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“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

Maya Angelou 

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Reflections from our Co-Founder

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The practice of yoga breathing and regular meditation practice has saved my life and helped me to overcome and face all the difficulties and hardships of this past year. This practice has given me the strength to fully turn my negative emotions into positive energy. 

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As a Burmese student, already stranded in the UK due to Covid-19, Myanmar’s military coup has put an indefinite hold on my chance of returning home.  After completing my Master’s Degree in Human Rights last year at the University of Essex, I had been waiting for a seat on one of the few repatriation flights arranged by the Myanmar embassy.  In the early morning of February 1st, all hopes of returning home were lost when military leaders overthrew the democratically elected government. 

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I used to practise meditation before I came to the UK.  However, the combination of covid and the military coup elevated my mental instability and anxiety. Being away from home and worried about my family members worsened my situation.  Seeing and reading the news of the atrocities, brutal killing, and torture committed by the military intensified my anger and I could not focus on any work or take care of myself.

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Most days and weeks were too grey for me to see the positivity and light of the world. I was too negative. I felt so guilty that I was safe living in the UK, while my fellow country and family members suffered from Covid and the brutality of the Military regime. I blamed myself and felt guilty everyday. During these days I felt so dark. The fear of uncertainty, and other feelings of hatred, grief and anger towards the situation happening to my family and in my country undermined my meditation practice for a while.

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Then, one part of me was reminded to stand up and resume the meditation practice.  I started to join several online meditation workshops including yoga and  breathing exercises and meditation which surprisingly energised me again.  Yoga helped me to concentrate on the alignment of the body, sensations, and emotions.  Samadi meditation supported me to realise how thoughts and emotions work together. Loving awareness made me notice my feelings and thoughts and circumstances.  During the meditation process, I can witness the river of thoughts and emotions that will flow naturally. Whenever I practise walking meditation in the park, I can connect with nature easily. The spaciousness of the vast sky became like my mind.  This practice helped me reduce my feelings of  anger, hatred and grief. I realised that if I cannot cultivate loving awareness towards those intense feelings, my mind will be full of wounds. These need to be healed.  I realised that if my body and mind is full of negative feelings, how can I have space to connect with the solutions to solve the problem? The increased stability of mind moved my attention away from negativity and anger to see the situation better. 

It is crucial to cultivate the light within which cannot be destroyed by the external factors. It is natural to experience the ups and downs in life. If our inner resilience is not built, it is difficult to appreciate and embrace the curve balls and tricks of the ever-changing world. Meditation has been helping to lessen my self-hatred and disturbed thoughts rooted in my head and mind. I have studied different kinds of meditation practices including loving awareness, compassion meditation and forgiveness. Loving awareness and compassion meditation are very powerful, strengthening self-love and love to other human beings.   

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When we acknowledge the openness of the atmosphere, vast sky, and the whole entity around us and within us, the door of freedom opens. Worries and conflicts fall into perspective, emotions are accepted calmly , and we face the troubles of the word with peace and dignity. 

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Breath, Relax, live in a moment.