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Hello! This Tuesday 6pm UK session is a chance to plug into the Mindsprings methods for soothing the nervous system and unpicking the mechanisms of anxiety. We'll be practicing body-based techniques, breathworks and energy psychology each week. There'll be clear instruction each session so anyone can join - even (or especially) complete beginners. We practice for about 30 minutes and then have some time to talk and discuss what's going on. Many people find sharing their anxiety a great boon. Come along and finally do something about your shredded nerves.

Hi everyone! Make a date to practice with the Mindsprings gang every Monday morning at 8am UK time. This is a chance to use the mind-cleaning Beingfulness practice to steady our awareness, see all the phenomena that are making up our experience and learn to love them! There'll be clear instruction each session so anyone can join - even (or especially) complete beginners. We practice for about 30 minutes and then have some time to talk and discuss what's going on. It's a lovely communal way to start the week.

Hello! This Thursday 8am UK session offers anyone a chance to experience some Buddhist-flavoured practice. It's ideal for people who are interested in Buddhism but don't know all the jargon. And it's a chance for the Mindsprings community to anchor their dharma practice. There'll be clear instruction each session so anyone can join - even (or especially) complete beginners. We practice for about 30 minutes and then have some time to talk and discuss what's going on. I'll use the last portion of the session to chat about some of the Buddhist ideas and clarify any questions people have.

Are you battling with high levels of stress and anxiety? Alistair's online course Mastering the Monsters of Anxiety might be the way to tackle your anxiety in 2025. It's a self-paced online course you can work through from the comfort of your own home. And find the body-based solutions that can reduce those horrible sensations of panic and fear. Click through to access the course for just £50 this year. Use code MMA25 to get that discount. https://mypersonal.mind-springs.org/courses/mastering-the-monsters-of-anxiety-selfstudy

Relax and Enjoy — a community enquiry from Alistair / Mindsprings I've been exploring two deceptively simple questions for most of this year: what does it mean to genuinely relax, and what does it mean to genuinely enjoy your life? Not as self-improvement goals but as something more fundamental — a natural condition that somehow keeps getting squeezed out. I'd love your help thinking this through. This isn't a formal survey — it's an invitation to reflect, and your answers will genuinely shape how I teach and write about this. There are no right answers, and partial or uncertain responses are just as useful as confident ones. Take as much or as little space as you need. First name Last name Email Part One - Relaxation 1. In your own experience, what most gets in the way of relaxing? This might be external (circumstances, busyness, other people) or internal (thoughts, physical tension, a feeling that you shouldn't). Feel free to be specific and personal rather than general. Obstacles to relaxation 2. And on the other side — what conditions, if any, tend to allow relaxation to happen? Not what you do to relax, but what seems to create the ground for it to arise naturally. Things that foster relaxation 3. On a scale of 1–5, how easy do you find it to relax in ordinary daily life? (1 = very difficult, 5 = comes fairly naturally) Ease of relaxation 4. A word question: does "relax" feel like the right word for what we're pointing at, or does it carry unhelpful associations for you? Some people find it implies going limp or switching off. Others associate it with effort ("I'm trying to relax"). Does the word land well, or would something like ease feel closer? "Relax" - is it the right word? Part Two - Enjoyment NOTE: When I use the word "enjoyment" I'm talking about a state of mind that makes experience meaningful and enjoyable. It's not necessarily linked to pleasurable conditions. We might for example be able to enjoy sadness. It's more akin to an ability to savour our existence. 5. What most gets in the way of genuine enjoyment in your life? Again, external or internal, circumstantial or habitual. Try to be specific if you can — the particular is more useful here than the general. Obstacles to enjoyment 6. What conditions, if any, seem to allow enjoyment to arise naturally? Conditions for enjoyment 7. On a scale of 1–5, how much genuine enjoyment would you say is present in your daily life? (1 = very little, 5 = quite a lot) Star rating 8. Another word question, and possibly the most interesting one: When you hear the word enjoy , what does it evoke? Pleasure? Happiness? Something forced or performative ("enjoy your meal!")? Does it feel like a shallow word, or does it carry real meaning for you? And does savour feel different — more embodied, more present-tense, more about quality of attention? Or does it feel precious or food-specific? "Enjoy" - is it the right word? Part Three - A little terminology 9. Have you encountered the idea of "observer consciousness" — the sense of a part of you watching your own experience from a slight distance? Observer Consciousness Yes, I'm familiar with this I've heard it but I don't know what it means for me This is not something I recognise If you're familiar with it — do you find it a useful concept in your own practice, or does it create problems? Further thoughts on observer 10. Is there a word or phrase that YOU use — in your own inner life or practice — for the quality of enjoyment and relaxation we're circling around here? Something that captures what it feels like when experience is being met well, received fully, without grasping or aversion? This is genuinely open — I'm curious what language arises naturally for people rather than what I've been teaching. Other language for 'relax and enjoy' Finally: Is there anything else you'd want to say about relaxation, enjoyment, or the relationship between them that these questions didn't quite reach? Final thoughts Many thanks! I really appreciate you taking the time to think about this stuff with me. I hope that it will all add up to something of benefit to the world. Best wishes, Alistair Submit

