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- Copy of OPEN LIBRARY | Mindsprings
Alistair Appletons Mindsprings Videos VIDEOS Dive into this library of video teaching from Alistair. Guided meditations (usually around 30-40 minutes) Teaching on various topics: body-based meditation, compassion, internal family systems and much more Alistair's answers to students We've organised the 150+ videos into different channels and categories. You need to be a supporting member to access the golden ones! Good for Beginners Tips and Talks on How to Meditate Bringing the Body Online Untangling Thoughts & Thinking Soothing & Centring the Body-MInd Maitri: Loving Your Inner Parts Opening the Heart to Others All the Guided Meditations All the Teaching Community Favorites Beginners Good for Beginners Here are a dozen practices that give you a good taste of embodied meditation. Many of them done standing up: Starting with a lovely set of energy practices, bring energy into the standing body Then moving into the classic Mindsprings relaxation, Polyvagal Tuning . Then a brace of practice looking at tracking the energy around the somatic circuit And three practices working with awareness and stillness: 3 Objects , Mantra and the Practice of Fives Then there are two tasters of Beingfulness and Tonglen Finishing with a recap of the energy workout with my dog, Ben. Reproducir video Reproducir video 32:06 Fighting Festive Frazzle The Annual Mindsprings session giving some tips and tricks from the world of therapy and meditation to navigate the ups and downs of Christmas #fightingfestivefrazzle #XmasFirstAid #holidaystress Reproducir video Reproducir video 22:09 Festive Do's and Don'ts A list of 10 Dos and Don'ts for getting through Xmas in one piece #FightingFestiveFrazzle Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:37 GM Kaleidoscope Returning to a classic Beingfulness practice, in this Monday session from Spring 2024, we enjoy sitting in the four fields like a child playing with a kaleidoscope. #kaleidoscope #beingfulness #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 42:23 GM Expanding Through the Senses Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:38 Three Objects 2024 Starting 2024 with the classic meditation for sharpening our experience of awareness and how we have the power to move it at will. A wonderful practice for any occasion. #threeobjects #Beingfulness #Monday #awareness Reproducir video Reproducir video 36:59 The Four Ingredients From January 2024, we take a fresh look eat the Beingfulness practice of the Four Fields. A great meditation for sorting out all the elements of our life in order to live more joyfully. #beingfulness #fourfields #joy #clarity Reproducir video Reproducir video 35:33 GM Three Objects III Continuing our exploration of the first Being, Being Aware we look more deeply into the mysterious quality of awareness and how we can move it around. #beingfulness #threeobjects #awareness #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 40:55 GM Three Objects II From the Coronation Bank Holiday in May 2023, we look again at the crucial experience of awareness in our life. How phenomenon + awareness = experience. #threeobjects #beingfulness #guided Tips and Talks on How to Meditate After and during many of the live Mindsprings sessions, Alistair talks about some of the misconceptions and common questions arising for meditators. These 13 short talks address a potpourri of subjects: Eyes shut or open during meditation? Not identifying with our thoughts The goal of the 'aerated' self Meditation on the cushion vs. meditation in the 'real' world Not falling into the pitfall of looking for calm Some practical unpacking of practices like kapalabati and the practice of fives How to Meditate Reproducir video Reproducir video Kapalabati unpacked Another nuts and bolts explanation of a practice we often do in Mindsprings sessions, Skull Brightening Breath (Kapalabati). This is potential energy clearing breath practice #pranayama #explanation #kapalabti #meditation #short Reproducir video Reproducir video Is meditation in the real world better than meditation at home? Is meditation another thing you do or is it part of your everyday life? From the car park of M25 Services at Cobham, whilst away filming for Escape to the Country, .From the carpark of M25 Services at Cobham, I answer Jane's question about the benefit of formal practice vs. everyday practice. #short #meditation #practice #dzogchen #shamata Reproducir video Reproducir video Images for suffusing awareness As we practice the rising-descending torus meditation, the question of how to describe the process of 'suffusion' in energy leads to discussion of various images #short #imagery #awareness #meditation #suffusion #Pali #Tripitika Reproducir video Reproducir video The purpose is not to be calm Jane speaks about John Kabat-Zinn's refutation of meditation as a 'calming' thing. And I agree... It's much more powerful than that. Reproducir video Reproducir video Intro to the Practice of Five The introduction to my shamata-vipassana meditation called 'The Practice of Five'. This involves an alternating practice of calm abiding and beingful awareness, measured out by the fingers of each hand #explanation #practiceoffive #shamata #vipassana #meditation #teaching Reproducir video Reproducir video Practice of Fives unpacked From