For some reason, I vividly remember a conversation I had with a friend when I was about 16 years old, where we discussed contentment. Tevredenheid in Dutch, and considering that word now, I can still taste the flavour of contempt we had for it. “Who would be satisfied with that?!” we wondered out loud. Wouldn’t it…
As we approach the end of the year and the associated festivities, for some of us it can be a wonderful time for joy, connection with loved ones and plenty of food, drink and presents. For others it can be stressful, with the extra burden of festive tasks on our to do list, a lack…
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…
‘This may indeed be a pivotal moment for our species to come to our senses … mobilising in the mainstream world … the power of mindfulness” Jon Kabat-Zinn On the first day of a mindfulness teacher training I look around the room. I see a circle of people who are each on the brink of…
I was recently at Aberdeen University to spend a weekend with the third year students from the MSc in Studies in Mindfulness. This is a collaboration between the University and the Mindfulness Association. The students were just beginning their dissertations or work based projects. Each year we have a fabulous presentation by Dr. Jane Kellock…
Begin 2023 with a New Appreciation of your Life Practising mindfulness in daily life shows us many things about how to find wellbeing – here are my top two: Mindfulness doesn’t have to be time consuming You don’t have to have a perfect life to experience wellbeing Note the difference between these two experiences: I’m…
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…
The majority of mainstream mindfulness courses on offer today have their roots in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. It was initially developed to help people to manage stress and chronic health conditions. Jon Kabat-Zinn created MBSR to capture and embody key Buddhist teachings and to put the…
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…