Sitting Still – how hard can it be?
In the beginning You’re starting to meditate. So you’re sitting still and you begin. How hard can it be? Extremely hard! But everyone knows how to sit still and do nothing, right? Yet this doesn’t naturally happen in life often! You intend to meditate, but find yourself doing ‘just this’ or occupied with ‘just that’.…
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How to Manage your Emotions
Guess what? You and I are very alike. In fact, we share something in common with every single human on the planet. We all experience emotions. And how do you live with, and manage your emotions? Sure, happiness, joy and excitement are all great. But how do we deal with everyday emotions that are more…
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Boost your Wellbeing with Nature
You already know that you can boost your wellbeing with nature. The world offers you a treasure trove of landscapes that can inspire you and help you feel more calm, joyous and free. Let’s see how simple this can be. When you are surrounded by nature your body naturally produces endorphins (the feel-good hormones). There…
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The Mindful Mouse
This is my story of the mindful mouse! It starts with me looking out of my bedroom window with my binoculars. Straight onto a bank of tall beech trees with gnarled roots and magical hidey holes. I am spotting the birds and still hoping I might see where a nest may be. The nuthatch scurries…
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Why Meditate? Good question!
It is a good question that you might have asked yourself. Why meditate? Do you call yourself a ‘human being’ or a ‘human doing’? It might feel like the latter as you constantly juggle your busy life with work, family, squeezed social lives and everything else. It might be rare to experience simply ‘being’. Meditation…
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We are what we think
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts, With our thoughts we make the world … Buddha Be in charge: with our thoughts we make our world You may be finding it especially difficult right now to feel that you’re in charge of your thoughts. Aside from your…
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In each moment you always have power
You always have power Any challenging situation in which you find yourself, you always have power. A lot of the time you find yourself automatically hooked into unhelpful thoughts, feelings or memories. You move away from useful behaviour into distraction, packets of crisps, angry shouting or hours of Netflix. You are probably familiar with this.…
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Trust yourself − wisdom is within
Sometimes we forget to listen to the answers that are already sitting quietly within us. Your wisdom is within you. Your wisdom is within We spend a lot of time seeking answers all around us. From the internet and the opinions of other people. When we face challenges, our first thought might be, what have…
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10 Tranquil Tips
How can you stay tranquil and calm as you go about your day? The key is awareness – to notice yourself in the here and now. And implement some of these 10 tranquil tips: 1. Sunbeams! Sit in some sunbeams as they flood through a window. Or if there’s no sunshine stop and listen to…
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What is Forgiveness and How do I Forgive?
The word ‘forgiveness’ might sound a very heavy word and can have a lot of associations for people. For me, brought up as a child in the catholic faith, it was part of a process of judgment. You did something perceived as wrong and forgiveness only came about from an all-knowing God via a priest…
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Handy Tips for your Daily Meditation Time
Are you longing for some daily calm? Remember that you are the masterful creator of your life. It is easy to schedule it in when you regard it as an essential part of your wellbeing and personal growth. It may be the only time in your day that you have to yourself. This is known…
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The Myth of the New You
Do you feel you’re not Being or Doing enough? At the start of a new year it’s easy to look critically at ourselves. We decide that we’re not being or doing enough. All the things that need improvement seem glaringly obvious. We read how everyone else is setting goals for success. When we compare ourselves…
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Create your Inner Meditation Space
When you sit down to meditate imagine that you are entering a different space. A place of serenity, of inner stillness. Imagine you are opening a door to your inner sanctuary. So all the noise and chaos around you fades into the distance gradually. Create your inner meditation space Sit down and anchor yourself with…
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5 Simple Stress-busting Tips
You might be busy with numerous tasks at work. Experiencing worrying family news that is out of your control. Spending a lot of time feeling despondent, anxious or regretful. Everyone’s lives are uniquely different, but here are 5 simple stress-busting tips you can adapt to suit your kind of day. Remember that you have…
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What to Do When your World Caves in
What is the first thing you do when your world caves in – through bad news or a shocking experience? Christiane Wolf suggests that rather than having to face it – knowing you can’t force acceptance straight away, the best response is to ask yourself, ‘What is the kindest thing for me right now?’ When…
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Open Your Heart to the World
What do you do when you hear of sad or shocking news from around the world? Difficult news In these instances you might feel helpless. Even within your own home and workplace you may experience turmoil. How can you open your heart to the world? It might feel easier to shut down. Perhaps you have…
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There is power in stillness
Stillness is at the heart of meditation When I started my business I named it ‘Place of Serenity’ because my surroundings were peaceful. I enjoyed the South Downs with their gentle green slopes and trees. And I liked the double meaning that we can all carry our own place of serenity and stillness within us.…
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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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Shift from Anxiety to Self-compassion
We tend to be hard task-masters, tough on ourselves. We sometimes view gentleness, compassion and kindness as weaknesses. Does this sound familiar? Our media and the world around us is aggressive and harsh, cruel and judgmental. This further supports the idea that kindness and self-compassion are soft options. Yet a shift from anxiety to self-compassion…
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3 Approaches to a Difficult Situation
Have you got into a rut in your life? It’s common enough. You’re in a rut and find yourself in a difficult situation. Remember that you’re not broken, simply stuck. And there are choices to be made. Maybe you’ve lost touch with what is really important to you. You’ve forgotten who you really want to…
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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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