I am not sure exactly how they measure these things, but popular belief is that in any given day we have between 60 000- 70 000 thoughts (Salla, 2000; Trieschmann, 2001; Williams 2014). That is a lot of thought energy flowing in and out, enticing us to engage, to move away from what is actually…
Last week I was at Samye Ling teaching the first Compassion Based Living Course (CBLC) teaching skills retreat. So we now have 21 Compassion teachers trained to teach the course, ready to share the transformative power of Compassion, which is wonderful. During the retreat we work in groups with each person delivering part of the…
As a Mindfulness Teacher, I have felt quite blessed. I have been fortunate enough to teach the 8 week MBLC locally, in my home community where I live in Ireland; while at the same time, travelling afar and teaching on the Mindfulness Association’s 4 weekend Practitioner Certificate courses. It has been an incredibly rich experience…
At our Compassion in Action weekend, we will be launching the Mindfulness Association’s “Everyone Project”, which is aimed at providing eight week MBLC courses to groups who would benefit from Mindfulness but who otherwise would not be able to access Mindfulness training. We have a pool of hundreds of Mindfulness teachers that we have trained to…
Is it me or do long term Mindfulness practitioners age more slowly than the general population? One thing we all have in common is that we are all getting old, and a set of interesting research is emerging to suggest that lifestyle changes, such as those that come about through Mindfulness practice, can help…
At this time of year many people begin thinking about making New Year’s resolutions. However, it is important to remember Rob Nairn’s wise words that ‘There is nothing wrong with you’. This feeling can get lost amid all of the media hype of new year, new you! That said, the coming of the New Year…
Resting in The Midst of Christmas For some people, the coming weeks of the holiday season might feel hectic, chaotic even. While others might find that this is the loneliest time of year, or alternatively, that the weeks to come are a time of joyful peace that is welcomed and thoroughly celebrated. For myself, it…
The last few months have been a very busy time for me. Until this summer, I was living – and working – as a full time volunteer at Kagyu Samye Dzong in London. I moved out of the centre in August, since when I’ve immersed myself in the world of secular mindfulness. In September, I…
It’s often been said that Mindfulness and Compassion are two wings of a bird. You cannot have one without the other. This is especially true in times of difficulty. For a lot of people, their first introduction to mindfulness training is in part a result of searching for an approach to ease their suffering and…