Whatever you feel about Christmas and whatever your religious, spiritual or philosophical perspective, it is as good a time as any to practice joy! I was teaching the final weekend of the Level 3: Responding with Compassion course (click here) last weekend and one of the themes that emerged was that it was much easier to…
Christmas is just a few days away, but after 3 hours shopping for all my family and friends I’m frazzled. Where is my mindfulness practice? I know that the trainings say that mindfulness is all about losing it and getting it, but sometimes I just feel I’ve really lost it! Keeping our practice alive…
This week I am travelling from Venice to Florence for five days of holiday with my husband Mark before travelling back to Venice on Friday to lead the last weekend of the Level 2: Responding with Compassion training. Then back to the UK for Christmas. ‘A Room with A View’ over the River Arno It…
I write this blog sitting in the park in Mestre, Italy. I am staying with my friend Gaia, as we are just about to begin teaching the Mindfulness Based Living Course (MBLC) teaching skills retreat in Venice for 5 days, starting Wednesday. She is at home with her mum putting up her enormous Christmas tree…
work in the office is piling up; the clocks have gone back and there is a lot to organise in the family. I think many of us find ourselves tired and over-busy in the run up to Christmas and it is easy to get run down and catch one of the omnipresent cold or flu…
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…
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 is usually a mixture of all…
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…