the car in Pembrokeshire, I unpack the practice of fives, which combines shamata and vipassana in an alternating sequence. #teaching #shamata #vipassana #explanation #meditation #guide Reproducir video Reproducir video The aerated sense of self Following on from Valerie's description of her experience in the four fields practice, I talk about the 'aerated' sense of self which comes when we learn to see our self as constructed of discrete phenomena. #fourfields #beingfulness #noself #self #teaching Reproducir video Reproducir video The Three Stages of Shamata Following Dameon's question about the shamata / self-soothing practice (without mantra) I go through the three stages of the practice and outline some of the benefits. #teaching #meditation # shamata #soothing Bringing the Body Online Bringing the Body Online Mindsprings grounds a lot of the meditation we do in the body and this is a great selection of somatic practices: We start with two simple energy exercises which you can use before any practice session. Then there's little talk on the specific nature of somatic practice. Two practices introduce Alistair's Polyvagal Tuning which is a great somatic practice for bringing us into a positive body-mind state. Then there is a suite of practices introducing the Somatic Circuit - a great way to find your way back into the body. Next, are practices opening up this space: the Somatic Tent . Followed by a more advanced energy practice known as the Torus . Finally, there is the classic practice of Earth Breathing and some somatic practices opening the heart for Compassion work. Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:29 GM Energy Workout & Tune Ups Starting a new sequence of Tuesday teachings looking at energy psychology, Alistair explains the concepts of online/offline and guides us through Donna Eden's energy workout #energypsychology #tapping #online #tuneups #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 42:07 GM Being with the Body Following the May Cliffhouse retreat with the subject of "Sitting with the Body", this Monday morning session took up the same theme. #4fields #7cycles #body #beingfulness Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:18 GM Earth Breathing & Ego Loop From our Tuesday evening session in late March 2024. Combining the classic earth breathing practice with an exploration of the source of our anxiety - the ego loop. #earthbreathing #egoloop #tuesday #meditation Reproducir video Reproducir video 34:56 GM Voo & The Jellyfish From our Tuesday session in April 2024. This was in 2 parts. The first using the VOO breath to calm the nervous system and then a lying-down practice exploring the vagus nerve. #vagus #nervoussystem #calming #guided #breathing Reproducir video Reproducir video 42:43 GM Shamata on Sounds From our 2024 season looking at Shamata - Vipashyna. This Shamata practice uses sound as the anchor. #shamata #sounds #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 33:15 GM Polyvagal Tuning The classic stress busting exercise from Mindsprings. Lie down and let the ventral vagal tone take over. #PVT #Stress #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 33:36 GM The Blind Body From our Monday session in mid June 2023, where we were exploring the body-from-within. #beingfulness #body #somatic #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 43:12 GM 8 Cycles of the Body From our Monday session on 3rd July 2023, looking at the body field in our exploration of Beingfulness. This is a lying down practice exploring the 8 interlocking and inter-nested cycles of somatic phenomena. #beingfulness #somatic #cycles #guided Thoughts & Thinking Untangling Thoughts & Thinking After and during many of the live Mindsprings sessions, Alistair talks about some of the misconceptions and common questions arising for meditators. These 13 short talks address a potpourri of subjects: Eyes shut or open during meditation? Not identifying with our thoughts The goal of the 'aerated' self Meditation on the cushion vs. meditation in the 'real' world Not falling into the pitfall of looking for calm Some practical unpacking of practices like kapalabati and the practice of fives Soothing & Centring the Body-Mind Central to all meditation is the ability to calm and soothe the body-mind. Without this, all further therapeutic elaborations tend to disappear in a morass of fizzy distraction: The soothing practice of Earth Breathing Shamata or calming practice: the practice of Fives Working with mantra Frond breathing Tonglen and compassion for our own experience Soothing & Centring Maitri: Loving Your Inner Parts Before we can love others we have to be aware of and love the multiplicity of parts within our own psyche. The practice of maitri (of self-compassion) explores this with the help of Richard Schwartz' Internal Family Systems. Beginning with a short overview, we dive into the crucial experience of the 'backspace which gives us the somatic field of loving-kindness into which our parts can peep. we can explore the parts that Schwartz identifies as firefighters, managers and exiles in our practice and bring some kindness and clarity to them. These parts often manifest in specific somatic ways as explored in the teaching around cylinders Two more talks about the wider ramifications of this work in our lives. Maitri Opening the Heart to Others Ultimately all our practice