Growing the Good - The Mindful Podcast

Why do some young people find it so hard to be happy? Sometimes it is because they set their sights on conditions for happiness that cannot be achieved like wealth and celebrity instead of focusing on the conditions for happiness they have right now in their lives like family, friends and pets!

All of us have busy lives and busy minds but none more so than young people. In this episode we ask out teen mindfulness group what worries pull their minds into worrying about the future and what strategies help them keep their present moment awareness. We also feed them chilli chocolate which is a bit of a giggle!!

We all find our buttons being pushed at one time or another, letting off steam, blowing our top, but why? What is it that tips us over the edge into our fight or flight reactive state? We asked a group of young people to share their ideas with us and tell us the strategies that help them keep calm when things get tough.

In this series we will be talking to the teens attending our mindfulness workshops so that they can share their experience and give helpful advice to other young people from their lived experience. In this first episode, we explore what are the barriers to happiness for young people and how can these be overcome through mindful practice?

Our mindful insight allows us to see things not as they are, but as they really are. We view the world as fragments like a broken mirror instead of seeing the truth, that all things are connected. In fact all things are part of the same oneness. After all, we are all children of stardust!

All too often it is our impulses, cravings and unfulfilled desires that cause us to act in ways we later come to regret, can mindfulness help grow and strengthen our willpower so we can be in control of our lives instead of giving in to our desire for immediate gratification?

Neil and Hayley found there was still lots to talk about on the topic of resilience after the last episode so here's Resilience Part 2! It's easy to think when things get hard, 'why me?' but we know that without mud, there can be no lotus. In a difficult situation? Can you flip it? Yes you can!

It's the rub that shines the penny, we all encounter difficulty in our lives, it's part of what this being human is all about. Can mindfulness help you navigate difficulty more skilfully? What does it mean to be resilient and how can we achieve it? Only one way to find out...!

Can mindfulness help you lose weight? Can it cure fussy eaters? There’s only one way to find out and that’s by listening to episode 16 of Growing the Good – the Mindful Podcast, it’s the one about mindful eating, yummy!

Doing things in a mindful way simply means slowing things down and paying attention to what's happening right now, in this moment. Mindful walking helps bring us back to present moment awareness and nurture a sense of joy and gratitude simply for being alive right now. Join us and find out more about the miracle of mindful walking.

Think mindfulness is all about sitting still and meditating? Think again! In this week's episode, Neil and Hayley explore and explain the benefits of the many different ways mindfulness can be experienced through movement from the gentle actions of qigong to doing the dishes!

Can positive affirmations really help you to be the thing you want to be? Absolutely they can! In this episode Neil and Hayley have far too much fun exploring brain plasticity and how affirmations can transform your thinking and be the path to a happier you.

In visualisation meditation, the brain has difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imagined. This can help us rewire the brain so that we can enjoy being more relaxed, more calm, happier, or whatever positive experience we seek. This practice can also help anchor you in your calm space when you experience difficulty. In this episode, Hayley guides us on a beautiful sacred journe...

We all have that negative voice inside our heads that tells us we need to be better, that we aren't good enough. In this episode Neil and Hayley discuss how this is perfectly normal and suggest strategies that can help us acknowledge that we are experiencing these negative feelings and not be led by them into anxiety, illness and depression.

Probably one of the key reasons people come to mindfulness, we all have to manage difficult emotions at some time in our lives. Indeed, to some extent, we're dealing with difficult emotions all the time. In this episode, Neil and Hayley share their top tips for managing the mud and growing that lotus!

In the Tibetan Tradition, two tools were needed to control the wayward mind; the rope of mindfulness and the hook of awareness. In this episode we explore all the benefits that open awareness can bring. It is helpful to visit https://www.facebook.com/onetogethercic where you will find an illustration of the samatha meditation from the Tibetan tradition which is discussed in the episode (along with...

Kindness is sometimes mistaken for weakness but in actual fact it takes great strength to be kind. Moreover, there are some very real benefits to kindness that Neil and Hayley explain in this episode. Listen and you will soon understand why being kind to others is actually a kindness to yourself.

Join Neil and Hayley as they explore just what a remarkable, miraculous thing it is to be alive, in this moment. So many of us are trapped on a hedonistic treadmill, in pursuit of wealth and a life of deferred gratification, that we completely fail to see and appreciate all the blessings we have right now, here, in this moment! Listen to this podcast and you will wake up every morning and smile.

The big one, everyone wants to be happy, don't they? But what does happiness really mean and how can you achieve it? Join Neil and Hayley as they reveal the secrets of true happiness that are within easy reach for those who live in a mindful way.

Is there such a thing as 6th sense? Mindsight comes close but you have to train your mind to use it well. How skilful are you at recognising the feelings of others? Crucially, how able are you to let go of your own fixed opinions and truly be open to seeing the world through the eyes of others? Let Neil and Hayley explain how world peace might just be a possibility after all!

Can you approach everything in life with fresh eyes? Free of judgement and preconceived opinions? It is a skill you were born with, to be open and curious about the world, and with training, it is a quality you can develop again. Once you see the world with a beginner's mind you may just start to see the world more as it really is and not through the distorting lens of your own fixed ideas.

Join Neil and Hayley as they share with you the secrets of turning off the auto pilot. Even in the busiest of lives, there is space to slow down, increase awareness, and enjoyment, of this present moment. After all, it is the only moment you have!

Learning how to get in touch with the breath and the body is one of the fundamentals of mindful practice. Our breath is always with us wherever we go and can be relied upon to calm us down and bring us back in touch with the present moment. It is also something to enjoy and be grateful for as Neil and Hayley will explain.

Your brain has an amazing capacity to grow and change. Once you understand how this works, anything is possible. In this episode, Neil and Hayley explore how a mindful approach can help you to train your brain and be happier, more positive and learn to be the leader of your own mind.

An introduction to Growing the Good - the Mindful Podcast with mindfulness teacher Neil West. Join Neil for an overview of the podcast and a taste of things to come.