Stronger together: the power of song

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 17th March 2026

I went to a fab community singing event on Sunday night to raise money for the charity My Israel | ישראל שלי who I didn’t know too much about until last night actually even though I have been following them on and off online mainly since October 7th.

However, after finding out exactly what they do after their initial presentation and video, I felt compelled to take part in their raffle – it was the least I could do. It was something I could do within my control to help those in Israel to work through, heal and recover from their trauma, to be able to rebuild their lives, to be able to see the brighter side of life, to achieve all that they dream of and simply enjoy their lives again – and do simple things that many of you might take for granted – connect with their families and friends after everything they have experienced, whether from October 7th, the current war, or other traumatic experiences they have had to face in their lives.

So, back to yesterday’s community event, the raffle involved only those of us with rectangular yellow stickers on our tops which we were given when we bought a ticket – to make it clear in the room who was participating in the activity they were planning to do on stage later on in the second half of the evening with the audience after we had taken a short break. We had to guess whether one of the guys on stage was tossing the coin heads or tails, and we either had to put our hands on our heads or else on our bottoms. It was a bit more of a dynamic way of doing a raffle but fun nevertheless! There were about 4 or 5 rounds of this before they announced the 8 raffle prize winners who were left standing. I managed two rounds and then I had to stand down so I got no prize sadly! Another time maybe I will have more luck.

I always love getting involved where I can in these kinds of community singing events as it’s always such an uplifting experience and getting together as a community always helps make our world feel a bit brighter and much more joyful and connected. Our feelings of resilience and love for Israel also grow when we learn a song at these kinds of events when we focus on singing all the different harmonies together side by side, whatever our level and experience of singing.

We sang the song “Lean on Me” – a song sung originally by Bill Withers in 1972 – which was a great song with the kind of positive messaging we needed to hear as a community at this difficult time.

“Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on”

(Lean on Me lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group)

The choir leader Hilla Moshenson was fabulous and kept us on our feet, made us laugh and helped us continually improve our performance with her tips and advice. She has an amazing voice so was a hard act to follow, but she did get me singing soprano which I don’t normally sing which is a little bit out of my comfort zone. Normally, in my local Rock Choir sessions, I sing in the lower altos but it is fun singing the higher notes and can sometimes get you feeling a bit giddy but always in a good way! Time went quickly and spirits were high by the end.

Here’s a recording of what we sang last night:

MyIsrael do incredible work. They help teens who struggle with addiction, isolation, and neglect. They help the elderly. They help women and men devastated by October 7th heal through therapy, holistic care, and giving them the strength to rebuild. They have a whole range of different projects including the use of art, animal and yoga therapy to help people through their trauma – they provide a safe space for people to be themselves, feel alive within and not defined by their trauma. A well-worthy cause.

Do check out MyIsrael charity’s website for more information about what they do.

Paddington is a must-see

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 14th March 2026

Last Sunday, I went with my son to see “Paddington the musical” at the Savoy theatre in town. We went with the Jewish Deaf Association (JDA) as part of their D Club where they host different kinds of activities for the kids whether it’s cupcake decorating, trampolining, art workshops, or going to the theatre, and other things too that I’m sure I’ve missed off the list. They get very good deals on the theatre due to everyone having some level of hearing loss, that we got seats for £10 for each child and the carer goes free.

It was an amazing experience. I was a bit worried at first as we we’re in the dress circle and wondering why we were all placed there, I then saw a couple of screens in front of me with subtitles which got me excited as I’ve never had this experience before at the theatre. Also, as well as being able to catch up on missed speech during the show, there were lots of speakers around where we were sitting and the sound quality was really good which also made a big difference. So even though I was higher up than I originally thought we would be, it worked out well due to all these adaptations for people with hearing loss like me, and also those with cochlear implants.

I loved the show – I would totally recommend it for kids but also for adults too. It had some lovely messaging, and Paddington was so adorable. It was great to see how some of the characters changed their tune and fell in love with the bear. It did get me feeling quite emotional by the end as the show was very heart-warming and exactly what I needed to hear that day. It was a big rush to get to the theatre but it was totally worth it once I got there.

Plus at the end – a bonus – we got to meet Paddington after the show – including the guy who did the voice of Paddington and the little lady dwarf who dressed as Paddington. She was lovely to chat to – it was funny because my 9 year old son was confused as to why she could just leave on her own to walk the streets of London as she was smaller than him!

This theatre trip has also prompted me to look into getting an Access card as I could get some benefits and experience something similar again when going to the theatre. It’s good not to miss out on so much – and makes such a difference when I can easily hear what people are saying, something I never take for granted. For further information on captioned performances, you can visit Stagetext but it was also really handy to receive an Access performance guide in the post a few days after I saw Paddington – sent to me by the JDA – but which I have since also seen published online on the Official London Theatre’s website that you can download to view the upcoming performances that have special access arrangements for people with hearing loss like me. It would be lovely to have this experience again at the theatre which put me at ease and helped me to enjoy the show much more.

