Holy Isle - a holy place

Holy Isle, off the island of Arran, is a magical place. I spent a wonderful week there as part of my MSc in Mindfulness earlier this summer. The Centre for World Peace and Health is based there, and, along with my fellow students, we spent the week meditating and being mindful, gaining insight into ourselves, and learning how to be teachers of mindfulness.

Part of the magic is that there are no cars, no phones, no internet (unless you really need it) and no shops. Simply being with nature, the wild goats and sheep and ponies (and the odd tick!) and the sound of the wind in the trees and the calling of cuckoos and oyster catchers and blackbirds. As part of the stay, guests also take part in 'Karmic yoga' which means you help out with the cleaning, preparing food and washing up, shoveling up pony poo, and litter picking on the beach. Being part of the community, joining Green Tara prayers at 6am every morning, eating vegetarian food mostly grown on the island, watching the red squirrels and baby thrushes.

We spent time in silence and in chatter, in sunshine and in the sea, in gazing out over the bay towards Arran and contemplating the murals of Buddhist icons around the lisland. It was restful, silent and above all mindful. I can't wait for the trip next year.