I told myself I wasn’t going to make my blog entries seem like articles but I have done many things this month which fall under the same category, so the budding writer in me has come out! To tell you all about ‘Free and budget nights out in Berkshire, which is why I have suitably named it ‘FREE February’.

If you’re like me and Mr.C, who just need to find something to do at least once a week night which is nearby, fun and all you have to worry about is petrol money then I hope you enjoy. Skeptics can role their eyes and say ‘Nothing in life is free, I may do the same on a bad days but I hope to prove you wrong today. Those who aren’t fortunate to live in the sometimes sunny but at the moment very snowy, Southern county of Berkshire, then do not steer away as you will pick upon some hints and links along the way of my fun filled Feb!

Djembe Drumming- South Hill Park FREE

The first thing we got stuck into was a free class introducing ourselves into Djembe drumming, a form of African drumming which simply means ‘everyone gather together’ and we did just that, in one of the many rooms at South Hill Park. This was the first opportunity to say yes to something and I was unsure about how it would turn out, even when we were sat eating coffee cake, three layers of it, at a garden centre with 20 minutes to go!

But we went for it and the energy we got from the class was immense. Pa Faye, a teacher and performer, originally from Gambia, showed off his natural talent to the group of us in a room filled with goblet shaped drums trimmed with fur, and taught us a fair bit too. As by the end we absorbed the basics and were almost there with the sequences. ‘Base! Slap! Closed fingers’, were the words going round in my mind as I knew I had to listen to the beats and remember to concentrate.

With the room filled with rhythm and my hands loosely beating the drum, I appreciated the sounds of music that is underrated and clouded over by pop and rock music. By the end of the hour work shop I felt energized, like adrenaline was going through my body all the way to my nearly numb toes, just like the feeling of riding a giant roller coaster at a British theme park when the suns gone in.

Get drumming for just £11 a week at South Hill Park, classes take place each Sunday evening.  For information on workshops, performances and maintaining your drum visit http://www.rhythmexperience.co.uk

Karma and Reincarnation by Balakhilya Das- Bracknell leisure center FREE

As we left South Hill Park after an afternoon African drumming, Mr. C spotted a leaflet that stood out, I had seen it plastered all around town but failed to notice the FREE ENTRY written on the right side, perhaps I was distracted by the colorful background with a man, a cat and eagle looking out to everyone.  I later found out that cats, cleaver creatures they are, can assist us in meditation and leave us feeling energized and the powerful bird, an Eagle, connects with the Great Spirit and gives the opportunity for people to fly above worldly levels and shadow over the past. A major clue into my evening, as on a snowy evening me and Mr. C ventured out to Bracknell Leisure Center to listen to a talk on Karma and Reincarnation.

It was only a Monday and we were listening to a world renowned yoga master by the name of Balakhilya Das! The evening started with an introduction into meditation; we began chanting Mantras, allowing ourselves to be drawn away from the material world. A first for Mr. C and me and although my tired yawns were intent on staying, I was able to chant to the words written on the pink card given, helpfully broken down into syllables. This relaxed those in the room and made me more focused on the talk ahead of me.

Balakhilya, born in North Carolina, America; has given classes in more than 30 counties, for no charge at all.  The first part of the talk started with the topic of karma. Everybody knows a bit about karma, the song by Alicia Keys and the ol ‘what goes around comes around and that was explained a bit more in that karma shouldn’t control your life, stop you from doing things and all about the actions people make can be carried into this life and the next. The way in which Balakhilya Das was relaxed and informative, meant you could easily follow his drift and seemed to be a natural story teller.

One that I remember and believe happened was the story about a wife a husband and their dog. Balakhilya told of his friends in the US who had a dog called Sergeant for many many years, they had no children so their dog was like their child. Each day the husband would walk the dog down the same path by the ocean, just before the path went off another way, the man and the dog would play fetch and the dog would catch the stick, do a few tricks in the water and come out and shake the water from his fur, looking up to his owner. A few years later Sergeant passed away, a great loss for the wife and husband. One day the husband went walking down the same path as he did with Sergeant, he stopped at the same point they used to and spotted a group of playful dolphins. The dolphins began swimming closer and one jumped out from the crowd, to the shore edge, the dolphin then shuffled and looked up to the husband. The husband stood astounded as he recognized those eyes, the eyes of Sergeant.  Moved by the amazing moment, he went home crying to his wife telling her the story, knowing that at that moment the dog and friend they always missed was there, doing what he loved the most.
   
