Thought: Listen to the Signs

A few days ago, I suddenly got a sense of foreboding: specifically, about driving on the winding roads around us here at The Hill. As I left for the school-run the next morning I shared my concerns with Gaia “I think we have to really be extra careful on these roads and slow down”.

So off we went. I drove much more slowly than usual and was hyper-aware of potential dangers. Then, on my way back home, very close to The Hill, a car was waiting to pull out from a farm. I was in their line of vision. I slowed down some more, just in case. But I still had a strange feeling. I must have been just 10 metres away when the car just pulled out, as if I wasn't there. I was now going very slowly, but it still took an emergency stop and a swerve for me to avoid a collision into their driver's side.

The driver apologised profusely, part shaken, part embarrassed. I drove on, part shaken, part stunned… I seemed, in some way, to have tuned into a danger on that day.

And it's not the first time this has happened: 3 years ago, I ignored a very powerful feeling not to get on a train, and - ten minutes into the trip - smoke started filling my carriage… there was a serious fire under the very carriage I was sitting in (and it later ran into a flood, to really rub the message in).
Indeed, statistics on serious accidents on commuter trains (where passenger figures are relatively stable and predictable) suggest that there are fewer than usual passengers on the trains involved in accidents. Consciously or unconsciously, some people seem to manage to avoid accidents (and, sadly, others don't).

In my experience, I get such feelings and signs when I'm relaxed: in patches when I'm meditating or doing qigon a lot.
Of course, this is no guarantee against bad things happening. In fact, bad things happen to us all… so don't add guilt to the pain of bad things happening to you and those around you (i.e. 'I should have felt it'). However, it seems to me that if…
- We try to relax more, and spend time in quiet and stillness
- We listen to any strong feelings and signs that arise
- We trust these signs and act accordingly
…then a whole bunch of interesting things can happen, including, possibly, avoiding accidents.

Drive carefully and live in ease,

Love,

John, Gaia, Maurizio, Monica, Bente and the rest of The Hill Team xx

Thought: Chips & Sausage Detox

I don't often get such food memories, but I was driving to pick the boys up from school last Saturday when I had a very vivid memory of a plate of chips and battered sausage from the chip shop.
Now, here's the peculiar thing: that was a flashback to when I was 8 or 9, when, every Saturday, I would go down to the chip-shop to get the order for the whole family. Then we would sit down at 12.30 to eat our healthy meal together. And when did I have this flashback? 12.30 on a Saturday. Blimey, the chip and battered sausage plateful has not only buried itself in my unconscious, but has done so in a time-specific way.

Not only does my body need a detox, but my memory does too. And it is a good time of the year for detoxing. Personally, I had just finished off the last of the easter eggs a week ago, when we received a parcel from my parents… four HUGE bars of Dairy Milk. Oh damn.

So if a detox is the right thing for you too at this time of the year (or this time of your life) we have now scheduled in another of Helena's Yoga & Detox weeks for May 27 - June 3 (her April one sold out a while back).
It's a great way to start the summer (and a great way to change your life, whatever the season)… I just beg you all out there… please don't send me bars of chocolate, cakes or Wagon Wheels.

Love,

John, Gaia, Maurizio, Monica, Bente and the rest of The Hill Team xx

Thought: All Is Well

I (Gaia) had an astonishingly enlightening experience last year.
No, there were no visions, blinding lights or burning bushes.
I was going through a pretty nasty patch actually.
Nothing specific had happened and yet my normal sense of direction had disappeared.
I was forced to look deep into myself again, and all sorts of stuff came out (you know… even the stuff you thought was cleared). It felt like I was going backwards, right back to the beginning, and having to re-address the deep roots of it all.

And, in the midst of scratching through the dirt, I realised that, actually, All Is Well…
I could tell that this is just 'the game': the game of the ups and the downs, the okay and the truly NOT okay, the yin and the yang, the absurdly difficult and the totally immensely beautiful.
And so the ups and the downs suddenly lost their meaning and I could see that all of it is well, and that all of it has always been well.

The apparent desirable and undesirable became the same thing.
And that is quite something.

This doesn't mean I won't engage with the ups and downs of life anymore… after all, we are on the football pitch and it's hard to pretend we don't care about the match (and that, I have to say, is the first and probably the last time in my life I'll use a football analogy).
But it means that I can see that beneath all the events that make up a life, there is the sweetest, most unexplainable okayness, where everything is truly well and the same, even when on the surface it's a mess and it doesn't make any sense.
And that really is quite something.

