Posts tagged with 'gratitude'
A day spent "idle and blessed": report of an experiment
30th November 2012
In the words of Mary Oliver's beautiful poem "The summer day": Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean - the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of …
Going back for a university reunion: self-esteem, hallucinogens, wonder & the transpersonal (4th post)
14th September 2012
"Who will prefer the jingle of jade pendants if he once has heard stone growing in a cliff?" Lao Tzu "To stand and stare, to watch the rising sun, fills me with such calm happiness, I am sure I have dwindled away too much time on inessentials." Diana Gault (when …
Personal directions in mindfulness teaching: an overview
27th May 2012
I have been meditating regularly for over forty years and teaching for over thirty. I think the recent surge of interest and research on mindfulness is hugely exciting. I remember in 1998 hearing John Teasdale give a ground-breaking lecture on "Mindfulness training in treatment and prevention" at the British Association …
Walking in Skye & Kintail: mountain rescue, helicopter winches, and avoiding death & PTSD
27th April 2012
It's really early, and paradoxically I should be sleeping beautifully because I'm in a comfortable room at the Sligachan Hotel on the Isle of Skye. However I'm not too fussed - acute sleep deprivation may well affect memory consolidation and reduce the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma. …
Friendship: science, art & gratitude
11th July 2011
(this post is downloadable as both a Word doc & as a PDF file.) About every three months I meet up with one of my oldest and dearest friends and we spend twenty four hours or so together checking in on how our lives are going and what our plans …
30th wedding anniversary ceilidh: celebration, social networks & gratitude
31st October 2010
Yesterday, Catero and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a ceilidh. This is Auld Lang Syne at the end of the party. I'm the loudmouth (on one glass of wine), with dear Catero on my left (to the right in the picture). Laura, precious stepdaughter, is three places to …
Gratitude and dedication
15th March 2010
On the 15th March 2010 my dear, precious mother Edie Hawkins died. She was 97 and I'm writing this post ten days later. After the funeral, after the flurry of forms and arrangements and visits and paperwork have quietened down. I woke early this morning. Thought about her. A sense …
Writing (& speaking) for resilience & wellbeing 3: personal growth
24th January 2010
They taught me more about, in the midst of all this trauma and suffering and uncertainty - of remaining true to who you are, and what love can be about in those moments. And there are three or four of those that really stand out very strongly, whose lives were …
Autogenic training: third session
17th August 2009
Here are materials for the third session of the Autogenic Training classes that I've taught for many years. Please read the introductory remarks and take time to work through the first and second Autogenic Training exercises before starting on this third Limb Warmth focus. Once working with the Warmth exercises, …
Handouts & questionnaires for wellbeing and calming skills
13th October 2008
I continue to slowly add handouts & questionnaires to the relevant area in the website's "Good Knowledge" section. Here are a some that I use largely in the territory of wellbeing, mindfulness and relaxation. Some are assessment and monitoring questionnaires. Some provide orientating information. Some describe specific exercises to do. …