Looking for gift ideas this Christmas? Do any of your animal-loving friends also have an interest in being more mindful, purposeful and in cultivating inner peace? Then what better than a book by The Dalai Lama’s Cat? Or The Queen’s Corgi? If you’d like to dip into any one of these books, please do so at the links below: Read the first chapter...
Latest Blog Posts
How ‘Wellness is the Wilderness’ is now on trend
It’s not often that I discover that something I’m doing is considered to be ‘on trend.’ So was thrilled when the World Travel Market (WTM) Global Trends Report 2016 stated that ‘wellness in the wilderness in Africa’ is considered to be an up and coming thing. According to the WTM team: The idea of “wellness in the wilderness” also resonates with travellers...
A few words about Lobsang Rampa
If you’re under forty years of age, chances are the name Tuesday Lobsang Rampa won’t mean anything to you. But for some of us, in the second half of our lives, his name is redolent with powerful associations – positive and otherwise. By way of a refresher, or for those of you who haven’t heard of him, here are a...
Mindful Safari – videos, pics and thoughts from our 2016 adventure
We have recently returned from Mindful Safari 2016 – and what a truly amazing time we all had! Where to start with the highlights of our six day retreat? Arriving at Hoedspruit airport in a De Havilland twin prop aircraft, after a flight over the Drakensberg Mountains, we were soon whisked to nearby Lufafa Ranch and the luxurious accommodation which...
David Michie: My Corgis and Other Animals
As the author of The Dalai Lama’s Cat series, and a clear devotee of all things feline, people sometimes assume that I am a dog-hater. As it happens, nothing could be further from the truth. In my childhood home I was brought up with a Siamese cat, called Pandy as well as two corgis, Trudy and Tudor. In addition I...
How to handle the shadow side of goals
In my 20s and 30s I was very keen on goals. ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there,’ was a premise that made perfect sense to me. I read books and articles on goals. I faithfully documented and reviewed my goals. I was aware that goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound). I...
What happens when the Dalai Lama’s Cat is visited by the Queen’s Corgi?
Picture the following scene, dear reader. It is a busy morning at the Himalaya Book Café. With less than an hour before lunch service, I am sitting on my customary spot on magazine rack, nostrils flaring as I try to identify the delightful aromas wafting from the kitchen, where the Dragpa brothers are working their usual culinary magic. In my...
Read the first 12 pages of The Queen’s Corgi: On Purpose
I am delighted to share with you the first 12 pages of my book, The Queen’s Corgi: On Purpose! If you’d like to know a little more about why I wrote to the book, check out this two minute video: Now, find yourself a nice, snuggly spot for a few minutes and enjoy! Warm wishes, David Prologue ...
New novel from David Michie out now!
Hi Everyone, I am very excited to let you know that my new novel, The Queen’s Corgi: On Purpose is published this week! In the same style as The Dalai Lama’s Cat, in The Queen’s Corgi our narrator, Nelson, provides a dog’s-eye view of life with the royal family. Along with a lot of fun and games, he comes to understand what makes...
Two good reasons to stop beating yourself up: a Buddhist perspective
Many readers of this blog may not have to travel far to meet their harshest and most unyielding critic. A few steps to the nearest mirror will probably do the trick. There you can look into the eyes of the person who talks to you in a way that they would never dream of talking to their friends. The person...
Too busy to be happy? A Buddhist perspective
In our era of unprecedented busy-ness, constant communication and relentless deadlines, it’s easy to feel that we have no time for an inner life. When so many of us feel burdened by the imperative for immediate, round-the-clock responsiveness, and the constant need to do more with less, it’s understandable that as we reach the end of each day, it’s all...
Finding it hard to let go of past hurts? A mindful perspective.
Every one of us will experience hurt, betrayal and disappointment. What matters is how we deal with these feelings. As the Dalai Lama says, ‘Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.’ What he means is that although it’s impossible to avoid upsetting experiences, we do have a say about whether negative events or people continue to affect us. Interestingly, the word...
