The other day, I was sitting in a café, having pre-ordered takeaway sandwiches, which I'd ordered in advance, as I knew I'd be pushed for time on the way to visit a friend for lunch. On paying for the order, I was informed that it hadn't been put through yet, and so they only started preparing the food after I'd got there. I politely paid the young barista at the till, who'd explained how busy they'd been, and I sat, and I waited. Initially, I was pretty frustrated because having been organised in pre-ordering, I hadn't allowed for this additional time that it was now taking to prepare the food. So, I texted my friend to explain the delay, and then I decided that I could either sit here and quietly fume, or I could use this time as an opportunity to practice using my breath to calm myself down. I just did a few gentle, slow, balanced breaths through my nose and noticed my stress levels coming down. Like many self-care techniques, especially those that help influence our nervous system, I find it helps if I practice them when the conditions are calm, so I am more skilled and therefore more able to utilise them when circumstances become more intense. This moment proved to be a great opportunity to hone my skills in a mildly stressful situation. If you're interested in learning some simple, gentle and effective breathing techniques to help you to dial down the stress in your body, check out my Breathwork workshop details here. By the way - the picture below was not taken at the venue in question, and I found myself feeling very tranquil as I enjoyed this particular cup of coffee with such a spectacular view outside! An ideal opportunity to practice mindfulness and Breathwork in calm conditions!

During the four months that  my son was travelling at far-flung countries on the other side of the world, I would occasionally notice my thoughts spiralling into 'what if's'. When I was able to recognise this re-curing thought pattern, and the associated tension in my body, I remembered my regular daily breathing practice and used it a little more often. It would have the effect of bringing me back to the present moment and allowed me to recognise that my body was responding to my own thoughts that I was ruminating on, and not on the actual truth of the situation. However, when I chose to re-focus on my breath instead, I gave myself the 'breathing space' to recognise the thoughts for exactly what they were, and come back to the present moment. I also use Mel Robbins' fabulous mantra at times like these and exchange my 'what if_____' ( insert the worst case scenario that's popping into my head) and replace it with 'what if it all works out'. I find the combination of slow gentle breathing, coming back the present, and using a positive mantra, really effective at bringing me out of my negative thought spiral. If you're interested in these ideas - you might like to subscribe to my bi-monthly email newsletter, where I'll soon be sharing details of my new mindfulness courses! Click the button below and claim a free sleep guide too!

One of my morning habits - especially in the summer when I’m teaching less, and when the sun is up early - is to take a few minutes to walk around the garden and get some natural daylight as early as I can after waking. I also use this opportunity to feel more grounded by doing this in bare feet. The cold dew on the grass and the cooler air has made this a less comfortable experience lately, and so I’ve been leaning into my Breathwork practice. This helps me stay calm and able to tolerate the less comfortable sensations of cold feet and cold skin, whilst still enjoying the experience of the fresh air, birdsong, daylight, and grounding into the earth. This early morning daylight practice also helps support my circadian rhythm and therefore supports my sleep.

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