At the age of 19, I set off to learn from the Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh in France to learn the art of inner and outer peace. I experienced for the first time what it feels like when a person lives and teaches from presence. His message hit me in the heart: "To suffer is not enough. A good practitioner must know how to handle the pain in her - and she is capable of generating joy at any moment of the day to nourish and to heal herself. That is the art of happiness." Zen meditation and the practice of mindfulness in everyday life have been with me for many years and have become my daily anchor.

After studying political science (Geneva, Paris and Zurich) and peace studies (Bradford, UK), I worked for many years in the Middle East for international humanitarian and political organizations, including in Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt. I was inspired by the idea of being able to contribute to peace. In Lebanon in 2005, together with local professionals, I founded the NGO DROPS and ran it on a voluntary basis for 10 years. My years in the Middle East were turbulent and characterized by intense emotions of all kinds. Only in retrospect did I realize how much I had hollowed myself out internally with my good intentions in resisting the war.

Back in Switzerland, the time had come to shift the focus of my attention from the political structures of the world to the dynamics of my inner life. I was able to work through difficult life experiences and post-traumatic stress, deepen my meditation practice and get to the bottom of my personality structure. I am especially grateful for the teachers who accompanied me during this phase: Mayssa Dimechkie, Brigit Lang, Ananta Steuder, Henry Shukman (Sanbô Kyôdan), Sylvia Wetzel and Tara Brach.

At some point, I realized that I was hearing the same message from all these different sources: the invitation to be a vigilant and friendly companion to myself and my vulnerability, and to carry my inner fire into the world in the smallest possible steps. In other words: There is no path outside except the one we also take inside.

For our external effectiveness, we need a clear and solid inner ground. My own life journey has taught me this lesson. Our personal power stands and falls with our presence. Caught in reactive patterns, we may be very busy with important issues - but lack clarity, insight, compassion and creativity. These qualities are of paramount importance to humanity given the state of our world.

I have received wonderful tools for a conscious and courageous daily life from the Co-Active Institute , Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, Deb Katz, and the Conscious Leadership Group , as well as certification as a leadership coach. Breathwork has also become an integral part of my daily life as a tool for consciously moving energies in my body and thus overcoming mental blocks.

For ten years, I accompanied people as a coach in my studio THE LOOP in Bern in their personal transformation processes using these tools and was able to experience how they were able to “shift” from reactive patterns into physical presence and thus shape their life paths consciously and effectively.

During a particularly turbulent phase of my life, I was no longer able to meditate despite many years of practice. The carousel of thoughts and the emotional whirlwinds were unbearable in silence. In a conversation with the meditation teacher Sylvia Wetzel, I mentioned that I was currently unable to meditate at all and that I could only bear myself while singing. Her reply came immediately and in an indignant voice: "Sibylle, singing is meditation!". Unconsciously, I had assumed that meditation primarily requires a lot of discipline to sit still and that it has to be hard and strenuous for it to work. 

During this time, body-oriented voice work with An Chen and the Centre Artistique Roy Hart unexpectedly opened up new worlds to the voice as the deepest expression of my being. Mantra chanting became my spiritual home, and in 2019 I founded Kirtan Bern together with Balts Nill and Dominic Senn.

Mantra chanting is a practice that reliably brings me into presence. Singing grounds and inspires me - and fills my heart with exuberant joy. It was not part of my life plan and yet it has become an important part of my life's mission to share the power and joy of singing with other people.

I live in a patchwork family with my partner and three teenagers in Bern and the Engadin.

Our dog Kahlo is a young, playful Labrador. He often likes to test our limits. He joins us at outdoor events and, with his instinctive contributions, helps to make the simple and essential recognizable for us humans too.