The Inner Journey Institute is an educational organization that’s been in operation since 1999 throughout the US and Canada. We are devoted to a world liberated from suffering, where all people experience themselves as fully alive, connected, self expressed and acknowledged for who they are.
The methodology of the Inner Journey Institute is based on two fundamental principles: Love and Awareness.
The first principle, LOVE, refers to the aspect of our work that serves the deepest longing in all human beings – to love and to be loved. The gateway to love is through our emotions, which need to be allowed, explored and expressed in a constructive way. By opening our capacity to love, we are more fully available to our family, our friends and our life. The Inner Journey work catalyzes our emotional intelligence which makes us more productive and effective in relationships, both at work and at home.
Love’s greatest gift is connection: to Self, others and the great mystery which we call God or Spirit. Love in our hearts is what allows our connections in life to bring us meaning and a deep sense of fulfillment.
The second principle, AWARENESS, refers to the evolutionary drive of consciousness to become aware of itself. Awareness, the capacity to look at oneself in a process of self-reflection, is the foundation for any transformation, personal as well as collective.
Without truly seeing our personal and social conditioning, we operate more like a human robot than a human being. We live largely unaware of our blind spots or the deep-rooted patterns that stop us from reaching our full potential. Our increased awareness gives us the greatest gift – the ability to make conscious choices. This leads to freedom through new actions that reflect who we truly are.
The Inner Journey Institute offers a wide variety of innovative, experiential and impactful programs, retreats and trainings. Our entire curriculum is designed to enhance the quality of people’s lives across the board. Our programs address the areas of relationship, career, self expression, parenting, wellness and spirituality.
We know that our vision makes us ‘dreamers’ in the tradition of John Lennon: “You may say that we are dreamers, but we are not the only ones, and we hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one”.
From our hearts, we invite you to join us to make this vision real.
Currently, Inner Journey programs are offered regularly in four major cities: Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco and Ottawa, Canada.
Each Inner Journey community has a threefold purpose:
To love
A place for graduates of our work to come together and foster a space of shared and deep connection.
To serve
A place for people to offer their volunteer service and express their unique gifts through the staffing and coordination of workshops, meditations and social events.
To remember
A place for each individual to be supported on their path of inner transformation and development through access to an ongoing curriculum of courses.
Our approach is holistic and works with all levels of the human being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Our programs are non-denominational, yet we encourage people to deepen in their own spirituality or to discover their own unique path. We are all-inclusive and welcome people regardless of sexual orientation, faith, race, or financial capacity.
Michael Schiesser and Neelama Eyres are the founders of the Inner Journey Institute, formerly called Inner Journey Seminars.
As with any great thing in life, our institute was built over time and ‘took a village.’
We’d like to offer our immense gratitude to some of the historical pillars on which this institute stands:
| Franz Friedrich | Penelope Bell |
| Michael Sigmann | Linda Keyser |
| Jack LaFleur | Judith Alexander |
| Brian Wiles | Vincent Cuccaro |
| Synandra Lechner | Anne Milligan |
| Maria Marrongelli | Michael Lucy |
| Howard Ross | Kimberly Salameh |
| Jill Elsdon & Michael Bales | Leslie Traub |
| Scott Paseltiner | Evangeline Welch |
| Gunnar & Jan Nilsson | Jack Gescheidt |
| Norman Dupuis | Ron Miller |
| Pamela McMillan | Robin Lynch |
| Gerry Giuliani | Tom & Sue Wolsko |
| Rita Finnigan | Tom & Laura Harney |
| Jayne Dabbs | Maryann Cushing-Smith |
| Alyse & JF Sauriol | Guenter Conzelman & Angeli Tompkins |
