Why I hope I never have an iPhone

September 29, 2013February 2, 2014 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

Or any ‘smartphone’ for that matter.

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.

I am not criticizing these people. I would surely be the same if I had one, which is why I don’t.

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 iPhone. 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?

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…)

Wise words of the Buddha

September 23, 2013 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

The last of this series for a while. I hope you have found them wise and inspirational/ aspirational. I know I have!

Overcome the angry by non-anger;
overcome the wicked by goodness;
overcome the miser by generosity;
overcome the liar by truth.

Dhammapada 17.223

Wise words of Buddha

September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

Mind 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

Wise Words of Buddha

September 4, 2013 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

If you fear pain, if you dislike pain,
don’t do an evil deed in open or secret.
If you’re doing or will do an evil deed,
you won’t escape pain:
it will catch you even as you run away.

Udāna 5.44

Wise Words from Buddha

August 22, 2013August 22, 2013 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

Through conviction one crosses over the flood.
Through heedfulness, the sea.
Through persistence one overcomes suffering & stress.
Through discernment a person is purified.

Sutta Nipāta 1.186

buddha-1

Grrrls

August 20, 2013February 2, 2014 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

Grrrrls.

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 weakness, create or develop a bond with other women by isolating others. Maybe a third girl. (more…)

Wise Words of Buddha

August 18, 2013August 18, 2013 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

By effort and heedfulness,
discipline and self-mastery,
let the wise one make for oneself
an island which no flood can overwhelm.

Dhammapada 2.25

Unkindness/ Hurt

June 23, 2013July 31, 2013 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…)

Ultra-marathon ambition !

March 24, 2013March 25, 2013 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

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!

Cheating on Yoga poses….

March 1, 2013April 2, 2014 Hannah-Marie Leave a comment

Yoga

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…)