Mindfulness News & Events

Join us this month in noticing. Set an intention this month to use what’s happening around you to connect with what’s happening within.   Each day our calendar offers a prompt inviting us to pause to notice how December fills with little changes all around…Christmas trees and decorations, Christmas lights, sights and sounds. It is…

Snuggle down, cosy up, it’s time for some Mindful Hygge! Look after yourself! That’s the theme for this month’s mindful hygge calendar. Hygge is a word used in Norwegian and Danish (pronounced Hoo-guh) which suggests time out, cosy-making and rest, or enjoying times with friends or alone. You can download the calendar to support your…

Connection through Compassion- Oftentimes, our default mode can be to turn away from the messiness of life: the sharp emotions, challenging conversations, the tiredness that interrupts our stride. Yet, when we turn away, ignore or plough on through, we can become disconnected from ourselves, as well as all of those around us. What might it…

Mindful Moments – the day is full of moments, which can be mindful moments, if we could just softly, gently notice… in the spaces between this and that, this breath and this breath…Our September calendar will help you. It’s not easy to maintain our mindfulness and so we have a supportive prompt for you each…

This month we have collated 31 quotes from our coursebook From Mindfulness to Insight written by our founders Rob Nairn, Heather Regan Addis and Choden. We hope you will find inspiration and motivation from the calendar, and have an eas-ful as well as a Mindful August. Download the calendar here:  AUGUST 2023   If you require…

Hello! Your Free July Summer Reflections Mindfulness calendar is ready for you to download! This month try dropping questions into the mind like dropping pebbles into a pond… Observing the ripples. Allowing the responses, the ripples in the mind, to form themselves… a different question for each day. Use our SUMMER REFLECTIONS GUIDED AUDIO to…

Hello! Your Free June Mindfulness calendar is ready for you to download! We all have a wondering mind.. it’s natural, but not helpful! Why not try beginning this month by setting your intention to notice how thinking about the past, the present and the future impacts your experience now… then download our free calendar which…

Monday July 3 @7pm If you are interested in our part-time University of Aberdeen MSc Studies in Mindfulness Course which starts in September then you are welcome to join us for an informal open evening on July 3 at 7pm. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you have. You don’t need to…

Hello! Your Free May Mindfulness calendar is ready for you to download! Guiding you through this month with contemplations from our full four years of mindfulness, compassion, insight and wisdom training. It’s the long path, no quick fix, just slow and steady, our calendar will help you to maintain your practice throughout May… keeping you…

Help yourself to our free Mindfulness Calendar for April – this month we are focusing on the Observer and Undercurrent model of the mind. Noticing thoughts and how we can get lost in them! Download the calendar for use on screen or print it out to stick to your fridge..HERE> APRIL CALENDAR 2023 We hope…

I always remember a quote from the Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, which says that a wise person who wants to be happy learns to practice compassion. In essence he is saying that a compassionate person is a happy person. As you hear this idea, do questions come up? Maybe you have questions that…

The power of mindful breathing. Each morning in March, we are inviting you to try waking up with a conscious breath. Breathing in, opening to what’s here… breathing out letting go. The body, breathing itself. Soothing, soft and allowing. Each day brings a new way to become mindful of breath, bringing you home to yourself.…

Cultivating Presence Retreat – 10-15th March – with Alan Hughes As mindfulness teachers, our presence is one of the fundamental qualities that we bring to our teaching. This reflects the stability of our mindfulness; the extent to which we are grounded in awareness itself. Mindful awareness increasingly becomes our reference point, rather than the contents…

“Listen to silence. It has so much to say.” — Rumi   THIS ONLINE RETREAT IS FOR MEMBERS OF THE MINDFULNESS ASSOCIATION (You can join for just £10 – read more about that HERE) COST: £137.50 Retreat offers a wonderful opportunity to deepen our mindfulness practice, step out of our daily routines, and recharge our…

Our Free Membership Practice weekend is coming up soon! on the 10-12th March, Enjoy a weekend with others, with a lovely balance of talks, teachings and guided mindfulness practice, it’s a great opportunity to revisit practices, and share time with our community sangha, meet new friends on the mindfulness journey. When you join our membership,…

Welcome to February – This month we are focusing our attention on living well, with mindfulness and compassion as our guides. Our calendar offers you prompt each day to focus the mind and heart. Spring is on its way! *********************************************************************************************** DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CALENDAR HERE> FEBRUARY 2023 copy *********************************************************************************************** MINDFULNESS SUPPORT IN FEBRUARY:  FREE DAILY…

New Year Life Values – What are yours? Download our January calendar for free and you’ll have daily support thtoughout the month guiding you mindfully, gently bringing you back to what’s important for you this month. We wish you a fulfilling year ahead and hope you enjoy the calendar. Please feel free to share it…

