A happy union of discipline and urban living: 4 ways to enjoy the efforts of personal practice

March 7, 2010 · Filed under Inspiration, Lifestyle · Tagged , , , , ,

We all live busy lives. Work, shop, cook, socialise, relax, keep your shape right, catch up with all social networks, maintain our relationships, miraculously manage to get everywhere in time (-ish), search for a job, house, happiness, yoga class, tai chi, singing, dancing, gym, Saturday’s farmers market and oh, movies. We are all immersed in making a living or making our dreams come true trying to enjoy the process as we go along. We are like individual state governments and all the citizens at the same time, trying to juggle a myriad of responsibilities, duties, preferences, likes, dislikes, meanings and directions accounting to the toughest boss in the word – ourselves.

So we all know the benefits of a little bit of discipline. Consistency bears results whether it comes to going to bed half an hour earlier, sustaining a healthy diet, exercising or studying. But when it comes to a personal spiritual practice we often see that it is tucked away in the corner of our lives for ‘when I have a bit of free time’.
For some reasons it is fun going to classes and learning yoga, meditation or tai chi but hard to sustain the practice at home. A friend once asked me “Once I am at home it is as if I am lacking ideas of what to do with what I have learned…How do you manage your daily yoga practice?”

So here are 4 points to make discipline work for you:

1. Whatever you do must be enjoyable. As Minna mentioned in another blog post if you have an idea that meditation, contemplation, yoga, jogging or tai chi is a duty, then it will be a duty, getting heavier every day. Enjoyment comes from finding a deep meaning to your practice. So whether you are giving a practice a try, are curious to see results or want to seriously commit – find your meaning. Know what you want from it while remaining flexible in that knowing. Now that’s a science!:)

2. How do you find meaning? Personalise it. It is your life, your breath, your movement and your stillness. You may have learned it from someone but you have got to live it yourself – otherwise you will be mocking someone’s life! You have got all the intuition and wisdom in the world to sense what it is that works for you – be brave to explore it and live it!

3. Have a fixed time for your practice, but be prepared to break the rules you have created. The whole mechanism of our minds functions best in patterns. We have patterns of eating, sleeping, working and also patterns of times when our minds are still. When you set a time for your practice, you gently guide your mind into a new pattern of peaceful collaboration.
However, don’t forget to constantly review your life circumstances to suit you! “Fixity of goal, flexibility of routine” – a Kriya yoga master Yogiraj teaches. Your newly discovered freedom and personal growth ends the moment when the rigid concepts of righteousness and solid routine are established in your head. How to figure out this rather fragile balance of having a routine versus having none? Sounds very mystical, but it is not: follow your heart. It is a matter of fact that you can sense whether you are pushing yourself too much or too little, whether you are being fanatic or lazy, let your guide your heart ways in a smooth fresh stream.

4. Set realistic goals and your priorities right. If you are working 40 hours a week, study, socialise, have kids while still managing to invest your time in other activities you love – acknowledge that and don’t feel pressurised to spend two hours daily in serene meditation. If you have got 15 minutes, then happily accept that you have got 15 minutes. Whatever you have got is perfect! Once you start your practice rolling the priorities of busy living will shift naturally according to your needs. However, if you keep telling yourself that you will take your practice seriously someday or some year in the future, don’t fool yourself. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it is called present. The time is always now. Make this fun and joyous leap!

Persistent personal practice is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal. Yogi Bhajan said that a personal practice, in various Buddhist, hindu and mystic traditions reffered to as Sadhana, doesn’t give you a written guarantee from God.

“The one who does Sadhana builds himself such a powerful personality he can conquer anything! That is why I do my own Sadhana. I have been doing it for years. I do it even now.”
Some people ask me, “You are a Master, why do you do Sadhana?”
I say, ” To remain a Master!”

