Twelve Weeks of Meditation Transitioning from Winter to Spring
Put simply the aim of these ateliers is to be more aware, more often with kindness towards what we find. Through this awareness we can transform our experiences. We begin to practice stepping out of the habitual doing mode by paying attention, intentionally, mindfully, compassionately, to sensations of the body and to aspects of everyday experiences. Weaving home practice and the teachings into your daily lives offers an opportunity to deepen your experience and support you on this mindful path to self-compassion. Moving towards knowing ourselves and accepting what we find with kindness, opening up to the potential healing that this can bring us.
If this is your first session previous experience is not necessary and beginners’ minds are always encouraged for those who have been regularly attending.
Each week we will build on the practices and committing to a weekly session allows you to maximise the benefits of the techniques, and allows for consistency of social contact and support in our different corners of the world.
The atelier follows the following format:
Meditation
Poem (included in the handout)
Tea meditation
Sharing space (opportunity to pause, reflect or journal about your direct experience of the practice)
A closing Meditation and invitation for home pratice
What do I need to prepare?
Each practice will be either a sitting, movement or lying down, for meditation hints and tips have a look at this handout HERE. Ideally in advance of the session you’ll need:
Use a chair, cushions or a stool
Enough space for an exercise mat on the floor
Enough space to move your arms around your body from standing
Any props for comfort and warmth (see the handout mentioned)
A glass of water or warm drink for the tea meditation.
Atelier One
The practice today is a body scan You can do all of the practice from a sitting position, or lying down if you wish, listening to your needs is the most important part of the practice. You’ll find the recording below.
This weeks poem Priceless Gifts by Anna Swir
Home practice is a 3 minute breathing space for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or three times a day as suits you. You’ll find the practice Here
Atelier Two
The practice today is a combination of lying down, movement and sitting. You can do all of the practice from a sitting position, or lying down if you wish, listening to your needs is the most important part of the practice. You’ll find the recording below.
This weeks poem It’s Alright by William Stafford
Home practice is a movement practice Here
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Three
The practice today is a sitting practice, you are of course welcome to do this lying down. Listen to your needs, this is the most important part of the practice. You’ll find the recording below.
This week we had two poems, the one pictured and Grace by Alice Walker
Home practice is a mindfulness of thoughts practice here
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Four
The practice today is a sitting practice, you are of course welcome to do this lying down. We move through the breath, body, sounds, thoughts and emotions with a regular check in with our posture. Listen to your needs, modern life is not conducive with sitting for long periods and is not easy on the body, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and invites exploring how you are taking care of yourself during the rest of your days and the time away from the pratice. You’ll find the recording below.
This week we had two poems, the one pictured and The Sun by Mary Oliver
Home practice is a 10 minute mindful sitting practice here
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Five
The practice today is a sitting practice with an exploration of a recent challenge and a joyful moment and the felt sensation within the body of these experiences. Please pick something that is not too loaded or juicy, without too much of a back story. A difficult situation such as a piece of paperwork that’s hanging over your head, a broken dish, someone pushing infant of you in a queue. For a joyful moment something such as a bath you enjoyed, a nice piece of news from a friend, something that made you laugh, a beautiful flower that you saw.
Listen to your needs, modern life is not conducive with sitting for long periods and is not easy on the body, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and invites exploring how you are taking care of yourself during the rest of your days and the time away from the pratice. You’ll find the recording below.
This week we had the poem fly Oriah Mountain Dreamer from The Dance
Home practice is a mindfulness of emotions, a 7 minute practice here
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Six
The practice today is a compassionate body scan. Set yourself up to be comfortable but not too cosy that you fall asleep, we’re falling awake to tender, present moment awareness.
As always follow my guidance only if it feels right for you, we are learning to listen to the messages of our body and pay attention to our needs.
This week we had the poem Lungs by John Roedel
Home practice is an affectionate breathing meditation of 10 minutes.