Merry Christmas everyone

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 24th December 2025

Three weeks ago, I went to the Reel Cinema in Borehamwood to see Andre Rieu’s Christmas concert. Even though I’ve been following him on social media for a while and seen snippets of his concerts online, I’ve never experienced a whole concert and was intrigued to find out why my Mum used to love watching his concerts.

Even though I was one of the younger ones in the audience at the cinema, live at the concert however, there were lots of little ones and older children who attended the concert live whether it was with one parent or both, or grandparents – there were lots of couples, lots of people went with their loved ones, their friends or families, all generations, to enjoy the beautiful, uplifting, soulful music they were about to listen to live in the city of Maastricht.

Andre Rieu is a great guy, he is very down to earth as well as at the same time holding a big space – and a safe, inclusive one too – for everyone to experience his brilliant musical creations.

Everyone was free to enjoy the music as they wished, which showed up differently for everyone in their own unique way, and everyone had an amazing time. He said something poignant in between songs whilst he was talking about the fact that his orchestra members and soloists come from thirteen different nations, and that was “if we all made music together”, like the music being made at this event, “then imagine what kind of world we could create”. Just imagine if there was much more peace, love and joy in the world… only good can ever come from this place.

Every moment of the show was carefully thought out, the mood of each song was captured well by all the dancers in their colourful dresses and costumes who waltzed into the theatre, and the loving atmosphere that was created by Andre Rieu and his team of amazing musicians who all brought a piece of their heart and soul to the production. There were so many people in the orchestra, in the brass band, many dancers all around the room all dressed up in their beautiful, vibrant costumes, some on the ice-skating rink but most of them were scattered all over the theatre, making the audience feel like they were part of the show.

There were lots of funny moments in the audience during some of the songs being played, including a Strauss piece that kept getting faster and faster whilst people danced with the flow and vibe that the music created. Lots of smiles, tears of joy and connection, and generally overall, lots of joy and childlike wonder in the room as the atmosphere in the room intensified. I loved the way he kept teasing the audience when they clearly weren’t going anywhere and wanted their encores which was essentially a large part of the performance too. From then on, I loved how the positive, joyful vibes skyrocketed as the audience danced freely and happily amongst themselves without a care in the world and focusing on putting all their energy into singing and dancing to the music being played in the festive spirit of Christmas.

The atmosphere was divine, you could see how much fun everyone was having by the look on their faces.

It wasn’t quite the same watching it at the cinema because I did want to get up and dance (the thought was there at least). I loved how the flurry of balloons dropped out of nowhere onto the audience around the time the song “All I want for Christmas is you” was being sung by the incredible Emma Kok  – I had to make-do with clapping and “feeling the beat” in my cinema seat. I also loved all the atmospheric add-ons too like all the fake snow that fell on the entire audience during the rendition of the popular Frozen song “Let it go” which I never seem to tire of and get out of my head – it’s also a great karaoke song!

At the end of the show, I left with a feeling of joy knowing I’ve finally been in my Mum’s shoes and experienced an Andre Rieu concert for myself after all these years. It made me wonder what my Mum was like at these concerts. She was always quite modest so I can’t see her getting up and dancing but I’m sure she loved listening to it all and was one of those women who shed a few tears here and there, tears of joy, tears of compassion, tears of love and joy, all of it. There was a guy there who played the pan flute beautifully, Michel Tirabosco, who plays the famous Star Wars: Attack of the Clones together with Andre Rieu and his amazing orchestra without hands. It really was a beautiful performance all in all – one day I hope to experience this concert live and have added this to my bucket list of musical experiences I would like to try out and experience for myself.

If you would like to watch the concert, it is now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SOm_UnS-HM4

And here is a taste of the atmosphere in the room: https://youtu.be/rC7IsX_muok

Merry Christmas everyone to all those celebrating at this time of year! Wishing you much peace and happiness for the year ahead. Blessings to you all.

What do you choose?

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 11th October 2025

I have a little story to tell. One day recently whilst I was at a Campaign against Antisemitism march in Central London, my 9 year old son spoke to me about a Christian lady who was holding a poster saying “I love Jews”. He said to me, why does she love Jews? Me and this nice Christian lady just looked at each other, didn’t really know what to say, I shrugged and said “Why not?” in a light tone of voice. Then she said “Bless him” and we laughed it off. What else could we do…

I still don’t have the words to explain to a young child why we are hated so much. With the older ones, we at least know they have a better understanding of antisemitism and what happened on October 7th as they’ve been taught about it at school. However, there is simply no justification for it all.

