Conscious Creation

About Our Festival

Bringing diverse mindfulness traditions together in Edinburgh for a shared journey of wisdom, retreat, and ceremony. The 2.5 day festival is an interconnected journey, it is our personal and collective inquiry into what is it at this moment that we'd love to engage, devote and create, it is about healing, empowerment, connection and coming back to our heart.

A truly enriching and peaceful experience.

Anna K.

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a Quick Look at what each day holds....

Day 1 - Heart Consciousness

Wisdom sharing sessions and experiential workshops.

10:00 - 17:00, 8 May 2026

@ Salisbury Centre, Studio, Library & Artroom

Day 2 - Conscious Living

A peaceful retreat day for deep mindfulness practice.

10:00 - 17:00, 9 May 2026

@ Salisbury Centre, Studio

Day 3 - Connected Dreaming

Ceremonial gathering with shared reflections.

10:00 - 17:00, 10 May 2026

@ Salisbury Centre, Garden fire pit & Wellspring room.

Day 1- Heart Consciousness

Introduction

A full day packed with engaging workshops and activities, all oriented into connected us back to heart, there is too much discussion about brain but less about heart, the day is divided into 2 parts.

Schedule of Day 1

9.45am - 10am Inclusive tea

10am - 10:30am Opening meditation and Introduction

10:am - 12pm OM healing - The Sound of Divine (with tea break in between) (Katrin)

12pm - 12:45pm Opening out the Space Within (John)

12:45 - 13:45 Lunch break

13:45pm - 15pm From Sound to Stillness: A Reflective Manifestation Experience (Edgar)

15:00pm - 15:30pm Tea break

15:30pm - 17pm Experiential workshop, Choose 1 from 3

• Inspire, Anchor and Connect: an Embodiment Movement Workshop (Ooi-Thye, Studio)

• A Tea Gathering on an Ordinary Day — Exploring Chinese Tea with a Comforting Qi (Wenwei, Library)

• A Brief Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism with Sher Gom (བཤེར་སྒོམ) Meditation (Tenzin, Artroom)

OM Healing - The Sound of Divine

10.30 - 12.00, 8 May 2026 @Studio, Salisbury Centre

Katrin Mikolitch

Workshop Intro: OM Healing is a group practice that activates the natural self-healing forces. By chanting the primordial sound OM together in a circle, a powerful field of harmony and coherence is created.

OM is considered the original vibration of the universe — the sound from which all creation arises. As vibration, it connects us directly with the underlying frequency of existence and with the divine source itself.

Through this practice, natural healing processes in the body are stimulated. It supports cleansing and transformation on all levels — physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual — allowing a deeper connection to one’s true essence to be experienced.

At the same time, OM Healing is not only personal but also collective. The vibration generated in the group radiates into the surrounding environment, harmonizing spaces, nature, and the wider field. It becomes an act of service — like a prayer beyond religion — offering peace and coherence to the world.

At its heart, it is a practice of pure sound, pure presence, and pure intention — serving both oneself and all beings.

Guest Bio: Katrin is a holistic medical doctor with over 29 years of experience, supporting deep processes of healing and transformation. Alongside her medical work, she am a visionary artist. Katrin's work is guided by intuition and openness to spiritual dimensions and the unknown, creating spaces where transformation can unfold naturally. "I move between worlds — bridging healing and art, the visible and the unseen — and I love accompanying people on their healing paths, both in groups and one-to-one sessions."

Opening out the Space Within

12.00 - 12.45, 8 May 2026 @Studio, Salisbury Centre

John Marder

Talk Intro: A Dharma talk and meditation drawing inspiration from a passage in the Lotus sutra. The mutual inclusion of our inner and outer worlds is explored, and whatever it is that stands in the way of experiencing it.

Guest Bio: John Marder is a long time student and practitioner of Mahayana Buddhism and an environmental activist. His dedication to Dharma and love of the earth, drive his enquiry into how to engage appropriately with the ecological crisis.

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From Sound to Stillness: A Reflective Manifestation Experience

13.45 - 15.00, 8 May 2026 @Studio, Salisbury Centre

Edgar Pereira Semedo

Workshop Intro: From Sound to Stillness is a guided journey from vibration into deep awareness. Integrating music therapy, neuroscience, and intercultural practices, this workshop invites you to reconnect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and enter a space where stillness opens the door to reflection and transformation.

