Magic things you discover through mindfulness
‘The universe if full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to become sharper.’ Eden Phillpotts Magic things We take for granted so many things. We don’t always stop to appreciate them. Magic things you discover through mindfulness. In her book, ‘An Altar in the World’, Barbara Brown Taylor reveals the countless ways we…
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How your Inner Self gets you through the darkest times
You have an inner self that voices a constant commentary within you night and day! Meditation is a way to spend time with your inner self with its often unstoppable thoughts. Quite understandably, not all of us wish to do this! The Darkest Times and your Inner Self Yet this inner self is the place…
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How can mindfulness reduce your storytelling mind?
You’ve been told stories all your life! So it’s no wonder you, and I, each have a storytelling mind. Easter Holy Week in the Christian Church is a story shared annually while every religion has its own catalogue of rich and inspiring stories. We love watching film and drama and love our daily fix. Advertisements…
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Technology tension
Who is in charge? Love it AND loathe it: technology sometimes appears to be in charge and we can’t live without it! Over the centuries there has always been some technology tension! We have disappearing shops because we love the convenience of on-line shopping. We’re connecting with one-another across the world on Facebook, Twitter, Skype…
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Are your Thoughts on Autopilot?
Your brain likes to conserve energy. Lots of things you do occur on autopilot so that you can function easily and swiftly. But possibly less helpful are your thoughts on autopilot. Me and My Big Mouth! You may find you go through the motions of your life on autopilot. Yet it’s not just your day-to-day…
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The ‘quiet revolution’ of Being Mindful at Work
Could Mindfulness be responsible for a ‘quiet revolution’ spreading across our businesses and UK government? I wanted to learn more about how being mindful at work can be a powerful tool. So in September 2014 I attended the International Conference for ‘Mindfulness at Work’ at Cranfield University*. The event provided a platform to hear from…
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Trust Yourself
When making decisions – do you trust yourself? You’re sitting on your own, in your home. You’ve changed out of your work clothes and you’re relaxed. No-one is around. Who are you when everything else has dropped away? Your name, age, religion, job title and any other labels you have for yourself no longer define…
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Take a break!
When it’s the holiday season it can be such a relief to take a break! See Things with New Eyes It’s good to travel somewhere new. It replenishes you physically and mentally. When you take a break it can be a trip abroad or a walk round your local park. Whether it’s the holiday season…
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The Simple Skill of Awareness
In this moment as you read these words, turn your awareness to your body. Are your shoulders hunched up, your breathing shallow, your neck tense? What else do you notice? Develop your Awareness It’s a fact that throughout the day your body experiences a continual flow of tensions. You only need to develop the simple…
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The Perfect Time for Mindfulness
The lilies are so perfect … But what in this world is perfect? I bend closer and see how this one is clearly lopsided – and that one wears an orange blight – and this one is a glossy cheek half nibbled away – and that one is a slumped purse full of its own…
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Access the Wise Information of your Body through Mindfulness
‘All our reactions to people, to situations, to thoughts in our mind – are actually reactions to the kind of sensations that are arising in our body.’ Tara Brach, ‘Radical Acceptance’ It’s worth reading Tara Brach’s words carefully! It’s easy for us all to forget that our bodies are finely-tuned towards wisdom. You can access…
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Why it’s so easy to avoid the present moment
What happens when you stop to be still and do nothing? Do nothing but be present with yourself? This is mindful meditation. You step into silence and stillness. Yet how easy it is to avoid the present moment. It’s not long before you feel out of your comfort zone! With no distractions, your mind starts…
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5 Reasons to Learn Mindfulness Together
I teach Mindfulness at venues across East Hampshire, including Alton and Liphook. So I thought you might like these 5 reasons to learn mindfulness together on a course: 1. Learn mindfulness together. With all the good intentions in the world, it’s easy to fall by the wayside on your own. You will benefit from the…
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Have Yourself a Mindful Little Christmas
Being mindful is neither a chore nor a rigid set of rules. Experience a mindful Christmas of joy and quiet pleasure. Enjoy these simple reminders! ‘During the next few weeks, observe yourself compassionately, like a professional chess player watching a three-year-old learn the moves. Notice when you become stressed, manic, demanding, anxious, or seized by…
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Mindfulness is a String of Pearls
Mindfulness is a string of pearls that holds together the best values you might wish to embody: acceptance peace patience gratitude compassion joy love and so many more strong qualities Mindfulness If you practice mindfulness and meditation, it doesn’t mean you shut the world out. It’s not about staying safe in your own little bubble.…
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‘I don’t feel good enough!’
Most of us put on a brave front. We push ourselves harder and we keep positive. And yet beneath the veneer of success or mask of serenity that we’ve created, we often don’t feel good enough. Those constant stories A ‘trance of unworthiness’ lies beneath all our endeavours. This is Tara Brach’s term – a…
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Mindful Gardening
We’re all gardeners! What is Mindful Gardening? Your mind is like a piece of land planted with many different kinds of seeds: seeds of joy, peace, mindfulness, understanding, and love; seeds of craving, anger…, fear, hate, and forgetfulness. These wholesome and unwholesome seeds are always there, sleeping in the soil of your mind. The quality…
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Are you Living or Surviving? Mindfulness is the key
Are you living or surviving? Much of what we do is on auto-pilot where our minds are elsewhere or caught up in anxiety. Thich Nhat Hhan talks about ‘…hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance …’ We’re never present! In all areas of our lives this can…
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Stay Calm and Centred
How can mindfulness help you to stay calm and centred when it feels like chaos all around you? Our body’s naturally in-built defense system means that we’re hard-wired to react with fear. It’s the default setting of our ancestors based on wanting to survive. It is readily triggered in every one of us in our…
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Something’s got to change
What prompts you to try something new? Curiosity? Following a trend? Don’t want to miss out? Blind panic? As I update this blog post in November 2017, we are surrounded by the need for change. (Sexism, power inequality, a need for underlying change in our society.) You may be feeling this within you too. An…
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3 Ways to Avoid Feeling Bad About Yourself
You’re going about your day when you suddenly start feeling bad about yourself. Do you know that experience? Out of the blue you get one of these strong feelings that you aren’t doing very well. Your inner critic starts bad-mouthing you. Here are 3 common situations and how you can become more resilient in their…
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