EICSP - MESP 2017 Main Events, 4-26 March 2017

Event: Day Workshop: Health, Wellbeing, and Healing through Spiritual Dance and Movement.

Facilitators: Merav Israel and Gillian Allan (Feldenkrais Method - Introduction Workshop); Karen Reynolds (An Introduction to the Nia Technique); Susan Scarth (Deepening our sense of self - knowing 'me'); and Linda Wyman (An Introduction to the Alexander Technique).
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Saturday 4 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Day Workshop: 10am-5pm.
Event Description: Join us for a joyful day of sharing spiritual dance and movement for health, wellbeing, healing and peace. We will all be together throughout the day, building community and celebrating diversity through spiritual dance and movement.

9.30am-10am: Arrival and Registration.

10am-11.20am: Linda Wyman: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique.

A simple and effective way of regaining natural balance and ease of movement improving physical and mental wellbeing. It is a learning process which teaches you how to best use your body helping you to increased energy and more efficiency in all you do.

Linda Wyman trained at Fellside Alexander School in Cumbria for three years and did her post graduate term at the Institute for the Research and Development of the Alexander Technique in New York in 1991. She currently teaches in Edinburgh and East Lothian. www.lindawyman.co.uk

11.20am-11.40am: Tea/Coffee Break

11.40am-1pm: Merav Israel and Gillian Allan: Feldenkrais Method - Introduction Workshop.

The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais – scientist, physicist, engineer and martial artist, who synthesized insights from physics, motor development, bio-mechanics, psychology, neurology and martial arts.

The method offers a process of learning through movement, sensing, thinking and imagining to free us from habitual patterns and allow new possibilities to emerge. Through this work we can improve mobility and increase energy and enjoyment in our activities.

The method has two strands: Group lessons called Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration which are one-to-one lessons. The lessons consist of verbally directed movement sequences, which are comfortable and easy and which gradually evolve into movements of greater range and complexity. Through the learning process you will be able to find new ways of moving while increasing sensitivity and improving efficiency.

This workshop will offer an introduction to the method and a practical experience of Awareness Through Movement. The focus will be on learning through curiosity and friendliness towards ourselves as we explore the elements of moving, thinking, sensing, imagining in the process of discovering easier movement.

Please bring enough layers of warm clothes and a blanket/mat to lie on.

Merav has been studying movement and somatics for 20 years and integrating her experience and understanding in her work as dancer, dance maker and teacher.

The Feldenkrais Method has been part of her life from growing up as a professional in Israel and later on she qualified as a practitioner. With her experience she has developed ability to approach each person according to their needs and facilitate learning, growth and improvement for variety of groups and individuals. Her interest lies in perception and understanding of movement, and in helping others perceive and experience themselves in order to bring new possibilities and reach their fuller potential.

www.tomovefeldenkrais.lanua.org

Gillian discovered the Feldenkrais Method after suffering for nearly a decade with chronic back pain which restricted her movement. After beginning to experiment with Awareness Through Movement lessons she was surprised to find how much more easily and painlessly she could move through life.

Her focus in both group and individual lessons is to facilitate the process of learning how to let go of unnecessary tension in a way which promotes curiosity, creativity and self-confidence.

www.effortlessmovement.co.uk

1pm-2pm: Lunch Break

2pm-3.20pm: Karen Small: An Introduction to the Nia Technique.

The Nia Technique is a dance-fitness class that empowers people of all shapes and sizes to step into a joyful relationship with their bodies and movement. Nia combines martial arts, healing arts, and dance arts to create a high-powered, synergistic workout that no isolated exercise technique can match. Part choreographed and part free-form, Nia delivers a solid aerobic workout, with each experience adaptable to individual needs and abilities. Classes are generally done barefoot to soul-stirring music that motivates every part of you to move. Step into your own joyful journey with Nia, and positively shape the way you feel, look, think and live. No experience necessary.

