Return to Stillness
“You let your breath move the agitation, settle it like sand sedimenting in a glass of water. Come and sit beside the part of you who is still, confident, unclouded and without as much fear.”
Return to Stillness is a monthly subscription to a live group meditation held twice a month, where I hold the container, and we meditate together! Whatever is gnawing at us commonly that morning becomes the theme: anything which feels stressed, blocked, unmanageable, draining, numb (you can use your own words for the bothersome things)
We explore it together, sit with it in guided meditation, and share what surfaced.
The (no)Self will always peek through.
The practice of returning to the breath is central to human evolution. The Buddha taught it as a complete path in itself, and breath is common to any system/teacher supporting mental health. If you’re here you already know the benefits of meditating, so let’s skip all that. You’ll learn when you feel it.
Sign up now or read on to make up your mind –
Structure (total 75-90 minutes):
5 min: Setting the intention. We open by checking in. We sit together and I intuit the theme that I feel all of us are holding together.
25 min: Theme exploration. I discuss my thoughts/experiences/present wisdom about the theme, and choose a few people to speak about it and bring their energy into it.
25 min: Guided meditation. I guide everyone in using the breath to create a gap between the Self and the emotions, so they become workable rather than taking over you.
15 min: Debrief. Reflect, share insights, discuss what was hard. Notes on practicing by yourself if you wish to.
Note: You are allowed to say No to sharing at any point. I will message you privately first, and I will not be saying your name out loud until you say Yes.
Why the theme is chosen on the morning
Reality is dynamic, always shifting form and wearing new clothes. Miracles happen inside us on a daily basis. I am wary of the idea of “coincidences”, especially when we don’t join them with our consciousness to see what they have brought to teach us. Each day is a new version of all of us, let’s check with that one every time?
Why sit in a group
Motivational. A room of people doing a hard thing together makes it easier to stay when our minds want us to run.
Energetic. Systems that vibrate near each other move into rhythm with each other. A room of nervous systems settling together adds up through constructive interference.
Psychological. Speaking about a theme aloud and seeing theirs reminds us that we’re not alone, we’re going through the same shit in parallel. Clarity loves being in places where there’s no judgement, lots of compassion, and friendship in figuring out how to get out of the bad trip.
Neuroscientific. Co-regulation is measurable. Breathing and heart rhythms synchronise in groups, and the social engagement system calms the threat response. A group sit gives the body a felt experience of safety that may be hard to generate by yourself.
What you’ll practise
Seeing reality as it is without believing your mind’s story about what’s going on.
Letting the present experience move through you, and dropping what is gone.
Working with stressful/overwhelming emotions by enveloping them with love.
Gentleness and surrender as skills that can be practiced and activated.
Self-mastery: stepping out of your loops, taking charge of your internal experience as an inner adult.
Playfulness. Stillness is very light and spacious. No matter how insane it is, it’s ultimately a little funny and we can laugh together, and we keep remembering that the insanity is a movie I AM MUCH BIGGER THAN.
Who’s this for?
Seekers, wonderers, Buddhas in the making, little branches of the universe developing real self-consciousness trying not to suffer from it.
Anyone who knows that suffering is wisdom in disguise.
Folks already in therapy or on healing journeys who want to build integrative practices.
Folks new to meditation who want to do it with others to be accountable with their attention.
Anyone who’s sick of their mind running the show.
Pricing
Pilot price = ₹3333 | $60 | €60 | £60 | 20 KWD | 240 AED.
Two sits every other Sunday, recordings if you miss one, and a WhatsApp group for community.
After the pilot, the subscription price increases. Everyone who joins during the pilot keeps the pilot price for as long as they stay.
Cancel any time, but no refunds for the month.
FAQ
I’ve never meditated. Is this for me? Yes. Every session is guided, and you’ll have someone giving gentle nudges back to the breath. Even in silence.
What if I miss a sit? Recordings of the session are uploading to a private folder that is only accessible by other members of the circle.
Is this therapy? Nope, but it is very supportive of therapy. It is a place to come back to yourself. It is as therapeutic as that action is.
Is this religious? The practice draws on Buddhist teaching for what it knows about the breath and the mind, the same way it draws on psychology and neuroscience. My only idea of theism is that I’m the universe having a Partha experience.
Do I have to share in the debrief? Nope! You can stay as anonymous as you like.
What platform and time? Zoom. The time is set with the first batch. Link sent to the circle before each meditation.
Do you offer packages? No, I’m a huge fan of flexibility. Just pay for every month that you wish to attend.