The first time I swam in the Ganges was the first morning after our arrival at the Ashram. I had set my alarm early enough to get a walk in before morning asanas, and headed upriver. I was feeling the effects of a 05h30 wakeup after not such a great night’s sleep – daytime temperatures … Continue reading The journey of a kombucha bottle filled with Ganges water
Tag: meditation
Solo: Reflections on solitude on an overnight hike
In April 2022, I did a solo overnight hike in the mountains of the Western Cape in South Africa. My objective, if I can put it that way, was not so much to hike but to observe. Accordingly, what follows is not so much a hike report but a collection of observations or field notes, both outer and inner.
On virtues
My mother used to quote this poem (which I only recently Googled to discover that it was penned by the same man who gave us The Sheep Pig): “Patience is a virtue, Virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who wouldn’t wash her face.” - Dick King Smith If there isn’t some cynicism around virtues themselves, I believe there is certainly cynicism around aspiring towards them. Where does this come from? What is the value of virtues? And is there value in contemplating qualities that might seem lofty and vague at best, and therefore unattainable or meaningless at worst?
Outside Inside
Open awareness meditation is not about choosing a single focus or anchor but rather about keeping an open focus (if that’s not a contradiction in terms) and staying anchored to the moment itself.
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.
All & None of the Above 