Quiet Space

18/08/2022

Wired, tired and seeking respite?

Join us for a weekend retreat in the West Sussex countryside. Roam the woods and fields, and enjoy the luxusious surrounds of the 15th century farmhouse, and amazing barn beams. There are even posh caravans for those seeking seculsion.

You'll have the opportunity to learn practical meditation techniques to take home, restorative yoga (and no, you don't have to be bendy!), and experience the sound immersion of kirtan. Clara Zapata will be on hand to support with personalised treatments.

Balm for the weary. Soothe your soul.

Nourish: Autumn Reset Weekend Retreat

16/08/2022

Wired, tired and seeking replenishment? Read on!

We're excited and delighted to announce a beautiful weekend retreat in the heart of the English countryside, just a hop, skip and a jump from Brighton and Gatwick, near Haywards Heath with the amazing team at Lydhurst.

We'll luxuriate in a weekend of nourishing yoga flow, an introduction into the joy of Vishoka Meditation, the healing vibrations of kirtan, and the opportunity to experience personalised treatments with the amazing Clara who offers cranial osteopathy, massage and reflexology as well as family constellations therapy!

Early bird and friend discounts available!

Join us for a nourishing and restorative weekend, and rediscover your balance and breath!

See comments for more info if the QR code isn't for you.

23/07/2022

Growth | Transformation

I have drawn inward of late, immersed in deep study and enquiry. Drawn to discover more of my own inner space and stability, even as the external world feels ever more unstable and in flux.

The element of fire is at the heart of transformation in many traditions, as is the sense of creating a robust crucible to hold the fire, to enable more capacity as we focus as much on building a bigger and more stable container, as we do on stoking the fires that inspire and generate change..

In my own tradition, we practice vigorous breath practices, (including various pranayamas, agni sara, and breath retentions), to stoke the fires in our abdominal region so that old material, undigested thoughts and emotions, might be surfaced and transformed. With the challenges of the past weeks, and as my studies with my teachers and my own practice have intensified, I have been drawn to grounding practices to create more stability and capacity in my container, to hold, support and sustain the fire that has been set alight. The element of earth is crucial in supporting and holding fire.

Untamed fire, as we have all seen on the planet of late, transforms with little regard for what exists. Our intention with more considered practice is that the fire is held, embraced and contained by the crucible that it might not burn so intensely that we fear standing at it’s heart.

After a Creative Imagination course, where my container was certainly tested, and more of my material has surfaced for reflection, introspection, and I aspire eventually, for change and growth, I spent time in the garden watching the sunset and the skies.

On several successive nights, the skies danced with fire before me, reminding me that there is beauty in fire, beauty in transformation - the process may challenge us, and we can still appreciate how much beauty there is in the fire’s light.

When we are supported and grounded, we allow ourselves to drop into our bodies and feel, letting go of the thoughts in our minds, finding our way to inner peace with breath as an object. It is in those moments of quiet that we have glimpses of our inner potential.

In what ways do you nurture your container and support your fire potentials?

21/06/2022

Summer solstice. International Yoga Day.

The longest day and shortest night. Solstices are times to reflect, and markers of time, through the year, and through life. A time when the warmth of the Sun turns to nourishment, nurturing crops for the autumn, and we humans we grow and expand through the long summer nights.

This butterfly spotted briefly in the garden today represents that sense of taking that moment. If we forget to pause, to breathe, to see, we miss the opportunity to admire the beauty of the moment. (And if anyone can tell me what butterfly this is, I would be grateful!)

My screen has been filled with amazing yogis and yoginis sharing their practice on and I felt moved to share my practice space.

The crutch on the chair is mine. For much of the past decade, more of my practice has been sat in a chair, rather than stretched out on a mat. What matters is not how sprightly we appear in our poses, more how our practice turns us towards awareness and our ability to be fully present in the moment. Stillness comes from within, after practice. The amazing Pema Chodron tells us to start where you are. You don’t have to be flexible, bendy or athletic to do yoga or meditate, all you need is the willingness to learn to still your mind, and to practice.

Try it. Experience it.

21/06/2022

Connection and community.

Real life, in person meetings. The magic, the joy and the relief of finally seeing people IRL again.

I was privileged to have been part of the team bringing the London Alumni Club and broader LBS community together this past weekend, sharing in the richness of this amazing community.

It’s been a while since I’ve out, out…where was everyone on the late night tube? (NB this wasn’t a tube strike night!)

26/05/2022

What is Vikshoka Meditation?

It is the state without pain and sorrow, as experienced by the sages. The techniques have been shared by teachers with students for generations.

