Nowhere to Go- Nothing to Do

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationSeptember 20, 20174 Comments

This past weekend, I found myself resting. With nowhere to go and nothing to do. For me, this phenomenon is quite rare. I mean, we always lead our meditations into a place of resting with nowhere to go and nothing to do and this is a much- welcomed respite for my mind and body, even…

Let it Go

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationSeptember 13, 2017Leave a comment

Recently, I was in Dublin airport standing next to a mother with her 8 children. Yes, you read that right- 8 children. One of her kids was going on and on about some complaint as they all stood waiting in line for some thing or another. And the mother, in exasperation, exclaimed,  “In the words…

Whispering Winds

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationSeptember 6, 2017Leave a comment

As Autumn settles in and takes its place, the wind of change can often be seen all around us. For instance, a warm summer breeze may have shifted into a cooler version of itself, or perhaps the green leaves we once saw blowing in the wind at the tops of trees are now swirling in…

Mind the Add- Ons

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationAugust 30, 2017Leave a comment

This week has been all about social media for me. Well, it has been about starting a brand- new Instagram account (make sure to follow us here) and editing snippets of video from our keynote talks at the summer conference. I will be posting these snippets on our FB page and Instagram, so watch for…

To Shvitz!

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationAugust 23, 2017Leave a comment

I am a firm believer in naming my emotions and my mood states- and lately I feel like I have had many! I used to do this all the time with my children. It started off as something quite simple and true: Mom’s tired. Mom’s grumpy. Mom’s bored, etc… They soon started to notice some…

RAIN, RAIN- Come and Stay

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationAugust 9, 2017Leave a comment

I have been working a lot with acceptance lately. From a professional standpoint, the members at the weekly sit requested a session with the practice of RAIN, or the meditation on acceptance created by Tara Brach (for more on RAIN, please click here), then I modeled the RAIN practice when I was teaching on the…

Getting Lost and Coming Back

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationAugust 2, 20171 Comment

I am sitting on the couch in my new (old) house, after having spent the last few days moving. Life has been a whirlwind. I was in Canada for a 4- week holiday with my kids, flew home to Ireland, spent two days re-acclimatising before I flew to Scotland, where I spent 5 days teaching…

Contemplative Kitchen

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationJuly 24, 20171 Comment

Often times, when I am teaching or when I am speaking with someone about practicing mindfulness, I hear the phrase ‘Maybe when things quieten down, I will have more time to meditate’. However, the irony is that it is when we are most ‘busy’ in our minds that our practice is most important. Also, there…

The Subtlety of Transition

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationJuly 20, 2017Leave a comment

I am currently en route after having spent the last 3 ½ weeks at my cabin in northern Canada. Yesterday, I locked up the summer home that has been my refuge for the last 40 years and drove 880km down to my parents’ home just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I will be flying home…