Mindful Psychotherapy Sydney

30/07/2022

Best place in the world to sleep is aboard Smitten. Would have been perfect if I had my bamboo sheets.

01/01/2019

Wishing you all an inspired, peaceful and fulfilled 2019.

I love Jack Kornfield's idea of setting intentions, purpose and dedications that provide a compass for the year.
My intentions are to gather with family at every opportunity and to embrace adventure.
Let me know what your intentions.

Inspired New Year’s Intentions We all know about New Year’s resolutions and how short-lived they can be. Consider setting a long-term intention. A long-term intention is also called a vow or dedication. In the forest monastery we would gather before dawn in the candlelit darkness and begin the s...

09/12/2018

A Mindful Christmas Survival Guide

Are you someone who loves Christmas and can’t wait for it to arrive?
Sad to say, for many of us, the season of peace and goodwill has become a time of stress and indulgence. Here are some simple tips to help maintain a mindful balance during this time.

Call Jenny if you need support at this time on 0411 552 045

Pace Yourself
Christmas starts with battling through crowds and keeps going till after the New Year celebrations. We need to take time to slow down and pace ourselves. When you go shopping, take breaks. Sit in a café and follow your breath, regardless of what’s going on around you.

Check Your Expectations
So much stress comes from wanting to create the picture perfect celebration where everyone is constantly happy and getting on well. But things are as they are: children can be over stimulated and temperamental; family tensions resurface; old patterns emerge. Allowing ourselves to honestly acknowledge and experience any feelings of disappointment and frustrations when they arise, can help us find a more creative response.

Look After Yourself
For some people Christmas is a lonely time, and it can bring back painful memories of people lost. If that’s your experience, make it a time to take care of yourself. Give yourself the space and kindness you need.



Enjoy Yourself – in Moderation
It’s easy to do too much of everything at Christmas: eating, drinking and being entertained. The downside is feeling tired and bloated, regretting the weight you’re gaining, and spending too much money. So take a mindful breath, appreciate the simple things and stop when you need to.

Protect Your Mindful Times & Spaces
Most of us have practices that we do to keep our bodies fit and our minds balanced such as mindful meditation, walking, yoga or running. To maintain our health and happiness over the festive period, it is important that we protect this time and ensure we maintain some mindful spaces, even if we don’t feel like we have the time. Taking time to recharge our batteries, even if it is only a 3 minute breathing space can be sufficient to reset and rebalance.

Enjoy the Christianity … and the paganism
If you’re a Christian, the festival’s spiritual meaning is the best antidote to indulgence and materialism. The Christmas story is universal and there are aspects that apply to us all : the desire to celebrate the opportunity for rebirth, new life and hope.

Go on Retreat
If you value meditation and mindfulness, an alternative to a conventional Christmas is going on retreat, whether this is for an hour, a day or a week. You can experience a different way of being, make this time meaningful and take your meditation practice much deeper.

03/12/2018

A valuable perspective on Love and Attachment that I am finding a helpful reminder before the hectic Xmas season. Here's hoping you can be filled with love.

Love, joy and peace, have what are called “near enemies”—aspects which mimic and limit them. The near enemy of love is attachment. Attachment masquerades as love. It says, “I will love this person (because I need something from them).” Or, “I’ll love you if you’ll love me back. I’ll love you, but only if you will be the way I want.” This isn’t the fullness of love. Instead there is attachment—there is clinging and fear. True love allows, honours, and appreciates; attachment grasps, demands, needs, and aims to possess. If we examine our own attachment with compassion, we can see how it is constricted, fear-based and conditional; it offers love only to certain people in certain ways—it is exclusive. Then we can practice opening to love, in metta sense —a universal, heartfelt feeling of caring and connectedness. This love is a dedication to the welfare of—and a wishing the best for—others near and far.