Based in Fife, Karen Small is a Certified Nia Black Belt Teacher - passionate about sharing and teaching Nia since 2009. Open hearted and warm, Karen offers a relaxed space in which to be yourself - and to connect with others - while guiding you through a fun and pleasurable class experience. Karen co-founded Nia Scotland and for the past six years has supported new teachers on their Nia journey by producing international trainings and events in Scotland. For more information see Island Moves

3.20pm-3.40pm: Tea/Coffee Break

3.40pm-5pm: Susan Scarth: Deepening our sense of self - knowing 'me'.

It is through exploring ourselves in relationship to other that we strengthen our identity. This workshop will offer an opportunity to work alone and in pairs and threes to discover what being 'me' really means.

Informed by the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System and somatic practice, Susan will engage the group in a creative exploration of identity. There will be dance, creative movement, reflective movement and verbal sharing, so come dressed to move stitch ease.

Susan Scarth MCAT RDMP CMA - has practiced as a dance movement therapist since 1990 in a variety of environments and with many different populations. Susan maintains an interest in mental health and well being, and more recently has focused on the subject of the 'embodied practitioner'. This focus concerns enabling health and social care practitioners to reduce 'burn out' by getting to know their own embodied preferences, while deepening their understanding of the power of non-verbal communication and the importance of observing the expressive body. Increasingly, Susan is awed by the 'magic' of intersubjectivity as she continues her therapy work with individuals surviving the effects of abuse and related PTSD.

Cost: £30/£25 (Concessions)/£10 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Afternoon Workshop: Celebrating Your Story:
a story-sharing event with Michael Williams and the Edinburgh Playback Theatre Company.

Facilitators: Dr Michael Williams and Edinburgh Playback Theatre Company.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 5 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 3pm-3.30pm. Afternoon Workshop: 3.30pm-6pm.
Event Description: Everyone is a storyteller; everyone has a story to share. Yet not everyone has the opportunity to tell their story and be heard. If you have a story that needs to be heard, then join us in this special story-sharing event. Using a variety of methods designed to transform your personal experience and shape it into a story, I and members of the Playback Edinburgh Theatre Company will help lift the burden of silence from your shoulders. In the company of others, we will support, honour, and celebrate your personal tale. Together we will experience the joy of sharing stories together, an activity known to build community and improve our health and well-being.

No previous experience of storytelling is necessary. Simply bring an open mind, heart, and ears and be prepared to share stories “eye to eye, mind to mind, and heart to heart.”

Michael Williams is a professional StoryCoach and storyteller with more than 30 years of experience working with children, young people, and adults. He has performed and worked throughout Scotland and the UK, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East where he worked with groups of Jews and Arabs using storytelling as a way of encouraging dialogue and mutual understanding. Michael is an accredited Child Care Worker, teacher, peace education facilitator, and StoryCoach. In his practice, he uses narrative therapeutically and as a transformative means for exploring leadership, artistic performance, professional and personal development. He co-facilitated the Aberdeen Leadership Forum and is the host of the popular radio programme “The Teller and the Tale” on Blues and Roots Radio. Learn more about Michael’s work at www.michaelwilliamsstorycoaching.com.

Playback Edinburgh Theatre Company offers an innovative form of theatre that plays back the stories of any community and the roles of the individuals within it. The purpose of this form of theatre is to engage the individuals who make up the audience in a process that empowers and validates their experience as vital participants in society, their local community and their social group. Our aim is to honour each person’s experience with careful listening, then, using dramatic forms that involve music, voice and body, to capture an essence that is the playback performance. As the audience warms up, stories are shared and touch the hearts of others who are then moved to tell their experience.

Playback Edinburgh Company members are professionals, variously trained in music, drama, narrative storytelling, arts psychotherapies, social work, dance and movement. The company was formed in 2009. Learn more at http://playbackedinburgh.weebly.com/

Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions)/£3 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Evening Workshop: Wisdom of the Wild: Sufi Stories and Inner Nature.

