A mindful Valentine’s Day Valentine's day is a celebration of love, relationships and connection. Mindfulness is training in paying attention, in the words of Simone Weil ‘Attention is the Rarest and Purest form of Generosity’ Mindfulness, paying attention , on purpose, in the present moment can help strengthen our relationships. The following tips can [...]
Each month at Mindful Therapies we focus on one of the nine foundational attitudes of mindfulness, as described by Jon Kabat-Zinn. These are attitudes we can bring both to our mindfulness practice and to our everyday lives. The nine attitudes are: Beginners Mind Non-Judgement Gratitude Acceptance Letting Go Generosity Patience Trust Of course, there [...]
Am I doing it right? This week at Mindful Therapies we ran a meditation workshop called ‘Am I doing it right?’ This was an opportunity for people with some experience of meditation to discuss their practice with others. Although we meditate in a group, the practice of meditation is quite a solitary experience, in [...]
The Problem with Gratitude Here at Mindful Therapies our attitude of the month for March is gratitude. We have had a lot to say over the years about the importance and benefits of gratitude: Gratitude: antidote to New Years Resolutions ; Gratitude in the workplace ; Gratitude in relationships ; Deepening practice and more. This [...]
Acceptance In Relationships This series of blog posts focuses on some of my reflections on the nine foundational attitudes of mindfulness and how they relate to interpersonal relationships. This week is an exploration of acceptance. Accepting difference Acceptance is a huge topic and one that is often misunderstood, particularly within relationships. Within relationships [...]
Winning the inner game Whilst watching the England versus Panama match on Sunday, I heard that the Panama coach had conceded his team did not have the same levels of fitness as European players. I noticed two different strands of thought emerge; What effect does this have on the mindset of his team? What [...]
Non-Judgement In Relationships This series of blog posts focuses on some of my reflections on the nine foundational attitudes of mindfulness and how they relate to interpersonal relationships. This week is an exploration of non-judgement. As human beings we judge all the time. However, when we feel judged by others it can feel [...]
Beginners mind in relationships This series of blog posts focuses on some of my reflections on the nine foundational attitudes of mindfulness and how they relate to interpersonal relationships. This week is an exploration of beginner’s mind. The longer we know somebody, often the less we pay attention. Instead, we rely on our assumptions [...]
Patience Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.” ~ Saadi Remind yourself that there is no need to be impatient with yourself because you find the mind judging all the time or because you are tense or agitated or frightened, or because you have been practicing mindfulness for some time and [...]
Generosity Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil True generosity also requires non-attachment to outcome. We give freely, without conditions on how gifts are used or whether something is received in return. This sort of giving has nothing to do with I, me or mine – it is free [...]