Community Gatherings

Our virtual community gatherings are always evolving! Keep an eye on this page for new and updated gatherings. Everything currently available on a regular basis is listed here with a short description.

Everyone in the community receives a personalized monthly Gatherings email with meeting details they can access. Meeting information is also posted in the relevant Happy Yogis Discord channels.

Note: Days and times are subject to change. Check gatherings email and the eG calendar.

Practice Q&A

Available to all Happy Yogis (anyone who’s joined eG)

A core gathering open to everyone in the community; a freeform practice discussion on whatever is most alive for attendees. The atmosphere is friendly and informal. We often start with community updates and upcoming events. There is no obligation to speak or keep your video on. There’s always a variety of practice-related questions and we draw connections to everyday life. By attending you agree to adhere to the Chatham House Rule.

— Hosted by Charlie, Jared, & apprentices on Zoom, not recorded

— 1st Sunday of each month from 11:00 - 12:00 pm ET

Community Hangouts

Available to all Happy Yogis (anyone who’s joined eG)

Some of our apprentices organize hangouts for the community. These hangouts with a Contemporary Vajrayana focus are a good way to connect with other Happy Yogis in an informal, often conversational, space. Community hangouts include Orientations, Happy Hours, Study Groups, and Virtual Meditation Sessions.

— Hosted by eG Apprentices, mentors, or long-standing Happy Yogis

— Dates & times are variable

— Hangouts are commonly hosted in the Happy Yogis Discord live channels

eG Practices

Available to Contributors, Solo Practitioners, Pupils, & Apprentices

Each session of this meetup introduces a different eG practice/method. In 2024 there will be 11 different methods: Opening Awareness, Moving Awareness, Liberating Emotions, Opening Breath, Liberating Perception, Appreciation, Dzogchen Movement, Yidam, Chöd, Dzogchen Awareness Symbols, and Romance.

— Hosted by Charlie and/or Jared, partially recorded for membership access

— 2nd Saturday of each month from 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET

Life-Affirming Path

Available to Contributors, Solo Practitioners, & Pupils

Introducing the basics of non-renunciative view & life. Each meetup focuses on a topic relevant to Contemporary Vajrayana practice. Sessions may include guided meditations, introduction to formal and informal methods, embracing emotions, and relationship as practice.

— Hosted by Charlie and/or Jared, recorded for membership access

— 1st Saturday of each month from 11:00 - 12:30 pm ET

Gompa

Book Club

Available to $17+ monthly donors, Contributors, Solo Practitioners, Pupils, & Apprentices

Book Club studies books related and adjacent to the Vajrayana traditions that inform eG’s approach. We usually cover multiple chapters in each session. Sometimes a regular participant presents a short summary of the set chapters and suggests questions to kick off the discussion. We take a meta-systematic approach to studying each book: we consider how it fits in relation to different paths and approaches, as well as how it impacts our personal practice and understanding. We often discuss language and worldview. We choose books that include theory but that can be discussed in terms of their influence on personal experience. Past books have included: Spectrum of Ecstasy by Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen; Seeing that Frees by Rob Burbea; The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, The Crystal and the Way of Light by Namkai Norbu Rinpoche.

— Hosted by Charlie and apprentices, occasionally recorded for public access

— Last Saturday of each month from 12:30 - 2:00 pm ET

eG Fundamentals

Pupil Practice Labs

Available to Pupils

This meetup uses a group method developed during eG’s foundational year. In each session, one to three participants take a deep dive into a practice or everyday life question that is alive for them, inviting responses and questions from other pupils. Peers both nurture and challenge each other’s personal practice and path development: questions and explorations come from a place of compassionate curiosity and an interest in the principles and functions of the methods and views. There is no obligation to speak and some participants always hold the space for others. There is no anonymous attendance at these groups and attendees agree to adhere to the Chatham House Rule.

— Hosted by Charlie and/or Jared, not recorded

— 2nd Sunday of each month from 11:30 - 1:00 pm ET

— Last Saturday (last Fri in the Americas & Europe) of each month from 10:00 - 11:30 am AEDT

Available to Solo Practitioners, Pupils, & Apprentices

This is our nine-part approach to living Contemporary Vajrayana. Sessions involve reflection exercises, pair work, and collective explorations on one of the modules. Each session includes practice experiments to take into everyday life.

Nine Parts

Foundation

· Receptive Presence

· Ethical Maturity

· Personal Autonomy

Path

· Spacious Involvement

· Active Responsibility

· Self Possibility

Result

· Fluidity

· Integrity

· Powerfulness

— Hosted by Charlie and/or Jared, partially recorded for membership access

— Last Saturday of each month from 3:00 - 4:00 pm ET

Natural Sitting

Available to Solo Practitioners, Pupils, & Apprentices

A practice group for eG’s foundational sitting series leading to openness and fluidity. In each session we will focus on a specific aspect of Opening Awareness or Moving Awareness, followed by guided practice and then group Q&A.

— Hosted by Charlie and/or Jared, partially recorded for membership access

— 1st Saturday of each month 12:30 - 1:30 pm ET

Available to Solo Practitioners, Pupils, & Apprentices

This meetup is our core community monthly get-together. Many members have said this is the place that eG came alive for them. Charlie or Jared may share a short presentation (30ish minutes) on a timely topic for the community and then open up to group discussion. It’s the space in which we bring Vajrayana perspectives into community life. Sometimes we roll out new material relevant to contemporary Vajrayana, sometimes we outline the traditional approach to a specific topic. Presentations have included Bringing View into Everyday Life, Skepticism and Trust, The Prerequisites for Tantra, Communication as Practice, Kindness Rituals, and A Vajrayana Approach to Learning.

— Hosted by Charlie and/or Jared, partially recorded for membership access

— Last Sunday of each month from 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET

pssst… in the Happy Yogis Discord?
Ask questions & find more info about meetups in the GATHERINGS section.