Feb 26, 2018 | meditation, mindfulness, yoga
There is no point in worrying about the past, or the future, as neither are in your control. Focus then only on the present. Oh, thank you, that was so helpful. If you had written that in the first paragraph I would not have had to read the entire tome. To an extent,...
Nov 29, 2017 | meditation, mindfulness
At 3am I found myself awake lying in bed in Galway, Ireland, unable to sleep due to jet lag. My mind drifted aimlessly around, contemplating the previous day’s meetings. Eventually I found myself cogitating on what compassion is and isn’t. My thoughts were provoked by...
Nov 12, 2017 | meditation, mindfulness, yoga
Why is it hard to change the way your mind works? Why is it hard to do the things you know will bring you the most happiness? Why is it that depression is the easiest path? Why does depression want more depression and drags you to its depths? I know that I must sit...
Aug 26, 2017 | kayaking, meditation, mindfulness, yoga
Forgive the exaggeration of the title, if you stick with me then maybe this post will help explain my intent. If you, like me, have or had no idea what ascetic means let me save you the time of searching for it: as·cet·ic (əˈsedik) adjective: characterized by or...
Aug 23, 2017 | kayaking, meditation
Stress makes one do strange things, instincts take over from sense. We react rather than mentally process situations and stimulus. In my experience the threat of drowning creates all the necessary stimuli to fill me with stress. When I am upside down, under my kayak,...
Aug 11, 2017 | kayaking, meditation, mindfulness
Of late I have been dealing with the consequences of my past actions. To say I fucked up is an understatement of inordinate proportion. I can’t undo the past, what I did, what was said, what was intended, what damage these actions created. The events occurred at...
May 8, 2017 | kayaking, meditation, yoga
I want to be a better kayak roller. I also want to be able to manage my depression better. I am aware that my rolling is limited by my physically and mentally capabilities, and that improvement will only come through working on both capabilities. The amalgam of best...
May 2, 2017 | kayaking, meditation, mindfulness, yoga
Whilst delving into the oft resurfacing colloquy of publicly sharing my intimate contemplations, my inamorata suggested, that I linger on the Jekyll and Hyde conundrum that rears its head when ruminating about the societal response to mental illness. Or as my wife...
Apr 28, 2017 | kayaking, meditation, mindfulness, yoga
Things got a little hippy dippy trippy last night at yoga. The teacher decided we should celebrate an ancient custom of Beltane. Knowledge of Beltrane’s origin seems to be vague and imprecise. It does appear however to have originated in either Scotland or...
Apr 25, 2017 | kayaking, meditation
I love paddling my skin-on-frame qajaq (kayak), I feel physically and mentally connected to the water when paddling it. I feel the skin move as the pressure of waves pass by. I feel the intimate connection of heel, thigh, and butt to the wooden skeleton. With each...