Self Development Leicester

The Shadow

We all have a shadow, a darkness that is as much a part of us as the light. When faced with the shadow, we may seek to deny its existence by saying “I wasn’t myself” “it’s not like me” I don’t recognise myself”….

Knowing your own darkness is the best way of dealing with the darkness of others. It allows you
to show compassion, love and understanding
rather than judgment, derision and separation.

Learning to love every part of ourselves is a step towards integration and wholeness. To heal is to become whole.

Go with awareness - Vicki ❤️❤️

Results Day - Be Proud Be You

Across the Uk thousands of teenagers have recieved exam results today. I can still remember my A level results coming through the post and feeling a huge sense of pride as I knew I had worked my socks off, even though the grades were nothing like the ones we have seen today!!

How do you measure success and intelligence?
I have always taken issue with academic snobbery in this country. The implication that the less able kids do Btec and the bright sparks A levels. With a staggering 28% achieving A and A ⭐️ grades today and the media focus on the high flyers,
where does that leave those left behind?

Struggle with academia bears little reflection on intelligence, yet many young people feel they have failed to make the grade and feel themselves failures. There needs to be more focus on finding our passion, on what really lights us up in school. You spend a long time at work and I know from both personal and professional experience that much ill health is directly related to unhappiness at work. Too many people are literally trying to be something they are not.

So whether it’s a midsummer nights dream, or more of a nightmare, you may want to listen back to my piece with Kelly Hinch on BBC Leicester this afternoon. It aired around 4.05pm, we discuss how to reframe an experience when it’s not the one you hoped for and the importance of expressing a full spectrum of emotions at this time.

Rejection is often redirection in disguise. Take time to reflect today, to celebrate all that you are and
be proud of your achievements.

Go with awareness - Vicki ❤️❤️

Hearts Ease

Old wounds can be ripped apart by an off the cuff comment, an unkind remark, a dig. We can never know whether this was delivered with malicious intent or simply born of unawareness. What matters is how you respond, ensuring this is from a place of awareness, rather than a place of wounding.

Anyone attempting to belittle, criticise or put us down, says more about their own character than ours. Anyone wanting to hurt another person, or the world outside themselves, must contain hurt in their inner world, or they would have no need to do it in the first place. You can only ever give what you have at any point in time. This is one of the reasons it’s important to honour the person you were,
the person you are and the person you will become….

Life is a work in process,
we are all on a unique journey
whether we like it or not,
whether we know it or not.

From my heart to yours - Vicki ❤️❤️

The Vibration Of Love

We are still in the energy of the open Lionsgate portal until 11th August. Therefore be mindful of your thoughts, your language and your behaviour
at this powerful time of manifestation. The universe will respond to the vibration and the energy of whatever you put out.

The world is a better place for your brightness, shine well!!

From my heart to yours with so much love -
Vicki ❤️🦁❤️

Lionsgate

How would it feel to wake up every day with a sense of joy and abundance? Our value system is largely dictated by the culture of our family, society and tribe. In the west, material possessions are often prided over health, happiness and mental freedom. We imprison ourselves unintentionally by seeking things which tie us to a lifestyle, a job, a house, a relationship.

Today we celebrate the Lionsgate portal, a rare celestial event when the sun is in Leo aligning with the star of Sirius, Orion’s Belt and Earth. This portal of energy makes it easier to manifest our dreams and achieve our fullest potential. This is a time to focus, to ask yourself what you really want in life.
Is it love, a home, wealth, health, time, joy, personal growth or creativity?

The portal (or gateway) is a powerful time for manifesting abundance, spiritual growth and transformation. This rare planetary alignment amplifies energy around us and within us making it easier to clear away blocks, old patterning and unhelpful habits thus opening to new possibilities. Today the universe is hyper responsive to our thoughts and intentions and anyone can take advantage of this magical event.

