Buddhafield, boogieing, & bouillon

Art + Culture

Buddhafield Base in the City - Sacred prayer-song with Sweet Remembrance

Buddhafield runs workshops, retreats and a big festival in Somerset each summer.

From their website: The concept of a “Buddhafield”, or of “Buddhafields”, originates in the Mahayana Buddhist Sutras. In these Sutras, Buddhafields are planes of perfect beauty created by the compassionate action of a Buddha. As such they are an environment in which all conditions are perfectly conducive to spiritual practice and in which to gain Enlightenment.

I attended the one-day Buddhafield Base in the City in Bristol this weekend and loved cramming into a bell tent with a few dozen new friends to sing with the group Sweet Remembrance, which meets a few mornings each week outside St. Anne’s church to sing sacred prayers.

Armed with song sheets and whatever harmonies bubbled up we spent a lovely hour singing and swaying.

Mindful Movement

Buddhafield Based in the City - Ecstatic Dance

Buddhafield is substance free. Seeing so many people moving freely and dancing without the social lubricant of alcohol or other substances is really amazing. The day ended with DJ Sophie Bolton accompanied by a trombonist!

Ecstatic Dance is simply being present and moving as the music moves you with the idea that you may go into a trance like state leading to ecstasy. I hung back toward the edge of the crowd and held onto a chair for balance while moving to the music. When I got too tired to stand, I did some chair dancing and watched the crowd let loose. The tenant of not letting self-consciousness or being “good” get in the way of finding connection and using the movement as a form of meditation really helped me feel more at home in my body, which doesn’t always move the way I want it to.

Links

Do you live with a chronic condition?

🧘Join me for FREE Virtual Seated Yoga 
Wednesday at 10am-11am UK / 5am-6am ET

🕉️ Join me for FREE Virtual Seated Breathwork and Meditation 
Tuesday/Thursday at 12:30-1pm UK / 7:30am-8am ET

Are you a writer who lives with MS?

✍️Join me for MS-UK’s FREE Creative writing Peer Pod
1:30-3pm UK/ 9:30-11am ET Wednesday Nov. 1

Are you a writer in general?

🖊️Join me for FREE daily writing sprints with the London Writers’ Salon
Weekdays at 8am UK/ 8am ET/ 8am PT/ 8am AUS and Saturdays at 9am UK

Connect with me on socials

📹 YouTube @ReginaGBeach

📱facebook @ginabeach

📸 instagram @craig_and_gg

🐦 twitter/ X @ReginaGBeach

Oil-free plant-based cooking

Veggie Soup