A former student of mine has recently ventured onto the Balearic island of Ibiza. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its cultural and historical significance, it’s probably better known as the party island of the Mediterranean. I visited there in my late 20s. In fact I went on a 2wentys holiday package […]
Thank you for the music… Read more »
I recently came across the word fjaka (pron fee-ah-ka). It’s a Coatian word, specifically from the Dalmatian coast area. Often described as untranslatable, it’s usually explained as complete relaxation or the art of doing nothing. A particluar state of body and mind. A sort of day-dreamy state. I prefer to describe this concept as not
My Mum always used to use the phrase: “more haste, less speed.” Meaning if you try to do things too quickly, it will take you longer in the end. I think when I was a lot younger I used to think it was one of those annoying phrases that older people used to show off
I recently challenged some of my meditation group to eat at least one meal mindfully. This means taking notice and being aware of what you are eating. You can start the process from the moment you begin prepping your food or from when it’s placed in front of you. Noticing any colours… smells… shapes… Observing
Have you ever had a moment when you just can’t decide on something one way or the other? A moment of indecision. Leading to periods of procrastination as you put off making the decision. I certainly have as a writer/editor/journalist/…and person. Sometimes if you’ve been working on something for a while – you get too
Pause for thought… Read more »
The one thing I think/hope COVID taught us (or reminded us) is that if you feel unwell… stay home. Or at least be mindful of staying away from other people. For many years I had students arriving to class coughing and spluttering with the latest bug. For many years I would catch said bug, pass
In sickness and in health… Read more »
I recently sat in on a webinar featuring Australian athlete Cathy Freeman talking about meditation and mindfulness. Particularly around when she runs, when she was competing and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She said before racing she would need to relax her toes. Do some deep breathing to release tension and tightness and find a quietness
What I learned from Cathy Freeman… Read more »
I’m very mindful of food waste, so I like to plan out what we are going to eat the following week. It usually has a bit of flexibility in there, just in case… Quite often there’ll be one dish that will cover six serves (so three meals for the two of us). Just so I
Food glorious food… Read more »
I came across an article this morning by an American philosopher basically arguing that travel doesn’t change us. In her Case Against Travel she argues that we see and do things and have experiences on our travels, but at the end of the day we return home and continue to be the person we are,
The case for travel… Read more »
Recently I was asked what is the opposite of reactionary. The only word that immediately came to mind was inactive – but I felt that wasn’t quite right. So I didn’t really answer the question at all. I’ve been mulling on this for a few days now. Maybe they didn’t necessarily want an answer, they
Mindful listening… Read more »