And it's something that I'm now sharing with more of you in my All Is Well work, in London and here at The Hill.

Love to all of you,
And may you see that, whatever is going on, All Is Well,

Ciao,

Gaia, John, Maurizio, Monica & the rest of The Hill team xx

Gaia teaches All Is Well events in the UK »

And the All Is Well Week at The Hill »

Thought: Removing the Meat

Yes, today is officially Removing the Meat Day… or more commonly known as 'Carnival', or, for many of us 'Pancake Day'. Here in Italy (the language in which 'Carnival' has its original meaning) we dressed up our boys in carnival gear this morning for a party at school.

But I'm left here dreaming about pancakes. And memories of my mum racing to feed us all one pancake after another to see who could eat the most (I usually got to about 9).

The source of all these festivities of course is the idea that we give something up for Lent… remembering that Jesus went on a total detox in the desert for 40 days.

Of course, after clearing out the cupboards of flour, milk, sugar and lemon juice, my mum would not go without for 40 days, but put the whole lot on the shopping list on the fridge, and visit Sainsburys the next day for a stock-up.

I shouldn't be too hard on my mum of course… she took Lent very seriously (in its religious sense at least) and would usually give up on chocolate.

So should you give up on anything this Lent? Not for a religious reason… most of us wouldn't do that… most of us would use it as a little pre-summer detox period (maybe Jesus, too, was just intending to get into shape for a summer in shorts).

Here's an idea. Why not give up something that you don't really enjoy anyway (so cross choccie off that list) but do because of a feeling of obligation… or because feel you really have to do it.

Eg. That evening class that seemed like a good idea in September but you really hate;
That resolution you made in January, but you know can't last much longer anyway;
That form of exercise / diet that you can't stand;
That half-friend whom you still meet through a sense of obligation - bye bye;
Sticking in a job because you thought it would better on your C.V.;
Sticking in a relationship because you're not sure what else there is out there;
Putting money into a pension / savings plan

Don't do all these things, of course. Just work out what you really don't enjoy doing, and give that up. And create some space in your life for more stuff that you do enjoy.

Again, that's what I reckon Jesus was doing anyway… he was detoxing and decluttering (the desert to minimalist to the extreme, you have to say)… but it really created a lot of space in His life for some real miracles to happen. :-)

Ciao,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

Thought: Leaning Forwards

We write this from the ski slopes of Northern Italy. And one thing that's struck me over the last few days is the significance of leaning forwards as we enter this new year.

Now, leaning forwards in skiing is one of the keys to skiing well. But, blimey, is it difficult. The instinct, as we hit a steep and slippery slope, is to lean back and into the slope... But this is the best way to loose control and end up on your bottie. Though it feels scarey, the best way to stay in control and get where you want to be is to lean forwards.

And the same in life: whatever projects you undertake, whatever you throw yourself into, whatever wild dreams you have for the year...

When it gets tough and the most natural thing is to give up, don't, lean forwards and really go for it.

Most things worth having or doing or being take some of this counter intuitive leaning forwards.

Try it. Go for what you really want this year and when it gets tough remember me throwing myself down the slopes, and keep leaning forwards yourself into the life of you dreams.

Love,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

Thought: Happy Holidays

Soon there’ll be no more ‘Merry Christmas’, it’ll be ‘Happy Holidays’.

After all, there aren’t that many people celebrating the birth of Christ anymore. Not that I ever did as a kid in a Christian family anyway. No matter how much the church tried, Santa got all the attention. After all, there’s no choice between a benign old guy who’s about to personally deliver you loads of presents, and a little baby born in a drafty barn, receiving gifts of perfume.

Seems though that the new 'Happy Holidays' might be in for some stick too… some people don’t get much of a holiday… and lots of people are pretty miserable over the ‘festive’ period.

Let’s instead stick to what we know works… the giving and receiving of gifts bit. Let’s call it GiftMass… a mass of gifts changing hands.

Oh, you say, not exactly environmentally friendly is it?

Okay, so what do you reckon this mid-winter thing should be about then? And, at this point on Facebook, everybody joins in (please go to 'thef**kitway' on Facebook if you do want to join in then).

Anyway, from all of us at The Hill That Breathes, we wish you a wonderful Whatever You Want It To Be this, errmmm, late December / early January.

Love,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

So, AT LAST, we have the 2010 programme ready for you to see.

We’re very excited about this one… with new ideas and new teachers all over the shop.

