Way for Mindfulness
We are always hearing more and more talking about mindfulness and its secret of happiness, but what is really it and how can improve our life? What is that really matter in being mindful?
We of GEM are approaching this state of mind collaborating with great organisations like The Macrobiotic Association and The Feng Shui Society. The philosophy on their both are based has its roots from the thousand-year old asiatic tradition, bringing us to knowledge a different perspective of living our life in connection with a deeper universal order.
Mindfulness is a natural human quality and we all have a natural capacity for awareness. With practice, mindful awareness can be developed more helpfully in everyday life, allowing us to live more fully and clearly in the present moment where life is really available, without worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.
This is the way to get more in touch with what is going on in our thoughts, emotions, physical and sensory experiences. Through Mindfulness we can recognise the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives and improve our well-being.
Then we can experience the richness and joy of life, but also strengthens our ability to respond to difficulties more skilfully. It helps us to develop greater patience, curiosity, kindness and perspective.
“Walking with me” is a beautiful and touching movie we want to suggest to discover and become more interested in what we are talking. Take a look www.walkwithmefilm.com
We are always hearing more and more talking about mindfulness and its secret of happiness, but what is really it and how can improve our life? What is that really matter in being mindful?
We of GEM are approaching this state of mind collaborating with great organisations like The Macrobiotic Association and The Feng Shui Society. The philosophy on their both are based has its roots from the thousand-year old asiatic tradition, bringing us to knowledge a different perspective of living our life in connection with a deeper universal order.
Mindfulness is a natural human quality and we all have a natural capacity for awareness. With practice, mindful awareness can be developed more helpfully in everyday life, allowing us to live more fully and clearly in the present moment where life is really available, without worrying about the future or dwelling on the past.
This is the way to get more in touch with what is going on in our thoughts, emotions, physical and sensory experiences. Through Mindfulness we can recognise the conditions of happiness that are already present in our lives and improve our well-being.
Then we can experience the richness and joy of life, but also strengthens our ability to respond to difficulties more skilfully. It helps us to develop greater patience, curiosity, kindness and perspective.
“Walking with me” is a beautiful and touching movie we want to suggest to discover and become more interested in what we are talking. Take a look www.walkwithmefilm.com
My Mentor & Me
One of the most inspiring people for GEM was Giulio’s university lecturer Oliviero Toscani. Since Toscani’s work for the fashion brand Benetton, the world of advertising communication hasn’t been the same. Toscani has recently been on a photography reality show, Master of Photography http://masterofphotography.tv/
One of the most inspiring people for GEM was Giulio’s university lecturer Oliviero Toscani. Since Toscani’s work for the fashion brand Benetton, the world of advertising communication hasn’t been the same. Toscani has recently been on a photography reality show, Master of Photography http://masterofphotography.tv/
Fear Frontiers
How many times we feel paralysed by taking a bold work decision, applying for a new job, planning a new holiday, trying a new dish? And we often fall under the same old scheme of decisions, creating the same work or life patterns.
But if we look at our everyday life, we are surrounded by products and services who were created by people who risked everything for what they believed it would have worked.
Smart phones, cars, dresses, computers were all very risky products when first invented.
And what about advertising: see Toscani’s images (post above).
If we think that today would be our last day what would we do? Would we make braver decisions? Probably. A brand that risked a lot but succeeded is Marmite. Everybody loves most of their really funny – yet sometimes disgusting! adverts. Here’s our favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoRcU0Ul7tU
How many times we feel paralysed by taking a bold work decision, applying for a new job, planning a new holiday, trying a new dish? And we often fall under the same old scheme of decisions, creating the same work or life patterns.
But if we look at our everyday life, we are surrounded by products and services who were created by people who risked everything for what they believed it would have worked.
Smart phones, cars, dresses, computers were all very risky products when first invented.
And what about advertising: see Toscani’s images (post above).
If we think that today would be our last day what would we do? Would we make braver decisions? Probably. A brand that risked a lot but succeeded is Marmite. Everybody loves most of their really funny – yet sometimes disgusting! adverts. Here’s our favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoRcU0Ul7tU
Love & Appreciate Life
Being appreciative is one way to help us get through life with greater happiness.
It can be helpful to write out our philosophy of life. What values do we aspire to? What are our highest intentions in life? How do we want to develop ourselves in this lifetime? Once we have our values established we can use them to hold ourselves true to our strongest ethos. Reading such a document back in times of difficulty and challenge can be particularly useful. Our philosophy of life can often help us navigate through the most difficult times.
