Joy of Mindfulness

I am setting an intention to step back from Social Media for an extended length of time.

You can’t pour from an empty cup the saying goes.

Thank you all for journeying with me this far. 🫶🏽
My deep social connections have uplifted me. Your presence in my life means a lot. 🙏🏽💗
I’ll be back!! 😉
I need the next weeks to renew, recharge and resource. 💪🏽❤️‍🩹

Life often takes us down paths we least expect to take.
To face adversity without letting it engulf you, we need to have a toolkit of skills to be resilient to pick ourselves up.
This is why self care matters.

💛A cry for Help isn’t weakness….it is an act of bravery.
💛Resting isn’t weakness….it is an act of resourcing.
💛 Naming those difficult emotions when they keep arising is known as emotional regulation. Sadness feels like this….or Anger feels like this…
💛 Focusing on your breathing when your mind starts overthinking is helping your nervous system regulate to a more relaxed state.
💛 Truly listening to what your body is telling you is awareness to make wise choices.
💛 Recognizing you aren’t yourself lately is having the courage to do something about it.
💛 Taking responsibility for your wellbeing and actions is an act of kindness.
💛 Treating yourself with care and kindness as you would a best friend is an act of self compassion.
💛 Prioritizing your health and wellbeing is an act of self love because you matter. No one else can do this for you.
💛 Saying NO and setting healthy boundaries is an act of self-respect and support for your wellbeing.
💛Lastly, you cannot hold the space for others if you haven’t nurtured that space for yourself.

How do I want to Show Up in Life?
What does this moment truly require of me?
How can I best take care of myself?

I have been held and supported throughout my life by brave and courageous women and by men who support such women. Thank you for your presence in my Life. ❤️
Let’s continue to inspire inclusion and empower young girls. 🫶🏽
Happy International Women’s Day!!

Let’s spring into March Mindfully…🌼 setting an intention to bring more awareness and compassion this month. I know I definitely need this gently reminder…🤩

Many people find it difficult to name their strengths.
I have a worksheet on strengths and everytime I use it my participants will say it was difficult to do.
Digging deeper I found that either they were clueless about their own innate capabilities or they felt it was bragging about their self worth and felt shame from it, because culturally or socially it is frowned upon.
It was even more difficult to share this with another participant.
We need to grow our strengths, that makes for healthy relationships. We need to feel self worth if we wish to thrive and be resilient in life.

Thank you Smiling Mind for this brilliant post. ❤️

I recently renewed my Mental Health First Aider Certification.
And always use this slide when I do workshops and seminars. Whole Self check in…

Regular wellbeing catch-ups with your colleagues are a vital way to support one another's mental health 🧠💚

To help you check-in on your own and others' wellbeing, and approach conversations with confidence and sensitivity, check out the My Whole Self MOT and Talking tips 🔗 https://bit.ly/3SDVrwL

You could...

💌 Share these resources on My Whole Self Day or another key moment, such as Mental Health Awareness Week

📅 Book a slot into your diary to regularly check-in with yourself and others

📌 Print them off and put them up in a shared workplace area

💡 Encourage managers to use them during team meetings and one-to-ones

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(Image description: The My Whole Self MOT is split into six sections:
1. How's my mental health today? How do I feel mentally and physically?
2. My Stress Container. How full is my container?
3. My mental health journey. Our mental health journey is part of the wider journey of our lives.
4. Looking after my wellbeing. How did I sleep last night? Am I eating a balanced diet and drinking enough water?
5. How's my thinking today? How are my thoughts making me feel?
6. What can I do to look after my whole self? Write down a few things you can do to improve your wellbeing)

Received a warm welcome from Freie Montessori Grundschule Hangelsberg, Germany. 🇩🇪

I enjoyed engaging with this team of amazing teachers and staff on the topic of Mindfulness in Education. 🤩

Very thankful for this opportunity to share the work I do in Mindfulness and Wellbeing. Transforming education by supporting teachers and students to grow and thrive. 💗

Heading back home now to a another wonderful start of a week long Mindfulness seminar in partnership with 😊❤️

Wishing my friends and followers who celebrate this auspicious time Kung Hei Fat Choi (Cantonese for Happy Chinese New Year).
May the year be filled with Health, Happiness and Harmony.

