Global Cooperation House

Why we all express envy, resentment and hate …eventually!
 
We are all violent at some stage in our life. It seems no one is exempt.  It may not become physical but remain at the emotional and mental levels.  Sometimes referred to as self sabotage, it separates couples, breaks up families, diminishes performance at work and makes some lawyers rich! 
 
But why is it inevitable?  Tonight Mike will mark the International Day of Non-violence with an exploration into what makes some people think and act violently as well as how to transform both the impulse and the intention. He explores:
 
• The origins of all violence
• The different expressions of violence
• Why is violence on the increase throughout society
• How to cultivate the nature of non-violence

Mike George is an author of 16 books, including Don’t Get MAD Get Wise, Being Your Self and The 7 Myths About LOVE. With insight and humour he brings together the three key strands of the 21st Century - self-awareness, emotional intelligence and continuous unlearning.  
 
 
J.Krishnamurti once said: “When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”

The Origin And Nature Of Violence - Mike George - Thursday 6th October 2022

To be a true seeker of truth it is necessary that at least once in your life, you doubt, as far as possible, all things.  Rene Descartes
In a world plagued with 'post-truth' and false news, for the person who awakens through disillusionment, life becomes filled with meaning.
 
Presenter: Jude Pemell will explore the paradoxical nature of reality and truth, skepticism, and enlightenment in life as we know it.
Jude is a Sydney-based writer, filmmaker, and forensic psychotherapist with more than three decades experience in her field. She has been meditating since 1983.

Disillusionment - The Paradox - Jude Pemell - Thursday 13th October 2022

The world is a web of inter-locking, interactive communities of interest through which we fulfil our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs and connect with others in ways that give greater meaning and purpose to our life.
This evening we will celebrate the essence of three very different but exciting communities where people feel valued and respected and able to make a contribution to making the world a better place.
The UK Values Alliance and Brahma Kumaris (UK) are delighted to invite you to join two special online events exploring and celebrating this year’s theme of COMMUNITY – the theory and practice of how to create powerful, positive communities in which people feel valued, accepted and heard in a world that often rides rough-shod over our humanity.
 
Contributors:
Zina Manda is the compassionate co-founder and owner of an award-winning community café situated in a medical centre in an area of London challenged by poverty and isolation. The Lounge Café is mainly staffed by volunteers in need of work experience and provides high quality, freshly cooked meals at affordable prices. It also runs a pay-forward scheme to feed customers who have no money; offers classes on how to eat well and cook on a budget and supports asylum seekers and others in a variety of ways.
Onjali Q. Raúf is a dynamic, multi award-winning children’s author and women’s and refugee human rights activist. She is the founder and CEO of Making Herstory which works to end the abuse, enslavement and trafficking of women and girls in the UK, and O’s Refugee Aid Team which mobilises aid convoys and funds to help frontline refugee response teams across northern France and beyond. She is the author of six books, including the Sunday Times bestseller The Boy at the Back of the Class. In 2019 she was listed as one of BBC’s 100 most influential women from around the world. This year she was awarded an MBE for her services to women’s rights and children’s literature.

Daxa Shah is the inspiring co-ordinator of ‘Inner Space Wembley’ – a community centre that supports individuals, local communities and businesses to cope with the stresses of life today through a variety of free self development courses, talks and raja yoga meditation. In 2014, she was recognised by the Mayor of Brent as a ‘Community Champion’ for her service to Wembley’s ethnically diverse population. She works tirelessly with the local authority as a Multi-Faith representative.

Celebrating The Spirit Of Community  World Values Day - Thursday 20th October 2022

When you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, to one another, and to God
Kahlil Gibran
 
In Gibran's famous prose he paints a beautiful and powerful picture of what it is to work with love. But what if you hate what you are doing? Should you simply leave it and follow your dream, or learn to love what you do. Maybe neither seems possible. Our speaker this evening will explore this common and complicated dilemma which many of us face.
 
Speaker: Rachel Priestman
Rachel’s varied career has spanned librarianship, urban regeneration, PR and marketing, events and arts management - and a few other things in between. She currently volunteers with the Brahma Kumaris at Global Co-operation House in London, where she helps with media and public engagement activities.

Work Is Love Made Visible - Rachel Priestman - Thursday 27th October 2022

Lack of vitamin D eventually causes all sorts of physical and mental struggles. We need sunlight to survive and thrive. It’s the same with the soul. Without light, and the clarity, energy and inspiration it gives us, we start to operate as if we were existing miserably in the dark with no power. We don’t need to wait for summer to absorb this vitamin D, we just need to throw open the curtains on our minds anytime and let it in.  
 
