Inner Space – Surrounding Space – Action
— A text by Sandra Moebus, Judith Bigler and Dieter Bigler —
July 2026
What connects sitting meditation, Spacial Dynamics® and archery? At first glance, perhaps not much: the stillness of sitting, conscious movement in space, and the precise action of arrow and bow. Yet it is precisely in this combination that a particular experiential space emerges – a movement from inner space into surrounding space, and from there into action.
Sandra opens the space inward through sitting meditation. Judith guides a conscious relationship between body, space and attention through the movement meditation of Spacial Dynamics®. Dieter translates this inner and outer alignment into concrete action through archery. Together, they are concerned with a practice of presence: becoming still, sensing one's own body in space, aligning, acting – and releasing the need to fully control the outcome.
Sandra: Inner Space
In sitting meditation, a space of pause first arises. External stimuli become less important, everyday life recedes, and attention turns inward. For Sandra, this course is about having time to look inward and recognise what next steps arise from one's own inner impulse.
This inner gathering is not a retreat from the world. Rather, a space can open in the stillness in which answers become perceptible and new impulses for one's own path emerge. What is often obscured in everyday life – by speed, expectations, tasks or habits – can resurface more clearly in sitting meditation.
From here, the connection to movement and archery arises. The arrow stands not only for a sporting target but can be understood symbolically: as an image of inner alignment, one's own energy, and the next action arising from this gathering. The target is then not only the board, but also an image of the next step in life.
An action that arises from a genuine inner impulse is not only valuable when it produces a perfect result.
The moment of letting go is particularly essential. Beforehand, I can gather myself, align, breathe, be present. Yet I have no complete control over the final result. Sometimes a bullseye lands; sometimes it doesn't. And that too is alright.
This is precisely where a deep practice lies: to fully open to what is. In archery, it becomes immediately visible whether I am truly present. When I am lost in thought or allow myself to be distracted, the shot changes. Conversely, the inner alignment from meditation can be carried into archery. A reciprocal exchange arises: stillness gathers inward, movement brings this gathering into the body, and archery reveals how present and aligned I am in the moment.
Judith: Surrounding Space
Judith brings awareness of the body in space through the movement meditation of Spacial Dynamics®. Spacial Dynamics® – in German "Raumdynamik" – understands the human being as a "flowing interplay of body, space and attention", as Jaimen McMillan, the founder of this movement practice, has described it.
The human being stands in constant relationship to the space and world around them through their body. Their sensory activity, attention and emotions connect them with space and world. This connection is normally barely conscious to us – and yet it is always at work.
"When something threatens us, we duck. Fear makes us tense and contract. Joy opens, interest brings spaciousness, and when we have a goal in view, we align ourselves." – Judith
Spacial Dynamics® makes these interactions conscious. We experience that each of our movements has a source both in our interior and in our surrounding space. Movement thus does not arise only mechanically in the body – it is always in relationship to attention, space, mood and inner attitude.
Spacial Dynamics® emerged in the early 1980s, when Jaimen McMillan as a young fencing master observed that in a fencing match, his consciousness was spatially always ahead of the tip of the foil. From this came the central insight: "Space moves first." Every human movement follows a preceding, invisible movement in space.
For this course, Spacial Dynamics® is therefore an ideal bridge between sitting meditation and archery. We experience the spatial planes – horizontal, vertical and sagittal – planes that also play an important role in archery: the upright posture, the alignment toward the target along the plane of symmetry, the arms opening horizontally as the bow is drawn. The body is not simply used, but consciously inhabited. It aligns itself, opens, finds relationship to space. Inner gathering thus becomes outer alignment.
Dieter: Action
Dieter brings archery as a concrete, experience-oriented action. A good shot is only possible when the person is fully present with themselves, fully at rest and concentrated. Archery in this sense is not simply technique or athletic performance. It means becoming calm, learning to let go, breathing through, releasing – in short, entering a world of relaxation, concentration and physical coordination. Everyday life recedes. Attention comes to the body, the breath, the posture, the goal.
"The arrow registers every smallest movement, irregularity, the manner of letting go – and then shows the result clearly, directly and immediately." – Dieter
What happens inwardly becomes visible in the shot – not as judgement, but as feedback. This is precisely why the bow is a particular counterpart: an "incorruptible, pure and unmanipulating counterpart that gives back, unfiltered, what we want and wish for." It always shows where I truly am right now – and helps one learn to distinguish more precisely between reality and one's own assumptions about it.
In the sequence of archery lie many metaphors that transfer to life's themes: standpoint and posture, security, holding on and letting go. The bow is both instrument and mirror – serious and playful, demanding and opening.
A Shared Path of Practice
In these weekend retreats, inner space, surrounding space and action interweave. The three elements enrich one another: the gathering in sitting meditation affects the archery. The movement exercises help one feel one's own body more consciously. And archery shows immediately whether inner alignment becomes alive in action.
In this way, it becomes experientially clear that stillness and movement are not opposites. Stillness can come into movement. Movement can lead back to stillness. And from both, an action can arise that is not forced, but emerges from an inner impulse.
What participants take home from these retreats cannot be confined to the archery range. The practice can continue: when writing an email, baking a cake, weeding the garden, in a conversation or when making a decision. Being fully with what is happening. Gathering oneself. Sensing one's own standpoint. Aligning. Acting. And then letting go.
The course is suited to people who want to connect spiritual practice and everyday life more closely, who wish to experience meditation not only in sitting but also in movement and action, and for all who are curious about what becomes visible when inner space, surrounding space and bow come together. No prior experience is required – only the willingness to engage.
A text by Sandra Moebus, Judith Bigler and Dieter Bigler, in collaboration with Stefanie Weilenmann
Sandra, Judith and Dieter lead the course "Meditation & Archery" from Thursday, 3 to Sunday, 6 September 2026 at Landguet Ried – a weekend for people who want to connect spiritual practice and everyday life more closely, who wish to experience meditation not only in sitting but also in movement and action. No prior experience is required, only the willingness to engage. The course takes place largely in silence and is suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike; archery equipment is provided.
Would you like to experience for yourself what becomes visible when inner space, surrounding space and bow come together? Find all details about the Meditation & Archery course here >>>
Dieter Bigler: Retired body therapist and PE and sports teacher. For over 30 years, he has been teaching archery to adults and young people, both at home and abroad. As a long-standing Special Dynamics® instructor and trainer, he combines clear guidance with mindful presence.
Sandra Moebus: Works as Head of the IT Departmental Staff at the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland. She holds university degrees in physics and engineering, and in the sociology of religion. In her spare time, she practises meditation and Kundalini yoga and is involved with the Association for Near-Death Experiences.
Judith Bigler: Spent many years in education, first as a teacher and later in the fields of quality management, organisational development and coaching. Through her husband Dieter, she discovered archery and Spacial Dynamics® and has since been facilitating courses in both areas.