Meditation Experience

I started meditating around 20 years ago when I was a teenager, and really committed to a regular practice when I was in Beijing in 2008. I spent a year with my teacher, Master Wei, learning the theory and practice of Zen meditation. My lessons included many hours on the mat, but we also spent a lot of time in nature and in the various hospital wards learning first-hand about what it means to be human and how to apply mindfulness to our daily lives. During the winter of 2008 I had my first taste of intensive retreat under the guidance of Mingyi and Mingji and their teacher Master Jing hui at the Sizusi Monastery in southern China. The Zen practice was disciplined and tough, but it gave me my first taste of how the mind can become still and clear.

After leaving China I went to practice intensive meditation under the guidance of Sayadaw U Vivekannda,  a world renowned Vipassana teacher at Panditarama, Lumbini. The Vipassana practice was even tougher than Zen, we woke up at 3.30am and Meditated in silence every day until 9.30pm. All movements were done in slow motion to maintain continuous awareness and no form of entertainment or distraction were permitted. My first stay here was for 5 months, but then I went back on subsequent years, first for another 5 months and then 9 months the year after. During these years, a general stilling of the mind started to occur along with an unfolding of equanimity and insight. I also spent a lot of time studying the practice of compassion and loving kindness with a Burmese Nun, Sayalay Bhaddamanika.

On returning to England and settling back into life in the west, I became interested in how clinical mindfulness was being used and how Counselling could be used alongside meditation to work through any unresolved emotional issues from the past. During this time I participated in an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course and marvelled at how the creators of this course had captured the very essence of the meditation practice I had learnt in the east and were using it to help people find ease from ailments such as depression, anxiety and chronic pain. I later trained as a Clinical Mindfulness teacher at Bangor University and leading these 8 week courses is now one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work.  My life is quite busy these days, I love the work I do, but also enjoy my yearly meditation retreat when I leave worldly issues behind and spend a month dwelling in the peace and clarity of the mind.

Note: intensive = 10-12 hours of formal meditation per day, semi-intensive = 5-7 hours

2 Month semi-intensive - Master Wei - Beijing - June 2008

2 Week intensive – Masters  Jing hui and Ming Ji - Si Zu Monastery, Huang Mei, China, December 2008

2 Week intensive - Master Ming Yi - Beijing, January 2009

5 Month intensive - Sayadaw U Vivekananda - Panditarama Lumbini - Feb 2009

4 Month intensive - Sayadaw U Vivekananda - Panditarama Lumbini - Jan 2010

3 Month intensive - Sayadaw U Vivekananda - Panditarama Lumbini - Feb 2012

6 Months semi- intensive retreat - Panditarama 2012

2 Weeks Semi-intensive retreat – Ajahn Sumedho -Amaravati Oct 2012

Weekend New year retreat - Bhante Bodhidhamma - Satipanya - Dec 2012

2 Week Intensive Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage -  Oct 2013

Easter retreat - Lama Yeshe - Samye Ling - Easter 2014

3 Month Intensive self retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - summer 2014

8 Week Mindful Self Compassion Course - Allie Phipps - Horncastle (UK) - Nov 2014

2 Week Intensive Retreat -Hobble Stone Hermitage - Jan 2015

8 Week MBSR - Caroline Hedley - Lincoln - Feb 2015

2 Week Intensive Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - Aug 2015

10 Day MBSR/MBCT teacher training retreat – Trigonos Retreat Centre Wales (Bangor university) – Jan 2016

2 Week Semi-Intensive retreat – Ajahn Amaro - Amaravati – Nov 2016

1 Month Intensive – Bhante Bodhidhamma – Satipanya – July 2017

1 Month Intensive Retreat – Hobble Stone Hermitage – Summer 2018

3 Day Retreat - Chithurst Monastery, UK - Easter 2019

8 Week Compassion Based Living Course - Tracy Connor - UK - April 2019

2 Week Intensive Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - Summer 2019

10 Day Intensive Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - Winter 2019

5 Day MBCT Specialist Teacher Training Retreat for Depression - Mindfulness Network (Bangor university) - Feb 2020

10 Day Intensive Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - Easter 2020

2 Day Mindful Inquiry Workshop - Mindfulness Network (Bangor University) - May 2020

7 Day Loving Kindness Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - May 2020

1 Month Intensive Retreat - Hobble Stone Hermitage - August 2020

8 Week Mindfulness Based Compassionate Living - Frits Koster - Mindfulness Network - September 2020