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December 2019
Worried Minds, Peaceful Bodies: working with anxiety and panic
The importance of working with anxiety and panic So many modern people live in an almost constant state of anxiety. We might be conscious of it: in panic attacks, anxious moods, obsessive worry or phobias. Or we might be unconscious of it: compulsive busyness, addictions, self-criticism or grandiosity. Anxiety and the avoidance of anxiety are at the root of a whole host of mental disturbances. But shockingly, few of us know sensible ways of working with anxiety and panic. Effective…
Find out more »January 2020
Maitri Meditation and Internal Family Systems
What is maitri meditation? Maitri meditation offers a really powerful and useful practice for understanding what makes us tick. It also gives us the means to love ourselves wisely. This weekend is drawing on Alistair Appleton's work as a therapist and his experience as a meditator in the Buddhist tradition. Much of Buddhism is grounded on an exploration of love. The Tibetan teacher, Chögyam Trungpa calls appreciation of others "compassion". Appreciation of our selves is called "maitri". The one without…
Find out more »Practicing Embodied Meditation in Edinburgh – Part 3
Alistair is back teaching embodied meditation in Edinburgh. Following two sold-out courses in 2019, Alistair Appleton is back in the Scottish capital running a third course on embodied meditation in Edinburgh. This is a consolidation of some of the work we have looked at in parts one and two. Based on his work as psychotherapist and his studies with the American Dharma teacher, Reggie Ray, Alistair is leading a further weekend exploring the field of 'embodied meditation'. It will be…
Find out more »February 2020
Free Public Talk: The Puzzle of Purification
The day before my tapping course in Cardiff, I'm giving my (by now traditional) fund-raising talk at the Samye Wales foundation on Cowbridge Road. These talks raise money for the centre and also give me a chance to explore a subject that's interesting me at the moment. (If they're any good then they'll appear as a podcast later...) This February I'm looking at the subject of 'purification'. This is a big part of Tibetan Buddhism but not really emphasised in…
Find out more »Tapping into Freedom: Meditation and Energy Psychology
An introduction to Meditation and Energy Psychology Energy psychology is the name given to therapeutic tapping techniques like EFT, AIT and EMDR. For example, EMDR is a NICE approved treatment for trauma. This Winter, Alistair Appleton is giving a weekend introduction to how these techniques work together with somatic meditation. For more than 10 years, Alistair has used tapping with his therapy clients to untie the knots of their bodily trauma. On a personal level, he also consistently used tapping…
Find out more »Sussex Introduction to Somatic Meditation
The wonderful new yoga studio in Newhaven, East Sussex, set up by my husband Daniel is going to host a four week introduction to somatic meditation. Booking here. We will look at four of the core practices of this body-based way of meditating: Polyvagal Tuning - a way to systematically relax unconscious tension in the and warm up our pro-social core. Earth Descent - a powerful technique to release tension down into and draw power up from the Earth below…
Find out more »Introduction to Embodied Meditation in Stockholm, Sweden
Alistair is teaching embodied meditation in Stockholm, Sweden. For the first time, Alistair Appleton is coming to teach his popular course in embodied meditation in Stockholm, Sweden. Based on his work as psychotherapist and his studies with the American Dharma teacher, Reggie Ray, Alistair is leading a 2-day introduction to the field of 'embodied meditation'. It will be suitable for all levels: beginners or practitioners wanting to explore this new paradigm of meditation. The feeling of bodily well-being can be…
Find out more »March 2020
Sitting with the Body – Somatic Seated Practice
Sitting With the Body Meditation practice usually conjures up images of people bolt-upright in full-lotus with beatific smiles. For many of us coming to meditation as beginners, it's cramping legs, sore backs, busy minds, and needles-and-pins. It's a shame that sitting meditation comes with all these ideas of stillness and perfect poise, because properly inhabited, the sitting body can be a space of enormous joy and fascination. By following the steps of somatic practice - starting with full relaxation and…
Find out more »Yorkshire Compassion Retreat – Loving All Our Parts
Alistair is back for a 4-day Yorkshire Compassion retreat Following last years Tender Heart retreat, Alistair is back to lead a 4-day Yorkshire Compassion retreat at Londesborough Lodge in Scarborough. The focus of this retreat is "Loving All Our Parts" - the somatic meditation of 'maitri'. This 4-day intensive practice course is designed to deepen the somatic path of the heart. This Spring week will be a chance for meditators to experience the somatic path of the heart based on…
Find out more »July 2020
Holy Island Summer Retreat 2020: Sitting With The Body
It's with great sadness that we pass on the news that our Summer retreat on Holy Island is being cancelled because of Covid-19. The Island is shut for the foreseeable future until Rokpa (the trustees) decide what is the best path. It's a great shame and I will be contacting those who have booked to see what happens next. There are basically two options: to roll your booking forward to the course next year (it's the same week, 3-11th July…
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