This is a rich, interactive experience, shaped by your presence and personal interests. From simple awareness of your energy state, to active meditation, channeling, and healing practices, you will explore tools that you can carry into your daily life.

Guest Bio: Edgar Pereira Semedo is a certified music therapist and researcher working at the intersection of neuroscience, sound, and human consciousness. His work integrates intercultural practices, somatic awareness, and vibrational healing to support wellbeing, reflection, and inner alignment. He is the creator of the Music Therapy Bed and Reflective Manifestation Theory (RMT), offering immersive experiences that bridge science, creativity, and personal transformation.

Inspire, Anchor and Connect: an Embodied Movement Workshop

15.30 - 17.00, 8 May 2026 @Studio, Salisbury Centre

Dr. Ooi-Thye Chong

Workshop Intro: In this slow 1.5 hour embodied movement workshop, Ooi Thye invites participants into a space where gentle yoga and free-flowing dance meet—an invitation to soften into presence, expression, and the quiet intelligence of the heart. No prior experience is needed—only an open heart, curiosity, and a willingness to move and feel.

Guest Bio: Dr Ooi Thye Chong is a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh whose work bridges medicine, movement, and the inner life. Her approach to embodied practice is rooted in years of supporting individuals through complex physical and emotional experiences, including integrative oncology programmes at NYU Langone Health in New York and St Vincent’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Drawing on a rich background in Chinese medicine, acupuncture, breathwork, and yoga, Ooi Thye weaves gentle, intuitive movement with a sensitivity to the body’s innate intelligence. Her work has particularly focused on supporting women navigating chronic and pelvic pain, with an emphasis on reconnecting to the body with care and curiosity.

She holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, a Master of Public Health, Columbia University, (USA) a Master’s degree in Chinese Medicine, and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology, University of Sussex UK. She is a Registered Nurse in both the UK and USA, a US National Board-Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist, a Certified Yoga Teacher, and serves as an Honorary Daoist Chaplain at the University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy

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A Tea Gathering on an Ordinary Day — Exploring Chinese Tea with a Comforting Qi

15.30 - 17.30, 8 May 2026 @Library, Salisbury Centre

Wenwei Zhang

Workshop Intro:

Words from Wenwei

I have been sharing tea in Belgium for a few years now, people often call what I do a « tea ceremony » . And I insist on correcting them :) Not because I don’t appreciate ceremonies. As a human being, I actually love them. But this is not how I, as a southern Chinese, experience tea.

So why does this distinction matter to me?

Because conscious tea drinking goes beyond a ceremonial container and beyond flavour wheels. In Chinese culture, knowledge and theory are meant to be lived with our bodies. They are meant for everyday life, something you can use right now, in the very moment. They are not quite created for intellectual gymnastics.

For me, good-quality tea is a great doorway back into the body. That’s one of the many reasons I’m drawn to it, and why I share it.

What I would like to offer on 08 May is a tea gathering rooted in the ever-evolving Chinese tea culture. We explore how contemporary Chinese people enjoy tea in daily life, discover its beauty, and reflect on the philosophies and mindsets behind it.

I also call it an honest tea-sensing experience. Around tea, countless stories have been told or imagined. The story I’d like to share is the one already present — in the tea itself, and in our bodies.

During this tea gathering, I will serve 3 to 4 teas that carry a comforting Qi: no jitters but calm, no harshness but transformation.

For me, it’s like opening a window for European friends to glimpse Chinese tea culture - a taste and a reference point for what tea means back home. We follow the changes of the tea, let our imagination wander, and enjoy the journey it takes us on, alone and together.

I learn from those who came before me, for their wisdom opens my eyes and expands the world I’m able to see. Everything I seek seems to already be there. How lucky that is, and I’d like to share with you what I learned and experienced, with tea as a conduit.

Warmly,

Wenwei Zhang

张雯玮

Guest Bio: Wenwei Zhang is a passionate cultural guide and tea practitioner deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture. Born and raised in China, she carries a profound gratitude for her heritage, which she now seeks to share authentically with others.

Her journey is one of evolving into her truest self in returning to natural innocence, as Taoism encourages, while gently pushing against rigid interpretations of spirituality.