comes back to how we relate to others. The cast-iron patterns of selfishness are hard to soften. But therapeutic meditation turns a lot to Buddhist practice here: Guided practices to feel the embodied 'backspace' essential for compassion practice Embodied versions of the Buddhist practice of tonglen Explorations of the awakened heart or bodhicitta Discussing the practical challenges of loving others Compassion All the Guided Practices The Mindsprings Video library contains more than 50 guided meditations ranging from 10 to 50 minutes. Please use the search function to pinpoint the practice you want or look through the categories to find inspiration. All GMs All the Teaching The Mindsprings Video library contains more than 100 recorded teachings. Some are short answers to questions Alistair gave during sessions. Some are longer teaching on meditation, therapy or Buddhism. Please use the search function to pinpoint the practice you want or look through the categories to find inspiration. All Teaching
- FORUM | Mindsprings
Alistair Appletons Mindsprings Forum COMMUNITY Para ver esto en acción, dirígete a tu sitio ya publicado. Categorías Todas las entradas Mis entradas Crear nueva entrada Sharing Space Seguir Vistas Entradas 177 A place to share pictures, momentary flashes of inspiration, books, films, music. Share away! Meet the Gang! Seguir Vistas Entradas 62 Please say hello! Post a picture of yourself and some words of introduction. It's a friendly space and nice to be known! Let's Remember Seguir Vistas Entradas 13 The space to remember anyone we know who is dying, or sick. Or who needs our thoughts right now. Can be you as well! Questions & Answers Seguir Vistas Entradas 28 Ask Alistair and the Mindsprings community questions you have about meditation, self-care or anything at all! Alistair Clips Seguir Vistas Entradas 39 This is the space where Alistair posts his musings, his spontaneous videos and various other bits and pieces. Nuevas entradas Phil Carr 1d Hello :) Meet the Gang! Hello, I'm originally from the US, but now live in the midlands. Looking forward to the live streams. Me gusta 3 3 comentarios 3 Jane Bell MeditUnedit Star Guión · 01 ago Email! Sharing Space Hi, did anyone receive an email from Alistair with no content? As I have had a few scams I was a bit cautious in opening it. 🙏 Me gusta 3 comentarios 3 Fran Pappert-Shannon 25 jul An intention for healing, please. Sharing Space Greetings of peace, dear Mindspringers! I won't be able to join you lovely people at the Tuesday, July 22nd gathering because I will be in the hospital having a medical procedure. I would be most grateful if you would send me some healing energy and peaceful thoughts. Thank you, warm hugs, and serene blessings to you all! Me gusta 14 comentarios 14 Forum - Frameless
- T&C | Mindsprings
Terms & Conditions I know not everyone reads this bit but please do take note of the 2-week cancellation policy below. Especially for in-person courses. There is a £20 cancellation fee for all courses over £100. Mindsprings Billing and Cancellation Policy Payment Mindsprings courses are NON-RESIDENTIAL COURSES (often weekends) or RESIDENTIAL RETREATS (weekends or week-longs) or ONLINE WEEKEND RETREATS or ONLINE CLASSES. The courses and retreats and classes must be paid for in advance at the time of booking. If you have not managed to pay for the course in advance it may mean that we may ask you to pay on the day or refuse you a place on the course. When you book through this site you should automatically receive an invoice with your payment receipt number and details. Mindsprings accepts payments in UK pounds Sterling, online via credit/debit card via Stripe or Paypal account. Prices The prices quoted on this website are correct at the date of publication. Cancelling Courses and Retreats All cancellations must be made via e-mail to mail@mind-springs.org . We can refund cancellations to bookings made at least 2 weeks prior to the start date but cancellations less than 2 weeks prior to the start date cannot be refunded. However, we do offer the option to transfer to another course, within 1 year. Refunds of course fees above £100 will incur a £20 administration fee. Transferring Courses If you cannot attend a course or retreat for whatever reason, please inform us at least 2 weeks prior to the start date by writing to mail@mind-springs.org . We will do our best to provide you with the opportunity to attend another course or retreat in the future at the same or similar location. This will incur a £20 administration fee. We cannot guarantee a suitable alternative for the weekend or retreat you missed. Cancellation of Courses by Mindsprings and Changes to Course Content Mindspring’s courses are constantly evolving and we reserve the right to alter any of the courses’ content without prior notice. In exceptional circumstances, we also reserve the right to cancel a course without liability. In this very unlikely case, we will offer a replacement date or a full refund. Days lost due to bad weather and cancelled ferries on Holy Island The Mindsprings retreats on Holy Island are weather-sensitive. Mindsprings cannot be held accountable for days lost because ferries across to or from the Island are cancelled. In the extremely unlikely event of the weather preventing the course from running altogether, Mindsprings is not obliged to refund