As facilitators and coaches (and similarly for those in therapeutic practice) we are often charged with, or engaging in, working with the idea of supporting change or developing in individuals. Yet so often we encounter a degree of resistance, even if our clients wish for it. Kagan and Lahey, in […]
embodiment
28 posts
The ABC of Somatic Presence defines what I call the cycle of Somatic Presence. It is all about actively being. A being that is constantly shifting and redefining itself, and shaping our actions and behaviours. In the third decade of this century we live in an age of persistent distraction. […]
Outside-in or Inside-out is a reflection on how we see ourselves and our minds, and our relationship with what goes on there within. As someone for whom mindfulness serves as a consistent foundation I often express the idea that we are not our thoughts, any more than we are our […]
Let me introduce you to the basis of my work. In so doing I am going to talk about idea of you, me and of everyone else, as living within individual "learning machines." More specifically an experiential, and constantly active, learning machine. I emphasize that this is foremost my view […]
Emotions as motion - really? A few years ago when running an event at Athena Herd Foundation somebody asked me “how horses react to human emotion?” My flippant response in the moment was, “well they move". But that was exactly the point. On reflection this has got me thinking. So, […]
The Clever Hans phenomenon At the beginning of the 20th Century the world has consumed by the capabilities of a horse called Clever Hans. Clever Hans and his owner Wilhelm von Osten created a great stir in the popular entertainment of time. According to von Osten, Hans was a very […]
I find that this topic has come up a lot in recent facilitator training at Athena Herd Foundation. When we are observing the world around us how often do we perceive it as it is? More often we see it within a framework that is superimposed by our minds. I […]
“Ask yourself if you are happy and you cease to be so.” So said the nineteenth century philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill. Give it a go! As soon as we go to look for it, it proves illusive. Even if we were in some moment of real joy. How […]
When we learn to watch our mind, we see just how much distraction it offers us. It is like we are forever open to stumbling from the path as when we walk on unsafe ground. Loud noises, assertive others, physical sensation, bright shiny objects; the list is without end. Each […]
So what is choosing EI all about? I have often written about how Mindfulness lies at the heart of my work, well at the heart of the heart is Emotional Intelligence (EI). There is a great quote from Victor Frankl which outlines the intrinsic benefit within EI, “in between the […]