Positive Pause – 7th March 2016 – Thinking Outside Yourself

Large sunflower - think outside yourselfAs the evenings are becoming brighter, if you find the opportunity to go for a walk one evening this week, take it! A gentle, solitary stroll where you focus all of your attention outside yourself on what you can see, hear and smell is a good mental workout to calm a busy mind after a stressful or long day. By choosing to use your focus in this way, you will be open to a general sense of calm and well-being.  You may even allow yourself to experience the wonder of hearing the birds sing at twilight. Thinking outside youself

Positive Pause – 21st December 2015 – Conscious Christmas

conscious christmasHave yourself a “Conscious Christmas”.

Sometimes Christmas day can be built up with so many expectations – the food, the gifts, the tree, the family, the kids, the joy of Santa coming. These are all wonderful but can often seem overwhelming. Frequently people struggle to contain the pressure and many families experience stress on the very day that everyone is’ supposed’ to be happy, at ease and peaceful.

,If you are fortunate enough to have a calm family who can take it all in their stride then rejoice. However, if you are like many of us whose families can feel the tension and have trouble managing it then have yourself a ‘Conscious Christmas’. Use your breathing to help ground you in the present moment, pause and savour all the abundance the festivities have to offer. Take your time with the preparations and most of all remember to bring humour to any tense situation. If you decide to anchor yourself in the moment and to enjoy every wonderful moment of the day, you will provide a calming influence to others who may be less able to self-regulate.

The best gift you can give to yourself and those around you is a calm, happy and peaceful Christmas. Cultivate the ability to express gratitude, moment by moment and breath by breath. Let the magic of Christmas lift up your spirits and spread joy to those fortunate enough to spend the day with you.