REGIONAL

REGIONAL REGIONAL

The following regional areas have regular Krishna conscious programmes taking place which are supported by ISKCONLondon. For further information, contact details for each centre can be found at the end of this section.

Atma Lounge, Folkestone

Atma Lounge facilitated a number of online programmes during the pandemic, peaking at nine programmes a week. During the summer, they took advantage of the sunny weather and the easing of lockdown restrictions by taking kirtan out to the park, followed by sumptuous picnic prasadam. In December, Atma Lounge was in full spirits for Srila Prabhupada’s Book Marathon, with several book tables, street sankirtana, and books flying out of the gift shop too.

Bhakti Yoga Centre, Crawley

Bhakti Yoga Centre continued their regular programmes online during the pandemic. During the virtual Rathayatra and Janmastami festivals, local devotees helped with preparing and distributing prasadam to the local community. During Kartik, special online classes were organised, and during Diwali, the Bhakti Yoga Centre arranged for community members to receive a special decorated candle delivered to their homes.

ISKCON Brighton

The year 2020 certainly had its challenges but the Brighton community were determined to stay connected, support one another, and continue to share Krishna consciousness with others.

The popular Friday night sanga continued online. Additional online programmes included a daily early morning japa group, Krishna Book reading and ‘Bhakti Chat’ sessions which provided newcomers the opportunity to ask questions. A revamped website helped newcomers join the online programmes. During the summer, a regular ‘Kirtan on the Beach’ was organised, with social distancing measures in place. It attracted many passersby to join in and hear the Holy Names. When permitted, a Saturday harinama by the seafront provided a welcome relief from the atmosphere of stress and anxiety in these troubled times.

ISKCON Canterbury

During the pandemic, ISKCON Canterbury were busy working with the Food for All team and Margate Mantra Lounge to cook and deliver over 200 free prasadam meals and meditation packs a week to those that need them in Canterbury and Margate. Special children’s meals were also available for those affected by school closures.

Mantra Caitanya dasa and his wife Hema Mukhi devi dasi organised online weekly programmes on Facebook, consisting of kirtan, readings from scriptures and question and answer sessions. The popular sessions have been helpful to the community in Canterbury. There was also regular book distribution at the University of Kent – on campus, at student flats, and by inviting students to online programmes. Mantra Caitanya dasa and his student team

enthusiastically reached out to students to give them the spiritual tools they needed not only to survive the pandemic but to thrive in it.

North Kent Sanga

When Government guidelines permitted, the North Kent Sanga met for their regular Friday evening programme at the Quakers Meeting House in Rochester, consisting of a spiritual talk and kirtan. During the summer, they organised a number of popular outdoor kirtan events, in line with social distancing guidelines, such as ‘Kirtan at the Castle’ at the Rochester Castle Gardens. Before the pandemic, ISKCON Wimbledon ran a monthly mantra meditation and Vedic philosophy workshop at Wimbledon Library. This programme was supported by the ISKCON-London Sankirtan department who would organise a full day of book distribution in Wimbledon on the day of the workshop. Since then, online programmes have been organised.

South East Regional Retreat

Due to the lockdown, the annual South East Regional Retreat, themed ‘Mahabharata,’ took place online on Zoom during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 11th to Monday 13th April. There were wonderful and insightful classes on the great epic, Mahabharata, from Candramauli Swami, Prahladananda Swami, Bhakti Rasayana Sagar Swami, Jai Nitai dasa, and Nitai Kirtan dasa.

ATMA LOUNGE

www.atmalounge.com info@atmalounge.com

BHAKTI YOGA CENTRE

www.facebook.com/iskconcrawley info@iskconcrawley.co.uk

BRIGHTON

www.harekrishnabrighton.com

CANTERBURY

www.harekrishnacanterbury.com www.facebook.com/canterburykrishna harekrishnacanterbury@gmail.com

NORTH KENT

www.iskconnorthkent.org www.facebook.com/northkentsanga northkentsanga@gmail.com

WIMBLEDON

www.facebook.com/iskcon.wimbledon www.instagram.com/iskcon.wimbledon wimbledon@iskcon.london