🧧🐉🎋🏮🌸🍊🧨❤️

Festivals observed in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 hold very special memories for me as HK was my home for 20 years and I still feel all nostalgic when I think of those times.

“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” 💗
Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet and environmentalist.

My educational walk today around the Alvor estuary and wetlands with highlighted the importance of protecting and conserving our wetlands for future generations to come.
🌿🦋🐦‍⬛💧🌼🐠🐝 🐚
This is why environmental education is very important in schools, families and our communities.

Immerse yourself in Nature often using all your senses, and you will soon realise the depth of our interconnectedness and interdependence on each other.
This in turn impacts the choices we make in our everyday life.

Today I was grateful for the perfect winter day ☀️, this group of likeminded people and some amazing wildlife we spotted.
The star ⭐️ of the show was watching a rare sighting of a short ear Owl.🦉 It put on a great show of flybys and swoops. 😊
To the A Rocha team for working tirelessly in their community, a big thank you. 🙏🏽

The Alvor estuary, dunes and shoreline is the perfect location to bird watch and walk around. And to have a nice meal in the village after. 🤩 I always recommend this location to any visitors and it is wheelchair accessible. 👍🏽

Sleep Matters!! 😴
I had a lack of sleep as an adolescent because sleeping in was frowned upon and considered lazy and not productive.

I developed insomnia for much my early adulthood due to the nature of my job.
And here I am, decades later finally prioritizing sleep. 💤
And I have made it a point to make sure my teenage boys have had adequate sleep. 🛌

Are your children, adolescents and students getting enough sleep sleep?
Are you going to bed at a reasonable hour?
Read this interesting post from Positive Psychology.

"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep." - E. Joseph Cossman

In an era where being a go-getter is celebrated and the "hustle culture" is admired, it's easy to push sleep aside. You might be familiar with the '5 am club' ideology. Contrary to popular belief, research indicates that missing out on a proper night's sleep could actually undermine your goals (Metschura, 2023).

So, why is sleep so important?

Sleep is a fundamental component that ensures optimal brain function (Buysse, 2014). This process is especially important for the growth and development of children and adolescents. Inadequate sleep, on the other hand, poses a risk for mental health problems and negatively impacts cognitive functions, including learning, decision-making, and emotional regulation.

Sleep's impact extends beyond the mind. It influences numerous bodily systems, essential for maintaining both physical health and mental well-being (Van Cauter et al., 2008; Besedovsky et al., 2012). For example, sleep preserves cardiac health, balances metabolic processes, ensures respiratory efficiency, and keeps our immune system strong.

All these factors show how getting enough sleep is important for keeping us healthy overall!

Have you noticed any changes in your health or mood when you get more (or less) sleep? Let us know in the comments below!

Anyone standing at a threshold…John O'Donohue words of wisdom direct us to take a leap of faith forwards.

At any time you can ask yourself: At which threshold am I now standing? At this time in my life, what am I leaving? Where am I about to enter? What is preventing me from crossing my next threshold? What gift would enable me to do it? A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms, and atmospheres. Indeed, it is a lovely testimony to the fullness and integrity of an experience or a stage of life that it intensifies toward the end into a real frontier that cannot be crossed without the heart being passionately engaged and woken up. At this threshold a great complexity of emotion comes alive: confusion, fear, excitement, sadness, hope. This is one of the reasons such vital crossings were always clothed in ritual. It is wise in your own life to be able to recognize and acknowledge the key thresholds: to take your time; to feel all the varieties of presence that accrue there; to listen inward with complete attention until you hear the inner voice calling you forward. The time has come to cross.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from his books: To Bless the Space Between Us (US) / Benedictus (Europe)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

Meeting one of my dearest friends after 14 years made me realise the value of friendship and the importance of having a supportive and caring social circle. ♥️✨🤩

I have been blessed to know many dear friends across the globe. It was a childhood dream to be connected to people around the world. Once I paid a small fortune to try to sign up for an international pen friend as it was known in those days. I was always curious about other cultures. 😁

Fast forward today, we are more connected than ever and life happens…some friendships we lose, some we let go off, some just pick up where we left off.