Love vs. Attachment Each of the qualities of the awakened heart, such as love, joy and peace, have what are called “near enemies”—aspects which mimic and limit them. The near enemy of love is attachment. Attachment masquerades as love. It says, “I will love this person (because I need someth...

29/11/2018

So live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly….and your life will be fully lived. Focus on the coffee (life ) - not the cup ( external circumstances).

If you would like help to refocus and claim the fullness of your life - contact Jenny on 0411 552 045

Stories are powerful teachers. I recently came across this one on a day when my head was spinning with problems to solve and things to do. In five minutes, the story changed my mindset completely. It left me feeling inspired, clearheaded and reconnected with what really matters. Its lesson will help...

11/11/2018

We can all get so busy doing that we lose touch with ourselves and our heart and also get disconnect from others. By intentionally taking a Mindful pause we can create space that allows us to reconnect with ourselves and rediscover the presence and mystery, beauty and love that make life meaningful.

For further information about individual or group Mindfulness Sessions contact Jenny on 0411 552 045

09/11/2018

Jack Kornfield provides a wonderful insight and perspective on the reality below our thoughts. He highlighting a muuch forgotten approach of getting out of our heads and connecting to our hearts and centre.
I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

As we observe our thoughts and question our beliefs, we come to understand that while thinking, planning and remembering are vital to our lives, they are

06/11/2018

- Coming Face to Face with Grief and Impermanence -

My green- cheeked little parrot died this week. This was so unexpected, because I had never stopped to think of her as an impermanent part of my life. Her death was a very rude reminder of impermanence. All of life is fleeting and constantly in flux even though we try to ignore it.
Mike Tyson once said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. This punch comes in different shapes and forms – for me this week it is the unexplained death of my sprightly little green companion.
Grief settles in and takes over — we have all been there – the visceral pain that eventually translates into a dull ache, but even grief is impermanent. The pain moves and transitions, changing in intensity and colour. In my mindfulness practices I have tried to make friends with grief and impermanence.
I share this because thinking about impermanence gave me some perspective and hope . For some contemplating impermanence might be too depressing to contemplate. But acknowledging death can be very centring and liberating. And a reminder not to become attached or believe we have control over our paths.

Here is a Mindful Self-compassion practice to try:
https://self-compassion.org/guided-self-compassion-meditations-mp3-2/-

06/11/2018

Millions of people across the world are struggling with anxiety… In fact 1 in 13 people suffers from it. It’s our world’s biggest mental health problem. If you’re one of them… you’re certainly not alone. Our lives are most often flooded with negativity, uncertainty, disconnection, lack of control and the drive for “more” of everything.

So how can you overcome the feelings of anxiety?

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy combines the strengths of eastern and western philosophy to help us find the wholeness and peace that it is accessible to us all. The practice of mindfulness holds the possibility of not just a fleeting sense of contentment, but a true embracing of a deeper unity that envelops and permeates our lives. Cognitive therapy provides the opportunity to explore unhelpful thinking patterns and rumination. This combination can help you develop the tools to transform your relationship to the way you think, feel, love, work, and play—and thereby awaken to and embody more completely who you really are beyond anxiety.

If you would like to know more about Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy individual or group sessions, contact Jenny on 0411 552 045.

06/11/2018

Self-Compassion - an integral part of Mindfulness and navigating daily life.
Here are some free videos by Kristin Neff and Chris Germer to help us acheive this self-kindness.

FREE Video with Kristin Neff, PhD, and Chris Germer, PhD - Why Self Compassion is Important

30/10/2018

Connection is a vital part of living Mindfully. Remember to connect with those you love and with your community - we are a social species and need connection to flourish.

Mindfulness workshops are a way learn life strategies and to connect with like minded people. For further information about upcoming programs contact Jenny

24/10/2018

We are so much more than our thoughts and feeling. How do you stay grounded and connected when in turmoil?

I use my breath to slow down and connect to the present moment. This helps when faced with strong emotions and is a great anchor when practiced daily.