To move or not to move

Stillness is often named and described as a key feature of meditation; physical and mental stillness. In a previous blog essay titled ‘What is Meditation’ I described meditation as “just sitting … Just sit, and then sit some more for a...

Walking, simply walking

Taking a walk is a great thing to do for so many reasons. It can be good exercise, particularly for those not suited to more vigourous exercise. For me I often find it great ‘thinking time’. Walking can include the enjoyment of being out in a natural...

Prime Minister Whitlam and me

Gough Whitlam has died; he was a towering figure in the Aussie landscape of my very young adult years. I am sure many people of around my age, young at the time of Gough Whitlam’s prime ministership, will be having all kinds of reflections on his impact upon...

Stress and Meditation

Stress appears to be one of the epidemics of  our age. Okay, I know it is not Ebola or AIDS but it does cause a huge amount of suffering, ill-health and loss of ability to function and be productive. It has appeared on the  cover of Time magazine and is prominent in...

What is Meditation? (1)

In classes I do spend a little time (very little) outlining “what is meditation”. And likewise, this wonderfully overused term, “mindfulness”. And the subject comes up when I am asked excellent questions like: “when I get really absorbed...