Facilitator: Neil Douglas-Klotz.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 5 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Evening Workshop: 7pm-9pm.
Event Description: Sufi stories are sometimes presented as a form of entertainment or cultural re-enactment in the West. Yet they traditionally function as a form of group healing or psychology. In a spiritual community, they mix with various meditations or practices as a response to the immediate moment. The story leads us to the doorway of an experience that only we can have, rather than a moral or a fixed ‘meaning.’ Many Sufi stories use images from the animal world and nature. In these, we can discover an inner landscape that is both richer and less civilized than the safety of fixed ideas and rules. This evening will explore the theme with examples--stories, short meditation, simple spiritual practice—aimed to help us ‘unlearn.’

Neil Douglas-Klotz is the author of The Sufi Book of Life and other books on native Middle Eastern spirituality, including Desert Wisdom and Prayers of the Cosmos. He has travelled in the Sufi path for the past 40 years (see: www.abwoon.org).

Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions)/£3 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: An Evening with Alastair McIntosh.

Title: The Spiritual Journey in Poacher’s Pilgrimage.

Chair: Dr Jim Griffin.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Thursday 9 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Talk: 7pm-9pm.
Event Description: Alastair McIntosh’s recent book, Poacher’s Pilgrimage: an Island Journey, is on the face of it a travelogue. But a pilgrimage is a journey with intent to open to the inner life. The walk that he made across the isles of Lewis and Harris back in 2009 was a basis to explore pressing issues of our times: amongst them, war, poverty, nonviolence, feudal power in land ownership and climate change. But deeper than any of these, his pilgrimage opened out an ecology of the imagination. It became an exploration of space, time, consciousness and the basis of our profound interconnection, through love and community, both with nature and with one another. This offers an alternative to worn out versions of religious expression from the past. In particular - as befits a physical walk through Celtic spiritual history replete with beehive cells, holy wells and the ancient “temple” sites – Alastair explores Christian mystical insights for the future, but always with a deep appreciation of the gifts of other faiths that are rooted in love.

Cost: £6/£4 (Concessions)/£2 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Day Workshop: The Fuller Life. NB: This event will not now take place.

Facilitator: Michael Wilson.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Saturday 11 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Day Workshop: 10am-4pm.
Event Description: This practical workshop considers what it means to live a “fuller life”. Drawing upon insights from psychotherapy, neuroscience, transpersonal psychology, philosophy and other disciplines, this workshop offers a series of explorations to increase awareness of “intelligences” other than thinking, to awaken largely unlived potentials. These include, emotional intelligence (EQ), physical or body intelligence (PQ or BQ), spiritual intelligence (SQ), and so on. Reflecting on this inter-related whole, the workshop also considers the consequences of neglecting these, ways to cultivate them, and draws upon studies which suggest that the integration of these intelligences can give rise to moments of “awakening”. The ideas presented in this workshop are drawn from my forthcoming book Resource Focused Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Michael Wilson is a UKCP registered psychotherapist in private practice in Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed. His book Resource Focused Counselling and Psychotherapy is published by Routledge (2017), and his co-authored book Creative Ethical Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy is published by Sage (2012). www.michaelwilson.uk.com

NB: This event will not now take place.

Cost: £50/£40 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Evening Workshop: The Love of Mary Magdalene.

This will be a dance and text based exploration of Mary, The Magdalene.

Facilitators: Suzanne Saoirse Magdalena Dance and Claire Levey Lewis.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Saturday 11 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 4.30pm-5pm. Evening Workshop: 5pm-9pm.
Event Description: 'Those who have eyes let them see, those who have ears let them hear.'

Mary the Magdalene, the Mighty Tower,the Apostle to the Apostles. The hidden Goddess of Christianity.

The close companion, the Beloved, of Jesus the Christ, the last at the Cross, and the first at the tomb.

In this workshop we will consider together who Mary Magdalene really was, and why she has been marginalized, and misrepresented by the traditional church, and how understanding the Archetype of the Magdalene can help us see how we may undermine and belittle ourselves, and how we can, individually and collectively, reclaim our rightful place as women of power and grace.