And if next year is anything like this year was - when we had to disappoint more than 100 people whose chosen week was booked up - it’s worth reserving your space early.

So have a look at the programme by clicking here »

Now, one thing you’ll notice is that the wonderful Barefoot Doctor is opening our programme for us next year with his week ‘The Grand Opening of the Spiritual Heart’ (you see the grand opening theme there?)…

And he’s been kind enough to write some lovely words about The Hill for you all to read:

“The Hill is a thrill, a sublime thrill - not the cheap thrill of gaudy fun fairs or any such trivial pursuits of the modern world, yet amazingly good value for what must be one of the world's best-run, most beautifully aspected and most effective healing and self-development retreat centers in the world - and I say so without hyperbole.

Admittedly my view is of the professional who comes here to teach and a biased one at that, as I have a fond love for Gaia and John. Hence I can't speak objectively for the people who come to participate, though all the ones I've taught here have clearly fallen head over heels in love with the place. But speaking as a professional who's run retreats all over the world, this is by far and away my favorite venue of all.

The geodesic dome on the hill in the forest in which the sessions take place is like entering a spaceship that transports you instantly to a fresh dimension. The caliber of teachers is world-class. The atmosphere is warm, safe, easy-on-the-soul and surprisingly good fun. The food is a gustatory delight. The staff are wonderful. The accommodation and facilities are excellent. The setting is idyllic. The air is naturally scented with frangipani. And the fireflies dance a wild fandango for you every night.

I love the Hill That Breathes and I can't recommend you coming here highly enough.”

The Barefoot Doctor

A Hug from The Hill

It’s been a gorgeous summer. We’ve made so many new friends. And had visits from lots of old friends too.

But there’s one thing we find frustrating about running The Hill: it’s so hard to stay in touch properly with all of you we’ve formed a link with here over the years.

So we’d like this message to be like one big hug to all of you from us, and specifically:

• A big hug to those we’ve got to know this year and know we’ll see again.
• A big hug to those we were close to but have slipped out of touch.
• A big hug to those who receive these mails but we’ve not yet met.
• A big hug to those of you who are struggling at the moment.

One of the reasons we’re doing The F**k It Party in November is to allow lots of us to get together again. Come along to that. And let’s have a real hug again (or for the first time).

Love,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

Hi everyone,

News first

News first: There was a juicy piece on us and F**k It in the Sunday Times last week.

We now have over 2,500 fans for our ‘Way of F**k It’ page on Facebook... it’s where I (John) write a little ‘F**k It’ message most days, so do sign up if you haven’t already.

I thought I’d take a rest from writing The Thought this month and hand over to Master Dan Brulé. Dan is a master of breathwork and has spent his adult life bringing the gift of conscious breathing to 1000's of people around the world. He is the most relaxed, open, loving person we know. His week this year at The Hill is August 13-20. The phrase ‘life-changing’ is bandied about a little too easily, but experiencing a week with Dan is genuinely so.

Thought from Master Dan Brulé: A New Take on ‘Recovery’

“I love shaking up people’s minds. For the most part our thinking is so unconscious, so habitual, so repetitive, dysfunctional, disempowering and even destructive. During my recent trip to Russia and Kazakhstan , I was able to see how easy it is for us to fall back into old habits of negative, limiting, self-sabotaging thoughts, emotions and behaviors - even after the most profound transformational breathing experiences, and despite the most powerful awakenings to love, peace, joy, and freedom.

During spiritual breathing sessions, a beautiful space of freedom and safety opens up within us and around us. In this space, our essence, our real true self is invited or allowed to emerge and express. It is as if a light within us is uncovered, and we are able to shine! Anyone who has done this work has seen it in the eyes of those who engage in the process. There is a natural ease, and a flow of love that can be witnessed and felt and shared.

Conscious breathing, spiritual breathing, awakens us to our divine nature, we actually open up to life and love in a bigger, deeper, or higher level. And it is expressed in the way we live, and in all of our relationships. It may often be hard to describe or put into words, but it is an unarguable experience: our hearts and minds literally open and shine!

This happens because the moment to moment practice of awareness, relaxation and breathing burns through or dissolves the veil, the mask, the personality, the ego that covers over our spirit like a filter or a shell. The process clears away all the thoughts, feelings and sensations, and emotions that hide or dim our inner light, untill... the process of “recovery” occurs... And we begin to take back on the same old thoughts and feelings, the same the old attitudes and habits that cover over the pure love and light within.