the course fee. Complaints We take our courses and duties of care very seriously. Any complaints about Mindsprings and its courses should be sent in writing by email to mail@mind-spring.org . Mindsprings Privacy Policy Overview We are committed to transparency over our use of data for everyone who accesses the site. Under the Data Protection Acts of 1984 and 1998, we must comply with certain regulations which are designed to ensure that any data you provide to us is processed with due care and attention. Internal Uses The personal data collected by Mindsprings via this site consists of information such as your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and the courses you have attended. Our primary purpose in collecting personal data is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient and customised experience. You agree that we may use your personal data to: Process your course bookings, collect payments, send joining information and monitor your attendance on courses Provide the services and customer support you request Resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems Keep you up to date with any new courses or retreats. You may of course unsubscribe from our email at any point. We do not store credit card details nor do we share customer details or personal data with any third party. Our contact with our customers Where we need to contact you in accordance with the ‘Internal Uses’ section above, we will generally do so via e-mail, but we may also contact you by phone or by letter on occasion. Deactivation of your account If you indicate in writing by emailing to mail@mind-springs.org that you wish your personal data to be removed from our customer database, we will remove your personal data within 10 working days of the request. Accessing and correcting personal data If you indicate in writing by emailing to mail@mind-springs.org that you wish to have a copy of the personal data stored on our database relating to you, we will send you a copy of this by e-mail within 10 working days of the request. If there are any inaccuracies in the personal data stored on our database relating to you, please inform us in writing by emailing to mail@mind-springs.org , and we will correct the data on our database within 10 working days of the request. Information Security Mindsprings is committed to handling your personal data with high standards of information security. We use computer safeguards and authorise access to personal data only for those Directors or employees of the Mindsprings who require it to fulfil their job responsibilities. Mindsprings uses secure severs operated by UKHOST4U to host and process its database of personal data. Policy Changes Any policy changes, either due to business reasons or future changes in legislation, will be posted on this page and, if substantial, may be promoted on the website or through e-mail notification.
- IN PERSON | Mindsprings
Alistair Appletons Mindsprings In-person retreats and events IN PERSON Join me in stunning locations across Europe for weekends and longer retreats together. Mindsprings began on Holy Island and since then I have had the pleasure to teach in London, Dublin, Scarborough, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Iceland, Holland and Sweden. Please take a look to see what's coming up... Oferta de membresía Holy Island August Retreat 2025: The Eight and the Four vie, 22 ago Holy Island Leer más Details Oferta de membresía Scarborough: The Key to Karma sáb, 13 sept Scarborough Leer más BOOK Oferta de membresía Dublin Weekend: Tapping into Freedom sáb, 11 oct Dublin Leer más BOOK Oferta de membresía London Weekend: The Three Marks sáb, 25 oct London Leer más BOOK Oferta de membresía Edinburgh Weekend: Power of Emotions sáb, 29 nov Edinburgh Leer más BOOK Holy Island 2025 Waiting List If you would like to add yourself to the waiting list for the Retreat 22-30 August 2025 on Holy Island, please add your name and email below. If spaces come free I'll write to the people on the top of the list first. First name Last name Email Submit
- SUPPORTING MEMBERS | Mindsprings
Would you like to support the Mindsprings community and get great access, make savings and roam all the material? This is the place to choose a supporting membership package. SUPPORTING MEMBERS Want to access all the classes? Get 15% off all retreats? Supporting members are generous souls who make a monthly contribution to Mindsprings and get free access to what we offer here. Currently, we just have two 'trees' for you to become (Sequoias are to follow later this year), but the OAK and BAOBAB memberships give you access to the teachings on the site and discounts on the in-person events. See below for details of both. Oak GBP 10 10GBP Cada mes Access to the full Mindsprings video library 30 días de prueba gratuita Iniciar prueba gratuita Access all the video library 5% off all in-person & online retreats Baobab GBP 20 20GBP Cada mes Access the online classes and the library 30 días de prueba gratuita Iniciar prueba gratuita Access Alistair's weekly online sessions for free Access the full library Get 10% off in-person and online retreats Don't let money stop you accessing everything that Mindsprings Meditation offers. If these subscriptions are too much for your budget, please don't hesitate to drop me a line and I can offer you a bursary rate. No problems!
