MindfulNews

Podcast 30: Claire Kelly -Mindfulness in Schools Project

Claire joins Team Renaissance for Podcast 30.  This is quite a mile stone for us and it motivates us to keep moving forward and having these wonderful conversations.  Claire leads the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP)  team with a focus on partner relations and curriculum development.  A not-for-profit organisation, MiSP now delivers teacher and student training in 12 countries, where their work has been translated into 8 languages. Claire is also a trained teacher of mindfulness for adults (MBSR). Claire graduated from Cambridge Uni in Social and Political Science in 1988. She has worked in education for 25 years, and most recently was Deputy Head at South Hampstead High School, one of the leading girls’ schools in the UK, where she initiated a mindfulness programme that continues today.  Click on the image below to access the website.  You can follow all the work that is being done by the Mindfulness in Schools group. As the Renaissance Team continues with its Mindful theme, we are always on the look out for people that are going above and beyond to help spread awareness of Mindfulness.  We believe whole heartedly that there are so many benefits that students can gain from mindfulness however the research is not entirely there yet to back all the claims (especially improvement in grades), so we have to be careful as to what we say the true effects are.  Having said that, Claire is working with 1000's of students with her .b (secondary curriculum) and paws.b (primary curriculum) and the success of the program and the positive results that are filtering in is leading the way in helping to get Mindfulness into Schools. 

Podcast 29: YouthMindfulness with Michael Bready

How old does a child need to be before their brain is receptive to Mindfulness techniques?  How much study and research has been done on this matter?  Surprisingly not much.  It is very difficult to put percentages or stats to the work being done with children, especially primary and secondary school children as the results are usually more qualitative.   More concentration in class creating a great learning environment, better grades, more enthusiasm and the understanding that the Brain is a  muscle and it can grow.Although we have discussed Mindfulness on several podcasts, we have not yet addressed this in relation to our youth and we are joined by Michael Bready, founder of the Youth Mindfulness program in Scotland who has worked with thousands of students and is the creator of a Mindfulness course and curriculum that is getting fantastic reviews.Michael discovered mindfulness at the age of 18 and has been practising ever since. He established Youth Mindfulness 3 years ago and in that time has taught thousands of children, teens and young adults. Bringing humour, energy and passion to his teaching, Michael seeks to inspire young people, enabling them to realise that such qualities as awareness, inner strength, clarity, and kindness can become living realities.He is currently working in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh in evaluating the Youth Mindfulness Kids programme as well as leading the development and delivery of a mindfulness programme for young offenders. He holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and has trained in mindfulness with both the University of Bangor and the University of Aberdeen.To find out more, please visit Michael's website where you can find out more about him, the courses and the Mindfulness curriculum.http://youthmindfulness.co.uk

Podcast 28: The Renaissance Crew - group meditation

Getting back to our roots:  Its been over a year since Team Renaissance had a catch up podcast.  We have had so many wonderful guests that we felt it time for the 3 of us to catch up.More importantly, Fran, Ahn and I do a 25 minute guided meditation just before recording the podcast.   It's an amazing video that Sam Harris narrates and is available on Youtube.  If you have not  meditated before, I strongly suggest that you commit to doing the 25 minute exercise and watch how you grow and develop in such a short time frame. As soon as you begin to meditate, you will have so many thoughts rushing into your mind such as, this is a waste of time,  my back hurts, this is stupid, why am i doing this, what am i going to eat for dinner etc.  The purpose of the exercise is to realise that this is going to happen, but what can we do about it once we recognise they are happening.   This is the basis to controlling how you feel in life and how you will be able to effectively have more control on your thoughts and happiness. Anh, Fran and i talk in detail about our internal dialogues on the podcast. 

Podcast 27 - Muay Thai Podcast with Team Tieu

Muay Thai heavy weights Team Tieu are back in the studios to fill us in on the latest results and updates.  Head coach phil and top ranked fighters give us behind the scenes commentary on their last fights and their thoughts on the up coming MTC show on the 19th of October.  Listen in as we discuss the line up and what to look out for. We discuss Michael Pham's English title victory at the last MTC show, Richard Lee's win at the Nak Muay event and David Tieu's controversial decision in Germany.  It's really nice to just chill out and take the time to discuss aspects of Muay Thai as a group and its also nice to look back and review the recent fights.What are your thoughts on fighters putting their fights up  on youtube?  Does this give too much of your game away, or does showing your videos help to spread your name and your brand?  Leave your comments below.Watch the teaser below for the Biggest show yet, Super MTC at KOKO's on the 19th of Oct. Tickets are available through the website teamtieu.com

Podcast 26: Best-selling Mindfulness author Danny Penman

Mindfulness- A practical guide to FINDING PEACE IN A FRANTIC WORLDDr Danny Penman is a feature writer for the Daily Mail, having formerly worked for the BBC, New Scientist and the Independent newspaper. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and specialises in reporting on science, health, the environment, and animal welfare. He is a commentator on these issues for BBC Radio Four and Five and has made a number of documentaries for BBC One and Channel Four News.This amazing book guides its readers through 8 weeks of mindfulness guidance based on the groundbreaking work that co-author Mark Williams has researched to an almost exact science.  Jon Kabat -Zinn inspires with a few words in the Foreword to this amazing book.   Danny shares his journey and we discuss the work Danny is doing now for the mindfulness movement and also his amazing work against animal cruelty.In 2009 and in 2011 Danny won the Humane Society of the United States Brigitte Bardot International Print Journalism award for his investigations into animal welfare abuses around the world. The award was presented in front of an invited Hollywood audience that included Ellen DeGeneres and the stars of CSI Las Vegas, Bones, and the film 'W'.In 2011 he won the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) 'Special Investigation Award'.10% of People in the westernised world this year will become clinically depressed and Mindfulness is now a serious contender in helping to reduce this figure.  Help spread the word

