1. What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is awareness. This awareness is the key to very rapid change. Being more aware is the basis of personal development both material and spiritual. The ability to stop the constant stream of chatter that goes on in our minds is perhaps the greatest single talent we can learn in life.

Being mindful can make the difference between a life that is miserable and a life of joy. In order to change what we are thinking and feeling, we have to become more aware of what we are thinking and feeling. This awareness is the key to very rapid change.

Our habitual thoughts are on rapid fire in our minds. They go through our consciousness so fast that most of the time we don’t even realize they are there, we just start feeling different emotions. Before emotion Is a thought or image, but often it goes though our brain so fast that we don’t even notice.

Awareness means to become more aware of what is going on around us and within us. Awarness training means that for a while, every day we slow down our thoughts we take deep steady breaths we become here now in the place we are right now on the earth.

Look around. Take the time to notice where you are. Look within. Take the time to notice what you are thinking. What you are feeling? Right now, Right here Just stop everything and become aware. Now if you don’t like what you are thinking or feeling, or don’t like where you are on the planet, you can see it more clearly Just being aware will bring about its own change. You don’t even have to do anything else. Then continue with whatever you were doing, being happier, feeling better, more positive more grounded. This awareness is the key to very rapid change.

2. What does it mean to rediscovering spirituality?

Within all of us is a connection to, a sense of belonging to and being cared for by something great and wonderful. Something beyond our immediate perception Something that we are aware of Something that we are grateful to.

A universal mother or father, or a universe itself that is conscious and loves us its tiniest fragments. We have this connection. We had it as children and then perhaps we lost it, We forget about it. Something is missing from our lives. That sense of belonging, of being intimately connected with nature, with the earth with everything.

It is important to remember, to reawaken that feeling, It is important to strengthen that vision, to believe in it more. It is not just imagination. It is real A real substance. It is the experience of universal connection. It is your feeling of divine connection.

3. How do I find meaning in my life?

Look closely at your life and you will see a pattern. What choices or conflicts confront you again and again? What problems do you have to contend with through out your life? Can you see a pattern? Does the same theme play through different scenarios? You will eventually see that these problems and conflicts form a pattern. A major pattern of learning.

For you to feel whole. What lesson is this pattern trying to teach you? What do you need to learn in your life? What adjustment do you need to make in your way of thinking or being. When you find it you will know because your life will feel right.

4. What is my purpose?

What do you do that is uniquely you? What gives you quiet and sustaining joy? What are you giving that no one else can give? At first we all say nothing.

Everyone and any one can give what I give. But we will see that it is not so. Everyone is very unique and has a special gift to share. Or even just a special way to be. That is purpose. The method of giving or being is mission.

5. How do I know what is right for me?

 If there was no one I had to explain my action to What would I do? If I had no one to answer to, No God, no priest, No parent, no children No teacher no friend. You can’t find it any other way Than consulting with yourself In a quiet secluded place. Away from everyone, Putting aside everyone else’s demands And conditions on your life.

Everyone else’s right and wrong. Important directives come from deep within, from the quiet and tranquility. They come from the inner space Beyond anyone’s reach but our own. The truth is that there is no one you have to explain yourself to but yourself.

 Just ask yourself, “If I had no one to answer to And I could do anything that I wanted to do, What would I do?” If you give yourself quiet moments each day, The answer will come. Ask and it shall be given. It may not come right away, Not for days or weeks. But be certain. The directive will come. It will be the right one for you And you will know it.

6. How can I make changes in my life?

The key to change is our thoughts. The thoughts we use every day especially the ones which are laden with emotion, are our most powerful creative tools. Thoughts and images stimulate chemical releases in our body. In this way Thought and emotions are connected.

There is a link between thought, emotion and behaviour, like links of a circular chain. When we want to change we have to interrupt the chain. When we want to change behaviour, it is most effective to first change our thoughts. Externally, we can interrupt the chain, temporarily forcing someone to change behaivour in rehab or prison, school detention or to stop smoking.

If the participant doesn’t understand the process and is not themselves committed to change, they will revert to their old ways. To try to change a physical habit without changing the internal dialogue will not result in lasting change. We have to change how we think about something and how we feel about it. If we want to change our behavior towards it.

Understand how words and images lead to feelings and emotions. Understand how feeling and emotions lead to behavior. Once you understand this you will see the necessity of changing our internal dialogue. Change the internal conversation about something And you will be able to change how you feel about it. As soon as we change how we feel about something, we find that it is not so difficult to act differently and consistently.

7. What can I expect from establishing a good mental health program for myself?

I am teaching the latest understanding of how to make improvements in our lives. Does that mean that you’ll never have another bad day? No. Even the best physical trainers get injuries and flues.

So as long as we have a body and mind, there are going to be challenges. Yes, you’ll have plenty more bad days. But you’ll be able to cope with them better. In fact you’ll begin to be ok with them because your bad days are showing you where you have room for improvement.

You’ll actually be able to accept them because of the gifts they bring you in the way of personal learning and stretching your love. You’ll have less bad days though and plenty of really good steady ‘live life to the fullest’ days.

Mental well being means that you will recover faster from the shocks of life. Your relationships will improve because you will value yourself more. You will have a positive disposition and look at situations as half full rather than half empty. Mental well being means that you will have good mental habits that will carry you over the rough times.

When faced with challenges you’ll have skills that help you make the best of them. You’ll be able to bend with the storms but not break. You will be free to take part in the natural joys and sorrows of life knowing they are all temporary and part of the flow.

8. Where do you get your theories and practices from?

As a young man I studied Eastern Philosophy. I lived as a monk in India and Japan. I lived in India for four years and Japan for two. I lived as a monk and followed all the disciplines and rules and regulations. I studied the ancient texts, chanted the mantras and did basic services, chopped wood and carried water, so to speak.

When I was 27 years old I came back to Europe, and married. I’ve always been interested in helping people. When I started studying popular psychology I noticed that a lot of what was being discovered about how the mind and thought and consciousness works was written about long ago by scholars and humanitarians of past civilizations.

The ancient classics are full of good advice that is applicable to modern times. After all, the human mind has not changed for many thousands of years. The emotional problems we face today are exactly the same as those faced in all past complex civilizations in Asia, Rome and South America.

I find Louise L. Hay’s work on the link between words and emotions really powerful. I follow her line of thinking to self esteem, confidence, and relationships. Bernie S. Siegel M.D. in his writings makes a point about the enormous value of compassion, basic human love and kindness that is necessary for us all to live. That is dished out in such miserly amounts in our society.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, ”The greatest disease of mankind is the absence of love.” I trained as a Life Coach with Maureen Hewitt, Positive Success Ltd. Ireland I studied Neuro Linguistic Programming ( NLP) with Michael Calhoon, Transforming People Ltd.

Ireland Life Coaching is a methodology of work that allows the client to lead, to set the direction, and the coach facilitates the client. I use that method in my workshops and one to one work.

NLP is a collection of skills and an understanding based on the latest scientific findings of how the mind works, how we perceive, how we relate and how we form habits. I use the works of Eghart Tolle in teaching ’mindfulness’ and the drama the ego creates to cover simple truth. His writings very clearly reflect something of what I learned from my eastern masters. I am bringing together all the skills and knowledge I have learned for the benefit of the people I work with.

I call myself a Holistic Teacher.