TESTIMONIALS
Introductory Comment
"Feedback helps me to discover my strengths and weaknesses, and testimonials can be helpful in letting new inquirers discover how past students have encountered my offerings. It is in this spirit that these comments have been collected and displayed. I extend thanks to all those who graciously took time to write. I also take heart in hearing that my efforts have been fruitful for people such as these." - HG
 |
"Hans is a wonderful teacher whose way of relaying ideas and concepts is remarkable. His meditation course was life-changing. The material presented in the class is very tangible and fun to work with. As far as the course itself, I can't say enough about how it has profoundly influenced the way I view my daily activities. Developing this moment-to-moment awareness has affected every aspect of my life. It has allowed me to navigate the complexities of the medical profession and to discover my true passion for integral psychiatry, caring for those who are suffering, and also maintaining compassion for myself and others. This has been one of the greatest gifts I have recieved in life. Thank you Hans! You've made this possible!"
-- Britt Themann, MD, MPH (Integral Mental Health Care)
|
 |
"At the moment I am truly happy and have no doubt that my happiness will only continue to grow. I am indebted to Hans for this since he played an integral part in guiding me on my path towards discovering the meaning in my life. He has helped me navigate my path by meeting me where I am at and continually trying to understand and empathize with what is occurring in my life. Instead of trying to transcend humanity, he has taught me, through his actions, to embrace being human. Hans is a deeply appreciated friend and teacher whose expression of love is clearly seen through his thoughtful, caring actions."
-- John Gonsoulin, MD, MPH, (Integrative Mental Health Care)
|
 |
"I can't thank Hans enough for his compassionate support and insightful guidance! His coaching helped me tremendously during a particularly challenging time in my life -- and what I learned was truly transformational and continues to be of lasting benefit to me. Over a period of several months, my intensive work with Hans helped me to cultivate new perspectives and skills which gradually engendered a greater sense of well being and connectedness in all areas of my life. As we worked with and through various life challenges, I was amazed at some of the shifts that occurred.
|
While Hans helped me to find greater peace and resourcefulness amidst some very difficult situations, he also familiarized me with new approaches in a way that left me increasingly able to practice the skills on my own. I must add that I particularly appreciated the way that Hans created an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance as he guided me with great patience and care. Our explorations opened up a dynamic approach to life which I have come to appreciate on a daily basis. While am still relatively new to this path and still have much to learn, I find that I am already experiencing more peace, joy, and connection in my daily life. I am profoundly grateful for these gifts, and I wholeheartedly recommend Hans's coaching to anyone seeking guidance on the path of inner transformation!"
-- Tori Johnson, J.D. / LL.M. (Chief Lawyer for Tulane University)
 |
"Hans brings a rare union of head and heart to his work as a musician and teacher. He has committed himself to the journey of authentic inquiry, thoroughly studying the philosophy as well as fully engaging himself in the spiritual practices of the world wisdom traditions. He possesses a devout thirst for learning and joyful desire to share the fruits of his inquiry. |
As a teacher of meditation and spiritual philosophy, Hans is an enthusiastic guide who blends storytelling, humor, and poetic flourishes to his instruction. He is strongly committed to helping people integrate spiritual wisdom into their daily lives. One feels in Hans’ presence the illuminating qualities of compassion, loving kindness, and equanimity."
-Sean Johnson, M.A. - Founder, Wild Lotus Yoga Studio
"It has been truly a pleasure participating in Hans's workshops and meditation groups. His knowledge and expertise in Buddhism, way of synthesizing different points of view (including ancient wisdom into the modern-day context), and inclusive and sensitive methods of guiding others on their own spiritual paths make him a unique and talented teacher. I also particularly enjoyed the range of meditation, yoga, chanting and musical methods in the workshops. They were exceptionally professional, creative and engaged all in the spirit of community and enlightenment. Truly wonderful!"
-Leslie Snider, MD
"Rarely have I come across a mentor as dedicated as Hans Gruenig. He is filled with genuine enthusiasm for teaching those willing to receive his knowledge, and for reaching those who may at first be reluctant to open their minds. In addition to being a wonderful teacher, Hans is also a transcendent musician. I found myself deeply moved by the music and chanting that he brought into our meditation exercises; I found the workshops he coordinated to be exhilarating experiences. I urge anyone who travels or seeks a spiritual path to walk beside Hans for a stretch."
-Floy Osborne, University Student
"Hans Gruenig's teaching style reflects deep and extensive self-knowledge, as well as humility and honesty. Hans, in both the workshop and the classroom, guides his students patiently through self-contemplation and self-questioning without ever forgetting the greater scheme of our interconnectedness. His knowledge is extensive and his passion and commitment to sharing that knowledge, even more so. Whether it is philosophy or meditation, Hans is a superb instructor who will challenge and guide you with his kindness and his personal (and professional) insight."
