What shapes your life more than you realise

Deep within each of our minds lies a hidden layer of assumptions — unexamined beliefs we treat as facts, rules we follow without question, and habitual ways of thinking that quietly govern everything: our decisions, our relationships, our sense of what's possible, and our ability to find lasting happiness.

Some of these assumptions are harmless and practical:

Water will come out of the tap when I turn it on

Other drivers will stop at a red light, so I'm safe on a green

Reliable enough. Useful enough. We don't need to examine them too closely.

But others run far deeper — and carry far greater consequences:

If I have a good job, a loving family, enough money, and a good reputation, I'll be happy

If we fix society, all our problems will end

You've got to look after number one

You only live once

I won't die today

These too feel like facts. And yet most of us have never stopped to ask: are they actually true? Do we have any real evidence for them? And what happens to our life when we build it on foundations that don't hold?

The hidden cost of mistaken thinking

As the Buddhist master Geshe Kelsang Gyatso writes, "very often our habitual ways of thinking and our unexamined assumptions contradict the knowledge that we possess." When our assumptions mislead us — and they frequently do — the consequences are real and practical. They shape what we reach for, what we fear, how we treat others, and how much peace we're able to find.

The Buddha’s teaching known as Lamrim offer "a many-sided challenge to all our mistaken habits of mind" — not as abstract philosophy, but as a clear, step-by-step path for examining, questioning, and ultimately transforming the deep assumptions that drive our behaviour.

What these classes offer

In this series of meditation and Buddhism classes, we'll do something both simple and profound: we'll look honestly at our habitual ways of thinking, examine whether they hold up, and use meditation to replace misleading assumptions with ones grounded in valid reasoning — assumptions that genuinely guide us toward happiness and freedom.

Through a combination of contemplative and placement meditation, you'll learn how to:

Identify the unexamined assumptions quietly running your life

Challenge mistaken habits of mind with clarity rather than self-criticism

Use meditation to embed new, valid understandings deeply into your mind — not just as ideas, but as lived experience

Gradually change your default ways of thinking, and in doing so, change your world

This is how Buddhism works at its most practical: not by rearranging external circumstances, but by transforming the mind from which all experience arises.

Who these classes are for

These classes are open to everyone — whether you're new to meditation, curious about Buddhist philosophy, or looking to deepen an existing practice. No prior experience is needed.

We offer regular classes in a warm, welcoming environment free from pressure or expectation.

If you're searching for:

Meditation classes

Buddhism classes

Practical tools for stress, anxiety, and mental wellbeing

A deeper understanding of the mind and how to change it

…you're in the right place.