I have moved into my new cottage this week. It is a thirty minute walk from Samye Ling and under 10 minutes’ drive. I am warm and comfy in my new home, which has everything I need to live well. The move went as well as could be expected, my two dogs Holly and Nutmeg…
Change Said the sun to the moon, You cannot stay. Change Says the moon to the waters, All is flowing. Change Says the fields to the grass, Seed-time and harvest, Chaff and grain. You must change said, Said the worm to the bud, Though not to a rose, Petals fade That wings may rise Borne…
Sitting under the mistletoe (Pale-green, fairy mistletoe), One last candle burning low, All the sleepy dancers gone, Just one candle burning on, Shadows lurking everywhere: Some one came, and kissed me there. Tired I was; my head would go Nodding under the mistletoe (Pale-green, fairy mistletoe), No footsteps came, no voice, but only, Just as…
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…
We have 2 NEW opportunities to join our Online Mindfulness Retreat Days! Midwinter Practice In the lull between Christmas and New Year, there is the opportunity to rest and replenish with mindful practice days, to return to our internal heart space that is always ready to welcome us home with open arms. Together, in these…
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…
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…
This last weekend I have been with the second year Mindfulness MSc students on their first weekend of insight training. It was an awesome weekend with insights coming thick and fast. It struck me how this approach really works in enabling us to become free of our individual and complex set of habitual patterns that limit…