Mindsprings was set up by Alistair Appleton to explore the benefits of meditation in the modern world. Much clinical research these days concentrates on working with addiction and depression. We’re interested in working with wellness and the promotion of mental health before the illness sets in. HOME What We Do Course Trio CONTACT Events Mindsprings Meditation with Alistair Appleton Brighten your mind. Put the spring back in your life with therapeutic meditation. Learn to Meditate with Alistair In-Person Retreats Self-Study Courses Live Online Classes JOIN ALISTAIR for two one-day Zoom workshops this Spring! THE ABC of MEDITATION is a perfect introduction to this amazing life skill - especially for complete beginners. And THE ABC of BUDDHISM is similar entry point for anyone who's intrigued by this incredible religion and has lots of questions! Coming Up Next 7 tickets left Oferta de membresía Dundreggan May 2026 Retreat sáb, 02 may Inverness The Power of Emotions 2-9 May 2025 Trees for Life Rewilding Centre, Scotland + 12 más Compra tus entradas Oferta de membresía The ABC of Meditation dom, 17 may Zoom Sign up for a one day introduction that de-mystifies one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. + 17 más Compra tus entradas Oferta de membresía The ABC of Buddhism dom, 14 jun Zoom A one-day online seminar unpacking the basics of the one the world's greatest wisdom traditions + 16 más Compra tus entradas 0 tickets left Oferta de membresía Holy Island Summer Retreat 2026 dom, 23 ago Holy Island Centre for Peace The Path to Freedom: Satipatthana Buddhist insight to untangle your life! 23-30 August 2026 + 35 más Detalles Oferta de membresía Dublin 2026 sáb, 12 sept Oscailt Integrative Health Centre Undo the unconscious blocks to deep relaxation and true enjoyment + 8 más Compra tus entradas Oferta de membresía Cabilla October Retreat jue, 15 oct CABILLA CORNWALL Three Days in this magical Cornish ancient woodland, letting the power of nature relax you. + 17 más Compra tus entradas Oferta de membresía London Weekend: Free Yourself from Guilt sáb, 12 dic Kagyu Samye Dzong London Tibetan Buddhis Healthy remorse is good. But historical guilt can paralyse the heart. Compra tus entradas What We Do Courses Online courses to access immediately. Tackle your anxiety. Brighten the mind. Read More > Retreats Whether a city weekend or a glorious weekend in nature. Meditate with Alistair in person. Read More > Classes Join Alistair on Zoom for weekly hour-long sessions. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Read More > Videos Read More > Browse hours of free recordings and teaching. Subscribe for the full amazing library. "Can I trust you? My mind is sore, vulnerable. Sometimes I'd rather not look." You don't have to trust me with your precious human mind. Mindsprings is only here to help in your own exploration and development. Ultimately, you are the sole proprietor of your mind. That said it's good to have someone to hold your hand. I've been meditating for more than 2 decades, teaching for more than 15 years. I'm a qualified psychotherapist with lots of clients. Most importantly, I know first-hand what anxiety and mental anguish feels like. You can experience the relief and liberation of meditation straight away with our powerful self-study courses. Take a look below: Beingfulness Bring some joy back to your whole life with Alistair's foundational mediation course. Read More Mastering the Monsters of Anxiety Part one of the Mindsprings Anxiety course. Read More Tapping into Freedom Unblock the unconscious patterns that weigh down your life. Read More Course Trio Any questions? We'll try and get back to you within 24 hours! Submit Thanks for submitting! CONTACT