Meditation Inspiration

In this episode, Katie talks about cultivating the quality of befriending in our lives through mindfulness and meditation practices to support our wellbeing and relationships with others. In the episode we discuss: What do we mean by befriending? The science backing up the benefits of befriending practices. How we can cultivate this quality of heart and mind through mindfulness? What loving-kindne...

In this week's episode Katie talks to yoga teacher of 20+ years and yoga teacher trainer, Julia McCabe, who lives in Western Canada. Julia is currently studying a masters in Neuroscience, Psychology and Mental Health at King’s College, London. In this episode we talk about: Julia’s challenging first contact with meditation. Resistance being normal when learning meditation. What happens to our...

In this episode, Katie talks about the mindful attitude of acceptance, how it can support our lives and how we can cultivate it through mindfulness practices. The topics covered are... Acceptance isn't passive resignation. Acceptance is the first step towards appropriate action. How acceptance supported Katie working with the tiredness of being a new Mum. How mindfulness has supported Katie to...

Nature Well Course facilitator Jessi Hill joins Katie for a conversation about all thinks mindfulness with a particular focus on how mindfulness has supported Jessi to navigate their experience of chronic pain. In this episode we discuss: Being introduced to mindfulness through a therapist.  The difference between practicing in a group and solo.  Jessi’s experience of the Mindfulness-Based Stress...

In this week’s episode Katie explores the attitude of beginner’s mind and how it can support bringing back the vividness and colour to our lives.  We talk about: How imagining you are an alien can help tap into this attitude.  The upsides and downsides of the autopilot mode.  How beginner’s mind can support our relationships Lesson from seeing through the eyes of a child.  How beginner’s mind can...

In this episode, Katie speaks to mindfulness teacher, speaker, advocate of mental health, music lover & mindful DJ, Kareen Griffiths. Katie met Kareen when she facilitated a mindful DJ set at the International Conference to Mindfulness. In the episode we talk about:  Kareen’s passion for listening to music as a mindfulness activity.  How Kareen shares music in her workshops and classes as an a...

In this week's episode, Katie talks about the attitude of patience and how we can cultivate it in our mindfulness practice and lives. In this episode, she talks about: The traditional definition of patience and her own definition. How we can practically cultivate patience in our meditation practice. Why patience is helpful in our lives. Examples of how cultivating patience can support our rela...

In this week's episode, Katie speaks to physiotherapist and yoga therapist Sharon O'Sullivan about her longstanding meditation practice and how meditation is woven into her work supporting people recovering from physical injury, stress management and burnout recovery and prevention. In this episode we discuss: Discovering meditation through yoga at university when she was 18.  The crossove...

In this episode, Katie talks about the attitude of non-judgment in mindfulness practice. This is a fundamental quality of mindfulness that supports us to bring more kindness and clear seeing to our lives. In this episode we discuss: What is non-judgment?  How judgements can be helpful in many ways. How to mindfully let go of unhelpful self-judgments Non-judgment as a support to our relationships. ...

In this week's episode, Katie talks about how her mindfulness practice supported the few month's leading up to the birth of her daughter and the birth itself. Please note: in this episode, we talk about challenges birth experiences and Caesarean section so please skip this episode if you don't want to hear about these topics. In this episode Katie talks about: 🧘🏼‍♀️Key learnings from a 4 week NH...

Sian has worked in maternity services in the NHS for 40+ years. For much of that time she worked as a consultant midwife and has a keen interest in midwife-led care and perinatal mental health.  She is also teaches on mindfulness courses and teacher trainings for the Mindful Birth Foundation and the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.   She is also the co-author of a beautifully simple and accessible b...

This week Katie explores bringing the attitude of non-striving or not trying too hard in our mindfulness practice and lives. We discuss: 🌊 What is non-striving? 🪢 Lots of examples of where non-striving is helpful in our lives. 🧘 How to bring this attitude to our mindfulness practice. 😴 How non-striving can be misinterpreted as not bothering at all. 🎸 Metaphors to support you to find an approp...

Jem is a Mindfulness Teacher and Teacher trainer and previous secondary school teacher based in Cornwall UK. He shares with us his insights from his discovery of meditation as a support for navigating out of depression in a Buddhist Monestry in Taiwan back to the UK when he discovered modern mindfulness courses for depression to becoming a teacher with a Masters in Mindfulness from Bangor Universi...

