stress-in-the-mess

Stress in the Mess

“Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.” Pema Chödrön Well last week stress got the better of me. I forgot I was a mindfulness teacher let alone a mindfulness practitioner…

staying present

Staying Present

I have taken to doing a shortened version of the three stage breathing space regularly within my day as a way of becoming more mindful. I have discovered that I often have a frisson of anxiety, which manifests in the heart, even when I am feeling quite happy. This is what I do: Firstly, I…

fall leaves fall

Fall, Leaves, Fall

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; Lengthen night and shorten day; Every leaf speaks bliss to me Fluttering from the autumn tree. I shall smile when wreaths of snow Blossom where the rose should grow; I shall sing when night’s decay Ushers in a drearier day. Emily Brontë As I look out of my window,…

trouble-with-time

Trouble with Time

This morning in my practice I noticed a lot of thoughts about all I had to do and a lack of time in which to do it. It has been a busy time at the Mindfulness Association this September. We had a validation event last week and our new collaboration with the University of the…

Chronic-stress

Chronic Stress

Over the past month of my holiday and especially my week of home retreat one of the things I have recognised is how susceptible I am to chronic stress. I noticed this at the weekend, where we had over 50 new students online for their first weekend of their Masters in Mindfulness with the University…

Benedicto - Edward Abbey

Benedicto – Edward Abbey

Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets’ towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a…

mindfulness based inclusion training

Time to Make a Change

We are living in interesting times. There are a lot of challenges. However, it strikes me that as a country and as a human race there has never been more opportunity for positive transformation. This is the same in our practice, in our lives and in the world – challenge is the catalyst for positive…