International Day of Mountains

Mindfulness, weathering the storm

The beach at Walney

After a few days of training mindfulness teachers in a city it was good to get out and have bigger views, more space. The forecast was for gale force winds with a band of rain, hail and snow passing through, and the forecast was spot on! Walking along the beach with the wind and rain allowed me to make some connections with our ability to manage what we all face.

Sometimes we sail through life without any problems, other times life can be really stormy, just like today's weather with conditions strong enough to impede progress, to cause damage.

Yet I knew it would be stormy today, just like we all know life has its ups and downs. I was prepared for the conditions, just as we can be prepared for whatever we face. When I went out I had the right equipment, warm, waterproof clothes, hat, gloves, even a phone for emergencies, all the tools I needed. I chose the route to go and while out, yes there were times when I had to stand still and lean with with wind, but the wind also aided progress at times.

Our mindfulness practices can be like this, giving us the tools and techniques to cope, to bend with the conditions, rather than breaking in the face of them, to make choices. They help us recognise that the conditions are constantly changing, understand the sometimes subtle changes than can help us or throw us off balance.  The great value of nature based mindfulness practice is exactly this, it is easier to see and make connections, to learn lessons and apply them in our daily lives than may be the case simply meditating on a cushion.

The walk was great today, the unpleasant sting of hail transformed to a pleasant warm glow, the gusts that caused me to stop also helped when I changed direction. Now the sun is out the rain has gone, nothing in life stays the same for long, everything changes. Be mindful, get on with life and when facing difficult conditions choose your direction, choose how to respond - mindfully!

Mindfulness and the Real World

Driving home after a week walking and kayaking in Scotland we came over a hill and in front of us was a view of Dumbarton, the Erskine Bridge and in the distance, the City of Glasgow. My partner commented "back to the real world". I experienced an instant sense of rejection. "No, that isn't the real world, the real world is what we're leaving behind".

After all we'd spent a week where our activities were governed by the weather, the wind and rain, the cold, the tides and available daylight. A week where we'd had no internet connection, no mobile or other telephone connection. In the week we'd been walking and seen a sea otter feeding, spotted a beaver dam, watched a red squirrel leap from branch to branch. From our kayaks we'd gazed at terrific views of mountains, lochs and the sea. We'd been able to slowly approach bird colonies and enjoy their intrigue of us, their watching carefully to see if we were predators. We'd sourced local food and visited places recording communities with over 5000 years of connection to the land around us. Isn't this the real world?

Yet we too create our environment, so isn't it just as real? The fact that we have lights, Skype, high speed broadband and smart phones and all the other accoutrements of modern life doesn't make it less real, or does it?

On the train recently I watched as everyone in the carriage seemed to be working on their laptop or using their phone, how people seemed to be working (outside normal work hours) instead of using the journey to relax, to observe, to regenerate. I listened to someone in the hotel reception demanding to know how many TV channels there were, watched others in the gym setting their treadmill so it felt like they were running up hill. How many channels can you watch? Why not run up a hill or at least run outside?

Maybe our everyday life, at home, at work, whether in the city or elsewhere is real, but surely only if we are aware of it. How aware are we of the constant bombardment of advertising, branding, the pressure to comply with a world designed by others? The artificiality of much that surrounds us. How much attention do we pay to the world we would like to have? The world that seems less cluttered, more spacious, where we feel in control of our own lives, manage our own time?

Maybe it is time to use mindfulness practice as a means of viewing what is real in our lives.

Autumnal awareness - find a sit spot

Heron demonstrating patient awareness at Leighton Moss, RSPB reserve

As Autumn makes its blustery presence felt we can either think it's time to 'batten down the  hatches', retreating into our homes, turning the heating up and thinking of sustaining food, stews, puddings and the like; or we can remember that we don't hibernate and start thinking of how to get the most from the conditions.

