At the Mindfulness Association, and as part of our mindfulness curriculum, we teach a session on Mindfulness Skills for Times of Difficulty. This session offers some invaluable advice for times when the practice can feel too much or for when we feel overwhelmed by bereavement, illness, redundancy, relationship endings or divorce, overwork and other life…
My father is a cowboy. And I mean that in the 1940s, Hank Williams- Lonesome Blues kinda way. I always had some sort of inkling of this truth, but I did not fully understand what it meant, until now. This moment. The moment in which I am his caregiver. You see, I always sort of…
I have been slowly building up and preparing to head over to Canada to spend some time with my father who is terminally ill. Part of this preparation has been spending extra time and quiet time with my children who are not coming with me. I’ve been cooking them their favourite meals, baking more, sitting…
Last night, I was sitting with my best friend (who also happens to be a mindfulness teacher) and we were talking about some of the conflict in our lives. In other words, we were having a bit of a moan. ? She looked at me and said, “I know that ‘they’ say and that ‘we’…
In meditation, we often speak about ‘being with’ emotions in the same way as we might with any mind object (thought, sensation, emotion, mood) or happening that arises. It arises, we do not supress or avoid, however, in the same breath, we do not cling on to either. Then, it simply passes as all things…
The dog days of summer have arrived. The sun is out, the temperature is up, and the days are long. I’ve found myself waking early with a joy in my heart- the birds are singing and the morning stillness carries a warmth that means I can enjoy my coffee outdoors and even in my nightie,…
I have a friend who teases me because every time they share with me the important happenings of their mind, I ask them ‘how do you feel about that?’ Now, this question is genuinely born out of curiosity- I want to know how they feel. They’ve told me their thoughts, what are the feelings? For…
I have had my bag stolen. Now, before you go feeling sorry for me, it’s all good. Really and truly. In fact, it has been a wonderful mindfulness lesson in how I relate to my suffering and I have come to see it as a blessing, not a hardship. This week, I am writing my…
I was speaking with a colleague the other day who seems to have it all. Whenever I teach with her, I am always completely smitten by her eloquence, warmth, humour and breadth of knowledge and understanding. She rang me to discuss some work issue and within our conversation she said to me, ‘You make it…