Now you may believe this or you could shake your head like my dad does sometimes, but all his stories were worth listening to and interesting. To finish the talk, we practiced some more chanting along with the beats of a drum and the yoga master himself strumming a guitar.

When all was over, not sure whether to just, get up and go we got chatting to some girls who soon offered us the most delicious oatmeal and raisin cookies with sweet icing and told us about free meditation! Before we left, Balakhilya came over and we thanked him for the talk, casually started talking about his teachings and the conversation flowed easily into ‘The Boy Who Lived Before’, a reincarnation story that we knew too! The story which you may remember back in 2006 being published in The Sun and aired on Channel 5, about a six year old boy Cameron Macaulay who had a former family on the Isle Of Barra.

Balakhilya Das, as far as I have seen doesn’t have his own website but is featured on http://haribol.org.uk/ and returns successful search results in Google if you want to discover more. The yoga master is spending the middle of February in Northern England but after that who knows, he could be coming to a place near you!

Meditation UK is a charity based in Lightwater, near Bagshot, running free classes for absolutely anybody, to let them discover the real meaning of yoga, and learn ancient mantras. More information can be found on Gumtree- Reading or go straight to http://www.meditationuk.co.uk then send a message to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

After writing this short snippet me and Mr. C went along to a free meditation introduction and took to it straight away. Rishi is such a friendly lady and we learn t all about how mantras work. It’s easy to understand that we all live as slaves sometimes and just see ourselves as bodies. We sleep, eat and mate- much like animals do; so mantra meditation focuses on your soul, brings forward your energy and allows time to relax and speak God’s words.

Prayer beads and mantra card against flowers bought by Mr.C- lucky me!

Introduction to Theta healing, Crowthorne FREE

Keeping on the spiritual level, the next day we went along to get introduced into the wondrous work of Theta healing, in what could have been classed as a small mansion, nothing like our Bracknell home at all.

Theta was once upon a time set up by a women named Vianna Stibal, a security guard turned healer found that when she was suffering with bone cancer in her right femur, tuned into a yet to be discovered brain wave state and demanded to know what caused the cancer and received the answer she wanted. Vianna was able to find the problem immediately and practiced on a family member with stomach problems to confirm it and was successful. This led her back to her own predicament, so trying the technique once again, aimed to heal her leg which had become three inches shorter through an earlier biopsy and the pain in which was it was causing her.

After a strict command Vianna was able to see and feel the change happen instantly. From then on she learnt that for the results to be permanent, both parties would have to go into the same space as she, which holds the key to health and vitality for our bodies. In 1999, Vianna had accomplished 20,000 readings and went onto to teach about the transformational healing system, getting others to connect to the creative source of the Universe and changing hidden beliefs in the subconscious mind. Interestingly, Theta Healers do not do a ‘healing’ themselves they simply work with the client to find what needs to be changed.

One such student of Theta Healing is Jill Miller; now an Advanced Theta Healing Teacher who taught us how Theta works and also made me the example subject of muscle testing for the evening, in front a gathering of strangers. More about that later, first we did some meditation and unlike previously there were no mantras involved. Relaxing back into the cushions we closed our eyes and imagined all sorts of images. For this you had to be aware of where you were and what was being spoken, as it was all too easy for the sequences to seem like a dream causing a sleepy state. If you were able to follow the instructions then final chapter of the imaginary story was for me the most significant, as a round colorful boundless ball of light energy was above me, I felt in control and ready.

Focusing back into the room and after some much needed re hydration, we began the first part of muscle testing. This allows the healer to access beliefs held in the subconscious mind, these beliefs may not be true but they are a person’s beliefs. So the muscle testing works in favor of the client being free of unnecessary negative thoughts of themselves. For this demonstration Jill needed someone to work with to effectively example how it all works and used in consultations. Perhaps I was giving off a vibe into the room or maybe I just stood out in my summery orange top, whatever it was, I was the chosen one.

