February 2020. Sandwiched between the dual seismic events of the UK leaving the EU and the first lockdown, the IAM20 meditation teacher training provided a day where time stood still — a fitting metaphor for what meditation offers in our overwhelming lives. I’d practised IAM35 since 2003 and jumped at the opportunity to learn the IAM20, unprepared for the blissful rocket of light that filled my body. Powerful and universal, the potential for this accessible meditation was abundantly clear.
Amma teaches us that meditation is a brain gym — we exercise our bodies but not our minds — and how we expect to find immediate stillness, but it’s like carrying a glass of water and then sitting down, the water will still move for a while. We have to practise.
Lockdown, March 2020, my work disappeared overnight. Clients and friends were struggling emotionally so my silent, empty studio transformed into a space of healing from which I ran courses remotely. Even through the screen the effects were palpable. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. People found it easier to sleep and looked forward to connecting with our community online. It was a profound experience which felt like proper Seva.
In-person and online courses have been held for international execs, the Met Police, Crisis at Christmas, Accumulate Art School for the Homeless and private clients. There is just one overarching point to be made — no matter whether the training is offered to professionals or those who sleep in doorways, this jewel of a practice has the ability to bring all of us to the same beautiful place of silence and stillness. It’s a privilege to offer this Seva and begin to see how deeply we really are all beads on the same thread of love. Thank you Amma.
-Debi Ani