It’s all very difficult especially as we are doing our very best as parents to show our kids love and affection as much as we can, and always encouraging them to be their best self. At the same time, we do our best to teach them to behave in a kind, respectful way, around friends, family, strangers, and all others around us. The expression “treat people how you want to be treated” is always a great reminder and message to give kids (and adults too) and helps to give them a better perspective and insight on how perhaps they could be kinder to others, especially when they want to be treated better. We teach the Jewish (and British) values that we were taught by our parents and teachers that still hold true.

It’s hard for young people to process, I find it hard to process all of this as an adult and still feel unable to comprehend how I can possibly be living in a time like this. I shudder to think about what my mum or grandparents would make of all of this, especially since we’ve had the Holocaust. Isn’t that more than enough already… I never thought I would ever see a repeat of it at any scale and this ancient hate resurface as it has done all over the world over the past two years.

Key Jewish values that we are taught from a young age by our parents, in school, centre around justice, repairing the world (Tikkun Olam), the importance of community, learning to be better human beings, and gratitude – all of which derive from the Ten Commandments. We believe in having compassion and dignity for all people, and we use these values as a guide, otherwise known as a moral compass, to help us make good choices and and improve society as a whole. No matter how religious we are, these values are woven into daily life and tradition, some more than others of course, and this determines how we treat people. We aren’t all perfect, none of us are, but this is the same for every human being – no-one is perfect.

There are people out there who are so quick to want to destroy lives – however, this only serves as a positive lesson to all of us to make living life even more precious. The darkness out there drives us to want to live life to the full even more and the light feels even brighter when we experience this. This is possibly what our enemies don’t realise – their efforts to bring us down only serve a bigger purpose, and all we can possibly do is rise above them.

In the face of the rising antisemitism towards Jewish people, all we can do in response is continue building on our own resilience; good habits, self-care and daily actions that bring us peace and joy, and enhance whenever we can the warmth of being part of a spiritually close-knit community, which is even more precious than ever. Not forgetting to simply fill our hearts with gratitude with all that is beautiful and loving in this world, and all that is dear to us, including our friends, families and non-Jewish allies who are standing with us in the light and who embrace the truth of who we are. The best we can do is to focus on the things we can control and all the people that do care about us. We need to fill up our own cups with light and joy as much as possible, and shine our lights brighter greater than ever before.

Light the way for others to follow suit.

Love has to win. It has to. I have hope and faith in what I believe in, in the good of mankind, and more importantly, I choose to be on the right side of history.

 

Sing – the world needs to hear your voice

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 19th August 2025

My hard copy, paperback book has been well-travelled as you can see from the front! I bought it ages ago – in September 2024 – and in the hope I will get through it, even if a couple of pages at a time, I kept taking it with me to places when I had a spare 10 mins to read, usually at pick up time or in between tasks or on the weekend in my relaxation or “spare” time. I would also move it up and down the house as a reminder to read it!

However, even though I got through 20 pages or so over that time, something else always took over, and it was taking forever to get through it, to the point I never thought I would finish it…. I would always get distracted by something I’m doing or listening to a talk or some music on my phone, and most of the time, I couldn’t muster up the motivation to just sit and pause with a book, even if for 10-15 minutes.

I’ve been finding it hard to get back into the habit of reading, especially over the past year whilst I’ve been pouring a lot of my energy into looking for a new part-time role, and making the time to read for pleasure.

I went on holiday to Lanzarote over the past week and took this book with me (as well as my Kindle which was probably a bit optimistic!) and have now again (finally) realised the joy that reading can bring, which I had forgotten about after it’s been so long since I’ve been engrossed in a book.

It is nice still to read for pleasure – and a different exercise to the kind of reading I do for work. As a freelance Editor, I have to read through lots of different, interesting, inspiring articles and so I am naturally in the habit of reading things and making sure it all flows well and the spelling and grammar is correct. When reading for relaxation however, I don’t have the worry of all the editing I usually do, but I do have to be careful not to put my “Editor hat” on when reading in this way especially when I occasionally spot the odd spelling error in the text I’m reading!

As with everything I do, I need to make a habit of reading to be able to fit this into my busy schedule.

Anyway, so back to my original point. I’ve been ploughing through Caroline Redman Lusher’s book over the past week whilst on holiday, and even though I really wasn’t sure what to expect, I was really excited to read it to find out more about Caroline, who is the gem behind the scenes and set-up of Rock Choir, a community choir that I am passionate about, that operates all over the UK.

I’m now over half way through the book, and wow, this lady is incredible. She has absolutely put her heart and soul into the making of Rock Choir, and the pure passion for what she does and continues to create is just amazing.

Her sheer determination, hard work and perseverance in making her dreams come well and truly alive is astounding despite all the obstacles and health challenges that she has faced along the way. She has given so much of herself and her life to the success of it as I see for myself, and it continues to evolve over time.

She has managed to achieve a brilliant name for herself in the name of Rock Choir which I am so proud to be a member of for the past six years. I am also personally grateful for what she has created and to be part of this growing rock singing movement and all that it stands for in helping members feel part of a community with a shared passion for pop music, helping us all build meaningful friendships and more importantly, helping us connect to our authentic selves through the magical power of song.

