Communication and Repair: Staying Connected Without Self-Abandoning
With Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle
Thursday July 16 2026
7-8 pm Mountain Time (6 pm PST, 8 pm Central, 9 pm EST)
Pay-From-The-Heart
Session 4 of 6 of our 2026 online drop-in series – see here for other sessions in the series: Staying Whole: Meditation Tools for Fragmented Times
You want to stay connected. You want to work things out. You want to show up for the relationships that matter.
And yet somewhere in the conversation, you lose yourself. You over-explain. You collapse. You say what they want to hear. Maybe you shut down entirely. Or you shift into reaction, defense and opposition – battening down the hatches.
This session is about staying connected without abandoning your center and your heart.
Rupture and repair is an integral part of relationship and communication. We’ll explore how to stay present in difficult conversations without losing ourselves – and how to come back when rupture happens.
In this hour together, we’ll explore:
- Why we lose ourselves in difficult conversations and how to stay grounded
- The difference between healthy compromise and self-abandonment
- Keeping the heart open and speaking what is true without aggression or collapse
- Practices for staying connected to your body while staying connected to another person
- The art of repair: how to come back after rupture without over-apologising or shutting down
This is session 4 of our 2026 online drop-in series – see here for future sessions Staying Whole: Meditation Tools For Fragmented Times series.
Session Details
- Date: Thursday July 16, 2026
- Time: 7-8 pm Mountain Time (6 pm PST, 8 pm Central, 9 pm EST)
- Format: Live online via Zoom (recording available)
- Cost: By donation (Dāna)—everyone welcome regardless of financial circumstances
What to Expect
Each session in the series weaves together:
- Teaching grounded in Buddhist wisdom and 35+ years of practice, adapted for real-world application
- Guided practice you can use immediately and return to between sessions
- Reflection & dialogue with others navigating similar terrain
- Integration tools designed for daily life, not just the cushion
Part of the 2026 Staying Whole Series
This session is the part of Staying Whole: Meditation Tools for Fragmented Times, a six-session online drop-in series running through 2026, offering practical tools for inner steadiness, relational resilience, and community belonging. Each session stands alone, so you’re welcome to join just this one.
Learn more about the full series here
Your Guides For The Series
Duncan Cryle has practiced meditation and Buddhist Dharma for over 35 years in the Namgyal lineage with Qapel and Catherine Sensei. He was a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004 and a resident since 2018. Duncan has been teaching for over 20 years—with Awaken in Toronto, Despertando no Brasil (“Awakening in Brazil”), and through Clear Sky’s Integrating Mindfulness program. Through the intense work of living in intentional community—navigating conflict, collaboration, and collective decision-making—he’s learned firsthand what it takes to stay whole in fragmented times. He also spent many years in senior business roles pioneering workplace mindfulness, and now consults with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations on building mindfulness, resilience, and trust.
Karen McAllister has practiced meditation since the 1990s and studied Buddhist Dharma for over 25 years in the Namgyal lineage with Qapel and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. She was a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004 and has been a resident since 2018. Karen has been teaching meditation and mindfulness for over 13 years through Awaken in Toronto, Despertando no Brasil (“Awakening in Brazil”), and Clear Sky’s Integrating Mindfulness and Money & Spirituality programs. Through the ongoing practice of living in intentional community, navigating relationship, conflict, and shared responsibility, she has learned firsthand what it takes to stay grounded and whole in uncertain and changing times. Alongside her teaching, Karen serves as Co-Executive Director of Clear Sky and leads the funding of the Temple project, supporting a long-term vision of refuge and deep practice for generations to come. She is also the founder of Mindful Money Coaching, where she supports people in the helping professions and mission-driven fields to transform their relationship with money, bringing awareness to how they give, receive, and steward resources in alignment with their values and purpose.
... And special guest teachers from the Clear Sky onsite Sangha
Clear Sky’s onsite team have a rich diversity of experience and many years of deep spiritual practice. During this series we’ll benefit from bringing in other voices to add depth and range to the exploration.
