Hastings Happiness Lectures each Autumn

And can we use the Happy Hastings bus please for publicity?

A Good Week for India will follow in Hastings

I'm very pleased with the call just received from India. Nagamitra wants to spend at least a week with me this summer fundraising in Brighton, Hastings and London for http://nagaloka-dream-cycle.blogspot.com/

The target I've set is to raise £36,000 this summer to support the empowerment of (would-be) students such as Puja (No1 Below):

"1. Bhagwan from Orisa, he dont have parrent, he is very good boy really very honest and really very much connected with the dhamma and he wants to do study more effectively, he has very big dream to achive and certainly, I will recomond him.

2. Puja(Girl) from Gadchiroali,(Naxlite) area, she is also in very much difficult situation, I really like to get help her, her village in such place where there is Nothing, no electricity, not roads not good water no mobile towers not any connection if she wants to do anything she has to spend whole day for the getting bus or any convenient, very difficult. so I would recomond her too."

Paul Crosland and Nagamitra at Nagaloka training institute, Nagpur (the central city of India), December 2010 

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If you have a vision that goes beyond the UK, why not resource a student in building their confidence and ability to become community leaders in their home villages and towns (all for less than £1/day) - see the Nagaloka Dream Cycle Website here

A Good Shiatsu Week for Commuters

An offer has come in for 'A Good Week' of shiatsu sessions (sitting up head & neck) at the Southwater Centre; at least for commuters coming back from London in the evenings.

life with full attention courses

Here's some background information , a meditation and a talk, on "Life with Full Attention":

Following on from 'A good week' in Hastings (20th-26th June), the course, based on the book, will be run on the following days and times, unless there are sufficient requests for re-scheduling:

• Tuesday evening group: 7.15pm -9.15pm: 

  June 28th, July 5th, July 19th, July 26th, Aug 2nd, Aug 9th, Aug 16th, Aug 23rd

• Thursday morning group: 10.30am-12.30am: 

June 30th, July 7th, July 21sr, July 28th, Aug 4th, Aug 11th, Aug 18th, Aug 25th

• Saturday afternoon group: 2.30pm-4.30pm: 

July 2nd, July 9th, (July 23rd - informal gathering with full attention on the beach), July 30th, Aug 6th, Aug 13th, Aug 20th, Aug 27th

The course leader is Paul Crosland, a "trainee ordained Buddhist ie I asked for ordination in 2006" & I have been practising within the Triratna Buddhist movement since 1998.

Note: No groups being held in the week of 13th-17th July because these are the dates of a festival to which the course leader is provisionally planning to attend. If you wish to go to the Buddhafield festival too, please liase.
To read more about the Buddhafield Festival, and Paul Crosland's previous work there in sharing, please see here.

And here's an introduction to Mindfulness which I recorded at the Action for Happiness launch event:

a good week -planning

Planning for a good week begins as soon as you communicate with another person (eg me) planning for it.

More formally, Action for Happiness meetings in Hastings & St Leonards begin on Thursdays from 12th May (informal venues); and then from Thursday 2nd June at 8pm at the Mediation Support Offices at Southwater Community Centre: more info at http://sussexcommunity.blogspot.com/p/mediation-support-ltd-at-southwater.html

Five ways to well-being (If you want a happy day, try 'five a day')

Action for Happiness Launch Day

 Here's a 12 second film I made today at the launch event of what Lord Richard Layard (author of 'Happiness' and founder of the charity Action for Happiness) committed to taking on today as extra actions towards further well-being:

This earlier film (about a Nottinghamshire event) contains the 5 a day formula to enhance happiness:

I remember cycling to Hastings (from Canterbury) aged 14, making connection with people at the Youth Hostel (Guestling) and getting the satisfaction of playing crazy golf and on the last hole getting a hole in one to win a bonus free game to play another time. Not having won any prizes at school this meant a lot to me and I held on to that voucher for a free game for a year I reckon, then planned another cycle holiday around it so that I could get my free game. I enjoy each return visit to Hastings and look forward to spreading happiness like butter when I live there from next month onwards: