The focus of my life over the last couple of years has been to live more mindfully, more consciously, more awake — to be more present, to walk more peacefully on this earth, to wake up to the tiny joys that are all around us, and to become a person of strength, courage, and compassion.
This has involved a lot of changes — including downsizing my flat to a little doer-upper, taking a sabbatical from full time yoga teaching, writing a book or two, falling in love with a guy who lives in a van, growing my own vegetables, going on a 10-day silent retreat, and discovering a deeper love for yoga and meditation.
And in that time, I have learnt a few things worth sharing.
The main thing I’ve realised is that life rarely goes the way you want it to — your coffee will get cold, your ice cream will melt, the dog will poo on the carpet, you'll get stuck in traffic and be late for work, someone will put the white towels in the washing machine with Tom's red socks, your Dad will get cancer, your Nan will get Alzheimer's and forget your name, the shop won't have the cookies you like, your metabolism will slow down and your hair will go grey and you'll get wrinkles, you'll do yoga and eat well and use that fancy anti-ageing cream and you'll get old anyway.
The truth is, we don't always get what we want, things will happen that we don't want to happen, and people will behave in ways we don't like — and when it feels like the universe isn't on our side, we get tense and irritated and frustrated. With each traffic jam we get stuck in or unwashed dish that gets left on the side or when some new obstacle gets in our way, we create a tiny knot of suffering within.
So we have two choices:
1. We can expend all our energy trying to arrange our life so that nothing unwanted happens and everything we want happens and people behave how we want them to behave. But, this is impossible. There is no one whose desires are always fulfilled, whose life is untouched by loss, whose heart is never broken.
2. We can train ourselves to stop reacting blindly when we are faced with things we don't like — to train ourselves to remain peaceful within even if the world outside is full of chaos. This training begins with awareness — of our breath and of our body. Even before we know that we are angry or frustrated or anxious, we can experience it in our breath as it loses its normal rhythm, and also in the physical sensations of our body as the anger or frustration or anxiety create a biochemical reaction, manifesting as tension in our shoulders or tightness in our chest or butterflies in our stomach. Once we are aware of these physical manifestations of our emotions, we can pay attention to them before they overpower us and instead, allow them to dissolve. This is what we learn to do through meditation.
Another thing I've learnt is that living a mindful, awakened life is worth the effort. It’s a life where you stop living on autopilot. Where you stop mundanely striving towards goals that don’t really matter. Where you stop fighting life and running from discomfort and grasping at trivial pleasures that can never be truly satisfying. It’s a life where you stop diddling around doing the safe thing, or the thing you think you should be doing, or the thing society says you need to do in order to be successful and happy. It's a life where you stop sleep-walking through your days — lost in worries about the future or regrets about the past or thoughts about not being thin/smart/rich/good enough.
Being awake means we’re not missing out on life because we’re too busy checking our emails or looking at our phone or thinking about what we’re going to eat for dinner later or getting upset about that thing someone said to us earlier that made us feel unworthy. It means unpeeling the layers of conditioning and releasing the habits that keep you trapped in a too-small life. It means slowing down and paying attention and looking closely — because the beautiful may be small.
Being awake means meeting our true needs — the need to do meaningful work, to contribute to the world, to love and be loved, to be seen and heard, to connect to nature, to play and explore and adventure, to serve something larger than ourselves. Everyone seeks peace and harmony — because this is what we lack in our lives. And most of the things we think we want — money, control, power, recognition, security, food, alcohol, mindless internet surfing..., are not what we really want at all. They are simply external props that serve as substitutes for what we really need — peace, harmony, belonging, play, intimacy, connection, love.
Ultimately, being awake means trusting life rather than fighting it.
The other main thing I’ve learnt is that we will forget to stay awake and we will fall back to sleep pretty regularly — and that's OK. We’ll slip back into living out of habit instead of from intention. We might drink a bit too much or eat a bit too much or skip the gym for a few days or weeks or months at a time. Or we might become hyper-critical of ourselves or be blindly reactive to our families or forget about self-care. Or we might feel a kind of ever-present, low-level suffering because we’ve forgotten our purpose and lost our connection with ourselves and the world.
So I’ve created this six month guide to meditation and mindful living to help you remember. To help you remember who you are, and why you’re here and how you can serve. To help you remember to stay awake — no matter what.
It’s designed for people who don't like meditating — because I used to be a person who did NOT like meditating! But the joy, freedom and aliveness I have discovered through the practise is beyond anything I knew existed so I wanted to share it with you.
