All posts tagged: mindful

Living in the Here and Now: When did it get so complicated?

Whenever I hear about mindfulness a small part of me draws away feeling slightly cynical, and honestly, a little fatigued with it’s perfect ‘zen’ image. When I think about mindfulness I think of google executives in flip flops, or yoga gurus with flat stomachs and unflappable self-discipline. People who are ‘mindful’ don’t demolish an entire pack of Jaffa Cakes while writing blog posts… Why is that? I’m not sure why or when mindfulness got to be so complicated; so unattainable. Yet, for many of us the idea of creating a mindfulness practice seems a far off, distant state of being. In my work this has been something I’ve really had to grapple with. There is compelling evidence and research about mindfulness and how it can improve our mental and physical health. For example; A 2011 systematic review of more than 20 randomised controlled trials successfully demonstrated improvements in overall mental health, as well as its benefits for reducing risk of relapse from depression. Similarly, substantial evidence within these trails points towards mindfulness as having a …

Same storm, not the same boat…and Wonderland Wisdom

Lately the world feels as if its tipped us all into an alternate reality. I’ve heard a lot of people using the phrase: ‘we are all in the same boat’ and honestly, I couldn’t disagree more emphatically. We are within the same global storm, but we are not in the same boat. Some of our boats are huge battleships that will feel only the rocking of this storm as gentle nudges. Some of us are in a dingy clinging on for dear life having already lost the life jackets long before the waves started building. Wherever you are on this spectrum I hope that a safe harbour will be in your future soon. I hope you can find ways to show yourself love and compassion. It will look different for everyone…because we are not in the same boat. Recently, I’ve not been able to get a quote from Alice in Wonderland out of my head. It keeps popping up in my mind. Alice says: “It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a …