Journey #87 – Ireland
Barefoot yoga in Dublin
After finishing the sessions in Iceland, I went to Republic of Ireland to teach meditation in several places. We began public sessions with a session in Barefoot yoga in Dublin. This is the place I came last year as well but this year the room is full with 30 participants joining the session. People had good meditation experience and they felt their body was light during the moment of having no thought. Some said that the body felt like moving or spinning during the meditation. Many said that they wanted to begin their meditation practice regularly to clean the mind and reduce stress from their daily life.
Bikram Yoga
In Dublin, I was invited to Bikram Yoga teach mindfulness and meditation to 33 Irish participants joining the session. The group was interested and they could feel inner peace and contentment during the meditation session. Many reported that they were feeling relaxed during meditation. Some reported they felt like “falling” and “flying”. Some had the feeling of body dissolving and mind being one-pointed without thoughts. Their questions afterward were related to the meditation practices, how to improve their meditation and how to meditate in the daily life such as: What is the best time of the day to meditate? I get sleepy during meditation how do I deal with that? How long should we meditate per day? What is the best position for meditation? Is focusing on the breath the best technique to still the mind?
Dublin Jesuit Mission
At the Dublin Jesuit Mission, I went to teach mindfulness and meditation for the second time. Everyone seemed to be interested and immersed in the workshop. The meditation went well without distractions and almost everyone reported in the end that they could relax and calm their mind and even wanted to meditate longer. Two participants felt like they are falling, one said she was spinning during the moment of stillness. In Galway, which is a harbour city on Ireland’s west coast, sits where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean, we had a mindfulness and meditation session in Galway Wellness Studio. The participants felt relaxed and peaceful and that when there were no thoughts they could feel freedom, softness, and light even the pulling sensation from within the body.
Clonakilty
In a town Clonakilty in County Cork, Ireland located at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay, I was invited to teach mindfulness and meditation as a part of their wellness week. There were 41 participants from the local community, mental health professionals and certificate students. I got good responses from the audience with a high level of involvement from the definition of the mind and what mental wellbeing is all about. As a result, a few participants from this workshop decided to join later events in Cork. Everyone raised their hand when I asked them who felt relaxed. About 6 people felt content and 2-3 reported sensations like their body being light or dissolving, flying or spinning. A lady felt that she was so happy and forgot that she was surrounded by people. In the end people all agree about the importance of mental wellbeing especially from stressful lifestyles that have become a part of their life.
Saint Peter
In Saint Peter, which is an old church dating back to 12th century converted into a museum in Cork Ireland, an exhibition about Irish Revolution is on display. But today I went to facilitate a new kind of revolution, a Peace Revolution where Irish people came together to revolutionise their quest for happiness and contentment from outward to inward. Although there was a bit trouble of the sound setup, most of the participants enjoyed the meditation session. Many said that they could feel relaxed and many did not want to open their eyes when the meditation had finally come to an end. The atmosphere of the environment was rather positive which leave the same impression on people’s face when the session had finished. Perhaps the real revolution has truly begun when mental wellbeing has been prioritised and everyone from all walks of life has finally gained the freedom of the mind.
