Skymind Yearlong: The Radical Path of Open Awareness

Skymind Yearlong: The Radical Path of Open Awareness is a nine-month online spiritual workshop in Tibetan Buddhist meditation and study, offered through Tara Mandala and led by Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam and Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen. It is for practitioners who want a sustained, structured way to explore the nature of mind, rather than a single weekend, and who would like to bring that practice into daily life.

The program begins at the spring equinox and unfolds through the winter solstice. It draws on Machig Labdrön's Mahamudra teachings, using them to look at our true nature and to meet life with vast awareness and a fiercely loving heart.

What to Expect

Skymind Yearlong combines three strands: focused study, committed practice, and everyday integration. The seasonal arc, from equinox to solstice, gives the nine months a natural shape, so the teachings have time to settle into ordinary life instead of staying on the cushion.

The emphasis is on engaging from the awakened heart-mind that is already present in each person. Machig Labdrön's wisdom on meeting adversity with awareness and compassion is the thread running through it. The related Skymind teachings ask how we can draw on our innate wakefulness to meet an uncertain, confusing world with clarity, and they offer a reminder that the practice is not to effort more.

The program is held entirely online, so you can take part from wherever you live.

About Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam

Dorje Lopön Charlotte Rotterdam is a teacher within the Tara Mandala community founded by Lama Tsultrim Allione. She leads a range of programs there, including Feeding Your Demons® offerings, the Skymind teachings on meeting the world with a vast mind and fierce heart, and an eight-week course weaving the Enneagram with the Five Buddha Families. She also teaches within the yearlong Heart of Buddhism study program.

About Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen

Lopön Pieter Oosthuizen teaches alongside Charlotte Rotterdam in the Skymind programs and has co-led Feeding Your Demons® programs with Lama Tsultrim Allione and Charlotte Rotterdam, including work on relationship challenges. His teaching connects Tibetan Buddhist wisdom with the practical question of how to meet difficulty with awareness and compassion.

Before You Go

Skymind Yearlong is a long-term commitment, and its design asks for regular practice and engagement across the months, so it suits people ready to set aside time over the year. It is part of Tara Mandala's Extended Studies and Long Term Paths offerings. Tara Mandala also lists Skymind as a focus area, and shorter Skymind gatherings are offered separately for those who want a first taste of the teachings.