The "Slow Down London" Festival

Slow Down London is a new project to inspire Londoners to improve their lives by slowing down to do things well, rather than as fast as possible, so in Buddhist terms that would be Mindfully.

The Slow Down London campaign will hold a festival (24 April – 4 May 2009) offering activities and inspiration, through working with a range of partners. It will give Londoners a chance to explore slow music and arts, to try meditation and yoga, to sample slow food and crafts, to discover 'slow travel' in our own city, to debate ideas about time and pace, and to find our own ways to challenge the cult of speed and to appreciate the world around us. You can view the full event programme here: slow-down-london-events-programme
Yoga, meditation practices and other methods of harmonising the body and mind are perfect ways of slowing yourself right down, and a variety of workshops are available throughout the Slow Down London festival.

Join Graham Burns for two hours of yoga in the slow lane and explore how breathing practices, restorative postures and deep guided relaxation can help you to slow down. Or you could pop by The Special Yoga Centre on the 24th April to enjoy many wonderful therapies at their Pamper Night, or even drop into Foyles during the week for one of their lunchtime yoga sessions.

Bodywise will also bring us opportunities to explore alternatives to yoga through their Tai Chi and Qi Gong workshops, whilst the London Shambhala Meditation Centre and the London Buddhist Centre (say hello to Palaka) are offering introductions to a variety of meditative techniques.

All fantastic ways of trying to centre ourselves in the present, rather than rushing through it.

(Daizan taught a tai chi class in front of the Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday, apparently it was filmed, but I don't know who by).