Meditation for everyone
Making meditation accessible and personal for everyone. That is our mission.
Making meditation accessible and personal for everyone. That is our mission.
Reflections by Joost and Dirk
Five years ago, Dirk asked me to set up an online meditation platform together. I was skeptical at first, but his enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit and optimism made an impression. “We can just try it and see how it goes,” I thought. That decision led to a special collaboration.
Now, thousands of text and voice messages between Enschede and Nijmegen later, I look back with gratitude. What always strikes me is Dirk's dedication. Often in the morning I see that he has been busy until late at night finishing a course page or solving a technical problem.
Two moments stand out for me. During the first lockdown in 2020 we started daily live meditations. I recently found an old meditation called 'Hard lockdown, soft login'. It was a time when we were able to support many people.
And then the recordings of our first live course: together with Bart van Melik, in Dirk's attic, with a real cameraman. In one day we recorded six dharma talks. I still remember how I brought several changes of clothes!
I am extremely grateful to the teachers from Buddhist Netherlands and Belgium, who were willing to contribute from the beginning. The positive reactions and involvement of participants are still the greatest source of inspiration for me.
I look forward to the next five years with great confidence and enthusiasm!
Joost.
With 30NOW is a great wish expressed—and it feels like that wish is constantly being realized. It started in 2017 with the idea of a 30-day program, so that everyone could discover in an accessible way what meditation can do for them: thirty days of living in the 'now'. Early participants may still remember that very first video?
Due to the corona period, the offer has grown further, the daily live meditations became a central force in addition to the various courses. For me personally, 30NOW a huge enrichment. I still remember how touched I was by the first warm messages, in which participants indicated what 30NOW meant to them—and that gratitude continues to touch me. It is and remains a privilege to be the founder of this platform.
Before 30NOW could really get started in 2019, an intensive preparation period preceded it. The focus was on determining the direction, with essential questions such as: what will be 30NOW yes, but especially also what not? In addition, it took a lot of time and attention to lay the technical foundation, design web pages and work out numerous texts.
One of the biggest challenges was financing. Many start-up online organizations need external financing, but that often comes with demands, such as expectations around growth and financial results. That can put pressure on and make it difficult to make choices that really come from the heart. I am very happy with the fact that 30NOW to this day is fully funded by its members.
Another indispensable factor is my collaboration with Joost. We have been working together intensively for five years, actually daily. We complement each other and, where necessary, we undoubtedly contradict each other. In major decisions that are part of a growing meditation platform, a strong emotional connection is needed in addition to rational agreement. It is special to experience that we are often on the same page in this, which means that we can often determine a clear direction with few words.
Our characters, qualities and passions match remarkably well with what is needed to 30NOW to flourish. Sometimes it feels like the two of us are doing the work of five people, and yet it remains relatively effortless. Joost focuses primarily on the offering; the wonderful team of supervisors is largely thanks to him. I take care of the technical basis—the website, the e-mail communication and the technical support. In addition, we share the dreams, the courage and the perseverance to take new steps every time and to keep adjusting the direction where necessary. It keeps us incredibly inspired and motivated.
I am truly grateful to our guides, members, daily participants and especially Joost that we can do this together, every day again. Let us continue to walk the path together: a path with hills, sometimes loose sand, countless flowers and a beautiful view.
Thank you very much!
Dirk.
The substantive line that we at 30NOW following stems from a contemporary approach to Buddhist meditation. Central is the practice of mindfulness or attention. An acknowledging awareness of physical and mental experiences. Although there are differences in meditation style, all meditations follow the principle of mindfulness. Meditations are also offered that are complementary and develop other qualities such as calmness, kindness and compassion.
30NOW was founded by Dirk Wolbers and Joost van den Heuvel Rijnders and started on January 10, 2019.
It started with an online 30 Day Series that allowed you to experience the power of meditation in an accessible and personal way. It has been growing ever since 30NOW with more guides, offerings and styles to a personal online meditation platform for everyone.
The “30” stands for the 30 Day Series in which you will explore and experience meditation step by step. “NOW” stands for the present, the here and now. Of 30NOW train your mind to live in the present moment and avoid being overly concerned with the past and future. As a result, stressful emotions such as fear, hope, fear and expectations have less of a hold on you. When you live fully in the moment, you experience peace, acceptance, freedom, or happiness.
Embracing the richness and diversity of Buddhist traditions with their proven methods and styles.
The practical application of Buddhist meditation styles and their integration into everyday life. This requires an open and investigative approach.
Facilitating meditations and trying to make them accessible to everyone. This concerns young, old, newcomers and more experienced participants.
Creating an environment where participants can practice together, exchange experiences and thus support each other.
About the origin and development of 30NOW
Together with a growing number of participants and supervisors, we create a more accessible and versatile meditation platform every day. We learn from the user experiences and with the financial contributions from the Membership we can further develop and grow the platform.