Evening of music, meditation and mindfulness hosted by Geraldton’s Indian community

Geraldton’s Indian community held an afternoon of music and meditation on Saturday to give people a chance to slow down and take a breath during this busy time of year. Perth-based performer and teacher Prashanth Jaiswal delivered 2½ hours of Bhajan, a style of traditional Indian spiritual music. Attendees were encouraged to get involved, clapping and singing along, before closing their eyes and taking a few deep breaths between songs. Mr Jaiswal said the contrast between music and the silence that comes after can be a powerful tool for clearing the mind. “I find with music it’s much easier to achieve a meditative state so I merge meditation and music together, hoping this will make people happy, joyous, and release stress through tears and laughter,” he said. Organisers Hari Kumar and Aditi Mahajan said the Midwest Indian Cultural Society felt this time of year was an important one for a calming afternoon for not only the Indian community, but all Geraldton locals. “It is that time of the year when people are all stressed and with school holidays beginning and the festive season around the corner we felt that a bit of mindfulness and mental check is good for everyone,” Mr Kumar said. The event finished with a warm Indian dinner.