Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
The fictions that don’t always serve us
We operate along gradations of I like it / I don’t like it, seeking pleasure or avoiding pain. This impacts our mood and our interactions and forms our personalities. Our mind is always quick to judge ourselves and others and this influences our behaviour and our sense of being. This can happen right this moment…
-
To be or not to be, that is the question
This is of course the start of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, whether to continue to live his life or to end it. I use it in the context of To Be Present or Not to be Present. We are always coloured by our mood, if we feel happy and bright we may be more or less…
-
Still from within
Beneath the sound of the waves and the movement of the traffic and the layers of imagery of the mundane and the magical, is an underlying stillness, an open awareness that is exemplified by the tree and the seated buddha.
-
Green Tara
If you have plants in your home then you will know what joy they bring, aesthetically pleasing, plants have a unique feel good factor and contribute towards purifying the air we breathe. Like us they need certain conditions to be met in order to survive; water, sunlight, nutrients, and the necessary processes of respiration and…
-
Curiouser and Curiouser
In Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, Alice exemplifies the universal human characteristic of wonder as her journey is filled with surreal encounters and challenges. She is surprisingly steadfast and her sense of curiosity and adventure carry the story. Curiouser and curiouser, how does that caterpillar metamorphose into a moth or a butterfly? Do all…
-
Gratitude
We might work out our bodies and even our minds, but, we can also work out our feelings. It is comforting to think of our feelings as being within our control, like a muscle to be trained. For example, if you are prone to negativity and you are aware of that, then you can start…
-
The power of breathing through your nose!
If you already practice yoga, then you will be familiar with the importance of breathing in an out through the nose, for calming the mind and optimising oxygen intake throughout the body. Yes, we breathe out through the mouth sometimes in yoga, but the essence of the movement practice and the seated meditation is controlled…
-
Smile and the world smiles with you….
Think of someone you know that has a beautiful smile, the kind that touches your heart and lifts your spirits. You see their eyes light up and they generate a warmth and joy that connects from within. The likelihood is that you are smiling as you think of this person. Your body relaxes, your breathing…
-
I like it, I don’t like it
We operate along gradations of I like it / I don’t like it, seeking pleasure, avoiding pain. This impacts our mood and our interactions. Our mind is always quick to judge ourselves and others and this influences our behaviour and our sense of being. Our brains can’t help producing states of desire and aversion regardless…
-
Your own Parachute
Imagine doing something that you enjoy and the more you do it the more you get better at it, and it helps you reach heights that you never thought possible? (And no, it’s not parachuting!). Cultivating a regular yoga and meditation practice can prepare you for anything. That sounds like quite a claim but it’s…
Got any book recommendations?