At the end of November I was out for an impromptu dinner in a local restaurant. An elderly couple on another table caught my eye. I noticed them because they were wearing party hats. You know, the coloured paper ones you get in Christmas crackers. For some reason I couldn’t explain, it brought tears to…
You know when words slip out of your mouth and cause chaos? They cause an argument or some disruption. The words are often spoken without thinking, without consideration. You seem to hear them as if someone else said them. Then afterwards, the turmoil it has caused to yourself and others subsides. And there are no…
This weeks blog starts on a train back from the Mindfulness Association conference. Plotted up on the train for the next few hours back to London gives me a little reflection time of the past couple of days… I briefly glance at the few notes I have written down on and then catch a thought…
So, this is a tricky one – it’s present, so here goes. Recently I have noticed my sense of unworthiness coming up more frequently than I’d like to admit! Tara Brach talks about “the trance of unworthiness” that we can find ourselves in! My teacher, Lama Yeshe tells me to “keep doing the weeding”. What…
Heather Regan-Addis, lead tutor, author and head of the Mindfulness Association, shares her experience whilst teaching students studying the MSc Studies in Mindfulness on their retreat on Holy Island.
It’s the first of April. April fool’s day. And I feel like a fool. I woke up this morning just not right with myself. Hours later I had an unusual encounter with a seal on the beach. He wasn’t right with himself either and I didn’t have a clue what to do about it. My…
I have been beset by feelings of anxiety over the last few weeks. My recent blogs have described how my mindfulness and compassion meditation practice have helped me. They have enabled me to turn towards and experience the anxiety. They have enabled me to look after myself, in my meditation practice and in my daily…
Over the last 4 weeks I have been on the ‘road’. From my home, north of London I have travelled to Yorkshire twice, Scotland twice, Manchester twice, Sweden, Northumberland and Spain. I’ve slept in 10 different beds, taken 4 flights and 20 trains. I’ve experienced extremes of temperature and weather from -14 and thick snow…
It is very early in the morning and I am struggling to sleep. I woke up with feelings of fear and overwhelm and have spent the last hour or so lying in bed practicing. Part of me wishes the feelings would go away and part of me is curious about what can be learned. I…