Vishoka meditation transformed my practice, supporting healing, deep rest, calm and tranquility. I am delighted to have the opportunity to share this practice with you. I believe that this practice is needed now, in this turbulent and painful time.

We will begin with simple somatic movement to align body and breath, experiencing foundational breathing practices to connect to breath. We will then enjoy a long relaxation before a 30 minute seated practice of breathwork (pranayama) in preparation for the full Vishoka Meditation practice.

Join me online at 8pm BST Sunday 29th May. (Click link in story)

Experience it. Try it.

https://livehive.biz/session/2022-05-29-vishokameditation

21/05/2022

How do you meditate?

21/05/2022

There is something that moves our souls in the betwixt and between moment at sunrise and sunset. That liminal space filled with presence just on the edge of our greater awareness. It is during these moments that I feel my waking day is most connected to the waking/dreaming space we encounter in meditation.

May today be an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our meditation, our practice, and the opportunities we take for the moments.

How is your meditation practice?

Happy world meditation day – may you find ease and flow as you practice.

16/05/2022

“Empathy has become my favourite pose”

The world needs more of this

kindness
is yoga
for the heart

we are called
to bend
ourselves
toward each
others

so we can learn to
be in harmony
with our neighbor

we can’t be in balance
if we don’t stretch our
hearts until they begin
to look like ears

listening is
my new breath work

I inhale your story
~ I exhale my compassion

I inhale your suffering
~ I exhale my gentleness

oh, my love,

empathy has
become
my favorite
pose

~ john roedel

12/05/2022

For me, spring begins when the wildflowers peek through. My smile grows internally with my favourites - the magnolia blooming, the cherry blossoms, and then the scent of the wisteria attracting the bees.

A reminder that after the dormant winter months, nature begins to awaken once more. We need the fallow periods to nurture the seeds that grown and blossom in their time. In our 24/7 world of constant demand and availability, it’s a concept we often lose sight of.

After my dormant period online over the past few months, I’m re-emerging from my pause. It was needed. Physical injury and life, have turned my focus inward, at the same time that the external world has become more challenging with daily news headlines that seem to remind us of all that is not well in the world.

Whilst being connected online and aware of being in the outer world is important, I have also become aware of a need for more reflection, quiet, a return to deeper practice. I needed to retreat, to pause, to take time to heal and rejuvenate. I’ve also chosen to deepen my studies by returning to more study with my teachers.

Practice has become my anchor of stillness in this turbulent world. Sometimes I embrace it with joy, and at other times, I am amazed by my own resistance and skilfulness in distraction. Each time I recommit to practice, I am reminded of the value of being in touch with my quiet space, the jyotishmati (joy), that comes from practising Vishoka Meditation.

What anchors your peace these days?

01/03/2022

Transfixed by the scenes of fear, terror and war unfolding on our screens, as the unbelievable has somehow come to pass, and feeling deeply saddened by the events in Ukraine, I have asked myself what can I do to make a difference?

I have chosen to donate to the British Red Cross, supporting the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and the international Committee of the Red Cross to respond to humanitarian needs – food, water, first aid, medicines, clothers and shelter.

Personally, I have been drawn to the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra (MMM) and have been reciting it of late. It is known as the great mantra at the heart of the Vedas to support healing, for refuge, and maintaining vitality. It is a mantra practiced to heal yourself, the world and this earth. That even during times of trouble, we may recall the skilful gardener nourishing life, offering nourishment and refuge.

The picture of the sunflower, Ukraine’s national flower, reminds me of the blue and the yellow of the Ukrainian flag. We witness what unfolds.

If you would also like to become familiar with the mantra, I list the Himalayan Institute’s version of the mantra below, and have relied on their translation in my summary below. I include a link to a more detailed article with a recording of the mantra on their website if you would like to learn more.

om, tryambakaṁ yajāmahe
sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam
urvā-rukamiva bandhanān
mṛtyor-mukṣīya mā'mṛtāt

The meaning of this four line, 8-syllable mantra (the “om” at the beginning is not counted) translates as (I am referring to the Himalayan Institute translation): meditating and surrendering myself to the Divine Being embodying the power of will, knowledge and action. I pray to the Divine Being who manifests in the form of the fragrance of the flower of life, eternally nourishes the plant life. Like a skilful gardener, may the Lord of Life disentangle me from the binding forces of my physical, psychological, and spiritual foes. May the Lord of Immortality residing within free me from death, decay, and sickness and unite me with immortality.

https://himalayaninstitute.org/wisdom-library/the-maha-mrityunjaya-mantra-heal-yourself-heal-the-world/