My mood has been dipping these last few days and I realised that I was getting tangled up in my thoughts and feelings. I've found that the best response when I am struggling like this is to practice allowing whatever is here with kindness instead. To go very gently with myself.
It was a bit of a depressing wet morning yesterday, but rather than battling on I took myself away for five minutes and practised with NACC* (especially spending time with the middle A and C). It felt like coming home. There was a sense of being able to put a load down on the ground… which was a relief. Then last night I came across a recorded version of this Michael Leunig poem and it spoke to me. Sharing in case it helps you too. When the heart Is cut or cracked or broken Do not clutch it Let the wound lie open Let the wind From the good old sea blow in To bathe the wound with salt And let it sting. Let a stray dog lick it Let a bird lean in the hole and sing A simple song like a tiny bell And let it ring Let it go. Let it out. Let it all unravel. Let it free and it can be A path on which to travel. ~ Michael Leunig
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Now that Hare has gone to his new home with Emma I can share a few fruits of lockdown. I love playing with colour and pattern, and have been drawn to mosaicing ever since I did a mosaic workshop with Amanda Anderson (where I made my mosaic bird).
It's not been easy finding space (physical and mental) to get into my creative flow during lockdown but when I have, several happy hours have flown by immersed in playing with broken crockery and tiles. The tricky thing about mosaicing is that I can't just pick it up and do a little in the small spaces where I'm not otherwise busy with family life. There is no space to have my kit permanently set up for starters. So I've learnt to break it down into smaller chunks - designing on paper, piece cutting, playing around with the pieces, gluing, grouting... It's also been important to look for and place-hold times for mosaicing. I do this because I know how much I enjoy it and how important time for creating is to me. This makes me think also of finding the spaces for mindfulness practice - it can so easily get pushed out because it's not on the never-ending to-do list but I know how important it is for my wellbeing too. Finding these spaces for the things that resource us takes creativity in itself. I've needed to discipline myself to do it. It is always worth it. Walk Slowly
It only takes a reminder to breathe, a moment to be still, and just like that, something in me settles, softens, makes space for imperfection. The harsh voice of judgement drops to a whisper and I remember again that life isn’t a relay race; that we will all cross the finish line; that waking up to life is what we were born for. As many times as I forget, catch myself charging forward without even knowing where I’m going, that many times I can make the choice to stop, to breathe and be, and walk slowly into the mystery. ~ Danna Faulds Sometimes we think of mindfulness as fluffy and soft, but mindfulness-based approaches are built for difficulty. They blend ancient wisdom and modern psychology to help us explore what it is to be human and how we can respond to challenges in our lives.
'A truly life-changing experience for me. One of my reasons for coming was because I had experienced a lot of low moods and also wanted to find a way out of some recurring anxiety issues. The course has helped me in a new and liberating way.’ (recent course participant) We are Oxford Mindfulness Centre trained teachers, Claire Bird and Emma Turner and we are offering the following mindfulness courses in the coming months.
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and how it can support your wellbeing please get in touch via Facebook Messenger, via the link in comments or email [email protected]. There is tremendous sanity in slowing down.
Your body knows the truth of this. As things open up, keep a look out for that sense of pressure, of rushing, of getting caught up in driven doing. Do you need to assign every moment to doing, to catching up on everything you have missed right away? Listen to the wisdom of your body and emerge at your own pace into this changing world. Find the spaces to stop and breathe, to take even the smallest of pauses. There is tremendous sanity in slowing down and making space for being. Mindfulness meditation is not about emptying the mind.
It’s about learning to work with it more skilfully. Have you tried to meditate – perhaps using an app – but became stuck or disillusioned? Our passion is making mindfulness meditation accessible, relevant and a practice for life. Because we know first-hand that with guidance and gentle effort it can be transformational. Learn to practice mindfulness meditation in a small supportive group guided by Oxford Mindfulness Centre-trained teachers. “I was a bit nervous at first. However, Claire and Emma created a very friendly atmosphere and it was very easy going. There were opportunities to chat with each other and I found it really helpful to discover I wasn't the only one feeling a bit at sea, both in the class and in life. I couldn't have found that support and camaraderie from a book.” (recent 4-week course participant) We are Claire Bird and Emma Turner and we're offering the following Mindfulness courses in the coming months.
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and how it can support your wellbeing please get in touch via Facebook Messenger or [email protected]. We are committed to making our courses as accessible as possible: let us know in confidence if any costs prevent you from participating. Remember that beliefs are deep-rooted thoughts and not necessarily facts? One of the freeing things about practising mindfulness of thoughts is that we can train ourselves to catch the unhelpful ones before they take us over.
One example… how often do you notice thoughts of needing something (or someone) to be better or perhaps ‘perfect’? These are thoughts that can be quite subtle and form recurring patterns. They are very familiar to me and I sometimes see them taking over our sensitive sons too. When you notice a flavour of ‘it needs to be perfect’ or ‘not good enough’ in your thinking, you could pause and gently explore it further: What is this? What’s here in the mind, heart and body when these thoughts arise? During mindfulness practice we take time to *feel* into this experientially (rather than thinking about it in a heady way). We also practice holding what’s here with friendliness and care. Taking time, and again from a place of compassion, you could then ask: What does perfection look like? Does seeking perfection grow happiness? Can you ever complete everything on life’s to-do list? Is that something you are aiming for? Developing a new relationship with thoughts, particularly subtle or deep-rooted ones, is a daily practice that takes gentle effort and time to bear fruit. And it will bear valuable fruit. Coming to see thoughts as thoughts, and put more space around them, was the most life-changing discovery for me during my first 8-week mindfulness course. Do get in touch if you’d like to join a forthcoming course with us. We would love to support you to begin a practice for life. “Mum, can I practice meditation with you again as I feel it doing good things for my brain”
I’ve joined another Gaia House online retreat from home and for the first time in years of meditating I was joined by a small boy on my lap for a practice guided by Chris Cullen this afternoon. To my surprise my son settled in for the full 45-minute meditation session and was very affected by Chris’ voice, the words he spoke of cultivating joy and kindness, and our presence together with the other meditators. I’m taking this as a beautiful gift from lockdown – one that I wouldn’t have experienced if I hadn’t needed to fit the more intensive practice of a retreat into family life. “I’m more patient and can honestly say my relationship with both of my teenage kids has improved vastly as a direct result of this course. I feel so much calmer through practising mindfulness. It has been one of the best things I’ve ever done!” (recent course participant)
Parenting is one of the most demanding, and at times stressful undertakings on the planet. It also provides an opportunity for one of the greatest mindfulness practices of all; Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction) encourages us to think of our children as live-in Zen masters who will unfailingly push our buttons. As mindfulness teachers who are also parents we have learned again and again that mindfulness practice really does help! We are Oxford Mindfulness Centre-trained teachers and are offering the following mindfulness courses in the coming months.
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and how it can support your wellbeing please get in touch. We would love to hear from you. Links to register in comments or email [email protected] to find out more. Claire Bird and Emma Turner, BAMBA-registered teachers We are committed to making our courses as accessible as possible: please let us know in confidence if any costs prevent you from participating. My Hero
Just as the hare is zipping across the finish line, the tortoise has stopped once again by the roadside, this time to stick out his neck and nibble a bit of sweet grass, unlike the previous time when he was distracted by a bee humming in the heart of a wildflower. ~ Billy Collins Hanging out in the slow lane is good for us. Hare can need balancing out sometimes. How’s your inner tortoise? |
AuthorI'm Claire - and I (re)learn something every day from practising and teaching mindfulness... Archives
March 2022
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