Four Pillars of Wellness – Nutrition and Nurture
Four Pillars of Wellness – Nutrition and Nurture My approach as a health coach combines four key pillars of wellness – the physical, nutrition and food, sleep and rest, and the management of emotions. In this blog, we will focus on the nutrition pillar. Our food’s nutrients can help us function well and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Nutrition can support us to stay healthy because when the body is well nourished from a balanced diet, it can benefit the immune system, muscles, bones, joints, skin and digestive system, to name just a few areas. Supporting the gut is an essential and impactful part of the nourishment pillar. Did you know 70% of the immune system is in the gut? Nourishing the gut has many benefits, including improving digestion and the absorption of nutrients. Stronger immunity is arguably one of the most underrated benefits of better gut health. By making healthier food choices to support gut health, we can help to heal and nourish the gut. Adding more fermented foods such as kombucha, kefir, and kimchi creates more friendly bacteria, and the probiotic benefits of consuming them can be much more valuable to the body than probiotic supplements. How you eat is just as important as what you eat, and the order in which you eat your food is more significant than you might think. We can have all of the ‘right’ foods on our plates, but many of us eat in a way that can spike blood sugar. I recommend veggies first, followed by protein, fats and carbs to keep blood sugar stable and prevent the health effects of blood sugar fluctuations. Your mindset matters too. When we crave certain foods, it can be linked to emotions and stress levels. Only when we can get to the root causes of the thoughts, beliefs and behaviours driving emotional eating can we introduce healthier habits and create a more positive mindset around food and nutrition. When we think about nutrition, we often focus solely on what’s on our plate. But everything we nurture and nourish is considered nutrition, including spiritual practice, fulfilling and honest relationships, inspiring careers, and enjoyable physical exercise. When these levels are high, actual food stays secondary. Think of it as nourishing the whole self, not just the physical self, since food can impact more than just physical health. It can also affect emotional, spiritual, and social well-being. By nourishing the mind and body with nutritious choices that help to heal and restore balance, we can promote better physical health and support other aspects of well-being too.
Four Pillars of Wellness – The Physical
Four Pillars of Wellness – The Physical My approach as a health coach combines four critical pillars of wellness – physical, nutritional, rest, and emotional management. In this blog, I will be going deeper into how each of these pillars connects to mental health and will discuss each pillar in different blogs. This one will focus on the physical. Our bodies are made to move, but in today’s modern world, we often spend much of our time sitting down and being sedentary. We’re not designed to spend so much time sitting down; you probably know some of the health effects of lack of movement. But what about the impact on mental health? What counts as movement? Our bodies may be designed to move, but this movement doesn’t have to be intense physical activity. Intentional, gentle exercise can be very effective, both for emotional and physical well-being. Taking a 5-minute break to stretch or move at least every 90 minutes, especially if you are doing desk work, oxygenates better the entire body. How does movement connect to mental health? The link between our emotions and our mental health can be obvious in one sense. If you feel a negative emotion such as sadness, it can hinder your motivation to move, for example. But the other side of the equation can be more complex. The “two-way street” between the brain and the body means that movement can impact our feelings and emotions too. It can even start to change the way that the brain works. Movement can positively impact mental health and help manage stress, anxiety and depression. There is some evidence that regular exercise can help to manage stress and depression in much the same way as medication and therapy. Physical movement also increases the production of feel-good endorphins that boost our mood. Some studies have suggested that regular exercise can improve a brain protein called BDNF, which encourages the production of nerve fibres. Movement that incorporates meditation can also help to reduce symptoms of depression. This type of movement requires close attention to breathing, posture, position in space and how the body feels – all of which can support our mental well-being. Intentional movement can even help us to understand why we’re feeling a certain way and start to challenge it. But movement and exercise are only part of the equation. Our physical environment also plays a significant role. How does the physical environment connect to mental health? Our physical environment can affect our mental health. It can promote calm or increase stress. It can boost your mood or lower it. And it can encourage a sense of safety or the complete opposite. Comfort in our physical environment is often overlooked. Still, if we don’t feel safe, calm or happy whilst, in our space, it can influence our thoughts, our behaviour and our actions which, in turn, can affect our mental well-being. Since we spend so much time in our physical environment, it’s important to ensure that it’s supporting and adding to our mental health rather than making us feel dejected and taking away from our mental well-being. The physical aspect also connects to other pillars of wellness, such as resting, and I’ll talk more about this in a future blog post.
