Dr Graham Williams
Founder and Director of Centre
PhD (Adelaide), B Mus, Grad Dip Ed, Dip Concert (Paris).
Dr. Graham Williams is the Founder and Director of Lifeflow. He trained in the Tibetan and Burmese Buddhist meditation traditions, and has over 35 years of teaching experience with local, interstate and overseas students. Graham is a concert pianist and scholar who taught piano students at Adelaide University for over 20 years; he still teaches privately. He is also an adjunct lecturer at Flinders University in the School of Medicine.
Meditation
His first meeting with the meditation tradition occurred when he was taken by a friend to meet the 16th Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, in Paris. He realized that music itself was one of the few living traditions of meditation in our culture, and that he had been introduced to a tradition of training the mind and emotions which our culture did not have. Feeling the need to study this new discipline, he took the opportunity to ask the Canadian teacher Namgyal Rinpoche to teach him when introduced to him.
On completing his music studies in Paris he spent a full year in retreat in Assisi, Italy, and then returned to Adelaide to take up a position at the University of Adelaide where he taught for over 20 years. At the same time he spent 10 years training in both the Burmese mindfulness and Tibetan mahamudra traditions. As well as studying with his own teacher he received teaching from the Karmapa, who gave him an ordination as a Lama, Kalu Rinpoche, and Sharchoe Lobsang Rinpoche (abbot of the Gyuto Tantric University). He spent three years in retreat and still maintains his practice with regular retreats every year.
Teaching
Graham began teaching meditation in Adelaide in 1980 at the request of a group of music students at the University. Although trained in the Buddhist tradition he has always seen meditation as a discipline and a skill, taught in exactly the same way as music, and not a belief. Therefore, on founding the Lifeflow Meditation Centre in 1981, he created a curriculum of meditation practice and jargon-free theory which is easy to learn while retaining depth and richness. It combines the discoveries of neuro-science and psychology with the rich practice and experience of the meditation tradition, and so provides a completely integrated practice for physical and mental health, personal development and spiritual growth. And it is uniquely Australian in that it embraces our natural environment and Australian art and music.
Consulting and School of Medicine, Flinders University
Graham is also an adjunct lecturer in the School of Medicine at Flinders University, a consultant to an organizational psychology company and has been invited to speak at conferences including the inaugural Australian Meditation Conference and the Australian Society of Hypnosis National Congress. He still teaches piano to advanced students.
Retreat work
His retreats in the mallee country of South Australia, near the River Murray, have engendered a love of this timeless, peaceful land and he has become a passionate advocate for the conservation of this unique part of Australia’s heritage. He loves bushwalking, swimming and bike riding, and also cooking for friends.
Your deep heart is your closest friend.
– Dr Graham Williams
more teachers ...
Gretta Koch
Gretta began teaching with Lifeflow in 2005, has completed a year-long retreat and undertakes regular retreat practice. She currently teaches Level 2 courses and weekend retreats. Gretta also works as a Marketing and Communications Officer for a not for profit nature foundation and completed a PhD in ethnographic research within the field of meditation.
Ann Calvert
Ann joined the Lifeflow teaching team in 2000 after ten years meditation training, a year-long retreat and 20 years of yoga practice. She undertakes ongoing retreat work and professional development, particularly in the area of emotional wellbeing. Her current role as Lifeflow's Executive Operations Manager provides her plenty of opportunity to put the teachings into practice.
John Burston
John has taught meditation since 1996; his training including a year-long retreat and advanced practices in Insight and Yoga-Tantra. As Lifeflow's Director of Teaching he oversees the curriculum, training and teaches a wide range of courses, retreats and workplace sessions, and mentors individual students.