Wege zum Sein

I can highly recommend this " time out ".
Florian guided us during these days and also accompanied us. His appreciative way of listening, his calm way of guiding the exercises and his warmth paired with humor made me feel good,
I enjoyed walking with the group but also walking in silence, meditating together and getting to know new exercises.
The whole thing was rounded off by Marco and his team from the Almagmach Alp... great seminar room and good service.

This week did me a lot of good and helped me personally, as I got to grips with deep-seated problems and was able to get to know and understand myself a little better as a result.
Florian led the week superbly and also brought a lot of himself to the table. I met Florian about 10 years ago. I am deeply impressed by the journey he has made and how he now leads the seminars in his own style.
I hope that I can continue to integrate a lot of practice and self-love into my everyday life and continue to be mindful of my issues.

Thank you all so much!

Thank you very much for the really wonderfully guided seminar, Florian has an incredibly fine feeling for the group and also the individual person. He is acutely aware of where everyone is and what is good for them at any given moment. Great class and a big thank you!

The silent retreat was very good for me. The location is beautifully peaceful and exudes something magical. Four peacocks, chickens, a dog and I think two cats live there happily, all of whom run happily and freely around the courtyard and greeted me from time to time. The meditation room and the castle have something romantic and relaxing about them, there is a lot of wood and we always had candles on. There is a silence there that I haven't experienced for a long time, both internally and externally, I completely calmed down after a few days. It's definitely not easy to be silent for so long and then to meet people again and again, to come to terms with yourself. But it was worth it and I felt very comfortable with the group and also with the leader Thomas. He led the meditations in a very pleasant way and I immediately felt in good hands and safe. Thank you very much for this great experience, I will definitely do it again. It was something very special in a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. Thank you very much for this relaxing stay.

It was a wonderful break from the noisy and stressful everyday life. After a second group had left with a different program, the silence and tranquillity in the castle and on the grounds was also very restful and relaxing.

Dear Thomas,
As we discussed at breakfast, a big compliment to YOU. It was my first experience of silence for a longer period of time and the location, the framework you created and your natural, calm charisma made it a great experience. I work as a trainer myself and can only give you positive feedback.

A few comments and suggestions from my side that would have helped me .....
- Short round of introductions at the beginning & possibly a feedback form beforehand (previous histories, impairments, expectations, questions, ....)
- Details / documents / manual on the topics that were discussed, possibly only what happens in the different types of meditation and what obstacles can occur etc..... as it is also counted as training content
- Instructions in meditations (more at the beginning and at the end to get even deeper into meditation) - but this is just my individual feeling and certainly different for everyone 😀

I would be very happy to join you again in the future and would be happy to receive a recommendation for a mediation teacher training from you.

Best regards, Daniela from the Wildschönau

My experience of the MBSR compact course was very interesting and of great benefit to me.
I will recommend this course to others. Thank you very much.

Johann Steckermeier

Extremely valuable time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this experience.

A magical and very special time at Bettenburg Castle! Just "be"! Thanks to Florian and Thomas - two trainers who could not complement each other better. A clear recommendation for anyone who wants to completely disconnect from everyday life and live or learn mindfulness. Bettenburg Castle offers a wonderful setting and the perfect ambience for this.

Spent 6 days in silence in a wonderful location. The mixture of silence, guided meditations, mindful walking and physical exercises did me a world of good. A silent retreat will now become an annual event for me.

The seminar location at Bettenburg Castle, the weather and my own willingness certainly contributed a great deal to this incredible experience. Thomas and Florian did a fantastic job of holding the space, providing wonderful guidance and gentle support. Well suited for beginners and experienced meditators.

It was a great experience overall, for which I am very grateful and which I consider a privilege. The castle and setting were ideal, with beautiful surroundings. Both teachers, Thomas and Florian, were in really good vibes, very clear, friendly and supportive. Although I was initially worried that the group might be too big with around 35 people, this wasn't a problem in the end - on the contrary, the anonymity in the larger group helped me to relax. The place was also big enough so that the group didn't seem too big. The meditation room was very pleasant and the equipment, including the beautiful gongs, was plentiful and of high quality. The general atmosphere was focused on making us feel at ease, which was emphasized by repeated reminders that this is the main goal. I also found the walking meditations and physical exercises particularly valuable as an additional offering. I followed the recommendation to put my cell phone away and not read or write the entire time and consider this a very important component of the retreat. I was glad that I already had some meditation experience, as I was able to fall back on my daily practice during the partly unaccompanied silent meditations - without this I would probably have found it more difficult. Compared to what I've heard from others about traditional Vipassana retreats, the overall experience was rather light and enjoyable. While there were moments when I struggled with repetitive thoughts, it never became so intense that I needed one of the one-on-one conversations offered daily with one of the teachers. Something I have heard from traditional Vipassana retreats that I would have liked to see here as well would be more reflection from the teachers on the mental process we may be going through. It would have been helpful if they had pointed out that certain experiences that seem individual are actually common outcomes of silent retreats. Still, all in all, it was an incredibly positive experience and I can only recommend the retreat to others. Thank you so much!

Wow. What a great place for a silent retreat - the beautiful Bettenburg. So close to nature, a place to be pure. Florian and Thomas are fantastic. Florian introduced us to Lu Yong as a yoga style. Tibetan healing yoga, perfect for the body if you do long meditations. Thomas with his special voice enchants us with wonderful meditations. The seminar takes everyone into new worlds of "feeling" and clears body, mind and soul. A real treat, I am enriched and still very inspired. I will repeat it. Thank you very much for this gift 🎁 Thank you from the bottom of my heart 🙏

This was my first time taking part in a silent retreat and I am thrilled. The whole program was perfectly organized, the accommodation was beautiful, the food was delicious and the experience was unforgettable. I will definitely take part in a Ways to Be retreat again. Many thanks to everyone involved for these wonderful days of silence and mindfulness.

I was very impressed by the silent retreat from the first to the last moment.

It was well organized all round, good mix of meditation practice, good support from the seminar leader, very nice venue, good catering.

Thank you for the valuable and appreciative experience!

Thomas introduced our small group of beginners to the exercises with a lot of experience, competence and patience. The 4 days were a great experience. I will certainly do it again.

I signed up for this seminar without any previous knowledge of meditation and mindfulness - simply to gain new experiences. My aim was to gain new insights for dealing with stressful and challenging situations at work and in my private life. I achieved this goal in an impressive way!

In Thomas Schneider I met a very nice and empathetic person who has a lot of experience in the field of MBSR and MSC - and who is also a great guy! We meditated in silence and talked and laughed intensively during the breaks and in the evening. It was just perfect! The location on the North Sea and the successful distribution of seminar times and "time for me"-slots made the 4 days an all-round successful break for me. I had a lot of fun and will definitely look at Ways of Being for my next seminar.

We used the seminar as a mother-daughter break. It couldn't have been better. Martin is a very competent and likeable course leader. There were lots of good conversations with the other participants, the food was good and the scenery was simply wonderful. Thank you very much!