July Workshop

Enter your text here...

How Did The Workshop Go?

On Monday 29th July a friend asked me on WhatsApp how did the workshop go.

The July Workshop was on 28th, the previous day. I just started writing as if I was telling her face to face. She has been to a Workshop so she knows a bit about how they work.  I plan to edit it and add a bit more, to write it up as a blog for my website. (Ha ha. That's just happening.)

This is what I wrote - 

The Mindfulness-Joy Silk-Painting Workshop on Sunday 28th July.

In Process - needs editing .....

How did the Workshop go?

It was amazing! Such a powerful sense of love and oneness. I wish you’d both been able to be there...
I’m going to write a bit about it as a blog for my website so I’ll start by telling you while it’s so fresh in my mind and heart.

The Angel

My son comes to work with me each month for these workshops, driving from the Midlands to help me prepare and get everything set up, as well as sharing in facilitating the workshop itself. He phoned to say that he had been held up by 'circumstances outside of his control.' He now would arrive shortly after the start.

My son knows how much there is to be done in setting things up for the workshop and he was devastated. He felt he was letting me down. I reminded him that the whole point of the workshop is to reduce stress, so he should just smile and offer gratitude to God that he had been able to deal with the unexpected problems and was able to come for the workshop itself. I urged him not to feel bad about it but be glad that he had been able to resolve the situation.

I find that playing a 'Gratitude-Attitude' game, whatever the difficulties we face, is one of the best strategies for staying cheerful and calm. My son and I call this 'Cheerfulness-Challenges.' If you can stay cheerful and collect 'Gratitude-Flowers' then you win the game. Of course the circumstances can be too difficult and you may not be able to stay cheerful, but just trying to stay cheerful builds courage-muscles, tenacity-muscles and self-compassion muscles which will stand us in good stead when it comes to dealing with difficult situations in the future, and if you can't stay cheerful then it's a good opportunity to practise self-compassion.

The God Question
If you believe in God / Allah / The Universe then you can also pray, and have a quiet conversation with 'Him/ Her / It' and ask for help even in the thick of 'battle'. I often feel as if 'God is walking beside me' and 'holding my hand' when I'm faced by a dangerous or frightening situation or any unexpected difficulties and remember to 'turn to Him' for help.

(I taught Religious Education for many years and find Sri Ramakrishna's explanation of how all religions are true, very helpful. He approached 'God' first as a Hindu, then as a Muslim and then as a Christian, and discovered experientially that they are all genuine 'paths to God.' He said that when we love God, it is the power of our faith and devotion which brings 'Him' to us in whatever form we love most.)

As I was on.the way to the venue, nearly at the Hall, someone phoned. I took the call on my Hands Free device and it found it was Gabi, someone I have never met or heard from before. Gabi works for the Church where we hold the workshops and she wanted to assure me that as the Site Manager is on holiday, she had come over to make sure I had everything that I needed.

When I arrived and she found I would be setting up on my own, she stayed for about an hour, helping in every way possible. She helped spread out the tarpaulins which protect the floor, helped roll out the carpets which cover the tarpaulins, fetched the tables we need from the main part of the Church and set them up. She stowed away the big bags of cushions we use for the 'rest and relaxation' interlude when our cellist, ANgel Tarpov, plays his beautiful music. She helped unpack the mugs and set up the Tea Urn for the Refreshment Table. She brought in chairs and placed them where they were needed.... It was beyond anything I could have dreamed up. Gabi was invaluable. It was no less than a miracle. In my view she really was 'A God-Send' - serving as God's Angel (her name is Gabriella, the name of an angel)  in response to my unspoken prayer. As a result I had everything set up and ready when the first people arrived.

The Unexpected Guest
12 people came to the Workshop and they were all refugees from Ukraine. I prefer to have a balance with at least a few people from other demographics. But then ‘The Universe’ responded to another  ‘unspoken prayer.’ We were just settling in to the Welcome and Introduction session when an elderly man just appeared outside the door, in the garden.
I thought he must be the man who I spoke to in a Health Food Shop a few days ago, when I was distributing fliers. That was a similar-aged slim gentleman who said he was very stressed. The workshop sounded as if it was exactly what he needed. He said he would try to come.
When I saw this man in the garden looking in, I thought it was the man I had spoken to earlier and welcomed him in to join us. When he hesitated, I said at least come in and have a cup of tea. So he did. He said he lives in the road - about 100 yards away. He was just passing by and wondered what was going on.
This unexpected guest was very quiet, just sitting with us at the table and enjoying his cup of tea. By this time my son had arrived. He talked to him a bit. The man was apologising for being a bit deaf. One Ukrainian family who have come to my workshops before, had bought a lovely assortment of biscuits and had even made a delicious cake. My son asked the man if he’d like some cake and he smiled broadly and said he had just had some. He was so happy, enjoying the companionable atmosphere.
He stayed until we went out for the Forest Bathing. My son was encouraging him to stay for the Silk-Painting but he said he needed to get home. His wife would be wondering where he was.

