What we’re about
We have now returned to face to face meetings every Monday. Join this friendly and diverse group of men to socialise and learn skills to help improve mental health and well being.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- London Gay, Bi, Trans Men's Mindfulness Meditation Group52 St Martin's Ln, London£15.00
Join a friendly, welcoming and diverse group of between 20 - 30 gay/bi/trans men in this oasis of calm only minutes from Soho.
"I never thought a group of gay men meditating together would be something I need - but I was blown away by the experience. The sense of connection, the talking and connections we make before and in the break - it was so amazing I decided to go regularly as it gave such an amazing start to the week." Phil
We meet every Monday to meditate, calm our body and mind, build resilience skills and make new friends with likeminded people.
We range in age from 20s to 80 and this makes it a great space to be able to meet and mix with a wide range of men with different experiences.
I've met some of my closest friends through the group and I know others have formed new social networks through the group, and it is friendship that most nurtures us and supports our mental health.
"I get so much from this time every week. As soon as I walk through the door, the hustle and bustle is left behind and calmness envelopes me. I love the venue, so peaceful and welcoming. As well as the mindfulness and meditation practices lead by Nick each week, helping me to fall into the present and leave past and future concerns outside, there is a real sense of community and an amazing connection with others that sets me up for the week." Jim
What You Learn
I lived for 7 years as a Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah and have over 30 years experince of meditation. One of my first teachers described him self as a "mess in progress" and in these sessions we explore how to build the ability to navigate some of life's messiness whilst opening to the experince of living a more joyful and contented life.
We can't control life, but we can learn how to stay centred no matter what life throws at us and in this class you'll learn tools for coping with the stresses of life and how to be happier, self-resourced and more content.
Click here for a YouTube Video about the group
Who is it for?
· No previous experience needed as the sessions are fully guided.
· Experienced meditators can sit in a separate room for solo unguided meditation and then join the social.
· We sit on chairs. Mats and cushions are available if you prefer. Please wear loose clothing or bring something to change into.
Most don't RSVP so if no-one is booked in here the class will still go ahead, as it has done every Monday since 2009. The only days we don't meet are Bank Holidays.How is it Structured?
· We start with movement practices to release tension and build energy in our body.
· This is followed by a guided mindfulness meditation lasting around 20 minutes where the focus is the breath and how to connect with a sense of bliss in our body as we meditate.
· Then there's a 20 minute refreshment break giving time to chat with others at the class.
· We finish with time in pairs/threes to have a conversation based on the theme for the night and finish with a closing circle to hear from everyone.Time: doors open at 6.45pm for a 7pm start.
Fee (please choose what you can afford as we do not require proof of eligibility)
£15 full price (helps to support those on lower incomes pay a reduced fee)
£12 reduced fee (for those on low income)
£8 concession (for students, unemployed and retired)Please book online using this link
If you pay on the door with card or cash there will be an admin fee of £1. Online booking is available until the class starts.
Entrance: 52 Saint Martins Lane, WC2N 4EA
Tube: Leicester Square
- Exploring Intimate Touch - Massage Worship For MenEffra Space, London£49.00
"Nick is a great facilitator and creates a safe space in which to work with like-minded, loving men."
This is a guided workshop exploring touch, intimacy and connection. We work in pairs over the course of the afternoon, moving around every 15 mutes into a new paring, so you'll have the chance to work with around 6 men over the afternoon.
Past workshops have all ended with participants feeling relaxed and energised, at ease and with a sense of having enjoyed a sensual and caring afternoon of touch.
What will I learn?
- learn massage techniques you can use with lovers and partners.
- build a healthy relationship with your body.
- enjoy the sensuality of your body and explore how to release shame that blocks your pleasure.
- learn how to use the breath to intensify the energy in your body or slow things down if it's all going too fast.
- a guided Tantra meditation to connect with and circulate sexual energy.
- have fun and meet new people!
Suitable if it's your first time or you can dive deeper into what we have been exploring in previous sessions. We'll finish at 6.30 and have an optional 30 minutes to socialise until 7pm.
"Nick creates a safe, calm and positive space in which to explore and celebrate human connection through touch. I felt uplifted, seen and valued. I'd recommend Nick's sessions to anyone new to, or continuing their journey through tantra."
What Can I Expect?
- Explore exchanging touch with around 6 - 7 men over the course of the afternoon.
- Each pairing starts with a demo so you can learn new approaches to touch and intimacy.
- We'll have a sequence that starts with undressing and brings touch to the whole body.
- There will be a mix of sensual touch and deeper muscle work - in each paring you'll be free to ask for the touch you want
- Both giver and receiver set their boundaries. Learn how to ask for the touch you want and say no to what you do not want to give or receive.
- We finish with exploring bringing touch to the cock and balls and how to draw this erotic energy into your whole body.
How is it structured?
- We'll work naked and the session starts with an undressing ritual that helps build a sense of connection, respect and trust. The undressing ritual lasts for around 30 minutes, taking 15 minutes for you to be undressed in your pair, before undressing your partner. This way it is a slow and respectful easing into being naked.
- We then work in pairs after agreeing the such that we feel comfortable to give and receive.
- Each paring lasts about 15 - 20 minutes in total.
- We finish with a meditation to absorb the energy arising from the sensual touch into your whole body, energising your nervous system with this life force energy.
Meet The Teacher: Nick was a celibate Buddhist monk for 7 years, and on arriving in London aged 35 he started to explore how to build a new relationship to his body and sex through Tantra and sacred sexuality. Here he shares some of what he has learnt. For an over view of the workshop please click here to see a video.
The venue has underfloor heating and memory foam mats so it will be warm and comfortable.