How Does Mental Health Connect To Wellness?
How Does Mental Health Connect To Wellness? I was inspired to write this blog after a sad event took place in my life that affected me deeply. After this situation, I was encouraged to consider the link between mental health and different areas of wellness. Wellness cannot exist without mental health. Our physical, mental and emotional well-being are all equally important and intrinsically linked to one another. My approach as a health coach combines four key pillars of wellness – physical, nutrition, sleep, and managing emotions. Before I delve deeper into each pillar, I want to introduce you to each of them. Physical Movement can positively impact mental health as it releases hormones that rebalance us to help manage symptoms of anxiety and depression, for example. However, movement and exercise are only one part of the equation. Comfort in our physical environment is often overlooked, but it can influence our thoughts if we don’t feel safe and secure. Being uncomfortable constantly, in turn, can affect how we behave and act around others or when we are alone. Nutrition Food doesn’t need to be complicated. When we get a healthy balanced intake of food, there can be a positive impact on mental health. There has long been a proven sentiment that eating well can make you feel better physically and mentally. It isn’t only about what’s on the plate. Everything we nurture ourselves with counts, including relationships with those around us. Sleep There’s an apparent link between sleep and physical health, and it’s also crucial for mental health as well. Sleep quality is equally as important as the length of sleep. Good quality sleep enables the body to restore, repair and strengthens cognitive function, as well as balancing our mood. Since the brain needs cues to slow down and prepare for good sleep, supporting the mind and body can also improve mental health. Some tips and tricks to ensure you are getting a full night’s sleep are to set a screen-limit time on your phone, make yourself a warm drink before bed, take a tepid shower or bath and turn your mind off by listening to meditation or music. Managing Emotions A quote by Robert Urich, “A healthy outside starts from the inside”, is one that resonates deeply with me and one that I want to convey to you as well. When we can mentally focus on managing and integrating emotions and accepting feelings, we are much less likely to suppress emotions, making us more self-aware. From a mental health perspective, this can enable us to better understand and recognise our emotions and their impact on our thoughts and behaviours. Another important aspect of managing emotions is to have an open mind to other perspectives. Being able to regulate emotions means also being able to look at situations with more clarity and objectivity as well as from someone else’s point of view.
What Does it Mean to Have a Fulfilled Life?
What Does It Mean To Feel Fulfilled In Life? Everyone has their definition of what being fulfilled looks and feels like. I truly believe that feeling fulfilled is the result of finding inner peace. Detaching ourselves from external validators and putting the focus on internal triggers means that the feeling of fulfilment is in our hands. We often measure success through our career or lifestyle, but material items don’t necessarily bring happiness or fulfilment. You can have excess wealth and possessions as well as be outwardly successful, yet not feel completely fulfilled. Rather than seeking external success, it’s important that we look inwards and focus on what makes us happy and brings us joy. Why Does Fulfilment Matter? When we don’t feel fulfilled, we can feel disconnected and unengaged from the world around us. It is often much harder to meet our full potential and find the path that makes us happy when we recognize that something is missing. If we’re living in a way that is aligned with our core values, we naturally move through life in a direction that feels true to who we are. Putting forth our best selves starts with knowing that we are the best versions of ourselves that we can be, and this often comes with feeling fulfilled in our goals and within ourselves. Why Fulfilment And Self-Worth Are Deep-Seated Needs Personal worth is a vital part of feeling fulfilled in life and part of the self-esteem level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This hierarchy dictates that there are 5 levels that each individual needs to feel fulfilled in one’s life. Within this hierarchy are physiological needs, personal and safety needs, love and belonging needs, self-esteem and self-actualization needs. According to this hierarchy, if one level of need is not met, there is a gap in the level of fulfilment we feel. We often need to feel respected and appreciated for the work we do and valued by others for the contribution we make. What matters most is that we address our own internal needs first before we look to others to fulfil our needs for us. Giving Back And Making An Impact On The World When our lives are fully aligned with our purpose it allows us to create a meaningful difference in the world rather than comply with someone else’s expectations and makes it much easier to live a more fulfilled life. True fulfilment doesn’t come from only serving our own needs. It comes from serving others and contributing to other communities, whether this be on a local or global basis. Society would be an empty shell without people exchanging energy by giving to those most in need. In this way, we’re not seeking a reward for the contribution we’re making other than the knowledge that we’re transforming the lives of others and making a genuine impact on the world. We are fulfilling a greater purpose beyond ourselves and giving to others because of the privilege we may have in our own lives. My work with Africa Angels in The Gambia stems from this desire to make the world a better place and support children who have very little. Through this, I have realised that it’s not what you have, but what you choose to do with what you have. Demonstrate Gratitude Working with people who are less fortunate than we may be, can teach us how to be more humble while simultaneously offering us a big reality check. Working with Africa Angels