I had the impression that his wife might be suffering from dementia and he had possibly come out for a walk to have a break from the difficulties of caring for her. Who knows. We all have our own difficult situations in life. There are so many lonely people or people with health problems or stressful situations at home or at work.

I guess God / Allah / The Universe sees all these things. We are all part of each other. On this occasion I guess we were blessed us with this gentleman’s kindly and gentle presence and the gentleman was blessed with the peaceful atmosphere, our company and warm welcome. I felt a strong sense of peace and oneness, of belonging. I was thinking ‘this is what our world can be like. It’s up to us. Each one of us has the power to ‘make a difference!’

Peace and How to Respond to Conflict

Years ago when the war started with America and UK against Saddam Hussain, my spiritual Teacher (Sri Chinmoy) sent a message to all the Meditation Centres. He said that we can’t stop the war but can we work on stopping waging war with each other?

The world is a reflection of our energy, our consciousness. We can’t change anyone else directly but we are all part of each other. If we change our attitude and make our actions more kindly and patient, more loving and forgiving, then the whole world becomes happier and more peaceful. We get countless opportunities to work on this and to improve our spiritual capacity each day.

Another incident which touched me deeply was when, after a public Talk, someone  asked my spiritual Teacher, ‘Why does a mother hit her child? Is she a bad mother?
My Teacher leaned back in his chair and smiled. I was offended. I was thinking, ‘why are you smiling? That’s a serious question.' Then very gently my Teacher said, ‘No, No. She’s not a bad mother. She just ran out of Peace!’

If we want to see a more peaceful world, we have to begin with our own lives. 

I was thinking about all these things and how urgently and desperately the world needs us all to increase our inner peace.
I was so happy that this elderly gentleman had graced our workshop with his presence because it brought a fresh energy and dynamic to our little family’ and it increased his happiness too.
Everyone contributes so much to these workshops - and to making the world a bit happier - just by spending a little time together in an atmosphere of love and oneness.

Silk-Scarf Painting
The Silk-Scarves created in this workshop were lovely too. One family, mother daughter and granddaughter, has been to several workshops and we have a deeper friendship as a result. They came quite late in the ‘Mindfulness’ stage but, being familiar with the events settled into  it seamlessly. When it came to the silk-painting they are confident enough to experiment and the mother folded her scarf lengthwise, painting just one side. Because we use liquid dyes, the colours went through the silk and created a beautiful symmetrical pattern.

Trauma of War
Two girls now staying in Croydon, who had never been to one of these workshops before, were first to arrive, They had seen the workshop information shared by someone on Facebook. They said their friend would be coming later. She’s from Esher - so they had all travelled quite a long way. One thing several of the Ukrainians have said is how much they value the opportunity to meet up with and spend creative time with other Ukrainians. Their host families tend to be scattered quite widely. The girl from Esher had not arrived when we introduced ourselves to each other. Her friends had shared with us that they came from Kiev, so when we were enjoying the Vegetarian Feast and I was sitting beside the girl from Esher. I asked if she was also from Kiev. She said she had travelled from Kiev to the UK but she was not actually from Kiev. She was from Bucha. She moved to Kiev after the Russian Occupation. Her eyes reflected something of the horror she had seen. For a moment we were not sitting in the Workshop Room but it felt more as if we were standing on a bleak hillside, looking into an abyss.

I was thinking that we can have absolutely no idea of what any refugees may have experienced - and what nightmares they continue to endure as the war grinds on and more people die each day... 
Wikki reports the Bucha Massacre in some detail. The following is just one paragraph. 