- MANDALA OFFERINGS | Mindsprings
The portal for adding to the monthly Mandala newletter. Please add your suggestions, books, teachings, YouTube links, favourite places, and projects you're running MANDALA Contribute to the Mindsprings Mandala bi-monthly mailout. If you would like to be an active participant in making the monthly Mandala Mailout and have some things you'd like to share this is the portal. Please use the form below to submit your book-, film-, music-, podcast-, life-recommendations for our Mandala of beautiful and wise things. Add to the Mandala... First Name Last Name Email Please let us know what you'd like to weave into the mandala... If there's a link to this, please add it here... How would you categorise your contributions. Film Books Podcast YouTube Link Music Featured Member Slot Submit Thanks for being part of the Mandala!
- OPEN LIBRARY | Mindsprings
Alistair Appletons Mindsprings Videos VIDEOS Dive into this library of video teaching from Alistair. Guided meditations (usually around 30-40 minutes) Teaching on various topics: body-based meditation, compassion, internal family systems and much more Alistair's answers to students We've organised the 150+ videos into different channels and categories. You need to be a supporting member to access the golden ones! Films and Fun Things Good for Beginners Tips and Talks on How to Meditate Bringing the Body Online Untangling Thoughts & Thinking Soothing & Centring the Body-MInd Maitri: Loving Your Inner Parts Opening the Heart to Others All the Guided Meditations All the Teaching Community Favorites Films and Fun Stuff This is a collection of some short films and documentaries Alistair has made: An Introduction to Holy Island Green Tara Island Thoughts on the Sea Sitting the Downs Reproducir video Reproducir video Kapalabati unpacked Another nuts and bolts explanation of a practice we often do in Mindsprings sessions, Skull Brightening Breath (Kapalabati). This is potential energy clearing breath practice #pranayama #explanation #kapalabti #meditation #short Reproducir video Reproducir video Is meditation in the real world better than meditation at home? Is meditation another thing you do or is it part of your everyday life? From the car park of M25 Services at Cobham, whilst away filming for Escape to the Country, .From the carpark of M25 Services at Cobham, I answer Jane's question about the benefit of formal practice vs. everyday practice. #short #meditation #practice #dzogchen #shamata Reproducir video Reproducir video Images for suffusing awareness As we practice the rising-descending torus meditation, the question of how to describe the process of 'suffusion' in energy leads to discussion of various images #short #imagery #awareness #meditation #suffusion #Pali #Tripitika Reproducir video Reproducir video The purpose is not to be calm Jane speaks about John Kabat-Zinn's refutation of meditation as a 'calming' thing. And I agree... It's much more powerful than that. Reproducir video Reproducir video Intro to the Practice of Five The introduction to my shamata-vipassana meditation called 'The Practice of Five'. This involves an alternating practice of calm abiding and beingful awareness, measured out by the fingers of each hand #explanation #practiceoffive #shamata #vipassana #meditation #teaching Reproducir video Reproducir video Practice of Fives unpacked From the car in Pembrokeshire, I unpack the practice of fives, which combines shamata and vipassana in an alternating sequence. #teaching #shamata #vipassana #explanation #meditation #guide Reproducir video Reproducir video The aerated sense of self Following on from Valerie's description of her experience in the four fields practice, I talk about the 'aerated' sense of self which comes when we learn to see our self as constructed of discrete phenomena. #fourfields #beingfulness #noself #self #teaching Reproducir video Reproducir video The Three Stages of Shamata Following Dameon's question about the shamata / self-soothing practice (without mantra) I go through the three stages of the practice and outline some of the benefits. #teaching #meditation # shamata #soothing Films & Fun Stuff Reproducir video Reproducir video 01:55 Without string a violin is just a box A snippet from our Tuesday evening live sessions where the focus is on stress-reduction and anxiety. This was a wonderful exploration of grief. Come and join us - the first month is completely free : https://www.mind-springs.org/online-live Reproducir video Reproducir video 06:55 The Island For those who have never been to Holy Island, Alistair gives some introductory pointers and a little taste of why it's so magical... Reproducir video Reproducir video 07:32 Green Tara Island Alistair speaks from Holy Island about the need for clean, compassionate action in the world, represented by the Tibetan figure of Green Tara. Reproducir