We have extended our Daily Meditation offerings and we hope you can join us over the festive season. You’ll now be able to join us over the Christmas and New Year weekends…. so Christmas Eve, Christmas day and Boxing Day sits will be at 10.30am and New Years Eve and New years Day at 7pm…

In recognition that times might be a little tough at the moment and this is the time to turn towards Mindfulness rather than away, we have come up with a page of Mindfulness Freebies for you to bring some Mindfulness into your life. The Freebies include a twice daily guided Mindfulness meditation online with one…

This month we are focusing our attention on self-compassion and happiness. Our free December calander offers a prompt each day to stay connected with your intention – to simply be kind(er) to yourself; you could use each day as a focus for practice… Paradoxically to the mind…turning towards self-compassion is how we cultivate and connect…

Celebrate the wonder of the everyday with our free November calendar. With mindfulness prompts each day to keep you connected with your practice in your daily life. TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE NOVEMBER CALENDAR CLICK HERE > NOVEMBER CALENDAR 2022 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Wonder of the Everyday is our popular New Year’s Mindfulness Course on a Wednesday…

We are now in the second year of the University of West Scotland (UWS) MSc in teaching Mindfulness and Compassion. It is a collaboration between the Mindfulness Association (MA) and UWS Psychology Department. The MA provides the teaching in mindfulness and compassion and UWS provides academic input on psychological theory underpinning mindfulness and compassion as…

Please feel free to download our October calendar. At the Mindfulness Association we offer the long pathway. No shortcuts no quick fixes we start where we are, in each moment. Our pathway is deep – we begin with mindfulness then we slowly begin to cultivate compassion, and insight, then wisdom through our experiential and in-depth…

Wednesday 28th September – Join us at 7pm You are welcome to attend our online open evening with Q&A. Join us to meet with tutors from our MSc Teaching Mindfulness and Compassion course. This relaxed session is a chance to find out about this unique teaching course and to ask any questions you may have.…

This month our theme for September is The Buddhist Roots of Mindfulness. We hope you enjoy your free calendar – you can dowload it below. Each day a reflection is offered on the Buddhist roots of Mindfulness which may help to deepen your practice and understanding of the Buddhist underpinnings of Mindfulness. If you follow…

This month let’s practice seeing our world and our place within it with fresh eyes. Perhaps our fresh eyes will bring fresh ideas of how to engage with our world. We don’t have to aim for grand heroics, small is beautiful! Our Engaged Mindfulness course is running again beginning in September. This calendar gives you…

Master’s Degree in Mindfulness online open evening Join us! Have you been thinking about the part time Master’s degree MSc Studies in Mindfulness? We are holding an open evening on 11 July at 7pm for anyone who is interested in learning more about the ‘Studies in Mindfulness’ Masters degree at the University of Aberdeen. People…

Free July Calendar – Compassion and Mindful Movement Download our free FREE JULY CALENDAR with a prompt each day to keep you moving, and with support to help you cultivate an attitude of self-compassion. We are so happy to be able to offer in-person retreat weekends again over the coming months have a look at what’s…

Why Practise Mindfulness? The Evidence Base Download our free JUNE CALENDAR and find out about the latest research  –  the mind and health benefits arising from cultivating a regular mindfulness practice. At the Mindfulness Association we believe mindfulness is something that can benefit you (and those around you!) and we are here to help you…

We are pleased to announce the opportunity for you to take time out for yourself and immerse yourself in one of our 4 Mindfulness Weekend Retreats. Choose from: Mindfulness, Yoga and Qigong at Samye Ling, Dumfriesshire, Scotland 1-3 July Introduction to Mindfulness at Samye Ling, Dumfriesshire, Scotland 22-24 July  Introduction to Compassion at Samye Ling,…

Try our NEW FREE online course – Introduction to Mindfulness. You will receive 4 weekly emails containing all you need to experience Mindfulness yourself, in your own time, at your own pace, wherever you want. Click here to find out more.    

It’s important to live well, to make make the most of each moment of our lives; if we train in mindfulness it can help us to catch glimpses of joy amidst the difficulties of daily life, and we can begin to navigate life’s challenges more easily. Our May calendar supports you with daily prompts to…

Join Us! Monday 2 May to meet the Retreat Leaders for a free and relaxed online taster session and hello at 7pm online WATCH KRISTINE’S SHORT INVITATION HERE If you have completed your training in Mindfulness, Compassion and Insight, and fancy an in-person in-depth retreat, or would like to find out more about the retreat…

Over years of practicing mindfulness meditation, I’ve seen how apparently stuck emotions can shape-shift, I’ve experienced long term physical pain dissolve in a moment and I’ve watched as my mind reveals extraordinary creative and blissful experiences which restore and bring new vivacity. I’ve also seen how a basic level of wellbeing and appreciation for life…

