Tim Segaller

Seyfi is profoundly dedicated to his growth as a human being. ‘Becoming more aware, considered and kind allows me to contribute to the people I love in my life.’ Growth also means ‘learning about the world I live in so I can come into better relationship with it’.

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His personal growth has come about through work on both mind and body, particularly yoga and meditation. ‘I feel alive when doing these practices – they allow me to create space around my thoughts. It’s as if I connect with something that makes me feel loved and therefore more able to be loving.’ Working with the body also provides a channel for his creative energies, seen in its most exuberant form in his belly dancing (which I’ve witnessed, and it’s quite a spectacle!).

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That sense of connection – both to something loving in the universe and to his loved ones – is of central importance to Seyfi. He’s proud of his friendships, and recognises that he’s ‘good at putting people at ease’. He enjoys entertaining, and I can testify to how natural and generous a host he is. And his sensitivity makes him well suited to his work teaching excluded teenagers, and as a trainee counsellor.

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Seyfi is refreshingly open about his struggles: growing up in a Turkish family in East London, and realising as a teenager he was gay, he’s often felt like an outsider. But he always reflects on his difficulties with endearing humour and playfulness: ‘The victim part of me says that nothing comes easy – it’s been bloody hard work!’

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Despite this, he maintains a healthy sense of ambition for the future. ‘I’d love to prosper in my profession. I want to be successful. I want to own my own home. And I want to be in a loving relationship built on honesty and integrity.’ May you grow and prosper, Seyfi.

How I know Seyfi

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My first encounter with Seyfi was at a Buddhist retreat in 2007. We did a ‘communication exercise’ together, and I remember how alive and vibrant he seemed, even a bit feisty! There was much sensitivity and warmth there, too. Some years later we both lived for a while in a Buddhist community, and our friendship steadily grew. Being part of a men’s group (including also Dzidek), and sharing a holiday with him and Dzidek, has enabled that friendship to deepen substantially. I love Seyfi’s energy and resolve, combined with softness and playfulness.