Oh, to meet the Joy and Pain of Christmas with Compassion by Bill Paterson Suddenly Christmas is on the horizon again! Is it really a year since the last one? Interestingly, I’ve noticed a pattern of contrasting thoughts and emotions wrapped in this winter celebration. Yes, the darkness of winter will be punctured with light,…
It falls to me each month to send out the membership packs to all of our wonderful members who upgrade to or renew their full membership. I love this job and settle down with some music on in the background to sign the letters, write and sign the certificates, stick on stamps and add the…
This week I have found myself very busy, but also still tired after my stomach bug of last week. I was leading our Joyful Club weekend and retreat at Samye Ling in Scotland, going straight from there to a two and a half day meeting of the U.K. Network of Mindfulness Teacher Training Organisations in…
It is very exciting! Our Joyful Club membership weekend (6-8th July) and retreat (6-11th July) at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre is nearly here (For more details, click here). At the Mindfulness Association our heartfelt motivation is to nurture a community of mindfulness practitioners so that we can come together and support each other in our…
I am just on the ferry to the mainland from Holy Isle off the Isle of Arran on the way back from the Year 1 year end retreat of the MSc: Studies in Mindfulness. It is a collaboration between the Mindfulness Association and the University of Aberdeen and this is the end of our 8th…
Mindfulness Association Membership Weekend at Samye Ling 6-8 July 2018 and Membership Retreat 6-11 July 2018 At our Compassion in Action Membership weekend in 2016 at Samye Ling, Lama Yeshe Rinpoche invited us to join his joyful club. Inspired by this, we are running our 2018 Membership weekend on 6 to 8 July 2018 on…
I am still getting over the flu and although I feel tonnes better, I am overcome by lethargy in the afternoons, especially if I have the audacity to actually do something in the morning! I am not moaning. It is so unusual to have such a prolonged period of doing so little. Usually I am…
In the first phase of my Mindfulness training, I was taught acceptance, being with difficulties and blocks unconditionally. This was rather gruelling as in those early days there was a lot to be accepted: rage; rejection; jealousy; fear of failure; self-criticism & lack of self-worth. At that time, not seeing these subtle thoughts or emotions…
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…