Start In-Depth Mindfulness here! Join Fay Adams for a free mindfulness taster session on Wednesday 6th April at 10am Your in-depth path to Mindful Living starts here. READ ABOUT THE COURSE HERE. The course runs on a Wednesday Morning starting on the 27h April and ls led by Fay Adams. Tutor Fay Adams We see…

Download our FREE April Mindfulness calendar, it’s all about smiles this month, and smiling with the eyes. Spike Milligan knew how infectious a smile is… Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin. When…

Time to unwind, time to nurture, time for compassion and time for mindfulness. Time for yourself to relax, destress and recharge. Our gentle nourishing Practice Days give you a chance to rest, pay attention, and just be. 10am – 4 pm No previous experience required, all levels of experience welcome. HAVE A BROWSE OF THE…

Our hearts and minds are with all those affected by the war right now in Ukraine. Mindfulness Association tutor Kristine Mackenzie-Janson will be offering a compassion practice at this free Poems for Peace event on Saturday 12 March at 4.30pm UK time. . . . . . . . . . . . . “With…

Thursday 25th March at 7pm Online FREE taster session + Q&A with Fay Adams This inspiring new 6 week course starts on Thursday 31 March (7pm -8.30pm) (UK TIME) Are you a poetry lover? In this course we’ll be hovering at the crossover between mindfulness practice and spiritual or contemplative practice. We’ll see what the…

Welcome to March! We hope it is a good month for you. This month we have daily prompts to guide us through the sometimes tricky times we have trying to relate to each other! Download and save on your computer or print it out to stick on your fridge so the whole family can join…

25 February 7pm – with Fay Adams Access to Compassion ~ Transformation through Acceptance Practising acceptance is transformative. It is also the simple basis for naturally arising compassion. If we can accept our feelings as real, understandable and (more often than not) workable, we find that inner conflict and complexity drains less of our energy.…

Thursday 10th March at 7pm Online FREE taster session with Q&A with Fay Adams This inspiring new 5 week course starts on Thursday 31 March (7pm -8.30pm) (UK TIME) Are you a poetry lover? In this course we’ll be hovering at the crossover between mindfulness practice and spiritual or contemplative practice. We’ll see what the…

FEBRUARY 28th 7-8pm – with Jacky Seery Mindfulness through Movement? Our bodies can be driven by our heads from a place of autopilot – how often do we truly and deeply check in with our bodies? Gentle movement with mindful awareness allows us to free ourselves from the grip of the mind, and to really…

“The little things? The little moments? – they aren’t little” says John Kabat-Zinn – Our inspiring February calendar will give you ideas to help you cultivate your informal Mindfulness practice throughout your days in February. Download a pdf HERE for your computer or to print out and pin up. We hope you have a wonderful…

Mindful of Uncertainty is our focus for our January Mindfulness calendar. With a prompt every day to bring in to your Mindfulness practice, and to support you in these uncertain times. Download your > JANUARY CALENDAR < which you can save onto your computer or print out as a handy reminder. • • • For…

Monday 20th December @7pm Join Heather Regan-Addis and Ki James on Monday for a relaxed introductory taster session with Q&A for their new Mindfulness Baased Healthy Living Course, where you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the course and how it might benefit you. Do you want to change…

Friday 10th December @7pm Join Fay Adams online for a free Taster Session and an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about Fay’s now traditional New year Course! Suitable for beginners and more experienced practitioners alike. This course offers a light-hearted yet profound way to contemplate your life as it is, in order…

Download and share your free Kindness in December calendar. With a gentle guiding message each day to support you and keep kindness close to your heart throughout the month of December. We wish you a peaceful month and hope that we might see you at one of our free daily guided meditations which will be…

Join Daily Practice Join Our FREE Online Daily Mindfulness Meditation 10:30am – 11am & 7pm – 8pm Monday To Friday (PLEASE READ SAFETY INFORMATION) During the challenging times of the pandemic, we found that the need for connecting came to the foreground. Maybe life is still unfolding for you and you are experiencing worries about…

Sunday 14th November @ 7pm Join Fay Adams online for a free Taster Session and an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about Fay’s now traditional New year Course! A lovely way to ease in to the new year, with a group of likeminded companions. Read more about Fays Course HERE – which…

Join us for a relaxed open evening online with staff from the University of West of Scotland and the Mindfulness Association. Read more about this unique part time post graduate course HERE The open evening will be delivered over Zoom, and you will have the opportunity to talk to staff and ask any questions you…

Download our free Loving the Earth November Calendar to help you connect with your Mindfulness practice and your planet with a daily prompt each day throughout the month of November. Click here to download your calendar: NOVEMBERLOVINGTHEEARTH

If you missed the 31 Day Mindfulness Challenge which was run in July or you would like the opportunity to do it again, we are re-launching the challenge in January 2022.  If you have a New Years Resolution to be more mindful, this is the ideal opportunity. Are you up for a challenge? Join us…

