When we hear the sound of the bell we breathe consciously and allow our whole body to enjoy that conscious breathing … we become fully present and aware of life in and around us in this very moment.  We do this very naturally, with enjoyment, and without solemnity or feeling contracted or stiff.  

So on your arrival you might hear a bell sound and see that the people around you have stopped still, stopped talking, and stopped moving. It might be  the  beautiful sound of the Gratitude Bell under the big Puriri tree,  or the Sukha Vihara Abbey bell, or the Tara sanctuary bells floating down the mountain.  It may even be the sound of the telephone ringing or the dining room clock chiming.  All of these are our ‘bells of mindfulness’.  That we use to simply train ourselves to come fully into the present moment and to allow ourselves to touch the wonder of being … the wonder of Being a Conscious and fully alive.

You are our guest and we want you also to touch the wonder of your precious human life.  Even if you feel caught by sorrow or worries or anxiety – please allow the bell to support you to have a mini-retreat right in the moment  come home to your breath …. to relax your body and embrace your tender heart.     

By stopping to breathe and restore our calm and our peace, we become free, our mind and body, our play and our work becomes more enjoyable and the friend in front of us becomes more real. 

Back home you can find many different kinds of ‘Bells of Mindfulness” to use to support you to come home to yourself and the present moment in a calm and spacious way. We learn to use many sounds from the daily life … the telephone, the local church bells, the cry of a baby, the sound of a plane overhead, and even the sound of fire engines and ambulances can all support us to calm …to stop and breathe and this enables us to respond calmly and clearly rather than to habitually react to life.   

With just three conscious breaths you  can release the tensions in your body and mind and return to a cool calm and clear state of being.