I felt uneasy about what was going to happen next because I was speaking to a woman who I had never met before this night and sharing my thoughts and anxieties with a room of people, usually sessions would just be 1-2-1. Trying to get over the paranoia of what people would think of me I solitary soldiered on. Jill calmly showed me to hold together my thumb and ring finger and after a statement she would try and pull them apart. If they strongly stayed together it would translate as a yes and if the link was weak and easily broken it would be a no. For example you would get asked ‘Do I deserve to be healed and the answer is taken from the muscle testing exercise.

Several questions later, the answers are become clearer and you are able to explain what the issue is or the teacher may tell you. Then the question ‘Can I have permission to clear you of this (problem?)’ is asked and Theta healing takes place. I have to admit I wasn’t entirely truthful in my answers, sorry Gill! Although I think she knew that already, however the audience were fooled. Nothing like this had ever come my way before and I didn’t feel at ease or able to trust all of my personal beliefs, good and bad into the session that night. I did feel something though and asked whether I felt any change I answered truthfully as my chest felt warmer like my heart was filled with more energy, and the day after my thoughts kept on Theta, Did it work? Has something shifted? In time I will find out.

Another muscle contracting exercise was practised with the whole group standing up facing North with hands loosely by our sides. Statements are said aloud by the teacher and if the answer is yes, the participants will feel their bodies moving forwards and a no would send the body back. This can even be practised at home, start with a true sentence such as ‘My name is…’ and move onto unanswered questions.

By the end of the evening I felt that Theta could give me the results in life that I want but also knew that there are other healer teachings I haven’t yet experienced. Upon leaving I felt the talk had warmed my soul and made me feel more hopeful.

Theta Miracles is run by Jill Miller, personal consultations start from £65-£95 and the basic practitioner certified 3 day course is £395; which in the price also includes the book Theta healing by Vianna Stibal, alternatively bought separately for £20. Visit Jill’s websites http://www.thetamiracles.co.uk and   http://www.pathwayoflight.net

If you are intrigued to find out more about all things spiritual; then get tickets for the Mind, body, soul exhibition. A full day ticket costs £6 and two day tickets range from £8-£10, depending if you buy online or on the day. Starting the beginning of March at Kempton Park Race Course and running all the way from March 2009-March 2010, at various dates & locations in the UK- you really have no excuses not to go! The exhibition will hold stands including ancient yoga, crystals, psychic artists, massage, Mediums, astrological consultations and many more. There are free workshops at different times of the day, teaching ‘Theta healing for everyone’ is Jill Miller.

A stage demonstration area will host live music from Sacred Sounds with Tim Wheater to Anima, a band whose music is described as ‘Powerful and hauntingly beautiful’. To relax and refresh your mind go to the Meditation Room for a free session, try out one of the meditation styles that best suits you. All sessions are courtesy of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, an organisation offering workshops and courses on meditation and spiritual knowledge, as well as seminars on self development around the UK free of charge! Go to http://www.bkwsu.org/uk/ to find out more and to book tickets for the exhibition visit http://www.mbsevents.co.uk.

Swishing charity event £5 each

To finish off my first week of free February, was a budget event I had penciled in my diary in hope that I could scrape enough for the both of us to go.  As it would mean I would have some new clothes to wear and some accessories to boost my usual outfits. If you haven’t already guessed- I went to my first ever swishing event!

Swishing, the name deriving from the sound of silk rustling or the exchange between friends, involves a gathering of women in a room with rails of clothes and tables of accessories. Each woman brings 2 or more items of clothing which are in good condition awaiting a new home. It doesn’t matter how many items you bring as when the swishing starts, you can take as many new additions to your wardrobe as you want! If you were tuned into Twiggy’s Frock Exchange on BBC 2 October 2008, then it is exactly like that!

Oh my GOSH lets swish was a charity event to raise funds for Gt. Ormond Street Hospital, a cause Anya Behan feels very passionate about after her son went through heart surgery at the children’s hospital. And what better Eco friendly way to raise funds, by to getting women to shop without breaking the bank and feeling guilty for it!

