Why Presence Isn’t About Escaping Life
Finding Peace in the Heart of the City
When I first asked Chelvi where she felt most alive, I expected her to choose somewhere quiet.
Perhaps a woodland.
A windswept beach.
A mountain.
Somewhere far away from the noise of everyday life.
Instead, she chose the heart of Canterbury in Kent.
A canal winding through the city centre.
Tourists chatting.
Punts gliding past.
Laughter from nearby picnicers.
Water rushing beneath bridges.
It completely surprised me.
And that’s exactly why I knew this conversation needed to happen.
We often think peace lives somewhere else
I think many of us carry this idea that we’ll feel calmer once we finally get away.
Away from work.
Away from our phones.
Away from the school run.
Away from responsibilities.
Away from people.
As a photographer, I’m naturally drawn to big open landscapes. Give me a coastline, rolling hills or an ancient woodland and I’m happy. So hearing Chelvi explain that she actually feels more connected surrounded by people really challenged my own assumptions.
She said something during our walk that stayed with me. Being amongst lots of people reminds her that she’s “just one amongst many.”
Rather than making her feel overwhelmed, it gives her perspective.
It gently lifts her out of her own worries and reminds her that every single person walking past is carrying their own hopes, fears, dreams and struggles.
There’s something incredibly humbling about that.
And strangely comforting.
Peace isn’t found. It’s remembered.
Chelvi is a Buddhist meditation practitioner and teacher, and throughout our conversation she kept returning to one simple idea.
Peace isn’t something we have to create.
It’s already there.
It’s simply hidden beneath the busyness of our minds.
As she explained so beautifully, when our minds become turbulent, anxious or overwhelmed, we naturally believe every thought that appears.
Meditation doesn’t make life perfect. It simply creates enough space between us and our thoughts that we can respond rather than react.
That really resonated with me.
How many times have we sent the text too quickly?
Replied to the email in frustration?
Allowed a difficult day to convince us that everything is falling apart?
Chelvi gently reminded me that a disturbed mind isn’t always a reliable narrator.
Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is pause.
Experiencing it rather than talking about it
One of my favourite moments in this episode happens about three-quarters of the way through.
Rather than continuing our conversation, I asked Chelvi if she’d be willing to guide us through a short meditation.
Just a minute or two.
Because there’s only so much you can say about presence.
At some point you have to experience it.
So wherever you happen to be listening, Chelvi invites you to slow your breathing, soften your thoughts and reconnect with that quieter place within yourself.
It’s a tiny pause.
But it’s remarkable how much can shift in just 90 seconds.
I have a feeling many of you will return to that section again and again.
The landscape surprised us both
Although the episode begins with my surprise at Chelvi’s choice of location, by the end I understood it completely.
The canal isn’t just water flowing through Canterbury.
It’s movement.
Perspective.
Life.
The sound of rushing water somehow softens the city around it.
We noticed roses in bloom.
Birdsong.
A woman quietly reading a book beneath the trees.
Children laughing.
A dragonfly – symbolising self-realisation – appearing at exactly the right moment.
It reminded me that perhaps nature doesn’t have to be dramatic to be transformative.
Sometimes it’s simply woven quietly into the places we already live.
Meditation for everyday life
One thing I particularly admire about Chelvi is how practical her teaching is.
Meditation isn’t presented as something separate from life.
It’s designed for life.
- For difficult conversations.
- For caring for ageing parents.
- For family life.
- For busy minds.
- For ordinary Tuesdays.
Chelvi teaches regular Buddhist meditation classes across Kent through Kadampa Meditation Centre Kent, welcoming people whether they’re completely new to meditation or have practised for years.
Alongside this, she also runs A Full Life, where she supports people through mindful eating, coaching and six-week programmes designed to help people develop a healthier relationship with food and themselves.
Something I love about her approach is that it’s never about perfection.
It’s about creating enough space to choose a different response.
One calmer breath.
One quieter moment.
One small act of kindness towards yourself.
A new chapter: Happiness IRL (in real life)
As if our conversation wasn’t timely enough, Chelvi has recently launched a wonderful new offering called Happiness IRL.
The name immediately caught my attention.
In a world where so much of life now happens through screens, Happiness IRL is about helping families reconnect in real life.
Helping mums move from screen battles to calm connection.
Helping children become emotionally resilient.
Helping families reclaim attention, restore connection and rediscover life beyond devices.
When I saw it, it felt like such a natural extension of everything we had spoken about beside the canal.
Because ultimately, that’s what Where We Come Alive is about too.
Real conversations.
Real places.
Real connection.
Not more noise.
Not more scrolling.
Just gentle reminders that life is happening right here.
Listen to the episode
If you’ve ever told yourself you’re too busy to meditate…
If you’ve ever believed you need to get away before you can feel calm…
Or if you’ve simply been longing for a moment to breathe…
I think you’ll love this conversation.
And don’t skip the guided meditation.
It’s only a minute or two long, but it beautifully captures the spirit of the entire episode.
I hope this episode leaves you with the same reminder it left me with:
Peace isn’t always waiting for us somewhere else. Sometimes it’s been quietly waiting within us all along.
And if you enjoy this conversation with Chelvi, you’ll also like the last episode of Where We Come Alive, with Sarah from the Creative Gardener in Whitstable. She teaches us the art of noticing, and Chelvi teaches us how to become present within it. I hope you enjoy – and please remember to follow me on Spotify, Apple or Amazon to help this podcast grow.
Louisa Peacock creates fine art photographic prints that celebrate the beauty, stillness and wonder of the natural world. Inspired by the changing seasons, wild landscapes and the quiet moments often overlooked, her work is an invitation to slow down, notice more deeply and reconnect with the places that make us feel most alive. Each piece is thoughtfully produced as timeless artwork for homes that value beauty, nature and meaningful living.
The Where We Come Alive podcast is on all major platforms including Apple, Amazon and Spotify. Please follow me wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you don’t miss an episode.