Date: Saturday 23rd March, 2024
Time: 2 - 6.30pm (doors open at 1.45)....with an optional social from 6.30 - 7.00
Location: Effra Space 21 Effra Parade London SW2 1PX
Tube: Brixton
Fee:
Advance ticket: the first 8 are £49 then the remaining tickets are £59
There are three tickets for people on reduced means at £29The other dates for the monthly massage session are:
Other dates: June 22nd , July 27th, Aug 24th , Sept 14th , Oct 12th, Nov 9th and Dec 14th . Click here and navigate to the date you want to book. - London Gay, Bi, Trans Men's Mindfulness Meditation Group52 St Martin's Ln, London£15.00
Join a friendly, welcoming and diverse group of between 20 - 30 gay/bi/trans men in this oasis of calm only minutes from Soho.
"I never thought a group of gay men meditating together would be something I need - but I was blown away by the experience. The sense of connection, the talking and connections we make before and in the break - it was so amazing I decided to go regularly as it gave such an amazing start to the week." Phil
We meet every Monday to meditate, calm our body and mind, build resilience skills and make new friends with likeminded people.
We range in age from 20s to 80 and this makes it a great space to be able to meet and mix with a wide range of men with different experiences.
I've met some of my closest friends through the group and I know others have formed new social networks through the group, and it is friendship that most nurtures us and supports our mental health.
"I get so much from this time every week. As soon as I walk through the door, the hustle and bustle is left behind and calmness envelopes me. I love the venue, so peaceful and welcoming. As well as the mindfulness and meditation practices lead by Nick each week, helping me to fall into the present and leave past and future concerns outside, there is a real sense of community and an amazing connection with others that sets me up for the week." Jim
What You Learn
I lived for 7 years as a Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah and have over 30 years experince of meditation. One of my first teachers described him self as a "mess in progress" and in these sessions we explore how to build the ability to navigate some of life's messiness whilst opening to the experince of living a more joyful and contented life.
We can't control life, but we can learn how to stay centred no matter what life throws at us and in this class you'll learn tools for coping with the stresses of life and how to be happier, self-resourced and more content.
Click here for a YouTube Video about the group
Who is it for?
· No previous experience needed as the sessions are fully guided.
· Experienced meditators can sit in a separate room for solo unguided meditation and then join the social.
· We sit on chairs. Mats and cushions are available if you prefer. Please wear loose clothing or bring something to change into.
Most don't RSVP so if no-one is booked in here the class will still go ahead, as it has done every Monday since 2009. The only days we don't meet are Bank Holidays.How is it Structured?
· We start with movement practices to release tension and build energy in our body.
· This is followed by a guided mindfulness meditation lasting around 20 minutes where the focus is the breath and how to connect with a sense of bliss in our body as we meditate.
· Then there's a 20 minute refreshment break giving time to chat with others at the class.
· We finish with time in pairs/threes to have a conversation based on the theme for the night and finish with a closing circle to hear from everyone.Time: doors open at 6.45pm for a 7pm start.
Fee (please choose what you can afford as we do not require proof of eligibility)
£15 full price (helps to support those on lower incomes pay a reduced fee)
£12 reduced fee (for those on low income)
£8 concession (for students, unemployed and retired)Please book online using this link
If you pay on the door with card or cash there will be an admin fee of £1. Online booking is available until the class starts.
Entrance: 52 Saint Martins Lane, WC2N 4EA
Tube: Leicester Square
- Love is love - healing from minority stressEffra Space, London£59.00
As a gay/bi/trans/queer being we often grow up feeling we are the only one and this can create a terrible sense of isolation. Hearing negative things about being gay/bi/trans/queer when you were a child or teen may have caused minority stress, which is the experince of being judged, condemned and criticised for not fitting in with the majority culture's idea of what it means to be a man. We may have then internalised these negative beliefs, resulting in low self worth. Minority stress can cause complex PTSD in some people.
This results in a feeling that there is something wrong, bad or deficient about ourselves which gives rise to shame and low self-worth and we find it hard to trust others.
In this workshop we recognise our shared experince, and by hearing from each other we create a space where each person is held and we can heal through feeling part of a community instead of being alone.
"This workshop was very powerful for me....to imagine that gay boy being valued, celebrated, and cherished -- not just by my now-self, but by his whole community -- was new for me. This new connection felt like progress in healing my inner pain and disconnection from myself."
One of the exercises we do is to identify the negative inner beliefs and transform them into affirming statements that nurture us. We finish the day with an inner child visualisation where we bring these positive messages to our own inner child.
Sharing our stories and experiences allows us to connect and recognise that we were not alone.
In this workshop I'll share stories from my own childhood and teenage years that explore what minority stress is and how it was established in me through these moments of shaming or being made to feel wrong and there will then be space to share your own experiences in small groups and to hear each others stories.
I've led this workshop at the Berlin Stretch festival and in London and people have found a sense of shared experience as they listen to others tell their stories. Hearing our own experiences told by others is very powerful and healing. We often grow up feeling isolated as a gay/bi/trans/queer child and this workshops allows us to feel our connection to others like us.
Click here to watch a video outlining what to expect from the workshop
Date: Saturday 4th May
Location: 21 Effra Space, Brixton
Time: 2 - 6.30 pm
Cost: £59 full price
£29 concessionEven if there are few or no RSVP in this meet up the event is going ahead as people book from a variety of places.
BIO: Nick started meditating 30 years ago whilst at University. After graduating he joined a Buddhist commune for three years. In 1998 he ordained at a Buddhist monastery for 7 years in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajhan Chah.
Since coming to London in 2005 Nick has trained in Tantra and Sacred Intimacy as well as secular forms of meditation tuition and Tibetan Tantra. He has led the weekly gay/bi/trans men’s mindfulness group since 2009 and teaches meditation to individuals and companies as well as offering massage and other somatic healing work 121.
