It's sometimes the case that we lose perspective. When times are difficult, or emotions are intense, it is easy to imagine that whatever it is that is happening will last forever. Thankfully, and sadly, in equal measude, nothing lasts forever, not the diffuclt stuff nor the joyful. Today's short blog offers two tips I have found to be consistently helpful for clients working to build emotional balance and resilience. The first is to get a diary with just a few lines of spac

I went to a breath workshop led by my yoga teacher last month, and she got me really curious about breathing and the impact on well-being. I came home and ordered some reading material to find out more, such was the impact of spending just an hour exploring different breathing techniques in class. As a long time yogi and meditator I thought I had a fairly good understanding of the topic, it turns out there was plenty to learn and do differently. The most striking learning I

“Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates” from the Hermetic Kybalion, quoted by Peter Levine in In An Unspoken Voice. I find this quotation profoundly helpful. Health is a state of flow, a natural rhythm. Healing calls for flow, for rhythm, for movement and grace. When we are flowing we are

I was invited recently to be playful with my elbows, to explore what it’s like to really put them out and take up some space. I confess I was a little taken aback to notice quite how liberating it was...all of a sudden I felt like my personal space had doubled and I had a lot more room to move around in. It’s good to play physically, to do things we don’t normally do with our body. We all have defaults and habits, and they become grooves in which we can get stuck. Patterns

It seems to me we are not one, solid, unchanging being, but rather a deeply interconnected web of life from which consciousness arises. However much we may feel ourselves removed or more refined, we are mammals. Embracing our animate selves and using our breath to influence our bodymind is a practical way to self-manage. When we do so we not only improve our own quality of life, we enhance energy and life for everyone around us. We breathe from our first moment to our last

I’ve been reading Cured by Jeff Rediger over the last few weeks, an exploration of mind-body connection and the immune system in the context of healing from serious illnesses, including those considered incurable. It’s a thought provoking read, studying the exceptions, the people who have healed in ways not predicted by medical science. I have been struck by the enquiring tone of the book. It does not present a recipe or give simple answers. Instead it presents the patterns