And we will consider Mary Magdalene as the embodiment of the healing of the split between the sexual and the sacred, and how that effects each one of us.

Suzanne Saoirse Magdalena Dance:

Suzanne is an actor, dancer, community worker, teacher of well being, and a feminist.

Suzanne has been working with, and for women's freedom for the past 40 years. She was a founder member of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. And she initiated the Pathway Projectfor young women homeless because of sexual abuse.

In the past ten years Suzanne has been creating Sacred Theatre, specifically 'Leave to Remain,' an exploration of griefand deathwith Jo Clifford.

Recently, and in collaboration with Phyllida Anam Aire, and the women's community in Bavaria, she has presented the Dance of Green Tara, the Buddhist Goddess of Active Compassion.

Also A Dialogue between Jesus and Judas, exploring Forgiveness.

And Mary Magdalene, a text and dance based exploration of the Magdalene.

Suzanne also works with Active Inquiry, a Forum Theatre company addressing Social Justice. In the last year Suzanne has been working closely with Shakti Women's Aid, directing and facilitating the formation of the Shakti Women's Drama Group.

Suzanne has extensive experience in theatre, film and television in Scotland.

She enjoys walking, Nature, especially the Scottish Highlands, dancing, and the company of her friends and family.

Claire Levey Lewis:

For me, Mary’s message is about unity and integration.

As a woman of passion, passion for faith, devotion to the truth and depth of love - a love for all humanity - her story has been waiting to be known for over 2,000 years.

She represents unity in many things, particularly those aspects of humanity that have been repressed, oppressed or hidden in some way. Her spirit was denied from the true story of the Christ and in this she represents the feminine face of God, bringing unity and integration of spirit in religion.

I am honoured to be sharing this workshop offering with Suzanne Saoirse Magdalena Dance, exploring the story, message and presence of Mary Magdalena with meditation, music, dance and our community of hearts, together.

Claire Levey Lewis had an inspirational awakening to the life of Mary Magdalene in 1997 and became fascinated with her story (without knowing the stories in the Bible) leading to a pilgrimage in 1999 to a cave in the St. Baume mountains near Marseille where Mary reportedly spent the last 30 years of her life in service to her beloved Jesus/Yeshua. A few years later the ‘Da Vinci Code’ came out and there was an explosion of literature about Mary Magdalene’s life that now seems to present more questions than answers!

Claire is guided to quietly connect with the presence of Mary as a feminine archetype of unity and integration that is particularly strengthening to the ‘female aspect of God’ and the missing links in our history of spirituality.

Claire is Director of the Rolando Toro training School of Biodanza in Edinburgh and Dublin and runs regular groups for adults, social inclusion and community integration.

She has explored different archetypes through integrated dance and has completed specialised training within Biodanza including: Intuition of the Angels, Neo-shamanism, Identity and the Four Elements, Biodanza in Nature and Clinical Biodanza.

She has a first class honours degree in Social Psychology & Sociology from the University of Ulster at Coleraine (1992).

Cost: £15/£12 (Concessions)/£5 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Afternoon Workshop: Dances of Life: Instinct and Mystery:
A Biodanza workshop with Claire Levey Lewis.

Facilitator: Claire Levey Lewis.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 12 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 3pm-3.30pm. Afternoon Workshop: 3.30pm-6pm.
Event Description: “It is the awareness of being alive that allows us to connect with our own identity” Rolando Toro Araneda

Awareness of our identity, our true original and unique self, also opens a greater awareness of being alive.

Biodanza – which means ‘Dance of Life’ – originated in Chile 50 years ago through the work of Rolando Toro Araneda, Psychologist, Medical Anthropologist, Artist and Poet , Rolando Toro Araneda from Chile (1924-2010).

Dances of life, as practised in the Biodanza class, are created to embody this deep sense of self as ‘being alive’. Human movements open the naturally innate potentials which connect us with the source of our life. Within the expressions of our movement is the mystery of that source, the origin, that we contemplate with wonder and awe and which we experience more fully within our dance.

