not a path of self-improvement, and it is not about following a teacher or adopting a system. It is a shared exploration, supported by the Open Awareness Collective, an independent organisation committed to ethical clarity, transparency, safeguarding, and shared responsibility.

 

The emphasis is always on autonomy, discernment, and respect for the individual.

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Whether you are completely new to contemplative practice, returning after years of searching, or simply curious about what awareness might mean in ordinary life, you are welcome here. Nothing special is required. There is nothing to believe. There is nothing you need to become. What you are looking for may already be closer than you think.