Unity...

Let’s talk about unity. As we move out of lockdown we are perhaps beginning to spend more time with others as well as perhaps spending lots of time with ourselves. We may feel like we are learning how to reunite with others, with the world again, and at the same time still being one with ourselves. Trying to get this balance right can be challenging, and perhaps can create fear. Let's be kind to ourselves, give ourselves time to adjust, and create moments in each day to be still and look inwards. 

Let’s also give ourselves time to think about what unity can mean for us... 

Union is the balance between two sides, a harmony. It can be two opposing forces lifting each other up. It is a group of beings with one common goal. Union for ourselves can be knowing where we lack and making that conscious effort to move back towards a balance. It is partnership, collaboration, equality. 

Nothing grows alone, we must collaborate and unite in order to flourish. For example if you want to grow a business, you want team members... if you want to grow your skills, you must learn from others... if you want to grow your family, you need your loved ones. To grow we must move together. 

Here is a story we heard recently...

There are two waves racing towards the shore, one big wave and one small. The bigger wave, catching sight of multiple other waves crashing and breaking at the shore, is frightened and he says to the little wave, “Oh no, this is it, it’s all over for us. I can see the shore and the cliffs and we are doomed.” The little wave, happily floating along not being able to see over to the shore, looks back at him and says, “No, we’re fine. I can’t see what the problem is.” The big wave replies, “Look, I am bigger than you, I can see over the top of you and I can see the foam and the shore – I can see that our journey is over.” The little wave looks back and says, “The end? No it's not. You’re not just a wave, you’re water.” 

We too are not just waves. A lot of the time we walk around believing we are separate, self-operating creatures who may interact with other separate beings but are all individual from one another...  On some level this is true, when we look at the ocean, we see separate waves, individuals with their own experiences, existences and appearance. And at the same time we see a mass of beautiful water. We must learn to love our individualities, whilst also recognising and knowing that we are all one of the same. We are united. 

Sending love & light to you all!

From our hearts to yours,

Alis & Daniella x

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The beginner's Mind and how this mindfulness approach can help your mental health

Cultivating the Beginner’s Mind is about seeing the world through child-like eyes, free from expectation, judgement and attachment. The Beginner’s Mind is an aspect of mindfulness that helps to develop a sense of freshness and curiosity about the world around you as well as towards the thoughts and beliefs within you. It can be seen as ‘radical openness’ and with it can come much joy. "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - Shunryu Suzuki

With a Beginner’s Mind we try to greet each day as a totally new experience, leaving behind the baggage of the day before where this baggage is not helpful and no longer serves us. By becoming more curious and playful with our view of the world, of others and of our own thinking, we are more likely to try new things, be more creative;  and be less perturbed by challenges and more forgiving of both ourselves and others.

You could try contemplating a Beginner’s Mind in different aspects of your day to develop your mindfulness. For example, when you wake up, go straight to your journal (or piece of paper) and ‘free write’ for 3 minutes about anything that comes into your head. Do this without judgement or expectation. When you make breakfast, get dressed, prepare for the day ahead, do so as if you were watching yourself from a distance, as if this was the first time you have gone through this routine. When you are outside, look closely, listen carefully. Imagine this is the first time you have seen or heard these things. How does this make you feel? How would you explain these things to someone else who had never seen or heard them?

Approach your thinking and even your beliefs this week with a Beginner’s Mind. Wonder at a thought that comes into your head and ask why you thought it. What has led you to think this? Is it a repeated pattern? Is it borne out of preconceived ideas or is it a totally unique thought?

Have fun seeing the world with deep curiosity this week. Take the Beginner’s Mind into your work space, home or onto your yoga mat and notice how your thoughts differ and your body moves. Allow a sense of playfulness to your thinking and movement.

Connect to the Beginner’s Mind in our specifically themed yoga videos on our YouTube channel. Approach them with a child-like sense of fun - with no judgement and no expectations. 

Using the Beginner’s Mind in your life can help to relieve anxiety, depression and feelings of being ‘stuck’; it can help develop a sense of curiosity, creativity and calm.

Enjoy,

From our hearts to yours,

Alis and Daniella

xx

Spending time in nature with a Beginner’s Mind brings a smile to our faces and spring in our step!

Overthinking...

How many hours a day do you think?

I bet you never thought about that, eh? Well there you go again... thinking! We all spend so many hours of our days thinking, and overthinking. However, we often let ourselves get away with overthinking, we don't address it as a ‘problem’. Whether positive or negative thinking, if we do it too much, it can cause our brain to get clogged up and as a result we don't make clear and sensible decisions.  

We can change our lives with our thoughts, yes, because we can make what we want of each situation that life throws at us. We have this power. However, we are not our thoughts. They do not define us. Just like Eckhart Tolle tells us in The Power of Now: 

“The beginning of freedom is the realisation that you are not the possessing entity — the thinker.”

If we choose to live more in the present moment, where we don't have time to think too much but only to experience that moment, then we begin to stop identifying ourselves with our thoughts. We must work on becoming more present, being more mindful. What ways do you work on your mindfulness? Comment and let us know your top tips on becoming more mindful so we can help each other out! 

We have established that we can think all day long for hours on end, and it can create foggy brains and be detrimental to many aspects of our lives. So, how about we just use thinking for our own benefits? As a useful tool, used only when we need it?...

