Suswara Payne
I have been giving meditation classes in Bristol now for over 12 years. One of the main factors that inspired me to give classes is the effect of meditation on my own life. Practising meditation and leading a spiritual life has given me an inner dimension to my existence.
I first went to classes given by the Oxford Sri Chinmoy Centre while I was a student. At first I didn’t feel that I was meditating properly and wondered if I ever could. However, I noticed I was definitely more peaceful and in a better state of being after the class then when the class had first begun.
Eventually, after about a month of practising at home and attending classes I unmistakably felt something – a feeling of pure joy in my heart. It only lasted a few seconds – but I felt it’s effects for the rest of the day. That experience gave me the inspiration to keep practising. Many more experiences followed, some of them during the day when I wasn’t even thinking about meditation – moments of real happiness – when I least expected it.
Meditation teaches us that we have a treasure chest of divine qualities inside us – love, joy, peace and power to name but a few. We have inside of us an amazing potential and meditation is a key to tapping into that.
Fairly soon I had another beautiful experience listening to the music of Sri Chinmoy performed by the instrumental group Temple-Song-Hearts. From the very first note I was transported away to a different world. Previously, I loved listening to music but this was something else! It had a spiritual dimension that other music I had heard did not have.
After you have received experiences like this you want to offer the opportunity to others. I now give meditation classes in various locations in Bristol along with other members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre. The classes are always free. This is at the request of our spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy as he feels that spirituality is not something that should be charged for. In any case, how can you put a value on something that is limitless?
I enjoy giving meditation classes and especially enjoy performing spiritual music to everyone who comes! It may not be what people are expecting but so many people have meditative experiences when listening to the music. All the music we play is composed by our meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy. He composes all the music in a meditative consciousness and this is what people feel when we perform the music. We cannot claim to be brilliant musicians (or meditators) ourselves!
Although I have been meditating every day for over 15 years I still feel that I am a beginner and that there is so much more to learn. I have discovered that meditation can transform your life and everything that you do. Whatever we do is a reflection of our inner state of being. Everything comes from within. Meditation transforms and purifies our inner consciousness. It is only then that our actions have true meaning and purpose.
Suswara Payne helps to give free meditation courses in Bristol. He is also a member of musical group Ananda.