Our dances are movements which awaken and enliven the instincts of life and its divine mysteries.

In this workshop we will share a journey through dance, movement and meditation to experience this intricate and simple pattern of instinct and mystery – both of which weave together to connect us with the origin, the centre of life itself.

Biodanza is a group practise, creating community each time we come together to dance. Knowing ourselves and feeling alive is something that we experience in community, as we offer reflection and affirmation to each other’s presence. This makes the experience we share something meaningful, profound and lasting in our lives.

Rolando said: “ Cuando me encuentro con el otro, comienzo a tener noticias de mi” “when I encounter another, I start to receive ‘news’ of myself”. In other words, it is through the other that I meet myself.

This is an introductory class to participate in the ‘dance of life’ and in the workshop we will discover more about the work of Rolando Toro Araneda and Biodanza which is now practised all over the world. We will then experience a Biodanza session, especially created as part of the Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace.

The dance of life is a creative experience of individual and shared dances and movements to embody life in unity and harmony with each other and all living things (the cosmos). The founding principles of Biodanza are based upon the ‘Biocentric Principle’ which puts respect for life as the central guide to everyday experience. This also embodies the principles of ‘feedback’, empathy, acceptance of diversity, altruism and human solidarity.

Please wear what you are comfortable dancing and moving in. We usually dance in bare feet. Bring some water to drink.

Claire Levey Lewis is an International Facilitator of Biodanza, Systema Rolando Toro and is a council member of the International Biocentric Foundation (IBF) which governs the worldwide organisation of the Biodanza system.

She pioneered the work of Biodanza in Scotland in 2002 and Ireland in 2003. She is the Director of the Rolando Toro Schools of Biodanza in Edinburgh and Dublin and has trained new teachers in both countries over the last 10 years.

She specialises in social action and clinical Biodanza projects working with various organisations including The Garvald Centre, The Columcille Centre, Shakti Women’s Aid and Get2gether. www.biodanzascotland.com

Cost: £12/£10 (Concessions)/£5 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Evening Workshop: Health, Art and Nature: A creative workshop to enliven dialogues between the body and life.

Facilitator: Audicia Lynne Morley RSMT/P MRSS(T).
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 12 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 6.30pm-7pm. Evening Workshop: 7pm-9pm.
Event Description: Introducing The Tamalpa Life Art Process, an internationally recognised expressive arts approach developed at the Tamalpa Institute in California by Anna Halprin and Daria Halprin. Combining movement, visual art and creative writing to access the innate wisdom of the body and the transformative power of the imagination. The Tamalpa work supports personal, interpersonal and social change, teaching new models of health, education, psychology and art.

What you will need: suitable clothes to move in, a journal, pen, water bottle and crayons if you have them.

Art materials will also be provided.

No experience necessary but a willingness to explore and be surprised.

Audicia Lynne Morley RSMT/P MRSS(T)

Registered somatic movement educator and therapist, Inspired by a deep interest in Eastern and Western approaches to energy, health and the body.

Audicia has over 30 years experience working both nationally and internationally in the field of movement, health and the creative arts. In 2008 she co-founded State Theta Galleries Scotland www.statetheta.com and in 2012 was invited to co-director and teach on core faculty for Tamalpa UK, www.tamalpa-uk.org.

She has studied in both the UK, Far East and USA working with pioneering teachers in the field of somatic, health and embodiment. Most recently she was awarded a Creative Scotland bursary to explore ancient earth based wisdom practices as taught by the EHAMA institute New Mexico.

Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions)/£3 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Day Workshop: Rooted in our Voice.

Facilitators: Rolf Billes, Vivienne Crighton and Elizabeth Pawley.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Saturday 18 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Day Workshop: 10am-4pm.
Event Description: During this day workshop we will connect with the universal source of our unique individual sound as it arises within the body.

We will embark on this journey of discovery through various movement and vocal activities.

