Mindfulness and Coaching Workshop this Sunday

On Sunday 11th October Ian Holder and I will be running one of our Mindfulness and Coaching workshops.at Langdale house 11, Marshalsea road, London SE1 1EN 9.30 for a 10am start till 1pm.

I very much enjoyed co-leading the last workshop with Ian. The combination of mindfulness methods and coaching methods went well together and the participants said they gained a lot from taking part. I think there is room for a lot more development using mindfulness and other meditation methods combined with coaching and other areas of well being.

We still have some places see the main site www.calmcreate.co.uk for more info and comments from past participants. Or contact me for more details.

We are all connected

One of the most important realizations that came to me after starting to meditate ( and is still developing) was a more conscious understanding of one of the central Buddhist teachings, that of interconnectedness. I have naturally it seems had a sense of community since a child, and a desire to act in the world in some positive way. Meditation on the Dharma, the teachings of interconnectedness and the practise of Metta Bhavana have all returned me to the world with a clearer sense on a literal practical level of how much we depend on each other for our daily existence. The Metta Bhavana, a practise of developing and understanding positive communication, emotions and relationship with ourselves and others, breaks down the isolation we can feel in this world. The experience of metta is an opening of the heart to self and other in a radical way, a knowing of this truth that we are in all this together.

Our modern western world teaches us the opposite, that we are individuals, that there is no natural society , that we need to look out for our self, but this way of thinking and acting does not lead to happiness or contentment or peace.

Just a short reflection on how many people in the world are involved in the production of your tea or coffee is quite staggering. We rely on so many people to do their jobs in order for us to live.

And any of those beautiful images of the earth from space shows us that we are all living on the same planet.

Meditating and reflecting on this for ourselves allows us to be in the world with a much greater sense of harmony and gratitude. we feel more connected to the world and others and this experience of gratitude and being connected research now shows, makes us happier and healthier.

Reflections near the sea

It's not that often that I get to the sea now, but recently I spent a day walking, sitting and reflecting by the sea. watching the waves coming up and down the beach was really relaxing, taking me out of my usual frame of mind and filling my mind with a more natural and rhythmic motion.
The very vastness of the sea or ocean with the distant merging of sea and sky brings qualities of infinite space to my mind, somehow restoring a perspective on life.

The sound of the sea, the waves breaking on the shore and the rush of the waves against the pebbles as the wave recedes also seems to calm the mind in a natural way. The element water has this aspect of motion to it and by reflecting on or near the sea or water our mind can take on some of the flexible qualities and fluidity of water.

The wisdom of the body

One of the aspects to meditation that I was immediately struck by was that of how body and mind are connected. My experience in meditation was not just a mental experience, I was not just in my head when I sat to meditate.
It was not just that my body made itself aware to me through all the various aches and pains that seemed to arise when I sat, but that my body seemed to experience or embody the state of mind through the practise.
At first it was more about me noticing my body as the other or secondary experience, but as I practised I was more and more aware that I could, as it were, start from the body, my body and listen to the awareness there before moving to my thoughts. Just by becoming aware of our breath we can gain precious understanding about how we are feeling, the breath tells us how relaxed or stressed we are for example. there is wisdom in the body and if we can sit with a growing awareness of our body, breath and mind we will be developing a holistic meditation practise.

Meditating in the garden

I have been out in my garden meditating recently, it's great to have the opportunity( when our great british weather permits) to be outside. Settling into my ordinary garden chair, I just spend a few minutes with my eyes closed taking in my experience of the garden. The sounds of the birds and people in nearby gardens, sometimes the sounds of traffic or planes and the feel of the wind or sun. I notice the different perfumes and smells in the garden and a bee may fly close by.


There is a sense of enjoyment and connection in my experience and that all feeds into my meditation, which may be a practice of just sitting with my experience, moment by moment, or other meditations.Being outside in this way helps us I believe to experience ourselves in relation to the natural world, a world that we can all too easily forget if we live a busy urban life.

I certainly feel more energized and grateful for the opportunity of being a little bit closer to the natural world. So if you have a space outside, a balcony or local park, take the opportunity if you can to spend a little time meditating outside this summer.

Finding Inspiration for meditation

One of the important things in keeping a meditation practice alive is to find inspiration in our lives in general. In fact one of the simple but profound truths that we learn in meditation is that whatever and however we are in our life in general will that be there with us in meditation.

In order then for our meditation sessions, however long or short they are to be alive and vital for us, it is really helpful for us to seek out and encourage inspiration in our lives.

We may find that simply being in nature, our gardens, parks or allotments gives us this sense of wonder, joy and creativity that is characteristic of being in an inspired state of mind. We may be inspired by art, spending time reading or looking at art in it's many forms. Examples of people's lives may provide us with inspiration, as may many spiritual teachings.

If I start a meditation with something that has inspired me, I find that I am mentally more alert and more interested in my meditation. I have a real sense of uplift that carries me past unhelpful states of mind more easily and leads me into a deeper sense of practice.

Making time for meditation

Leading the very busy lives that a lot of us have these days can make it seem quite difficult to find time for meditation. Partly there is a reality to our business, especially if we have a family, job etc. But we can always find 3 minutes in our day, in fact even several 3 minutes and a 3 minute breathing space can really help us connect to that deeper and truer part of ourselves.

Establishing a regular longer practise of meditation, can take time, finding the right time in the day for instance, are you more of a morning person and could you get up earlier in the mornings before others are awake? There is something quite magical about being up very early before the world has had time to wake up. If you are more of a night owl then meditating in the evening is also fine. Start with 15 minutes 2 or 3 times a week and then either build up to 30 or 40 minutes 2 or 3 times a week, or 15 minutes 5 or 6 times a week.

Can you find some where outside in fine weather to meditate ? It can bring a whole different feel to our practise sitting with the wind in our hair and our feet in contact with the earth. Creating a little space for ourselves inside too is important by doing this we establish a commitment to our meditation. Having just a really nice bunch of flowers to gaze at before we meditate can also really help create the right atmosphere.

As we sit we build up positive habits and a momentum to our practise, and sometimes in a fairly short time it is as if our mind and body know what is expected and start to practise as soon as we sit down. But what will really motivate us to find the time to meditate will be the results that we experience from meditation.

Rumi the great Sufi poet also alludes to something important and relevent here in this line I think.

"Come out of the circle of time And into the circle of love." Rumi

When we sit to meditate we are in a sense leaving the mind preoccupied with time and entering into a heartfelt connection with ourselves and the world.