She believes in the power of tea not as performance, but as presence: a medium through which energy, beauty and human connection can be felt with the body.

Based in Brussels, she curates premium Chinese tea that opens and flows and designs wholesome cultural experiences.

A Brief Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism with Sher Gom (བཤེར་སྒོམ) Meditation

15.15 - 16.45, 8 May @ArtRoom, Salisbury Centre

Tenzin Choephel

Workshop Intro: Tenzin will briefly talk about the history of Tibetan Buddhism whilst tracing its journey from teachings of the Buddha in ancient India, through its transmission into Tibet, and how it took root and flourished in Tibet over more than a thousand years. Along the way he will discuss some of the key figures, concepts, and orders that shaped Tibetan Buddhist tradition into what it is today. From there, he will move into a 20 to 30 -minute guided meditation based on a traditional Tibetan practice called བཤེར་སྒོམ (sher gom), a form of scanning meditation.

Guest Bio: Tenzin Choephel, born in Tibet, left his homeland at a young age and later trained at Drepung Monastery in India. Rooted in the values of Tibetan Buddhism, he is passionate about preserving and sharing the Tibetan language and culture. He has taught in India and the UK, including in Dharamsala and at the SOAS University London, and authored The Manual of Authentic Tibetan (2018), inspired by his teaching experience. As a founder, translator and cultural ambassador of Tib Shelf, Tenzin brings deep knowledge of Tibetan language, Buddhism and culture, supporting accurate and meaningful transmission of Buddhist and cultural understanding.

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Day 2 - Conscious Living

Conscious Living Retreat: Meditation, Mindfulness, & The Conscious Journey

Introduction

Enjoy a retreat experience at the Salisbury Centre, Edinburgh, where a safe, peaceful and loving space is provided, along with guidance and support, for you to relax and connect with your true-nature within, and to gain valuable insight, expanded perspective, and a felt deepening, around your practice with Meditation, Mindfulness, and with your Conscious Journey overall.

The morning sessions are inspired from a classical Buddhist retreat - offering a structured silent environment, with periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation, to support you in devoting your full attention to the very fact of being.

The afternoon offers a 'Meditation & Conscious Living Circle', where you will be guided with mindful breathing experience, spontaneous, inspired, conscious discussion, and a main meditation, followed by a 'Conscious Journey Q+A', where you will enjoy a brief centering meditation and intuitive group discussion, in which your questions shall be honoured around anything to do with conscious/spiritual journey, anything that has arisen during your experience of the retreat throughout the day, and around life experience in general, offering expanded perspective, and opening up all to breakthroughs on whatever areas you are currently focussing, in your life and on your conscious path!

Retreat Schedule

10am - 10:15am Introduction

10.15am - 11.30am Meditation (Sitting + Walking)

11.45am - 1pm Meditation (Sitting + Walking)

1pm - 2pm Lunch

2pm - 3.30pm Meditation & Conscious Living Circle

3.45pm - 5pm Conscious Journey Q+A

First half - Zen Buddhist Sesshin

10.00 - 13.00, 9 May 2026 @Studio, Salisbury Centre

Tom Rawlinson

The first half of the day is inspired from a classical buddhist retreat. In Zen, intensive retreat is called “Sesshin”, which can be translated as “Touching The Heart Mind”. This is a lovely translation that speaks to what is possible when we take a step back from our busy lives, and devote an extended portion of our time to our meditation practice. Our thinking minds are invited to power down, and a deeper experience of our lives can emerge - Allowing for an embodied experience of what it means to live a conscious life. Extended periods of practice can have many benefits to our daily meditation, and help build a more intimate relationship with who we really are. Henry Shukman describes this experience as Original Love - “In the heart of every moment, there’s an infinite love available always.”

Between 10am and 1pm, there will be two 1:15 blocks of seated meditation interspersed with walking meditation. Walking meditation allows for us to bring our practices into the movement of our bodies, and ease the demand of sitting for longer periods.

Up until lunchtime, we invite the intention of silence. A common characteristic of Buddhist retreats, silence allows for a wholehearted engagement with our practice, and further assists in reducing the activity of thoughts. This portion of the day is a container to dive deep, and challenge your assumptions about what meditation practice can be!

