What is Sanghaseva?

Sanghaseva organise "meditation in action" retreats in the UK, India and Israel. Our retreats integrate time for quiet meditation, with time for offering ourselves to others.
Whether we are planting trees on deforested land, openly listening to people’s suffering or massaging the stiff limbs of a healed leper, Love and Wisdom can come through.
We aim to explore living fully through service; bringing together the wisdom of our meditation practice with the love that connects us all. This is not just an attempt to 'do good', but stems from a deep wish to bring compassion and love to the suffering on this earth. At the same time, and from the same depth, we acknowledge that we are a part of everything and therefore growing, learning, receiving and evolving through the process of giving.

Sanghaseva was born from the heart to give back to the world. To take the love, compassion and wisdom cultivated on the meditation cushion and spread them. Rather than waiting until we are perfected, we can use the form of giving, of interacting and engagement to help others and ourselves. In the words of Pema Chodron: 'we work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.'

In our retreats we are called to explore our balance of being and doing, to investigate what is really helping, and to expand our boundaries. To widen our circle of friends and what in life we can let into our hearts.
In this way we feel we are offering a continuation of the deepening of meditation, of being open in life, to life, in all its joy and sorrow.
These retreats can challenge us at times, and because of this they can be very fruitful. We find the very skills of loving patience that help us to connect and stay steady with ourselves in meditation, allow us to be fully with others, with the world. And as we become more intimate with others we can find new depths of intimacy with ourselves.

The name Sanghaseva is made up of two words: sangha is a community of spiritual friends, and seva means service.
Although we can each do service work separately we are drawn toward developing an active sangha, nourishing each others practice, and encouraging each other in giving so that we become more than the sum of our parts.

Transforming an idea into reality can take many forms. We aim to offer opportunities around the world for practicing dharma in action, on both social and environmental projects. We are also happy to support and encourage more ideas and initiatives, that we may be a nursery for positive actions. If you would like more information about any of our projects or help and support creating your own please contact us at sangha_seva@yahoo.co.uk.

Zohar Lavie

Zohar fell in love with meditation in 2000 and has been following after her heart ever since. This journey has taken her from the meditation cushion into exploring further ways of expressing truth and love. She now spends most of her time dreaming up and facilitating retreats that offer service as a spiritual path around the world.
Her practice involves relaxing into life with love. In 2006 she began assisting with teaching on Opendharma's Israel retreat.

Nathan Glyde

Nathan has been actively practising and serving the dharma since 1999.
In addition to a great love of silent practice, he is involved in organising and facilitating retreats that encourage inner transformation and individual empowerment.
In addition to Sanghaseva programs, Nathan has assisted with teaching meditation in India and Israel.

Kirsten Kratz

Kirsten has been practising Insight Meditation for 14 years. She has a deep love for nature and is interested in exploring ways to combine spiritual awareness and wisdom with environmental action.