If you’re signed up to The Pause — my weekly newsletter for the exhausted and overwhelmed, you’ll get the following week’s meditation schedule every Sunday. If not, I’ll be updating this page weekly so make sure to check back regularly (or just sign up for The Pause here).
This has involved a lot of changes — including downsizing my flat to a little doer-upper, taking a sabbatical from full time yoga teaching, writing a book or two, falling in love with a guy who lives in a van, growing my own vegetables, going on a 10-day silent retreat, and discovering a deeper love for yoga and meditation.
And in that time, I have learnt a few things worth sharing.
The main thing I’ve realised is that life rarely goes the way you want it to — your coffee will get cold, your ice cream will melt, the dog will poo on the carpet, you'll get stuck in traffic and be late for work, someone will put the white towels in the washing machine with Tom's red socks, your Dad will get cancer, your Nan will get Alzheimer's and forget your name, the shop won't have the cookies you like, your metabolism will slow down and your hair will go grey and you'll get wrinkles, you'll do yoga and eat well and use that fancy anti-ageing cream and you'll get old anyway.
The truth is, we don't always get what we want, things will happen that we don't want to happen, and people will behave in ways we don't like — and when it feels like the universe isn't on our side, we get tense and irritated and frustrated. With each traffic jam we get stuck in or unwashed dish that gets left on the side or when some new obstacle gets in our way, we create a tiny knot of suffering within.
So we have two choices:
1. We can expend all our energy trying to arrange our life so that nothing unwanted happens and everything we want happens and people behave how we want them to behave. But, this is impossible. There is no one whose desires are always fulfilled, whose life is untouched by loss, whose heart is never broken.
2. We can train ourselves to stop reacting blindly when we are faced with things we don't like — to train ourselves to remain peaceful within even if the world outside is full of chaos. This training begins with awareness — of our breath and of our body. Even before we know that we are angry or frustrated or anxious, we can experience it in our breath as it loses its normal rhythm, and also in the physical sensations of our body as the anger or frustration or anxiety create a biochemical reaction, manifesting as tension in our shoulders or tightness in our chest or butterflies in our stomach. Once we are aware of these physical manifestations of our emotions, we can pay attention to them before they overpower us and instead, allow them to dissolve. This is what we learn to do through meditation.
Another thing I've learnt is that living a mindful, awakened life is worth the effort. It’s a life where you stop living on autopilot. Where you stop mundanely striving towards goals that don’t really matter. Where you stop fighting life and running from discomfort and grasping at trivial pleasures that can never be truly satisfying. It’s a life where you stop diddling around doing the safe thing, or the thing you think you should be doing, or the thing society says you need to do in order to be successful and happy. It's a life where you stop sleep-walking through your days — lost in worries about the future or regrets about the past or thoughts about not being thin/smart/rich/good enough.
Being awake means we’re not missing out on life because we’re too busy checking our emails or looking at our phone or thinking about what we’re going to eat for dinner later or getting upset about that thing someone said to us earlier that made us feel unworthy. It means unpeeling the layers of conditioning and releasing the habits that keep you trapped in a too-small life. It means slowing down and paying attention and looking closely — because the beautiful may be small.
Being awake means meeting our true needs — the need to do meaningful work, to contribute to the world, to love and be loved, to be seen and heard, to connect to nature, to play and explore and adventure, to serve something larger than ourselves. Everyone seeks peace and harmony — because this is what we lack in our lives. And most of the things we think we want — money, control, power, recognition, security, food, alcohol, mindless internet surfing..., are not what we really want at all. They are simply external props that serve as substitutes for what we really need — peace, harmony, belonging, play, intimacy, connection, love.
Ultimately, being awake means trusting life rather than fighting it.
The other main thing I’ve learnt is that we will forget to stay awake and we will fall back to sleep pretty regularly — and that's OK. We’ll slip back into living out of habit instead of from intention. We might drink a bit too much or eat a bit too much or skip the gym for a few days or weeks or months at a time. Or we might become hyper-critical of ourselves or be blindly reactive to our families or forget about self-care. Or we might feel a kind of ever-present, low-level suffering because we’ve forgotten our purpose and lost our connection with ourselves and the world.
So I’ve created this six month guide to meditation and mindful living to help you remember. To help you remember who you are, and why you’re here and how you can serve. To help you remember to stay awake — no matter what.