I invite you to take some quiet time to embrace the energy, to feel the shift and manifest your wildest dreams. By doing so, you are stepping towards your very highest self.

From my heart to yours - Vicki ❤️❤️

Be In The Vibration Of Love

We have become addicted to mindless consumption which fuels drama, distraction and avoidance, both of ourselves and our ever present unhealed trauma.

The world is in flames and it’s more important than ever to be mindful of what we’re putting out there. To consider how we are adding to the chaos
or assisting the calm.

With this in mind I’m posting a picture of the wonderful group of performers my daughter is currently playing with aboard Spirit of Adventure.
When you ripple out love it comes back in waves.

We can choose to focus on making and creating something beautiful, on doing what we can to spread love, unity and inclusion. A rainbow is made of many colours, and each one is part of the whole.

Strength in unity - Vicki ❤️❤️

Soulful Sunday - Space To Breathe

I love the city, especially my home town, but every now and then I need to breathe. One of the things I love about Scotland is the sense of space. North of Tebay everything opens up, the roads are quieter and there is much more green. It’s like pressing a reset button in my mind then after a few days things slow down and it’s much easier to be present.

We all need to stop once in a while. To let the world go by without question and without wanting to. There will always be more questions than answers and to many of those questions, there is no answer. Perhaps what we need on our healing journey is to regularly create space in which to breathe, to notice and transform.

Go gently - Vicki ❤️❤️

Try Something New

I am fascinated by the way we do things habitually. Think of any work situation, yoga class or family home. Even the side of the bed you sleep on....?
Many of us stick to what we know. We sit in the same place, drive the same route, even eat
the same foods. Unless you make a conscious
choice, with awareness, to do things differently, how will you know whether you like it or not?

At the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow I was staggered by the choice of teas available. I could have chosen something I know, instead I took a chance on an Islay whiskey infused tea. I like whiskey but they are all so different, I had no idea what whiskey tea would taste like. Turned out it was delicious, so delicious I went back for a refill.

A great reminder to try something new when you can. You never know what you’ll discover about life, about yourself and about the world.

Thinking outside the box
gets you outside the box!!

Go with awareness - Vicki ❤️❤️

Good Vibes

Spending time with people you love and who love you back raises your vibration. Add water and nature into the mix and you have a wonderful
recipe of healing potential. One of the benefits of time away, a holiday, a day out, a break from routine is you see things differently. You experience a change in perspective which allows the boundless possibility of a new day and new experiences to flow in.

Our tendency, as creatures of habit, is to create more of the same. From a place of “tried and tested” we think the same, do the same and ultimately get the same. When you do something different, everything changes. It may not feel comfortable, but it shakes things up and those feelings are just currents of energy that flow in
and out when you allow them to!!

When you feel alive you attract more of the same. When you feel sad you attract more of the same.

To raise your vibration, spend time with people who help you to grow and expand. Do things which make you feel alive, go with the flow of life and say yes to the endless possibility and potential calling
you home.

In the spirit of adventure with love - Vicki ❤️❤️

Soulful Sunday - Strawberries

Endorphins are chemicals your body naturally releases in response to something pleasurable,
this happens whether the experience is real or imagined. If you struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a new skill, the use of a gym membership or staying on track and accountable for anything,
it may be you need a few more strawberries in
your life?

I challenge you to write down ten things which make your heart sing. Two of my favourites are watching washing blow on the line and jumping into a freshly laundered bed. Don’t overthink it,
the simpler the better and the more everyday
the better.

Once you have your list of “Strawberries” any time you find yourself struggling, bring to mind your favourite, then hold it firmly in your mind...

🍓 See it
🍓 Taste it
🍓 Smell it
🍓 Feel it

You can do this as often as you like.

Endorphins are part of your internal pharmacy that can be activated when you know how and used to your advantage anytime, anyplace, anywhere!!

