Mindfulness At Lunchtime

Established 14 years ago we encourage the everyday practice of mindfulness & meditation every Tuesday between 12: 15 & 2pm. No cost, donations are welcome.

By sharing our practice of mindful sitting, walking and eating together every Tuesday we're able to help and encourage mindfulness in our daily living. Our mindfulness originates from the Buddhist practice as taught by Thich Nhat Hanh. More than anyone, he has made the practice of mindfulness available to a wider and not specifically Buddhist audience. He is considered by many to be the father of mindfulness in the west. While some reference may be made to Buddhism the experienced facilitators are reasonably secular in their approach.

Mindfulness on Tuesday certainly becomes easier as we're able to be mindful with others. It's often been said - 'I came straight from work and feeling very busy but coming into this place when you were all sitting silently together was like taking a very deep breath and I immediately felt the benefit'.


Thich Nhat Hanh says:
'Life is available only in the present moment, and that is our true home. Most of us are forgetful; we are not really there a lot of the time. Our mind is caught in our worries, our fears, our anger, and our regrets, and we are not mindful of being there. We breathe in and out mindfully, we bring our mind back to our body, and we are there. Mindfulness practice should be enjoyable, not work or effort. Do we have to make an effort to breathe in? To breathe in, we just breathe in. Do we have to make an effort to enjoy the beautiful sunset? No, we don’t have to make any effort. We just enjoy it.

Suppose we are offered a cup of tea, very fragrant, very good tea. If our mind is distracted, we cannot really enjoy the tea. We have to be mindful of the tea, we have to be concentrated on it, so the tea can reveal its fragrance and wonder to us. That is why mindfulness and concentration are such sources of happiness. That’s why a good practitioner knows how to create a moment of joy, a feeling of happiness, at any time of the day. When our mindfulness and concentration are powerful, our insight will liberate you from fear, anger, and despair. '