Speaker: Elizabeth Padilla is a meditation teacher and practitioner with over 37 years of experience with Raja Yoga Meditation. She lives at the Brahma Kumaris  Anubhuti Meditation & Retreat Center just north of San Francisco, California, where she manages the programming and retreats. She is a gifted actor and singer, trained at the American Conservatory Theatre. A facilitator in the Appreciative Inquiry method and Self Managing Leadership, she now designs and facilitates retreats, seminars, and workshops for personal development.

Vitamin D For The Soul - Elizabeth Padilla - Thursday 3rd November 2022

In Wayne’s Dyer’s movie ‘The Shift’, he talks of the morning of our lives being a youthful time of egoistic pleasure and power seeking.  Whereas in the afternoon, when we mature, we shift into living with purpose and meaning, in service to others. This shift, is essentially one of perspective.  From fear, survival and scarcity into love, abundance, faith and cooperation.  
 
Our speaker, Eric le Reste, will explore the understanding behind and importance of perspective and share his practical experience of making the Shift.
 

A journalist, producer and award winning documentary maker, Eric has been with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC/Radio-Canada, for more than 30 years. Throughout his career, Eric has always maintained a special interest in spirituality and serves as the National Coordinator for the Brahma Kumaris in Canada. He participates in various international projects, including ‘Images and Voices of Hope,’ a project dedicated to inspiring new restorative narratives in the media.

Shifting Perspective -  Eric Le Reste - Thursday 10th November 2022

Honouring World Kindness Day
 
It is a well-known phenomenon that humans mirror each other.  Kindness is contagious, you can’t help but pass it on, and when you do, the first person to benefit is you.  Kindness offers the giver, receiver and even an observer of it, benefits of health and happiness. And yet it seems to be in increasingly short supply.  
 
Our speaker, Neville Hodgkinson, will describe discoveries that have allowed him to increase his own KQ – his Kindness Quotient.
 
Neville is an author and journalist who specialised for much of his career in writing about health and medicine.  His books include I Know How to Live, I Know How to Die – the Teachings of Dadi Janki, and Will To Be Well - the Real Alternative Medicine.   He is a Raja Yoga practitioner with the Brahma Kumaris and lives at the Global Retreat Centre, Oxford.

Why Kindness Matters - Neville Hodgkinson - Thursday 17th November 2022

Everything that we can measure fluctuates, whether it is our bank account, waist measurement or popularity. Abundance doesn’t have a number, but it does have a frequency.  And once we tune into it, we truly break free of the fear of lack, loss and limitation; and ultimately start to dwell in a state of joy and abundance, no matter what life gives or takes away.      
 
Sister Dr. Jenna is the author of the recently released book Meditation: Intimate Experiences with the Divine through Contemplative Practices, which includes over 30 contributing authors. As an acclaimed, trusted spiritual mentor she is committed to bridging divides in societies and building relationships between global influencers. She is the founder and director of the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Museum, located in the metropolitan Washington D.C.area, host of the popular America Meditating Radio Show and recipient of the President’s Lifetime National Community Service Award.  
  
Websites: www.MeditationMuseum.org & www.AmericaMeditating.org

Tuning Into Abundance - Sister Dr. Jenna - Thursday 24th November 2022

Whether it is blaming circumstances or blaming people this widespread habit of making others responsible for the difficult things that happen to us is endemic in today’s world. But is this blame culture helpful and what do we stand to lose by playing it? Our speaker, Erik Larson, will explore the deeper reasons behind this common but complex habit and share practical ways to move on to more enriching and rewarding responses.
 
Speaker: Erik Larson
Based in New York, Erik has been involved with the Brahma Kumaris for over 35 years. With a background in Civil Engineering and experience in property loss control for over 30 years, he blends the very practical with the very spiritual to achieve a common-sense way to look at life and to help others. Erik is a Director of the Brahma Kumaris (USA) and also BK representative to the United Nations. He is a member of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief and a member of the Committee of Religious NGOs.  Erik is also a founding member on the Board of Directors of the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum.

Calling Time On The Blame Game - Erik Larson - Thursday 1st December 2022

Something or someone has just upset you: a perceived injustice, a disappointment or a flash of jealousy, maybe. When an emotional storm is raging inside us, it seems we have two options. We either ‘express’ - let it all out, speak our heart, but often the repercussions double our trouble. Or we ‘suppress’ - keep it all in, allow it to fester and ferment and risk creating serious illness in the long term. 
 
