Taking time out

WITH international financial meltdown and personal worries about work, bills and so much more, clearing your head has never been so important.

For a growing number of people, the practice of mindful meditation helps. At its core, mindfulness is about being aware and awake to the present.

While Hollywood stars like Goldie Hawn and Meg Ryan catch the headlines as mindful meditators, mindfulness founder Thich Nhat Hanh plans to maintain a low profile when he arrives in Ireland later this month. The 85-year-old Vietnamese monk is visiting from Plum Village, a Buddhist community he established in France in 1982. From Apr 12 to 15, he and 35 monks and nuns will lead a retreat in Killarney, preceded by a talk in the Convention Centre, Dublin, on Apr 11.