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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 Dundreggan May 2026 Retreat sáb, 02 may Inverness Leer más BOOK 3 tickets left Oferta de membresía Holy Island Summer Retreat 2026 dom, 23 ago Holy Island Centre for Peace Leer más BOOK

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 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 GET THE MEDITATION HABIT FOR 2026 Join the Mindsprings Zoom sessions by getting the Baobab membership FREE for the first month and then just £10 until June 2026! Use code MEDITATE2026 at the checkout here . 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

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 39:39 Windhorse Practice I During the Summer 2025 retreat on Holy Island, Alistair introduced a new, short meditation practice that is based on the Tibetan Windhorse practice. This was the first time he taught it to the Zoom community. #windhorse #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 36:07 GM Windhorse III Reproducir video Reproducir video 36:03 Windhorse Standing and Sitting A 40' guided version of the Windhorse practice - both standing and sitting. A great everyday practice that uses 7x7 breaths. #windhorse #guided 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 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

Stilling the Mind with Shamata and Shinay Start learning here Write a title here. Click to edit and add your own. This is a paragraph area where you can add your own text. Just click “Edit Text” or double click here to add your own content and make changes to the font. It's a great place to tell a story about your business and let users know more about you. Eco-Friendly Design 24/7 Support Multilingual Functionality Advanced Tech Join the course right away A title goes here. Click to edit and add your own. This is a paragraph. Use this area to add any information you want to share with users. Just click "Edit Text" or double click here to change the text and make it your own. You can also adjust the paragraph's font, size and color so it fits your website’s theme. This is a great place to tell users a story about your website and let them know more about what you offer. You may want to share information about your company's background, your team, or the services you provide. Be sure to keep the tone and voice consistent throughout the site so users become familiar with your brand. “Testimonials provide a sense of what it's like to work with you or use your products. Change the text and add your own." Alexa Young, CA Special Deals Add information about the sale and encourage users to take advantage of the promotion. Be sure to include any relevant details you want shoppers to know about the sale or your store. Click to edit the text. Shop Now Our Story Read More Get to Know Us This is a paragraph about your business. Let your visitors know who you are, what you do and what your website is all about. Double click on the text box to edit the text and add all the information you want to share. - Final Sale - Get 30% Off Shop Now This is a title. This is a paragraph area where you can add your own text. Just click “Edit Text” or double click here to add your own content and make changes to the font. It's a great place to tell a story about your business and let users know more about you. Preguntas frecuentes Online Courses Dundreggan Holy Island General Gayles Sitting Out Gayles Beingfulness Setting up FAQs General Aún no hay preguntas frecuentes Esta categoría no tiene ninguna pregunta frecuente por ahora. Vuelve a revisar en otro momento o explora otras categorías. Call 123-456-7890 Email info@mysite.com Follow

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 39:39 Windhorse Practice I During the Summer 2025 retreat on Holy Island, Alistair introduced a new, short meditation practice that is based on the Tibetan Windhorse practice. This was the first time he taught it to the Zoom community. #windhorse #guided Reproducir video Reproducir video 36:07 GM Windhorse III Reproducir video Reproducir video 36:03 Windhorse Standing and Sitting A 40' guided version of the Windhorse practice - both standing and sitting. A great everyday practice that uses 7x7 breaths. #windhorse #guided 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 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

