Inspirational Whirling with Live Music

Name: Inspirational Whirling with Live Music
Start: 2026-04-03T18:30:00-07:00
Location: The Alembic

Schedule

Fri, 03 Apr, 2026 at 06:30 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

The Alembic | Berkeley, CA

Through spinning movement and focused attention on music and rhythm, participants engage in a practice designed to quiet habitual thought patterns and cultivate a sense of presence. Whirling is approached here as a contemplative discipline rather than a performance, offering an opportunity to explore stillness, surrender, and embodied awareness through motion.
The gathering also includes zikr, a devotional practice that combines rhythmic movement and chanting as a way of engaging the heart and body in remembrance. Together, these practices create a shared field of attention rooted in listening, devotion, and collective rhythm.
Everyone is welcome to participate in whatever way feels appropriate. You may choose to whirl, to walk in quiet meditation around the circle, or to sit and observe. Witnessing the practice itself can become a form of meditation, inviting steadiness, openness, and reflection. Whether moving or still, all participants are part of the circle.
Evening Flow:
• Introduction and demonstration of whirling techniques and chants
• Opening invocations and live music
• Whirling and walking meditation (approximately two hours)
• Closing conversation, tea, and shared reflection
How to Prepare:
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and socks, eat lightly beforehand, and bring a small snack to share if desired.
This gathering is open to those new to Sufi practice as well as those with experience. No prior whirling experience is required.

Aziz Abbatiello was raised in an American Mevlevi family and continues to walk the path of the mystics in the Sufi tradition. He was initiated as a Semazen (Sufi whirling dancer) in 1996 and has participated in Sema ceremonies with various Sufi groups in the United States and abroad.

Anna Whirling is originally from Ukraine. At the start of the war, she moved to Turkey and later relocated to the United States. Anna has been practicing whirling since childhood and has performed on stage with various groups for over 20 years.