TUESDAY EVENING COURSE STARTING 2nd November If you’d like to see if Mindfulness is something for you, then please join us on zoom for a free taster session where you can meet your tutor Alan Hughes and ask any questions you may have about this Level 1 Mindfulness course which starts on the 2nd of…

MONDAY OCTOBER 11th @7pm Join us for an informal open evening session for our MSc Teaching Mindfulness & Compassion Course with the University of the West of Scotland. The course is recruiting now, for a January start. If you’d like to join us then you can go to this page : HERE : for more…

Mindfulness comes from a Sanskrit word smrti which means to remember or to re-mind. Our monthly calendars are designed to help you remember to be Mindful! This month our theme is Observing in October. Each day, a prompt to connect with your inner Observer. Download a PDF HERE to keep on your computer or to…

This Saturday 25th September at 7pm UK Time (UTC+1) Course: MIndfulness Level 2: Responding with Compassion “If you want others to be happy practice Compassion. If you want to be happy, practice Compassion” ~ HH Dalai Lama We can train in Compassion, and we start by cultivating a little kindness. towards ourself. Join Kristine Mackenzie-Janson…

Welcome to September! There’s a nip in the air and as we turn towards the autumn months it’s a great time to settle into our sits, making a new commitment to ourselves to make an effort to do what we know deep down is best for us. So this month we have devised our Sitting…

Join Us at 7-8pm TONIGHT  to find out more about our London Based Part time Master’s course, which will train you to teach Mindfulness and Compassion 8-week courses. This is a Psychology Degree with the University of the West of Scotland based at the London Campus, starting in February 2022. Use this link to register…

Starts October 6th 8 Week Mindfulness Based Healthy Living Course Do You Want To Change Your Lifestyle To A Healthier Way Of Living? This new online 8 week course is being piloted this October. Its aim is to create the causes and conditions in your life for our health to flourish through positive changes in…

Tuesday August 24th at 7-8pm Join Jacky Seery for a soothing and gentle hour long taster session for her new course starting on the 14th September. Mindful Acceptance – Access to Compassion This course helps us to take a step towards self compassion, as our mindfulness practice deepens, sometimes we notice some things about ourselves…

Join Fay Adams for a free taster session for a new Foundations of Mindfulness Level 1 Course. Date: Wednesday 8 September Time: 10.30am – 11.30am (UK time)   Course: Level One Mindfulness on Wednesday mornings. COURSE START DATE: 22 SEPTEMBER READ MORE about the course HERE   JOIN THE TASTER SESSION 

Welcome to August – our month of Awareness! Our Free Awareness in August calendar will see you through the month with a mindful prompt each day to keep you in touch with your awareness and keep you grounded, helping you make the most of your summer days. Download it HERE:  AWARENESS IN AUGUST CALENDAR and either…

Download or free July calendar to keep your practice inspired and motivated throughout July. The Everyone Project Challenge has already raised enough funds to run 8 free Mindfulness (MBLC) Courses for those in need. Thank you to everyone who has participated in sharing the benefits of MIndfulness in ever widening circles. CLICK HERE to download…

Here’s Heather Regan-Addis to explain a little about the 31 Day Challenge which starts in July and helps us to fund Free Mindfulness Classes in the Community with the Everyone Project. Find out more HERE

Welcome to June! and your Free Journeying in June Calendar This month set an intention to journey in the direction of flourishing in your life.  Dowload our Journeying in June calendar to print out or for your desktop to keep you motivated and on track this month. Follow us on facebook, Instagram and twitter for…

Welcome to May we hope you have a great bank holiday weekend. Why not download our Mini Meditations in May inspirational calendar with a prompt every day to help you to connect with your mindfulness practice and help you flourish throughout the month. If you’d like to follow us on facebook and twitter you will…

Happy Eastertime! April already! Download our Free “Allow in April” inspirational calendar to keep you motivated throughout the month. April’s calendar is fresh and ready for you with tips for ‘Allowing in April’ ~ pin it up as a reminder to allow, allow, allow! yourself to become present with whatever is going on for you…

Saturday 10th April at 7pm (7-8pm)  Join Fay Adams and Kristine Mackenzie-Janson to find out a little more about their Engaged Mindfulness Weekend. How can we use our MIndfulness practice to turn out towards the world,  and face the things that may trouble us ‘out there’? Engaged Mindfulness Weekend Workshop and Retreat 24th-25th APRIL In…

THURSDAY 1st April @7pm With CHODEN Find out more about this Level 2 Course as we bring compassion practices into our MIndfulness. Level 2: We learn to respond to ourselves and others with Compassion ARE YOU READY TO TAKE YOUR MINDFULNESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL? COURSE DETAILS: Tutors: Choden and Jacky Seery Dates: 1-2 May 2021 and…