Caroline is so dedicated in the way she cares so much about her team behind the scenes who have helped her to “run the show”, and also, including the choir leaders that she has nurtured throughout her journey since the very beginning. The work that she has put into growing the choirs all over the country bit by bit has been really inspiring.

I feel her excitement in the book as she celebrates every step of her journey, the bliss she experiences at every stage alongside her ever growing achievements and the community initiatives she has taken part in, all with the purpose of raising awareness of Rock Choir and all the good it strives to do and support.

As a current member, I feel like I’m part of the book! I am continually inspired by all that she has created, continues to create and the joy it brings to all of us. I can’t wait to start my weekly session when the new Autumn term starts in September.

It always seems like a long time between sessions when the holidays start, which is why I make sure I organise a session or two of karaoke in between with the community group I set up in 2018 for ladies who love to let their hair loose in North London and enjoy a sing-song and dance. Rock Choir is what set off my passion for singing, though it has always been a passion of mine since I was a little girl – it lay a bit dormant for a while until I opened the door again. I remember always loving singing along to songs being played on my stereo system (remember those??) using paper lyrics to remind myself of the words of the song.

If we can’t find the right words to say to express how we feel about something, we can always find a song that will pull it out of us and that we can relate to. There are plenty of songs out there for everyone to experience.

Singing opens up a whole new world for us all no matter what kind of voice we have or our understanding of music – it really is so good for our wellbeing, it brings us peace, such a lot of joy and is such a great way to connect us all no matter our colour, race or ethnic origin; it also opens up those blocked communication channels within our voice to help us express ourselves in a positive way and simply release any negative, unwanted, blocked energy from our bodies. It really does make us come alive!

In early August, I attended a “Big Sing” – run by my choir leader Simon Reynolds – which involved three of his choirs getting together as one in a big school hall in Pinner. The atmosphere is wild when so many of us are singing the same tunes and harmonies devised by Caroline, along with the moves too. There is such a magical atmosphere in the room and you can feel all the joy and love oozing off us all, especially when singing favourites like Hallelujah, A Thousand Years, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Call Me (a new favourite) and lots more. I love all the fantastic community events Rock Choir puts on, even though I can’t unfortunately always go to them all, whether it is just for us Rockies or whether it’s performing in parks or at community events, helping to do our bit in our community in North London to bring joy and spread fun, uplifting, musical vibes across the UK.

Now I’d better get on with finishing the second half of the book….

 

 

Joy is the ultimate goal

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 14th May 2025

Last weekend, I went to a Chakra Dancing retreat, which was where I started my sound healing journey. This time, instead of going for a five-day retreat like I did just over two years ago, I went for just one day to learn about how I can incorporate art into my chakra dance classes. I have a Diploma in Chakra Dancing and Creative Meditation, and until now, since the retreat two years ago, I have been doing chakra dance – as well as singing – for my own self-care  to help me through life and my job search too which has become a mission of its own. And what an incredibly musical and sound healing journey it has been.

I keep coming across the idea of teaching and then I pull out, whether it’s the idea of teaching foreign languages, my native English as a foreign language, and now chakra dance. Even if the subject matter is one I love, there is this fear within me about teaching, of standing up in front of a group of people, of having my voice heard, and finally and more importantly, having to remember everything I’ve been preparing and working so hard for in the moment I’m up on stage, whether in the classroom or any kind of room really. The fear is real!!

On the other hand, I have been working through this fear especially over this past nine months through the process of going to interviews whilst looking for my ideal job opportunity that will help me find the balance I am looking for once and for all.

It always amazes me how many hours and how much work goes into preparing for an interview. It’s endless and a job in itself to find a job, and I can only ever give it my all with every opportunity that has come by me. That’s who I am, I give 110% to every job I do. I’m a perfectionist, which has its pros and cons – as a Copywriter, it is however a useful trait to pay very good attention to detail.

Instead of trying to remember too much information and overwhelming myself, what I’ve done recently is to do my best to remember things I’ve written down on the first two pages in my interview preparation document – which has evolved with me over time – with the most important things I really want to say in response to some key questions that are asked of me on the spot, eg. who am I, why I want the job, what excites me about the role, what are the key skills I have to offer etc. These are the main things I do my best to remember, even if it comes out a little different on the day. The rest I read over out loud but don’t put pressure on myself to have to remember on the day of the interview. It’s a good strategy as I feel it helps to reduce the pressure which then helps me to connect better with the interviewer so that I can answer the interview questions as mindfully and authentically as possible.

This is how I think about life too, how can we reduce the pressure of what we are doing, how can we make things more straightforward so there is less to worry about. Generally speaking, it’s when we are more relaxed that we give our best selves to others, not when we are nervous or under pressure. Everyone is unique of course, and some people thrive in high pressure roles – but it’s not for everyone.