Is there a third way? By ‘processing’ the emotions, checking the reality of the thoughts that are fueling the fire inside us, perhaps we can ultimately find the truth that sets us free. 
 
Speaker: Radha Gupta
Radha is a meditation teacher based in Rome, Italy. She was introduced to Raja Yoga during her childhood in India where she grew up. She deepened her practice in the UK and subsequently in Italy where she currently coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris centre together with her work at a Rome-based UN Agency.

Suppress Or Express - Radha Gupta - Thursday 7th December 2022

Life is a series of mini-deaths and new beginnings. Year by year, and even moment by moment, scenes, roles and relationships are embraced and then fade away. Life by its very nature is transient and yet sometimes we find it difficult to let go and move on.
 
Join Ash Patel to explore how we can fully savour the richness of each experience in life without holding on and welcome a bright future free from shadows of the past.
 
Ash works as a Sales leader in the IT industry. He is an experienced practitioner of Raja Yoga meditation and its teachings having realized the power of meditation and good wishes. With compassion and heartfulness, he continues to learn and apply its practical application across all aspects of his life, to bring about transformative change.

Moving On Letting Go-Why Allow The Past To Define Your Future - Ash Patel - Thursday 12th Jan 2023

We tend to make mistakes when we are off centre, rushing, anxious. And if we don’t know how to respond in a constructive way to these mistakes, they can multiple until we are overwhelmed and completely off course.  But with the right response, it is possible to get back on track and we may even find that mistakes are the making of us.
 
Speaker: Dorte Haun Nielsen
Dorte has been practising Raja Yoga meditation since 2005 and works as a social worker in Aarhus, Denmark. She helps to coordinate the activities of the Brahma Kumaris Centre in Aarhus and is involved in planning and coordinating local and international retreats. Dorte brings a light, practical and authentic touch to the courses and lectures she conducts.

Mistake Response - Dorte Haun Nielsen - Thursday 2nd Feb 2023

Those who live in the past talk of significant others who became less significant over time. Those who live in the present consider the significant other to be the person in front of them right now. Those who live in eternity will look to the One Significant Other, who is always with them, alongside all the others as they come and go. That One is truly significant and though sometimes elusive and mysterious, considers you a significant other too. 
 
Speaker: Maureen Chen is a native of Sydney, Australia, and is currently the Co-ordinator of the Yarra Valley Living Centre, a retreat centre near Melbourne. She is the author of a book: Mystic at the Edge, a Western Woman Coloured by Asia, a deep and reflective spiritual travelogue of her own journey.

My Significant Other - Maureen Chen - Thursday 9th February 2023

We spend over one third of our life sleeping. Sleep is not only comforting but is essential for our physical and mental well-being. Yet over a quarter of the population report having poor quality sleep. The media have even coined a term for it: junk sleep. Too much stimulation, worry and anxiety are some of the main culprits. In this talk explore the mysterious world of sleep along with some practical tips to secure a more soothing snooze.
 
Now based in Leeds, Joanna Kitto is the co-ordinator of the Brahma Kumaris activities in the Isle of Man. She formerly worked as a Psychology lecturer for over 25 years in Hong Kong and the Isle of Man

Secrets Of Serene Sleep - Joanna Kitto - Thursday 23rd February 2023

As the atmosphere of spring enters the soul, the desire arises to clear off the weeds, nourish the soil and plant seeds with the hope of creating a future landscape of colour, fragrance and beauty for all to enjoy.  Such predictable abundance of nature, echoes the richness of our own inner being and the inspiration and impulse for growth.  

Speaker: Georgina Valentine
With a background in the arts and a lifelong interest in the natural world, Georgina has explored the connection between the inner and outer worlds through meditation, work in the community and creative activities.   Now based in Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, Georgina spent 25 years helping to co-ordinate BK activities in Sheffield.

Spiritual Gardening Clearing Space - Nurturing Growth - Georgina Valentine - Thursday 2nd March 2023

Embracing Equity - From the Inside Out
Honouring the theme of International Women’s Day

In humanity’s journey towards higher consciousness, we are witnessing the birth of a compassionate human family which seeks for all to survive and thrive as equals.  Equality however, isn’t just the result of a society that makes room at the table for all, it is an eternal truth, which if recognised by the heart, makes equity a natural expression of our deeper spiritual kinship.   