has taught me so much about this as these children have so little, yet they are eager to learn and thrive. I urge you all to be thankful for what you have and to demonstrate a bit of that gratitude towards others who might need some TLC. You may be surprised at how much fulfilment you get just by helping out others. Personal Growth/Self-Actualisation At the very peak of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is self-actualisation, which is often characterised by personal growth and the meeting of one’s full potential. This can be achieved by knowing internally that one has reached this summit, or through external validation. Living a more fulfilled life enables you to expand what you already have in your own life and enrich it. Finding Fulfilment Is An Inside Job When happiness comes from within us, we aren’t waiting to achieve the ‘right’ success before we can feel fulfilled. Recognizing what fulfilment means to us, individually, means that we can work on growing and improving ourselves and others regularly. In Vedanta, the path to fulfilment is to experience one’s true nature, as true fulfilment means having nothing unfulfilled.
Break Out Of The Loop
Break Out Of The Loop How Do You Get Into A Thought Loop? A thought loop is when you continue a thought pattern, and as contra intuitive might sound, deliberate thinking is essential to break out of the cycle. We can swap the thoughts with better-feeling ones, but before we do that it is recommended to acknowledge the ones we have and especially to feel the feelings they generate. Think about this for a minute and pause to feel exactly what you are feeling in the moment. Your thoughts are not reality nor real, they are simply mental events, and they are not you. Therefore, rather than looking to change negative thoughts with positive ones, or to look only to have positive thoughts, which is not realistic, look at having a positive vision towards life. A positive vision can then be created, going through five different stages. Observe The first step starts with awareness, focusing on your inner world. This refers to your way of being and how you view and react to the world around you as opposed to how you want to create what you desire. Next, you can learn to use your emotions as a sense of drive and direction. For example, if you are feeling frustrated, you can take this feeling to motivate you to take steps to solve the problem that is causing you to feel this way. Or you could be experiencing feelings of envy. In this case, ask yourself what you are envious of and what is missing in your life and turn it into emulative envy or inspiration. Feel Learn that all emotions are valid, embrace and feel your emotions before and after you act on something. All feelings are logical and act as a way to communicate something within your mind, so try not to divert attention and ignore the message. Sometimes it can help to theoretically and mentally detach from yourself and observe from an objective point of view. This way, it can help to understand what you are thinking and how a particular emotion comes along. Reflect Explore and reflect on where your emotions come from; emotions are usually a result of thoughts. Sometimes, our thoughts are so well hidden in our subconscious mind that the source of thought is not obvious. They could come from past impressions and experiences, and in some cases, it is equally acceptable not to give emotions meaning or to make sense of them but to allow yourself to go through the emotional journey. Act Listen and act on your emotions according to your intuition, and listen to your inner wisdom, as the role of instinct is priceless. So often, snap decisions are as good as, if not better, than carefully planned ones. Grow Notice what brings you joy when alone or in the company of others, and learn to cultivate simple pleasures. Take care of your physical body, exercise regularly, and keep yourself in a clean environment. Remember to set realistic goals and reward yourself along the way, don’t overwork yourself. It is just as important to take breaks as it is to reach your goal. Now that you know how a positive vision is created and maintained, you may wonder what to do when things get tough. The answer is simple, try new activities and continue doing the activities you enjoy. Remember that the brain likes it sweet and short. Below, explore the range of activities and positive habits you can try to break out of the thought loop Enjoyable activities to do by yourself or with others: Cooking, widen your cooking skill set and use your emotions to motivate yourself to cook more dishes. Reading, Fiction or nonfiction is a great way to shift our focus; it is common for people to read for this reason as well as for a sense of escapism for a short period. Tidying and clearing our surrounding spaces can help us to feel cleansed in our inner selves. Yoga and meditation; taking care of your body should always be your priority. Practice gratitude, take gratitude one step forward and think about your blessings, thanking yourself for caring for your body and mind. Then think about how others have taken care of your whole self, and make a habit of thinking about these blessings each day. Enjoy music, and discover new genres and subgenres. Practising positive self-talk and positive affirmations is a great way to do this, as they train our brain towards a clearer vision and alter our thoughts for the better. Take care of your physical body, and prioritise sleep and healthy eating over exercise. Yoga retreat, spend time with like-minded, kind and supportive people. How can you break out of the thought loop? Connect with yourself and others to co-regulate emotions and manage complicated feelings and thoughts together. Think about what it is that you want to achieve and the thoughts that are going to help you reach your goal. Do more of what brings you closer to your goal, and set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and smart goals. Break them down into smaller, more manageable steps, creating a plan of action. More importantly, track your process and celebrate your success along the way. When in doubt, pause and practice mindfulness, none of us is perfect, but practising mindfulness daily is the best anchor to enjoy life fully.