From my heart to yours - Vicki ❤️❤️

Yoga Is For Every Body

It’s not really about the shape, how flexible you are or even attaining a strong and healthy body. These are by products of a regular yoga practice, of showing up for yourself each day on the mat.

I haven’t always had a daily practice, for years when the kids were small I would manage one or two classes a week. It seemed impossible to find enough quiet time at home (when I wasn’t exhausted) to do that for myself. Looking back,
I could have prioritised the time, I could have carved it out and put a firm boundary in place. I didn’t, perhaps I didn’t value myself enough?

Things are different now, even if I only manage twenty minutes, this time is sacrosanct and I notice the difference in how I feel, how I move and how I think when I occasionally miss time with myself,
for myself, for my self knowledge.

Go with awareness - Vicki ❤️❤️

The Art Of Relaxation

How often do you relax and do you notice when your body is telling you to stop doing anything?

We know what it looks like, but have maybe forgotten what it feels like to let go of holding, gripping and clinging on for dear life to get through the day, the week, the whatever next...

Relaxation is an art. In our crazy, fast paced, production focussed lives, doing nothing doesn’t get many accolades. We see the gym as relaxation, or spending time in the garden, or visiting friends. The truth is all these activities take energy and some take a lot of energy!!

Relaxation is restorative, it gives our busy overactive minds a rest, and our overstimulated bodies a chance to calm down.

A monthly massage or reflexology session is the perfect antidote to the constant chatter of life.
As I write, I am aware of the sound of traffic and other random human activity. It is rarely, if ever, silent in the city.

Regular periods of relaxation are an integral part
of health promotion and health maintenance.
They boost immune function, increase endorphins
and promote good quality restful sleep.

Message for details of relaxation and energy healing sessions both in person and online.

Go gently - Vicki ❤️❤️

Full Moon Release

Did you feel the energy of the Buck Moon?
I had the best views of this magnificent moon on Friday evening however my dramatic release was last night waking from a terror and taking a while to shake off the energy of wild ranting before becoming fully present.

I am a vivid dreamer and long curious about the symbolism and nature of dreams. Full moon is the perfect time to release anything holding you back, anything old and worn out which no longer serves you, if it ever did!!

Go gently - Vicki 🌕

Photo credit - Harriet Slater

Soulful Sunday - Next to Normal

Mental health should be everyone’s top priority
and without it, to be honest, life is pretty fu....ed!! Yet after all the campaigning, all the talking and awareness raising, there is still a huge stigma (and often shame) around asking for help, admitting you need support and finding a way through this mess that is life.

One in four people experience a significant mental health crisis in their lifetime. One in four, that’s a quarter of the population!! With information, knowledge, awareness and a fully equipped “tool box” we can do this thing together...

Nothing is perfect, how can it be? Letting go of perfect, realising that things get broken, that things are broken, is the way to healing and lasting inner peace one day at a time.

Go with awareness - Vicki ❤️❤️

Freedom

A bit burnt from the previous days cliff walk and fresh from a dip in the ocean, I emerge.

After a cheeky costume clad shuffle over the road having checked out the safest access from the steeply shelving beach, we are away. Didn’t take
my phone as I wanted to be completely in the moment...

There’s nothing like a swim in the sea to get into your body and know that anything is possible.
I merge with everything, I reconnect, I know that we are truly one and that if I keep on swimming I would eventually get to France and beyond.... this morning it was just to the bouy and back, then a grateful sit on the wall to dry off in dazzling sunlight listening to the sound of the sea gently caressing thousands of tiny pebbles shimmering in their naked beauty.

When you’re feeling stuck: dance, swim, stretch, and run like a wild child. Freedom in the physical
body is one of the quickest ways to freedom at a much deeper level.

Go with adventure - Vicki ❤️❤️

Tea Time Elegance

Glorious weather on the south coast today and without a doubt the most enchanting Tea Room I have ever visited. There’s something quintessentially English about drinking tea from bone china cups and eating freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam, bliss!!