video Reproducir video 07:23 Caves Alistair continues his exploration of Holy Island. In this video he ponders the magic of meditating in caves. Reproducir video Reproducir video 05:40 The Sea! The Sea! Alistair ponders the role of the sea in spiritual practice Reproducir video Reproducir video 23:12 Mindsprings - Sit the Downs Alistair Appleton teaches us how to open to the landscape below us using somatic meditation Reproducir video Reproducir video 07:49 Head-in-the-Sand Land Alistair speaks to the psychological underpinnings of climate change denial. We can find a way of empathising with that desire to dissociate the unthinkable. Beginners Good for Beginners Here are a dozen practices that give you a good taste of embodied meditation. Many of them done standing up: Starting with a lovely set of energy practices, bring energy into the standing body Then moving into the classic Mindsprings relaxation, Polyvagal Tuning . Then a brace of practice looking at tracking the energy around the somatic circuit And three practices working with awareness and stillness: 3 Objects , Mantra and the Practice of Fives Then there are two tasters of Beingfulness and Tonglen Finishing with a recap of the energy workout with my dog, Ben. Reproducir video Reproducir video 32:06 Fighting Festive Frazzle The Annual Mindsprings session giving some tips and tricks from the world of therapy and meditation to navigate the ups and downs of Christmas #fightingfestivefrazzle #XmasFirstAid #holidaystress Reproducir video Reproducir video 22:09 Festive Do's and Don'ts A list of 10 Dos and Don'ts for getting through Xmas in one piece #FightingFestiveFrazzle Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:37 GM Kaleidoscope Returning to a classic Beingfulness practice, in this Monday session from Spring 2024, we enjoy sitting in the four fields like a child playing with a kaleidoscope. #kaleidoscope #beingfulness #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 42:23 GM Expanding Through the Senses Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:38 Three Objects 2024 Starting 2024 with the classic meditation for sharpening our experience of awareness and how we have the power to move it at will. A wonderful practice for any occasion. #threeobjects #Beingfulness #Monday #awareness Reproducir video Reproducir video 36:59 The Four Ingredients From January 2024, we take a fresh look eat the Beingfulness practice of the Four Fields. A great meditation for sorting out all the elements of our life in order to live more joyfully. #beingfulness #fourfields #joy #clarity Reproducir video Reproducir video 35:33 GM Three Objects III Continuing our exploration of the first Being, Being Aware we look more deeply into the mysterious quality of awareness and how we can move it around. #beingfulness #threeobjects #awareness #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 40:55 GM Three Objects II From the Coronation Bank Holiday in May 2023, we look again at the crucial experience of awareness in our life. How phenomenon + awareness = experience. #threeobjects #beingfulness #guided Tips and Talks on How to Meditate After and during many of the live Mindsprings sessions, Alistair talks about some of the misconceptions and common questions arising for meditators. These 13 short talks address a potpourri of subjects: Eyes shut or open during meditation? Not identifying with our thoughts The goal of the 'aerated' self Meditation on the cushion vs. meditation in the 'real' world Not falling into the pitfall of looking for calm Some practical unpacking of practices like kapalabati and the practice of fives How to Meditate Reproducir video Reproducir video Kapalabati unpacked Another nuts and bolts explanation of a practice we often do in Mindsprings sessions, Skull Brightening Breath (Kapalabati). This is potential energy clearing breath practice #pranayama #explanation #kapalabti #meditation #short Reproducir video Reproducir video Is meditation in the real world better than meditation at home? Is meditation another thing you do or is it part of your everyday life? From the car park of M25 Services at Cobham, whilst away filming for Escape to the Country, .From the carpark of M25 Services at Cobham, I answer Jane's question about the benefit of formal practice vs. everyday practice. #short #meditation #practice #dzogchen #shamata Reproducir video Reproducir video Images for suffusing awareness As we practice the rising-descending torus meditation, the question of how to describe the process of 'suffusion' in energy leads to discussion of various images #short #imagery #awareness #meditation #suffusion #Pali #Tripitika Reproducir video Reproducir video The purpose is not to be calm Jane speaks about John Kabat-Zinn's refutation of meditation as a 'calming' thing. And I agree... It's much more powerful than that. Reproducir video Reproducir video