The word intention gets mentioned a lot in the New Year, especially in wellness spaces. So let’s dive into what we really mean by intentions and how hey can help us motivate ourselves to practice mindfulness and other things we might want to cultivate in our lives.  In this episode we talk about:  ❓Why connecting with our intentions for practicing mindfulness is important  📖 The definition of in...

Mindfulness teacher, teacher trainer and secondary school teacher based in South west London and past professional dancer.  In this episode we talk about: Michelle’s experience teaching mindfulness to children in schools.  How mindfulness helps her to meet the challenges of being a teacher and the wider world. How she discovered mindfulness as a support for her mental health.  Advice for those wan...

Rosalie is a mindfulness teacher, supervisor, teacher trainer and mentor based in the UK. In this episode, she shares her passion for mindful movement as a way of taking care of our precious bodies and supporting our relationship with those around us and our planet. In this episode we talk about: How Rosalie discovered mediation and mindfulness in her early 20s. Discoveries made teaching English t...

It's been a hot minute, but we are back with season two of the Meditation Inspiration Podcast. This episode is a brief welcome back and I share a little life update. I also shares my intentions for this season and a dedication to my dear teacher and Vici Williams who I interviewed in Episode 10 of Season 1. Vici sadly passed away last Summer. Sending love to everyone who had the huge privilege of...

In this extra bonus episode to round off Series 1, I was lucky enough to chat to Professor Rebecca Crane and Dr Ken Lunn about the upcoming International Conference on Mindfulness 2024 in Bangor, Wales UK, from 2-6th August. Rebecca and Ken share exciting details about the conference such as: The theme of the conference: Mindfulness in a Changing World. The history of the conference. How to join i...

Imani is a mindfulness teacher, Ausarian Priestess, Holistic Health Practitioner, Author, Lifestyle and Resilience Coach and Program Manager for The Mindfulness Network for People of Colour (MNPC).  Imani has a wealth of experience offering mindfulness practice in diverse communities in the UK including prisons, refugee and asylum communities, health patients and women’s groups.  In this episode s...

In this episode, we speak to the wonderful mindfulness teacher and chartered accountant, Kirsty Morgan, from Leeds. We cover topics such as: Being introduced to mindfulness in the workplace. Cultivating mental presence with your children. Mindfully navigating stress at work and creating boundaries.  Facing the fear of public speaking.  Helpful determination versus unhelpful striving.  Finding the...

As you may or may not know I have have a tiny being in my belly right now and I wanted to share with you a personal episode about how mindfulness has supported my pregnancy so far. In this episode, I cover the ups and downs of the first 6 months of pregnancy. Please be aware I do touch on pregnancy loss briefly in this episode, so please skip this if that's not something you want to hear right...

Dr Sophie Sansom is a senior lecturer and lead at Centre for Mindfulness Practice and Research (CMRP) in Bangor, Wales. She also plays key roles in many other mindfulness teacher training organisations in the UK included The Mindfulness Network and The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation. Sophie shares stories, wisdom and reflections on topics such as: Her first meditation experiences as a teenager in a...

In episode 11, I am joined by meditation teacher, Nottingham Trent law lecturer and solicitor Paulo Karat. Paulo generously shares his journey from mindfulness sceptic to mindfulness teacher following a mental health crisis in his early 40s alongside many more topics such as... How mindfulness practice supported Paulo’s journey from depression to wellness.  Mindful movement as a gateway to stiller...

In this episode, I have the huge pleasure of talking to my teacher and supervisor, Vici Williams. She shares her wisdom from her 25 years of committed practice and her 16 years of teaching. Vici takes us on an adventure from her childhood in Cornwall, to practicing yoga in her twenties, to her first contact with Buddhism travelling in India and Nepal in the early 1990s, to her her meetings with th...

In episode 9, I talk to the wonderful Shell Wherry from Cornwall. Shell was a participant on an online MBSR course I ran back in May/June 2023 and has also completed an MBSR course with Exeter University. Shell generously shares her wisdom on the power of pausing mindfully in the face of difficult conversations and in the midst of breathing struggles resulting from Long Covid. In this episode we c...