Join Any or All of our Soothing and Nourishing Easter Practice Days from the 2-5 April Time to unwind, time to nurture, time for compassion and time for mindfulness. Time for yourself to relax, destress and recharge. Topics include, LOTUS HEART: Friday 2nd April 2021 10am – 4pm Led By Fay Adams Begin your Easter…

MONDAY 29th March at 7pm Discover the Joys of Mindfulness & Movement • (An Online Weekend With Yoga And QiGong 16-18 April) for Beginners, experienced practitioners and teachers. READ MORE ABOUT THE COURSE HERE Join Heather at 7pm with THIS LINK ABOUT THE WEEKEND COURSE: Join Heather Regan Addis and Jacky Seery on this practice…

BELONGING – An online Practice Day with Fay Adams 10am – 4pm Join Fay Adams this Sunday 7th March On this retreat day we will invite ourselves home. Externally we are all ‘staying at home’ so this is a perfect time to find our home in the present moment, in our heart and body, held…

Welcome to Mindful March! Heather and Lisa have collaborated once more to produce this month’s Mindful Calendar with a mindfulness prompt each day for you to help and inspire you to connect with your mindfulness practice. Mindful Moments in March is available as a pdf for you to keep as a screensaver or to print…

Saturday 13th February 2021 10- 4pm  Bring a ray of sunshine into the gloom as we nurture a smile into our being and spend a day of gentle mindfulness practice together. You may have been attending our daily practice sessions, or have already done a little Mindfulness training, or even read about it. If you…

Free taster sessions are a wonderful way to find out more about a course and tutor. Taster sessions begin with a half hour practice session followed by a relaxed Q&A so you can find out all you need to know before you commit to a course. This Level 1 Mindfulness:Being Present Foundational course Module One…

If you are considering that career change, and a London-Based course would suit you, our new Masters course MSc Mindfulness & Compassion (with teaching Qualification) is open for applications until the end of January. (The First module will be held online due to current government restrictions) Key Highlights: Course provides the unique opportunity to train…

We are delighted to announce that the Everyone Project Charity is inviting a new round of applications for funding for online MBLC or MBLC-YA Courses. Based on generous donations from our members and attendees at our free daily sits plus a large donation from the Mindfulness Association, the Everyone Project is in a position to…

6 Week Online Course on Mindfulness in Daily Life Monday Evenings with Fay Adams 11 January – 22 March 2021 Cost: £80.00 for MA Members (please contact info@mindfulnessassociation.net for the booking link) and £120.00 for non members, to join the MA Membership for £10.00 for the first six months please click here. Live sessions on Monday…

Let’s Sit Together* Join our FREE Daily Online Meditations 10:30am to 11:00 am Monday to Friday 7pm – 8pm Every Day Followed by tea and company *please read safety information below. In challenging times, the need for connecting comes to the foreground. Maybe life is still unfolding in its usual way for you, or maybe…

Head over to our NEW Podcast Channel  – https://mindfulnessassociation.podbean.com/ In this new series of PodCasts, Heather and Helen will be interviewing people about their mindful lives. Be sure to check in each week to listen to the podcast. The first podcast in Mindful Lives – is with Alan Hughes, Tutor and Mindfulness Association Headquarters team…

If you are considering that career change, and a London-Based course would suit you, our new Masters course MSc Mindfulness & Compassion (with teaching Qualification) is open for applications until the end of January. (The First module will be held online due to current government restrictions) Key Highlights: Course provides the unique opportunity to train…

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 UK Network for Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations has recently relaunched as BAMBA (British Association of Mindfulness Based Approaches) with a wonderful new logo. BAMBA evolved from the UK Network of Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations as it adapted to developments in the field of mindfulness in the UK. The Mindfulness Association are a member and our…

Being of best service to others as an aspiration for mindful living and a mindfulness for life. Mindful Nation Scotland (MNS) was born on 17 September 2019 at a Holyrood Event in the Scottish Parliament. A wonderful, warm and excited audience welcomed its birth. The attendees were made up of MSPs, and people strongly connected…

Come and join us in celebrating 10 years of the Mindfulness Association A community vision for making our world a better place. We will have a selection of practice based sessions to choose from, including the excellent Engaged Mindfulness approach developed by Kristine and Fay, the innovative Mindfulness Based Inclusivity approach developed by Aesha and…

It’s already a couple of weeks ago but it feels like yesterday, when finally, the Launch of the Mindful Nation Scotland took place in Holyrood. It took many months of preparations, as this was a collaboration between most of the Scottish mindfulness teacher training organisations. We came together to devise a curriculum especially tailored to the…

The mindfulness conspiracy. It condemns all mindfulness practitioners/teachers as being obsessed with happiness and acquiescence to the causes of inequality, environmental degradation and oppression. In essence the article is all conjecture – it is based on opinion and without evidence. So, I invite you to consider a few points that I think may cause more…