Intro to the Practice of Five The introduction to my shamata-vipassana meditation called 'The Practice of Five'. This involves an alternating practice of calm abiding and beingful awareness, measured out by the fingers of each hand #explanation #practiceoffive #shamata #vipassana #meditation #teaching Reproducir video Reproducir video Practice of Fives unpacked From the car in Pembrokeshire, I unpack the practice of fives, which combines shamata and vipassana in an alternating sequence. #teaching #shamata #vipassana #explanation #meditation #guide Reproducir video Reproducir video The aerated sense of self Following on from Valerie's description of her experience in the four fields practice, I talk about the 'aerated' sense of self which comes when we learn to see our self as constructed of discrete phenomena. #fourfields #beingfulness #noself #self #teaching Reproducir video Reproducir video The Three Stages of Shamata Following Dameon's question about the shamata / self-soothing practice (without mantra) I go through the three stages of the practice and outline some of the benefits. #teaching #meditation # shamata #soothing Bringing the Body Online Bringing the Body Online Mindsprings grounds a lot of the meditation we do in the body and this is a great selection of somatic practices: We start with two simple energy exercises which you can use before any practice session. Then there's little talk on the specific nature of somatic practice. Two practices introduce Alistair's Polyvagal Tuning which is a great somatic practice for bringing us into a positive body-mind state. Then there is a suite of practices introducing the Somatic Circuit - a great way to find your way back into the body. Next, are practices opening up this space: the Somatic Tent . Followed by a more advanced energy practice known as the Torus . Finally, there is the classic practice of Earth Breathing and some somatic practices opening the heart for Compassion work. Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:29 GM Energy Workout & Tune Ups Starting a new sequence of Tuesday teachings looking at energy psychology, Alistair explains the concepts of online/offline and guides us through Donna Eden's energy workout #energypsychology #tapping #online #tuneups #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 42:07 GM Being with the Body Following the May Cliffhouse retreat with the subject of "Sitting with the Body", this Monday morning session took up the same theme. #4fields #7cycles #body #beingfulness Reproducir video Reproducir video 39:18 GM Earth Breathing & Ego Loop From our Tuesday evening session in late March 2024. Combining the classic earth breathing practice with an exploration of the source of our anxiety - the ego loop. #earthbreathing #egoloop #tuesday #meditation Reproducir video Reproducir video 34:56 GM Voo & The Jellyfish From our Tuesday session in April 2024. This was in 2 parts. The first using the VOO breath to calm the nervous system and then a lying-down practice exploring the vagus nerve. #vagus #nervoussystem #calming #guided #breathing Reproducir video Reproducir video 42:43 GM Shamata on Sounds From our 2024 season looking at Shamata - Vipashyna. This Shamata practice uses sound as the anchor. #shamata #sounds #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 33:15 GM Polyvagal Tuning The classic stress busting exercise from Mindsprings. Lie down and let the ventral vagal tone take over. #PVT #Stress #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 33:36 GM The Blind Body From our Monday session in mid June 2023, where we were exploring the body-from-within. #beingfulness #body #somatic #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 43:12 GM 8 Cycles of the Body From our Monday session on 3rd July 2023, looking at the body field in our exploration of Beingfulness. This is a lying down practice exploring the 8 interlocking and inter-nested cycles of somatic phenomena. #beingfulness #somatic #cycles #guided Thoughts & Thinking Untangling Thoughts & Thinking After and during many of the live Mindsprings sessions, Alistair talks about some of the misconceptions and common questions arising for meditators. These 13 short talks address a potpourri of subjects: Eyes shut or open during meditation? Not identifying with our thoughts The goal of the 'aerated' self Meditation on the cushion vs. meditation in the 'real' world Not falling into the pitfall of looking for calm Some practical unpacking of practices like kapalabati and the practice of fives Soothing & Centring the Body-Mind Central to all meditation is the ability to calm and soothe the body-mind. Without this, all further therapeutic elaborations tend to disappear in a morass of fizzy distraction: The soothing practice of Earth Breathing Shamata or calming practice: the practice of Fives Working with mantra Frond breathing Tonglen