I first started exploring meditation techniques through reading up on books by the Dalai Lama and Taoist monks in my early 20’s. My first formal retreat was learning Taoist meditation in Chiang Mai in 2001, which came out of my interest in tai chi chuan. In 2009 I visited the famous Taoist mountain, Wudangshan, in China, regarded as the home of tai chi chuan, where I learned techniques from monks at the Academy of Wudang Taoist Wushu Arts.

In 2006, whilst studying in Oxford, I helped to establish the Meditation society at Wolfson College, where we invited monks and practitioners from various traditions to share their practices with us. During this period I began attending the Oxford Buddha Vihara, learning about Buddhism and meditation techniques from the founder of the centre, Dr Khammai Dhammasami.

Intrigued by the Buddhist teachings and the practical techniques of meditation, I was inspired to learn more, which led me to sit my first 10 day Vipassana silent retreat in Sheringham in 2006. I found the experience deeply profound and decided to commit to studying this technique further. Over the next fifteen years I regularly sat and served on Vipassana retreats in Scotland, England, India and Thailand, including attending meditations with S.N.Goenka at the Global Vipassana Pagoda in Mumbai.

After becoming a teacher of religious studies in 2007, I was interested in learning more about different religious traditions and their practices, and so I travelled through Europe and Asia spending time visiting various places of pilgrimage including Bodh Gaya, The Golden Temple, The Blue Mosque and The Vatican. This led me to share my experiences of these places and religious traditions with the children I taught in schools.

When I first introduced meditation in the classroom the feedback I received from students was striking, where young people regularly shared how much of a relief it was for them to have the space and time to relax and to accept themselves for who they were. They shared that they felt the pressure put on them was too much and I witnessed first hand the stress and anxiety many of them experienced, especially since the pandemic and the increased use of social media. I believe meditation should be introduced more into our schools as a means of supporting our young people. I plan to write more on this in future blogs.

Over the past few years I have been drawn to the Advaita Vedanta teachings of Ramana Maharshi and simplified through the non-dual teachings of Rupert Spira and Eckhart Tolle. Rupert speaks clearly and concisely of the inward and outward facing paths and the pathless path. All paths are practical and useful in understanding our true nature, whilst dealing with the common issues we all face in our everyday lives. I continue to regularly attend Rupert’s webinars and online retreats.

During the pandemic I offered a space online for people to congregate over zoom where we supported each other by ‘just sitting’ together. The feedback I received was very positive and my plan is to offer more spaces for people to meet and meditate together.

If you are interested in arranging one to one or group meditation sessions in person or over zoom please get in touch.