A Mindful Week

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A Mindful Week #27

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A Mindful Week #27

Your weekly dose of mindfulness, creativity & insight. Curated by Nikolas & the Art of Meditation team.

Nikolas Konstantin
Jun 14, 2021
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A Mindful Week #27

nikolaskonstantin.substack.com

Your weekly dose of mindfulness, creativity & insight. Website / Blog / Club


01 Meditation

1000 Days of Meditation: From zero to meditating for a thousand days. This video was three years in the making. Insights into the first steps towards a more mindful life.


02 Culture

Musicians + Meditation = love: Meditation apps want us to chill out. Musicians are happy to help. Artists like Erykah Badu, Grimes and Arcade Fire are teaming with tech companies to make it happen.


03 Purpose

3 Keys to Living Intentionally: “Mimetic desire” is a concept that originated with the French thinker René Girard. He believed that our desires are not entirely our own. Instead, they are generated and shaped through a social process by which people imitate the desires of others.


04 Research

Richard Davidson: A leading neuroscientist’s point of view on the state of mental health post pandemic. Spoiler: The pandemic is affecting our mental health in ways that are not always clear-cut. Spoiler part two: There is evidence to suggest that our mental health and well-being can be thought of as skills to learn.

© richardjdavidson.com

05 Creativity

Musa N. Nxumalo: Like a modern-day Larry Clark or a Nan Goldin, this emerging South African photographer allows us to be both voyeurs and participants in his world.

Alternative Kidz Series, 2009. © Musa N. Nxumalo

06 Music

Welcome to the Internet: Comedian Bo Burnham's new Netflix special is a masterpiece. Filmed, directed, sung and cut by mastermind Bo himself its the strangest and most Covid of all content that has aired until now.


07 Music

Man Play the Blues Spotify Playlist: A blues playlist that goes under your skin.


08 Quote

Quotes that inspire us and make us think.


09 Meditation of the week

Relaxation. This one is difficult.

What would I give for a on/off button for letting go.

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Nikolas Konstantin @niko_konstantin
Contrary to popular belief relaxation does not just happen. Relaxation comes through mastery: it involves awareness, control and focused attention. A few truths on relaxation:
6:24 PM ∙ Jun 14, 2021

This one I often got wrong.

At the heart of mastery - be it dancing effortless in strange modernist dance pieces, or playing Basketball like Bugs Bunny in Space - is control.

And the biggest part of control is the choice where to ease up - and where to tense up.

Here a collection of truths I found (correct me when I am wrong).

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Nikolas Konstantin @niko_konstantin
Truth One: Relaxation comes from being aware. Not from being unaware.
6:24 PM ∙ Jun 14, 2021
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Nikolas Konstantin @niko_konstantin
Truth Two: Relaxation, doesn’t simply happen. It is a conscious choice to focus and letting go.
6:24 PM ∙ Jun 14, 2021
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Nikolas Konstantin @niko_konstantin
Truth Three: Relaxation is mastery. Only through sustained focus can you get to a space void of tension.
6:24 PM ∙ Jun 14, 2021

Relax, take it easy: This is to the unsung magic of knowing where to focus on and where to let go.

The perfect meditation pose and technique are reminders of the ebb and flow of mastery: the mountain like quality of perfect tension & the effortless part of letting go of tension.


This is better trained, than only talked about. I recorded a meditation to help you relax by employing the magic touch of calm attention.

Wishing you a great week,

Nikolas & the Mind Club Team.

Meditation of the Week


10 This Week in our Club for Curious Minds

On Mindful Monday
Nikolas will invite you to use your imagination in a meditation inspired by modern mindfulness icons.

On Zen Tuesday
Former Zen Monk René will introduce you to meditations and insights from old wisdom traditions.

On Loving-Kindness Wednesday
Hannah will explore the self-healing power of training compassion and loving/kindness practice.

On Deep Mind Sunday
Sascha will offer a space to deepen your meditation practice.

Workshop on Sunday
Each sunday our coaches and Meditation teachers will host a virtual workshop that will help you life an examined purposeful life.


This weekly mail is available online or you can subscribe to it here:

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