About

Slow Space is an inclusive space for mindfulness and meditation practice. On and offline - in Brisbane/Meanjin, Australila.

Slow Space is an offering from the heart, where ancient wisdom and modern life meet. My name is Lauren and learning to meditate has been the most important skill I have learned so far in my life. At Slow Space we explore meditation in many ways, rooted in the buddhist teachings but remaining non-religious. We gather together weekly in a group setting, to support each other throughout our meditation journey. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned practitioner, all are welcome to join.

Through these practices I wish for all beings to benefit and to experience lasting peace, joy and purpose.

Mindfulness and Meditation

The buddhist teachings inform alot of our practices at Slow Space, and we feel there is an essential element of these ancient practices that translates well into modern life, and that is taking our happiness and peace into our own hands. We all have the ability to cultivate a happy and peaceful mind.

The Buddha, meaning “one who is awake to the nature of reality” offered a practical path and training to guide us home to our true nature. He stated twenty-five centuries ago that “life is suffering” due to constantly craving pleasant experiences and having aversion to unpleasant experiences. The only way to break this cycle is to bring attention back from suffering and deeply into our present moment experience. This is what Mindfulness is. Simply rememebering what we have forgotten, that these inherent qualities of joy, freedom and peace reside at the core of every human mind.

While reading this is giving you an idea of what mindfulness is, it is your direct experience with the practice that will give you the best understanding.

We can all build a buddha brain

There is emerging research in neuroscience, which tells us the brains “default mode of operation” is mind wandering. Our default state of mind is a rumination of thoughts of past and future that may not represent what is actually happening for us right now. This is said to affect our ability to feel satisfied with our lives. Both the Buddha and modern science suggest that the missing piece to lasting happiness is our ability to live with true presence and to break this cycle of craving and aversion.

“We rarely experience the present moment because we are lost in thought”.

What is in the way of living mindfully and being present?
Our constant habit of thinking, thinking, thinking. Our mind produces thoughts the way our heart produces a beat, it is a natural process. It is not good or bad, but as we look more deeply into the nature of this process, we realise that it is not always helpful and may be an obstacle to our peace. Mindfulness and meditation requires a new kind of effort, to build a new habit of establishing presence and awareness instead of being lost in thought. The reason it can feel hard to practice this is the same reason it feels hard to bring a car doing 120km/hr to a sudden halt, our habit of thinking is very strong.

How do we build a buddha brain? It takes time, patience and some discipline to master the skill of meditation. It’s not a “quick fix” and we can’t expect an overnight transformation. Once we pay attention to what is happening inside of us, we can start clearing old patterns, process surpressed emotions and get in touch with our true nature; the quiet, wise and peaceful space beyond emotions, thoughts and beliefs. This is called our “Buddha Nature” . “We could think of Buddha nature as what exists beneath or behind the mind” Thich Nhat Hanh.

With time our practice gifts us the realisation that every aspect of our life is precious and worth paying attention to.

The wandering mind and strong emotions

Mindfulness includes being aware of where our mind is wandering to. Notice the judgements, comments or criticising of ourselves or others. How often do we ruminate or incessently comment and conceptualise our reality?

We familiarise ourselves with the quality of thoughts we are having, whether negative, positive or neutral, we simply become more aware with curiosity and without judgement.

In many recent scientific studies, it is said that mindfulness can significantly decrease the amount of physiological and pyhscological pain we experience, as we understand the process of emotions and thoughts more clearly.

Robin S. Sharma, a former monk, said “the mind makes a wonderful servant, but a terrible master”.

And Socrates stated “An unexamined life is not worth living”

I find these quotes capture what mindfulness and meditation offers us.

Find out more about the practical elements of mindfulness by joining the weekly in-person class or setup a 1:1 practice consultation.htr