-Kate Earl, University Student
"The meditation class I attended provided both surface level and deeper explorations of meditation and mindfulness. Most importantly, mindfulness -- a term finding its way into common vernacular -- is interrogated and investigated. This is one of the real benefits of the class: the de-mystification of "mindfulness". It's both so simple to understand...and yet NOT simple at all. I would encourage a prospective participant to take the class to learn more about mindfulness -- to challenge themselves to open to a more holistic understanding of the mindful self. It's so layered, it's not difficult for a novice to get lost. Fortunately, Hans is a gifted and patient facilitator. His guidance shines light on the many layers of mindfulness and invites entry and experience. I appreciated the balance between intellectual material and practice. Hans provided sufficient exposure to different aspects of mindfulness and meditation for the active learner to find footholds for further exploration. At the end of the course, I felt like I had a good base of training upon which to build. Lastly, Hans is a great model. He's warm, intelligent, and eager to share his growth experience. It was obvious that he was dedicated to provide us with good education and rich opportunities for growth. It made a HUGE difference."
-- Chuck Genre, Criminologist
"Hans is a great teacher who is very good at communicating the nuances and core meaning of meditation. I've already recommended his class to several friends! I've felt a definite positive difference in the way I live my life. I am enjoying this journey of learning about myself through meditation! The self-observation section was incredible and helped me begin to understand how my mind works. Finally, I'm still reeling from a shocking discovery that I've made through this class: That I have never, ever in my life lived in the present. I was always in the past or in the future or letting paranoia about situations -real or not even happening yet - frame my view of the world. I'm so happy because I'm now mustering up the courage to face the now. I'm just so happy that I took this class. It's helping me help myself and sort through so much!"
-- Nicole Dufour, Marketing Director
"Hans has developed very broad and deep knowledge and experience of meditation practice, as well as the philosophy and psychology underlying the practice. He is very sincere and enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge and teaching these techniques. He is a very skilled teacher - employs a variety of methods to present the material in different ways and appeal to the various ways people can learn and absorb. I really enjoyed his extended "philosophical discourses" as well as the description of advanced meditation states which went beyond what we might actually experience as beginning meditators. He offered a good mix and balance of practice, information, and other learning techniques. Hans did a good job of fielding questions and concerns (letting people express themselves while keeping course on track). He made meditation very accessible to beginning students."
-- Marianne Wafer, Business Professional
"If you are interested in the meditative side of the healing arts and want to begin your own practice, I would strongly recommend joining Hans Gruenig's intensive 5 week meditation class. Offered as an overview of some of the more basic principles of meditation, this class gives you some powerful stress relieving tools that when applied to everyday situations can be both life enhancing and deeply transformative. By learning how to develop tranquility and equanimity on a cushion, you can soon begin to apply these same states in all areas of your life, enhancing your ability to remain in the moment while experiencing joyful moments more fully and dealing with stressful situations more effectively.
Inspired by and drawing upon the teachings of various ancient wisdom traditions, Hans fuses these skillful practices with the more Western streams of psychology, and invites his students to participate in the wonderfully transcendental experience of kirtan set to the sublime humming of the harmonium. In this way he illuminates the timelessness, richness and practicality of these traditions, placing them into the context of our busy modern world, and making them more fun and accessible to today's practitioners. I appreciated Hans's overall sensitivity, flexibility, and willingness to thoroughly answer questions, provide helpful hints and to meet up with students outside of class time. His weekly follow-up emails were valuable too.
Knowledgeable after having practiced under the teachings of many well-respected gurus such as Shinzen Young and Genpo Roshi, Hans eagerly mines and translates his more than 10 years of meditation experience, sharing with his students the delights and fruits of his own meditation discipline. But, don't let anyone fool you -- meditation takes practice and its full benefits are not realized in a day, or a week or even a year. It most likely takes a lifetime of commitment and beyond to reach that ultimate pinnacle of enlightenment.
However, the benefits of relaxation and of a deeper sense of awareness start to come quickly -- and this class is one of the best and most enjoyable ways that I've found to understand how to synthesize the more abstract qualities of these practices with proven methods that can easily be put into everyday use. In addition, it's also a terrific way to meet up with other folks who have similar aspirations, thus providing you with all the benefits of a community of meditators...always a good idea for keeping those motivation levels high!"
-- Philip Gilmore, Preservation Specialist
"Namaste" seems the most perfect thing to say to you, and because of this: I recognize your teaching is relevant in my life. And that is about the least complimentary thing that I can say. I believe that your teaching is relevant on a grand scale. I believe the non-denominational aspect makes your teaching accessible to a large "Western" audience. Also, your preeminent grasp of the concepts and practices relating to meditative wisdom traditions makes your guidance genuine. It will stand the test of time."
