Mindfulness for Teachers - CPD This training day is for yoga teachers, meditation teachers, reiki teachers, holistic practitioners and those who would like to add mindfulness to their classes or 1-1 sessions. It is aimed at helping you teach adults: how to be more present and aware of their body how to focus their mind using the breath how to be more mindful in their daily life You will be [...]
'Inspired by love' is my new Substack page, which is a writers platform that I joined to feel uplifted by writers who fill my heart and help me feel more connected, more peaceful, more loving. But then I started to share my thoughts on loving-kindness, how to live from the heart and radiate love out into the world. It's become a place dedicated to love, kindness, compassion and positive [...]
The Zen Compassion Plus meditations have been taught to me by my teacher and Zen Master Daizan. They were passed down to our Rinzai Zen tradition by Zen Master Torei who taught the 'Shimuryo Zammai' practices - the four limitless meditations, as he felt they were helpful in creating a foundation for mental and psychological wellbeing. These practices offer a kinder and more compassionate way to live in the world, [...]
As Autumn starts to flow in, it gives us the opportunity to take a look at what we are holding on to, what we wish to let go of and what we would like to take forwards into the winter months. Our yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices are wonderful ways to help us navigate change, they help us to notice the tension in the body and start to soften, they [...]
“The light is expanding, and the earth is awakening, bringing transformation, regeneration, and renewal. Use the solar energy of the season to fire up your intention to initiate change. Let go of the old to make room for the new. This is a time of new beginnings.” (Yoga through the year, by Jilly Shipway) […]
This year I launched my first ever ‘Mindful Living’ courses and it has been so wonderful to see the positive changes that these courses brought. In just 4 simple weeks I saw so much joy, as we released some of our negative thinking patterns, brought in some more positive habits and got more creative. From journals, to sketchpads to mini creations, to painting plant pots and [...]
A journey of the heart - with Julian Daizan Skinner Daizan is a Rinzai Zen Master who trained in Japan, before returning to the UK and going on walking pilgrimage, starting right here on the Isle of Wight. On the Summer Solstice we will be at St Catherines Lighthouse in Niton to sit in meditation as the sun rises. Then we will hold a day of Zen in Fishbourne, [...]
Mindfulness is more than meditation - it's a way of life! You can learn a range of meditation and mindfulness methods to improve your wellbeing on the next 6-week course. Learning ways to feel better within and give yourself a toolkit of methods to use in your every day life. - Give yourself an hour a week and 30 minutes a day to listen within- Find the space you need [...]
A koan is a word, phrase or story used in Zen practice to bring about an awakening. Contemplating the question or phrase, given to you by your teacher, leads you beyond the dualistic mind to a sense of completeness. On the 8-week 'Mindfulness for Insight' course, we introduce you to koan practice, by encouraging you to sit in meditation asking the question "Who am I?" You simply sit, being aware [...]
Zen means 'meditation' and Taiso is Japanese for 'exercise', so Zen Taiso is a way of practicing 'moving meditation' or 'mindful movement'. Taiso is often practiced in Zen temples, as part of their daily exercise, as it helps to prepare the body for sitting meditation. Methods may include Zen Yoga, breathing into the hara and movements for the meridian lines in the body, allowing energy to flow. Taiso can be practiced [...]