Surrendering to the Surrender

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationSeptember 30, 2016Leave a comment

Recently, at one of our Live Online Teachings, one of the participants used the word ‘surrender’ and asked where does this lie within the practice of resting in awareness. I remember being immediately struck by the question as it had come up time and time again for myself in my own practice. We spoke about…

Settling the Unsettled

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationJuly 13, 2016Leave a comment

I am not sure exactly how they measure these things, but popular belief is that in any given day we have between 60 000- 70 000 thoughts (Salla, 2000; Trieschmann, 2001; Williams 2014). That is a lot of thought energy flowing in and out, enticing us to engage, to move away from what is actually…

Taking In The Good

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationJune 29, 20161 Comment

The Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh often speaks of “watering the good seeds” that lie within all of us. He explains that there are all sorts of seeds: some may be positive, such as seeds of compassion, happiness, love; while other seeds may be negative, such as seeds of greed, anger and intolerance. Each…

Taking a Stand in our Seat

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationJune 24, 20161 Comment

Often times, when practicing a guided sitting meditation, you may hear the invitation to adopt a posture that reflects a sense of dignity, or a sense of purpose. Jon Kabat Zinn refers to this as “’taking a stand’, even though you are sitting”. He explains that “there is a strong sense of honouring place, placement…

Which Side of The Bed?

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationJune 7, 2016Leave a comment

Often, the mood that we wake up with has the capacity to set the tone for the day. It can almost act like an unconscious intention: a direction set and followed. Indeed, when I’ve been in ill humour, I’ve often been asked ‘Who put salt in your corn flakes this morning?’ or heard the phrase…

The Cycle of The ‘Sit’

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationMay 24, 2016Leave a comment

Just like life, our meditation practice can be quite cyclical. At times we may feel that our sitting sessions are frequent, our minds are settled and feelings of gratitude are around every corner. Whereas at other times, it might feel like months go by between each visit to the cushion and when we get there,…

Expect the Unexpected

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationMay 10, 2016Leave a comment

Rob Nairn uses the term ‘hidden reefs’ when discussing some of the obstacles that we can stumble upon while meditating. In particular, he speaks about the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) thought pattern of expectation. In my late teens, I can remember my mother getting upset with me, time and time again, when I…

A Moment of Gratitude

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationMay 4, 20163 Comments

They say that there are a thousand influencing factors that affect the way we experience ‘something’ and perspective is one of them. Have you ever heard someone relay an event that you were a part of and been dumbfounded by their interpretation of it? Their version is not necessarily wrong, but it might be different…

Walking in Love

Weekly ChallengeBy Mindfulness AssociationApril 26, 2016Leave a comment

  This week’s Mindfulness Challenge is called ‘Walking in Love’. Mindful Walking in nature is a wonderful mindfulness practice that gives us the opportunity to really see and feel the interconnection of life all around us. As we walk, and place each foot with intent, touching in with the bare sensation of foot on ground,…