At every stage, I’ve put in the self-work to improve the way I approach the questions with more resilience and calm, and I celebrate each stage of the process. Also, at every stage of my healing journey, I am learning more and more about what lights me up inside.  So even if I’m not given the actual job, I know I have taken a step in the right direction. I’m following that happy feeling right now as this is what gives me the most confidence. Joy is the ultimate goal for me. The next step has to feel good inside, so that I feel like I’m moving purposefully in alignment with the person I am becoming more of and also in alignment with what truly matters to me.

I’ve always been told that I don’t need to love what I do as a job, and that it’s just a job right? However, in an interview scenario, when putting yourself forward for a job in the application process, if this is a job you absolutely love and feel very passionate about, you end up feeling so aligned to the role, and sometimes at the end of the day, it really is just a question of whether the interviewer likes what you have to offer, whether your skills match what they are looking for, and also your personality too which I think tends to be the final deciding factor especially if you are going to be working closely with each other in the same team.

I would really like to feel a sense of purpose and shared passion for the work that I do.  It really motivates me when I can see how my hard work has benefited the team and organisation I am working for.

As someone with lived experience of hearing loss, I understand first-hand the importance of creativity, mindfulness and connection in building confidence and resilience, and this has become an important part of my being and something I’m not afraid to talk about.

Our wellbeing is so important as I’ve discovered through my own self-healing and personal growth, which is why I would love to change the face of mental health and wellbeing of children and adults too through mindfulness, creativity, music and movement, and in particular, parents and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), supporting families through the challenges neurodiversity brings.

I would love to help both children and adults discover joy, purpose, a sense of calm and self-expression through community and creative engagement. I would love to play a key role in helping them improve their confidence and self-esteem, increase self-awareness and more importantly, help them access their positive, happy, spiritual self to learn about their own superpowers, passions and purpose in life, and to help them find creative ways to nurture and nourish their soul and wellbeing through the challenges that school life, life in general or SEND can bring.

I get a real kick out of making a difference to other people’s lives – helping them to proactively get the best out of life, access better opportunities in the future, and be able to enrich their lives in a positive, uplifting way.

It felt so good to be back at that chakra dancing retreat again this weekend. As soon as I got there, I realised this was where I was meant to be and it gave me a chance to reflect back to where I was at the start of my journey. It has been a really beautiful journey since then which I’m so grateful for being able to experience.

There is also something so incredibly divine and peaceful about being in the countryside, and Plumpton in West Sussex, where the course is based, is a really pretty place to be. When I arrived, the air felt fresh and still, and a bonus, the sun was shining – I didn’t need quite as many layers as I brought with. Plus I was there to dance through the chakras which warmed me up and I created some art and a vision board. I still remember always saying to myself and others for years that “I’m not a creative person” but everything about creativity I love now. It’s such an important part of me, I can’t believe I never saw this until now.

Thriving through movement: discovering Aquatic Therapy

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 9th May 2025

I went to see Karen Charles at Mobility Therapies (www.mobilitytherapies.co.uk) last Wednesday to have some Aquatic Therapy which I’ve never had before, at a local swimming pool. I was really curious about it as I already know that movement is really beneficial for me. I usually like to do different kinds of exercise like working out at the gym, doing Pilates weekly, but also, I love to do chakra dancing most days and squeeze in some Qigong practice into my life too where possible.

Movement has such a positive effect on my body in terms of reducing pain and anxiety, improving my general fitness and increasing my energy levels, and helps me to stay committed to my health and wellness journey as I continue to find new therapeutic ways of releasing it all day by day. It’s not always enough what I do at home in self-care which is why I do have to resort to finding treatments that help to reduce the pain, especially when I am going through a flare-up and the underlying stubborn pain won’t go away. I normally give it a few days to a week then I seek treatment when the pain levels are too high and I need that release.

Wellbeing challenges, both mental and physical, are only on the increase and more and more people need support to thrive in life. Thriving is a great feeling – I love to feel good wherever I can, navigating with confidence and resilience around all the stresses and challenges that life brings us.

As someone with lived experience of fibromyalgia, TMJ (jaw pain) and osteo arthritis – otherwise known as chronic pain – which I’ve had to manage for the past 25+ years, I understand first-hand the importance of having pain management strategies in place to help keep it all under control and reduce the frequency of flare-ups. I don’t ever claim to be pain-free, but keeping the pain low is a high priority of mine and I have learned over time to listen to my body and know what it is that it needs. I can’t always meet my needs at every second of every day, but I do my best as I have strategies and new self-care routines in place to support me.

Mindfulness, connection with ourselves, and developing a good sense of self-awareness over time has become a really important strategy when managing pain and the anxiety too that comes along with it which naturally gets stuck in the body and increases pain. It felt great to let go of it all in my AquaStretch session and to feel the benefits of the gentle but liberating release it gave me.