After you’ve read this, I’d like you to take a moment, become present. Observe your thoughts in this moment, don't follow through with the thought, just observe it with no judgement and then let it pass. Now try taking this mindset into your everyday life, give yourself specific times where you will use your thinking tool, perhaps to do some journaling, or making a to do list for the day or even a list of thoughts you are having that are not benefiting you. But become aware of when your thinking is not beneficial, notice the thoughts, and don't follow through. This can help you to prevent constant over-thinking throughout your day. Practice appreciating what you have in the here and now - a gratitude list might help with this!

Let us know how you get on... and comment or DM us with any tips you’ve found useful! 

From our hearts to yours, Alis & Daniella x 

How can we regulate our emotions during continuously challenging and ever changing times?

How are you feeling? Perhaps this question is harder to answer than usual, perhaps you take a deep breath or a sigh before attempting to answer, or perhaps you are more connected with yourself and your emotions than ever and you can answer this easily... Wherever you sit, I want you to pause and really think about this. Where are you on the emotion scale? How have you been feeling this week? This month? Are your emotions very varied, or is it becoming very similar? 

We are all feeling such a range of emotions at the moment, and for many of us, new emotions that we may not be used to. We must give ourselves the time to look inwards, to check in with our emotions. Once we know how we’re feeling, we can ask ourselves how we are dealing with these emotions? What measures do we have in place and are these working? 

We must learn to regulate our emotions, the key to this is becoming consistent with our personal strategies. Being mindful and paying very careful attention to what strategies are working for us and helping us to reach our goals, balance our wellbeing and grow as individuals forming healthy relationships. Honing in on these strategies, and then ensuring we are consistent. 

So, you’ve sat and really thought about how you are feeling. Now, what have you done so far to manage this perhaps vast range of feelings? Have you been doing anything in particular? Have you been pushing them away and ignoring them? Have you been trying to find a helpful strategy and perhaps not yet got there? 

There are two types of strategies that we can focus on at the moment to help us. There are the strategies that help to set us up to be in a better state to deal with emotions or challenging feelings. These include things like having a good amount of sleep, eating healthily, exercising and moving the body regularly, having positive relationships with those around you, exciting goals and work that means something to you. The second type of strategies are those that we use in the moment, when faced with challenging emotions. These can be ensuring we pause and take a breath before reacting, going out in the fresh air for a walk straight away, calling a loved one or someone you trust or perhaps meditating or doing Yoga to help calm yourself immediately. These are all suggestions of things that work for me, that I use in the moment when faced with challenging emotions and I try to ensure that I am consistent with them, however of course this is difficult and takes practice! 

So, give yourself the time you need each day to check in and see where you are on the emotion scale. You could perhaps write this down if you are intrigued by what’s coming up and why. Once you've checked in with how you are feeling, give yourself what you need or do what you need to do in order to manage those emotions. And keep up with your daily strategies to ensure you are in the best state to combat whatever life throws at you! And please let us know, what are your strategies? How are you dealing? Let us all share with each other to help each other. 

From our hearts to yours, Alis & Daniella x 

How can we meet the struggles found during lockdown with grace?

‘We all have within us the ability to move from struggle to grace.’

Ariana Huffington

At the moment we may well be feeling a sense of struggle and this may be looking very different for each of us. Struggle may be found in the loneliness that we are encountering in our lockdown situations as we may be away from friends and family. Struggle may be in the family and friends that we are having to live with in such close quarters, for lengths of time together that we are not used to. Struggle may be in the idea that lockdown needs to continue for some time longer or struggle may be in the fact that lockdown is now gradually changing, coming to an end and we are needing to return to work. Struggle for some is found in the fear that may be felt at the changes that are inevitably heading our way.

So how do we move from our own personal struggles, no matter how they look, towards a sense of grace? What do we mean by grace? How is this word defined? Grace can be the way we move, with smoothness and elegance. How can we move towards our next challenge with a smoothness and elegance that will help us to remain calm and at peace with what that challenge asks of us? Grace can also mean being courteous or behaving towards others with a sense of good will. How can we cope with the next challenge with a courteous manner for those around us or who we may come in contact with? How do we maintain a sense of good will even as things become difficult or new or stressful around us?

As long as we are, we will be facing changes. Our lives will always develop and grow and we must be content to know that this is how life is supposed to be. Being able to notice those changes and the effect they have on us is so important. As I move through a huge, personal change in my life I notice the feelings that are stirred up as a result of it. Current feelings range from sadness, to joy. Two extremes that actually assault my senses almost instantaneously. They make my stomach feel unsettled, my temper short. They mean I am less focused, less sure of what I am doing or should be doing moving forward. However, it is because I am noticing all of this, really noticing, and reflecting on the mixture of feelings and their physical effect on my body as well as the unsettling effect on my mood, that I know I am going to be ok. I am growing and learning even as I struggle. The struggle is molding me. I will try and cope with the struggle with grace and towards grace.

Mindful meditation will help press the pause button for all of us during this time of struggle or challenge. Press the pause button and allow us to notice, to reflect and review. To recognise that we all have within us the ability to cope with the struggle and move on towards happier times with grace.

A guided meditation to help with challenge:

• Sit quietly or lie comfortably in a warm place. Try not to move, challenge your body to remain still.

• Focus on the breath. Notice the in breath and the out breath and make them both move in and out through the nose.

• Tell yourself that you breathe in and you breathe out.

• Breathe in calm. Breathe out and smile.

• Calm in. Smile out.

• As you breathe in tell yourself that your body relaxes. That you find peace on the breath out.

• Continue to notice the breath in and the breath out for 15 mins.

• Notice how your body begins to relax.

• When other thoughts come, notice these, and remind yourself with compassion to go back to focusing on the breath.

• Calm in. Smile out.