Check Out These Upcoming Meditation Courses! Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness: Finding Peace in Every Moment (Dec 1-28) Research shows that we spend, on average, 48% of our time in distracted thinking, and that these thoughts are often detrimental to our wellbeing and happiness. In many cases, compulsive thoughts create out-of-control states of depression or stress. Stress Reduction Through Mindfulness is a 28-day online meditation event — a practical guide showing how the power of mindfulness can reduce stress in your life and offer you access to peace in every moment. You'll learn how to relate more healthily to stressful situations, how to avoid "catastrophizing," and how to become more emotionally resilient. This event is suitable for people of all levels of experience, including complete beginners. » Click here now for more information  Heart Wide Open: The Art and Science of Cultivating Compassion (Dec 1-28) A growing body of evidence indicates that we are biologically equipped to relate compassionately, and that tapping into our compassionate potential has significant benefits. Research shows that connecting with others in a meaningful way helps us enjoy better mental and physical health and speeds up recovery from disease. Having compassion for others, rather than being depressing, is associated with greater happiness and positivity, and having compassion for ourselves leads to greater emotional resilience. In this 28-day meditation event we'll explore how to develop compassion through meditation as well as through practicing it in our daily lives. This event is suitable for people of all levels of experience, including complete beginners. » Click here now for more information  Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR): A Mindfulness Approach For Working With Addictions (Jan 1-28) Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery MBAR is a secular mindfulness-based approach to promoting recovery from addiction and understanding relapse. Originally called mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP), we decided to focus on building Recovery Capital, which is internal and external resources that can promote harm reduction, abstinence and sobriety of mind. MBAR is a secular Mindfulness Course for anyone who has behaviour that is substance related or not, that brings temporary pleasure or relief. Or where one craves, acts out of the craving, and is unable to stop despite negative consequences. This course is also for professionals working in the field of addiction, and who would like to understand addiction through the Mindfulness lens, and may want to go onto do MBAR, the train the trainer course that is delivered internationally. » Click here now for more information

Letting the Breathing Observe You in Meditation I'd like to suggest a very different way of meditating. Normally in meditation we think about observing the breathing. Actually a lot of people think about and practice observing the breath — air flowing in and out of the body's airways — but I point out that it's far more useful to observe the breathing, which is a much richer experience. When we're observing the breathing we're potentially observing the entire body, and how it participates in and responds to the process of air flowing in and out of our passageways. In taking this approach of observing the breathing it's useful first of all to relax the muscles around the yes. This brings about a change in the way we observe internally, so that we can be aware simultaneously of a wide range of sensation in different parts of the body. With the muscles around the eyes in their default, activated state, we can only observe one small part of the body. I've described this elsewhere as being like switching from a flashlight, which can only illuminate a small area, to a lamp, which sheds light in all directions. Once you've become aware of sensations from all over the body, it's possible to simply rest there, with thoughts still arising but no longer capturing your attention. Less effort is required, and so there's less of a sense that you're doing anything in meditation. Your meditation practice is just there. You can let go even further, though, by allowing yourself to sense that you are being observed by the breathing just as much as you are observing it. You can be aware of the body as a living, breathing, animal presence — a presence that has its own intelligence and awareness. Allow yourself to be seen. Perhaps at first it may be a little uncomfortable to do this. After all, being observed can be uncomfortable. But think of this observation not so much as visual and more as felt, as sensory. And think of your body as a warm, loving presence that enfolds you intimately in its embrace. This gives us an opportunity to surrender even further, and to sense our meditation practice from a place of deeper receptivity. There's now nothing to do. We don't even have to be present for the body, since the body is always present for us. When we come back to mindful awareness after a period of distraction we find that the body is still there, sensing us, and we can realize that it's never stopped doing that. This may sound fanciful, or even absurd. I just suggest that you give it a go, and see what happens. It may change your meditation practice, and perhaps even your life.