– Yogi Bhajan

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Spiritual Living: 5 ways to make meditation a part of your daily life

March 4, 2010 · Filed under Inspiration, Lifestyle · Tagged , ,

Meditating can produce an inner calm. It can wake up your heart and mind and help you see more clearly, and feel more fully. When you open your eyes, your heart will open too.
Yet, so many of us struggle to find the time in our increasingly busy lives for meditation, making it feel more like a chore than a pleasure.
The key to making it a part of your life is to understand how enjoyable silent contemplation can be. It is not hard work, or boring, meditation is fun! Below are five useful tips to hopefully get you synching and connecting with that inner fountain of love and peace.
1. Substitute the word ‘meditation’ with ‘me-time’.
As much as I love to meditate, I’m not a great fan of the word. It sounds quite clinical, and certainly not like a source of enjoyment, which makes it easier to neglect on a busy day.
2. Make ‘me-time’ fun.
That way you will want to do it more frequently. It can be very rewarding to sit in Buddha position and just quieten the mind, but on occasion you might prefer to draw, cook your favourite meal, write or go for a jog. The only criterion is that you connect your me-time activity to your ‘self’. So, if you choose to draw, sketch something that makes you feel calm. If you write, make it a poem. If you cook your favourite meal, try to connect with the food, enjoy the textures, aromas and colours of the ingredients.
3. Spend ‘me-time’ every day.
Even Barack Obama sets aside me-time. You can too. Start with five minutes a day. That’s nothing! Be persistent and gradually, you will likely spend longer as you will find yourself looking forward to your reflection time.
4. Expand your imagination.
On those days you decide just to sit and contemplate (which I highly recommend you do), imagine that you are on a private beach by yourself, or in a tropical garden lying on a bed of scented flowers, or that you are a ballet dancer practicing in an empty arena. You can be anywhere or anything, set your imagination free!
5. Spend me-time on the go.
Meditation is about more than sitting at home in a reflective state of mind. It means making connections to everyday life. Take your reflective mind with you wherever you go. For example, stay calm during your commute to work by listening to meditation music on your mp3 player. Close your eyes, reflect over the calming sounds and transport yourself into your inner world. Your colleagues will wonder over your new calm and peaceful moods!

Minna Salami is a writer and blogger who loves the blessing of me-time and silent reflection. You can read more of her musings on the missmays blog

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Prize Draw Closing

February 26, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged ,

Dear Readers,

Two months into the Spiritual London experience we are absolutely overwhelmed by your response and feedback. Thank you for believing in us and taking your time to spread the word or add a listing. Please continue to do so in the future – for a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and whithout your support Spiritual London is just a piece of coding.

The first price draw is now over as we received over a hundred listings in no time. To remind you of the prices:
–3 interviews/reviews and a photo reportage which will be published in the Spiritual London blog.
–3 banner advertising options on our site worth £50 each.
–5 featured listings for 3 months!

And the lucky Spiritual Londoners are:

We are going to interview/visit/review:

Still Point London, Liverpool Street
Gallery Cafe, Bethnal Green
Sinchronicity Studios, Clapham

And these guys are going to have their very own banner ads:

Shamanic Practicioner
Becky Walsh Intuitionist
Kagyu Samye Dzong Tibetan Buddhist Centre

Finally five of the Spiritual Londoners will receive free featured ads.

We will contact the lucky winners very soon and by popular request will organise a round two of this fun price draw, so watch this space.

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The Power of Chant

February 22, 2010 · Filed under Inspiration, Lifestyle · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Creation begins with the activity of consciousness, which may be called vibration, and every vibration starting from its original source is the same, differing only in its tone and rhythm caused by a greater or lesser degree of force behind it.- Hazrat Inayat Khan

Scientists, mystics & scholars throughout the ages have articulated the understanding that we exist in a field of constantly vibrating awareness.  It is truly as if we are part of a grand symphony, each of us a unique and beautiful instrument resonating within the whole.

