It's not what you look at that matter. It's what you see. (H.D. Thoreau)
Maybe you're right. Maybe I should get a proper job, settle down. Grow up, think about health insurance. Oh, and the pension, yes. I've just been so busy working out the terms and conditions of my heart insurance. For once I was sensible. Signed a life-long contract. Small print says: requires daily renewal. So I …
4 minutes reading time Any city can be a challenging place to practise mindfulness. There are many 'sense contacts' which can easily lead to a feeling of overwhelm. At the same time, a city offers wonderful opportunities to practise mindfulness. Here are some ideas. Feel the movement of walking. Feet touching the pavement. Human body …
8 minutes reading time Relationship to Other Beliefs If we experience a particular teaching or religion as liberating then there is no cause for feeling threatened by other beliefs. We can rejoice in somebody else's faith, even if it is not the same as 'ours', when we see that the teachings they follow lead to …
8 minutes reading time “Do not accept any of my words on faith,“Believing them just because I said them.“Be like an analyst buying gold, who cuts, burns, and critically examines his product for authenticity.“Only accept what passes the test by proving useful and beneficial in your life.” These are the words of the Buddha – …
Regular formal meditation (sitting, standing, walking or lying down) is a very beneficial and powerful way to practise mindfulness and I would encourage everyone to try it out, even if it's just for 5 minutes a day. However, if you really feel this isn't your cup of tea, there are many other ways to practise. …
Continue reading "Ideas to Practise Mindfulness With Nature"
Poems are precious. They inspire us to pause and can be powerful when we allow them to touch us. A good poem can remind us of something deep which we might already know but have forgotten in the business of our life. This is a list of ten of my favourite poems revealing something deep. …
Continue reading "Poems – Creative Gifts to Inspire Our Mindfulness Practice"
In the six meetings we will look at different 'nourishing' qualities / concepts and explore ways of cultivating them in formal meditation and in daily life. Over the 6 week period we will explore such questions as: What are ways of grounding oneself when feeling overwhelmed? What might be a fresh perspective of looking at …
Continue reading "Soul Food – 6 Week Online Course. Starting Wednesday 21/02/24."
Our eyes are a wonderful resource for mindfulness practice. Every moment of the day we have the possibility to use them for practicing. This morning I took a train from Glasgow Central Station to Edinburgh Haymarket. I wrote down examples of what my eyes could pick up on the journey. If you would like to …
Continue reading "Using Our Eyes Mindfully in Daily Life Situations"
Have you heard much about the positive impacts of mindfulness and meditation but never quite understood how to practice it? Do you like the idea of meditation in theory, but find it hard to sit on a cushion by yourself? Are you curious about meditation but never really found it very enjoyable when trying it? …
Continue reading "6 Week Online Course. Starting 4th of October 2023."
Transcription of part of a talk given in Iona Village Hall, 16/08 I live on a small island which has been and still is an important place of pilgrimage for many. But what comes to mind for me, when I hear the word 'pilgrimage' is the pilgrimage of the heart, rather than a physical one. …
Compassion is a beautiful quality of the human heart, to be touched by anothers joy and pain, to wish another person well. At times we might experience a feeling of alienation from others. But we also know what it feels like to be kind, loving, to wish each other well. To be able to forgive. …
Meditation has an important place. For me, so important that I do it daily. However, one of the most important lessons I have learned in the last years is: there are also times when meditation is not the answer. The times when frustration, anger or fear are too present to sit down. There is nothing …
I love the childrens book 'Frederick'. Frederick is part of a family of mice. All the other mice are very busy during the summer, collecting corn, gathering barley, nuts and berries for the winter. Frederick in the meantime sits on a rock with his eyes closed (in a sense, he's a meditator in mouse world). …
Continue reading "Gathering Light – Summer Solstice Reflections"
We live in a time in which rest has become a luxury. Being 'busy' for many of us has become the normal state of being, interrupted by occasional times of rest. The problem often is though, that we have become so used to busyness (either in physically doing things or thinking about things we should …
Spring can be a great inspiration for fresh starts, since we can so clearly see the change in nature surrounding us. Flowers start to come up, lambs are being born, there is a lot more light...This change in the outer world can provide us with some additional energy to – at least think about – …
SOMETIMES MINDFUL 