The night started with about an hour of browsing, there wasn’t many Swishers that night as the snow warnings must have frightened them all away. More clothes for us I say! The function room was about as big as our dining room and kitchen but they used the space well, putting clothes on rails in size order from size 8-22. A large table was boasting boots, bags and belts, along with some pretty necklaces. A raffle was also drawn and from all the deserving delights, we were lucky enough to get 1st prize pink champagne!

The surprise champagne we won while Swishing!

It’s worth using browsing time wisely, to casually decide what things you must have and memorize them in your mind- as tonight you are on a mission to get the things you like in front of you for hardly any money at all! When the words ‘Ok ladies lets swish!’ are shouted, the room turns a bit mad. Tops are being snatched from the rails; people are picking up two bags at a time and stretching for as many items they can hold. After a good while, the upbeat pace slows and the frantic work of the females has been done. All that is left is steady walkers eager to find items that were a missed in the mayhem or for a worthy friend.

I found myself walking back to the car with double the amount I took to swap, totaling it at 10 items! These include a huge red leather bag from Dorothy Perkins, a rocking River Island t-shirt in black and a long sleeved red ribboned M&S top. As well as a brightly beaded red necklace and a pair of brown suede Office heals; which I don’t know how I am going to walk in but I had to have. A success full shop by far, swishing is definitely the new fashion you should all be wearing.

To find a swishing event near you go to http://www.swishing.org/ or log on onto http://www.whatsmineisyours.com or http://www.bigwardrobe.com for on line swishing.

Roatry club Freaky Friday Maidenhead FREE

To celebrate Friday 13th, lucky for some spooky for others, and to kick start the weekend before Valentines celebration started; we got involved in a Freaky Friday Safari Supper and joined Rotaract Maidenhead for an evening of food and fun! Rotaract groups started all the way back in 1968 as a youth programme. And is better known today as a gathering of people aged 18-30 who want to have a good time, raise money for charity, whilst meeting new friends and getting out more!

Although safari suppers are supposed to involve hopping from one home to the next for each course, it wasn’t really that possible- we live far apart! So we all made a dish each, either a starter or a desert and the main was made by the hosts. I made a cake which following dietary requirements, turned out to be nothing like I had pictured, out came a doughy lump of shortcake kind of cake, sorry. I can assure you that I can cook better, saying that the oven is taking awfully long to do any baking at the moment, but I can cook cakes.
All was well at the freaky evening; it felt like friends were being made as we stood drinking a fruity cocktail with jelly worms. Everybody’s dish was delicious, I think Mr. C would safely say so too although the Mollusc from Singapore didn’t go down to well, interesting though!

My favorite eats were the Kangaroo Balls and Kangaroo pasta (made from mince meat) very imaginative. Also the Dirt Pots definitely deserve a mention as they were the coolest! Plastic plant pots lined with tin foil then sprinkled with crushed Oreo biscuits before adding chocolate angel delight and layered with more crushed Oreo’s. A plastic flower is then added to poke out of the top, to make the devious desert seem like a real life plant, obviously it was a lot tastier. I want to try them out for myself and make them, there just so cool!

The evening was a lot of fun, chatting to new people was so refreshing and had a lot in common, our jobs and where we want to travel etc. We jointly knew we wanted to join Rotaract. So the week after went to a speakers meeting and listened to a talk from a Samaritan, as Rotaract had previously raised money for them, we also were told about upcoming event s and shared our ideas, deciding an unusual place to eat breakfast was a brain puzzler.

Our next definite exiting events with our new friends at Roatary are a sponsored Technology Famine running 7-8th March which will involve the group being greener than green with no electricity what so ever and eating locally produced food, in aid of End Polio Now for 24 hours. Closely flowed by a World Culture Party celebrating 31 years of Rotaract, what a long time! So were all telling each other about a different country each and their cultures, this event cost the usual £2 entry and is open to anyone!

To find out more about Madienhead Rotaract or to view event pictures got to http://www.rotaract-thames-valley.org.uk/maidenhead/index.html and for a broader search of clubs in Great Britain and Ireland go to http://www.rotaract.org.uk/.