Nurturing Positive Habits for the New Year
Nurturing Positive Habits for the New Year The New Year is a wonderful opportunity to create meaningful and impactful changes and resolutions so the best version of you can shine. New Year resolutions usually involve health and well-being goals. To help anchor a habit, try tapping into the emotions that emerge once a task or activity has been accomplished. Acknowledge the emotion and sense of achievement. You can use this as a form of motivation to carry on the activity in the future. You may have chosen a challenging 2023 resolution or habit, but before completing the task, you may find that your drive is dwindling, feel unmotivated or want two things at once. For example, you could challenge yourself to do 30 minutes of yoga after you wake up in the morning, but it seems too tough, and at that moment would prefer to have an extra 30 minutes of snoozing. However, remembering the emotions and feelings you felt when last achieving the task would help you work through your challenge once again. You can help decide what to do based on what is more beneficial and important to you. So let’s dive into some healthy and beneficial 2023 habits you can incorporate into your new schedule. Be Active Joining a gym is a popular new year addition; however, many attend in high spirits for the first few weeks but do not notice physical changes straight away, resulting in a loss of motivation or cancelling a gym subscription. To avoid this, you could find an emotional or physical cause to stay consistent. Create a workout schedule. Play with how frequently you work out, some weeks, you may want to be more active than others which is acceptable. It is important to listen to your feelings. It is key to remember your emotions during and after exercising. Shortly after you exercise, natural chemicals known as endorphins are released in your body, naturally inducing happiness and potentially influencing you to work out more often. Healthy Eating Healthy eating doesn’t have to be constant; instead, aim for it to be consistent. There are plenty of quick and healthy recipes online, in cookbooks and in magazines that can inspire and engage you into enjoying preparing and eating healthily. Two of my very helpful friends are Google and YouTube, where you can find any health plans and delicious, easy and nutritious meals. Search for inspirational wellness cooking. Supermarkets can support you on your health journey, there are plenty of alternatives on the shelves today. For example, I often crave sweet foods but to remain consistent and prepare sugar-free desserts using fruit. They taste just as good as a factory-prepared sugar-laden dessert but aren’t full of unnecessary sugar. The Ayurvedic lifestyle aims to holistically promote better health for your body as well as your mind. The diet encourages you to consume whole foods, avoiding processed foods, whilst aiming to eat at similar times every day. I aim to lead an Ayurvedic lifestyle, since then, I have experienced higher energy levels and feel happy about what I am consuming, which has had a knock-on effect towards my general wellness and well-being. This lifestyle also encourages you to pay close attention to the present moment. When I prepare my fruit and vegetables, for example, citrus fruits, I am fascinated by the texture of each segment and the sweet, tangy aroma that is released. Try to minimise intakes of sugar and flour, be kind to yourself when you consume them and don’t judge yourself. Adrenal glands release cortisol directly related to cravings, especially salty ones. Notice when you have cravings and what has happened just before that moment. Cravings always try to tell us something, and before the desire, there is a thought. More than that, we can introduce deliberate decisions between thought and desire. Daily Meditation Meditation in the morning can feel like a challenge as you would probably rather stay in bed and get up slowly, but the benefits of meditation and yoga in the morning are better than an extra couple of minutes in bed. You will feel more vitality for the day ahead and ready to face the day with a calmer mindset. Meditation in the evening is also favourable as it is a great way to wind down, you may feel you want to wind down by scrolling through social media, which we are all guilty of however, the small bursts of satisfaction do not benefit you in the long run. Meditation will slowly bring your mind and body to the same level of relaxation and peace. One of my favourite yoga poses is Viparita Karani, where you lie flat on your back and rest your legs in the air or against the wall. You could use a yoga block under your pelvis if it makes it more comfortable. This pose is known to reboot the blood flow, improve digestion, and restore tired ankles and legs. If this pose feels comfortable, aim to keep your legs up for 20 minutes, breathing in and out deeply to alleviate tension and anxiety to ensure a great night’s sleep. Journal Write down both negative and positive feelings and emotions that you are experiencing. When you feel stressed or overwhelmed about something, writing it down can make the situation seem smaller and take a weight off your shoulders. Writing your experiences and emotions down can help you learn what makes you happy, replacing the negative emotions with healing and understanding. Journaling can also lead you towards visualising your life and using emotions and feelings as pillars of motivation to improve your life. Personal challenges lead to growth and improving self-confidence. Smile More When you smile, your brain thinks that you are happy, which lifts your mood. It is great for the facial muscles, and people love it. We warm to those
