Sweet Surrender- the practice of mindfulness… This past week has been emotionally eventful. I made the very hard decision to leave my membership and communications position at the Mindfulness Association so that I could move my work a bit closer to home. The Mindfulness Association and its members have been my family and community for…
I have sangha envy. Well, I’ve had sangha envy for some time. My best friend completed the MSc: Studies in Mindfulness with the University of Aberdeen and her cohort have somehow been able to maintain their community of supportive practitioners beyond graduation. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, they come together to practice, play…
Yesterday my daughter asked me where all of the Autumn decorations were. She wanted to swag the house out in pumpkins and guords. I glanced at the calendar and was surprised- yes, it’s October and usually by this time, my house is filled with Autumnal spice. However, this year I haven’t felt the need as…
What is mindfulness? It’s not quicksand… Facebook memes can be incredibly cliché; however, one that seemed to speak to me, and make me laugh out loud was the meme that quotes comedian John Mulaney: “When I was growing up, I always thought quicksand would be a much bigger problem than it actually is”. 1970s TV…
Experiencing Joy: A Foreboding Mindfulness Practice A few days ago, I was sitting in my kitchen with my two best friends unpacking a very difficult moment in one of their lives. As she spoke, my other friend and I listened, empathizing with her. She has been hit with not one life crisis, but 3 or…
This evening I am sitting in my big green chair preparing to teach the first session of the Mindfulness Association’s latest Level1: Being Present online course. I feel excited and inspired. This is the online course’s second run, and as I look over my notes from its maiden voyage, I am shifting things, making changes and…
Peace is Flowing: A Mindfulness Meditation. Life has been feeling a bit uphill these days… well, these months. There has been a litany of struggles over the past year, and without listing them all here and risking this post becoming one big moan, I will sum up my year by saying ‘I’m tired’. This became…
I have this fond memory of the first time I was introduced to the mindfulness exercise called ‘Resting in the Midst of it All’. My colleague Choden was teaching on the MSc: Studies in Mindfulness, where he had all of the students turn towards the window, face the expansive landscape and rest with a mind…
If you were asked to pick your mindfulness curriculum for the day, what would it be? If your job was to choose a practice or create a module to work through, based on your needs, what would be included? No need to follow any rules, no timetables, no prescriptive manual. What would it be? Maybe…