Who would have thought? Way back when, I got taught to fight. As a soldier, you learn at boot camp that you don’t bring a knife to a gun-fight. “Weapons overmatch” is the military jargon for “bring a bigger gun” and this Monday I’m reflecting on how the outer conflict of my service can provide … Read more
High / Low. Up / Down. Twists / Turns. ….The Polarity – Good / Bad Black / White If you ride on a rollercoaster long enough, you’ll get sick. The nature of the ride is to thrill us, to entertain us, to excite us. Such is the nature of Life. But when you line up … Read more
I’m not much a fan of war. I had a taste of modern conflict (Afghanistan) and am thankful to not have experienced the horrors of the much larger and in many ways, more brutal wars of the 20th century. But war is war. And you don’t need to put on a uniform to experience the … Read more
It’s a funny phrase, isn’t it? Most of us know that we could be more attentive to the task at hand. I once heard that our average attention span has come down from 40 minutes to goldfish levels of around 7 seconds. Gulp! What is it for you? How long do you last… until the mind wanders off? … Read more
Time off. A holiday. A break. Rest. What is it that the body needs? How about the mind? Out here, I needed a week in the garden (the winter sun has kicked off the weed invasion…) When I first started to garden, I had a hard time understanding which bits of green to keep, and … Read more
Ever found yourself seeking a ‘big’ experience? Searching. Yearning. Chasing. I’ve spent the better part of my life wanting more. Somewhere upon my journey, I learned to associate size with accomplishment. In the army, it was all about bigger guns and more badass adventures. When I studied architecture it was all about bigger buildings and … Read more
“I Fall Down, I Get Back Up” The path of meditation, like life, has many hazards. Roots, branches, rocks, potholes… ‘being on the path’ isn’t a straightforward as meditating and attaining eternal bliss. We will certainly encounter setbacks. For many, a fall can be seen as a problem; a sign that something has gone horribly wrong. … Read more
The biggest misconception on the path of meditation is that ‘surrender’ means giving up. We share this confronting message with many students on retreat… most are initially petrified by the idea of it, but by the end of the retreat… love it. A few years ago, it rocked our boat… This fine Monday we offer … Read more
Monday. Urgghhh, Monday… After an indulgent weekend it can be a slog to get back on the horse. Some days, a meditation and yoga practice can be a bit of a job. Especially Monday morning. Especially if the weekend was a bit… indulgent. But don’t dismay, if there were a few sleep-ins and late nights and there … Read more
I learned in the army first hand just how unreliable memory can be. Two people will go through ostensibly the same experience, yet if stress was involved, the memories often conflict. Most will swear black and blue that they saw ‘the truth’ and this can be a source of division. There is, however, some danger … Read more
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