The workshop is open to all, regardless of previous singing or sounding experience.

The aim of the day is to increase our confidence, acceptance and joy in expressing ourselves openly and freely.

The day will be co-led by Vivienne Crighton, Elizabeth Pawley and Rolf Billes, who are all Facilitators of the Naked Voice, a body of work pioneered by Chloe Goodchild, www.thenakedvoice.com.

Cost: £25/£20 (Concessions/£10 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Evening Workshop: Understanding and Managing Criticism, Anger and Conflict:
Nonviolent Communication - A Language of Life.

Facilitator: Dr Martin Williams.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Saturday 18 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 4.30pm-5pm. Evening Workshop: 5pm-9pm.
Event Description: During this workshop we will explore the themes of Criticism, Anger and Conflict as a spiralling continuum in our lives and the lives of others.

We may find ourselves on the receiving end of each or we may target others or both.

If we are to contribute to a more peaceful planet, it helps if we understand more about and manage better the criticism, anger and conflict we give and receive in our everyday communications and activities.

The work of the late Marshall B Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication - A Language of Life, makes a significant contribution to living more peacefully, understanding anger and transforming conflict.

Dr Martin Williams, BA (Hons) PGCE, Dip, Counselling and Psychotherapy, M.Ed. (Humanistic Psychology and Human Relations, PhD) is a professionally trained counsellor/psychotherapist with over 30 years experience of working with individuals, couples, children and young people, parents and families and organisations. Martin is a humanistic psychologist who has worked in schools, day centres, hospitals, healing centers and care homes all over UK and abroad. He has re-defined ‘person-centred’ as honouring and respecting the inner wisdom and wishes of his many and varied clients and working ethically and professionally in whatever ways his clients can best be helped.

Cost: £20/£15 (Concessions/£10 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: 13th Annual Mindful Peace Walk.

Organisers: Jointly organised by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace, EICSP, Scottish Charity, SC038996, and the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing.
Venue: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ.
Date: Sunday 19 March 2017
Time: 9.30am-11am, meet at West Gate entrance to the John Hope Gateway, Arboretum Place, at 9.30am.
(Introduction to mindful walking at 9.45am and walk begins at 10am). No access from East Gate.
Event Description: This silent walking meditation is an open event. It will be led by the lay members of the Edinburgh Sangha of the Community of Interbeing, who follow the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhist Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. The walk begins at the John Hope Gateway of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Before the walk begins there will be a brief introduction to mindful walking as meditation practice. This is not a protest or a campaigning event, so please do not use any banners. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults. Please remember to wrap up warmly. Please note that no animals except Registered Assistance Dogs are permitted within the Garden.

‘We walk just for walking. We walk with freedom and solidity, no longer in a hurry. Let us enjoy every step we make.’ Thich Nhat Hanh.

Cost: Admission Free. Just come along on the day. For further information:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Afternoon Workshop: Change Your Story, Change Your Life: the transformational art of storytelling.

Facilitator: Michael Williams, Ph.D..
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 19 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 3pm-3.30pm. Afternoon Workshop: 3.30pm-6pm.
Event Description: There’s an old adage that states that we are what we think we are. In other words, we are the sum of our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world around us. I like to think that we consist of stories - stories we tell about ourselves, that others tell about us, that we tell about others, that our culture tells us about who we are. Too often, however, we over-identify with these stories and all too often, we can become locked into one particular story or belief. If that story does not have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, we can become anxious, intolerant, even depressed.

As a Story Coach, I remind my clients that they are the authors of their stories. I invite them to explore alternative stories, to shift perspective, to create healthier stories for themselves. This workshop will introduce you to some of the techniques I use to help people change their story and change their lives. Bring a story that you feel is not working for you at present. Working with others, let’s see what changes you can make. Don’t have a story? or you feel your stories are working for you? That’s fine. Come along and share your wisdom and listening skills with others. We’re in this transformation together. Anything is possible.