Reflecting on the Mindfulness Association Conference last week – feelings of warmth and happiness flood my body and a smile appears on my face.  I’m sitting here looking through all the photos that I took over a few days – and again I see laughter and happiness reflected in the images before me.  So I…

The mindfulness conspiracy. It condemns all mindfulness practitioners/teachers as being obsessed with happiness and acquiescence to the causes of inequality, environmental degradation and oppression. In essence the article is all conjecture – it is based on opinion and without evidence. So, I invite you to consider a few points that I think may cause more…

Mindfulness Meditation – Serendipity and Trust in my Values

When we think of mindfulness and compassion in action, we often jump straight to thinking about gestures of kindness, or caring interventions, or supportive acts, and usually aimed at someone other than ourselves. I sometimes feel there can be something a bit ‘Tom and Jerry’ about this – you know the thing – Tom chases…

Reflections on hearing that Mary Oliver has died. The poet Ezra Pound once said that “literature is news that stays news”. How true – and yet I sometimes notice how quickly significant events can drop out of what we agree to call the daily news. The poet Mary Oliver died on 17th January 2019 aged…

Big blue skies and so much sunlight – it felt good to be alive and waving to my son as he disappeared into school. I turned to one of the grandparents to share my smile. She could not smile or make eye contact. I asked, “are you okay”. “Did you not know that Tom died…

Within the last month I’ve had the pleasure of teaching on two “Insight” courses with Heather Regan-Addis and Choden, both at Samye Ling.  These have been as part of the second year of the Aberdeen University MSc in Mindfulness, and the non-academic “Level 3: Seeing Deeply course”, the second of which was run as a…

Oh, to meet the Joy and Pain of Christmas with Compassion by Bill Paterson Suddenly Christmas is on the horizon again! Is it really a year since the last one? Interestingly, I’ve noticed a pattern of contrasting thoughts and emotions wrapped in this winter celebration. Yes, the darkness of winter will be punctured with light,…

Following on from our blog Be Mindful of the Extraordinary, one of our members responded to the Weekly Challenge and contributed this blog. A Mindful Wish “WELL THE PHONE RANG JUST TOO OFTEN as I curled up for some me time, exhausted after decoration and getting the flat back to ‘normal’: moving bags, books, pictures…

In the twenty years that I have studied and followed politics, I would never have believed that I would hear the following in the UK House of Commons. “Mindfulness brought me back from the brink of death”, “Mindfulness becomes kindfulness”, “power and wisdom needs compassion”, “compassion is more powerful than bullets” or “curiosity and kindness…

GROWING COURAGE: Circle of Trust… When we think of mindfulness and compassion in action, we often jump straight to thinking about gestures of kindness, or caring interventions, or supportive acts, and usually aimed at someone other than ourselves. I sometimes feel there can be something a bit ‘Tom and Jerry’ about this – you know…

What Else? Inspired by Kristine’s blog on the Mindfulness Associations website today I decided to take a different approach to a virus that had taken over my body, turning it into a body I didn’t easily recognise. This body… usually has strength and stamina and these past days has been listless, tired. I watch myself…

Last year I was lucky to be invited to facilitate “music and mindfulness” for children sessions, three mornings each week, in a local primary school.  In the early days of this year-long project, I felt as helpless as a rookie medic on the front line. It seemed the mini practices I’d introduced were working only…

I did wonder what they would make of it when I offered to lead/facilitate some mindful singing at the Joyful Club weekend. I am not a great singer, but there is something about the connection to other people and the sense of being more than just me, the small “I”. At least this is true…

I want to share with you a poignant moment which came not long after the birth of my son. I had been overwhelmed by a huge wave of relentless and overwhelming necessities. These washed over every moment of my life day and night – necessity to attend to the needs of my newborn. I was…

Our body is a wonderfully complex machine. We have the ability to move in so many different directions allowing a vast array of shapes, movements and postures without having to think about doing it. In specific movement classes such as yoga and pilates, we find that neural pathways need to connect automatically for these movements…

  One of the fundamental aspects of mindfulness is being body aware. Our mindfulness training allows us to direct our focus and our attention and in doing so we observe how we are lost one minute and present the next. Our monkey mind and our strong habit to be distracted from presence is how we…

My conclusion after six glorious days on Scotland’s Holy Isle… Just under an hour by train from Glasgow to Ardrossan, ferry then across to the Isle of Arran, and finally, a short boat ride from Lamlash (subject to conducive weather conditions) will get you there. A tiny island looked inhabited by “Eriskay ponies, Soay sheep,…

I went to see Luke Jerram’s art installation ‘Museum of the Moon’ a few days ago at the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool. It’s been touring all over the world. If you’ve not seen it, it’s basically a huge model of the moon, seven meters across, that uses detailed NASA imagery to recreate its surface and…

