Kamini: Founding Teacher of  The Art of Stillness
Here’s a bit about my journey and what inspired me to offer these retreats:
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I guess I would describe myself as a ‘creative explorer’ having spent much of my adult life experimenting and investigating different avenues of creative expression and personal development. As a professional artist my career spans a wide range of experience including teaching and facilitating arts workshops in schools, colleges and the community.
My study and practice of Vipassana (Insight) and mindfulness meditation in the Buddhist tradition began in 1992 when my inner journey led me to my first weekend meditation retreat in Canada, followed by a deeply transformative experience of a ten day Vipassana (Insight) in 1993 which I can truly say changed the direction of my life. Since then my study and practise has included numerous meditation retreats with leading western Buddhist teachers from different traditions (Zen, Chan, Dzogchen, Tibetan Tantra).
From 1998-99 I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a year at Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Enquiry in Devon. This unique year-long residential programme under the Directorship of Stephen Batchelor included, meditation, enquiry, community, living, retreat, imaginative expression, yoga, land-work and service. This was again a deeply transformative time and, I believe, prepared me for what was to follow.
In 2001 I began training as a Drama Therapist but unfortunately after a year had to give up the course as I fell critically ill and had to have life saving surgery. The next seven years was a roller coaster of major life stress and trauma culminating in the sudden death of my husband in 2007. My foundation in the Buddhist teachings, the practise of mindfulness, and my capacity as an artist to be creative and solution-focused in my outlook have without doubt been the essential anchors in my healing journey.
Drawing from my personal experience of the therapeutic qualities of mindfulness and creative expression, which have supported me through critical illness and major life trauma, I have been developing and facilitating The Art of Stillness creative retreats.
Today regular enquiry practice, yoga, movement, creative expression and spending time in the beautiful Devon landscape all continue to support and inform my work, well-being and capacity for joy.
Kamini