PODCAST 25: GEOTHERMAL POISON IN HAWAII - THE AFTERMATH OF STORM ISELLE

Former guest and Hawaii resident, Sofia wilt co-hosts
this episode on a subject very close to her heart (and health).  Following the aftermath of Storm Iselle,
Sofia along with many other Hawaiian residents were exposed to poisonous
gasses, released from the local and controversial PGV Geothermal Power Plant.  Trapped due to trees and debris on the roads,
residents were left without help and without guidance.  To add insult to injury, the government has
played this down and the jury is still out on what will happen to the power
plant. 
 Joining Sofia and I on the podcast are Tom Travis and
Bob Petricci.
Tom has spent a life time in service, and served as
Commander, Submarine Squadron 11, Deputy Commander for the USS Theodore
Roosevelt (CGN 71) Battle Group, director of the Navy’s experimentation
program, and submarine commanding officer aboard USS New York City.  Tom now works as a National Security Officer
 Bob
Petricci heads up the Puna Pono Alliance that support
environmentally safe, culturally sensitive, economically viable, and
sustainable energy alternatives for Hawai`i County.  His understanding of
the geothermal history in Hawaii is shared with us on the podcast and his work
for protecting its citizens is great. 
Check out his website where you can learn more about the work Bob is
doing but it is also a forum for residents to upload their own stories of how
they were affected.  http://bobpetricci.com/geo/index.php/pgv-incident
Check out this video from the
bigIslandvideonews.com as this gives a great summary of what happened and how
the locals feel about it.
Listen in as we get into what
Geothermal Energy is, its shady history in Hawaii and we try to understand how
and why this disaster took place and why alternative energy methods such as
Solar are being ignored and muffled. 
Questions as to why the government is downplaying this are asked and we
discuss what can be done and what the next steps are.
If you want to share your
personal experience, voice your opinion or show your support, you can visit
Bobs site http://bobpetricci.com/geo/index.php/pgv-incident
where you email him directly.   Message
me too and I can forward all communications. 

Podcast 24: Mindfulness and the purpose of life -Actualized.org

One of the subjects that has reshaped the RenaissancePodcast direction is Mindfulness.   I thought I knew what this word meant, and you probably do too, but it wasn’t until Co-host Anh Nguyen sent me Leo’s short 14 min video (below) that I had that big Eureka moment and started to see that I had these new tools that I could use when things are a bit tough...and just as importantly tools I now use to be happier. With over 1.5 million youtube views, Leo's ability to explain tough 'down the rabbit hole' type subjects is remarkable.   After months of emailing and waiting patiently, Leo finally joins the Renaissance team and explains how his journey has led him to helping others find their purpose in life.  This podcast begins with the concepts and benefits of working on the mind and the sense of self, but we get into depths of advanced mindfulness.

Podcast 23: Mindfulness MBA Project

During a Q&A session with Jon Kabbat-Zinn (one of the leading figures in spreading Mindfulness) he suggested that we reach out to the MBA project to get a better understanding of how Mindfulness based techniques are being used to help troubled youth.   A year on, we have two of the most significant members of the Mind Body Awareness project and two truly enlightening guests on the podcast.I cannot stress how important Mindfulness has become in my life and how it has increased my happiness significantly just by having tools I can use in times of negative thought.  If you haven't heard about it before, try sticking through to the end on this one.  

Podcast 22: Master Ayahuasca and Cannabis Shaman - Hamilton Souther

Co-host Jay and I are blown away by this podcast with Hamilton.  If you are unfamiliar with Ayahuasca, I would highly recommend doing some research on it as this spiritual and medicinal plant is doing wonders for those that try it. The Wikipedia definition is quite good, but Hamilton really breaks it down simply and melodically on this Podcast.  In order to experience Ayahuasca in the correct way, it really needs to take place in the Amazon where Hamilton has lived and worked for over a decade.It is a growing phenomenon that has existed in Amazonian cultures for a very long time and Hamilton is one of the leading western figures in spreading the awareness. Icaros chants: 41mins 16 secs - Hamilton explains the purpse of the Icaros (invoking the spirits) and gives us a live Ayahuasca and Cannabis chant.Shiwawaku:  48mins 51 secs - Amazing dance track produced by Hamilton (wait til the beats drops...) Alive: 1hr 25mins- Hip hop alternative to Shamanism - Shamanix, lyrics to chorus by HamiltonFor more info on Hamilton Souther, his tours and his music, visit Hamiltonsouther.org  For more information on trying Ayahusca and becoming more involved, visit: bluemorphotours.combluemorpho tv.combluemorphoclub.com420cermony.orgThanks

Podcast 21: Total Philosophy - Youtube video makers

If you have never
really understood what Philosophy is and how it could positively impact your
life in a very real way, then I would recommend sticking with this episode to
the end. We are joined by Total Philosophy creator, whos online videos have
been viewed more than 50k times.  His
style of taking very complex philosophical ideas and animating them in a very
simple and easy to understand way is what caught my attention. We discuss Descartes ‘I think therefore I
am’ statement and why it is so significant. 
The words of Descartes have been the back bone of so much of my thinking
since it was first introduced to me by fellow co-host Anh 15 years ago.Listen in as
Philip shares his story of how he was introduced to Philosophy and also about
his recent interview with Philosopher Richard
Swinburne, an influential proponent of philosophical arguments for the
existence of God.
Its about asking
the questions and having the debateCheck our 'Video and News' tab for the video