One value that came highly in George Ohsawa’s writing, and was part of his Seven Levels of Health was appreciation. Appreciation is largely a state of mind and we can train ourselves to appreciate much in life. Appreciation comes through deeply engaging with the things around us. An easy way to do this is to be conscious of our senses and sensitive to the information coming to our minds. This means a focus on sounds, smells, touch sensations, tastes and whatever we see.
One way to practice this would be through a cup of tea. We can listen to the sound of pouring the tea, look at the colour of the tea, feel the warmth and texture of the cup, smell the tea and then taste the tea.
Part of the process is to be in a descriptive mode, where we try to appreciate whatever we experience just as it is. There is no need to judge whatever we are interacting with in terms of being good or bad, right or wrong. This helps us engage with things in life, just as they are, without imposing our own judgements.
As we train ourselves to engage with life in a descriptive mode we can start to appreciate all the little things in life. Where this becomes useful is that the more we practice being appreciative, the more we become an appreciative person. Of course this is easy to do with flowers, tea, trees, sunshine or people we love. The bigger challenge is whether we can still appreciate things we normally dislike. Is it possible that by practicing being appreciative, we are able to appreciate challenges in our life? George Oshawa wrote that ideally we would be able to appreciate the way challenges that help us develop ourselves.
A big part of this is to be able to appreciate ourselves, even when our bodies or mind are not enjoying the health we would hope for. We can boost self esteem by looking at every detail in the mirror and appreciating everything we see, or touching our skin and appreciating the shapes and texture.
The result of this perspective of life is that we find ourselves becoming less stressed and better able to remain positive when we work through challenges. More than that, appreciation helps us cultivate a love of life where we can feel happy about more of what happens in life.
By Simon Brown, The Macrobiotic Association
Being appreciative is one way to help us get through life with greater happiness.
It can be helpful to write out our philosophy of life. What values do we aspire to? What are our highest intentions in life? How do we want to develop ourselves in this lifetime? Once we have our values established we can use them to hold ourselves true to our strongest ethos. Reading such a document back in times of difficulty and challenge can be particularly useful. Our philosophy of life can often help us navigate through the most difficult times.
One value that came highly in George Ohsawa’s writing, and was part of his Seven Levels of Health was appreciation. Appreciation is largely a state of mind and we can train ourselves to appreciate much in life. Appreciation comes through deeply engaging with the things around us. An easy way to do this is to be conscious of our senses and sensitive to the information coming to our minds. This means a focus on sounds, smells, touch sensations, tastes and whatever we see.
One way to practice this would be through a cup of tea. We can listen to the sound of pouring the tea, look at the colour of the tea, feel the warmth and texture of the cup, smell the tea and then taste the tea.
Part of the process is to be in a descriptive mode, where we try to appreciate whatever we experience just as it is. There is no need to judge whatever we are interacting with in terms of being good or bad, right or wrong. This helps us engage with things in life, just as they are, without imposing our own judgements.
As we train ourselves to engage with life in a descriptive mode we can start to appreciate all the little things in life. Where this becomes useful is that the more we practice being appreciative, the more we become an appreciative person. Of course this is easy to do with flowers, tea, trees, sunshine or people we love. The bigger challenge is whether we can still appreciate things we normally dislike. Is it possible that by practicing being appreciative, we are able to appreciate challenges in our life? George Oshawa wrote that ideally we would be able to appreciate the way challenges that help us develop ourselves.
A big part of this is to be able to appreciate ourselves, even when our bodies or mind are not enjoying the health we would hope for. We can boost self esteem by looking at every detail in the mirror and appreciating everything we see, or touching our skin and appreciating the shapes and texture.
The result of this perspective of life is that we find ourselves becoming less stressed and better able to remain positive when we work through challenges. More than that, appreciation helps us cultivate a love of life where we can feel happy about more of what happens in life.
By Simon Brown, The Macrobiotic Association
Be Forever Curious
We love working with young people: we sometimes wish we could think like them.
But with cuts to school budgets from Governments, children aren’t getting the chance to be as creative as they should be. That’s where GEM comes in.
We work with charities and business angels across South London to empower NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) young people to understand how is to work in the creative industries. We mentor them, and – to the most talented ones – give free equipment or paid internships.
We love working with young people: we sometimes wish we could think like them.
But with cuts to school budgets from Governments, children aren’t getting the chance to be as creative as they should be. That’s where GEM comes in.
We work with charities and business angels across South London to empower NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) young people to understand how is to work in the creative industries. We mentor them, and – to the most talented ones – give free equipment or paid internships.
Contact
Spaces Studio
25 Wilton Road
London SW1V 1LW
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Photography by gmazzarini.com