Today, Wednesday 17th February 2021, is random acts of kindness day. 'Well, that's very nice but so what?' you might think. Evidence shows that not only do acts of kindness make other people feel good but they also make us feel good. Kindness has also been show to reduce stress and improve our emotional wellbeing. … Continue reading Random acts of kindness
Sometimes we can get so caught up in the daily routine and rush of things that we forget about the things that never make the 'to do' list, like appreciating nature, going for a walk, contacting a friend, doing a favour etc. But these actions can be beneficial for our physical, mental and emotional health … Continue reading Calendars for daily actions of kindness and happiness
Last week was Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK (11-17th May) and for 2015 the theme was 'mindfulness'. People familiar with meditation and yoga may already know about mindfulness, especially as there has been quite a surge in interest in mindfulness in the media, in politics, in business etc in the last few years, … Continue reading Mindfulness in mental health awareness week
The notion that mindfulness and meditation can help someone deal with pain and physical ill-health might, at first, sound unlikely. How can sitting thinking about something (or not thinking about things) reduce your pain? In 'Mindfulness for Health: relieving pain, reducing stress and restoring wellbeing', the two authors (Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman), both of … Continue reading Mindfulness for Health – a book review and reflections
This week in class we practised a simple mindfulness meditation exercise which focuses on feelings of wellness and wellbeing. The WOW phrase stands for 'wishing ourselves well, wishing others well'. It is important to wish ourselves well if we are to be able to help, support and be compassionate towards others. We can then begin … Continue reading WOW: wishing well
A bit of humour for this blog post - you may have already seen this video or others like it, but it made me chuckle. Here's a short video of companion animals (pets) joining in with yoga at home, put together by the Huffington Post. I particularly like the cat who stays on the yogini's … Continue reading Yoga and animals
Why bother practising yoga? Well, there are a number of reasons why, and ways that it can improve your life and lifestyle. Here are just a few that I thought of whilst gardening, in no particular order! 1. It can help improve some physical conditions such as lower back problems, stiff and tight shoulders and … Continue reading 10 reasons why yoga is good for you
I have just finished reading The Dalai Lama's cat by David Michie. Although the front cover explicitly says this is a novel, it's not a novel in the conventional sense, not least because its narrator is a cat, but also because the 'plot' is rather light (cat abandoned, cat rescued, cat learns some Buddhist lessons) … Continue reading Book review: The Dalai Lama’s cat
I have previously blogged about the Positive News newspaper and have been meaning to write a bit more about the theme of positive thinking (or thinking positively) and happiness for a while. There are many self-help books about this topic, but recent conversations with friends reveals that it is an approach that not everyone likes, … Continue reading Three things
Breathe Move relax 