A conversation with Emma Mills
Meditation has become the buzzword of recent times, particularly in this past year as global anxiety levels have risen and many have turned to the practice in a bid to escape pandemic woes. As it has entered our mainstream - bringing with it everything from goop’s Journey set to Calm’s collaboration with Harry Styles to help lull you to peace - meditation has gradually gained acceptance as an effective and natural method for trying to live a calmer, longer and more fulfilled life.
Emma Mills
© Jeff Manning
Yet what is meditation truly? While it may draw up images of monks tucked away in Himalayan monasteries, and of hours spent sitting cross-legged trying to silence your thoughts, in its simplest form and in the words of author Emma Mills, meditation is the practice of ‘moving your attention from the outside world to your inner presence.’
While Emma is known for being an award-winning author and a leading voice in meditation and wellness circles internationally, it is her radiant, grounded and joy-filled energy that truly makes a mark when you meet her. Her first book, published by Penguin Random House, is an insightful and practical guide that seeks to show you just how easy it can be to insert a meditative practice - no matter how brief - across your day. Committed to supporting a life lived holistically, Emma brings her decades-long experience to the table, consulting private and corporate clients alike while offering educational experiences to students who wish to delve deeper into the meditative practice - and not only.
As this intense year draws to a close and we realise just how beneficial meditation proved to be in centring us throughout it all, we recently caught up with Emma and asked ten questions inspired by the Proust Questionnaire - a questionnaire that has its origins in a parlour game that had been popularised by French essayist Marcel Proust, designed to reveal the player’s true nature.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
This question reminds me of the first few stanzas from the poem ‘Like This’ by Rumi.
What is your current state of mind?
Mystified.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, who or what would she/he/it be and why?
An oak tree, perhaps?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To not be allergic to pets - I’d love to have a dog.
What is your greatest regret?
I don’t have a greatest regret, they’re all great in their own way.
What is your most treasured possession?
Life
What is the quality you most like in a man?
I like so many qualities, and I also like to be surprised and inspired by new lovely qualities when they arise. Kindness, generosity, patience, compassion, wisdom, intelligence, enthusiasm, a sense of adventure, courage, sensitivity, an appreciation for artistic beauty and spiritual life, sense of humour, authenticity, having a ‘can do’ attitude (lol!).
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
All of the same as above.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I don’t have a greatest achievement as they are all great in their own way.
What is your motto?
I don’t have a motto. Maybe I have a new motto every day? Right now, it’s 7am, Tuesday morning on the first day of December and the sky is still dark outside. The moon is full and bright. The stars are out. That’s all, and it’s just so beautiful.