Overindulging in December vs Health Kick in January
Overindulging in December vs Health Kick in January Introduction For many of us, the build-up to Christmas and New Year is meant going out for celebratory drinks, trying tasty goods at Christmas markets and buying gifts for our loved ones. Also known as ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, it was easy to indulge, which might have led to poor choices of less nutritious and immune-boosting foods specifically needed during the switches of temperature and cold months. However, when the new year hits, many of us feel more inclined to start a health kick, commonly referred to as the ‘New Year, New Me’. Beginning a new year after several weeks of indulgence can feel daunting and challenging. January is a popular choice for many to optimise their health by making better food choices and going to the gym. Overindulging in December We all make random choices over the Christmas period. Treating yourself can feel rewarding, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying delicious foods and drinks. However, we may regret consuming something we know is not the best healthy option. We know what makes a good option and we don’t need to be told about exercising and a diet without sugar, alcohol and tobacco. Overindulgence through overeating and overdrinking is something that, long term, does not bring you the result you want. To avoid this, you can learn to plan your indulgences and feel comfortable when you do them, knowing that it is a special occasion and that you are also in control mindfully. I promise you that planning an indulgence is a life changer. Healthy Habits Here are two different methods to try to control your eating habits. Firstly, use your prefrontal cortex to make decisions in advance. Promise yourself only to have two or three glasses of wine, be specific about how many glasses in advance. Whether you will have bread and desserts, decide in advance. You may find that the atmosphere of an event will trigger emotions in your brain that may tempt you to exceed your pre-planned limits. Damage limitation is the second method you could use. If you know the restaurant or bar you are attending before your visit, access their menu, which is usually featured online, and choose what you want to eat and drink in advance. This method uses forward thinking and planning to limit the damage in the foreseeable future. Those who drink alcohol can fairly say it is harder to maintain and make sensible decisions after a couple of drinks. However, forward-thinking will allow you to consciously follow your plan without exceeding your limit and avoid feelings of self-regret afterwards. Health Kick in January January commonly brings out the ‘New Year, New Me’ in people, so what is this really about? Well, after a month of sweets and treats, we commonly gain weight or crave a fresh start. People tend to improve and declutter themselves on the outside to reach inner peace. We all have self-admin and work admin that we care for, but it can be easy to put aside and forget about. When we complete these admin tasks, we gain great satisfaction and happiness. This often motivates us to carry out more self admin type jobs. You could begin by decluttering the physical space around you, by deciding what you want to keep to start with, and then by getting rid of things you no longer need. If you can, avoid throwing away items, instead, take them to a local charity shop or, if possible, sell them within a short set period of time. Removing them from your physical space will also clear your mind and give you a buzz that may motivate you to declutter. Decluttering and Tidying Internal organising creates external organising. So first organise your mind. Journal about memories, hidden thoughts, desires, ideas, judgments, negative self-talk, positive self-talk, what you are grateful for, and your achievements and failures. Make a list of at least 10 per category, and feel free to add any additional ones. Clean up the space of your mindset, which is, in simple words, your entire belief system. Beginning the New Year may seem like a struggle, so here are a few tips and tricks to ensure you feel decluttered in your home and in your mind. Firstly, aim to remove clutter by category, not location, there needs to be some level of order to avoid clearing clutter just for the sake of it. Start with what you want to keep, what you love, what has sentimental value, and what you use and only after remove the things you don’t want anymore. This way, you will likely have a thorough clean-out and mentally feel decluttered by the end. If you struggle with what is important to you and what you have an emotional attachment to, separate them within their categories. Then decide which holds the most functional and emotional features and what is more important to you