Leisure
The Wisdom of Islamic Gardens
The idea of a garden has always been central to Islam for reasons that are at once hopeful — because…
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Leisure
Given that we spend so much of our lives at work, we are often exhausted and out of ideas when it comes to our free time. At the School of Life, we believe everyone could do with a little instruction into how to make the best possible use of the time we have to ourselves – and offer a range of products and services to ensure that we get the most out of our leisure pursuits like travel, reading, culture and nature.
Tools for Life-Affirming Leisure
From introductions to history’s greatest thinkers and ideas, to suggestions for what to do on our days off, we offer a range of tools for making the most of our downtime.
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A Therapeutic Atlas
A selection of unique and beautiful destinations around the world, which offer powerful new perspectives on life. The world is full of places that inspire and bring us…
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A History of Ideas
A collection of humanity’s most effective ideas drawn from across history. This is an unusual sort of history book: a history of ideas – and not just any…
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Big Ideas for Curious Minds
An Introduction to Philosophy for Curious Young Minds Children are, in many ways, born philosophers. Without prompting, they ask some of the largest questions: about time, mortality, happiness…
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Travel Therapy Cards
52 cards to deepen and transform the experience of travel. Going travelling can be one of life’s greatest activities – but often, we fail to deepen the experience…
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How to Travel
30 Essays with Room for Notes and Observations Going travelling is one of the few things we undertake in a direct attempt to make ourselves happy – and…
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Art Against Despair
An inspiring selection of images offering us hope and comfort, reminding us that we are not alone in our sorrow. One of the most unexpectedly useful things we…
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Introducing the new The School of Life App
Get all of The School of Life’s Leisure content, and much more, in your pocket by downloading now.
Leisure in the app
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how to love culture
art for art's sake
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Ideas from western philosophy
Aristotle
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Great ideas from politics and sociology
Margaret Mead
Therapeutic Services
Retreats
The School of Life is holding a series of 4-day Retreats designed to help you heal from emotional challenges in an atmosphere of friendship, learning and discovery. Our Retreats are designed to offer participants a holistic approach to healing emotional pain through a mixture of ideas and therapeutic interventions in an atmosphere that is warm, creative and focused on change.
Find out moreLatest Articles on Leisure
Leisure
How Mental Illness Impacts Our Bodies
The Body Keeps the Score is the beautiful and suggestive title of a book published in 2014 by a Dutch…
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Leisure
Eastern vs Western Views of Happiness
The Western intellectual tradition suggests that in order to be happy, what we need to do most of all is…
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Self-Knowledge
What Rothko’s Art Teaches Us About Suffering
The most unexpectedly uplifting and consoling artist of the 20th century was the abstract painter Mark Rothko, the high priest…
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Leisure
The Advantages of Staying at Home
Lying in bed late at night or waiting at the platform for the commuter train home, we often daydream about…
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Leisure
Heathrow Airport, London – for Awe
Next time you’re at Heathrow, worn down by the queues, corridors and bright lights, your spirits may briefly lift at…
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