Practice

The page provides links to a range of resources on Middle Way practice throughout the site:

Introduction to Middle Way Practice

Meditation and mindfulness

Meditation

Meditation blogs

Podcast interview with Vidyamala Burch on mindfulness

Podcast interview with Claire Kelly on Mindfulness in Schools

Podcast interview with Kristin Neff on self-compassion

Tai Chi

Podcast interview with John Bolwell on Tai Chi

Pilates

Podcast interview with Monica Dare on Pilates

Focusing

Focusing

Focusing and Thinking at the Edge (blog)

Podcast interview with Elizabeth English on Focusing

Volunteering

Podcast interview with Steve Howlett on volunteering

Podcast interview with Sarah Dickinson on the Samaritans

Conflict resolution, mediation and reconciliation

Podcast Interview with Darren DeWitt on Non-Violent Communication

Podcast Interview with Marina Cantacuzino on The Forgiveness Project

Podcast Interview with Andy West on Transformative Mediation

Podcast Interview with Monica Garvey on Family Mediation

Podcast Interview with Bjorn Ihler, victim of Utoya, on overcoming extremism

Podcast Interview with Arno Michaelis on overcoming hatred

Objectivity Training and Critical Thinking

Objectivity Training (blog)

Objectivity Training: An Update (blog)

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking Course (blogs)

Podcast Interview with Robert M Ellis on Critical Thinking

Podcast Interview with Viryanaya Ellis on Critical Thinking as a Spiritual Practice

Podcast Interview with David McRaney on ‘How to beat your brain’

Podcast Interview with Noreena Hertz on making smart decisions

The Arts

Index to Poetry on the site

Art blogs by Norma Smith

Podcast Interview with Norma Smith

Music and Awe (blog by Emilie Aberg)

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (blog)

 

5 thoughts on “Practice

  1. Practices focusing mainly on meaning.
    Focus on study/visual art.
    I hope to write again about a painting, I will probably choose a subject which has a left of centre political theme, which to some extent, matches my views.

    1. Hi Norma,
      We could certainly link a page on visual art to your recent blog posts, but we need a page that states a bit more formally how visual art can be an integrating practice. Maybe you could draft some ideas for a page, then I could make sure it’s linked to the theory before publishing? You would need to select ‘new page’ from the dashboard list then save it as a draft.

      1. Hi Robert,
        Thank you for the timely advice. I will think about how integration happens, if I have properly understood what is meant by it, in the art context. I hope I’m not on the wrong track.
        The Die Brucke movement of German artists may be a good choice? Die Brucke means a bridge in English, between art of the past and the future of art in the next generation? I will use my blog page.

  2. Hi Norma,
    I don’t really know enough about ‘Die Brucke’ to comment on whether they’re a good example, though their founding metaphor seems promising. There’s a rough distinction we could make here between art as an integrative practice, which would be more about how people can use art to unify conflicting energies and beliefs (art therapy would be a good example of its use in this way), and the study of movements that might more or less be exploring a Middle Way. The former, I hope, will be part of the ‘practice’ section, and the latter more the preserve of the new ‘applications’ section. Art as an integrative practice might be better illustrated in the lives of individuals or of whole societies than in artistic movements. For example, in the case of Van Gogh, it seems to have held off the effects of serious madness for a while. In wider society, I was very struck by the play ‘The Pitmen Painters’ about the possible uses of art in overcoming class barriers. It would be possible to discuss the integrative effects of art either in a very individual way or quite a social way (see the ‘Individual and social integration’ page).

    1. Thank you very much Robert for your comment, which I came across today. I was on the wrong track, I understand now what you mean, when you use the Van Gogh example. I haven’t seen the play you mention, but see its relevance.
      The Die Brucke group of artists may be of interest, they were forerunners of German Expressionism. I’ll add a short blog about one of the group’s artists shortly.
      I think I will use a very personal application of art as therapy in a blog afterwards.

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