from here. As we say goodbye to items, we might find that we will say goodbye to relationships, activities or thoughts and create space to welcome new ones. When you let go, you create a new version, an updated self. Do an inventory of what you have before constraining. Think about the things in your life, the friendships, the people that come and go, and everything you engage with. Think about your habits and list all these by categories. What would you keep, and what would you rather let go of? Ask yourself if you love that particular item, if you would connect with that person again if it has ever and is still supporting your growth. Decide at the moment and commit to your decision. Embrace the empty space left, feel it and let it be before filling it up on purpose or naturally. Keep only one very important
Some Great Ways To Start Your Day
Some Great Ways To Start Your Day The importance of having 7 hours of sleep Waking up in the morning is always easier after having a peaceful sleep. 7-8 hours of sleep a night are suggested in order to feel refreshed for the next day. Sleep cleans the debris of the mind which has great importance for brain regeneration, and enables our bodies to successfully produce and release protein-building amino acids to help our muscles function and increase strength. Many of us only allow enough time in the morning to have a shower, brush our teeth and get changed, but giving ourselves time to naturally wake up will improve our mood and health for the rest of the day. Healthy morning routine and habits 1. Stretch During our sleep, we spend a lot of time in the same positions, therefore blood pressure and heart rate decreases and muscles relax. After waking up, stretching in bed is a great way to loosen up your muscles and get the blood flow going. A popular stretch is laying on your back, bringing your left leg up to your hip and stretching it over to the right and the same for the right leg. 2. Make your bed After stretching, tidy your bedside table and make your bed. This will set a positive attitude, ready to start your morning tasks and make you feel more productive throughout the day. 3. Oil pulling Oil pulling is an ayurvedic practice of swirling oil in your mouth, usually with coconut oil. This effectively cleanses the mouth from all the bad bacteria, prevents tooth decay and is a great morning practice. 4. Drink a glass of water During the day and night, our body loses about 350ml of water. Drinking a glass of water after your hygiene routine will hydrate your body as well as balance the lymphatic system which is essential for a well-functioning immune system. Adding fresh lemon juice to water provides a source of Vitamin C, increases the collagen in our skin and supports a healthy gut. 5. Take a cold shower Starting the day with a cold shower wakes up our nervous system. Although it may feel too cold at first, your body will adjust to the temperature, improving blood circulation to reduce fatigue and stress levels. The benefits are multiple, the most noticeable being the fact that it makes us highly alert by increasing endorphins and adrenaline in the blood level. 6. Enjoy a healthy breakfast After eight hours of sleep, our first meal breaks the fast. Choosing to eat a healthy, nutritional breakfast improves energy levels and short-term concentration. Starting the day with a smoothie or porridge with toppings is both a healthy and satisfying breakfast. Try adding bananas for fructose sweetness, flax seeds for omega-3 fatty acids and frozen berries for potassium and great taste. You can add whatever you like to smoothies; they’re a great drink to ensure you are starting your day consuming the right nutrients. 7. Meditate Meditation benefits the mind, body and soul and can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Morning meditation can be as long or as short as you’d like and it doesn’t need to be in a sitting position. You can simply choose to look at something outside and quiet the monkey mind by focusing on your breathing and the awareness that arises in that present moment. Some days you might be in that moment without any other thoughts 80-90% and sometimes it can be 20%-30%. 8. Journal Once you have completed your morning routines, you might ask yourself what your primary purpose and aims are for the day. Keeping a journal helps us mentally prioritise certain things that are important and things that aren’t as important that may be causing stress. Writing things down also helps us to reach goals. For example, creating a to-do list gives a sense of accomplishment. When it comes to ticking off each point, we see progress and can appreciate our achievements. Jotting down what you are grateful for and your aspirations can serve to reinforce positive thoughts and look forward to each day as it comes. One last thing… Today it is so easy to turn off your alarm and go straight to checking social media, news stories and replying to emails. However, sticking to a morning routine where no screen time is consumed can improve your mood for the rest of the day and help you focus on more important things. When you prioritise mental and physical health and follow sustainable morning habits as a daily routine you will feel more fulfilled and see benefits in your health and wellness.
