Gretta Koch
 Meditation Teacher
BA (Hons) (Professional Writing & Communication)
Gretta joined the Lifeflow teaching team in 2005. She first learned to meditate as a child and her experience with Buddhist communities and meditation practices as a teenager provided a base for pursuing this interest more seriously in her twenties.
In Lifeflow Meditation she found a sustainable method for finding more balance and joy in life. A regular practice has enabled her to maintain a calmer and clearer foundation for living more skillfully.
She currently combines work as a Communications Officer for a non-profit organisation with part-time study for her PhD, and has previously worked as an editor on a wide variety of publications, both in-house and freelance.
Gretta’s doctoral research is an ethnographic exploration of the effect of meditation practices on the lives of a group of practitioners in South Australia. It aims to reveal how people use meditation: what sustains their commitment to a meditation practice and keeps them motivated and how they integrate their meditation practice into their lives.
Two minutes with Gretta Koch
Gretta began teaching with Lifeflow in 2005; she also works as a Communications Officer and is completing her PhD part-time.
What brought you into contact with meditation?
My parents are meditators so I was born into it! As a child and teenager I spent time in two Buddhist monasteries, which opened me to a completely different way of life, but I didn’t seriously pursue meditation until I was in my twenties and things started to go wrong. I tried other things too, but meditation worked for me from the very first class.
What did you have to do differently to make room for meditation in your life?
I began by keeping 15 minutes free every morning to do the Mind and Body Washing Meditation. I found it easy to establish a regular practice because I gained so much from it.
I’ve gradually made changes in friendships and with habitual socialising, to accommodate the extent to which meditation is now part of my life!
What difference has it made?
I could list many things but possibly the most important one is a deep sense of confidence which has built slowly through my meditation practice and stems from a much greater acceptance of myself. I think it flows into every area of my life because on that basis I can open up much more to other people and to my work.
What has surprised you about doing meditation?
Seeing aspects of myself which are bleeding obvious to the rest of the world, but which I’ve only just discovered! I’ve found that meditation can be a very humorous process and that’s very enjoyable – you can’t take yourself too seriously.
Also, having found it easy to spend time in solitude, I’ve been surprised to find that meditation actually opens you to much richer engagement with other people.
What do you enjoy most as a Lifeflow teacher?
I love watching people gradually open, whether during one class or over a whole course or retreat, as they discover the stillness and calm meditation provides. It’s an absolute delight to introduce people to meditation and share in that experience. It constantly reminds you that the possibilities in life are endless . . .
Any personal suggestions or tips for beginners?
Explore it in your own way and stay with your own experience whatever that might be! I think people often try to fit their meditation into a box, and so miss the delight of their own show.
Best piece of advice you have received re your meditation practice?
Chogyam Trungpa said ‘Really, you can afford to be what you are’. That always comes back to me and I find it very reassuring! I’ve spent huge amounts of energy trying to be something different.
Do any books you have read about meditation really stand out for you?
I’ve really enjoyed books by Chogyam Trungpa and Tarthang Tulku. I also like Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor. I’ve found that different books appear at just the right time! It’s all part of the process.
Other interests/passions in life?
I love bushwalking and jogging; in-depth conversations with close friends and in research interviews; writing; camping; travelling to new places by myself; being near water and enjoying the beauty of nature generally.
My nephews and niece are an endless source of joy!
I also love observing and discussing the subtleties of human interaction.
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meditation courses
