Hello

I am proud to be an elder, bringing a lifetime of experience to my work as a coach. My working life consists of many different threads, which I’ll share with you as follows;

 

Music and Special Needs

I did a degree in classical music after school, then went to France for a couple of years following a contemplative path in the catholic tradition. I have always been drawn to difference and this expressed itself in a passion for working with children with ‘special needs’, so I gained a teaching qualification and worked as a music teacher in special schools in east London for six years. 

 

India and South Asia

This interest in difference extended to different cultures and in particular those of Asia. So after considerable planning, I obtained work as a volunteer in a small Leprosy organisation in the jungles of Orissa (now known as Odisha) in south east India. I spent two years working and travelling in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand offering workshops and training in music and movement in the context of children with special needs. This was when I first came across Ayurveda. 

 

Development Work and Inclusive Education

On my return, I changed track and worked as the global Disability Advisor for Save the Children, a post which I held for nine years. I was privileged to travel widely and engage with a rich variety of cultures particularly in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Alongside this career, I had formed a relationship with a singer of Tagore songs from Kolkata, and I started bringing him to the UK to offer workshops. 

 

Indian Singing

After resigning from my job with Save the Children, I continued with freelance consultancy work and put more energy into creating ‘The Singing Heart’ which offered workshops and lessons in Indian singing to westerners. Learning songs of Tagore and Indian classical raga had become a passion of mine and I visited India almost every year for over twenty years. ‘Raga Chikitsa’ is an aspect of Ayurveda that uses the vibrational and healing energy of particular ragas to heal body and mind and emotions. 

 

Scotland

I have lived in Scotland since 2014. For 7 years I was managing a natural sanctuary on the west coast, in a wild and secluded glen, surrounded by temperate rainforest woodland and a juicy river. This experience re-connected me deeply with the land, with nature, with wild plants. I developed an interest in foraging and wild swimming. This is the essence of Ayurveda - our intrinsic connection with nature, with the seasons, the elements, the local plants and animals. There is so much to develop and learn in terms of how our local environment and plants relate to the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda.

 

Current Focus. 

I  run Song of the Heart workshops online and in-person focusing on Indian raga, combined with body, breath and voice work. Ayurveda is a really vast area of knowledge and experience which relates to every aspect of life. The recent loss of my partner has given rise to an exploration of the ‘sacred journey of grief’ and the Ayurvedic understanding and approach to death and dying.

I have also owned a dog for the last three years - Ayurveda is great for pets and animals also!

 

At this stage in my life, I am interested in how to become more self-accepting, how to move towards the end of life consciously, and how small, sustainable practices and deeply connecting to our natural environment can impact our health and well-being for the better. I believe Ayurveda is not an ‘alternative Indian medicine’ but a universal approach and understanding that can help us tune into the natural intelligence of our cells, and to be able to know ourselves and help us to live with kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others.

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