The difference between mindfulness and meditation? We are often asked about whether mindfulness and meditation are the same thing. My answer is yes and no. It is possible to practice mindfulness without meditating. It is possible to practice meditation without being mindful. And it is possible to practice mindful meditation! So what is mindfulness? [...]
Is Colouring-in Really Mindful? If you go to the mindfulness section of many bookshops you will find adult colouring books. These books suggest that we can find inner peace, so long as we don’t go outside the lines. I know of school teachers who announce to their pupils ‘it’s time to do some mindfulness’ [...]
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 [...]
Farewell or good riddance? For the last few weeks now, I have heard comments on the radio and TV, read posts on LinkedIn and Facebook and listened to people essentially saying good riddance to 2020. That it has been a terrible year and can’t wait to see the back of it. Yes, the year [...]
The Power Hour I have always found routine difficult. Somehow it seems so much easier to pick up ‘bad’ habits than ‘good’ ones. However, I recently stumbled across something that I like to call the ‘Power Hour’, that has really made a difference. So much so that I really wanted to share it. [...]
An ordinary day or a perfect day? At 11:15pm on Saturday 21st September I was driving home, I was feeling good and realised that the day that had just been may well have been a perfect day. I was however also struck by the realisation that from a different perspective, it was an average [...]
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 [...]
‘If you can sit quietly after difficult news; if in financial downturns you remain perfectly calm; if you can see your neighbors travel to fantastic places without a twinge of jealousy; if you can happily eat whatever is put on your plate; if you can fall asleep after a day of running around without [...]
Trust 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 final post in the series is an exploration of trust in relationships. Trust is a huge issue for many people; one that is bound up [...]
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 [...]