What is there is no need to change is one of my favorite poems of all time. I usually read it at the beginning and towards the end of a Mindfulness course. People starting out are often very self critical and harshly judgmental of themselves. Life has conditioned then to ask ‘why am I so infrequently the person I really want to be’ (more…)

As a half-dozen women filter into a yoga studio on a recent afternoon, passing glowing candles and Buddhist statuary, they absorb the ethereal voice of a woman crooning praises to the earth via a boombox set on a bare wooden floor. They sit on yoga mats, gaze toward foliage (more…)

Mental Health Ireland’s magazine – Mensana News : Summer 2013

William James said: “Man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude.”

The world teaches us to focus on externals; we end up accepting the popular belief that STRESS is caused by events, circumstances and other people outside our control. This is misleading and encourages us to search outside of ourselves for solutions (more…)

Many workplaces still operate on outdated ideas of productivity: work and think faster, harder, longer, try to do more with less, increase your efficiency. (more…)

Did you know that some of the world’s most successful companies are investing in mindfulness training for their employees to help them deal better with stress and workplace challenges?

Read the full article in the Journal : How practising Mindfulness can help work life

Jon Kabat Zinn leads a session on Mindfulness at Google in which he says that our entire society is suffering from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) certifiably diagnosed.It all about doing and there is no recognition of being and so there is no place to rest (hence alarming growth in stress, depression etc…statistics where individuals are disconnected from themselves, each other and our whole planet). Unless our stone age mind engages in a little self education it can really wind up getting stuck in realms of confusion, suffering, being lost and maybe even impeding creativity, imagination, real thoughtfulness, leadership because we’re not running on all cylinders. Meditation is like tuning your instrument before you take it out on the road. Tuning it in the morning can make a huge difference on how the whole day goes… Cultivating Mindfulness or Awareness is all about saying, there is plenty of place and time to rest, because awareness is boundless and infinitely available in every moment no matter what you are doing…

Of course, the body scan practice is not really about falling asleep or zoning out but ‘falling awake’; becoming more present and aware of what is happening in your body; developing greater sensitivity and connection with your body.
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The body scan helps us to become more present in our bodies and aware /attuned to what is happening moment by moment

This body scan helps us to become more present in our bodies and aware /attuned to what is happening moment by moment. It is one of the core practices in the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR / MBCT) programme. It involves systematically sweeping through the body with the mind, bringing affectionate, openhearted, attention…

Self Compassion Meditation cultivates your ability to accept yourself and your experience as it is and support / comfort yourself for difficult feelings.

Self Compassion Meditation cultivates your ability to accept yourself and your experience as it is and support / comfort yourself for difficult feelings. Research shows that cultivating self compassion enhances emotional wellbeing.

With the sun forecast to shine and the trees and flowers bursting into bloom all around, I feel inspired to put pen to paper and remind everyone that whenever we walk… we can practice meditation. Whatever we do with awareness is meditation, so this means that we walk simply for the act of walking, knowing that we are walking. (more…)

Here are some suggestions for Mindful Walking if you choose to do this as part of your meditation

There are lots of different ways of practicing Mindful Walking. Here are some suggestions if you choose to do this as part of your meditation practice. We aren’t trying to get anywhere, rather simply being fully aware and with each step, no longer in a hurry but relaxed and calm.

“If there is no meditation then you are like a blind man in a world of great beauty, light and colour.”      Krishnamurti

Meditation essentially means to train the mind and generally refers to time set aside for non-doing. It has changed my life in a profoundly positive way. The purpose of meditation is to develop and cultivate openhearted spacious awareness as well as a correct understanding of reality.

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When you hear the word Mindfulness, it’s important to know that in all Asian languages, the word for Mind and Heart is the same so in fact it translates badly. Though mindfulness is about ‘bare attention’, ‘discernment’, ‘clear seeing’, there is also an affectionate quality in the attention, a kindness, a gentleness that is a manifestation of our heart’s intrinsic compassion. (more…)

On Jan 27th 2011, the BBC explored this question and show how some volunteers learnt that mindfulness meditation could reshape the way they think and bring big benefits.

Google, Apple, Nike and McKinsey are on the growing list of companies to recognise the rewards of mindfulness. Carl Frankel charts their journey towards the inner mountaintop. (more…)

How do you normally react to work stress, illness, financial hardship or relationship difficulties? Most of us instinctively fight negative experiences, thinking that it’s not what should be happening, not good enough or not what we expected or wanted. (more…)

I often read the poem: Wild Geese by Mary Oliver fairly early on in a Mindfulness Course. The reason is that so many of us find the idea of choosing to accept ourselves just as we are, so radical! Many participants admit that they have been rejecting parts of themselves all of their life, (more…)

LIKE most people, I have my share of tension and anxiety. And I’m happy to find ways to cope that don’t involve illegal drugs. So when the term mindfulness began cropping up everywhere, I became intrigued. (more…)