Yoga Magazine feature on William

William Bloom is a modern western mystic and considered by many to be Britain’s leading and most experienced mind-body-spirit teacher. The heart of his modernising approach and inspiring courses is to help people discover their own best way to connect with the wonder and energy of life, and then support them in developing a regular spiritual practice.

Unlike most spiritual teachers who present a particular spiritual tradition, he asserts that the most important question that any spiritual teacher can ask today is: In what circumstances do you most easily experience the magic and flow of life?

‘You need,’ he says, ‘a regular felt experience of your connection with spirit that reaches your body, heart and mind. This is the sustainable fuel for personal development and genuine well-being.’

This connection with the benevolent vitality of the cosmos must then be complemented with two other practices:  honest self-reflection to develop compassion and consciousness; and service to the community of life.

Connection. Reflection. Service.

‘Without daily practice people get too easily lost in the overwhelming stimulations of family, work and social life. But the positive dynamic is that just because you are alive, you are part of the cosmic flow, unfolding your heart and consciousness.’

With a mainstream background in psychology, education and the arts, his approach attracts many people from the caring and creative professions. He is compassionately realistic about the human condition and teaches people to welcome the opportunities for awakening presented by the normal challenges of relationship and daily life. He is also a champion of human rights and environmental awareness.

He values the essence of all spiritual approaches and is the founder of Spiritual Companions a new network and supportive community for the open-minded and open-hearted. He co-founded and directed the famous Alternatives Programme of St. James’s Church, Piccadilly. For thirty years he was a senior faculty member of Europe’s leading green and spiritual community, the Findhorn Foundation. In 1998 he addressed the UN Oslo Conference on Religion and Belief where, for the first time, a holistic approach to spirituality was given equal status alongside the traditional faiths. He is the author of many books including the influential The Endorphin Effect, Psychic Protection and most recently The Power of Modern Spirituality.

September 2012