It’s designed for people who don't like meditating — because I used to be a person who did NOT like meditating! But the joy, freedom and aliveness I have discovered through the practise is beyond anything I knew existed so I wanted to share it with you.
If you’re signed up to The Pause — my weekly newsletter for the exhausted and overwhelmed, you’ll get the following week’s meditation schedule every Sunday. If not, I’ll be updating this page weekly so make sure to check back regularly (or just sign up for The Pause here).
LET'S BEGIN
Before you begin meditating, you’ll probably want to know what the point of it all is. Why bother putting in the effort?
I wish I could tell you meditation will give you some amazingly magical, stress-free life without any pain or drama or loss. But, the truth is, meditation won’t solve all your problems or make everything rosy forever. But, what it will do is help you see life more clearly and love it more deeply.
In meditation, we are working on a practical goal — a return to inner peace. We are training the mind to let go of suffering and begin living a life that is driven by what we love instead of what we fear.
As we meditate, we develop awareness and equanimity (non-reaction). This awareness allows us to become mindful of our intentions as we go through the day. And equanimity allows us to act consciously and mindfully instead of reacting blindly, controlled by our habits and prejudices. As we meditate, we begin to bring mindful awareness into our everyday life — we become aware of when we are craving or clinging or wanting, of when we are acting from anger or a scarcity, and when it is love and compassion that are driving our actions. When we become aware of our intentions, we can choose what we act on and what kind of life we create.
I wish I could tell you meditation will give you some amazingly magical, stress-free life without any pain or drama or loss. But, the truth is, meditation won’t solve all your problems or make everything rosy forever. But, what it will do is help you see life more clearly and love it more deeply.
In meditation, we are working on a practical goal — a return to inner peace. We are training the mind to let go of suffering and begin living a life that is driven by what we love instead of what we fear.
As we meditate, we develop awareness and equanimity (non-reaction). This awareness allows us to become mindful of our intentions as we go through the day. And equanimity allows us to act consciously and mindfully instead of reacting blindly, controlled by our habits and prejudices. As we meditate, we begin to bring mindful awareness into our everyday life — we become aware of when we are craving or clinging or wanting, of when we are acting from anger or a scarcity, and when it is love and compassion that are driving our actions. When we become aware of our intentions, we can choose what we act on and what kind of life we create.
THE SCIENCE
You can read all the books in the world on oceanography but unless you actually get in the water, you will never learn to swim. The same is true for meditation — once you begin practicing the science is irrelevant because, on an experiential level, you know you are healing, growing, waking up. But, sometimes a little science can be enough to persuade you to begin so you can find some of the latest research on the benefits of meditation here (which I will update regularly).
THE PRACTICAL STUFF
The secret to developing a consistent meditation practice is to make it as easy as possible. When I first started meditating I would practise for one minute in the car once I’d finished work for the day. I would pull up outside my flat, turn the engine and the radio off, close my eyes, and focus on my breath. This pause was enough for me to dedicate more time to my practice.
Over the years, my practise has evolved and now I do 30-60 minutes first thing in the morning. I will brush my teeth and wash my face and then go straight to my office where I have a meditation cushion. I won’t check my phone or read anything or speak to anyone beforehand simply because I know the interaction and stimulation will make that day’s practice more difficult.
This is just what works for me though. You may find it works better for you to meditate in the evening or on your lunch break. You might find it uncomfortable to sit on a cushion and instead would rather sit on a chair. You may find you’d rather meditate with a partner or friend to keep you accountable. These are all the things you will discover over the next six months.
I would offer the following advice to everybody though:
Here are some common sitting positions you might find helpful to explore.
Over the years, my practise has evolved and now I do 30-60 minutes first thing in the morning. I will brush my teeth and wash my face and then go straight to my office where I have a meditation cushion. I won’t check my phone or read anything or speak to anyone beforehand simply because I know the interaction and stimulation will make that day’s practice more difficult.
This is just what works for me though. You may find it works better for you to meditate in the evening or on your lunch break. You might find it uncomfortable to sit on a cushion and instead would rather sit on a chair. You may find you’d rather meditate with a partner or friend to keep you accountable. These are all the things you will discover over the next six months.
