Mancunian Buddha

Why settle for an ego trip when what you really want to go on is a soul journey? At the age of 44, Carl Ashley embarked upon a new career. Nothing unusual in that, you might say. Off the back of a failed marriage, a struggling business and the death of his father, this writer began something of a new hobby. Dating! Still feeling the pain of abandonment, rejection, and loneliness, the loss and grief of bereavement and family separation, two constants remained despite his life having collapsed around him: following the tribulations of his beloved Manchester City Football club, and developing further his meditation practice with fellow lay Buddhists at Sunyata Buddhist centre in East Clare. Having only ever been in long-term relationships, he plucked up the courage to upload a profile to an online dating site... with a varying degree of results. Before long, things changed again, and the would-be serial dater emerged into a single parent father who enthusiastically started collecting crystals, and who realised his healing path and soul journey included family trauma counselling and teaching meditation. He unwittingly and painfully discovered deeper levels of love for himself and those around him, (including his wife and children), opened up to a spiritual path which took over from dating, and even found himself in a committed relationship – with himself! There is life after depression, addiction, low self-esteem, bereavement and loss. Carl J Ashley is committed to being an advocate for positive mental health, promoting mindfulness and meditation, and speaking publicly about his passion for men’s mental health awareness and how facing and confronting his own vulnerabilities as a man allowed him to pursue a path of healing and emotional development.