Hello!
A few words to introduce ourselves
Rainer
To immerse myself in, and contemplate, Nature... that is the passion I cultivate since my youth through my work on soils and forests. A forester by training, I've been working for nearly three decades in Germany, Europe and at the global level on the monitoring and protection of soils. I presently work in the European Environment Agency, often teleworking from les Marions, in Bourgogne.
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I am glad to dig my hands in the soils of Burgundy and nurture the growth of a future food forest on our land.
Charlotte
Enthusiasm, passion, inspiration and compassion are words that resonate within me.
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I began my career as a nutritionist in Afghanistan, in the year 2000, when I was 22. I was fascinated by this country and its people, prompting me to constantly return with NGOs and the United Nations (esp. the Food and Agriculture Organisation) over a decade. I continued my journey with FAO, specialising in food systems in sub-Saharan Africa and then at global level. Since 2017, I am an independent consultant, focusing on facilitation and strategic support to teams. In 2020 and 21 I worked with 4SD on the UN Food Systems Summit Dialogues and presently work with UNDP for the Conscious Food Systems Alliance.
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Discovering Ananda Yoga and meditation profoundly changed ma relationship to the world and inspire all aspects of my life, thus my desire to share this passion with others.
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With friends, I launched the campaign "Listening to the Earth" and the non-profit organisation "Listening Inspires".
The origins of Narayan
Narayan began as an initiative born out of Charlotte's conviction - one that emerged through her years of work in humanitarian aid and international cooperation - that a "better world" can only be built from a space of love and joy - a space which is built from within and involves reconnecting to the sacredness of life in all its forms.
Narayan is evolving continuously. From the initial individual enterprise emerged this joint project of a seminar centre - Les Marions, in Bourgogne - managed by the current "Narayan SARL". Another emergence: the non-profit created with friends sharing our vision - Listening Inspires.
What does Narayan mean?
In the Hindu cosmology, the supreme divinity which created and sustains the universe manifests itself through three deities: Brahma the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
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This corresponds to the basic cycle that underpins all life forms (our cells, bodies, plants, nature's seasons, periods of our lives...): birth, expansion until maturity, followed by decline and death, which makes space for a new cycle.
Narayan is another name for Vishnu, the preserver, the sustainer of life, and thus a positive energy to inspire our efforts on sustainable development!