The Eight Limbs Of Yoga
Introduction The Eight Limbs of Yoga is a way that an individual utilises its energy and transmits from the inner to the outer world intentions. They were first mentioned around 500 B.C by Patanjali and woven into the teachings of The Yoga Sutras. In the second chapter, he describes The Eight Limbs of Yoga as Ashtanga Yoga (not to be confused with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice). Practising The Eight Limbs of Yoga helps you live a more meaningful and purposeful life as well as connect with a sense of acceptance to everything that exists. 1. Yama Abstinences or the things you are supposed to avoid. The first limb is Yama which refers to the inner compass that guides us through the world around us, the way we engage with it and the energy we generate within it. A great question to ask is ‘What is my intention here?’. These five refined ethics or jewels as they are also called are: Ahimsa Non-violence turns us towards kindness. In Eastern culture, being kind is the core of yoga philosophy. First and foremost, our capacity to be kind to others starts from the capacity of being kind to ourselves. As we are speaking words of love towards ourselves and listening to our inner wisdom, we can bring that into the outer world. Ahimsa also refers to doing no harm through thought and worries, to invite curiosity into the challenges rather than judgement and separation. A great question to ask yourself is ‘What really makes me complete?’ and as you engage with others let them answer that question themselves. Sataya Truthfulness goes beyond words and refers to living life with integrity. It means being your authentic self, the real self rather than someone to be liked. In order to build a better relationship with the world around us we must have the courage to love ourselves as we are and from there, we can then love those around us. It also means having the intention, to be honest, and not self-delude or delude others. It means doing things right so we don’t have to give up on our goals and our own truth. A great question to ask yourself is ‘What would I do if I wasn’t so afraid?’ Asteya Non-stealing is the understanding of not stealing anything that is from others. A common situation is when someone is sharing an experience and you transform the conversation about what happened to you in a similar circumstance. This is something that we all probably have done at least once. Another situation when we often steal from ourselves is when we rush and move from one task to another without allowing ourselves the time to ‘digest’ what just happened. A great question to ask here is ‘What am I running from, not towards?’ Brahmacharya Refers to how we can live in connection with gratitude, with what it is rather than chasing constantly more as this takes us to the stress of excess. Conserving energy and fasting are ways to practise moderation as well as directing our energy towards finding purposeful actions and less ego-driven ones. Strongly connected with Asteya, Brahmacharya brings into the light the common belief that overdoing any activity – overworking, overeating, overdrinking, overwatching TV equals success and or is pleasurable. The truth is that it is not. A great question is ‘What truly makes me feel accomplished, happy and rich?’ Aparigraha Generosity and non-attachment refer mostly to releasing our expectations and desires in order to embrace the freedom of travelling through life lightly. As the breath that is held on for too long becomes toxic, we know that anything that we become attached to can become a burden. A great question to ask here is ‘Why don’t I let go of this particular thing, what is holding me back?’ 2. Niyama Observances or invitations are the things you are supposed to do. This second limb is about self-discipline and spiritual observations. A great question to ask ourselves through this journey is ‘What truly makes me feel good and how can I generate that more in my life?’ There are five personal practices: Saucha It invites us to the purity of our inside (hygiene, diet, thoughts) and outside (our environment and activities), along with the purity of the present moment while giving our undivided attention to every given task. As we embody this grace, we become congruent and we purify our thoughts and actions. This will then reflect in the habits we develop that will benefit ourselves and others. It also means meeting everyone and everything with the beginner’s mind, with purity and clean ‘glasses’ to feel lighter, more alive and more compassionate. A great question to ask here is ‘What is making me feel tired and what is bringing me alive?’ Santosha Contentment, accepting and appreciating what we have, where we are in our journey already, and moving forwards from there. We must appreciate our journey and achievements before we move on. This practice could also be referred to as being grateful for what we already have. Although this can sometimes be challenging, given the advertising campaigns that tell us we need just that one more thing in order to fit in or to be happy. A great question to ask yourself here is ‘What is your vision and where are you trying to fit in?’ Tapas Refers to cultivating a sense of self-discipline, and developing composure, passion and courage in order to release the struggle. As we develop the sense of becoming aware of the energies that shape our realities, we can acknowledge what we want to engage in and how we come across it. A great question to ask here is ‘What are you getting ready for and what would you like to be ready for?’ Svadhyaya Whilst we can observe our thoughts, we have the power not
Why Can’t I Meditate?
