“never give up
never give up
time grows and heals all things
if we allow it”
“The Absolute, the Perfect, the Immune,
Sri Aurobindo, Savitri, Book I, Canto IV
One who is in us as our secret self,
Our mask of imperfection has assumed,
He has made this tenement of flesh his own,
His image in the human measure cast
That to his divine measure we might rise..”
Girija Shettar
Girija has practised yoga meditation daily, through good times and bad, for over 30 years. Throughout this period, Girija followed a successful career in the arts as a lead actress in Indian films, as a business journalist in London. She has won multiple awards.
As the daughter of a Quaker (Society of Friends) mother and Hindu father, Girija experienced loving contact with both the Christian and Hindu faiths while growing up.
Girija completed her training to become a meditation facilitator in May 2023.
Girija’s academic credentials include a PhD on the nature of the soul in the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo (Cardiff University) and an MSc in Psychology (Kingston University).
Career background
Girija is feted for award-winning lead roles in two perennially popular Indian films: Gitanjali (dir. Mani Ratnam) and Vandanam (dir. Priyadarshan).
Her citations include: Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (eds. Asish Rajadhyaksha & Paul Willemen) and the inclusion of Gitanjali in the 2002 British Film Institute directorial retrospective on strong female leads.
She featured in Paramvah Studios’ beautiful feature film Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali (released December 2023).
In 2014, Girija won the prestigious Seahorse Award, for her online coverage of key issues in maritime security and regulation.
She has authored two volumes of haiku poetry: “This Year, Daffodils – A collection of haiku” and “The Kite Flyer…and more – A collection of haiku and haiga”. Both are available on Amazon, with a hard cover version of “The Kite Flyer” available from other booksellers, including Waterstones and Foyles.
Practice background
Girija lived alone in India for nearly 10 years from the age of 17. In her early twenties, a master in Chennai, specialist in Vedic-Tantra philosophy and practice, introduced Girija to meditation and Hindu spirituality more generally. Thus Hinduism became her principal spiritual study and practice, in particular the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo. Other faiths of influence: Christianity and Buddhism.
girijashettarmeditation.co.uk 