It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cutting down trees They’re putting up reindeer And singing songs of joy and peace Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on… (From Joni Mitchell, River) Joni Mitchell it seems has accompanied me and my ups and downs since I was introduced to her as…
(to listen to the author speaking this poem, please click here) my brain and heart divorced a decade ago over who was to blame about how big of a mess I have become eventually, they couldn’t be in the same room with each other now my head and heart share custody of me stay with…
So last week, and for a few weeks leading up to Tuesday last week, I had that feeling that there was an elephant on my meditation cushion. What I mean by that is that my mind was blocked, crammed, panicked, stressed and chockablock because of a piece of work I had to do and all…
One of those strange phenomena of being human is that we get ill. This body sometimes gets tired, and it also succumbs to a wide variety of viruses and bugs thrown at it daily. This body also has the possibility of becoming sick with diseases that can take us by surprise. I would regard myself…
Forget about ‘transcending’ the body. Love it instead! Let go of the idea of ‘letting go’. Instead, let love go deep into the tender places, the parts that ache. Breathe into your sadness. Let your fear move deep within. Bow to your uncertainty. There is an untouchable place in you that fearlessly allows itself to…
Just recently I have become very aware of stress. It’s a bit sneaky is stress. It just crept up on me when I wasn’t paying attention. I was too busy to notice. When I did notice it – my body began to send me signals. It usually lurks between my heart and solar plexus –…
When one is able to overcome the romantic and emotional attitude, one discovers truth even in the kitchen sink. Chögyam Trungpa This morning, with my bare feet planted onto the kitchen floor, flat and smooth, my small brown earthenware coffee cup warms my hands as I look into the windswept garden. It’s really…
Simple family exchanges are where I exercise my Mindfuness practice. Isn’t that just exactly where it’s all happening? Mindfulness has helped me so much with this unravelling which is a truly messy affair and takes a while, well, like forever, and I am deeply committed to that. The more I practice, the more I go…
TRAINING TO TEACH MINDFULNESS – THE MBLC RETREAT I don’t really want to be a teacher, I said, as I applied for the course. Fear was pulling me back, but something stronger was pulling me – compassion to share all this with others. Facing fears in the MBLC Teaching retreat, accepting, meeting and looking deeply…