Karen Charles worked with the fascia around my whole body during my AquaStretch therapy session. It was an unusual experience being moved about in this way as in the past, I have only ever had treatments such as physiotherapy, osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, lots of acupuncture and deep tissue massage – otherwise known as “passive” treatments – where I’m laying on the bed and receiving treatment. Although I love just receiving treatments, there was something empowering about taking part myself in mobilising my own body in different ways as instructed and according to my pain level. I moved in a way that feels comfortable for me – not excessively painful but bearable – at the same time as being stretched, pulled and prodded in and around all the tightness and sensitivities of my body.

I found it really awkward at first when I was first moved around in the neck and jaw area as my muscles were very tight when I started, but towards the end, I found that part very relaxing and so liberating in terms of pain levels around the jaw and neck area. There were uncomfortable and more painful parts of my neck that didn’t feel as relaxing, but I did ease into the movement, and by the end, although I stood up in the water feeling lightheaded at first, I definitely felt like a weight had been taken off my chest. Also, once dressed and ready, I noticed the pain was easier. I felt lighter, like a large chunk of pain had left my body. I felt taller and slimmer especially around the neck area. I also felt like it was easier to walk tall with a good posture as with tension, I can sometimes tend to slouch a bit as I do have to constantly remind myself to correct my posture. It felt so good to be without the constant heaviness and fatigue that pain brings me everyday. It’s really good to feel good especially when it makes space for new, positive surges of energy to come through. I definitely felt like I’d had a really good stretch throughout.

If you would like to get in contact with Karen Charles to see for yourself the positive impact it can have on your body and pain levels, please do get in touch with her to book your treatment. As well as at Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre, she also runs her sessions from Aspire Leisure Centre in Stanmore.

We have to power to heal ourselves

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 6th April 2025

We bury so much in our subconscious that drives our day-to-day behaviours and way of being. We all have the capacity to heal, though it may not be possible to see it right now.

It all starts within, and through regular self-care habits that nourish your wellbeing in some way. It really is a mindset thing to start with, and you have to want to improve your wellbeing. It does takes time and a work-in-progress, but as we build more and more self-care habits into our day, into our everyday reality that make us feel good inside, that relaxes us, that uplift us, and starts to feel the way that you envision your ideal life – around all the stresses and struggles, then there is such a feeling of achievement within.

You can do activities that generate the feeling that you want to feel inside, whether it is peace, joy, or something else. Jot down all the things you want to feel more of in your life, and maybe there is something that really connects to you deep down, that isn’t about anyone else changing their behaviour to make you feel a certain way. It’s really amazing to be able to find your own independent, empowering ways of connecting to yourself that make you feel really good. This is the only way to heal ourselves. No-one else is responsible for our wellbeing, only we are responsible. If we expect others to give to us what we want, it sets us up for failure, especially if this doesn’t always meet our expectations. Self-love makes us appreciate all those around us even more when we are better connected with ourselves, it helps us navigate all the ups and downs of life.

There is no such thing as a perfect life – and we can easily get off-balance and come off-track – but it is possible to get into a better flow with it all, and ride the waves of life with more ease and joy. We don’t have to live our lives in this fear-based reality – we have the choice every second of every day to choose to do good, to make the right decisions for our highest good and for the highest good of those around us.

No-one ever talks about this, but our souls often get neglected – and due to this neglect, it can make us feel so disconnected from ourselves, from our happiest self which is why it’s so important to look after ourselves from within too. No wonder so many people are struggling with their mental wellbeing nowadays. It’s not just about looking after everyone else and leaving your soul and spirit behind until last if at all.

Prioritise you, prioritise your spirit, prioritise your soul! It’s an important part of you to be nourished and loved too. We can only give out so much and we can’t pour from an empty cup, which is why it’s so important to keep filling it up with nourishment, and all that lights it up, which sets it on fire even. Yes, it is safe to light us up that much!

We have the power to heal ourselves through therapeutic healing movement practices like chakra dance run by Australian goddess Natalie Southgate as well as other types of healing too. I’m a big fan also of Rachel’s Reiki’s meditations on YouTube and healing practices where I’m lying down on the other hand and don’t move! I really feel the healing even though I’m listening to it online. I do have a much better experience when I wear my hearing aids as I can hear much more clarity in her speech as she has a softly spoken, breathy type of voice plus she has an American accent which makes it harder for me to hear even with just headphones that I have to otherwise turn quite loud to get more clarity…

Healing is all about stripping the layers of negativity within us – we all have it to a degree. None of us are immune from this – whether it be any kind of trauma, or any limiting self-beliefs that you have buried since childhood and beyond.

You have to find what works for you, everyone is different of course. Plus also, it’s not only just one solution – sometimes it’s a combination of different solutions and tools that you use on a regular basis as and when you need them or else even better, if you don’t have one already, create a regular self-care routine, even if it’s a small one to start with.

