I started to play chess in 1993 vaguely seriously. The trigger was writing a chess program and finding that it could thrash me. I thought this was ridiculous, so decided to learn to play properly. I played for about five or six years, but then ‘retired’, and, besides the odd game on chesscube.com, haven’t played… Continue reading Coming out of retirement
Category: Water (Personal)
Too old, too young
It’s been interesting to observe since turning 40 the power of the words “too old” in my mind. Too old, too young, age is just a concept, but still has such power in our society. It’s one thing to be consciously aware of it, but another to be aware, and to be able to change,… Continue reading Too old, too young
Becoming a morning person, take 2
I may live at the southern tip of Africa, but I’ve been on Hawaii time for a long time. For years my circadian rhythms have seen me going to sleep in the very early hours of the morning and waking up similarly late. Two months ago I recorded it and the average time I went… Continue reading Becoming a morning person, take 2
Ianstraight with Egoscue
For the past few weeks I’ve been practising Egoscue exercises. Do I want six-pack abs and a tight bun? No… Well at least not enough to do anything about it. Egoscue is something else entirely. Since I can remember I’ve been noticeably skew, bent and twisted. Focusing on the physical for now, I’ve never bothered… Continue reading Ianstraight with Egoscue
Orgasmic Meditation
This week Nicole Daedone gave a talk at TEDx San Francisco on orgasmic meditation (embedded below). Orgasmic Meditation existed on the fringes of San Francisco society until 2009, when an article in the New York Times shone the spotlight on her retreat centre. It received further widespread attention through Tim Ferris’s book, The 4-Hour Body.… Continue reading Orgasmic Meditation
On Gratitude
I wrote a post for the Ethical Co-op newsletter briefly mentioning gratitude. Since it’s short, I’ll quote it here in full: Gratitude is a key to happiness. When we are more grateful, we are happier. Gratitude is also much like love. It’s easy to apply conditionally – to be grateful for wonderful food, or wonderful… Continue reading On Gratitude
Bearing Soul
Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to Bearing Soul, billed as “An enviro-mental Exploration through Song, Music, Story and Heart”. This wasn’t the usual entertainment, a show at a theatre, a film. It was a friend, Dan Tree, doing just what he claimed. Flashing us a glimpse of his essence, his heart… Continue reading Bearing Soul
Bliss is…
Lying on a log in the drizzle beneath the cement factory Dodging dogs staring at the full moon on a Nyanga street Dylan on the empty highway, the truck in the slow lane ahead inching slowly closer Tai chi on the damp grass, my chair-bound legs awakening Related Posts: Blissful lucuma Elements of Health –… Continue reading Bliss is…
Taming the tiger
This week, I had another opportunity to reflect on my mind’s reactivity, another repeat lesson. It was a day that began sleepless, thanks to the neighbour’s alarm being activated continually. With them away, their alarm had been going on and off all night long. There was a mess at work requiring tedious amounts of fixing.… Continue reading Taming the tiger
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is the practice of doing no harm to living beings, even in ones thoughts. As these things go, it’s been defined and analysed in different ways, and various systems have slightly different interpretations, but to me, it’s a way of life, the right way to live one’s life. It’s a principle rather than a… Continue reading Ahimsa