Heart and Mind Programme

05/04/2020

2am thoughts that maybe you won’t mind me sharing.

This is a time when being kind really REALLY matters. Especially to yourself. And also to others - But not at the expense of your own emotional health.

That person walking past you eyes down, as if visual gaze or a ‘hello’ could spread the virus?

That neighbour who rebuffs you?

The supermarket employee who shouts at you for some transgression you didn’t even know you did?

That family member who texts some hurtful comments?

That ‘friend’ who passes on your private confidential information to another friend because s/he loves juicy gossip?

All of them need more kindness right now as they’re in reactive threat mode.

Sometimes though, the best kindness to both you and them, is to give them a very wide berth.

Because if people can’t learn to be kind when under pressure, don’t let them use you as their punch bag. Keep well clear.

These are upsetting times for all of us. Some people will lash out under the strain of it.

Be kind to you by keeping yourself safe from such hurtful interactions. Do not engage. Step away. Another time or place might be a better time to engage constructively.

Yet also keep an eye open for someone acting brusque or defensive because it might mean they’re coming close to serious overwhelm. Being kind might make all the difference to them at that point.

And if you’re in need of kindness, if it’s beginning to feel a bit too much, reach out to a trusted friend, or ring a helpline - each of us is struggling right now and some days you can help another and some days someone can help you.

In this current situation, finding things tough is ‘normal’ but kindness to yourself means recognising that it is now ‘normal’ because this is how humans respond to threat, fear, and the lack of being able to control the situation. It’s a sign of our common humanity: I feel upset, you feel upset, your neighbour feels upset. This whole situation is very upsetting. I’m not alone in feeling upset. We’re ALL feeling upset.

Each day I’m trying to do things that are lovely for me and I encourage you to try to do the same.
1. Be kind to you
2. Be kind to others when ever possible and only if you are able to without harm to yourself.
3. Be canny and know who to avoid for the sake of your own wellbeing right now.

29/09/2019

Feeling stiff? Feeling old? Got a dodgy back? Feel stressed? Come on try this lovely soothing deeply beneficial yoga class

13/08/2019

Women tend to have more sleep problems than men, but there are ways to improve your sleep.

13/08/2019

Recently I’ve come across a number of articles/blog posts about what not to say to a friend/loved one with certain mental health problems. Whilst these are useful, as it’s hard to know what comments could affect others more than you, constantly hearing ‘don’t say this’ and ‘don’t say t...

13/08/2019

Dr Gillie Jenkinson explains the need for a relational, psychoeducational approach to working with cult survivors

12/08/2019

A psychotherapist offers tips for talking to the people who just don't understand.

06/08/2019

04/08/2019

Totally!

How to Choose a GURU - Ultra Spiritual Life episode 4 - with JP Sears Ultra Spiritual T-Shirts: http://shop.awakenwithjp.com/ Claim Your free download of "7 ...

26/07/2019

I will be running four weekends residential in Edale from Jan 2020. Each Saturday and Sunday I shall be teaching mindfulness in the morning and mindful self compassion in the afternoon. There are only 20 places and already 8 people have booked. Contact me if you would like more information
sarah.lionheart@gmail.com. Over the four weekends, the full 8 week Mindfulness Bases Stress Reduction course and the full 8 week Mindful Self Compassion course will be completed. These are the pre requisites for anyone working towards doing the teacher training.

26/07/2019

In December 2008, while forcibly evicting tenants from a concrete high-rise in south London, Southwark Council pulled off a remarkable feat of complacency. Though residents didn’t know it at the time, every flat in the development that replaced the Heygate Estate would be sold to foreign investors...

25/07/2019

Mindfulness promotes itself as value-neutral but it is loaded with (troubling) assumptions about the self and the cosmos

24/07/2019

Why do we avoid rather than accept?

19/07/2019

How not to say the wrong thing

16/07/2019

Philosophies that depict pain as an illusion rather than a legitimate, lived reality can be downright dangerous. They encourage victim-blaming and spiritual bypassing that harms the survivor more t…

13/07/2019

This is Tibetan Buddhism. Rife with abuse, whistleblowers (including myself) gaslighted. Rob Nairn, a man who deliberately verbally attacked me ( and many others) over many years, still trots about believing he knows insight (🤣) and adores being ‘the compassion and mindfulness teacher’, fawned over by his emotionally hooked side kicks:, Heather and Choden. Both desperately needing to project wise loving father figure onto Rob Nairn and conveniently over looking his abusive behaviour.

A very sad state of affairs.

Tibetan Buddhism Enters the 21st Century: Trouble in Shangri-la 22 hours ago Written by Stuart Lachs 1 hours What convinces masses are not facts, not even invented facts, but only the consistency of the illusion.1 This long-read makes use of numeric footnotes that open on hover and take you to the f...