Mindsprings is a project set up by Alistair Appleton in 2005 to explore the uses and benefits of meditation in the modern world. Mindspring’s vision Mindsprings is a project set up by Alistair Appleton in 2005 to explore the uses and benefits of meditation in the modern world. Much clinical research around meditation these days concentrates on working with addiction and depression. But at Mindsprings we’re just as interested in working with wellness and the promotion of mental health before the “illness” and pathology set in. Reduce stress by understanding how the brain works Alistair combines his training as a psychotherapist with more than a decade’s study and practice in the Buddhist meditation tradition, in order to maximise the way meditation practice can really help. Not only by reducing stress or taking us to altered states but also by understanding how the human brain works in the world. How we relate to one another and how problematic patterns get entrenched. Mindsprings courses are often different from traditional meditation retreats. We don’t sit on the floor, or in total silence or utter stillness. There is space for discussion, feedback, one-on-one support. There’s often quite a lot of laughter as well as the chance for emotional work. How can we stop suffering and maximise happiness? We’re also interested in tailoring mindfulness to different experiences and finding new ways of approaching the age-old quesion: “how can we stop suffering and maximise happiness?” Often the courses will be addressing a particular theme – for example, anxiety or relationships or sexuality. And we’re always looking to explore new areas, collaborate and work with different groups. So please communicate with us about this site or any questions you have about mindfulness or the work we’re doing. A safe and progressive space for people to share People of any religious belief or none, any political stripe or none are very welcome to our courses. However, we pride ourselves on being a safe and progressive space for people to share their experiences. We welcome gay, lesbian, trans people and people with disabilities. We make a special place for refugees, the elderly and those of us suffering from mental health difficulties. Anyone who struggles financially can write to get some assistance to attend. We will never condone xenophobia, racism or sexism. Why learn online? Alistair has been teaching a big array of different courses over the last 15 years. He’s taught on anxiety, stress, time terror, LGBT shame and trauma. Mindfulness, ‘beingfulness’, embodied meditation, tapping and energy psychology. Internal family systems, Buddhist compassion, concentration and sitting practices. Earthing and courses on dissociation. It’s hard for people around the world to access these various courses, so they are becoming available at The Mindsprings school. Check out a course to work with your anxiety, to use tapping to remove blocks in your meditation practice and much more. Email mail@mind-springs.org Follow

How you can contact Alistair Appleton and the Mindsprings team. Please drop us a line! CONTACT Contact I so love to hear from you! Don't hesitate to share how you are doing with your meditation practice or pose any head-scratching questions you've been pondering on the cushion. Or just say hello! Drop me a line! First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting!

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Alistair Appletons Mindsprings calendar of events CALENDAR