and compassion for our own experience Soothing & Centring Maitri: Loving Your Inner Parts Before we can love others we have to be aware of and love the multiplicity of parts within our own psyche. The practice of maitri (of self-compassion) explores this with the help of Richard Schwartz' Internal Family Systems. Beginning with a short overview, we dive into the crucial experience of the 'backspace which gives us the somatic field of loving-kindness into which our parts can peep. we can explore the parts that Schwartz identifies as firefighters, managers and exiles in our practice and bring some kindness and clarity to them. These parts often manifest in specific somatic ways as explored in the teaching around cylinders Two more talks about the wider ramifications of this work in our lives. Maitri Opening the Heart to Others Ultimately all our practice comes back to how we relate to others. The cast-iron patterns of selfishness are hard to soften. But therapeutic meditation turns a lot to Buddhist practice here: Guided practices to feel the embodied 'backspace' essential for compassion practice Embodied versions of the Buddhist practice of tonglen Explorations of the awakened heart or bodhicitta Discussing the practical challenges of loving others Compassion All the Guided Practices The Mindsprings Video library contains more than 50 guided meditations ranging from 10 to 50 minutes. Please use the search function to pinpoint the practice you want or look through the categories to find inspiration. All GMs All the Teaching The Mindsprings Video library contains more than 100 recorded teachings. Some are short answers to questions Alistair gave during sessions. Some are longer teaching on meditation, therapy or Buddhism. Please use the search function to pinpoint the practice you want or look through the categories to find inspiration. All Teaching
- Dundreggan Forms | Mindsprings
Stephen's Minibus Run to and from Dundreggan One of the volunteers at the Centre has kindly agreed to do one mini-bus run to and from Inverness on the 3rd and the 10th. For practicality, I suggest he picks up from the airport and station at 3pm and 3.30pm respectively on the arrival day. And then sets off on departure day at 9am. Please let me know if you'd like to use this (you might have to explore wonderful Inverness for a day if you arrive early on the 3rd). There will be a small fee depending on how many takers we have. First name* Last name* Email* Phone* I would like to travel in the minibus Pick-up/ Drop-off? 3pm & 3.30pm on 3rd / 9am on 10th Thanks! Activities during Retreat Although the focus of our week is on our meditation, it can be nice in the free time during the afternoons to explore some other options. Could you fill out the form so I can gauge what will be popular. First name* Last name* Multi choice Helping in the Tree Nursery (gentle work) Guided walks around the Estate (active walking) Gaelic Storytelling Session Hot and Cold Sauna (outside sauna and ice plunge) EXTRA COST Thanks!
- NEWSLETTER | Mindsprings
Alistair Appletons Mindsprings Newsletter Sign up NEWSLETTER STAY IN THE LOOP! If you would like to join our mailing list and hear about new courses, classes, retreats, and podcasts then please fill in the form below. We have two that go out each month - one, UPDATES, which is newsier and the other, MANDALA, that has interesting stuff I've stumbled on. We won’t bombard you and you can always unsubscribe with a single click Just pop your details here... Email First Name Last Name Join Our Mailing List Thanks for subscribing! Back to Homepage
- LGBTQ+ Legal Resources | Mindsprings
Resources for LGBTQ+ and Allies in the Legal Profession This is a collection of resources and guided practices following Alistair's presentation 'Rainbows Brighten the Workplace'. Please feel free to browse and do get in touch in you have any questions. Excellent Online Resources https://pinktherapy.com/resources/ https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/ https://switchboard.lgbt/ https://www.consortium.lgbt/about-us/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/lgbtqia-mental-health/useful-contacts/ https://www.lawcare.org.uk/get-information/articles/lgbtq-lawyers/#links Four Exercises to Break the Stress Spiral THE DECOMPRESSION BREATH THE EYE STRETCH THE CALM POINT THE HA! Principles of Allyship don’t be prejudiced take action against discrimination have humility re. LGBTQ+ issues Four Thoughts Your Human Life is Precious It is Also Fleeting What You Do Matters Place Your Energy Wisely
- Landing Page | Mindsprings
New Mindsprings Coming Soon Please bear with us as we finesse things. All your courses and retreats can temporarily be found here for the next few days. Join our mailer to find out when we go live! Notify Me Thanks for submitting!
- PODCAST | Mindsprings
Alistair Appletons Mindsprings Podcast PODCAST



