img_0082-1This 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 Ling; I feel at home here, accepted, and I have many friends here.

I am teaching the retreat with Jo Ann, Kathy and Choden, a delightful team to be a part of. It is our evening off tonight and so our plan is to make some videos of ourselves for our new Youtube channel (click here). You can watch out for this in the next few weeks – almost as exciting as waiting for a film premiere! (Not) Hopefully, they will be fun and informative (although excruciating for those of us n the videos to watch)!

We have been working with a wonderful group of training teachers, whose courage and10626544_10152687567030449_1156977106725654252_ncommitment to the process of learning to teach mindfulness is inspirational. Each person has to present two sessions from the MBLC eight week course and receive feedback and be assessed. Quite a daunting and vulnerable process when teaching mindfulness is about being authentically ourselves. The quality of the teaching has been exceptional; embodying kindness and teaching from established and stable mindfulness practices.
Some of the participants here are from our Masters programme with the University of Aberdeen (click here) and some are graduates of our Level 1 Mindfulness training (click here) and all have come together to form a kind and supportive group over.

I love teaching on this retreat, although it is rather grueling. I find the participants and their courageous and developing teaching practice inspirational and I am astonished by the potential in the room to benefit so many people with the gift of mindfulness. The thought that each person will teach so many others all over the UK and beyond makes me very happy and adds real meaning to my work.

If you would like to come to Samye Ling to learn Mindfulness, there is a four weekend Level 1 course starting here on 24 March (click here). I will be here to teach it, along with my colleagues Ian and Tina. You would be most welcome to join us.

If you are interested in exploring Mindfulness and kindness in daily life, we offer a free monthly email based course (with attached audio talks and guided practices), that you can sign up for by visiting the resources page of our website (click here).

Kind Wishes

Heather

To visit our website, please click here

Author: Heather Regan-Addis

Heather began training in Mindfulness Meditation with Rob Nairn in 2004. She is British Wheel of Yoga trained yoga teacher, has a Post Graduate Diploma in Mindfulness Based Approaches from the University of Bangor, Wales and has a Masters degree in Studies in Mindfulness from the University of Aberdeen. She is a co-founder and director of the Mindfulness Association, a Mindfulness, Compassion and Insight teacher and leads the team that developed and delivers the Mindfulness teacher training program to teach the Mindfulness Based Living Course. She is an honorary Fellow of the University of Aberdeen and was involved in the development of the Masters program in Studies in Mindfulness at the University of Aberdeen, which is a collaboration with the Mindfulness Association and also teaches on the program.