Mindfulness Skills

15/06/2026

Recently, while leading a mindfulness guidance on impermanence, I found myself noticing the cow parsley blooming along the Derbyshire hedgerows.

In a few weeks' time, it will have faded.

As I drove past, three words came to me:

Blooming.
Fading.
Belonging.

The first two seemed obvious.

The third stopped me in my tracks.

What does belonging have to do with a flower blooming by the roadside?

That question became the inspiration for this reflection on mindfulness, impermanence, and what the changing seasons can teach us about life.

Read the full article here:

Recently, I lead a mindfulness guidance on the practice of impermanence.Impermanence can seem like an abstract concept at first. We know intellectually that everything changes, yet we often live as though things will remain the same. The practice invites us to look more closely at our direct experie...

05/06/2026

The beauty of a peony bud.

For a few moments, I simply stood there, noticing the stillness between me and the bud.

Mindfulness is often described as a way to reduce stress or become more present. While these benefits are valuable, I believe there is something deeper available to us.

A chance to touch into the source of our experience, the simple awareness that is always present beneath the busyness of everyday life.

Sometimes we find this in formal meditation.
Sometimes in nature.
Sometimes in the brief moments when we stop rushing and simply allow ourselves to be here.

I've written a short reflection inspired by that experience, the stillness, and meeting life directly.

https://www.mindfulnessskills.com/post/the-stillness-between

19/05/2026

Touching the Source: Reflections on Grief and Presence

This morning, the reality of death felt unexpectedly close.

Reflecting on people I’ve loved and lost, and experiencing the different “flavours” of grief moving through the body: Sadness, tenderness, longing, love, a quiet ache.

These led to deeper reflections on life and death, how sometimes in moments of profound presence we can touch upon something deeper beneath it all.

https://www.mindful-endoflife.com/touching-the-source-reflections-on-grief-and-presence/

This morning the reality of death felt unexpectedly close. After reflecting yesterday on the deaths of people in my life, I awoke to something deeply moving As I stirred and became conscious, the reality that one of my closest friends death filled my awareness, that he was no longer alive. The empti...

28/04/2026

Where Do We Find Moments of Stillness and Oneness?

This morning I sat looking out of the window and noticed the buds of a copper beech slowly unfurling.

Colours.
Textures.
The quiet rhythm of sound in the room.

Moments like these are always available to us — small opportunities to reconnect with clarity and stillness.

In mindfulness practice, we sometimes call these microhits — brief moments of awareness that help us stay connected to the aliveness of our experience.

I've written a short article exploring how these small moments can gradually change how we experience daily life.

https://www.mindfulnessskills.com/post/the-taste-of-stillness-mindfulness-in-small-moments

As I sit and practice, looking out of my window, I notice the buds of the copper beech tree. The colours, the textures, the way the young leaves slowly unfurl into the light. There is a softness to their unfurling, a quiet knowing in the way they open at their own pace.At the same time, I become awa...

31/03/2026

Have you ever wished your mind would just quiet down for a while?

Many people tell me: "I just want my mind to be less busy."

But the harder we try to stop thoughts, the more they seem to keep coming.

In mindfulness practice, there’s a gentler approach. Instead of fighting thoughts, we learn where to place attention.

For example, something as simple as walking can become a practice:
• noticing what you see
• listening to the sounds around you
• feeling your body moving

When attention shifts outward like this, something interesting often happens — the mental chatter softens on its own.

Not because we forced it to stop…but because attention is now somewhere else.

I’ve written a short article exploring this idea — how Focus In and Focus Out can change our relationship to thoughts and bring more clarity into daily life.

To learn more about Har-Prakash’s Cultivating the Jewel of Mindfulness course: https://www.cultivatingthejewel.com/module-one-course

You can read more of my review of the topics covered in Class 3 here: https://www.mindfulnessskills.com/post/cultivating-the-jewel-module-1-class-3-review

One of the most practical shifts in mindfulness training is learning where to place attention. In Class 3 of Cultivating the Jewel, we explore two simple strategies: “Focus In” and “Focus Out”, and how they can profoundly change our experience of stress, clarity, and daily life.At this stage...

25/03/2026

In a world that often avoids talking about death, I’m glad to share the launch of a new initiative close to my heart — Mindful End of Life.

This initiative brings together mindfulness practice, open conversation, and compassionate support for those exploring death, dying, and a deeper appreciation of life.

1) 🌿 Weekly Thursday Mindfulness Sits A dedicated practice exploring themes of death, dying, and impermanence, supporting greater clarity, acceptance, and presence.

First session: Thursday 9th April 2026 🕤 9:30pm UK / 4:30pm EST

2) ☕ Online Death Café (last Thursday of each month) Hosted by Choshin Blackburn & Bob Chiang

An open, respectful space for conversation about death and life — where people can share, reflect, or simply listen.