On 16 May 2022, BBC News reported that more than 1,000 civilians were killed in the Bucha region during the month under Russian occupation; most did not die from shrapnel or shelling. More than 650 were shot dead by Russian soldiers.[94] As of 13 June 2022, Ukrainian authorities said that 1,316 bodies had been uncovered in Kyiv Oblast, including Bucha, since the Russian withdrawal.[95] The same day, seven more victims were also recovered from a forest grave. Two of them had their hands tied behind the back and had gunshot wounds to the knees, which local police said indicated torture.[95] The human rights agency also verified that between 24 February and 31 March at least 482 residential buildings had been damaged or destroyed in the towns of Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel.[96]

The Young Artist

A young man who I met at a Ukrainian event in a local borough recently, came to the June workshop last month and enjoyed it. Last month he spent the whole of the first part (Mindfulness and Sources of Strength) with his arms on the table and his head down, resting on them, his eyes closed. Then when we went outside for Forest Bathing, he sat on a bench in the sunshine, not looking for something ‘interesting or beautiful - something that catches your eye’ (my instructions) to draw or study.

It transpired that he’s an artist and he was taking part in the activity in his own way. He drew a lily. He had selected a few coloured pens when we we’re drawing our little flowers to put on the shrine (beside ‘something that lifts your spirits or gives you a sense of connection with God / Allah / The Universe) and he had been sitting on the bench drawing a beautiful lily from memory.

In the ‘Gallery’ when we we’re sharing, he simply said that he has always loved lilies.

(For this exercise, I give each person a piece of drawing paper and a soft 4b pencil. I invite them to draw or study what they are looking at because Observational Drawing is a great Mindfulness practice. It brings you strongly into the present moment and your mind is focussed, looking keenly at the subject and noticing far more than you would normally see.)

Sometimes people write about what they chose to look at, what thoughts it brings to mind and how it makes them feel. Once or twice they have written a poem. Some people just look at something, without any drawing or writing anything. Later, in The Gallery, when we show each other our drawings, they just share their experience and feelings and why they chose that subject.

Some people don't want to go outside. They may walk about inside and ask if they can help as we prepare the room for silk-painting. They may sit outside and draw nothing. Then in the Gallery they may say nothing. That’s perfectly fine too.

We have a refugee from Syria who has come to several of our Workshops. He is  one such person. I can’t even begin to imagine how he has suffered. He’s a classical violinist, a beautiful soul, gracious and genteel, generous and considerate. But he hardly ever speaks. So many people suffer indescribable horrors in war….

The workshops are designed to reduce stress and there are no demands or expectations - just an invitation. I feel utterly humbled and honoured to be able to be of service to such souls when they come to my workshops.

The Gallery part of the workshop is the most social, when we share our Forest Bathing drawings and experiences and begin to connect with each other in a stronger way. Positive Social Contact is one of the most important strategies when it comes to reducing stress.

Last month, after the Silk-Painting, when ANgel was playing the cello, the young Ukrainian artist went outside and lay on a bench in the garden. My heart melted for him. God alone knows what horror’s he’s been through during these days of war and what worries are on his mind.

Last month when we did the silk-painting the Ukrainian Artist asked for two of the mats that we work on. He spread the silk on them like a canvas and painted with bold energetic colours. His scarf was one of the ‘stars’ last month.

I normally suggest people use just three or four colours but at our workshop yesterday he lined up many of the silk-paint bottles. My Assistant was about to ‘correct’ him but I said, ‘it’s ok. He’s an artist.’ I videoed what he did - and was alarmed when, having covered the silk with fabulous rainbow colours he then held it up and twisted it - before coiling it into the dish for steaming! I thought the colours would squish together and lose their vibrancy!
But the result was spectacular.

I could write so much more about every stage of the workshop but it’s Monday and while my son helped me to bring all the food in from the car and organise it into fridge and freezer, before setting out to drive back to the Midlands where he works as a Carer, there are still two car-loads of materials to bring back from the Hall. In addition Julia (another Ukrainian who I met here at the workshops) has invited me to the rehearsal this afternoon of a big concert at St Pauls Cathedral, So I can’t spend too long on this.

As I was finishing writing this, someone who was at the workshop back in 2022 I think, sent me an invitation. She is singing in a Ukrainian Choir and they had a big Concert coming up that evening in St Paul's Cathedral. The Dress Rehearsal was at 4pm. She would like to invite me to come as one of the two 'Friends and Family' each choir-member was permitted to invite. What an honour! I was thrilled and immediately had to drop everything I was doing and get ready for that!

One of the girls from Croydon sent me some lovely photos from the Workshop,d also on WhatsApp. I thanked her and asked if she had any comments or thoughts she would like to share about the Workshop. She did. 

A Testimonial
At the Mindfulness-Joy Workshop, I personally felt peace, calm, and happiness. I did not expect that coming to this workshop, where I thought we would be painting silk scarves, would turn into something much greater and more healing. I believe it was an incredibly bright and unusual experience for me, my friends, and the other attendees. It felt as if I was transported to a beautiful place of faith and tranquility for a day. Durga Mata put her entire soul, a large part of herself, and a lot of love into this workshop. No one has ever done something like this for us before. I felt like a part of something big and meaningful.