Walks that include picking fruit growing wild in hedgerows, watching the migration of birds, some leaving, others coming to stay over the winter. Changing the coats hanging in the hallway from lightweight to heavy duty waterproofs and warm layers, hats and gloves to go underneath. Getting out in daylight rather than sitting behind screens in rooms lit with artificial light. Putting bird feeders out so that the birds learn where to feed before the winter sets in.

Feeding wild birds is a great opportunity for moments of delight

Instead of, or in addition to getting the 'SAD' Lamp out (an artificial light source sometimes used by those with Seasonal Affective Disorder 'SAD') plan to get outdoors more. Grey days feel very different if you are out in them rather than being trapped inside. Find a 'sit spot', probably somewhere with some shelter from the wind and rain where, well wrapped up against the cold you can engage fully with your senses, listening, seeing feeling, and aim to visit your 'spot' every day, making it place of peace and safety in the hustle and bustle of the working day. A place where simply by remembering our place in nature we can shrug off the stresses and strains of the day for even just a few minutes.

One community

working with renowned ecologist Stephan Harding

This last week has been a journey of discovery. At Schumacher College the warmth expressed by everyone, students, volunteers, teachers and staff creates an atmosphere of openness, caring and passion. That the teachers, such as Satish Kumar, Stephan Harding, Andy Fisher, Helena Norberg-Hodge are of such quality, sharing their knowledge and their values simply enhances the experience.

Community is a strange thing, you can bring people together but it doesn't create a community. Those coming together need to share and perhaps more importantly need to give. Being in a community means contributing not taking, helping others not meeting our own needs. Yet we do take and our needs are met through being in a strong community because as we give we receive from others, as we share our values, talents and gifts others contribute theirs.

Shared values may seem obvious for a community, here people share a desire for a sustainable future, where all beings matter, not just the ones with the most money, greatest capacity to be productive or provide a desired resource. But how many of us live in communities where there are no shared values? Where you don't know the neighbours let alone share with, help and support each other.

With the planet facing crises of climate change, resource depletion, species extinction and financial meltdown perhaps it is time to deepen our mindfulness practice by identifying and sharing values, working for a sustainable future for our global community.

Starting a journey

So early this morning set of on what will hopefully be a journey of parts, visiting areas well frequented in the past but from new directions, also areas not walked through. Part of the idea is simply to get away from my desk, to reconnect with nature, to reflect. I also want to look at the impact we have, especially on areas we regard as special. I'll be walking through two national parks and carrying everything I need on my back.

The journey by train to the start of the walk in Ilkley, was interesting itself. Travelling through places I'd never heard of. What is the large factory in Bentham? why is the station at Hellifield so big? Why does Ilkley now have so many shops that are part of major chains, so looking like any other town? Is this a message for other small towns facing development? If we are mindful of our surroundings, do we feel better with the common, the familiar, or do we offer variety?

On the journey it was great to travel through wonderful scenery, passing Ingleborough, pen-y-ghent and Pendle hill, though interestingly while passing many birds with young the first wild mammal seen was a roe deer outside Keighley!

Still, had a good breakfast (with free WiFi' thanks) and now time to disconnect with technology, reconnect with nature and start walking.

Sharing gratefulness

Follow the link to this talk where there are some stunning images, great views, big smiles but more importantly words of wisdom helping us with a new approach to each day.

nature, beauty, gratitude 

Mindfulness?

waves, blue sky and stiff breeze, great

Great walk along the beach this morning, blue skies, grass on the sand dunes, stiff onshore breeze, the smell of the sea, the feel of the wind, the sound of pebbles rolling up the beach, gulls and oystercatchers, the warmth of the sun, every sense engaged and mindful of it, or am I? 

For mindfulness to be truly effective it is important to go deeper, to reflect on the experience and yes take pleasure from it, but not to grasp it too tightly as therein lies a problem.

In traditional teachings on mindfulness going back over 2500 years the original words used to describe the experience - sati and smrti, meant being aware and remembering but alongside these were teachings of conditionality, that actions have consequences and of impermanence, that everything that happens or exists does so because of something else.