I mentioned I was listening to Ulysees, by James Joyce, being read by various wonderful artists. It’s the 100th year since it’s publication by the bookshop Shakespeare and Company and they are hosting a podcast over the next 100 days you’ll find details here. It’s an invitation to practice mindful listening.
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Seven
The practice today is a mindful compassionate sitting practice. Before you begin have a think of a simple and uncomplicated, living being that brings you joy. As always follow my guidance only if it feels right for you, we are learning to listen to the messages of our body and pay attention to our needs. Sitting is not easy for the body. Over the coming week explore how you can support your body to support you by incorporating a wider range of movements in your day. The convenience and comfort we create for ourselves can have an impact on our bodies ability to complete range of movements that would ordinarily be natural for us to be doing such as stretching and squatting.
This week we had the poem The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry. Over the coming week I invite you to explore the peace of the wild things and notice what nature is up to around you, you may find plants or flowers you could infuse to make as a tea for future sessions.
Home practice is a mindful compassionate sitting practice you’ll find here
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Eight
The practice today is a mindfulness of gratitude practice. Gratitude is the most powerful correlate of happiness. When we’re feeling grateful, our body calms, and we feel at peace in all realms of our lives. It’s impossible to feel grateful and stressed at the same time. This is a basic principle in psychology called "Reciprocal Inhibition"; we can't feel two contradicting states at once. And the best part about gratitude is that it's easy to access in little time. This practice can be done sitting or lying down.
This week we had the poem The New Story of Your Life by Michael Blumenthal.
Home practice is a mindful gratitude practice of around 8 minutes, you’ll find here.
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Nine
The practice today is a mindful compassion practice exploring emotion. practice. As humans, we all experience a wide range of emotions. From uplifting emotions like joy and contentment to more challenging emotions like anger and sadness, the human emotional experience comes in many shades. Mindfulness of emotions is the practice of bearing witness to whatever emotion we are experiencing – with curiosity, care, and non-judgment. It is not always an easy practice, but it is one that can be strengthened.
This practice can be done sitting or lying down.
This week we had the poem We Who are Your Closest Friend by Phillip Lopate
Home practice is a Soften and Allow practice of 12 minutes, you’ll find here.
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Ten
The practice today is a mindful compassion practice exploring holding ourselves and others with a kind, friendly presence in the face of what’s difficult. Its power is connecting us with what’s difficult—it offers us an approach that differs from the turning away that we usually do. We begin with empathy, the feeling of connection. We explore the commonality of the human condition and the potential to diminish the subtle cruelty of indifference.
This practice can be done sitting or lying down.
This week we had the poem Enough by David White
Home practice is to savour a moment each day, treat yourself like a precious object, carving out time daily to drop into mindful awareness of an activity such as having a cup of tea. The invitation is to observe your habits and step outside of them, for example using a cup you save for best. Savouring the moment in the way Proust did his madeleine.
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Eleven
The practice today is a mindful compassion practice, combining the skills of mindfulness and compassion for others and ourselves, providing a powerful tool for emotional resilience. Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated that Mindful Self Compassion significantly increases self-compassion, compassion for others, mindfulness, and life satisfaction, as well as decreasing depression, anxiety and stress.
This practice can be done sitting or lying down.
This week we had the poem The Guest House by Rumi.
Home practice is the five minute Being A Compassionate Mess practice, and try to fit in three 3 part breathing spaces without guidance: arrive in the body, gather your focus to the breath and then expand your aware to include all of the body.
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.
Atelier Twelve
Our final practice of the series is a mindful body scan. Settle down and fall awake, honour the time and space you have carved out of your busy life to take this an active step in taking care of your health and wellbeing.
This practice is ideally done lying down.
This week we had the poem A reply to Rumi by Amy Newell.
Sessions begin again 6th May. The 12 sessions remain here until then and you have access to all of the audio recordings HERE.
Take exquisite care of yourself.
As always please do reach out if you have an questions, queries, concerns or feedback from the session.