What is your idea of pure bliss

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 28th March 2025

A couple of weekends ago, I went to a “Simply Self Love Day Retreat” which was held at Loudwater Farm in Rickmansworth, run by Hannah Kern who heads up a beautiful initiative called the Happiness Project.

As soon as I saw the flyer for this retreat, I knew I had to go, and in the excitement of what the day entailed, I managed to make it happen somehow and my husband looked after the kids for the day. This day retreat was and is everything I dream of doing and have been working towards over the past 3 years especially, and it was being offered to me on a platter – the whole day was jam-packed with a large dollup of TLC and absolute bliss.

The day started with drinking cacao which is like a very rich, fragrant, and somewhat bitter hot chocolate, but as I love dark chocolate and am used to the taste of it, the cacao wasn’t such a shock to my system. We drank it very slowly, and before even drinking it, we inhaled the gorgeous aromas of the chocolate mixed in with orange aswell – a great combination – and then gently and mindfully sipped it, appreciating each and every sip as we slowed down our pace in escaping our busy, and often chaotic, noisy everyday lives.  It was a great way to set the scene and get us all feeling relaxed and more energised at the start of the day.

The singing and musical improvisation which we started with, using drums alongside the guitar, was great fun. Also, I stepped out of my comfort zone and instead of singing during a couple of chants, I thought I would play my native American flute which I haven’t picked up for a few months. It sits comfortably on my windowsill at home along with my other bits of pieces (books, flowers, ornaments, card decks, candles) but I haven’t made use of it as much as I would like recently.

This retreat gave me the opportunity to ignite some light back into this special flute I bought during the pandemic whilst being inspired by American music therapist Christine Stevens. I also brought with my silver flute gifted to me by my Mum (whilst I was testing it out in the shop!) as I wasn’t sure if I would want to use it and which flute I would decide to use. I was playing it by ear, and was very grateful for the opportunity to play one of my flutes. There were over 20 in the group so it was a bit brave of me to just come out and play, but listening to my intuition, I went and just did it out of my comfort zone – and the joy and peace I felt in the moment overtook any fear or nervousness, and even better, the others enjoyed it too.

The food on display was amazing and so delicious, made with such love and care. Everything was gluten-free and vegan, so I was safe there and could eat everything which is unusual these days. It’s not always easy to get gluten-free food and I do have to plan my day carefully and always check the menu before I go anywhere. Saying that, there is much better choice of gluten-free food than there used to be, so all is good. Most of the time I don’t feel like I’m missing out and have gotten used to this diet that keeps my gut feeling happier and healthier. The frozen fruit dessert was absolutely sublime, so yummy, I will find out this recipe as I would love to make it for myself and my family. It’s something the kids might even eat – it’s always a miracle when I find meals all five of us in my family will eat, or even just the four of us. There was also Israeli salad on the menu too which you can’t go too wrong with.

We picked cards, went for a walk outside and chilled and talked with people from all walks of life, of all faiths and beliefs, with a wide range of ages too. We drank lots of interesting, healthy, detoxifying flavoured waters with three different blends containing ginger, orange, lemon, cucumber and grapefruit, and more. The setting was perfect, it was local and a lovely place to relax as there were multiple rooms and the kitchen and lounge. It was like a home away from home. The location of this farmhouse meant that we were surrounded by nature, including a lake, lots of trees and lots of birds singing away freely and happily. We were lucky with the weather as although it was cold, the sun was out for the whole day in our favour.

It was so lovely to do a Qigong class in person with Hannah Kern as until now, I’ve only really done Qigong in person at the Chakra dance retreat by Lizzie Clifford I attended almost two years ago, which is the place I was also introduced to sound baths, and in particular, a gong bath, which was one amazing sound bath! That was when I knew I had to do more of them, and this is what I’ve been doing as part of my self-care.

Self-care generally has to be planned and squeezed in – it’s a nice “to do” to add to the list instead of all the other heavy-going endless set of “to-do’s”. They don’t always have to drag you down and stress you out or overwhelm you – “to-do’s” can be fun, relaxing and energising too!

I practice Qigong online at the moment with Sheli Berger from A Daily Cup of Qi whenever I have a little bit of time here and there, and the flexibility of it being online makes it easier to fit it into my busy schedule – normally it’s the 20 minute routines that I’m drawn to and there is a short 12 minute bedtime routine too which helps me wind down after a busy day and helps to clear any anxiety or overwhelm or negative energies I might have picked up during the day too.

Back to the retreat I went to on the weekend, they then had a soundbath in the afternoon which included something different I hadn’t experienced properly before with my eyes closed shut, which was called a soundscape. I would love to know how to do this. Though I was in a deep state of relaxation and so immersed in the healing sounds of the instruments being played, crystal bowls, Himalayan bowls, chimes, drums etc, I was so tempted to open my eyes at that point to see what they were doing as there were at least 3 instruments being played that I heard at once and all the sounds sounded so beautiful blended together into one. However, I did manage to resist temptation and stay asleep as it felt so good and relaxing too; I could have stayed in that dreamy state for longer but at some point, I did have to wake up.