I would offer the following advice to everybody though:
- Avoid meditating lying down — you will fall asleep
- Meditate with your back to the wall, facing the door to create a feeling of safety
- Meditate at the same time everyday
- Do not be afraid of using cushions, blocks and bolsters, especially if you have injuries or find it uncomfortable to sit for long periods of time
- Use an alarm to let you know when you have meditated for the set time — I use the countdown timer on my phone, set to go off with a gentle birdsong in case I have time to meditate for longer and want to continue
Here are some common sitting positions you might find helpful to explore.
Seated cross-legged.
Leaning against a wall.
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Seated cross-legged with hips raised.
Seated in a chair.
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Kneeling.
Using all the props!
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A GENTLE WARNING...
I used to think meditation was relaxing but what I discovered was that it is bloody hard work. At first, instead of finding inner peace, you will probably find nothing but frustration and agitation.
When we meditate, we begin to see how wild our mind is and how little inner discipline and compassion we actually have. We find ourselves getting lost in our thoughts and having to bring our mind back over and over again so that we can be fully present. When I first started meditating, I couldn’t focus for more than three breaths without my mind wandering to some future plan or past memory — so if this happens to you too, that is OK. This is why we meditate — to train the mind to pay attention.
What I’ve realised is that stillness scares us. Silence scares us. And meditation requires us to go beyond the habit of wanting to be somewhere else, somewhere more exciting or more noisy or more busy — somewhere, anywhere but the present.
If you do find yourself tempted to give up because it’s not quite as effortless and relaxing as all those pictures of yogis sitting cross-legged at the stop of a mountain made it out to be, remind yourself that as you’re meditating you are literally re-wiring your brain (called self-directed neuroplasticity) so that we no longer suffer — and it takes conscious mental effort to do that (attention plus intention).
But imagine living in a way where you are free from always wanting things to be different, free from relying on the external world to make you happy, free from fears about the future and regrets about the past, free from the misery of thoughts that make you feel small and unworthy, free to fully feel every emotion without being overwhelmed by it, free to make conscious choices instead of being controlled by habits and addictions, free to relax and enjoy your life. If you’re doubting the path of meditation, remember that, once you learn how to control your mind instead of letting it control you, this is the freedom that is available to everyone.
When we meditate, we begin to see how wild our mind is and how little inner discipline and compassion we actually have. We find ourselves getting lost in our thoughts and having to bring our mind back over and over again so that we can be fully present. When I first started meditating, I couldn’t focus for more than three breaths without my mind wandering to some future plan or past memory — so if this happens to you too, that is OK. This is why we meditate — to train the mind to pay attention.
What I’ve realised is that stillness scares us. Silence scares us. And meditation requires us to go beyond the habit of wanting to be somewhere else, somewhere more exciting or more noisy or more busy — somewhere, anywhere but the present.
If you do find yourself tempted to give up because it’s not quite as effortless and relaxing as all those pictures of yogis sitting cross-legged at the stop of a mountain made it out to be, remind yourself that as you’re meditating you are literally re-wiring your brain (called self-directed neuroplasticity) so that we no longer suffer — and it takes conscious mental effort to do that (attention plus intention).
But imagine living in a way where you are free from always wanting things to be different, free from relying on the external world to make you happy, free from fears about the future and regrets about the past, free from the misery of thoughts that make you feel small and unworthy, free to fully feel every emotion without being overwhelmed by it, free to make conscious choices instead of being controlled by habits and addictions, free to relax and enjoy your life. If you’re doubting the path of meditation, remember that, once you learn how to control your mind instead of letting it control you, this is the freedom that is available to everyone.
TYPES OF MEDITATION
Most of our suffering originates in the mind. So, meditation is about learning how to use the mind to reduce our suffering.
For example, if you get stuck in a traffic jam, you may feel irritated or frustrated at being held up on your rush to nowhere. You may blame the traffic for causing your frustration, and a voice in your head may start huffing and puffing — “This trip should only take me 20 minutes”, “I could have cleaned the house in the time I’ve been sitting here”, “What a waste of time”… But, if you stop and reflect, you will see that it is your aversion to the traffic and your desire for the roads to be traffic-free that is causing you to suffer. A traffic jam is simply a traffic jam — it is your mind’s wanting and aversion that is causing your irritation.
In Pali, the classical language of Buddhism, meditation is referred to as ‘bhāvanā’, which means ‘mental development’. And that’s exactly what meditation is — specific mental techniques used for focussing and purifying the mind (n.b. ‘purifying’ isn’t some kind of detox — it is about removing conditioning from the mind so you can make conscious, mindful choices instead of reacting automatically out of habit).
