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As I thought about the front room to my little Ashram, redecorating keenly sprang to mind, writes Rob Williamson of the Plumb Blossom Clinic. Now then, when something pops into my still pool, the ripples take a while to reach the edges, but the edges they do most definitely reach; after which I enjoy the briefest sensation of dampness as a tiny little current of joy nourishes my thoughts. But where the hell did I put my damn paintbrushes?
Peace, you see, is a wonderful thing; but it's certainly not for everyone, oh no. People move at different speeds and desire different things; thus they relax in different ways. However, the problem with relaxing is that some folk think

Peace, you see, is a wonderful thing; but it's certainly not for everyone, oh no. People move at different speeds and desire different things; thus they relax in different ways. However, the problem with relaxing is that some folk think they should be doing it in a particular way, rather than simply relaxing for relaxings sake and noticing their heart-rate slow and their breathing deepen as a simple smile spreads across their face, smoothing out their furrowed brow.

Which kind of got me to thinking about how my own little retreat of a front room really ought to look better still, feel. It ought to be natural, light and breezy. There needs to be both a coolness and a freshness, whilst it should also be welcoming and uncluttered, so that my mind does not clog -though not so bare that my thoughts rattle around without focus. Furthermore, it should contain trinkets to remind me of past times of joy, learning and challenge, together with images of inward thought, achievement and beautiful places that have filled me with both awe and wonder.

So do I look at books and style magazines that tell me what is fashionable and 'in' with the trendy set? Should I float serenely around Habitat and Ikea to see what is packaged as ethnic, convenient and minimalist? Or -my little inner child grins as he packs up his building blocks and puts on his adventure sack -do I discover the likes of which appeal to my inner state? Let's face it, if the universe is my consciousness and the entire world my body, my home, and the shirt on my back, then surely my front room should at least be my trousers? Yes, you can cope without slacks, although people do tend to stare.

I certainly attracted some quizzical looks in B&Q as I sat, crossed legged in the Full Lotus, in front of 'The New England Paint Company' section, waiting for the right colour to merge with my breath and my mind After a peaceful 45 minutes contemplation, which was only interrupted by a small child trying to stick a lollipop in my ear, Driftwood (in acrylic matt) and I communed on a level which meant we knew we would be leaving such a hallowed place together.

As I floated past arguing couples, disinterested children, confused husbands and exhausted assistants, I was drawn to a place of reverence, where men silently prayed to rows of icons on shelves. There was a certain nobility to these people; the entire section seemed to be enclosed and had only one entrance, somewhat like a grotto, or chapel, dedicated to objects of power, new but old, dangerous but wise; in a word, purposeful. As I stood there in awe, like so many of the men around me -for no women seemed to have been affected so deeply by this place -the title of this shrine seemed to me to be quite fitting; prosaic almost. Oh yes indeed, I had entered the 'Tools of Power' section.

I left that day with a working effigy of a 'mouse' made by the artists Black & Decker, and a feeling of completeness, warmth and stillness engulfed me totally as I waited in the queue of other worshippers to bare my Visa card offering.

I guess I always realised there were many different ways to gain peaceful awareness and enlightenment, and the huge number of my fellow worshippers that Sunday morning was indeed a colossal indication that I was not the only one seeking a harmonious home life of peace with my partner.