Staff Breathing Space

Well, well, well! The new session is well underway, and here we are nearly to the October break.
Breathing Space is on at the usual time and place:

Thursday
1:20pm
Room 202

See you there!

I am also looking into possibly having Jenny Nicholls (if she says yes!) come in to do a longer course with those who are interested, so watch this space!

Mindfulness meditation intro course in The Chapel

And another one... advertised this week in ica magazine:

Mindfulness Meditation
6 week introductory course & follow up options available
The Chapel
Royal Northern Infirmary
Ness Walk
Inverness

Begins 28 February 7:30pm (probably 2 hours?)
£30 for the course

Info: info@highlands.samye.org or 07900 561 296
(I suspect, by the samye.org address, that this group is attached to ROKPA, which works within the Tibetan traditions of Buddhism, although I have no idea how much of a role this would play in the course--best to email/phone to find out!)

Essentials of Buddhist Meditation Course in Inverness

Getting dizzy? Want to get off? Learn to meditate.

The Triratna Highlands group are offering their essentials course again in Inverness. It will be run alongside the 'advanced' course, so there will be plenty of folk to meet, all at different stages of their journey into meditation. The two types of meditation covered are 'mindfulness of breathing' and 'lovingkindness meditation', also called 'metta bhavana'. They both form a solid platform.

The course is on Thursday nights 7:30-9:30, and lasts 6 weeks. It starts on 9th February, and costs £30 (for all six weeks... bargain!). Includes tea and biscuits! Takes place at Volunteering Highland centre across from Morrisons. For more info, contact Abhayadevi on 07775 506 020. Otherwise, just turn up!

I've been on this and found it to be an excellent introduction, run by some very down-to-earth, experienced meditators.

Happy New Year, and new people...!

Time to get started up again for 2012. Here's to making it all a little bit less stressful, and having a much happier year. Those of you who are new to mindfulness are invited to take a look at the posts below, and the tabs above, for a little more information about the group, and about mindfulness (meditation) in general. Any questions, as always, please do contact me either through glow or via greensgalaxy@gmail.com. Or see me in person, of course!

I'm currently gauging interest in a regular Tuesday session, so if this is something you'd like to do, please let me know.

The school's Health and Wellbeing week will take place the week beginning 20th February. In this week, I'm hoping to have two or more guests come to lead mindfulness/meditation workshops after school for staff. So far I have one speaker confirmed for Wednesday, and am hoping for Tues/Thurs for the other. Both are very experienced practitioners and will be leading a one hour practical workshop on mindfulness and meditation technique. I hope plenty of you will be able to make it.

And one final point: the Inverness Triratna group are holding a new beginners class on the Essentials of Buddhist Meditation beginning 9th February at Volunteering Highland (runs 6 weeks). They're a lovely bunch, and the course focuses mostly on meditation/mindfulness techniques, with a follow-on course available, focusing more on the Buddhism aspect. More details/links soon. See tabs above.

See you Thursday,
Nick

Links tab (just above!)

Mindfulness and meditation are certainly much more 'on the radar' than previously.

I have begun to add recent articles and research findings to the Links tab, covering everything from celebrities who meditate, to the formal introduction of mindfulness techniques by the NHS, to links about the effects of mindfulness practices on particular health conditions or situations.

There are also a few links to people, books, Buddhist (one of the ways in which meditation and mindfulness have reached the UK in present times) and mindfulness/meditation resources, to which I hope to add in the coming months. All suggestions welcome!

Have a read! All clickable links.
A couple to get started: What is Mindfulness? and What it can do for you as explained by Dr Danny Penman, whose book (co-authored with Prof Mark Williams) Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World is currently holding its place in the top ten of the UK nonfiction paperback chart. I haven't read it, but it certainly has people talking!

Dalai Lama coming to Inverness 23 June

For those interested: The Dalai Lama is coming, but the tickets are all sold out now (all 1300 of them)! Apparently, however, there are to be a number of events scheduled around his visit. The purpose of his series of lecture dates is to "discuss his view on promoting personal and universal responsibility for transformational change and especially wants to encourage young people to be the change they wish to see in the world." With that in mind, I'm hoping the Highland Council will have something in place for our schools, since they apparently had a hand in making the visit happen.

Picture: http://chinadailyshow.com/tag/dalai-lama/
Quote: http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/News/Dalai-Lama-to-visit-Inverness-to-appeal-to-young-people-16012012.htm

He is also planning talks in Edinburgh and Dundee... and perhaps the most exciting thing is that tickets don't go on sale for the Dundee event until 1st Feb. I am hoping to be able to secure a number of tickets so that some of our senior pupils might have an opportunity to go (22nd June). If you can help with this, please let me know. I think we'll need a number of people on the phone as soon as the box office in Dundee opens, trying to get through, and checking online to see if the tickets will be available that way (I doubt it). If it works the same way as Eden Court, it should be possible to reserve the tickets, then pay for them up to three days later. Again, please let me know if you can help, or if you know someone who can.

This report from the Highland Council says:
Later on Friday 22nd June His Holiness The Dalai Lama will make a historic visit to Dundee where he is to be greeted by pipe bands and the public. At the invitation of the University of Dundee he will give The Margaret Harris Lecture on Religion at the city’s Caird Hall. This special event for Dundee will top off a week of graduation ceremonies in the city hall.

The theme of the lecture will be 'Education of the Heart'. His Holiness believes that although the West has been immensely successful in respect to what he refers to as' education of the brain', it needs to give greater attention to 'education of the heart' to promote the cultivation of love and compassion.

Dundee Lord Provost John Letford said, "It is a privilege for Dundee to be visited by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. His spiritual leadership and unstinting promotion of human values will be well received in the city of discovery."

Professor Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said, “It will be an honour to welcome His Holiness The Dalai Lama to Dundee and truly a privilege to have him deliver this year’s Margaret Harris Lecture on Religion.

Prof Downes added: “His visit will enhance understanding of all faiths and cultures, and help promote relations between these different groups. Cultivating love and compassion is central to the Dalai Lama’s teaching, and his talk presents a rare opportunity for people in the city to hear from one of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders.”