Beeja\’s Meditation Highlights of 2019

Happy New Year everyone! We’ve got a very exciting year ahead of us at Will Williams Meditation, but before all that, we think it’s the right time to pause, reflect and look back over 2019.

For many of us, the New Year is a psychologically powerful time. We are irresistibly drawn to the concepts of rebirth, renewal and the chance to start afresh – casting off the baggage of the year that’s gone by and embracing everything that’s exciting as the new one rolls around.

But before we dive into all the “New Year, New Me” fervour and truly get to grips with all the hopes and dreams we have for 2020, we are going to take a peek at everything we’re proud of from the last year – and delight in some pretty brilliant memories too!

The Will Williams Meditation Podcasts – February

https://willwilliamsmeditation.podbean.com/
Early in 2019, we had the absolute pleasure of interviewing some very wonderful people for the Will Williams Meditation podcast, listening to their favourite songs while exploring subjects close to their hearts – and meditation was a common theme!

With the very knowledgeable and always amiable Jasmine Hemsley, we discussed her journey to Ayurveda, favourite songs and totally delicious golden milk recipe. Touching on subjects from industrialised agriculture to the danceable tunes of 2003, it was a fascinating chat. Madeleine Shaw was also a wonderful interviewee, talking about her pregnancy with insight and honesty, while also giving great advice on finding balance and how to cook the yummiest healthy food.

Super entrepreneur Sam Branson was equally candid and perceptive, exploring an issue which affects many of us – anxiety – and the power of meditation to overcome it. Chatting with Will about the power of business to do good in the world and the way forward for education, this conversation gave us plenty to think about. Take That\’s Howard Donald joined us to take us through how meditation (a practice he was relatively new too) increased his creativity and helped him with the rigours of touring while managing his responsibilities as a dad of four, as well as offering us his refreshing and thoughtful perspective on many other subjects.

April – Shavasana Disco Breaks America!

For the first time ever, in 2018 Shavasana Disco (our meditation and music event) left London and winged its way to Sunset Sound Studio in the USA! A truly iconic location, Sunset Sound Studio was where Prince recorded the sublime album Purple Rain – one of our absolute favourites! So we packed our bags, jumped on a flight to Los Angeles and lead a guided meditation in this most inspiring of settings, before enjoying a full album playback of Purple Rain in the very place that it was created. How can life get any better? 🎵🎤🎸

In May, Will Williams Published His First Book, The Effortless Mind

A huge personal achievement for our founder and a source of pride for the whole team, The Effortless Mind was published with Simon and Schuster on May 3rd and documents the personal stories of those whose lives have been transformed by meditation, as well as the science and history behind this ancient technique.

The Effortless Mind is a fascinating exploration of the problems we are experiencing in the modern world due to stress, overwork and constant activity, and how meditation can be a compelling antidote to these problems. Eye-opening, honest, down-to-earth and potentially life-changing, The Effortless Mind is both a must-read and one of our fondest memories of 2018!

World Meditation Day, May 15th

We had an absolutely amazing time at Fabric in London on World Meditation Day. Taking this marvelous location – famous for late nights, dancing, music and indulgence – and creating an evening filled with a different kind of hedonism was perhaps the most fun we had all year!

Cutting out the booze, adding a touch of meditation and preserving everything that makes Fabric special all formed an occasion where people could have a Big Night Out, but without the hangover. The super-talented DJs and musicians B.Traits, Jordan Rakei and Akala kept us all entertained, while Jasmine Hemsley\’s Sound Sebastien opened the evening with a beautiful sound bath.

The performers and attendees all did so much to make this a unique and completely positive event – chilled out yet vibrant, and full of music, laughter, fun and relaxation. And our very own Will Williams didn\’t only lead a guided meditation, he shared a poem with everyone!

June/July – The World Cup! $\"Will$

No football fan can mention the highlights of 2018 without a nod to The World Cup. The last time England were in a World Cup semi-final this is what Will looked like (which may give some indication of how long ago that was! 😉😂) and wasn\’t it fantastic seeing the whole country get ridiculously excited over the nation\’s favourite game?

Moving to Shoreditch

It\’s always been a dream to open a centre in Shoreditch, so this year we decided to make the jump and move our main centre East. We headed to 45 Hoxton Square in the wonderful area of Shoreditch, and absolutely love the look of our new meditation space – as well as its vibrant new location! It was only a few years ago that we opened our meditation centre, and seeing how much it\’s grown is a lovely thing, with our team having taught over 3000 people in the art of meditation since then.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who were part of our 2018, it\’s been an absolutely lovely year and we can\’t wait for the next one! Happy 2019 everyone!