Sound changes our vibration, because we ourselves are vibration.   We encounter a huge range of sound vibration every moment of our lives – a car alarm in the street, a baby crying on the bus, a thumping techno beat in a club, a loving word whispered in our ear – each of which communicate vastly diverse messages to different levels of our being.  In an urban environment we may find ourselves shutting down and playing our ipod to drown out this huge seeming cacophany of sound surrounding us.  Yet if we listen attentively and use sound consciously we can use even the most jarring of sounds to attune our own vibration and heighten our awareness.

A tone is a meaning-carrying sound – Dane Rudhyar

You don’t have to be a musician to perceive tone – tones are the living, organic essences of sounds, conveying the colour and character of each sound entity… within the sound of the hoover we may detect a low tone not so dissimilar to a didgeridoo or within the sound of an aeroplane taking off we may hear the high tones that children so love to mimic.  We talk about ‘tone of voice’ – a teenager’s rebellious communication may prompt the response – ‘dont take that tone of voice with me!’ from a teacher – it is not what we say but how we say it, and it is tone that communicates the meaning and intention of our words.

To sound is firstly to listen – to listen for the tone within each sound, within each word, within each thought – for even in our inner world, our thoughts are resonating at certain pitches and frequencies.   We each have our own individual inner soundtrack playing constantly and whilst this takes place within the privacy of our mind, our thoughts radiate and create an atmosphere around us – our mood.  This is observable from without – we will talk of a person being in a bad mood without knowing the content of their thoughts – but were we to attune ourselves to the finer sound vibrations of their thoughts, we would be able to detect the content of them and be listening ourselves to Bad Mood FM.

This telepathic awareness of intent is acutely developed in animals – whose survival depends on being able to know when the next predator is around the corner and also in plants – as scientifically demonstrated by Cleve Backster in 1960s who discovered that a plant could sense his intent to damage one of its leaves before he even took action.  Even a rock is composed of vibration, just much denser, slower ones than a bird.  So all of nature is listening and singing, listening and singing in continual call and response.  Beyond our own blue and green rock, the big rocks in the sky are also vibrating, singing their tones which have been mathmatically measured and recorded.  So it can be that when a planet starts singing backwards, we all get a headache…:)

To chant, then, is to change our whole sonic landscape – is to consciously alter our resonance.  To interrupt the unceasing flow of inner sound and to chant the sacred syllables of a mantra such as Ohm Mane Padme Hum is akin to letting off a sonic rocket in the mind. The underlying soundtrack defragments in order to align itself with the resonance of the mantra inwardly and outwardly.  Of course it is our tone that determines our engagement and the resulting effects.  Mantras – Man – think/mind; Tra – tool – are powerful healing instruments that have been diversely used since the beginning of time by everyone from the Beastie Boys, Kula Shaker, The Beatles and the Dalai Lama.  There’s nothing to say that headbanging versions are any less effective than monastic use.  All are part of the divine symphony.

The benefits of chanting include:
* Physical – Singing of any sort causes the whole body to vibrate and resonate.  This has a very relaxing, releasing effect – the breath cycle lengthens, happy hormones (endorphins) are released into the blood stream and tensions dissolve.  Entering the rhythmic experience of chant stabilises and harmonises our own body rhythms and can prompt ecstatic dancing!
* Emotional – Emotions are energy in motion.  As we chant our energy starts moving, liberating our being.  Tears flow and laughter rises, opening the heart, cleansing the residue of past trauma and connecting us back into the beauty of the present moment.
* Mental – As we focus on the melody and words of chant, the mind becomes still and concentrated.  Thoughts crystallize, becoming clear and spacious.
* Spiritual – Whatever your spiritual practise, we can all receive great nourishment from contacting the silent awareness which informs every sound- the vast silent realm beyond thought, beyond the beyond.  We connect with the quiet, still observer within, which witnesses everything silently.  Our perspective widens and we may receive powerful insights, images and intuitive guidance.
* Fun -  most importantly!   Playing with sound is fun! The creative aspect of us wants to learn and experiment.  Exploring our voice in the safe space of chanting enables us to discover new realms of self-expression, fine tuning our self-awareness and ultimately giving us the sense that it is ok to be us. Singing in a circle also enhances our listening for others, heightening our communication skills on every level.

