In my weekly blog, Heather’s Musings, I write about what has been happening in my life and how I am applying my mindfulness, compassion and insight practice to it. The process of writing the blog is often an opportunity for me to gain more clarity and recognise what is happening and I find it highly beneficial. My wish is that it is also helps other meditation practitioners who are on a similar journey.
The opinions and beliefs that I express in this blog are my own and do not represent the opinion of the Mindfulness Association.
I missed writing my blog last week as I was very poorly with bronchitis. I fell ill while I was in Venice to teach the first weekend of our Level 3: Seeing Deeply training. It was interesting being poorly and away and teaching. Somehow while I was teaching, I was able to tap into a…
I am just home from Spain, more precisely Catalonia, where I have been delivering the MBLC teaching skills retreat. This will be the first group of Spanish graduates from our teacher training program and it is exciting to think of them delivering the program all across Spain. People travelled here from Las Palmas in the…
I was at Samye Ling at the weekend teaching on the Masters degree programme we deliver in partnership with the University of Aberdeen. It started in 2010 and our seventh cohort of students began in September last year. They did a module on Mindfulness last year and this weekend they were starting on their second…
This last week I have been delivering the Compassion Based Living Course (CBLC) teaching skills retreat at Samye Ling with my colleague and good friend Choden. He is a great person to be delivering the retreat with as he is an expert in this field, drawing on his extensive experience as a Buddhist practitioner and…
This week, like many women my age, I have been pondering Brian Cox, but perhaps not in the same way as others! I have been wondering how he remains so relentlessly cheerful, despite the stick her gets for being, well, relentlessly cheerful! I like to listen to radio four, but not in the traditional way.…
This week I am delivering a teaching skills retreat at Samye Ling. It was beautiful when I arrived, the day after the snow – all sparky snow around the colourful Tibetan buildings, statues and flags, especially the hills around were clear and white against the pure blue of the sky. I love being at Samye…
This week I am back in my normal work routine. Off to Manchester on the train today to work with my colleagues in MAHQ. For many of us January can be a difficult time, short of cash after Christmas, dark nights, quite a long time until spring or our next holiday and we may have…
Those of you who read this blog regularly (thank you!) will know that I use the lojong cards from the Pema Chodron compassion box. Unfortunately, they are no longer available. However, her book ‘Start where you are’ which forms the basis of the compassion box is still available and contains a list of the lojong…
I woke this morning (Boxing Day) to the news that George Michael had died. As a teenager in the 80s I was a fan and even went to see Wham live. I’ve never been able listen to ‘Careless Whisper’ or the wonderful ‘Don’t Let the sun go down on me’ duet with Elton John without…