Privacy Policy Protecting your data is really important to us at Mindsprings. We will never sell your data or make the details you share with us visible to others. As far as humanly possible, we handle your information within the framework of the 2018 Data Protection Act. Any questions please contact us . WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY The policy: This privacy policy is for this website; www.mind-springs.org and served by Mindsprings, 5 Geneva Road, Newhaven, BN9 9DP and governs the privacy of its users who choose to use it. It explains how we comply with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), the DPA (Data Protection Act) [pre GDPR enforcement] and the PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations). This policy will explain areas of this website that may affect your privacy and personal details, how we process, collect, manage and store those details and how your rights under the GDPR, DPA & PECR are adhered to. Additionally, it will explain the use of cookies or software, advertising or commercial sponsorship from third parties and the download of any documents, files or software made available to you (if any) on this website. Further explanations may be provided for specific pages or features of this website in order to help you understand how we, this website and its third parties (if any) interact with you and your computer/device in order to serve it to you. Our contact information is provided if you have any questions. THE DPA & GDPR MAY 2018 We and this website comply to the DPA (Data Protection Act 1998) and already complies to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). We will update this policy accordingly after the completion of the UK’s exit from the European Union. USE OF COOKIES This website uses cookies to improve the users experience while visiting the website. As required by legislation, where applicable, this website uses a cookie control system, allowing the user to give explicit permission or to deny the use of /saving of cookies on their computer/device. What are cookies? Cookies are small files saved to the user’s computers hard drive that track, save and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website. This allows the website, through its server to provide the users with a tailored experience within this website. Users are advised that if they wish to deny the use and saving of cookies from this website on to their computers hard drive they should take necessary steps within their web browsers security settings to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors or use the cookie control system if available upon their first visit. DATA BREACH If there is a data breach, we will contact our database within 72 hours of having being notified of this at our end. WEBSITE VISITOR TRACKING This website uses tracking software to monitor, anonymously, its visitors to better understand how they use it. The software will save a cookie to your computers hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the website, but will not store, save or collect personal information. PLUGINS COLLECTING DATA If we collect any data from you it is only for the purpose of meeting your needs and it will be stated at the point of the data entry what it shall be used for. For example, if you are making a booking we will require your name, email and possibly your contact telephone number in order to process your request. We will only use the data for the purpose it serves. We will not share this data with any 3rd party. Only individuals who are permitted to access this data will use it and use it only for the purpose it serves, for example booking an appointment or course. These individuals are aware of their responsibilities under the GDPR guidelines. Should you wish a copy of your data that we have or you wish us to delete your data you can contact us here and state your request. Please be aware that deletion of data may mean that we cannot process your request. PAYMENT DATA Your payment is managed via PayPal. We do not collect or store any of your payment details on our website but we do store your PayPal email address if you have a PayPal account. We only use your email address for the purposes of identifying your payment and do not sell this information on to any 3rd party. This information will be stored on our server’s database, which, is securely saved with an SSL certificate. For more information see our Privacy Policy here. PayPal manages your payment and handling of monies and you can see PayPal policies here. DOWNLOADS & MEDIA FILES Any downloadable documents, files or media made available on this website are provided to users at their own risk. While all precautions have been taken to ensure only genuine downloads are available, users are advised to verify their authenticity using third-party anti-virus software or similar applications. We accept no responsibility for third party downloads and downloads provided by external third party websites and advise users to verify their authenticity using third-party anti-virus software or similar applications. CONTACT & COMMUNICATION WITH US Users contacting us through this website do so at their own discretion and provide any such personal details requested at their own risk. Your personal information is kept private and stored securely. We will not sell your data to any 3rd party. Where we have clearly stated and made you aware of the fact, and where you have given your express permission, we may use your details to send you products/services information through a mailing list system. This is done in accordance with the regulations named in ‘The policy’ above. EMAIL MAILING LIST & MARKETING MESSAGES We operate an email mailing list program which is used to inform subscribers about products, services and/or news we supply/publish. Users can subscribe through a 2-step verification online automated process where they have given their explicit permission. Subscriber personal details are collected, processed, managed and stored in accordance with the regulations named in ‘The policy’ above. Subscribers can unsubscribe at any time through an automated online service, or if not available, other means as detailed in the footer of sent marketing messages. The type and content of marketing messages subscribers receive, and whether it may contain third party content, is clearly outlined at the point of subscription. Email marketing messages may contain tracking beacons / tracked clickable links or similar server technologies in order to track subscriber activity within email marketing messages. Where used, such marketing messages may record a range of subscriber data relating to engagement, geographic, demographics and already stored subscriber data. Our EMS (email marketing service) provider is Mailchimp and you can read their privacy policy in the resources section. EXTERNAL WEBSITE LINKS & THIRD PARTIES Although we only look to include quality, safe and relevant external links, users are advised to adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned throughout this website. (External links are clickable text/ banner/image links to other websites, similar to; Cottage by the River or www.celticinst.com. Shortened URL’s; URL shortening is a technique used on the web to shorten URL’s (Uniform Resource Locators) to something substantially shorter. This technique is especially used in social media and looks similar to this (example: http://bit.ly/zyVUBo). Users should take caution before clicking on shortened URL links and verify their authenticity before proceeding. We cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite our best efforts. Users should, therefore, note they click on external links at their own risk and we cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY & USAGE We adopt a Social Media Policy to ensure our business and our staff conduct themselves accordingly online. While we may have official profiles on social media platforms users are advised to verify the authenticity of such profiles before engaging with, or sharing information with such profiles. We will never ask for user passwords or personal details on social media platforms. Users are advised to conduct themselves appropriately when engaging with us on social media. There may be instances where our website features social sharing buttons, which help share web content directly from web pages to the respective social media platforms. You use social sharing buttons at your own discretion and accept that doing so may publish content to your social media profile feed or page. You can find further information about some social media privacy and usage policies in the resources section below. RESOURCES & FURTHER INFORMATION Overview of the GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation Data Protection Act 1998 Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 The Guide to the PECR 2003 Twitter Privacy Policy Facebook Privacy Policy Google Privacy Policy Linkedin Privacy Policy Mailchimp Privacy Policy Should you wish to see what data we hold about you on file (if applicable) or you wish us to delete any data we hold on then contact us here and state your request. Please be aware that deletion of data may mean that we cannot process your request eg. bookings, enquiries etc.

PSYCHOTHERAPY Thank you for your interest in my therapy work. Here’s a little about my training and how I work… I’m a qualified Psychotherapeutic Counsellor with an MA in Advanced Psychotherapy from Middlesex University. I trained at the Minster Centre with an integrative approach that highlights an awareness of the body and our relationships with one another. I have been a fully accredited member of the UKCP since 2014. My background in somatic meditation informs my work with clients. I’m also trained as a practitioner in AIT, a form of energy psychology that shows very powerful results in removing the energetic blocks left by the traumas of our past life. I work as a private practitioner in Brighton, Sussex. Since 2020, most of my practice is conducted online. We can arrange a free 20-minute consultation on Zoom and then decide if we are a good fit… Sessions are £70 a therapeutic hour (50 mins) and are arranged by private consultation. Please contact me via email: therapy@mind-springs.org to arrange an assessment call.