Change

How do you feel about change? Change is inevitable and yet I often hear people say, "I don't like change." What is it about change we don't like? And what opportunities does it present? Our lives flow against a backdrop of continual change.…

Photography Workshop – 28th May

My next Mindful Photography Workshop is at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea on Saturday 28th May 2016. This is a fun three hour event that will expand the way you see. You will develop a mindful practice that will help you be totally present…
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Normal service?

Back in the day certain services would break down. TV channels would occasionally fail and the standard screen message would be 'Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible'. I feel a little like the BBC in the seventies, during a break…
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What is your truth?

Is this a question you ask yourself? If we say that your truth is shorthand for living with authenticity: living in a way so that you are comfortable with your choices and actions, and that you also reflect upon and learn from those behaviours…
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Bangor Workshop

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A little bit of light relief

I have been very slack of late. Perhaps the unrelenting rain and general drabness has smothered my creativity. Oh no, that can't be right as I have been posting daily Instagram photos from my phone. No, I have to face it I have just been otherwise…
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Wet in Wales

Wales is well known for its rugby, singing, daffodils and sheep. Perhaps as today is the first weekend of the Six Nations 2016 I should be blogging about the chances of Wales winning the tournament (which are pretty good), but I have been overwhelmed…
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The captain of my soul

"I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul" These are the last two lines from the poem 'Invictus' by the English poet William Ernest Henley. He was inspired to create the poem by his own life events. In 1875 one of Henley's…
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Using one focal length

Mindful photography is about being present with what you see. It is also about adapting to the situation. I often use a simple set up for my practice; usually a single focal length lens (a 40mm) on my DSLR. This is my go to, walkabout lens. I…
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Beginning the Day

Recently I have considered the impetus created by our imaginative idea that we have now started a New Year. I say imaginative, because it is our ability to imagine that something exists - to give it structure, definition, and rules for its existence…
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Feel the Fear

Over the last six months I have written several posts that have explored the theme of fear. Each time my motivation for looking at this area was spurred by personal experience, in particular living through a very difficult health period. It…
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Honesty

“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.”  Pema Chodron Looking at ourselves…
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Inner world – outer photos

"I believe that, through the act of living, the discovery of oneself is made concurrently with the discovery of the world around us, but which can also be affected by us. A balance must be established between the two worlds - the one inside…

UK Government gets mindful

What do you imagine would happen if the UK Government got interested in the application of Mindfulness? You no longer have to wonder. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness has just published its findings and presented them at the…
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Every cloud has a silver lining

Often I create photographs to illustrate my posts. The idea for this post though was inspired by the panoramic photo below. It is a composite photo of Caswell Bay Beach which, if you click on the photo below, you can experience at full size. The…
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Rhythms of Life

Life is full of rhythms. From the seasonal to the physical. External to internal. We live through many processes. Some of these rhythms are slow changing yet immutable, like the seasons. Others are triggered by events or actions and play out…
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Paignton – a mindful photography practice

I lived in Paignton between the ages 11 and 16. It was the early 70s. In fact I have just created a 70s playlist to accompany me as I write this piece. I am currently with The Eagles 'Take it easy'; Neil Young, The Steve Miller Band, Bob Dylan,…
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Gratitude Practice

It is easy when beset by difficulty to lose sight of the positive aspects of our lives. A darker mindset may squeeze out the light from these often simple but uplifting corners of our day. I have for several months been reflecting on my day…
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Acceptance

This is the fifth in a series of posts exploring the 7 attitudes that underpin mindfulness practice. The 7 attitudes are detailed in Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn and are Non Judging, Patience, Beginner’s Mind, Trust, Acceptance,…
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Mindfulness in the media

This year The Guardian has carried two articles relating to an impeding 7 year study by Oxford University and University College London on the effects of mindfulness on 7,000 11 to 16 year olds. The two articles demonstrate two of the prevailing…
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Trust

This is the fourth in a series of posts exploring the 7 attitudes that underpin mindfulness practice. The 7 attitudes are detailed in Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn and are Non Judging, Patience, Beginner’s Mind, Trust, Non Striving,…