And so, I am coming out to state publicly that I am against recovery! Please don’t recover after a session or seminar! Remain uncovered. Remain open and shining! This is a great challenge, because of the power of long-held habits. And in a world hungry for light, it is easy to feel that you will be eaten alive, or swallowed up by unconsciousness.

The only solution is to use every opportunity to strengthen our connection to the light within. Do it consciously with every breath. Don’t allow mental, emotional, or physical stuff to trap or block all that light. Remain conscious and open to the infinite, and let your love and light flow. Seek out other lovers of life and beings of light. Shine your light, and support others in shining theirs.

Catch yourself whenever you default back into to the old programs and conditioning. Wake up again and again. Remember who you are when you are lost in thoughts, swimming in emotions or caught in sensations. Turn to your real true self whenever you are drawn into identifying with anything else. And gently remind others in your family, like-minded friends, circle or community to choose love and peace and joy. Oneness and wholeness, freedom and safety, and generosity of spirit are the only rules. Forgiving ourselves and each other again and again whenever we fall back and recover: this is the way to stay open to love and light, and to keep growing in peace and power.

One of the best descriptions breathwork that I’ve heard is “It’s the art of cleaning and balancing your energy body.” Conscious breathing is a way to find yourself, to return to your self. Breathe consciously whenever you get caught up in negative or limiting thoughts, feelings or behaviors. Doing twenty conscious connected breaths every day, or when something happens that makes you forget who you really are, is a good idea.”

Thanks Dan.

Love,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

Hi everyone,

News first

We're opening today... yippee. We're looking forward to you joining us this summer (if you are).

There's a very important exhibition of Raphael's paintings in Urbino (our local city) this summer, open until 12 July (see http://www.raffaelloeurbino.it). Raphael was born in Urbino - and had strong links with the city all through his life. They've managed to borrow Raphael's paintings from galleries around the world - France, Germany, the U.S. and England - though many come from just over the mountains, the Uffizi in Florence. It's a great opportunity to see the best work of Urbino's most famous son in one place. And to mark this special exhibition, we're offering something special:

If you come on holiday during the period of this exhibition (ie. up to 12 July), and you book in the next 10 days (ie. before 18 May), we'll send you on a special trip to Urbino to visit the exhibition (including the taxi, entry to the exhibition, an audio guide and a glass of prosecco in the bar outside the exhibition).

Now, if you enjoy this monthly thought... and you want some more... I'm now writing a monthly F**k It thought to those who've enquired about F**k It (just e-mail us with 'register' in the subject to get that).

Thought:

Going Air-kiss Crazy

At what point did greeting people become such a nightmare? There was a time when Brits would greet everyone with a firm handshake. The 'continentals' did all that kissing and embracing, but that wasn't for the Brits, was it?

Now we're all over the place. I live in Italy, so I'm pretty used to the two kisses way (though more about that in a minute). When I visit Blighty, it seems that men are often still happy to shake hands. But women, especially if you've met them once before, go in for a kiss/embrace. I'm cool with that, kiss one cheek, then move to kiss the other cheek... but they've withdrawn... I'm left hanging, lips semi-puckered, head tilted ready for the second kiss, but they were expecting just a one-kisser. Ouch!

But increasingly men too are going in for different forms of greetings. I have male friends who choose from the following:

- A firm shake of the hands;
- Embrace, with one kiss;
- Embrace, with two kisses;
- Strong, lingering embrace, no kissing (a.k.a. 'hug');
- A knuckle-to-knuckle, then grasp of hands;
- A high five, then grasp of hands / arms.

Even here in Italy, it can be very complicated. Putting aside who to kiss, how to kiss, and when... there are so many variations on the kissing greeting. I've noticed that some people do a semi-air-kiss, where the kissing sound is made, but there is no contact of lips on cheek. Others plant a smacker on the cheek, with little noise, but more juice. My least favourite is the noisy semi-air-kiss that lands close to the ear... that says to me 'this is a fake, going-through-the-motions kiss, and I'm happy for you to know that'.

Christ.

Okay, get a grip. I have two techniques to approach this greeting minefield. And they act as a happy metaphor for our approach to life. Learn how to greet and you learn how to live, you could say:

Approach 1: Be fully open to the situation. Don't impose any expectations on the greeting form. Go in ready for anything. Let the other person lead, and you follow, wherever it takes you. You have to stay fully open through the whole greeting too... you don't want to get caught out with the one/two kiss problem that catches me. Be open. Stay open. Follow the (greeting) flow.

