In Episode #20 Basis London founder Tom McAdam speaks with meditation and mindfulness teacher Per Norrgren.

Meditation and mindfulness practice are powerful antidotes to the stresses and challenges of the modern world. In this conversation, Tom and Per explore the many ways in which these practices can improve the state of your mind and transform the quality of your life.

Per also shares practical tips on how to meditate, how to get started and how to bring mindfulness practice into your everyday life to radically upgrade your sense of wellbeing.

This conversation is for both the experienced meditator and the novice with Per sharing wisdom accumulated over many years of practice and teaching.

Per is an associate teacher at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre where he trained to teach MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy) and has also completed teacher training with Bangor University. Per has extensive experience teaching both MBCT and MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction). He is co-founder of InMindSight, an organisation that trains teachers and hosts meditation retreats in the Algarve in Portugal.

Per’s popular 8-week introductory meditation course can be found on Udemy here:

Books mentioned:

Breath by breath - Larry Rosenberg

The Mind Illuminated - John Yates

We speak about:

* Per shares a short meditation practice called The 3 Step Breathing Space

* Per’s transformative first experience of mindfulness doing the MBSR course

* Dealing with burnout and divorce and how Per found healing through  meditation and mindfulness 

* Why the key to the mind is working through the body

* Teaching mindfulness in the workplace

* What is the point of paying close attention to the breath?

* Why you shouldn’t expect to feel calm when you begin meditation and how meditation gradually leads to a lasting and powerful state of calm

* The problem of the restless mind for meditation beginners and what to do with it

* How meditative movement and mindful everyday activities (e.g. washing the dishes) can be a good first step for those with agitated mind states

* The power of walking meditation and how to do it

* Per’s definition of mindfulness and the relationship between mindfulness and concentration

* The relationship between mindfulness, non-judgement and suffering

* Per shares a short meditation practice exploring reactivity (43:00)

* The two arrows of suffering from the Buddhist tradition and how reactivity unnecessarily compounds our pain

* Dealing with negative thought patterns through mindfulness practice and Tom’s own experience uncovering anxiety-inducing thoughts

* How meditation practice allowed Per to stay calm and find innovative solutions in highly stressed professional situations

* Per describes his own personal meditation practice: when, how and how long

* Per’s advice for how beginners should start meditating and Per’s own 8-week beginners course on Udemy (see link above)

* Per guides us through a 10-minute meditation practice focused on relaxation and comfort and based on his own daily practice

We hope you enjoy the conversation