I am often reminded of my friend Sue’s Uncle Bill, as a reference point for a good state of mind. When asked ‘How are you doing, Bill?’ he would reply with a broad smile, and… Read More
Keeping well, and keeping ‘steady’.
Posts in teachers
Why modern monks still revere a 19th century female british educationalist
More importantly, why would I be grateful to her too? What Miss Margaret Noble did was to start a school for young women in Kolkata at the behest of Swami Vivekananda, a monk of the… Read More
Careers choices and options.
I didn’t really know what to do with my life when I was 17. I talked to my father, who said – time enough for that yet, get a degree first, and then think about… Read More
The practice of ‘calling the mind back’.
The practice of calling the mind back, when it has wandered off somewhere is called ‘pratyahara’ in Patanjali’s yoga sutras, an ancient work on how to meditate for the purposes of spiritual advancement. We know… Read More
Three women scientists
So, to continue – three examples of women shining in their fields of work. Choosing Marie Curie is usual. So I won’t. I will look instead at Franklin. (Found in all life on Earth, DNA… Read More
It’s later than we think
A friend honing a new course said ‘It is later than you think, start living now’. It made me sit up and take notice. It also made me start writing a book. A very personal… Read More
We can’t make connections with individuals if we don’t pay attention to the detail
‘So, tell me before I set off, what goes with what?’ I was putting out a few plates of food for people about to arrive and an old friend came into the kitchen and asked… Read More
Changing habits
There is a lot of talk about changing habits, and creating new ones. Essentially, the skill I want to teach, which is paying attention at will, is all about creating a new habit. So it… Read More
‘Getting un-stuck’
Over the last three weeks I have been attending a course, ‘Unleashed’, being run by a friend Blanca Vergara. The first session included an hour’s break-out room discussion to address a key question – what… Read More
The beginning of a journey – teaching people to pay attention
A story of inequality What careers teachers in the public sector might identify, quite rightly, is that young people who are typically from richer, better connected families, have something which has come to be called… Read More