The Reward is the Journey

"To be nobody but myself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make me somebody else - means to fight the hardest battle any human can fight, and never stop fighting." E. E. Cummings   Standing in a queue at the cash desk of a London department store recently, my attention was caught by a little boy dressed up in high heels and a long T shirt which he was sporting as a rather fetching dress and, to complete the outfit, a bra filled with sports socks.  As he admired himself in the handily situated mirror which stood on the floor, he looked pleased at the look he had accomplished.  My fellow shoppers, including his mother, seemed not to give him a second glance.  He seemed so content, and was quite happy amusing himself, in a way that appeared both familiar and comfortable.  I was struck by the scene for different reasons, but what really caught my eye was the exuberant joy that emanated from it.  He had an enthusiastic aide who ...

Pedalling around London in the sunshine is my idea of heaven.  Being taken to Look Mum No Hands for coffee really was the icing on the cake that was my morning.  It's funny that, whilst negotiating pot holes and rather unfriendly traffic, including cars whose drivers decide to overtake only to immediately want to turn left, we both arrived feeling really rather content, and relaxed.   It is easy to forget the magic of cycling when you ride a bike most days, but on mornings like this, I'm glad to be able to reconnect with the joy riding my singlespeed around town gives me. Most people know that cycling, as a form of cardio exercise is good for the body, but it has proven benefits for the mind and spirit too.  It's no surprise then that cycle training organisations are setting up "cycle for health" projects around the country, designed to help a diverse variety of people get back on their bikes with confidence.  Two lattes later, puncture repaired and ...

"There can be no brain without a body to inhabit, and no body could survive without a brain inside it. The body is a single organism that includes the specialist functions of the brain, which include those of taking account of what is happening in the body, including the part of it that is itself." Antonio Damasio, author of 'Descartes' Error' and 'The Feeling of What Happens'. As a practitioner and student of Mindfulness, I am interested in mind and body, which might perhaps more accurately by thought of as bodymind.  I was recently discussing this in some depth with colleagues who are similarly interested in aspects of neuroscience as they pertain to our health and wellbeing.      "What the mind dwells upon the body acts upon" Dennis Waitley, American inspirational speaker and self-help author, b.1933 Given the very basic level of my biological knowledge, our discussion of the vagus nerve stood out as something of importance to me.  O...

I am a long distance swimmer rather than a sprinter.  Whilst I can, and occasionally do, swim fast, my preferred pool style is characterised by endurance.  On a recent visit to the pool, I began to think a little more about the parallels between swimming and recovery. Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare comes to mind... Once upon a time there was a hare who, boasting how he could run faster than anyone else, was forever teasing tortoise for its slowness. Then one day, the irate tortoise answered back: “Who do you think you are? There’s no denying you’re swift, but even you can be beaten!” The hare squealed with laughter.  “Beaten in a race? By whom? Not you, surely! I bet there’s nobody in the world that can win against me, I’m so speedy. Now, why don’t you try?” Annoyed by such bragging, the tortoise accepted the challenge. A course was planned, and the next day at dawn they stood at the starting line. The hare yawned sleepily as the meek tortoise trudged ...

Whilst I felt unsurprised I was gravely saddened to learn yesterday afternoon that Amy Winehouse had been found dead in her home in Camden.  As I said to Petrie Hoskyn on LBC 97.3FM this afternoon, it was clear that Ms. Winehouse had been struggling for some time, and her bedraggled public appearances and drunken performances in between failed attempts to get clean in rehab had been a testament to that painful struggle. Whilst a post mortem is pending, and the cause of her death as yet unknown, perhaps there is something more pressing to be acknowledged in the wake of this talented young artist's death - her life wasconsumed, and ultimately destroyed by her addictions. Described as the wild child of British Pop she has now joined the fateful '27 Club'.  Some would say she survive the transition and perhaps the reference to her 'child'like self is indeed apt, becoming a star so young, having failed to com...

Clients often look at me as though I'm speaking in a foreign tongue when I ask them what they enjoy doing.  What they do for recreation, and pleasure.  Whether they have hobbies, or interests, activities they do just for fun.  Perhaps I've lost you, too... It strikes me that fun is an important, if not crucial, component of recovery and life generally.  Research suggests that those of us who are fortunate enough to have things we enjoy, and time to engage in these, are likely to report better quality of life.  Hardly surprising. What is surprising, worrying even, is how little time we spend enjoying ourselves.  Fun, smiles, and laughter are all good for our health.  Doing things we enjoy, and things we are good at, are both equally important.  Pleasure and mastery fight depression and other ailments.  I have deliberately introduced fun into my life.  I am who I am because of my friends, and some of my closest friends are my 'fun po...

'Ghost' exceeded any expectations I might have had.  I wasn't consciously aware of many preconceptions but was very positively surprised by the superb performances and breathtaking special effects.  They have stuck close to the storyline of the 1990 film and the romantic fantasy is beautifully enacted live on stage.  Whilst the actors who play Sam and Molly, whose love story is cruelly interrupted, are very good, it is Sharon D. Clarke who stole the show, for me.  Her character, Oda Mae Brown, is that which Whoopi Goldberg occupied in the film - as the comic New York psychic, from Spanish Harlem, who is surprised to discover her 'gift' having been professing to connect with those who have 'passed' for some time before Sam approaches her boudoir. Oda Mae almost makes it: whilst she doesn't get to keep the $10,000,000 she does put her rates up for readings.  She does however dream in style. The set, projections, and effects...

Tree of Life is, to my mind, a film to be experienced, rather than simply watched.  I had no idea what to expect, having characteristically avoided reviews, and critics' comments.  It is, I think, a film for all.  I would challenge anyone to come out from a screening to lack a response...  My own felt to come from my heart rather than my head, as the film is an epic journey through unfamiliar territory.  Bits of it were reminiscent of the best David Attenborough documentaries, the ecological cinematography is quite literally, out of this world.  Other parts were captivating, inviting engagement, and demanding consideration.  I felt tired leaving the cinema, and not because it had been a late showing, but rather because I felt my mind, body and senses had all been taken on an unforeseen journey quite unlike anything I've experienced before.  The performances are deep, and yet the human presence somehow minimal.  This film has perspective, ...

According to Wikipedia, tears are "the secretions of the glands that clean and lubricate the eyes.  Strong emotions, such as sorrow, or elation, along with irritation of eye, may lead to an increased production of tears, or crying." Furthermore, in nearly all cultures, crying is seen as a specific act associated with tears trickling down the cheeks and accompanied by characteristic sobbing sounds. Emotional triggers are most often sadness and grief, but crying can also be triggered by anger, happiness, fear, laughter or humour, frustration, remorse, or other strong, intense emotions.  "The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears."  John Vance Cheney Tears from the therapist's chair are somewhat of a controversial issue.  According to traditional theory a therapist should be empathic but neutral, but as a general rule she should not disclose her feelings.  Neutrality serves the purpose of establishing the patient’s independence and self-de...

"Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now."   Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever you go, There you are:  Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. "Peace is something that we can bring about if we can actually learn to wake up a bit more as individuals and a lot more as a species; if we can learn to be fully what we actually already are; to reside in the inherent potential of what is possible for us, being human."   Jon Kabat-Zinn As a student and practitioner of mindfulness I seek to embody my learnings, and practise the principles 'in all my affairs' in the spirit advocated by The Most Venerable Thich Naht Hanh.  Whilst I do my best to practise perfectly imperfectly, I often find that I have slipped into autopilot, and lost my connectio...