Approach 2: Go in to the greeting knowing fully what you want, and determined to get it no matter what. If you're clear and determined about what you want, the other person picks this up and tends to go for it. This works so well that you'll be able to successfully high five the queen after a little practice.

Yes. Approaches 1 and 2 are the opposite. But both work. Funny that. The problem for most of us is that we slip between the two: we go in to a greeting not quite sure what will be required, not wanting to assert ourselves, but not willing to give up either. The discomfort of uncertainty creates the compounded discomfort of the inevitable botched greeting. One botched greeting increases the discomfort and uncertainty of the next greeting and you have yourselves a vicious circle.

Now apply all this to life and you have a valuable lesson. Be open, soft and flow with what is or go in clearly, 100% with determination. Move between these two (opposite) modes fluidly and you have something that looks like Tai Chi, and a lot like a life that's working.

Don't linger inbetween these two modes uncertainly... don't stop mid-flow, don't hesitate, don't wallow in uncertainty... in Tai Chi you'll fall over... as you will in life.

Kiss, kiss, hug,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

Hello everyone,

News first

The yoga teachers Bharti & Duccio's week, August 6-13, is going down so well, that we've asked them to come back for another week this year... so they'll be here September 24 - October 1 for another week of fabulous Iyengar yoga.

Okay, the thought for this month:

The Chocolate Crunch

God, what are we to do with all this chocolate around? Stuffed after Easter, it's still impossible to resist those pieces of chocolate egg (I've calculated that their smell can travel 7ft across the room); those chocolate rabbits; those mini-eggs. Should we scoff the lot as quickly as possible and thus get back to a normal diet... or spread out the pleasure (and resulting pain)?

I'm thinking bigger than this though. I have an idea: why doesn't the government turn the whole credit crunch thing to our advantage? Just as the availability of credit has become restricted - with its dire effect on individuals and businesses - why doesn't the government restrict the availability of things that don't do us much good... starting with chocolate?

It could introduce huge taxes on chocolate, sweets, cakes, doughnuts, hot cross buns, sticky toffee pudding, black forest gateau, chocolate-chip cookies... the lot of them.

We'd all become healthier and thinner.

And for those that couldn't resist, there's a huge injection of cash into government coffers that could be used to help those struggling with mortgages or to help with some quantative easing. The Chocolate Crunch could even see the end to The Credit Crunch.

Anyway, we'd all emerge from the recession poorer of pocket, but flatter of belly.

And wouldn't we thank the government for that? 'Wow, those were tough times, but don't I look bloody gorgeous now?'

The lesson for us and the government? There's a benefit to be found in everything, there's a creative way out of most things.

Me? Well before the new Chocolate Crunch measures take effect, I've opted for the 'scoff it all quickly' option and sit here with chocolate crumbs on the keyboard.

Yum.

Love,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx

Hi everyone,

So Spring is springing here in Italy. Jumpers are coming off. Sunglasses going on.

News first

Remember that John is teaching in London with Barefoot Doctor: The Freedom Fighters, April 18/19. It's a great opportunity to learn how to find real freedom in your life in a weekend that will be entertaining, inspiring, great fun and transformative. The price is £280. Contact our office here in Italy for more details (including the PDF that was sent out last time)

Thought

I want to kiss you

I (John) have suffered from a condition for many years now. I've not talked about it before. It is somewhat embarrassing. It seems to be getting worse with the passing years. Unlike many conditions, that worsen with anxiety and tension, my condition flares up when I'm very relaxed.

I've decided to talk about it now because doing so may help those who suffer from the same condition.

Here we go. I first noticed the symptoms about 10 years ago. I was working in the media. I was doing lots of Qigong (Chinese energy art) and relaxation practices. Over the course of a few days I noticed that, whenever I was talking to someone one-to-one, I had an overwhelming urge to kiss them. Not on the lips (necessarily), just a peck on the cheek would have done. But I so wanted to kiss them. I felt so warmly towards them. The object of the kiss desire varied too: sometimes female, sometimes male, sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes pretty, sometimes not so.

There we go. It's out. I feel better.

And, over the years, I've noticed that - when I am particularly relaxed, particularly open - the same feeling comes up... not an unspecific upsurge of love, but a very specific desire to kiss the person I'm with, no matter who it is. It's not sexual, it never leads to anything else (though when acted on, I might follow it up with a gentle hug)

And now I just want to give you all a kiss. And to suggest that you have a go. When you're in company, relax, really relax, relax more than you have in your entire life, and see what pops up.

Love and a kiss,

John, Gaia, Monica and the rest of us xxx