In the vibrationary bedrock of all existence exists a singular sound entity which is utterly unique yet completely interconnected to everything in the Universe and beyond.
Like a pearl in the seabed, shining, glistening, complete and beautiful in itself – it radiates resonantly, glowing with divine potential.
That pearl is you.
You are the wonderful creative unique being at the core of your own existence.  Without you, it wouldn’t all being going on.
Recognising your own divinity is the truth transmitted by all great teachers – ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within you’.
In the resonant field of chant, we can remember the divine creative vibratory essence that we are.
As the sound current flows through us, we can sing our essence into being,
Ultimately becoming aware that as we sing, we are infact being sung
By the heavenly silent symphony that makes all One.

Sat Nam. Ohm. Namaste. Insh’Allah. Halleluyah! Shalom.
Katie Rose


Katie Rose is a qualified holistic therapist who has facilitated sound workshops with adults and children across the UK and internationally.
She became aware of her vocation to use the voice as a healing instrument at the age of 15 and has recently released an album, The Singing Tree.
For more info about singing and chanting workshops please visit www.therosewindow.org or email info@therosewindow.org
©Katie Rose March 2010

WWW.SPIRITUALLONDON.CO.UK

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Spiritual London to Spiritual India for Spiritual Explorations

February 7, 2010 · Filed under Inspiration, Out and about, Uncategorized · Tagged , ,

Dear readers,

Both myself and Dani are off to India to gather inspiration and live in serenity for the next two weeks, so excuse us for not updating you on Spiritual London happenings through this blog and other social media tools.

While we are away Spiritual London will be going through its first face lift – we are aiming to make the site navigation more user friendly and intuitive. Thank you for all those suggestions and feedback that you gave us! The downside of the changes is that the site will be offline for couple of days. Hopefully it will not interfere with your Spiritual London experience!

In the meantime enjoy the movie of the week – Ashes and Snow by Gregory Colbert:

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Last night experience – Jamyang Buddhist centre

February 3, 2010 · Filed under Nights out, Reviews · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

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It is cold and rainy and I feel an urgent need to empty my brain and calm my mind. I throw myself on my bike and off we head to a Buddhist centre in Kennington.
Yes, a Buddhist centre again for no apparent reason! I have a feeling that Buddhist culture in London is blooming and is really good for providing very simple methods of living a more meaningful and grounded life without rolling you into a ball of beliefs and dogma. It definitely fits western minds – at least that’s the impression I get after entering a spacious shrine room fool of people! I am surprised – I really didn’t expect more than 6 people to attend a course on a heart sutra!

But let’s start with the centre itself. It is spacious, beautiful and atmospheric. A renovated old courthouse, it is an old Police Court, which is the oldest surviving, intact, Victorian Police Court in London. You can definitely sense the atmosphere and the shrine room is shining in its glory. Everything from wall hangings, a massive Buddha statue, flowers, floors, ceiling and ritual tools is perfected to the tiniest detail. The essence of Buddhist simplicity – I think to myself.

The centre has a library with over 2000 books on Buddhism, meditation and general spirituality and – as you can imagine – it is probably one of the most serene places to study such materials. It is also a place where you can find those rare materials in Tibetan language and detailed information on Tibetan Buddhism that is hard to find elsewhere. I strongly suggest you pay a visit and immerse yourself in written wisdom (an extra urge for students studying religions and Tibetan language or culture!).

Apparently Dalai Lama visited and concecrated the centre in 1999 and indeed – the love for Tenzin Gyatso is felt strongly. Who can blame them?

