The word mantra means ‘mind protection’, used in a similar way to an affirmation, it uses repeated sounds to bring the mind into balance. Mantra's can aid deeper states of meditation, they can be spoken, chanted or said quietly in your mind. Matching your mantra to your breath – breathing in, pause, breathing out, means that your mantra can be practiced in meditation as well as while you walk, wait [...]
My first introduction to mindfulness was through books by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, such as "Peace is every step" and "Peace is every breath", they offer wonderful examples of daily mindfulness practices, such as walking meditation and washing the dishes, as well as deeper methods of loving speech and deep compassionate listening. In Peace is every step, he contemplates flowers and garbage and how one turns into another. "If [...]
Sangha means community and in Buddhism it is one of the three jewels, where we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings) and the Sangha (a community of like minded people practicing together.) Sangha Day is a Buddhist holiday celebrated in monastic communities around the world. It is celebrated on the full moon of the first lunar month, in 2020 this is on 7 February. Our Zen mini retreat [...]
Zen yoga is a term that describes a variety of physical and energetic practices that can be found within the Zen Buddhist tradition. In Japan there are many forms of movement that have been practiced for hundreds of years, influenced by the Chinese movement of Dao Yin, Japanese monks practiced similar forms of movement or exercise such as Do In, Zen Taiso and Do Zen. Do Zen means moving meditation and [...]
Sangha means community and in Buddhism it is one of the three jewels, where we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings) and the Sangha (a community of like minded people practicing together.) […]
Anxiety was the biggest reason I wanted to learn mindfulness techniques and so I have been exploring anxiety through mindfulness for a number of years now. […]
The Meditation and Mindfulness 8 week courses I teach are similar to those on an MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) course, however the MBSR and MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) courses were both originally designed to help with specific conditions and tend to be used in hospitals and clinics. MBSR was designed to help with the stress of illness, and MBCT was designed to help avoid relapse into depression. [...]
The Zen Meditation & Mindfulness for Energy & Grounding now replaces the planned Insight course offering people the chance to drop-in, learn some of the methods from the Insight course and look at how mindfulness can help with stress and challenging emotions. Zen Meditation & Mindfulness for Energy & Grounding Thursday 6.15pm - 7.30pm 7 September - 28 September £26 or £7 drop-in Thursday 6.15pm - 7.30pm 23 November - [...]
Zen Meditation & Mindfulness for Insight Thursday 6.00pm - 8.00pm - 7 Sept - 12 Oct - 6 weeks £90 This course allows you to create or deepen your practice, learn more about Zen, energy and grounding. We will look at the stages of insight and moving meditations, so that we can take our practice into our everyday life. The meditations allow you to journey inwards to discover your true [...]
Grounding is a way to stay focused on the body and the present moment rather than allowing your mind to race from one thought to another. […]