🌼 So what makes a friendship grow?
🌼 What friendships are we willing to invest in?
🌼 How are we showing up in our friendship circle?
🌼 Are we being authentic and true to ourselves?
🌼 Can we reach out to those who are alone and in need of a friend to just listen?
🌼 Can we be open and tolerant to forging acquaintances with people who may be so different from us?
🌼 Can we just nod ‘Hallo’ and smile at strangers without overthinking it?
🌼 Perhaps some friendships need space, time and healing.

🫂 What friendships are you planning to nurture in 2024?
🫂 Connect with a friend and send a message of appreciation for that friendship, appreciation changes our physiology and overall wellbeing.

Now listen to Friends will be friends by Queen. 🤩
Sharon D'sa 🙏🏽♥️

Never too late to wish you and yours a Happy New Year 2024.
♥️✨☀️🍀🐞

May you have a year filled with new beginnings, new adventures and new experiences. Remember every moment changes. We need to continue to keep an open mind and a sense of curiosity. And set clear and wise intentions for ourselves.

Shunryu Suzuki famous quote is: In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.

To all my Followers and Faithful Friends,
It’s that time of year where I wish to say ‘Thank You’.
Thank you for your continued support, well wishes and engagement. 🙏🏽
We celebrate Christmas in our home. 🎄✨

I wish you and your families a wonderful, happy, blessed, reflective, contemplative, safe and restful festive time.

Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays ✨
Frohe Weihnachten/ Frohes Fest ♥️
Feliz Natal/ Boas Festas 🎄

See you in 2024. Taking a short festive pause from social media.

Winter Solstice wishes of good will for you:
May you be at peace and ease 💛
May your light shine bright ✨
May you awaken to new beginnings ☀️
May you find the time to rest and renew 🦋

Love always
Christine 🌼💛

My body is letting me know that I am in badly need of REST. 😴
Winter ❄️ is a season that reminds us to Rest and Renew just like Nature. 🦥

This last week my vertigo episodes 😵‍💫😵‍💫 came back in full force and all I could do was to listen to what my body was telling me.
(I have significant hearing loss, tinnitus, Ménière’s Disease with BPPV. No cure for my condition and just had an Epley maneuver done. Wear top of the line 🦻🦻to help me function as best I can everyday. 👍🏽)

And yes, those thoughts 💭 that want to catastrophize my condition, feel real. As I make Space for those unpleasant feelings and thoughts showing up, I remind myself to be
❤️‍🩹 Patient with my body and mind
❤️‍🩹Present as best I can by staying connected to the soles of my feet 👣
❤️‍🩹 Compassionate to my mind and body
❤️‍🩹Soothing touch and warmth
❤️‍🩹 Sending myself loving-kindness wishes
❤️‍🩹REST the most important of all
❤️‍🩹Slowing down the Breath

And Faith and Hope keep me rooted when I get caught up in an episode. I just whisper for Strength, Courage and Safety to get through this. 🙏🏽🫶🏽💪🏽

Healing takes time, and managing stress through Resting can be the best thing you do for yourself.
In the busyness of this festive season 🎄☃️, check in regularly with your mind and body. 🧠👤

And if my experience helps you in any way then I feel humbled.
Resilience comes from allowing yourself to feel vulnerable in a situation. And allowing yourself to receive the care you need graciously and with gratitude. ♥️

Illustration by thank you 🙏🏽

Took a little time out to laugh and smile with in Hamburg 😊❤️.
We connected on zoom three years ago thanks to
The Laughter Yoga community is very socially connected globally. 🤩
It was so lovely to meet with her and to share in her positive energy. We exchanged life stories and it felt like we had known each other for years.
Above all we both recognized the value of being authentic and true to our Being.

Froggie loves a good poem so this one is for her:
People need People by 🙏🏽 (RIP and thank you for these beautiful words)

People need people,
To walk to
To talk to
To cry and rely on,
People will always need people.
To love and to miss
To hug and to kiss,
It’s useful to have other people.
To whom to moan
If you’re all alone,
It’s so hard to share
When no one is there.
There’s not much to do
When there’s no one but you.
People will always need people.

P.S. I would add to laugh with 😁

Super excited to continue collaborating with Europeanseminars on Mindfulness and launching a new seminar on Resilience in the Classroom.

Check out the shared post for more information.