An idea I came up with for a group activity with Rotaract was, pizza making! As we could just buy bases and each put as many toppings on as we wanted! So me and Mr.C had a go ourselves.

Ingrediants for perfect pizzas- for under £5

My pizza! With chunky cheese, tuna, pepperoni, pineapple and jalapeño peppers!

Mr.C’s pizza! He chose pineapple, pepperoni and lots of jalapeños- its was really hot!

A little bit after the freaky feast with Rotaract, me and Mr.C had our own go at making Dirt Pots, with both our families- we had them fooled!

Me and my mum Eve making yummy desert!

Reggae bar South Hill Park £4 each

Down a winding staircase following where we could here music, we came to a smallish dark room and handed our tickets to the man sat by the door, to finish off the month I had booked tickets to the Reggae Bar at South Hill Park.

We weren’t sure what it was going to be like as I couldn’t find a description about it anywhere but at £4 each I thought I could do no wrong. Well, that was partly true, my idea was a good one but next time it will be even better.

The reggae was loud, music is best loud when it feels like its running through you, so the DJ was doing that right, and the atmosphere was nearly there. The dancing area was severely lacking, one maybe two people were enthusiastically showing reggae rhythm, others were sat at the sides and occasionally getting there groove on. I was one of the latter, and I’m glad I did, although it was weird dancing on my own but the reggae fan came out for a short time.

We left pretty early asking each other ‘What should we do now?’ and spent the remainder of Saturday night watching The Big Fight Live.

Overall I think the Reggae bar would be best to go to in a group, some being care free dancers also. I would go again as I now know what its like and it hasn’t deterred me from going to other events at the cellar bar which show a few times a month. These being Open Mic Sessions £3, Creative Control Band Nights £5 and the Comedy Cellar £10.

For the extensive list of events at South Hill Park go to http://www.southhillpark.org.uk

At the end of February, we relaxed a little and met up with Mr.C’s family for good pub food and alcoholic coffee- a great end to a fun filled crazy Feb!

Me, Mr.C and family- afternoon pub lunch

More free and friendly things to do in Berkshire

The guiding path is an organisation which provides people with practical knowledge and life changing lessons. Free workshops held in the UK, helping you gain better understanding of your strengths and achieving more through a positive life are held a few times a year. These are booked up quickly; go to   http://www.theguidingpath.com for more information.

If you live in Berkshire and like crafts then travel into Wokingham to Holme Grange Craft Village. There are 20 units in total to browse in, some include; Brush strokes for craft materials and where free workshops sometimes take place as well as Pottery Pals for imaginative clay making, drop in sessions £3.50 plus the price of your painted item. To find out more visit http://www.holmegrangecraftvillage.co.uk/

Links and books

Where to start…..

One site that proved to be the event essential guide was http://www.wherecanwego.com because you just type your area and what month you want to find things to do in and up pops a list of every different type of event you can think of. Genius!

Another place which I have found to be useful in the past is local radio station 2ten fm’s website http://www.2tenfm.co.uk/ , just click on events on the top bar and find the date you want on the easy to use calendar.

Get inspiration from….

http://www.southernuk.com/ A useful internet directory for the South of England.
http://www.giveitagoguide.co.uk/berkshire/home.htm A guide to sports, activities and hobbies in Berkshire.

Free travel…

If you want to see more than just the towns nearby but need to do it on a budget then stay on a sofa for free! Sites like http://www.thehospitalityclub.org and http://www.couchsurfing.com make this little wonder possible.

To meet new people…..

Meeting new people can be complicated, to increase your friends group or share hobbies then http://www.meetup.com and http://www.groupmatic.com both inform on groups near you and allow you to make one of your own.

Another site, based on status updates called http://www.twitter.com is good to search others who share the same interests and you can also find out what celebrities are doing too!

Books to read….

Free To Do Travel Guides Free Admission UK and Ireland by Lynne Wallace Hogg and Ronald Wallace Hogg -highlights places to go, there are a few mentioned, around Berkshire, such as the Herb Farm based in Sonning http://www.herbfarm.co.uk/ and South of the UK but mostly in coastal areas and up North. 

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