Meditation

Why I hate my phone

Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

smartphones_1

I have lost count of the family members, loved ones, friends that I have been having face-to-face conversations with, after having not seen them often for months, and feeling that sinking feeling when they pull out their phone mid-chat, even more so if they start typing on it…

I feel sorry for my kids, when they are telling one of their stories about the bird at the park and the person they are talking to checks their phone, increasingly more so that person has been me. My heart bleeds for them.  What message are they getting?  That this story that meant the world to them, is really not that important after all as I got a Facebook message again and I can’t resist replying?

A Wall Street Journal article published in May, “Just Look Me In The Eye Already,” discussed how technology use has affected our decline in eye contact — and the negative effect that reducing eye contact during conversations can have on our relationships. (more…)

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Wise words of Buddha

Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

buddha-1Mind precedes all phenomena,
mind matters most, everything is mind-made.
If with an impure mind
one performs any action of speech or body,
then suffering will follow that person
as the cartwheel follows the foot of the draught animal.

Mind precedes all phenomena,
mind matters most, everything is mind-made.
If with a pure mind
one performs any action of speech or body,
then happiness will follow that person
as a shadow that never departs.

Dhammapada 1.1, 1.2

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Grrrls

Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

article-2279468-17946CA0000005DC-471_964x684Grrrrls.

We have surely all seen evidence of this, been on the receiving or performing end, maybe all the above.

Grrls to me are those women who, through insecurity about their bonds or their own tendencies, create or develop a bond with other women by isolating others.  Maybe a third girl.

There is something that makes it more acceptable as a woman to not be assertive to another woman’s face, which is more socially acceptable for a man, instead to talk behind their back.

(more…)

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Unkindness/ Hurt

Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

I have been struggling recently with trying to understand the unkindness and desire to cause hurt, that lies in humans.  Unkindness towards ourselves, those close to us, and complete strangers alike.

Meditation (and/or the right kind of Yoga) helps, with understanding or rather accepting, this sensibility.  Insight practices help to tap into the reality that there is something deeper and important at play than our egos and delusions.

However, with a busy lifestyle, daily stresses and limited reflection time, it can be all too easy to get wrapped up in this nonsense, and thus our false sense of  a separate self, can be hurt by it.

Meditation certainly helps, but this quote really helped me to put some greater perspective on it.  So I thought I would share it here.

I hope that it helps someone else also make sense of a difficult situation, somehow.

(more…)

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Ultra-marathon ambition !

Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

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This is a great article, about fear, meditation, ‘The Zone’ and preparing to run 50 miles… My ambition :)

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/raising-rippers/Fear-Is-Your-Friend-What-Sitting-Still-Can-Teach-Us-About-Running-Fast.html?page=2

In Malta I struggle to find anywhere to run where I can be alone, but when preparing for a marathon in the UK, I remember running country lanes in the dark and feeling slightly fearful.  That fear does speed you along sometimes, so is a double-edged sword.

I have been hearing a lot lately about runner’s knee, and how running is hard on your joints, bad for your metabolism in the long run, especially for women etc.  True, it can be, it is not great for your structure or gentle on your skeleton, but it is necessary to be a good runner for survival, feeling safe and like you can protect yourself in a dangerous situation.

Exercises can be and must be done to lessen and ease the effects on the muscles and bones, you can find some under the exercise and running categories on the right.  Barefoot running, which I am new to but hope to continue responsibly, is said to be able to help combat the knee damage of running in trainers.

I am aware some cite more damage to joints after barefoot running, however, I will be experimenting with this more in coming months.

As well as survival benefits, the mental, structural, muscular and cardiovascular benefits are the reasons why I intend to keep running as long as I feel fit too, and hope to be running ultras someday soon!

Watch this space and please feel free to leave a comment about the article or any of the above points :) cheers!

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Cheating on Yoga poses….

Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

Yoga

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It has been said that the moment you cheat on someone is not when you sleep with or kiss them, but when your mind starts to entertain the idea…

I have recently been practicing Yoga when my twins have gone to bed… Sometimes at midnight my mind is working overtime with ideas, things I want to note down, share, ask, write about etc.

When I first got to staying with my mum 3 weeks ago, in the UK, I was finding it hard to sleep. (more…)

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