My Teacher

Alistair has been my meditation teacher since 2007. In that time I've made enormous changes to the way I am in the world, as a direct result of what I've learned from him. He's a practising Buddhist, but teaches from a non-religious stance, which has since our first meeting made his courses and retreats more accessible than any others I've tried. A honest teacher, he invites his students to try out for themselves what he puts forward, to be curious and to experiment, never to take for granted that what he's teaching is for real.

I have a daily meditation practice, that particularly since his Beingfulness retreat on Holy Isle last year, has created a space for me to become much more aware of how my mind works. This year we looked at samadhi practice - developing a new relationship with our minds, where thoughts which contribute to stress are gently let go in favour of creating ease. Consider how much energy I expend thinking, and to frequently zero aim, this offers not just the possibility of not hating myself so often (or hurting my neck), but of creating an energy reserve for positivity, and treating my mind and body more kindly. As happiness increases in my life in all areas, I hope to continue learning from this very special man for years to come.