The key teaching here is in being aware of, recognising and remembering this interdependence and impermanence. We learn to stop grasping after the pleasurable and trying to avoid the unpleasant, instead  accepting that everything is changing including our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Being mindful on the beach today included not wishing it was exactly the same as a previous visit or hoping it would be more sunny or less windy next time, not hoping the redshank we linger just enjoying its flight then, simply appreciating it as it was in that moment, not judging it better or worse than another moment.

Urban Green Space makes a difference

urban green space helps when rural views aren't as accessible

Having worked for some years on the design and use of urban space for health, wellbeing and safety, it is good to see a major study published in the journal Psychological Science. The study, by the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter Medical School shows the relationship between urban green space, wellbeing and mental distress. Over 10,000 people have taken part across an 18 year period, reporting their psychological health and wellbeing.

The study team was able to use data in a way more common in economic analysis enabling them to account for variables over time such as income, employment status, marital status, health, housing type and local area level variables, such as crime rates.

The analysis also made it possible to compare the beneficial effects of green space with other factors which influence wellbeing. In comparative terms, living in an area with higher levels of green space was associated with improvements in wellbeing indicators roughly equal to a third of that gained from being married, or a tenth as large as being employed vs. unemployed.

With the widely perceived threats to our health from urbanisation, including traffic volumes, noise and lack of green space, the report helps to reinforce the importance of taking time to experience nature, to be mindful of it.

Aware or Mindful

A frozen bubble of air under sea ice on the local beach (temp -4C)

During a presentation last week, one participant constantly questioned the word mindful, saying it was simply awareness, was she right and is it worth thinking about?

The dictionary states that Awareness is 'knowledge or perception of a situation or fact', while Mindfulness is 'focusing one's awareness in the present moment while being concious of thoughts, feelings and emotions'.

So walking on the beach after a frost, I was aware of the ice under my feet, where the tide was, other people and what I could see, feel, in fact what all my senses were telling me. But seeing this bubble of air, captured in time triggered a whole range of responses. How amazing it looked, how was it formed, even being pleased I had my camera to capture it. To me this is the difference between mindfulness and awareness.

So it is worth thinking about, it is about being rather than doing, Awareness can happen by accident, being Mindful requires intention, practice, openness to our experiences whether pleasant or not. Having the camera with me wasn't an accident it was a concious thought, part of my own practice, having the tool that allows me to capture a moment in time. Then the thoughts and emotions, the wonder, were also part of the mindful process. Mindfulness allows me to engage fully with life, Awareness is simply noticing. Yes we may feel it better to be aware than unaware, but mindfulness in its fullness allows us to respond to what we face more effectively.

Resilience

Looking across Windemere to Langdale

Some good conversations recently about 'resilience', our capacity to 'bounce back', to recover quickly. Many businesses and public sector organisations have resilience strategies and plans in place to  enable services to continue when there has been a problem. Evidence shows that more than 50% of those companies without a plan will fail in the year after a problem.

You might wonder what this has to do with you? Simple really, what is your 'bounce back' strategy? How will you cope when (not if!) something goes wrong?

It could be the 'Resilience of Youth', we feel young, fit, able to take on the world, and so what if a plan doesn't work, we just do something else.

Or maybe it is the 'Resilience of Wisdom', the advantage of being an 'elder'. We've been there, done that, we know nothing is permanent, everything constantly changes, things hurt now but we'll cope.

But mindfulness allows us to do more than cope. It allows us to thrive, to get more out of life, even when it can be a struggle. My resilience plan involves finding big views, like the one above in Cumbria. It means recognising the early warning signs (a key part of any resilience plan), knowing when you feel less comfortable, more vulnerable or simply just a bit 'low'.

The key advantage of the 'naturally mindful' approach is that nature is all around us, we are part of nature, we don't need to dig out our 'resilience plan', we just have to be awake to our experience. Whether it is stroking a dog, smelling a flower, marvelling at the skein of geese flying overhead or simply appreciating the view, be in the moment. What is happening right now that we can appreciate?