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness. ~ Dalai Lama

What else… There is a bookshop, a café! and a library. The centre organises regular Tara rituals, meditations, and numerous workshops on everything from Tibetan art and symbolism (this is a must at least for me!) to traditional Buddhist sutra readings and non-residential intensive (sometimes 2 week long!) retreats which seem to be a good option in case you feel battered by daily life in London… or nursing a wounded heart!

But lets get back to the reason for my visit. This time I was invited to attend a sutra reading course which lasts for 9 weeks, every Tuesday evening. I made an effort to attend the first introductory evening – a sneaky preview so to say.
We are late and are greeted by a rather peculiar resident of the centre – a black cat. Right away I start creating stories about the black cat being a Buddhist and imagination starts carrying me until we enter a packed room of people reciting sutras in English (thank God!) and are tucked to the very end of the room with a sutras booklet in our hands.

Page 6… we quickly join others in reading some verses and soon enough we join the wave of low voices. After a short meditation warm and radiating Geshe Tashi Tsering starts talking about the heart sutra, context, meaning, wisdom, compassion, Buddhism, Tibetan tradition…. you name it. Then he starts reciting this short sutra in Tibetan and I lose myself in an acoustic rhythm of this special language!

Here is an excerpt from the famous sutra

“

Form is empty; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form also is not other than emptiness. Likewise, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness are empty.”

“Shariputra, like this all phenomena are merely empty, having no characteristics. They are not produced and do not cease. They have no defilement and no separation from defilement. They have no decrease and no increase.”

“Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no tactile object, no phenomenon. There is no eye element and so forth up to no mind element and also up to no element of mental consciousness. There is no ignorance and no exhaustion of ignorance, and so forth up to no ageing and death and no exhaustion of ageing and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation or path; no exalted wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment.”

“Therefore Shariputra, because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on and abide in the perfection of wisdom; their minds have no obstructions and no fear. Passing utterly beyond perversity, they attain the final state beyond sorrow. Also, all the Buddhas who perfectly reside in the three times, relying upon the perfection of wisdom, become manifest and complete Buddhas in the state of unsurpassed, perfect and complete enlightenment.”

“Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the equal-to-the-unequalled mantra, the mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering, since it is not false, should be known as the truth. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:

tayata gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi soha
(Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, awakened, so be it!)

Amen! We listen to the words of wisdom as Geshe Tashi Tsering reminds us that the actions of wisdom and compassion starts with the closest people around us. Indeed! I bow inside myself to the wise teachings of Buddhism, my mind is calmer and I embrace all the people in the room with a loving smile.

So be it!

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Saturday’s Inspiration – 5 ways to live a more peaceful life

January 23, 2010 · Filed under Inspiration, Lifestyle · Tagged , , , , , ,

1. Start from the obvious. Surround yourself by beautiful things and people. Did you know that the influence from other people extends to 3 degrees of separation? That means that your life and moods can potentially be affected by your sister’s friends daughter! The same applies to your immediate surroundings where you spend most of your time.
Try to arrange your room/space so that energy can flow freely and undisturbed. Divide your room/space into working/sleeping/relaxation spaces so that each space can be charged with the energy that will help you accomplish different tasks. If you meditate, a sacred space is crucial for a successful and peaceful practice. Even if you feel lazy and tired, sitting in your usual meditation space will uplift your spirit.

2. Do few things but do them well, make your time pass slowly. Wise words from St Francis of Assisi. When rushing and running with endless things to do and stress of not being able to accomplish them all ask yourself if it will matter in 1 year time. 5? 10? Will it matter on your death bed? The quality of life is not related to the amount of things you do, but the depth of your experience – the awareness that you put into it. So relax and sit back – remember we float in the endless Universe and you are just a tiny dust.