We will be using three simple meditation techniques over the next six months — Breath Awareness, Body Awareness and Loving-Kindness.
For example, if you get stuck in a traffic jam, you may feel irritated or frustrated at being held up on your rush to nowhere. You may blame the traffic for causing your frustration, and a voice in your head may start huffing and puffing — “This trip should only take me 20 minutes”, “I could have cleaned the house in the time I’ve been sitting here”, “What a waste of time”… But, if you stop and reflect, you will see that it is your aversion to the traffic and your desire for the roads to be traffic-free that is causing you to suffer. A traffic jam is simply a traffic jam — it is your mind’s wanting and aversion that is causing your irritation.
In Pali, the classical language of Buddhism, meditation is referred to as ‘bhāvanā’, which means ‘mental development’. And that’s exactly what meditation is — specific mental techniques used for focussing and purifying the mind (n.b. ‘purifying’ isn’t some kind of detox — it is about removing conditioning from the mind so you can make conscious, mindful choices instead of reacting automatically out of habit).
We will be using three simple meditation techniques over the next six months — Breath Awareness, Body Awareness and Loving-Kindness.
BREATH AWARENESS MEDITATION
This is the practice of concentration and is the first step to taming the mind. By fixing and maintaining your attention on the breath, you train the mind to become steady and focussed instead of being distracted by every thought, craving or aversion that pops into your head.
Breath awareness trains our ability to concentrate so we can use the mind to examine and remove conditioning and habits that are causing us to suffer. By practising awareness of our breath we are practising awareness of the present moment — and when we are fully focused on the present moment, we are free from craving, aversion, and suffering.
When you first begin this practice, you’ll probably notice that as soon as you try and fix your mind on the breath, a thousand thoughts will jump into your mind — hopes, memories, worries, pains, fears… Often your mind will drift away from your breath without you noticing so, when it does (which it will — lots and lots and lots!), your work is to bring it back to the present moment over and over again by focusing on your breath.
Most of us have a deeply ingrained mental habit of wanting to run away from the present moment (to plans and memories and worries) which will take time to change but, with patience and practice, it becomes easier to maintain unbroken awareness of the breath.
Breath awareness trains our ability to concentrate so we can use the mind to examine and remove conditioning and habits that are causing us to suffer. By practising awareness of our breath we are practising awareness of the present moment — and when we are fully focused on the present moment, we are free from craving, aversion, and suffering.
When you first begin this practice, you’ll probably notice that as soon as you try and fix your mind on the breath, a thousand thoughts will jump into your mind — hopes, memories, worries, pains, fears… Often your mind will drift away from your breath without you noticing so, when it does (which it will — lots and lots and lots!), your work is to bring it back to the present moment over and over again by focusing on your breath.
Most of us have a deeply ingrained mental habit of wanting to run away from the present moment (to plans and memories and worries) which will take time to change but, with patience and practice, it becomes easier to maintain unbroken awareness of the breath.
- Simply begin by finding a comfortable seated position, where you can sit with your spine upright, and close your eyes.
- Bring your awareness to the sensation of your breath around your nostrils — maybe you can feel your breath tickle your upper lip, or you might feel it around the outside of your nose or you may notice a coolness or warmth on the inside of the nostrils as the air passes through.
- Fix your focus to these sensations, making sure not to control your breath but simply observe your natural breathing rhythm — if the breath is deep, let it be deep, if it is shallow, let it be shallow, if it is soft, let it be soft. Simply watch the breath as it moves in and out of your nostrils.
- Each time your mind wanders, gently, and without judgement or frustration, bring your awareness back to the sensation of the breath.
BODY AWARENESS MEDITATION
Body Awareness Meditation is the practice of wisdom and insight — it is a tool to free us from conditioning, habits, subtle addictions, and thought patterns that cause us to suffer. By exploring the sensations of the body, you can experience truths within yourself — the truth that life is suffering (because everything changes), that the causes of suffering are craving, aversion and fighting with reality, that is possible to stop suffering, and that there is a path for doing so (mainly meditation and moral, mindful living!).
As you practise this meditation you will notice how everything always changes — you might experience the physical pain in your knee change to a burning sensation before changing again to a deep throbbing before changing again to tiny vibrations. And then you might feel an ache in your back or a niggle in your ankle or your trousers might feel really cosy on your legs — each changing and transforming over and over again. And, as these sensations arise, you might feel intense emotions and long-forgotten memories may arise with them — your task is to simply observe each sensation, memory and emotion, allowing them to change and transform and dissolve without getting caught up in them — without judgement or aversion or attachment.
