In the early Spring of 2019, a friend took me into the World Peace Garden, whilst we were out putting up flyers locally for my Ballet classes. Here was this oasis of peace nestling above Hampstead Heath overground station, which might completely pass you by, unless you step inside and walk along its winding path, finding nooks and corners which have been so lovingly created and maintained.
We chanced upon Jonathan Bergman, who was tending the space, who pretty much popped up out of the bushes and wondered what we were up to! He suggested I volunteer running some classes over the weekend for the local community in the clearing which rests at one end of the space, which is decked and where classes such as Qi Gong take place regularly. I was so inspired by the space that I decided quite quickly I would offer Creative Movement classes inspired by the dynamics and movements of nature! What better spot to be in to experience and get in touch with nature and let it guide and stimulate your creative senses to move freely!
And so, during the summer months of 2019 I facilitated a series of free open sessions every Sunday where people would pass by and join in as we meditated, warmed up our bodies, created movement and danced on the deck, within the most gorgeous surroundings that is the World peace Garden Camden.
Jonathan suggested a few months in that I could organise a session for the female residents of Grace House Camden, an organisation who provides support and care for women who are under rehabilitation and recovery from addiction and abuse. One Sunday we arranged for the women currently under their care to some along for a special session just for them. This was a great learning curve for me to understand how to best support their needs. Following on from this session, I ran a session with them in the privacy of their residence.
I relished this experience of facilitating movement and dance for the community, discovering a new passion of sharing with others of all ages and gaining experience with being spontaneous to adjust to whomever turned up!
Conversations with participants were had and new founded connections were made! It was a gem of an experience and I hope to facilitate more gatherings with the community there in the future!
Have a wander on their site and a visit to spend time in the space!
Testimonials
I would like to thank you for the sterling work you have put in at The Peace Garden in 2019. The creative energy you put into your classes is always positive & inspired.
Trustee World Peace Garden Camden
I remember my trepidation when joining your dancing session for the first time, being in my late 60s at the time and incredibly shy didn’t help. Fortunately, my joy when I’d watched the beautiful ways in which you and everyone in your groups moved was stronger than my insecurities. Still, despite your reassurance on the day that there was no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to move in the work you did, I couldn’t imagine my body trusting your knowing and skillful, gentle and non-judgmental guidance. It wasn’t easy but it happened, by the end of our session my body felt as if it had been on a challenging but also enjoyable and deeply transformative journey of discovery.
Nandita is a wonderful and inspiring teacher. I managed to switch off from my daily thoughts and let my body and mind be guided by Nandita’s powerful teaching and words of wisdom. I would definitely go back and highly recommend her classes. It is an enchanting class, which brings you to connect with your movements and understand better our inner flow through freestyle dancing. I found her class very calming and it really impacted on my day in a positive way.
Life Coach
