A Compassionate Christmas: Releasing Expectations & Returning to Presence

The festive season can be beautiful, but it can also feel heavy. Maybe you’ve been rushing through deadlines, juggling responsibilities, feeling pressure to “be festive,” or noticing a quiet loneliness underneath everything. Perhaps you’re tired of keeping up appearances, or simply longing for a moment where you can breathe, settle, and just be.

If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone - and this space is for you.

This half-day workshop offers a gentle pause in the midst of the busyness. A place to soften the weight of expectations, reconnect with your inner steadiness, and enter the season with more clarity, compassion, and presence.

Through guided meditation, simple movement, spacious reflection, and warm human connection, you’ll be invited to step out of the noise and return home to yourself.

Join Karuna for a nurturing experience that blends Buddhist wisdom, mindful movement, and seasonal grounding practices - all designed to help you move through Christmas with more ease, kindness, and emotional balance.

What you’ll experience

• A grounding meditation to help you settle into the body and the present moment
• Gentle yogic movements to release tension in your shoulders, chest, and jaw
• Mindfulness bells and soothing sounds to calm the nervous system
• Story-based Buddhist teachings to bring compassion and spaciousness into the season
• A cosy rest practice, where you’re welcome to deeply relax (and even fall asleep)
• A mindful walk in the garden to refresh the senses
• A warming bowl of delicious soup, nourishing both body and mind
• A reflection circle, exploring what you’re ready to soften or release
• Loving-kindness practices to open the heart toward yourself and others
• Affirmations to support emotional resilience during the holidays

Why join?

You’ll leave feeling lighter, calmer, and more centred - with simple practices you can use throughout the festive season to ease anxiety, hold boundaries gently, and stay grounded even in the midst of family pressures or social demands.

This is your invitation to give yourself a Christmas gift that genuinely matters:
space to rest, breathe, and reconnect with who you are beneath the noise.

About Karuna Priya
Karuna began training at age 8 in traditional Buddhist meditation, eventually spending 15+ years as a monk across monasteries in Bangladesh, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

With over 5,000 hours of dedicated practice, an MA in Buddhist Studies from SOAS University of London, and 500-hour Yoga Teacher certification, he bridges ancient wisdom with modern understanding.

Today, Karuna serves as Chaplain at Imperial College London, Royal College of Arts, and Royal College of Music - guiding students and professionals toward peace, meaning, and deeper self-understanding.

Location address:

15 Prince's Gardens, South Kensington, London SW7 1NA