Meet MA member Marketa Berryman
Marketa brings a rich and diverse professional background to MiniPause. She began her career as an accountant graduate with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Prague and later worked as a financial administrator at Vodafone in Sydney, experiences that contribute organizational clarity and structure to the MiniPause retreats.
Her approach to women’s wellbeing is informed by three years of study in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in Prague, Czech Republic with collaboration of the Tianjin university, China, a Certificate IV in Remedial Massage, and membership in the Australian Traditional Medicine Society since 2005. Additionally, her work with the Department for Education supporting children with learning and behavioural challenges has deepened her understanding of how to create inclusive, supportive environments where everyone feels valued.
Having lived and worked across Europe and Australia, including studying French for two years at the French Institute in Prague, Marketa brings a global perspective to women’s experiences of midlife transitions. She is currently training to become a certified Meditation and Mindfulness teacher and has returned to regular Qigong and Tai Chi practice—ancient movement disciplines that complement the work at MiniPause.
When not hosting retreats, you’ll find me exploring nature, practicing mindfulness, and connecting with kindred spirits. Marketa draws inspiration from thought-provoking films and non-fiction books, including Pema Chödrön’s “Welcoming the Unwelcome,” which aligns with the MiniPause philosophy of embracing life’s transitions with courage and grace.
What’s the story behind your first meditation experience?
My meditation journey began two decades ago, during my Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture course, where meditation has been introduced to us as the ultimate foundation for practicing Acupuncture, Tuina massage and Qigong.
The next influential meditation I experienced in Sydney during a groundbreaking (at that time), a personal development course – Landmark Forum Education as a relaxation technique, which left a profound positive impact on my general wellbeing and my spiritual journey.
I have introduced meditation to my daily routine after healing trip to Uluru, central Australia, with Adelaide Healing Energy Centre, where I worked at that time as a massage therapist to enhance my healing massages and to learn traditional healing practices from the local indigenous elders, the traditional owners of the land.
I have always found peace and calm in my meditation practices and Tonglen is my most favourite meditation practice from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition.
Tonglen Meditation is a Tibetan Buddhist “giving and taking” meditation designed to cultivate compassion by breathing in the suffering of others (as dark smoke) and breathing out relief, joy, and light. It reverses the typical urge to avoid pain, allowing practitioners to connect with suffering and transform it into love and openness
What or who inspires you?
Pema Chodrom – Tibetan Buddhist Nun inspires me indefinitely with every word and sentence that she shares with others in her books and recorded retreats. I find her audible recordings guaranteed safe heaven for me anytime of the day anywhere during any of her recorded audio. An example of one of Pema’s books is the When Things Fall Apart.
Cushion time: How long did you meditate for today?
12 minutes meditation on a chair
12 minutes of Qigong
Meditation Apps, yes or no?
Yes
Meditation Calm App
Qigong – Qigong with Kseny you tube video
The getting of wisdom: What’s the best, or most important thing, you’ve learned as a meditation teacher?
As a teacher of meditation I have learned that I need to be MYSELF the inspiration and motivation for others. So I have to cultivated and practiced meditation myself for over two decades before I started with my teaching meditation journey. I wish to grow myself organically into the meditation teacher role.
What makes your heart sing and what have you come to value most?
I most value loving kindness, patience and generosity.
The best thing today: What’s the most inspiring or loveliest thing you’ve seen or experienced today?
Smile on my husbands face this morning.
Smile on my children’s faces this morning.
Our new little kitten and our puppy.
Connect
http://www.minipause.au