This blog is about mindfulness. It has been inspired by the many and varied queries, doubts and confusions – not to mention insights and revelations – that crop up with dependable regularity for practitioners on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) courses.Like my books, it is intended to be part toolkit and part roadmap for one’s journey on the path of mindfulness.
Establishing and sustaining a practice takes effort and patience. It does not necessarily bring instant rewards. The importance of reflecting on what we are doing, why, and how, cannot be overstated. Hence a blog for offering ideas, stories, exercises and a heap of received wisdom for your reflection.
I hope it encourages you onward – or, at the very least, not to give up!
‘Reflection’ is a big part of mindfulness practice (though sometimes sadly overlooked). It implies consideration and contemplation. In a nutshell, taking the time to chew things over in order to discern potential value, and maybe to try something out for oneself.
Personal effort and personal agency are central to this path. So, from the outset, it would be pertinent to say: don’t take my word for it.
The contemplative traditions from which mindfulness practices have evolved urge us to find our own way, and to trust in the authority of our own experience. In that spirit, if you find something of use here, please hold onto it. Similarly, if something turns out to be of little help, best cast it aside.
