Singhashri (she/her or they/them) is a queer, Latinx-American dharma teacher and writer. They teach mindfulness and compassion as means to awakening to love, beauty and truth and have committed their life to supporting collective liberation for all and the joy and freedom found there.

They teach at various retreat and urban centres across the UK, Europe and the USA, and support a number of projects aimed at creating greater diversity and inclusion within Buddhist sanghas and the secular mindfulness field. They currently live in London with their partner.

Visit Singhashri’s Dharma site, ‘The Radical Embrace’

Balajit and Singhashri open the three-day “Call of Anxiety” retreat by gathering a truly international Sangha on Zoom, explaining the support structure and outlining the weekend’s three interwoven strands: the lived experience of anxiety, core Buddhist teachings—especially the Four Noble Truths—and modern nervous-system science. 

After gentle “arriving” exercises, the leaders introduce themselves: Balajit (20 years ordained, trauma-informed therapist in Birmingham) and Singhashri (15 years ordained, somatic-experiencing practitioner from the U.S.). They contrast helpful fear with habitual anxiety, quote Sangharakshita—“awareness is the most powerful transforming agent”—and stress that true healing is long-term, communal and body-based.

The session closes with a 20-minute lying-down body-scan that roots awareness in the earth and lets the whole energy-body breathe.

This session begins with a grounding exercise. Singhashri then talks about anxiety and how it relates to dukkha, suffering and dissatisfaction. She recalls some passages from the life of the Buddha, specifically when as a child he sat under a rose apple tree and meditated deeply, relating this experience to safety, dignity and belonging.

After a space to explore this and share our reflections in groups (not on this recording), Singhashri leads us in a beautiful meditation, grounding and resourcing through connecting with the six senses (the five traditional senses + heart-mind!).

Day 2 begins with Singhashri reading the lyrical poem “Enter the Wild with Care, My Love” (“let your names take and root…”)—a gentle invocation to meet experience with wonder and courage. From there she and Balajit lead a body-based “arriving” practice and remind us that every mood is welcome in the room.

After brief introductions they turn to the retreat’s core map: the nervous-system “window of tolerance.” Balajit explains fight/flight, freeze and regulated states, weaving in Sangharakshita’s line that “awareness is the most powerful transforming agent” (from The Bodhisattva Ideal) and the Kāyagatāsati Sutta’s praise of mindfulness “immersed in the body.”

Participants test these ideas in real time: a ten-second leg-press to discharge fight/flight energy; a pillow-hugging meditation that many describe as instantly soothing; and a 20-minute full-body sit that moves and pendulates between contracted and easeful zones. The group shares discoveries—“safe-bubbly” warmth, protection, tears, or noticing simultaneous hyper- and hypo-arousal—before breaking. By anchoring modern polyvagal insights in classic Dharma, the session models how safety and curiosity can let anxiety loosen its grip.

In this session Singhashri opens with an arriving practice that visualises the Tibetan central channel—a deep-blue column of spacious energy running from navel to crown—and introduces two gentle movements (wing-sweep arm raises and “energy-ball” hand extensions) to smooth and enliven that channel.

After settling, we chant the seed-syllable HŪṂ and are guided through the Buddha’s five dhyāna factors—vitakka, vicāra, pīti, sukha, and ekaggatā—learning how to pair each with somatic resourcing, pendulation and mindful curiosity so the mind can stay within its window of tolerance.

The talk weaves in classic sources like the Anapanasati Sutta. Practical Q&A touches on distinguishing skillful “resourcing” from mere distraction and balancing breath-focus with emerging energy sensations.

Our final day on retreat together is deeply rich and varied! We start with another exercise to help us connect to and be present with our bodies. Then we’re straight into some substantial Dharma engagement with an excellent evocation of the lakshanas and kleshas: considering the way things are and the things that stop us seeing and acting in accordance with it. SInghashri explores coming into right relationship with the body’s natural systems, distinguishing this from acknowledging karma as it relates to our actions. We’re encouraged to work sensitively with where we are, curious and interested in what holds us back.

This Dharma reflection sets us up well for a “Klesha Liberation” meditation, where we are invited to be present to anything in our heart-mind that may have the flavour of resistance to what’s going on or indulgence in our habits. In the background is Tilopa’s advice to Naropa: “Perceptions don’t bind, clinging binds.” To get out of the stories our minds make we can ground ourselves in safe, supportive conditions, direct our attention and attend lovingly to whatever is arising.

We close the practice space with some sharing based on the experience of this kind of reflection and meditation, looking at ways to create space and resource ourselves for the work.

Our penultimate session begins with some light arriving somatic exercises to reset the vagus nerve, followed by a recap of the retreat. We also explore how to resource and support ourselves in meditation, followed by a 20 minute sit focusing on sound.

After some questions and answers with the team, those on retreat discussed in chat how they feel when papañca (“mental proliferation”) recedes and the mind is more spacious. This is read aloud through the sit that concludes the session.