We're stepping into this week with Jeff Foster as our teacher and really, you would be doing yourself a favour if you did a Google search of "Jeff Foster quotes", his work is amazing. If you've meditated much with us before, you'll know that I like to start the week by setting intention, by becoming … Continue reading No energy wasted this week!
Jeff Foster was born in 1980 in London, England.[1] He studied Astrophysics at Cambridge University.[1] At the time he was overwhelmed by feelings of despair and loneliness,[2] which eventually led to physical illness and a personal breakdown soon after graduation. He was convinced he was going to die.[1] Foster returned to live with his parents, reading and studying for … Continue reading Jeff Foster collection
Our teacher for this week has been Sharon Salzberg, and her own description of herself is, “I call myself a meditation teacher rather than a spiritual teacher.” Meditation really IS Sharon’s specialty, and for today’s message I have a sizable collection of her thoughts on meditation, and I’ve divided it into three themes for you: … Continue reading Meditation is the ultimate mobile device.
Imagine for a moment, yourself as a superhero. But in this superhero fantasy your superpower isn’t superhuman strength or the ability to fly, but something far more profound. This power allows you to see situations with absolute clarity, to understand the hidden currents of emotion and thought in yourself and others, and to act with … Continue reading Let awareness be your superpower.
Have you experienced it yet? That profound, radiating sense of peace and love that seems to swell from the very center of your being? Perhaps it came during a moment of connection with a loved one, or taking in a breathtaking sunset, or in the aftermath of a profound personal breakthrough. This feeling, often described … Continue reading Don’t give up, your heart beats just like the rest of us, it is available to you too!
Imagine spending your entire life chasing a magical butterfly. This butterfly, you are convinced, holds the key to your joy. You run through fields, climb trees, and search relentlessly, but the beautiful creature is always just out of reach. And even when one day you do finally get your hands on it, catch it, place … Continue reading We spend our lives searching for something we think we don’t have.
Is your own inner critic a constant weight dragging you down? Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your inability to “get things right”, to follow through, or simply to be kind to yourself? This question cuts deep, doesn't it? We all know what self-judgment feels like, that constant voice whispering (or sometimes shouting) about … Continue reading Is your judgement of yourself the weight that holds you down?
A message from today's meditation: In a world that celebrates hustle culture and relentless determination, the concept of surrender often gets a bad reputation. We've been conditioned to believe that letting go equals giving up, that relaxing our grip means accepting defeat. But what if everything we've been taught about surrender is wrong? What if … Continue reading Finding clarity before taking action.
Have you ever started a new project with fierce determination, only to see results fall short of your initial expectations? Maybe you hit a wall with a creative endeavor, or progress on a fitness goal feels agonizingly slow. These moments of frustration are all too familiar, and it's easy to get discouraged. But what if … Continue reading Trust in the unfolding.
Sharon Salzberg is a defining voice in the modern mindfulness movement, renowned for her ability to translate ancient Buddhist practices into accessible, deeply human wisdom for our fast-paced world. As a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, she has spent decades helping individuals bridge the gap between abstract philosophy and the daily struggles of the … Continue reading Sharon Salzberg Collection
This week, our teacher has been Alan Cohen. And today being a Sunday silent meditation, I tried to find quotes where he speaks about silence or meditation and I couldn’t find much, so for today’s message I’m just including a few thoughts that sit really well with me… “If you are not living with a … Continue reading God hangs out in the spaces between your thoughts.
Can you imagine a life where nothing – no event, no word, no action – could control your emotions? Imagine being the sole architect of your inner world, unshakable in the face of external chaos. This, is the ultimate freedom, and the path to it lies in understanding and mastering your triggers. “Nothing in the … Continue reading How free will you be when nothing around you can trigger you anymore?
Love can be a difficult concept to describe, trying to use words that clearly can't do it justice. It's a word thrown around so often, yet its true essence can be so hard to pin down. We chase after it in relationships, yearn for its presence, and sometimes feel lost when it seems absent. But … Continue reading Try not to judge them in the moments that they succumb to their own fears.
Fear. It's a primal emotion that can be incredibly motivating, urging us to avoid danger and protect ourselves. But fear can also be a formidable foe, holding us back from reaching our full potential. Our greatest limitations often reside within ourselves. We build walls of fear – fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear … Continue reading Fear sees limits, while love sees possibilities.
Have you fully realized how every single moment holds the potential for something incredible. Opportunities to connect, to grow, to truly experience life – all waiting to be grasped. Yet, so often, we miss them entirely. We get caught up in the autopilot of our past, dwelling on what was or worrying about what might … Continue reading There is opportunity in every moment, but we miss it when we are in an automatic response from our past.