Michael Williams, Ph.D. is an international storyteller and Story Coach. His clients have included the Scottish Parliament, the National Museum of Scotland, VisitScotland, Children 1st, Children in Scotland, the Church of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh, Macmillan Cancer Research, CIGNA Insurance Group, and many others. He helps individuals, community and corporate organizations share the stories that change their world, stories for health and well-being.

Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions)/£3 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Evening Workshop: The Infinite Way of Joel S Goldsmith.

Facilitator: Jim Pym.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 19 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 6pm-6.30pm. Evening Workshop: 6.30pm-9pm.
Event Description: The Infinite Way is based on the teaching of Joel Goldsmith, one of the great contemporary Christian mystics. The name comes from the title of his first book (of which there are currently more than 30 in print). Although based on Christian mysticism, Joel's teaching was truly universal, and and recognised the essential oneness of all genuine spiritual paths. The essence of all mystical teachings is the awareness of the "Inner Teacher", and this is emphasised through every aspect of Joel's writing and teaching. Joel was passionate about spiritual freedom, and would not allow any church or membership organisation to be set up in his name. In Joel's own words, "This union is the free state of spiritual brotherhood". Although there is no central organisation, the Infinite Way above all a practical living tradition which illumines the experience of its students, and helps us make sense of our lives.

Jim Pym is both a Buddhist and a Quaker, and has been a teacher and practitioner based on the Infinite Way for more than 40 years. The workshop will introduce the Infinite Way, based on the approaches to meditation which constitute the heart of this work.

Jim is currently the UK distributor of the Monthly Letter, which, in the absence of any organisation, serves to unite students in more than 30 countries. Some free specimen copies will be available for anyone interested, as well as details of books and tapes for anyone who wishes to study further.

Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions)/£3 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Kirtan: Chant for Peace.

Organisers: Jointly organised by the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace, EICSP, Scottish Charity, SC038996, and ISKCON Scotland, Scottish Charity, SC001127.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Thursday 23 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 6pm-6.30pm. Kirtan: 6.30pm-9.30pm.

Cost: £7/£5 (Concessions)/£3 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Day Workshop: Restoring Radiance.

Facilitators: Sarah Bonner-Morgan and Jenny Williams.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Saturday 25 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Day Workshop: 10am-5pm.
Event Description: We are all for longing for more light in our hearts, minds and spirits. Come and be restored by connecting with the same words that have enlightened people for millenia. We work with ancient prayers mainly arising from a Middle Eastern approach to Jesus’s teachings. This form of devotion is enabled through melodic sound, chant, and movement.

Jenny and Sarah both work from a body-based spirituality, Sarah coming from a Sufi perspective, and Jenny from a Christian one. These traditions meet through the heritage of Wisdom and our approach comes from the work of Neil Douglas-Klotz www.abwoon.com

Cost: £30/£25 (Concessions)/£10 (Students). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.

Event: Labyrinth Walk 2017.

Facilitator: Theo Dijkman.
Venue: Sanctuary, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL.
Date: Sunday 26 March 2017.
Time: Registration: 3pm-3.30pm. Labyrinth Walk: 3.30pm-6.30pm.
Event Description: Labyrinths are ancient patterns found in many cultures around the world. As a design it has been found on pottery, floor motives and in the landscape and can be traced as far back as 5000 years. They are often located in places of pilgrimage and spiritual importance.

Labyrinths can be used as a way to still the mind and recover balance in life. Walking the labyrinth can integrate the body with mind and spirit, enhancing an inner sense of direction. It can offer a moment of peace and calm in a stressful world where we are constantly bombarded by demands and reports of negative events.

During this event we will explore the different labyrinth designs throughout time and learn how to draw a labyrinth pattern. We will use guided meditation and walking a labyrinth to connect to our relationship with our whole being.

Theo Dijkman is a UKCP registered psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer and Veriditas certified labyrinth facilitator. He is part of the faculty of the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London where he delivers training on their MA Psychotherapy programme.

Event Details

MESP 2017 Main Events, 4-26 March 2017