I was asked at the end how my experience of this day retreat compared with my expectations, and I said what I knew to be true, which was that I knew this would be an amazing event before I even got there, and especially after getting to know Hannah, her work and all that she represents.

I won’t forget this retreat in a hurry  ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Photo credits to Rick Harrop

What’s your mission?

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 2nd March 2025

I am on a mission. I’ve been on it for a while now and the truth is I don’t know when my perfect job opportunity is coming but it feels like I’m getting closer somehow if only in terms of guidance and clarity. I hope that my prayers will be answered soon as I continue with my spiritual journey to self-discovery.

I’ve been looking on and off for a permanent part-time role since the beginning of 2023. In between, I managed to add a new wealth of experience to my portfolio that I gained from a temporary PA role (November 2023 – June 2024) at a local special needs boys’ school, and also, via some ongoing part-time freelance work as Magazine Editor of a local community magazine which is still ongoing. However, since last September, I’ve been looking again more intensely once more for a permanent part-time role which is ultimately what I want. I can’t tell you how happy it’ll make me when I don’t have to think about job hunting anymore, when I am in my ideal role.

Having said that, job hunting has for sure taken me on a rollercoaster ride of a journey, and I have to say, though rejections are difficult, especially when I’ve felt so deeply aligned to the role and organisation I have spent a lot of time preparing for, really feeling into the role as if it were mine, I have had to learn the art (and freedom) of letting go.

Interview preparation is an intense process and it always takes time to prepare, not just what you might want to say and how to persuade the interviewer that you are the right person for the job, but also, self-care preparations are necessary on the day to keep you grounded, uplifted, empowered and calm, ready for the barrage of questions that you might be asked not knowing how it’ll be until you walk into the interview room!

My latest rejection felt a little bit different. The calibre of candidates were high (I was one of them), but ultimately it boiled down to not having enough experience of being in the role that I was applying for as someone else had more experience than me. The job I applied for was another PA role, not to the Headmistress but to the SENCo of a primary school in Central London – an amazing school actually with an outstanding Ofsted, and which caters for the majority of children attending the school who have special educational needs and disabilities. They have an amazing SEND provision which I was very impressed and inspired by.

As usual, what I do when I get a rejection, is to reflect and take away any lessons learned from my interview experience and the experience preparing for the role itself, then I plan to do a soothing, energising, uplifting chakra dance meditation or else some Qigong – on the same day – which is another great release that helps me to let go and release any feelings of negativity attached, which helps me to make space for any new, exciting opportunities that might be on their way to me instead on focusing on the negative.

This time round, the rejection has really revealed to me my soul’s mission, which is what I’m really passionate about, and that is to change the face of mental health and well-being of children and adults through creativity, music and movement, and in particular, parents, and people with chronic pain and fatigue, special educational needs and disabilities, and hearing loss.

I’m a Certified Copywriter, Magazine Editor, Administrator and PA, and all-round Health, Wellbeing & Music Advocate, so please do let me know if you see any suitable opportunities that would help to serve my purpose and soul’s mission. As I said in one of my earlier blogs, my heart is leading the way this time round in my job search, so I would appreciate any guidance that could lead me to the perfect opportunity.

I also quote what I said in an earlier blog titled “Never stop dreaming“:

“I know there is a job that is meant for me, and that someone who will choose to employ me is someone who accepts me as I am with the skills and talents I have right now, someone who looks beyond my imperfections and sees the potential in me as someone they can mould to become the greatest version of myself in line with their business needs and desires, someone who can see beyond my struggles and weaknesses, someone who they can see growing and thriving in their organisation using what I have right now.”

Music has been an amazing tool to help support my spiritual growth and personal development, enhancing my creative writing skills in the process, and helping me to grow and thrive. Part of this has involved me voluntarily setting up a new local community group for women who love to sing karaoke-style and share their love of music and the sheer joy they experience whilst singing their hearts out, but also, playing my flute after an 18 year gap, playing the native American flute, and singing in two local choirs. I love to spread the joy of music to others helping people and communities to unite/thrive/grow.

Writing has also been a very important part of my healing journey too. I also love to use copywriting as a tool to enlighten and empower people to look after their own well-being, make positive, healthy change and heighten self-awareness. I love writing about things on my blog site and on social media that inspire change and bring forth transformation and healing in others. I love to put a positive spin on the stories I write and enjoy sharing my blogs – where I share my insights and journey through my life experiences – with a variety of different community groups I am a part of and my friends of course.

My life motto is this, “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up”

Have a beautiful weekend and I look forward to hearing from you soon.