Gratitude

As you know, these workshops are very important to me. They are designed to reduce the stress which is causing so much ill-health and unhappiness in families, in society and the wider world I feel that we are all part of each other. Whatever we do affects the people around us - rippling out to shape the world we all live in.

There are so many serious challenges facing us - War and Climate Change are just two of the examples which concern me. How about you?

We don't have the capacity to stop these things directly, but we can do something to make our world just a tiny bit happier, wiser and more peaceful. 

In my case I offer these workshops - but if nobody came, I would be helpless. You are the most important part of the workshops!

I want to thank each and every one of you for coming and making it such an enjoyable occasion. I hope you will be able to come again in the future. Do share the link below, for the June Workshop with your friends and family and on your Social Media. 

I am also sending this email to the people who registered to come but were not able to join us on the day. Thank you for letting me know and I hope you can come to a future workshop soon. 

Why Free Workshops?

I offer the workshops free because 'love' is not something abstract. It is seen and felt in our actions. It important to me to be of service, especially to refugees who have already gone through so much!

The significance of the silk scarves.

Now on a lighter note, remember that the scarf you have made is not just a lovely piece of 'Wearable Art.' it acts as an anchor for the learning. Whenever you feel stressed, you may like to hold this scarf close to your heart. It will remind you of the day and the happiness you experienced in the workshop. You can allow it to remind you of the importance 'living mindfully' and all the strategies we put into practise.

Here is a reminder - 

1) You are not alone. You are never alone. And you are never helpless. Friends and family are great, but there is support even when we are physically isolated. We are all part of each other, part of the Universe and we can call on that connection with Spirit or God at any time. The more we pray and meditate, the better this inner connection will become and the more we will feel that inner Peace, cosmic Love, Joy and Assistance.

Reflect on the fact that when we are stressed it can seem our problems are just too much. Remember that we are never alone.

Think of where you can turn for practical help or support. We human beings are a 'Tribal Species' designed to be part of a wider community. If you feel isolated and there is not enough help from your immediate friends and family, find out how your local community can help. And never forget that we are not just body and mind - we are spirit or soul.  Belonging to a religious community can be very helpful but we can practise disciplines such as prayer and meditation wherever we are. 

There are practical things you can do to reduce and stay on top of stress. In our workshops we use several excellent strategies. 

2) Mindfulness is an important strategy to explore more deeply and put into practice. 

3) Forest Bathing - Remember that spending time in Nature is proven to be the most effective way of reducing stress and being around trees is especially effective. Make time for it. Take your family members and friends to the park or for a walk in nature. 

Practise 4) Observational Drawing to bring your attention to the present moment. It also helps you to see more beauty in the world and feel a stronger sense of gratitude. (Spiritual Teachers have said that the more we can appreciate the blessings we have been given, the more we become open to receiving even more blessings. 5) Gratitude 'opens and strengthens our spiritual heart.'

6) Exercise is important - especially brisk exercise which raises heart-rate. Dance is especially good because it tends to make us laugh. 

Listen to / play 7) Music which lifts your spirits and aids relaxation. Singing is also very therapeutic. 
8) Eat healthy food - vegetarian diet is recommended. Minimise added sugar. Maximise fresh fruit and vegetables, especially salad and greens. Explore beans and humus, nuts and seeds for protein.

9) Chant mantras and sing. The longer exhale reduces stress as well as the words of the songs and spiritual power, energy or consciousness of the mantras.

All these strategies work. Now it's up to you to turn some of these into habits and make them part of your day.

10) Spiritual Support - Light, Oneness and Gratitude

Practise mindfulness and Visualisation - we didn't have time for a visualisation practice at the workshop this Sunday but we usually do, with a focus on light, oneness and gratitude. These are three very powerful concepts which reduce stress. 

If we are consciously practising any religion we will have our own daily disciplined and meet together to worship in a regular way. Each of the great religions offers their community spiritual Light and guidance. But you don't need to be practising a religion to 'grow spiritually stronger.'

Strengthen the Light

Take a moment to reflect on how we, as individuals can strengthen our inner light? I think this is the best way to change the world for the better because it doesn't only  dissolve away our stress, but also ripples out in a natural way, making the world that little bit happier and more peaceful. We can't stop the wars which are raging in the world, but with Mindfulness we can learn to respond to the people around us in a more peaceful way. 'Together we can 'make a difference.'