First Death Café: Thursday 30th April 2026 🕤 9:30pm UK / 4:30pm EST

3) Workshops and sessions from various teachers

These sessions are offered freely, with optional donations.

My intention is to support those approaching the end of life, those caring for others, and anyone who feels drawn to explore these themes in a mindful and grounded way.

If this resonates, you are very welcome to join — or to share with others who might benefit.

🌐 More details: https://www.mindful-endoflife.com
📧 Email: [email protected]

Warmly, Bob Chiang

Embracing Life’s Final Journey with Compassion and Grace Mindful End of Life offers compassionate guidance, coaching, and safe spaces for mindful navigation of death, dying and aging – fostering acceptance, well-being and deep appreciation of life. Learn More Compassionate Guidance for Your Jour...

12/03/2026

What happens when you can’t check your phone for an hour?

I recently ran a mindfulness session for a group of corporate managers and invited them to try a simple experiment.

For one hour, the agreement was simple: no checking phones.
If anything urgent came up, someone else could handle it.

What happened next was interesting.

Despite agreeing to the experiment, about half of the participants found themselves automatically reaching for their phones — checking emails, messages, or notifications without even realising it.

It wasn’t a conscious decision. It was simply habit.

That moment revealed something important about how our attention works — and how mindfulness helps us become aware of the habits that quietly shape our behaviour.

And when we become aware of those habits, we begin to have the possibility of changing them.

I’ve written a short article exploring this simple experiment and what it teaches us about attention, habits, and mindfulness.

Read the full article here:
www.mindfulnessskills.com/post/why-we-check-our-phones-without-realising-it

What Happened When I Asked Corporate Managers Not to Check Their Phones for One HourI recently ran a mindfulness session for a group of corporate managers. At the beginning of the session, I invited them to try a simple experiment.For the next hour, the invitation was not to check their phones or sm...

03/03/2026

From Distraction to Empowerment

Ever sat down to meditate… and realised your mind feels busier than before you started?

Modern life doesn’t really give our nervous system a break. News, emails, social media, conversations, expectations — it’s constant input.

I’ve been reviewing Cultivating the Jewel, and in Class 2 one idea really stood out to me:

Weak concentration is not failure.
Noticing distraction and gently returning to your focus is doing the
technique perfectly.

That reframing can be such a relief — especially if you have a strong inner critic.

The class also introduces the idea of “Walls and Windows.” Every obstacle in meditation — agitation, dullness, self-judgment — can become an opportunity for training.

Instead of trying to eliminate distraction, we learn how to work with it.

Instead of being pushed around by our internal weather, we develop steadiness and choice.

Over time, something shifts.
Obstacles become practice.
Distraction becomes workable.
And that’s where real empowerment begins.

If you’d like to read the full review, here’s the blog article:
https://www.mindfulnessskills.com/post/cultivating-the-jewel-module-1-class-2-review

From Distraction to Empowerment: Turning Walls into WindowsEver sat down to meditate and realised your mind feels louder than before you started?Modern life bombards us with input — news alerts, social media, emails, conversations, expectations. Before we’ve even had breakfast, the nervous syste...

26/02/2026

Why mindfulness is not a quick fix — but a lasting one

When we’re stressed, most of us just want relief.

Something to take the edge off.
A distraction.
Reassurance.
A way to feel better right now.

There’s nothing wrong with that — relief has its place.

But relief and lasting change are not the same thing.

As mindfulness teacher Shinzen Young says:

“Mindfulness may not be a quick fix, but it is a deep fix.”

If you’re curious how mindfulness supports lasting wellbeing, I’ve written a short article about this:

In times of stress, most of us look for a quick fix.We want something that will make the discomfort go away, quickly if possible. A distraction, reassurance, a solution, a way to feel better right now.There is nothing wrong with seeking relief. In many situations, it is sensible and necessary. But r...

19/02/2026

I’ve just completed Class 1, Module 1 of Cultivating the Jewel, a mindfulness programme developed by Har-Prakash (senior teacher of Shinzen Young), and I really appreciated how clear and grounded it is.

The class focuses on what mindfulness actually trains — not just as an idea, but as real skills of awareness. It clearly distinguishes Mindful Living from Mindful Awareness, and shows how developing sensory clarity can reduce overwhelm and stress.

I found the framework for understanding experience particularly helpful. By organising experience into body, mind, and world, it becomes easier to see what’s happening moment-to-moment — and to respond with more choice rather than reactivity.

The programme speaks to both everyday benefits (better habits, emotional balance, improved relationships) and deeper aspects of practice, such as insight and freedom from limiting patterns.

It also includes practical ways to work skilfully with the inner critic — something many of us know all too well.

👉 Full article on my blog:
https://wix.to/3O5VWaD

👉 For more details about the programme:
https://www.cultivatingthejewel.com/

I have designed the Cultivating the Jewel of Mindfulness comprehensive practitioner programs for meditators who want to deepen and integrate psycho-spiritual growth in all aspects of their lives.