I’m a Londoner, born and raised. I love city life, not yet tired of it. Having lived in Cyprus for ten years I know the difference between living in a busy city like London and a quiet, slow-paced place like Cyprus. I know how stressful life can be in London, just a simple train journey…

Sometimes, life gives you just what you need, and the other day, this beautiful image of a tree and Malay proverb appeared on my screen.  It was definitely what I needed!! After leaving my day job of 30+ years at the end of February, my leaves and branches have been shaken and stirred – not…

We are so pleased and excited to announce the launch of the Mindfulness Association’s Teacher Membership! “Teaching Mindfulness is the coolest job in the world” Mindfulness Teachers rejoice! We have the coolest job in the world and here at the Mindfulness Association, we have built a way to come together in community and celebrate this!…

Joanna McGregor is one of the members of the Mindfulness Association. She was kind enough to share her inspiring story of how after a terrifying mountaineering accident, her mindfulness and compassion practice not only carried her through but enabled a deep sense of gratitude and a love for life to take root. Have a read….…

I am just back from my travels in India, with a group of friends, where we spend 3 weeks in the southern state of Kerala. We started in Neyyar Dam, on the outskirts of the jungle for an intense 10 day stay in the Sivananda Yoga Ashram where we practiced 4 hours of yoga a…

This winter has felt long to me, and very, very cold.  The turn inwards – the phase of ‘being’ – during the more reflective seasons of autumn and winter has felt so complete, and my experience of hibernation so habituated, that I was beginning to wonder if I would ever again know and feel the…

The Joyful Club: Mindfulness Association Membership Weekend at Samye Ling 6-8 July 2018 and Membership Retreat 6-11 July 2018   At our Compassion in Action Membership weekend in 2016 at Samye Ling, Lama Yeshe Rinpoche invited us to join his joyful club. Inspired by this, we are running our 2018 Membership weekend on 6 to…

How can our mindfulness skills help to resource us for making positive change in the world? There may be many things happening today in our world that feel deeply concerning and huge at the same time. These might include climate change, social and political injustice, poverty, animal welfare issues… topics with no easy answers, no…

About a year ago, my dear friend and colleague Fay Adams and I came together to film and create the first ever Mindfulness Association online course: The Wonder of The Everyday. The inspiration behind the course was to find a way to encourage some mindful moments of savouring the wonder and joy that can be…

Are you looking to develop and deepen your skills at mindful inquiry, while creating the conditions for holding and facilitating safe sharing within groups? Check out our CPD course that is taking place on March 23-25th/ 2018 at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre. This course meets the requirements of the UK Network of Mindfulness- Based Teacher…

Spread the News! We’ve got Apps! It is with great excitement that we bring you the brand new Mindfulness Association apps that have been developed with the hope of bringing mindfulness one step closer to you! Not only do the apps provide all of the guided practices for our Level 1: Being Present Mindfulness course…

A glimpse into the practices that will be explored on the Mindfulness Association’s Engaged Mindfulness course led by Kristine Mackenzie and Fay Adams in Samye Ling, starting in January 2018 Those who have completed the Mindfulness Practitioner training will be familiar with the concept of grounding. The first stage of grounding is about dropping into…

Following a recent Thursday evening online sit, we started discussing the role of concentration in our practice.  Afterwards it was suggested to me that I write a blog about this, as we talk a lot about mindfulness in our training (for obvious reasons), but it’s possibly not always apparent where concentration fits in. The first…

Mindfulness, like all other human activities, occurs within a socio-historical cultural context. By this I mean that people’s attitudes towards mindfulness are informed by perspectives and traditions in their community, culture and society. The socio-historical cultural context for secular mindfulness in contemporary UK is, I believe, generally conducive. In the UK, contemplative and meditative practices…

The modern day working environment can move at a relentless and demanding pace. Increased administrative responsibilities, real time connectivity and the complexity of issues that employees in certain jobs may face, name but a few of the issues that may cause employees to work beyond their capabilities for sustained periods of time. This may in…

“Time to recognise the sanctity of the world, of minerals, rocks, river and plants” -Rachel Corby Rewilding “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” -Albert Einstein Many of my mindfulness friends and colleagues are very keen gardeners. They grow a wide range of organic produce: carrots, onions, radishes, lettuce, turnips, and I’m…

  “we are exploring together. We are cultivating a garden together with our backs to the sun. […] we are digging beneath the hard and crusty surface to the rich humus of our lives” -Parker Palmer Let Your Life Speak   This year (2017) marks the fifth year that I have been co-delivering mindfulness courses for…

After the conference the MAHQ seems quiet, as we get back into the usual routine of sending out course timetables and manuals, organising room hire, answering e-mails on everything you could imagine to do with mindfulness, and a host of other little jobs that generally keep us busy.  Writing this blog for example! Overall, I…