As you practise this meditation you will notice how everything always changes — you might experience the physical pain in your knee change to a burning sensation before changing again to a deep throbbing before changing again to tiny vibrations. And then you might feel an ache in your back or a niggle in your ankle or your trousers might feel really cosy on your legs — each changing and transforming over and over again. And, as these sensations arise, you might feel intense emotions and long-forgotten memories may arise with them — your task is to simply observe each sensation, memory and emotion, allowing them to change and transform and dissolve without getting caught up in them — without judgement or aversion or attachment.
- Simply begin by finding a comfortable seated position, where you can sit with your spine upright, and close your eyes. If you have already practised Breath Awareness Meditation then stay seated with your eyes closed and move onto Body Awareness naturally.
- Begin scanning your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Work slowly, examining each part of your body for any sensations. Don’t search for anything extraordinary, simply observe each sensations as they occur — sharp pain, dull aching, itching, tingling, throbbing, pressure, warmth, cold, pulsation, vibration…
- Avoid analysing where the sensation has come from or allowing any sensation to intensify by liking it or disliking it — instead simply observe it, letting it rise and pass away.
Loving-Kindness Meditation
This is the first type of meditation I ever practised — it taught me the unconditionality of love and how to love another without an agenda or without expecting anything in return (unconditional love is a little different from romantic love and emotional love — to me, it feels like the capacity to treat all living beings as if they were our own children).
Loving-Kindness Meditation uses words, images and feelings to cultivate love and compassion towards oneself and others. As we repeat each phrase, we plant a seed of loving-kindness that we can continue to nurture in our lives.
The meditation begins with cultivating a feeling of love and compassion for yourself. If you struggle with self-love, you can always start with cultivating love for someone you care about and then expanding the circle of love to include yourself too — remember that unconditional love is incomplete unless it includes yourself.
Loving-Kindness Meditation uses words, images and feelings to cultivate love and compassion towards oneself and others. As we repeat each phrase, we plant a seed of loving-kindness that we can continue to nurture in our lives.
The meditation begins with cultivating a feeling of love and compassion for yourself. If you struggle with self-love, you can always start with cultivating love for someone you care about and then expanding the circle of love to include yourself too — remember that unconditional love is incomplete unless it includes yourself.
- Simply begin by finding a comfortable seated position, where you can sit with your spine upright, and close your eyes. If you have already practised Breath Awareness Meditation or Body Awareness Meditation then stay seated with your eyes closed and move onto Loving-Kindness Meditation naturally.
- Cultivate a feelings of loving-kindness towards yourself. You might find it helpful to imagine yourself as a new born baby — vulnerable, fragile, and beautiful. Silently, say to yourself, “May I be happy and free”, or choose a phrase that feels right for you. For example, “May I be filled with loving-kindness”, or “May I be free from suffering”. Spend a couple of minutes repeating this phrase and cultivating loving-kindness for yourself.
- Expand your circle of loving-kindness to include someone you care about — a friend or family member, maybe. Repeat the same phrase you used for yourself, this time focusing on the person you care deeply about. For example, “May my sister be happy and free”.
- After a couple of moments, expand your circle of loving-kindness to focus on a stranger or someone you don’t know very well — maybe a neighbour or a barista in your local coffeeshop. Again, repeat the phrase and cultivate loving-kindness towards them.
- Expand your circle of loving-kindness to include someone you find difficult or are harbouring resentment or anger towards — maybe a co-worker who frustrates you, an ex who betrayed on you, or an old friend you have fallen out with. Use your phrase to cultivate loving-kindness towards them.
- Repeat your phrase again, this time cultivating loving-kindness towards everyone together for a minute or so — you, someone you care about, a stranger, and someone you find difficult.
- Finally, expand your circle of loving-kindness to include all beings and the earth itself — “May all beings be happy and free. May Mother Earth be happy and free”.
HERE WE GO...
Simply click the week number below to take you to the schedule for that week. I will be creating a Don't Scratch the Itch ebook too (but, like everything, these things always take a little longer than planned!).
If you have any question please do get in touch.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Week 19
Week 20
Week 21
Week 22
Week 23
Week 24
If you have any question please do get in touch.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Week 19
Week 20
Week 21
Week 22
Week 23
Week 24