MahaSati National Training 2022-2023 (2 years starting January 2022) for up to 15 participants
** There will be an option for continuing for 2 Year MahaSati Advanced Training in 2024-2025
Registration Open for Applications:
– July 15 to August 15, 2021
– Please contact Heather to receive an Application at heather@heathersundberg.com.
– You will find out whether you got into the Training or Wait List for the first round of Applications by August 19th. If you are serious about the training, the encouragement is to apply early.
– If you are accepted to the Training, a $500 nonrefundable deposit will be due August 25th. The remainder for the Training will be due in January 2022. See below for financial details of the Training.
– Please only apply if you are committed to the Training (well, as committed as we can be with anything these uncertain days…), not just if you are interested/ undecided & want to find out if you would get in.
Pre-Requisites for the Training
– 5 Years of Buddhist practice and 30+ Nights of Residential Retreat (in any Buddhist tradition)
– You must have a prior connection with Heather, either through sitting a retreat with her, or some other event. There may be still time to ‘make this connection’ by choosing a retreat with Heather in the period of time before the Application period closes.
– Preferably, one would feel drawn to Awareness teachings & practice in any tradition and/or to the Thai Forest tradition style of teachings.
– Participants will be accepted into the Training mainly based on their experience & commitment to practice, connection with Heather and the teachings of the Training, and their psychological/spiritual maturity.
Training Will Include
1. Eight Self-Paced Modules per year for 2 years (16 total) including:
– At Home Study and Practice Materials
– Password Protected Recordings of the teachings and guided meditations for participants only
– MahaSati Training Manual available only to Training participants
2. Four Optional Attendance Whole Group Gatherings on Zoom during the Two-Year Training.
You will have access to the Recordings of each event.
Year 1:
– Orientation and Initial Teachings – January 2022
– Deeper Dive into MahaSati Transmission – October 2022
Year 2:
– Orientation to Year 2 plus teachings on the 3 Subtle Characteristics – January 2023
– Conclusion to Year 2 plus teachings on the Suttas in relation to MahaSati – Late Fall 2023
** Exact dates will be provided after you are accepted into the training.
3. A Commitment to Ten Individual Sessions with Heather per year to support and deepen meditation and daily life MahaSati practice. Sessions are on the Phone or Zoom.
4. One Mandatory MahaSati Residential Retreat per year, to deepen Mahasati practice.
2022: Due to too many uncertainties in these times, MahaSati Retreat 2022 will be held Online in an intimate retreat of our cohort + perhaps a few other MahaSati trainees from other groups.
– This retreat will be tailored specially to our Training and what we are learning in practicing with in Year 1 Curriculum.
– You can attend this retreat from your home, a local rented accommodation, or gather with a few other MahaSati trainees and rent a place together so you have retreat friends practicing together in person during your online retreat.
** Two Different Sets of Dates for the MahaSati Online Retreat will be offered in the Application for you to weigh in on (May or August 2022), plus back up plans for those who cannot make the dates we chose.
2023: The MahaSati 2023 Retreat will be held online as well.
5. Monthly Small Peer Group Calls/Zooms to discuss practice, study and develop community support. Joining a Small Group is optional.
Financial Support Commitments for the Teacher & the Training **
Participants are asked to offer as high on the sliding scales as they can comfortably afford.
1. The Two Year Training will be offered on a Donation Sliding Scale between $1200-$2200. This includes the 4 Zoom Events, all Recordings, At Home Study & Practice materials, and the MahaSati Training Manual. It also includes Application & Registration processing, and Administration support for the ongoing Training for the entire 2 years.
– Deposit of $500 (non-refundable) due on August 25th after acceptances
into the Training.
– Reminder of the Sliding Scale Donation due between January 5 – 20, 2022.
– Monthly donations available upon request for those on fixed income.
– Partial Scholarships available upon request, first-come basis.
Committing Level: An offering of $1200 is a basic support offering for Heather for the two year training.
Sustaining Level: An offering of $1600 or Above is an offering of support which allows Heather increased sustainability to continue and deepen the MahaSati teachings and offerings – Thank you!
Benefactor Level: ** An offering of above $2200 will be put into a fund for Heather to use to offer Scholarships to be offered to other participants who need financial support – Thank you!
Benefactee Level: ** Please ask if you need financial support and Heather can tell you how much Scholarship money is available from gifts from the wider MahaSati Training community.
2. The Commitment to Ten Annual Individual Sessions per year with Heather are also offered on a Sliding ScaleTeacher Support Model. 55 minute sessions: $90-$150; 30 minute sessions: $55-$90
For those in financial need, we can set up a Benefactor/Benefactee system in which you are anonymously supported by another person in the training who offers ‘above’ the low end of the sliding scale for their sessions. The support is available, please ask.
3. The Annual MahaSati Retreat is signed up for and paid for separately.
Cost of retreat and Donation Sliding Scale will vary by retreat. Below are estimates of the cost of the retreat and donation sliding scales.Cost of 2022
– 2022 Online Retreat Estimate: $500 – $1000
Covers the Sliding Scale for the whole retreat (registration, preparation, managing/zoom hosting and teachings)
– Estimated Cost of 2023 In-Person Retreat: $1500+ (including Teacher Support) + travel costs.
More information about the Teacher Support model will be offered in the Application.
** There is limited financial assistance available for the MahaSati Training, based on the generosity of those who offer above $2200 on the sliding scale for the Training, as well as MahaSati Trainees in other groups who have offered Heather a small financial offering to support those who want to join this training who are in financial need. There is no organization sponsoring this training, all scholarship financial support comes directly from Heather and the other students in the Training. For the MahaSati Retreats held in person, the sponsoring organizations offer some scholarship support for the registration costs, based on level of need.
“Heather is an inspiring, skilled, and eloquent teacher. Her warmth and generosity shine in her sessions. I have a feeling of “coming home” as I practice her Mahasati curriculum that highlights the body (with lots of practical nervous system practices), samadhi, and awareness. Because of her personal biography, I deeply trust her interpretation of the Dharma. She has a delightful sense of humor and uses her varied life experiences as teaching examples. I am so glad I took the plunge and committed myself to her 2-year program.” ~ Karen, VT