Enjoying the Lake District

In the Lake District

One sunny weekend this July, members of the Sri Chinmoy Centres from across the UK met up in the picturesque Lake District in the north of England. On Saturday evening there was a chance to meditate together, as well as practising a new song - the 13,000th song in his native Bengali language which Sri Chinmoy has composed. There were also stories and a video of a recent trip some people had recently made abroad with Sri Chinmoy. Sunday morning started with group meditation at 6am, followed by a race at 7am. There was some confusion over the actual distance of the race, and as a result some people raced one mile, and some two! Oh well, it was a beautiful course anyway, and the weather was already hot and humid even at that early hour. A two-mile race is always best when followed by a hearty breakfast which was duly supplied by Bijon and helpers, who slaved over a hot stove to provide everyone with plates of scrambled eggs and beans on toast. After breakfast there was free time for everyone to choose from the wide range of activities which the Lake District has to offer. Some went walking or running in the mountains, while others went boating on Grassmere Lake. For some this was a peaceful and meditative experience, while others begged extra oars from the boatman and embarked on a series of raucous and hotly competed races. Here they are changing their rowing order around in search of that extra edge. Unusually for a Centre boating outing no-one fell in and the only thing that was wet was the tea. Yes, there was plenty of time to enjoy tea and cake with friends in the sunshine or to sample the delights of the traditional English cream tea. In the afternoon came a very special event - the highlight of the weekend. We headed along a path for about a mile above Rydal Water to a large cave, where music group Ananda and soloist singer Adarsha gave a hauntingly beautiful concert of arrangements of Sri Chinmoy's music. Sri Chinmoy's compositions are always deeply meditative, and here in such beautiful natural surroundings with the sound of the voices and instruments resonating throughout the cave it was truly a deeply peaceful and uplifting experience. Afterwards there was time for quiet reflection or a chance to share the joyfulness of the occasion over a box of Kendal's mint cake, before heading out of the cave across the stepping stones. The concert was well attended by members of the public, we all had a great time in "the Lakes", and we are already looking forward to doing it all again next year! by Fran Chamberlain View more photos in the Lake District View:more photos from Lakes at Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team