In February last year I embarked on a journey of study for a PhD in Education, studying mindfulness and self-compassion in schools. My quest has led me to ask questions about the very nature of education… when we send our kids to school, what is it that we are hoping for? The preoccupation with ‘effectiveness’ of our…

We now have a limited number of day places available for the 2017 Samye Ling conference: Mindfulness in Society, exclusive to MA Members only for £70.00 per day! Please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Each day will begin with an hour of guided meditation from 8-9am and the first keynote speech will…

I’ve really come to realise lately how important it is to have a community of like minded people around you. The word we use for this is sangha, which is a Pali word meaning  community of practitioners, people we share our lives with. It is our network where we find others on a spiritual journey…

Brand new Online Course: The Stillness of Movement Starting  May  2017   Within mindfulness training, one of the primary precepts is mindful embodiment: a continual shift towards reconnecting our minds with our bodies, a measured effort to live our lives more holistically from a place where we inhabit the whole of our experience: mind and…

Paul Gilbert is a friend and mentor of mine.  I first met him at a Neuroscience and Buddhism conference in Holy Isle in 2008.  I remember going swimming with him off the sandstone rocks at the north end of Holy Isle (he loves swimming!).  I recall too his energy and enthusiasm, and how he decided…

On Saturday, I attended the third weekend of the Level One Mindfulness course: Being Present (for more info: click here) in Manchester at Luther King House. The weekend seemed to have crept up on me after attending weekend two in January. I was a bit dubious, wondering if I had done enough practice and feeling…

One of the features of our 2017 Summer Conference: Mindfulness In Society- Changing The World, One Mind At A Time is a series of Masters Classes that will be run by our Core Tutor team. Angie Ball and Anna Zubrzycki will be delivering a Master Class that explores a unique blend of Compassionate touch and…

Hello fellow Members, Jane has asked me to say something about the research that we’re carrying out on the Everyone project, which I’ve been spending some time on over the last few weeks.  As I’m sure you remember, the Everyone project offers eight week Mindfulness Based Living Courses (MBLC) to groups who may not otherwise…

Being like a mountain It came as a surprise to me initially that the ongoing work we do in mindfulness training involved so much bodywork or embodiment (why is it called mindfulness? I found myself asking). Grounding in the body comes on the back of our settling the mind practices and this “somatic descent” is…

I have just returned from teaching Compassion Module 3 at Samye Ling Buddhist Monastery and in this module we are approaching compassion for others, in weekend 2 we focused on self compassion. It has been many years since my compassion training with Rob Nairn and I remember it clearly and especially this weekend with Tonglen…

The Mindfulness Association’s Level 4 training was developed to support and inspire people following on from Mindfulness, Compassion and Insight Trainings.  Even though we may have experienced positive personal changes arising from our practice and even though we may have seen our life situations and relationships with others become not perfect but certainly a bit…

It strikes me how important compassion is when it comes to training the mind. Mindfulness is on everyone’s lips now, but it is compassion that brings about real change.  Certainly, mindfulness can bring about significant change too – for many people it is a revelation to realise that they do not have to follow all…

Want a more mindful couple relationship? 3 great tips how to… Mindfulness is often portrayed as an individual practice, whether in its formal habit of sitting, walking or bodyscan, or even in the co-called informal practices of tea meditation or turning queue waiting into a breathing meditation; the “going solo” aspect is often privileged. But…

I am in Cape Town for a month and the weather has been sunny and hot every day.  It is like a different world to Scotland. I have been spending time with my mother and old friends.  I have also been spending time with Rob Nairn working on the structure for a book on Insight.…

  Christmas is just a few days away, but after 3 hours shopping for all my family and friends I’m frazzled. Where is my mindfulness practice? I know that the trainings say that mindfulness is all about losing it and getting it, but sometimes I just feel I’ve really lost it! Keeping our practice alive…

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that my colleagues Ani Tselha, Chris Penlington and I are co-delivering the Level 1 Mindfulness Training: Being Present for the Mindfulness Association in Newcastle upon Tyne at Northumbria University. 8th and 9th April 2017 24th and 25th June 2017 23rd-24th September 2017 4th-5th November 2017 This…

The Wonder of the Everyday 6 Week Online Course on Mindfulness in Daily Life with Fay Adams and Jane Negrych 10 Jan – 21 February 2017 Live sessions on Tuesday evenings 7pm – 8.30pm: 17, 24, 31 Jan and 7, 14, 21 Feb Including: 8 specially pre-recorded videos of up to 40 minutes 6 ten…

Hello from MA HQ. We hope that you are well! The team have been busy as always, and we are nearly ready to launch the new MA website which we are all very excited about. We hope that our MA members will like it as it has been a real labour of love. Alas, Heather,…