Introduction Meditation invites you to relax to prepare for full body calmness and balance. Having the desire to meditate is the first step, but preparing to meditate is the next step that many of us struggle with. As many of us lead such busy and stressful lives, it can be easy for us to forget how to pause or slow down. When we do pause we often fill our free time with social media, or spend time staring at screens for a sense of escapism. However, meditation enables us to focus on our breathing and briefly forget about daily stresses and distractions. In this blog, we will address the reasons why people struggle to meditate and aim to provide helpful solutions to help you enjoy and get the most out of your meditation practice! Have you ever wondered why you can’t meditate? Struggling to quiet the mind Often people will say that they cannot quiet their minds, that they have all these racing thoughts which seem never-ending. Some people don’t have the ability to switch off and they dwell on thoughts and which creates more anxiety. But when we say we are ‘overthinking’, what does this really mean? In our brain, we have a network of neurons that is called the reticular activating system (RAS) which controls our behaviour. RAS allows you to focus on what you value by firing motivation and to identify threats by filtering out what else is not important. Its main purpose is to keep us alive and safe. If you have experienced a lot of fear, worry and stress in your life, it is common to find it challenging to stop overthinking – your brain is guarding you. It can be helpful to look at the flipside – calmness, peace and restfulness. These feelings may feel unfamiliar if you are used to living in fear mode but be assured they are all within reach and live within you. A great way to start tapping into these feelings is with mantra meditation which can boost love and compassion for both yourself and the world. You could also try a noting meditation where you label each thought you have with the word “thinking” – this can help bring you back to the present moment. Being kind to your wandering mind by focusing on your breathing automatically restores your attention and rebalances your focus. RAS will only reinforce what you think and what is in your subconscious mind. So, when you think you can’t meditate, everything that you do will prove to you the fact that you cannot meditate. Your brain doesn’t know what is good or bad for you, it will only follow the thoughts and beliefs you prioritise and reinforce. Therefore, when you become aware of how the thought process works you know that you can do anything which can include meditation. If you think you can’t meditate because you can’t stop your racing thoughts, although you can notice and become aware of your thoughts, you don’t have to take them so seriously. A great way to distance yourself from the thought is instead of saying “I am never going to be able to meditate”, and use labelling to replace that thought with “I am having the thought that … I’m never going to be able to meditate”. Change your relationship with your thoughts so they don’t affect you so much. Vagus nerve stimulation to bring yourself into a more relaxed state. Humming, taking a warm bath for relaxing, (ice cold for waking up), giving yourself a foot, hands neck, shoulders or ear massage, belly breathing (your belly is rising), listening to or receiving ASMR. Distractions Living in the digital revolution, turning off our devices to focus fully on our bodies can be challenging. Firstly, it is optimal to put your phone on silent or do not disturb to help ward off the temptation to check it. In order to ignore digital distractions when meditating it is important to acknowledge a thought and then let it go (e.g I need to check my phone). A method that I recommend is sitting down in the lotus position (half or full), then focusing and acknowledging each sense, one sense at a time. Then once you have thought about each sense forget about them and focus entirely on your breathing patterns. Zen masters believe that the 6-6-6 rule works most effectively when breathing during meditation. This means breathing in through your nose for six seconds, holding your breath for six seconds and breathing out of your mouth for six seconds. Repeating this will help you relax and reduce stress, they recommend doing this for 10 minutes to ensure improved vagal tone, Co2 tolerance and a balanced nervous system. Faulty Assumptions of Central Objective Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced at meditation, we can all struggle to find the main objective behind meditation practice. But the answer varies depending on you. Some people aim to enlighten the spiritual inner creativity and joy in themselves whereas others may meditate for escapism or peace. Meditation originated in India and is performed in many religions however you do not have to be religious to meditate! Meditation is about focusing on mindfulness, being emotionally calm and most importantly being able to feel stable in yourself whether this refers to the mind, body or soul. Space Finding suitable space for mediation refers to mental and physical space. In terms of mental state, as mentioned above, turning off any digital distractions such as a buzzing phone or a TV will do you a favour and help you to focus and be calm. Focusing on the present and your present self will help you find mental space as this is the most important thing in this moment. Regarding physical space, find a surface that is flat whether this is a bed, sofa or yoga mat on the floor, ensure it