meditative.be

Meditative VZW brings together meditation, movement and self-inquiry around Bruges: meditative walks in the Ryckevelde woods, aikido classes at Tempelhof, and an annual retreat in Maria-Aalter. Three paths towards stillness and attention.

an invitation to pause, listen, and simply be

Dear friends, let’s slow down for a moment and simply be here. Just as we are.

Deep listening is the gateway to that unconditional space of being… This deep listening means being fully present without any resistance.

— Mukesh Gupta

What meditation is

Most people think that meditation involves sitting still for a long time, breathing techniques, concentration, or chanting mantras. In fact, you can go through life meditating; you don’t have to meet certain conditions. Meditation is not a technique. Meditation is creating space, sensitively observing what is there. It is more about having an open mind, looking and listening with a certain gentleness. The form is free.

It is being fully present with what is happening here and now. It is not ‘I’ who is paying attention. Attention without a centre, without ulterior motive. The moment you start practising it, you turn it into something to be achieved. Presence is our natural state of being, when the mind is not busy trying, controlling, becoming. We already breathe spontaneously; attention is already present.

Meditation is not a journey to somewhere else. It is coming home to what is.

Meditative walking in the Ryckevelde forest

When we are not rushing anywhere, walking brings us back to the body, to the ground, to the present moment. The mental buzz falls silent; awareness, consciousness, is more fully present.

We walk regularly in the woods around Bruges: Ryckevelde near Sijsele, Tudor, the green outskirts of the city. These are not guided meditations. They are walks. Slow, quiet, mindful. The ground beneath your feet, a breath of wind, the light filtering through the trees.

Something happens when we walk together without rushing anywhere.

→ About aware walking

Mental hygiene

These are brief notes, written over a period of twenty years. Not as instructions, but rather as memories.

→ Read the reflections (2007, 2023 & 2026)

Aikido in Bruges

Alongside the walks, Joost De Wulf teaches aikido in Bruges. Aikido is a Japanese martial art without competition: no points, no opponent to defeat, but learning to move in harmony — with your partner, with the circumstances, with yourself. The same quality of attention that makes a walk quietly alive also underlies the practice on the mat.

Classes begin in September 2026, on Monday evenings (8.30–10 pm) at the Tempelhof sports centre. For adults and youth from age 12 — beginners welcome, no experience needed.

→ Practical details and fees on dojo.be

Deep Learning Retreat in Maria-Aalter

Each year Meditative VZW organises a multi-day retreat at Domein Menas in Maria-Aalter, facilitated by Mukesh Gupta (School for Self-Inquiry). From Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September 2026 we explore together, with compassion, whether a life free of conflict is possible — through silence, meditative nature walks and dialogue.

No prior knowledge is needed; everyone begins as a fellow traveller. Participation: €395 when registering before 1 August, €435 afterwards.

→ All about the retreat