Guest Bio: Tom is the secretary of the Buddhism and Meditation Society, and a practitioner of Zen at Cloud Water Zen Sangha in Glasgow. He also facilitates mental health courses with Health All Round and is currently completing his training in Person Centred and Psychodynamic Counselling.

Second half - Conscious Living Circle

14.00 - 17.00, 9 May 2026 @Studio, Salisbury Centre

Gordon Rainey

Meditation & Conscious Living Circle :

Enjoy a Meditation & Conscious Living circle, where a safe, peaceful and loving space is provided, along with guidance and support, for you to relax and connect with your true-nature within!

Through mindful breathing experience, spontaneous, inspired, conscious discussion, and a main meditation, you will be inspired to a deep sense of peace, relaxation, and to connecting with that more expanded part of you from which you feel wholeness, completeness, and from where you access your highest guidance, for your life, and on your conscious path!

Conscious Journey Q+A:

This life experience is a journey that we’re all on! We each have a unique purpose, a unique experience, unique passions, and a unique skill-set……and, much more importantly, a deeper nature to our self, of which most of us are unaware even exists! There is a part of us (which is ultimately our true nature!), from which arises immeasurable peace, love, joy, growth, fulfillment, empowerment, wisdom, purpose, passion, abundance, creativity, confidence, and a sense of feeling whole, complete, fulfilled and at home in this world! It is the true nature of every human being and all things, and we are here to realize it, feel it, be it, and have it be the awareness from which we allow our unique, amazing, wonderful self and life experience to emerge/unfold/arise!

Guest Bio: In 2007 Gordon got a glimpse of a deeper nature, a true Self, and since then has been using this life experience to allow him to Be, Know, and express from this most authentic place, and be aligned on the journey, allowing the life experience and expression that he is truly meant to live! For nine years, after the initial experiencing of our true nature, Gordon explored, experienced, allowed, and integrated and embodied, much conscious life wisdom, growing and learning with conscious living & development as his first priority. It led to the arising of immeasurable peace, love, joy, growth, fulfilment, empowerment, and self-realisation, and a physical life experiencing of great inner-connection, authenticity, health, relationships, friendships, travel, fun experience, growth, indulgence of passions, and free lifestyle! After years spent living in New Zealand, Australia, USA and Thailand, the year 2016 saw Gordon living in Scotland and undergoing further significant transformation, and emerging with a fresh focus, intention, passion and readiness for inspiring, supporting and exampling conscious awakening and conscious living. Around this time Gordon also experienced the natural unfolding of being guided to assisting in the Global shift in consciousness through intuitive energy work at energy centres and sacred sites throughout the world, including locations in Bali, Peru, Sedona, Mexico, Costa Rica, Egypt, the Mediterranean islands, Scotland, and a period living and offering in Glastonbury UK, the heart chakra of the planet.

Gordon is now offering sessions and events in person, wherever he is guided to be (currently Central Scotland), and also online, holding highest energy, consciousness, intuition, empathic connection, and utilising the life wisdom that he has integrated and that has been coming through him since 2007, to inspire as many people as possible to tune into our own power, realise our own true nature, our own unique purpose, and to the unique life experience that we're each truly meant to live!

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Day 3 - Connected Dreaming

Conscious Living Retreat: Meditation, Mindfulness, & The Conscious Journey

OM Healing

Introduction to creative problem solving techniques.

Workshop 2

Building effective communication skills for teams.

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Meet our BuddSoc Team

Meet the faces behind Conscious Creation.

Iris Ping Huang

Festival initiator, curator and weaver

I am the President of the Buddhism and Meditation Society for the 2025/26 term, a Buddhist student and practitioner, a trained mindfulness teacher, a registered counsellor. I am currently doing PhD research regarding cultural adaptation of mindfulness-based interventions and embodiment of mindfulness in everyday life. I am excited to witness and deeply engage in the becoming of the Edinburgh Intercultural Mindfulness Festival Conscious Creation, from intention, initiation to co-creation. Despite the work behind, it's an amazing process of connecting dots and co-creating something greater, unfolding and emerging through connection, collaboration, and trust. I look forward to learning together and expect the unexpected through the festival.