Today's journey highlights one of our most fundamental survival tools, the masks we wear… From our earliest moments the world bombards us with messages about who we "should" be. Societal expectations, media portrayals, and even family dynamics can lead us to construct a series of masks – facades we wear to fit in, be accepted, … Continue reading The wearing of masks is a tool in our survival toolkit.
This week we'll dive into the teachings of Alan Cohen, a widely recognized author, speaker, and spiritual teacher known for his insightful and uplifting perspectives on life, personal growth, and well-being. Cohen began his path of writing and teaching in the early 1980s and has published over 30 inspirational books, including popular titles like A … Continue reading Are you putting too much pressure on yourself to create perfection?
A prolific author and beloved teacher, Cohen has spent decades bridge-building between the abstract wisdom of the ages and the practical, often messy realities of daily human experience. His work serves as a soothing, yet profoundly challenging, invitation to shift our perspective from a narrative of struggle to one of inherent wholeness, teaching us that … Continue reading Alan Cohen Collection
Have you had moments of feeling utterly lost, like the world was crumbling around you? In today's message, Tara Brach, shares a profound truth that she had come to understand during her own life’s biggest upset: in the midst of life's storms, our truest refuge lies within ourselves. “I decided to write ‘True Refuge’ during … Continue reading The connection that truly binds us is to be found in realizing our own unshakable acceptance of ourselves.
Being productive is the holy grail of personal development, the magic bullet to achieving our goals. We are offered so many tools to improve our ability to be productive, from fancy time management techniques to any of the latest apps to supervise our every waking moment. But what if the biggest move you could make … Continue reading Being present really is the most productive state that you could possibly be in.
Imagine a pebble dropped into a still pond. The calm surface shatters, sending ripples outward in ever-expanding circles. This image perfectly captures the impact we have on those around us. Our thoughts, words, and actions create a ripple effect, influencing the lives of others in ways we may never fully comprehend. Tara Brach, a renowned … Continue reading If we knew just how powerfully our thoughts, words, and actions affected the hearts of those around us, we’d reach out and join hands again and again.
We all carry within us a piece of childhood – a playful, curious, and sometimes wounded younger self. This "inner child" isn't just a metaphor; it's a very real aspect of our emotional landscape. Often, in the pursuit of strength and maturity, we neglect this vulnerable part. In our quest for "adulting," we push down … Continue reading Your inner child could be set free, or become a ball and chain that forever drags you down.
We all have those moments where the same negative thoughts and patterns keep popping up, hindering our growth and happiness. This feeling of being trapped in a repeating cycle isn't a coincidence – our brains are wired for efficiency which means that the repetition of old conditioning uses the least energy. And so familiar patterns, … Continue reading You are gaining access to a whole new level of potential!
Our daily interactions with the humans around us is a constant back and forth dance. We build boundaries to protect ourselves, yet, we yearn to break those barriers down for a chance at true connection. Tara Brach, a renowned meditation teacher, suggests a very simple metaphor for understanding human behaviour - "Your Daily Dose" is a … Continue reading You see that the dog’s aggression is coming from a place of vulnerability and pain.
There's a familiar saying: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." It captures the essence of our struggle – the desire for control and the inevitability of the unexpected. This week, let's explore this conundrum with the guidance of Tara Brach, a renowned meditation teacher and psychologist. As we take a look … Continue reading We have to start with clarity, however no matter how much clarity we create there is very little that we actually control.
If you’ve ever sat down to meditate, only for your brain to immediately launch a full-scale investigation into that awkward thing you said in 2014, then Tara Brach is the spiritual teacher you’ve been waiting for. As both a clinical psychologist and a meditation powerhouse, Tara is essentially the master of teaching us how to … Continue reading Tara Brach Collection
Sunday meditation is dedicated to silence, and I enjoy seeking wisdom from great teachers on the value of silence to accompany a Sunday morning journey of togetherness. Here for your enjoyment is some insight from Thomas Merton: “Not all of us are called to be hermits, but all of us need enough silence and solitude … Continue reading “In silence God ceases to be an object and becomes an experience.”
Meditation is not a practice of trying to escape, it is the exact opposite. A leaning in, paying precise attention to exactly what is there. As we become better at paying attention, we start seeing with more clarity what is temporary, what comes and also always goes. As we become better at recognizing what is … Continue reading Become aware of what has permanence.
Happy Friday peeps! I’m sure you know by now that the topic of our Friday meditations is always love, and today is no different. Our sense of what love even is, is so deeply intertwined with how we have been taught to see ourselves and where we seek validation and acceptance for and of ourselves, … Continue reading You will love again the stranger who was your SELF.
There's a powerful truth that meditation helps us rediscover: within each of us lies a core essence as enduring as the sun itself. This timeless part of you isn't swayed by fleeting emotions or the ever-changing circumstances of life. It's a constant source of peace and clarity, waiting to be reconnected with. "Our mind is … Continue reading There is a deeper part of you that is as timeless as the sun.