3. Love and trust yourself. What is inside, that is also found outside. Wondering why did five relationships in a row end in exact same way or why you cannot achieve your goals and dreams? Love yourself. Surround yourself with love. Remind yourself of importance of this act! You cannot expect the world to love you if you cannot even fill yourself with love. So look at the mirror, say a good old ‘I love you’ and smile to yourself. You are great! Alive, gifted, talented, unique and wonderful being. This is the first day of the rest of your life!

4. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Have vision, intention and meaning – be aware how you are making your steps towards your vision every single day. If you wish something with all your heart, the whole world will help to make your dream come true. Be yourself and always follow your heart – only you know if you are making a progress. After all, we do not have an option but to be ourselves!:)

5. Healthy and simple diet – the best way of feeling…. healthy and simple! (watch this space for more info on alternative diets) There is so much to learn about healthy diet. Unfortunately most of us are raised on refined foods, but it is never to late to make a transition. Be aware how your body’s needs change with the seasons. Swap your refined grains and pasta to wholemeal alternatives – most of the goodness of a grain is in its lobe! Eat more veggies and dark leafy greens (it is the right season!). Cut sugar and coffee – make your deserts at home so at least you know what’s in it. And it is so creative! Make simple meals and chew them well – buono appetito!

Movie of the week: Pan Nalin, Samsara (2001)

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London eclectics: breathwork at a Buddhist centre, movie at a DIY hippy venue

January 18, 2010 · Filed under Lifestyle, Reviews · Tagged , , , , , , ,

First sunny Sunday in a long while. It is not even February yet, but the sun is shining and the air is filled with modest spring warmth. Today my plans are to visit a North London Buddhist Centre to join my friend’s breathwork group and on the way back watch a Glastonburian film preview at Passing Clouds in Hackney.

The plan is set, a south Londoner in my heart I scribble my bus routes in my notebook and with an A to Z, a blanket, a camera and a bottle of water I set off for a mission.

It is really exciting to see spiritual centres popping up in different locations of London creating an atmosphere of local and accessible alternative lifestyle choices. I have a vision that one soon day everyone in London will have a neighbouring holistic hub and instead of a local fried chicken shop – an access to fresh and healthy local produce made with love. I am visioning this knowing that a Tibetan Buddhist Centre is moving quite literally at the other end of my street (watch this space for a story about it)! We are here to make our reality the way we want it.

You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however (Richard Bach).


But lets get back to North London Buddhist Centre on Holloway Road. As a rule, Buddhist centres in London are hubs for veeeery affordable holistic therapies, yoga, tai chi and meditation classes, chanting evenings, retreats, all sorts of workshops and lectures. For me their activities always guarantee a deeper view on spirituality whether in meditation or yoga class. Whatever your beliefs might be, it is well worth finding your local Buddhist centre and see what they offer – you never know what you might discover!

Truth is, my visit there has nothing to do with their activities or Buddhism itself (at least this time). I am going there for a breathwork session with my friends and am using this opportunity to have a little sneaky peak inside the centre.



As I imagined, the centre is filled with serenity and has a lovely shop selling everything from ritual tools, vast collection of Buddhist and meditation books, statues, Tibetan bowls, malas, oils and candles… you name it. I am literally mesmerized but I remind myself that I am here with a slightly different intention.

The breathwork technique is also known as Conscious Connected Breathing, where there is no pause between the in breath and the out breath. This action naturally moves the breather into so called ‘non-ordinary state’ where the brain drops into Alpha and Theta. These states move us from a logical level into a more lateral place of just being present. It is at this point we are most receptive to shifting improvements in health, mental clarity and emotional well-being. (Taken from Terri George website ).

I cannot write much about breathwork itself as it is a deeply personal experience. All I can say that it is one of the most grounding, immediate, simple and natural therapies of self-healing which works despite your beliefs or prejudices. I feel it is very good for westerners who tend to repress their ‘aliveness’, authenticity, self-expression and pain. In a safe space created by skilful and experienced facilitators you easily return to the states of your core being allowing yourself to be a child again, reborn, regress, explore, vision and express anything that has been left behind. I find it to be a deeply healing process which helps to accelerate personal growth.