🌟 Exciting News Alert! 🌟

Dive into our new Seminar Program for Erasmus Teachers in Portugal 🇵🇹✨

🎬 Film Production, 🌍 Intercultural Project Management, 🧘‍♂️ Mindfulness, and introducing NEW seminars on Resilience, Podcast Production, Impro Theatre, and Stress-free Teaching Techniques in Schools! 📚✨

🌟 Don’t miss the chance to grow personally & professionally! Join the europeanseminars experience for a unique opportunity to connect globally, embrace diverse cultures, and revel in the wonders of Algarve all at once. 🤝🌅

🎁 Exclusive Christmas Offer: Enroll by 2023’s end and SAVE 20% on seminar fees with code „Special20“. ✨🎄

📅 Mark your calendars! Remember to submit your Funding Application (KA121) by February 20, 2024, for Erasmus+ support. And don’t forget to consider out our Fall Seminars too! 🍂✨

🚀 Don’t miss out on this enriching experience! Explore more at www.europeanseminars.de 🌟

It isn’t everyday we meet people whose stories inspire us.
I met the adventurous Pete Beatty and his wife .2022 when I was the trainer for at Agua Hotels, Parchal in October. And my boys were in awe of his mission.

Listening to his calling to row 3,800 miles across the Atlantic solo to raise funds in support of men’s mental health and awareness is nothing short of courage, grit, determination and perseverance.

May the winds 🌬️be favorable as you make this epic solo journey across the Atlantic.
May the sun ☀️ be benevolent on you.
May the starry night skies open up a sense of awe and wonder.
May you be safe and well with spirit animals guiding your path. 🐳 🐬
Not too late to sponsor Pete’s campaign to raise funds for some worthy causes.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/indian-summer-2022

Best wishes Pete!! This journey will probably be a coming home to yourself. ❤️

.exe
🇵🇹

Journaling is a powerful skill for self reflection. On an 8 week Mindfulness for Life course I ask participants to journal their thoughts and emotions daily.
Fleet Maull shares his wisdom here on how to make use of journaling as a daily practice as a way to grow and be more resilient.
Let’s journal….📝 ❤️

Our dear Father Rodney, regularly quoted poetry to us. 🤩

On my bus ride through the beautiful Grünewald Forest in Berlin, the Road not Taken by Robert Frost came to mind.
There have been many interpretations of it. Poetry speaks to us in many different ways.

The last two sentences speaks to me about being at peace with the choices I have made.
We cannot turn back time to try the road we could have chosen to know the outcome. However, we can make Hindsight our friend to help us make wiser choices for our future.

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. ~ Robert Frost

Last week I wrapped up my seminar work with for the year. What an amazing year of growth and discovery❣️
This last group enjoyed working outdoors soaking up the sun ☀️ and taking in the blue skies 🩵, all against a backdrop of squawking flamingoes 🦩🦩 along the Arade river. Visit Algarve, perfect destination for seminars. 🤩

Looking forward to next year and collaborating on a new seminar with focusing on Resilience in schools. 💛

The way we speak to ourselves matters. Through my work I have come across so many adults who believe they ‘not enough’ or ‘not worthy’. I believed this to be true for myself because of the pressures from society or culture and my environment had placed on me.

In my seminars and workshops we touch on negative self talk and how to reframe those thoughts to positive affirmations. Feeling a sense of accomplishment and focusing on what can be learned from every experience helps us grow. Beating ourselves up only makes us feel worse. We have a choice here to be kind and compassionate to ourselves.
Do read the post from John Assaraf below. ❤️ He is on of the leading experts on this subject.

Negative self-talk may seem harmless, but it can be incredibly damaging to your confidence, happiness, and overall well-being. It erodes your self-belief, causing you to doubt your abilities and limit your potential. The dangers are real and can hold you back from pursuing your dreams and achieving success.

But you have the power to change this destructive habit. Begin by recognizing the negative thoughts that arise and replace them with positive affirmations. Surround yourself with supportive individuals who uplift you. Embrace self-care practices that nourish your mind and body. Choose to celebrate your accomplishments and learn from setbacks, rather than dwelling on failures.

It's time to shush the inner critic and unleash your true potential. You deserve to live a life filled with joy, success, and limitless possibilities. 🙏