Category: Heart & Mind

Insights from contemplative and compassion-based practices. Explorations into the nature of mind and consciousness, based on cognitive science and philosophy. A more mindful and soulful angle on wellbeing.

You are not finished

Even though we might spend most of our time absorbed in present or future-focused activities, chances are that our evaluations of ourselves in the present moment are based almost entirely on the past. One theory even suggests we have a bias towards seeing ourselves as “complete” in the present moment. If the past is going to prompt us to change in a way that’s positive, and the present moment is where we have the power to begin any change and be clear-sighted about the future, then we need a space right here to be able to “put down” what’s gone before.

The Opposite of Thinking

What got me practising mindfulness? Dinging my brain in a bike accident in 2014. While recovering from a concussion, I suddenly had the time - five weeks booked off work - to sit and stare into space. No emails, no reading, no thinking. And this is how I discovered that it’s perfectly possible to sit and do nothing and actually enjoy it. In fact, I wondered whether right now is in fact the best place to be content.