Luke Cassar

“I like to think that Meditation is a natural state of being. If one is sitting under a tree, then one’s mood and awareness should naturally be centred around the tree and the experience one is having right now. For many this is far from the truth and the reality is that we need to unlearn the rewind to go back to a state of being. Yes, doing, non-stop doing has become our new natural state, we are now human doings and the state of being and internal silence has become out of reach. Not to worry about this though, the Buddha who lived 2,500 years ago already identified this problem, so yea stress has always been around, it is also normal. Luckily we now have methods and great teachers who can skilfully guide us on a new path, a path with no destination but rather a moment to moment experience of non anxiety and tranquillity.”

A brief account of Luke’s experience.

I left Malta when I was 19 years old on a soul finding pilgrimage, a one way ticket to Thailand. There I spent some time living as a lay monk in Monasteries, learning and practicing Theravada Buddhisim mainly a practice design to gain insight called Vipassana. During this time I was free to move around monasteries and to also practice on my own terms, this liberty lead me to develop a spiritual practice which did not depend on living in monastic conditions. Around one year later I then left for India, where I spent three years travelling around, typically spending a few months in pilgrim destinations and broadening my knowledge and practice. I can say that Meditation has been the greatest ability I have ever achieved, no matter what happens in my daily life, I can count on the fact that all I need to do (or not do) is meditate in order to feel whole again. This is why I teach it with the greatest pleasure and devotion to my students, everyone should know who they are and how to return to that state of inner freedom.

When I got back in 2008 I began teaching in Malta to anyone who showed interest. Later in 2012 I begun teaching with the Pain Clinic, a group of professional doctors lead by Dr. Andrew who prescribe meditation for patients suffering with stress related symptoms like anxiety, depression and insomnia.  Now the Pain Clinic has grown, offering more holistic tried and tested methods of medication. For the last few years I also teach Meditation to other groups of practitioners around Malta and Gozo.  

Meditation & Freediving.

Mediation compliments Freediving all the way from beginner to Master. The mental aspect of freediving is huge, probably more than most other sports. Feeling safe and having no goals are key more so for beginners. Meditation is the perfect tool to feel safe, to feel like the sea is your home, to feel relaxed and comfortable in the water. Having no goals and focusing on the present moment being intimate with your feelings, this is key to diving without tension and anxiety. In a nutshell, meditation guides us to enjoying the present and when we are freediving this really helps us, in this mood we indirectly go deeper and stay longer, just enjoy the dive.

Luke now teaches meditation through a one day mini retreat in Gozo. More details found here. Contact Luke on 79326871 to book.