-- William Siferd, Engineer
"Hans has an astute understanding that facilitates depth of practice and profound awareness. I most appreciate his gentle nature as he guides each seeker closer to self."
-Nina Sandot, Founder of Body Centering.
"Hans Gruenig is a dedicated and experienced scholar, teacher, and practitioner of non-Western spiritual traditions. He breathes life into ancient teachings -- making them accessible, pertinent, and enjoyable to aspirants of all ages and backgrounds. His meditation instruction, philosophy instruction, and musical accompaniment combine into an amazing mind-body experience for the individual and for the group. Hans is truly a pleasure to work and study with, a raft bridging the ocean of contemporary spiritual despair, leading to the land of Eastern mystery and insight -- and an inspiration to all who know him."
-Matthew Bolon, University Student
"Hans teaches you new dimensions: how to understand the silence, how to share without judging, how to be awaken to consciousness, how to find in each apparently repeated action a new miraculous feeling. The heart feels peaceful and hugged; the mind gets quieted and learns how to rest; the spirit dances joyfully. The workshop gave me the opportunity to share unique experiences with other beings and to discover a new view on things. It offers the possibility of opening your heart, mind and spirit to others and, not redundantly, to yourself."
Analía Guaraglia, University Student
"Hans' compassion for others is evident in his interaction with people. He is an intense person, listens attentively, and responds with great thoughtfulness. His teaching and discussions are without judgment, and he seeks to understand others in what he does. His passion for meditation is powerful, and his perspective is very applicable, for he teaches it within the context of everyday situations and emotions. Hans' passion for Eastern/Hindu-inspired music is infectious, and the chanting session transported me from the room we were in. I highly recommend working with him!"
-Julinna Oxley, Ph.D.
"Hans is an outstanding teacher of dharma. He teaches several forms of meditation, insight work, and chanting. What makes him such a special teacher is that he has a blueprint that he follows when he teaches, but he does not hesitate to improvise. In fact, he makes it a point to cater each lesson to his audience. He accomplishes this by first listening and then teaching. Perhaps this is his greatest asset. In our Buddhism class, three days of the week, he would present the philosophical benefits of and approaches to honing one’s skill to gain greater awareness. The fourth day, the class would receive the practical benefits by performing meditation for an hour. He would teach meditation forms such as sitting breathing meditation, sitting, metta meditation, and walking meditation.
Prior to meeting Hans, I had learned several other forms of meditation, such as transcendental meditation and breathing/awareness meditation. However, after receiving full instruction, I was still not completely sure about what the goal was for each meditation session. I know of many meditation instructors whose only instruction would be “just sit.” While this is the ideal instruction for the advanced meditator, the beginning meditator has too many thoughts running through his head.
Contrastingly, Hans walks his students through each session. He presents a purpose for each meditation session and offers various strategies to quiet the mind and focus on the physical bodily sensations, mental images, and inner talk. What is most encouraging is that he practices what he teaches. By providing anecdotes of difficult situations that he has faced and the ways that he dealt with the situations, the students felt that through regular practice, they could also react more skillfully to such things as anger and fear.
Two lessons that I have learned in his class that I hope I will always keep with me are (1) that mental afflictions do NOT reside in sense objects and as such, and (2) it is often possible for a person (like me) to eliminate his unhappiness through changing his cognitive-affective framework. If you attend any of his concerts or workshops, ask him to elaborate on these two concepts… if you are anything like me, you will not be disappointed!"
-Sarath Krishnan
"Our resident meditation and insight instructor, Hans Gruenig, is a very nice man -- sincere and credible. I have really benefited from the Tulane Meditation Club. I have been trying to meditate for a long time, but have not been able to do it on a regular basis for a prolonged period. For some years I tried other things, but I always come back to meditation. Right now I am trying to keep to it -- and it's been difficult but now I know that it's important for me and that I can do it. Being with others makes things easier and when I have been able to go to the session, I have always had this nice feeling afterwards... Additionally, I have learned about things that I never knew before. It's been nice to participate in a group that doesn't have the formality of a regular Zendo."
- Elvira Salgado
"I've very much enjoyed learning about the theory and practice of Vipassana [insight meditation] this year. I've been able to integrate it into my other practices and into my daily activity in a fruitful way. Thanks very much for taking the time and effort to share this with me."
- Ben Crowe, Ph.D.
"I've really enjoyed the meditations with Hans. I work a 40-hour week and have other obligations besides job and school. It's easy to get wrapped up in those responsibilities and lose focus of what's really important. Meditation gives me the opportunity to help put these things in perspective, but I often find I don't have time - or really, I'm not disciplined enough - to sit down and "do nothing" on my own. I've always found the motivation and support of a group setting gives me incentive not only to participate in the weekly sessions, but to help pull some of that calm into every day."
- Karen Misconish
|
|
|
