Meditation masterstroke from the mindful Manda
Lockdown has thrown challenges big and small at many of us. And the prospect of missing out on school and career opportunities are some of the most depressing.
Top marks for ingenuity, imagination and resourcefulness must therefore go to
Manda Scott, who lives on the Kilberry Road near Tarbert.
Like most of us, Manda has struggled to navigate her way through the rigours of prolonged lockdown with a hyperactive family of teenagers, cats and dogs in tow. But both 16-year-old Tansy and her brother Guthrie, 13, have risen to the challenge, mucking in and discovering new ways of amusing themselves safely – from helping out with the local fruit and veg delivery service to hunting out cast off bed linen to transform into wacky, colourful scrubs for our medics. And there’s always time for an old fashioned video game or 10, of course.
But for Manda, despite all the valiant efforts of her children and husband Andrew, there remained one big gap in her life. Manda risked missing the crucial end-of-year retreat she had to complete for her second year MSc studies in mindfulness from Aberdeen University and the Mindfulness Association – a compulsory part of her course as she trains to become a mindfulness teacher.
Last month she should have been on retreat on the Holy Isle off Arran where Buddhist monks operate a world-renowned meditation centre. The monks have been lockdown resourceful and made their courses available online.
Manda was delighted, but with two teenagers – one a dedicated drummer with a daily practice work ethic – two dogs, a cat and a musical husband all in house, the prospect for the peaceful serenity required for meaningful meditation was not great.
The answer? A meditation tent in the garden. Manda has created an amazing space from the old family tent just yards from the house but a million miles from its hurly burly bustle.
So successful has it been that Manda and Andrew, who run a specialist eco building company, are thinking about extending the concept. Next stop, an authentic, traditional tepee. Making the most of lockdown – in every sense.