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 guess you knew it would come at some time. My obligatory January blog advocating the advantages of adopting a more vegan lifestyle. Well here it is – Veganuary! I’ve not been watching much TV or listening to much radio, but vegan friends who have been tell me they are despairing over the mis-information that…
Heather’s Musings – In Limbo I am finding it quite hard to write my blog this week. I feel I am in limbo – on a retreat/holiday until the end of the week – and then back to a life full of change, with lots to do, although I can’t do any of it yet.…
Life on Retreat This last week I have had five days of glorious retreat. Waking early to practice, breakfast then a walk with the dogs. They can’t walk too far now as they are getting older. A bit more practice, listen to a teaching and then a final practice session, followed by dinner and an…
I am away now to a bungalow by the sea for four weeks. I am treating myself to some solitary retreat time with two of my dogs, Holly and Nutmeg. Then I have some holiday time at Christmas and New Year with family. After the new year I have some more solitary retreat time. Then…
I have had the great good fortune this week to be teaching at Samye Ling with Choden on the new Access to Insight retreat. During the retreat, it was a great chance for me to practice along with the participants. We practiced acceptance, self-compassion, the four immeasurable qualities of loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity…
We had our annual Board meeting for the Mindfulness Association in Edinburgh yesterday. I travelled over there with Choden from Lockerbie and Norton travelled down from Aberdeen for the day. Kristine, who lives locally, and who is going to be taking on half of my management role in the new year joined us in the…
The last few months have felt like living in a kaleidoscope. With each new possible outcome, my mind has imagined a future in full colour. Then as the causes and conditions changed again, another potential future was imagined, also in full colour. While this has been fascinating to observe, it has taken up a lot…
I have not been able to write my blog for the last two weeks, which is strange for me, as the words usually come quite easily. However, my life has been in a very uncertain state of change. My old home was sold, I didn’t know where I was going to be moving to, and…
This last weekend I was teaching weekend one of the Level 1: Being present course at Samye Ling with Graeme Armstrong and Anna Kane – a fabulous team. There were a lot of people on the course who were pretty much new to mindfulness. Many had the motivation to find a calmer state of mind…