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Empty, Gather, Ripple - InnerService Retreat In LondonPosted by Trishna Shah on Jun 12, 2014
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Each time we gather in a circle, it’s so inspiring to think about it's uniqueness and how it will probably be the only time this particular circle comes together – it’s so rare for two circles to ever be the same, and this circle was no different! Our circle was graced with Siddharth visiting from India on his
Our morning opened beautifully, as it always does, with an hour together in silence to empty ourselves, our egos and our baggage, followed by a heartfelt circle of sharing our own personal journeys, what brought us here on this gorgeous day and what we wanted to offer to the circle that has supported our own service journeys in some way. Unlike previous retreats where we took our personal items home at the end of the day, this time we wanted to push our bounds and planned to actually gift these items, which we had brought along, to someone else that afternoon in order to pay forward the love! So many really touching stories emerged as the circle went around – Ani opened the circle by sharing how she recently received the letter she wrote to herself at the previous retreat in February and was pleased to see she had actually held her intention of de-cluttering, mentally, physically and emotionally. In making an offering to the circle, she shared her life-long connection with nature and the role that it’s played in her journey along with the story of a very special mother-like aunty of hers who had gifted her a plant that died but she refused to throw away for several years, waiting patiently for it to sprout again in its own time. In that spirit, the offering she wanted to pay forward to somebody was a lovely plant that she brought along.
As the circle went around, the stories continued to flow, as Roxana offered a yoga music CD and shared the role that yoga has played in centering her journey, while Ana offered an empty journal given the importance that writing has recently played in supporting her journey. Brynn shared a small handmade pot that symbolized her first journey abroad outside of North America, which made her realize for the first time that despite how different we can appear on the surface, how we’re fundamentally all one and the same in our hearts. Hemant’s
As the circle made its way around, many more beautiful stories were shared and offerings were made that came from people’s hearts and spoke to where they are in their journeys right now. Siddharth closed the circle by remembering his mother, feeling so grateful for all the ways that she has served him since he was born, and sharing an emotional story about his time with her. Just as he was about to host a Moved By Love retreat in Ahmedabad, he received news from Bombay that his mother was diagnosed with early-stage cancer. Without hesitation, he immediately left to be with her in Bombay, knowing the retreat would be left in good hands. But while he was there, he did wonder from time to time if he was more of service being in Bombay or if he should have carried on with hosting the retreat to support others’ service journeys. As time unfolded, it became clear to him that he had made the right choice in that moment. The few weeks he ended up being at his mother’s side, taking her to doctor’s appointments and hospital visits, ensuring she got all the right treatment, while reconnecting with her in those moments in between that they were spending together, were so precious and unforgettable. This experience offered him a small opportunity to serve someone who has unconditionally served him for over 30 years.
As is always the case at these gatherings, offerings throughout the day were overflowing from all directions, with food that nourished our hearts and tummies with so much goodness (and yumminess!) :), readings that offered us nuggets of wisdom and music that brought joy. Lunch was a sight to see, with twenty of us sitting on the floor all squished onto our balcony, enjoying the rare sunshine in London, while enjoying each other’s presence even more!
After lunch, Liz led an energising 30 minute
And the beat went on (as did the singing!) as we transitioned to the next part of the day. For this retreat, we decided to deviate a bit from the format of the past couple of InnerService Retreats, and dedicated the entire afternoon to sending ripples out from all the inspiration we had filled our hearts with by doing small acts of kindness together! We

The closing circle offered everyone an opportunity to share what they were feeling grateful for in that moment and offer it to the circle in the form of a lovely little notecard from Lahar’s mom’s collective art and kindness project in Bombay, Cube of Gratitude! Everyone’s cups were overflowing as they shared gratitude for the space and collective presence of noble friends, for home, love and positive energy, for “showing me another side of humanity and including me in it,” for learning how to give without expecting anything in return, for making us and others smile, for acceptance, for being alive and the opportunity to share with mindful people, for all of the people that life puts on our paths.
As ever, I feel so grateful to be in the company of noble friends who help me to hold this space in my home and in my heart, so that together we can take some time to nourish our inner journeys while sharing the inspiration with the world around us.
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hemant wrote ...
Thank you Trishna for holding space on a beautiful day :) it was inspiring and wonderful to be around such nobel friends.
Ani wrote ...