Flower Power

Stepping into my little oasis of calm
I know that taking time to be still in nature
always brings me home.

“Realise you have within you all wisdom,
all knowledge, all understanding. You do not have to seek it without, but take time to be still and go
deep within to find it.”
Eileen Caddy

Soulful Sunday

Against all odds England made it to the final of the euros and where better to soak up the atmosphere than in central London on Drury Lane.
It may not be the result that many England fans were looking for but to be honest I had the best time at the The White Hart, Drury Lane, London with a whole bunch of beautiful souls.

Coming home with a song in my heart!! ❤️⚽️❤️

Transform

These last two days I have felt the need to reconnect with nature and spend time in my garden. In this space, the plants respond to my energy and I to theirs in a synergistic alchemical weave that transcends the everyday.

Gardens are magical places which help us remember who we are and enable us to listen to
the inner guidance which is always there when we are still enough to hear it.

These images were taken in the original garden at The Findhorn Foundation in the north of Scotland which has been described as “a living laboratory
for transforming human consciousness.” I visited the foundation regularly for almost a decade from 2010.

The core principles are Love in Action, Inner Listening and Co - Creation with nature.

In the spirit of findhorn; whatever you do,
aim to do it with love!! ❤️❤️

Emotional Triggers

We all have emotional wounds and therefore things which trigger us into a spiral of panic, anger, agitation and more. This can be something as seemingly innocuous as a casual remark, a look,
a smell or a hostile/unkind reaction.

We never know when these things will occur and are largely ignorant of what they are. Our tens of thousands of daily thoughts are on a never ending loop, out of awareness and significantly unhelpful.

Getting to know where your mind goes, what your thoughts are and the nature of the original wound which led to these deeply ingrained beliefs,
is a starting point to reprogramming.

When you know you know.
You can take action.
You can step back.
You can surrender to what is.

Go with awareness - Vicki ❤️❤️

Showing Up

A healing journey is a long winding never ending road. That said, once you begin there is no turning back and around each and every corner is something you never expected to find. There will be good days, there will be great days, there will also be ones that challenge you to the max!!

You are amazing, it takes courage, strength and determination to keep showing up for yourself every single day. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes
all you can do is wade through layer upon layer of self doubt, self criticism, self loathing and fear.

Keep going and remember how far you have come. Keep focussed on your reason why and ask for help when you need it. You already have everything you need to heal yourself, you just have to realise this truth and remember. One step at a time, one day at a time..... everyday is a new beginning.

Go gently - Vicki ❤️❤️

A Chorus Line

I love theatre, to be honest I love any live performance. It’s the immediacy where anything can happen and the performance I am watching is unique, special, just for me and the audience I share the experience with.

Conceived, choreographed and directed originally by Michael Bennet in 1975 as “a reaction to falsehood and apathy” he wanted to do something honest in response to the watergate scandal.

Perhaps this is why a chorus line is so raw, so gritty and so intensely personal. Staged like an audition for a Broadway show, the 17 young performers juggle their true identity with their resume. With who they think the director (Zach) wants to see and wants them to be. In an attempt to find out who they truly are Zach encourages them to open up in a deeply personal way about their route to dance and the performance industry with a string of painful confessions.

At the end of the day these young people put themselves on the line because they love what they do and this love affair is poignantly portrayed in the lyric what I did for love...

“The show is dedicated to anyone who has ever danced in a chorus line or marched In step... anywhere” Isn’t the truth that we have all marched in step and danced to someone else’s tune at some time in our lives? The trick is to notice, to recognise and to find a way of being yourself and staying true regardless.

Raw, gritty, intensely personal, A chorus Line is playing at Curve Leicester until Saturday 13th July before going on tour. Directed by Nikalai Foster this is a Curve and Sadlers Wells production. If you love theatre, catch it while you can. Beautiful staging, stunning vocals, awesome choreography and a brilliant musical score!!

What did you do for love? ❤️❤️