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Awesome Feet
It was impossible! I'd made a four-foot-tall sculpture of a standing woman and was trying to get her to balance on her feet. Nope. It...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Jul 22 min read


Holding On. Letting Go.
I sensed that she had me rumbled. Why couldn't I admit the truth? It doesn't make any sense to breathe in but not breathe out again. Or...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Jun 14 min read


Do I Care if They Think I'm Weird?
How not to build regrets Avocet: crayon rubbing With wax crayon in hand and paper flapping in the wind, I took a rubbing from the...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Apr 53 min read


Wild Dark
Living in a town and surrounded by managed land, qualities of the wild can seem in short supply. The squally rain on the corrugated roof...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Mar 23 min read


Weathering the Storm
Was my body showing me how to grieve? I'd signed up for my regular New Year (online) retreat months ago. The natural pause between...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Jan 33 min read


Beyond Lil' Ole Me
The separation of death is not as absolute as it might seem A huge flock of gulls rose up from down the hill, mesmerising as they wheeled...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Dec 1, 20245 min read


Not Being a Victim
She made a decision which would alter the course of her life from that point. She saw how easy it would be to spiral into anger and...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Nov 1, 20243 min read


The Radical Nature of Contentment
I have never seen a billboard that says: You have enough. You do enough. You are enough. Online advertisers seem to know that I am...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Oct 4, 20242 min read


Goodies. And Baddies.
This does not tend to feature in the marketing of mindfulness! I was so cross when I received that email! It was the latest salvo in a...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Sep 1, 20243 min read


An unexpected Gift
Shame is an uncomfortable, unwanted, emotion. But is it always a bad thing? I arrived early in the meditation room, looking for a place...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Aug 10, 20244 min read


Is there a right kind of attention?
Ellie (as I'll call her here) arrived at our school with a fearsome reputation. I was warned: “Watch out! She’ll go for your eyes!”...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Jul 14, 20244 min read


Grace: the art of receiving love
I have tried a few times to express appreciation to my friend. He has a big heart and he’s also a capable, practical man. But he shies...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Jun 16, 20243 min read


On being non-judgmental
There is a well-known definition of mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn: Mindfulness is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on...
Annie Akasati McAuley
May 5, 20243 min read


*Not* pursuing pleasure
When I say I’ve recently come home from a week in Spain, a typical response is, ‘Nice, I hope you had a lovely holiday!’. Well, it wasn’t...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Apr 6, 20243 min read


PreCrastination: what is it and what’s the problem?
It’s the weekend and I’m taking the day off work to relax. It’s not easy! From force of habit, I click onto my inbox and spot a message...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Mar 9, 20243 min read


Confidence, Certainty, Vulnerability
Can we be confident without being certain? Life is unpredictable, which leaves us feeling vulnerable. We could even say, with certainty,...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Feb 5, 20244 min read


How to Face Discomfort – and why it matters
It is a little-mentioned fact that mindfulness requires bravery. It takes courage to face our less appealing aspects. The feelings that...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Jan 21, 20243 min read


Goals, Intentions, Acceptance
When we focus on where we would like to be, anything short of that can seem unsatisfactory. Being over-focused on the future, we may lose...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Dec 9, 20234 min read


A Big Fat 'Yes'
As we strolled through the woods, our conversation took a turn that gave me a jolt. My friend Hannah and I had both been noting a...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Nov 12, 20234 min read


Does Compassion Fatigue You?
Yesterday, three-year-old Tara cried for five hours straight. The earache was painful for her but also for her parents, for whom her pain...
Annie Akasati McAuley
Oct 14, 20236 min read
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