Narcissus - The First Guru of Self-Love
So you’re looking for love. One day you’ll happen to tell a friend or acquaintance that you’ve come to a point in your life where you are ready to meet someone and I can guarantee, at least once, you will be told that what you should do first, is love yourself. It’s well intentioned but what does it really mean? It’s a common mantra you will hear over and over again in the spiritual/New Age/self-help community. It varies to a certain degree but the basic gist is that in order
War and the Environment - Transcript
This is a transcript of a talk made by myself, Shaka Lish, for Brent's Stop The War coalition. Please also find a video recording of the talk here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWBi-nO2atE War and the environment is a two-way relationship. In this talk I would like to discuss both. One is the way in which war affects the environment and the other is the way in which the state of the environment can initiate war and conflict. War does not just leave countries and lives des
Brent Stands up to Trump - Transcript
On the 7th July 2018, an event was organised in Brent in preparation for Tump's visit on the 13th July in London. The event was organised by Brent Central Labour Party and supported by Brent Stop the War Coalition, Brent Stand Up to Racism, Brent Momentum, Brent Green Party and Brent Trades Council. Speakers included Cllr Muhammed Butt (Leader, Brent Council), Sabby Dhalu (National Co-Convenor, Stand up to Racism), Ian Hodson (McStrike/ President, Bakers, Food and Allied Wor
Diversity in 'Mainstream' Yoga
On the 6th November 2017 Triyoga held a symposium at their Camden branch, discussing ‘The Diversity Problem in Yoga’. Some yoga teachers in studios such as Triyoga have found themselves looking around their classes, not seeing the same diversity that they see on the streets of London. The panel included Triyoga's founder and managing director, Jonathan Sattin and teachers Dana Falsetti, Corrie, Ananda Preace, Isa-Welly Locoh-Donou and Frederique Sardaise, who each spoke about
The Tree of Life and not Taking Sides
‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ – Edmund Burke As someone who has had a troubled youth, in many ways my adult life has been about a search for a peace. Inner peace mainly and in the moments I have experienced that, known what it looks and feels like, my inevitable focus and desire has been to create and share that peace outside of myself too. Recently, I took a short break to a summer school in memory of Pheroz Mehta. It was a
The Mundanity of Peace
It has slowly dawned on me that one of the obstacles standing in the way of human beings finding peace is, among other things, that it is boring. Allow me to highlight some recent observations that may further illuminate what I mean. First, I have a girlfriend who has had some really shabby relationships. Going through the mill with yet another unsuitable suitor, we had a discussion about what a healthy, happy relationship might look like. Be like. Feel like. Her conclusion?
The Lady of Rage
When I was a teenager at school and when I was a nuisance with a thick black marker, I used to have a tag name. The name given to me was, Rage. I don't think you need much of an imagination to think why. I was an angry young woman and I expressed my anger mostly by fighting people. I now have a body of scars and bruised eye sockets to show for it. As I write this blog now, this old and familiar emotion has recently come back to haunt me. I have mellowed with age and time has
Your Playing Small Does Not Serve the World
‘There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people do not feel insecure around you…’ - Marianne Williamson It has recently come to my attention that through my choice to go ‘learn myself something’ at university this has alienated me from certain circles, friendship groups and associates. I somehow got put on a kind of a pedestal and seen, threateningly, as a species from another world. Little eyes observed and analysed me from the shadows and I almost felt guilty
Ashtanga and Me
This is just a short introduction about my journey into Ashtanga. As a lot of my blog is likely to be about yoga, I wanted to give my readers a little background. I spent years thinking yoga was rubbish and slow and that it definitely was not for me. I preferred running and high impact disciplines such as kick boxing, swimming, dance and even gymnastics. I liked stuff that pushed me and got me out of breath. Then I found out there was a physically challenging branch of yoga (