Tom Rawlinson

Retreat co-leader, public communicator

I am the secretary of the Buddhism and Meditation Society, and a practitioner of Zen at Cloud Water Zen Sangha in Glasgow. I also facilitate mental health courses with Health All Round and is currently completing training in Person Centred and Psychodynamic Counselling.

Ellie Wilkinson

Festival curator

I’m Ellie, and I will be facilitating the connected dreaming component on Day 3 of our mindfulness festival alongside Maggie and Manuela. May brings with it the awakenings of summer, flowers have opened, and the trees have their leaves. This represents a powerful time to imagine ourselves and the external world in bloom, a time to connect for internal and collective dreaming.

Maggie McCulloch

Festival curator

I am very excited to be helping organize the third day of this festival! I am an MSc Medical Anthropology student originally from the SF Bay Area, where I was introduced to meditation at a Buddhist temple at age 13. Since then, I’ve practiced meditation on-and-off, and have deeply enjoyed participating regularly in BuddSoc meditations and events. Outside of meditation and my studies, I like to write, take photographs, and play music. I am very much looking forward to the festival!

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Manuela Rocha

Energetic healer, ceremonial holder

Manuela Rocha is from Colombia. She is a psychotherapist and energetic healer, currently pursuing an MSc in International and Cross-Cultural Counselling at the University of Edinburgh. Her practice incorporates singing, drumming, sacred instruments, and drawing, weaving indigenous wisdom into an integrative therapeutic approach. .

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Giving Back Together!

In our initial design of festival, we put into the intention of generating abundant flows and rippling out waves of Conscious Creation to wider world even far from us. We've identified this project of Bucha School Building Project in Ukraine, where a large amount of donation goes directly to support the building the Bucha school in Ukraine.

Donations that's generated through the festival will go to the 3 directions in below:

1) Bucha School building project in Ukraine

2) Gift for voluntary workshop leaders who haven't been covered by fundings

3) Sustainable development of BuddSoc for the 26/27 term

Our main goal is to support the intention 1), the portion that allocated to intention 2) and 3) will be based on the amount we received and the need. We will share with the community about the final results after festival through our email.

Book Now

Secure your spot at the festival and join us in this unique gathering.

Day 1 tickets

Suggested donation for students are £, for non-students are £

£Flexible

Day 2 tickets

Suggested donation for students are £, for non-students are £

50$

Open to all, no restrictions.

£0

Day 3 tickets

Our Community Partners

Meet the community groups we proudly connect and support side by side.

Himalaya Cafe Edinburgh

Our catering parter. Himalaya Cafe is a place for authentic Himalayan food and cafe & a HOME for local spiritual gatherings ranging from music, meditation to community sharing and connection.

EcoDharma UK

Our community partner. Eco Dharma is a network of Buddhist communities offering a platform to strengthen our capacity to take climate action and to coordinating wide ranging initiatives.

Salisbury Centre Edinburgh

Our venue partner. The commitment to community of Salisbury Centre is to offer a place of welcome, safety, warmth and community for all those who are seeking to grow and develop spiritually, psychologically and creatively in the company of others.

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FAQs

What is this festival?

It’s a gathering celebrating diverse contemplative traditions in Edinburgh.

Who can attend?

Anyone feeling called by this festival is welcome to join. The event is open to both students and non‑students. As the event is supported by a Student Experience Grant, we will allocate a larger portion of slots to the student community. The event will be conducted in English.

How do I book tickets?

Tickets can be booked online through the Eventbrite platform.

Can I donate funds?

Yes, donations support community mindfulness projects connected with the event. Apart from joining this festival, you are also welcome to donate to Buddhism and Meditation Society at University of Edinburgh to

Are workshops suitable for beginners?

Absolutely, workshops are designed to welcome all levels of experience.

Acknowledgment

We gratefully acknowledge that all of the funding for Edinburgh Intercultural Mindfulness Festival Conscious Creation is provided from a Student Experience Grant which is funded by the University of Edinburgh Development Trust. Without this ongoing support we would not be able to bring this festival to life, bringing joy and community spirit to all involved. We would like to thank all alumni, staff and other donors who support the Development Trust, including through its unrestricted Edinburgh Fund.

Find out more about the University of Edinburgh's Development Trust and the Edinburgh Fund.

Get in touch

Questions, thoughts, or support? We’re here.