The breathwork is done and after the facilitator makes sure that we are all grounded and ‘alright’ to spill out to the streets of London we say our goodbyes and leave. Now I am in a rush for a movie preview at Passing Clouds. The movie, although intended for those ‘hard-core hippies’:) receives quite a bit of interest and I really enjoy the cosy retro DIY atmosphere of the venue.
Passing Clouds 1

Good news is that Passing Clouds organise all sorts of events, concerts and jam sessions for an alternative crowd so it is well worth checking them out!

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There is more to life: Gandhi and Virgin

January 14, 2010 · Filed under Lifestyle, Out and about, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

There is more to life than its speed. Neighbouring advertising. Borough tube, London.

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Love circle – soul food on a cold winter evening in Camden

January 13, 2010 · Filed under Lifestyle, Nights out, Reviews · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday evening yoga class with an uplifting title and a seductive headline:
~~Waves of Love rising silently from the Deep devaOcean//Relentlessly forming with an Effortless Grace into//Rolling Circles of Truth~~
Surely I am up for it!

I don’t know what to expect, actually I do not expect anything. I don’t want to look great or advanced or needy or disappointed. I don’t want to have a great time or time to remember. I am just going to this evening with an excitement of a child. And presence.
Reading Eckhart Tolle on the tube: “Being one with life is being one with Now. You then realize that you don’t live your life, but life lives you. Life is the dancer and you are the dance.” Present. I feel present. And my goal is to be fully alive as I am.

7pm, Upper Room community hall in Camden uplifted from mundane to sacred by the radiance and creativity of the organisers, Amir and Katie. Candles, subtle fairy lights, a gong, Tibetan bowls, all sort of percussive instruments and a piano – it feels warm, cosy and safe.


We comfortably sit in a circle, the atmosphere is great and I feel at home. I know that’s the right environment and I don’t need to be anyone or act in any way. Time for being. The class starts with a well guided relaxation, deep breath, Tibetan bowls and my body is vibrating with core sounds surrendering to the gravity of the body and the limitless nature of the soul.

We flowingly proceed to name and intention sounding. Wow – what an honour. To sing the name of each person with your soul voice and have your name sang by a bunch of angels. It was empowering: I loved and I was being loved, honesty, intentionally and selflessly.
Love, joy, presence, satisfaction, consolidation, freedom, faith, nothingness and more… these were intensions of the beautiful beings that shared the love with me. All and every single one of you – I really wish it becomes your reality now!

Warm ups – a phrase never encouraging enough. I have been doing intense yoga warm-ups for 4 years and never has it been so fun. Surrender and let your inner child take over. Why not? We played congas that weren’t there, we danced free style, we danced our bodies into circles and we sang and laughed as it felt right letting go of everything that needed letting go. Simplicity of being – joy of a child.

Kundalini yoga kriyas were physically and mentally challenging but liberating, extremely energising and well worth a try. “There are two characters in your mind: a master and a victim – you choose which one you want to be” – Amir reminded us out loud just when I needed it. It is surprising what an enormous shift in experience can our inherent right to choose our own perspective manifest. We make our own reality and it is all about our attitudes.

Chanting, relaxation and a sound bath. Another wow. Food for the soul, every cell vibrating with the mysterious power of a gong, Tibetan bowls, percussions, piano and an angelic voice. I peacefully flow and let my body relax from all the rush and buzz of the day.

And a final wow: what other class is so creatively packed with soul-nourishing food?

This moment is all I have got and maybe in 20 years from now I am not going to remember that I went to this class and how good it was (again, perspective!) Perhaps it will be just a distant dream, but I will remember that I spent time being deeply present. That’s one thing that doesn’t need effort to be remembered and doesn’t fade into an illusion of a distant dream. Mission completed!

Love Circle – every Tuesday, 7.00pm at Upper Room, Camden. More details here

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