Join Jane Kay in conversation with Sarah Trueman

Jane first started meditating with the Brahma Kumaris in Brazil in 1981. She spent time in Brazil, Florida and Costa Rica co-ordinating activities for BK centres. Jane is currently a Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds. She is a warm, engaging and insightful speaker with a wealth of experience. Jane enjoys sharing the wisdom contained within the teachings of Raja Yoga and the benefits of their practical application in her life.
 
Sarah is an engaging facilitator with a light hearted and down to earth approach. She enjoys sharing the methods she uses to experience self-esteem. Sarah has been a student of Raja Yoga meditation for over 20 years, creating self-development workshops both for the Brahma Kumaris and as a self employed trainer and coach in the public and private sectors. She currently facilitates and coordinates events and social media for the Brahma Kumaris in Leeds.

Embracing Equity - From the Inside Out - Jane Kay & Sarah Trueman - Thursday 8th March 2023

Colourful and vibrant are words we use to describe people whose energy brightens our day. However, when we forget our true selves and get stuck in negativity it’s as if we’ve turned down the brightness level on our soul, and we get stuck in a black, white and grey world. Since colours are frequencies, what does it feel like to be living the full spectrum of our true selves?  
 
Speaker: Shantanu Mandal is a graduate in Fashion Design from the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology in Kolkata, India and also holds a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts.  Shantanu is passionate about  values and how they can be lived and applied in the fields of education,  well-being,  youth and the environment.  In 2019, Shantanu was one of seven youths to be funded by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to attend COP 25 in Madrid.  Since then he has been representing the Brahma Kumaris Youth at a number of high profile environmental conferences. Shantanu is currently  living and volunteering for the national coordinating office of the Brahma Kumaris in London.

The Colours Of The Soul - Shantanu Mandal - Thursday 16th March 2023

Whether it’s changing a detrimental habit or facing new or challenging situations; when we lack inner strength, everything feels like a struggle.  Our speaker this evening will explore how we can cultivate our mental and spiritual strength and build the resilience needed to successfully navigate the ups and downs of everyday life.  

Speaker: Hans Haiert
Hans has been a student of the Brahma Kumaris since 1990 and helps in the coordination of the Munich Centre since 1995. He also assists with BK service on a national level in Germany. His speciality is to look at this spiritual knowledge from the universal perspectives of science, psychology and philosophy.  Hans has shared his insights in lectures and seminars in more than 40 countries.  A qualified lawyer, specialising in environmental laws, he also holds a degree in economics.

Regaining Inner Strength - Hans Haiert - Thursday 23rd March 2023

If you feel impatient to move beyond obstacles and reach your destination as soon as possible, your very impatience can keep you stuck on a plateau.  Each relationship, situation and moment contains the perfect conditions to unlearn the deceptions that keep you from seeing that the journey is timeless, and the destination is constantly present.  

Speaker: Linda Lee  is  based in Brighton from where she coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris in the locality. Linda has travelled to many countries around the world sharing her enthusiasm for the practical yet simple way of life that the Brahma Kumaris wisdom teaches. She has a deep love for truth and always speaks from her own experience with refreshing honesty and humour.

Trusting The Journey - Linda Lee - Thursday 30th March 2023

Conscience truly is that friend who gently or not so gently prompts us in the direction of our highest good.  In fact a form of ‘conscience therapy’ suggests that most of our personal dilemmas can be solved by heeding its call.  Whether it is improving health, relationships, mental well-being or finding our higher purpose, conscience faithfully guides us, and even if ignored, still waits in the wings for us to recognize it as the voice of truth that can truly set us free.  
 
Speaker: Rachel Priestman
Rachel’s varied career has spanned librarianship, urban regeneration, PR and marketing, events and arts management - and a few other things in between. She currently volunteers with the Brahma Kumaris at Global Co-operation House in London, where she helps with media and public engagement activities.

Let Your Conscience Be Your Friend - Rachel Priestman - Thursday 6th April 2023

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (UK), a registered charity since 1975, opens its doors every day of the year to students from all walks of life, cultures and backgrounds to study Raja Yoga meditation. Students find that meditating in this way daily brings a lot of peace and positivity to their lives.

We also join together with many national and local organisations and diverse communities, helping to enhance the wellbeing of people in different spheres of society.

We work across the UK in more than 40 locations and are part of a network of organisations offering activities in over 110 countries. Our spiritual headquarters is in Mount Abu, in the Aravali mountain range, Rajasthan, India.

Brahma Kumaris, UK was established as a Registered Charity in 1975 and charges no fees for any of its activities, being funded by voluntary contributions.

Registered Charity No: England & Wales (269971) and Scotland (SC040512).

Global Cooperation House

Brahma Kumaris UK