Doing ‘nothing’ makes you more productive! It’s safe to say that having time to ‘relax’ these days can be a struggle. Monday to Friday is usually work and the weekends are crammed with all the other things you want to do and people you want to see.

With the hopeful feeling that the world is slowly re-opening again, I thought it would be a good time to write about balancing work life and a healthy life.

Depression and anxiety is something I dealt with as a teenager but thankfully I didn’t experience it again for many years. After going through personal ordeals as an adult it returned to the same extent and this was really hard to cope with.

This heading really came about because of my frustration with how “mindfulness” is sometimes portrayed or thought about in the modern world.

Recently I had the pleasure of attending one of the most mindful events to date. It wasn’t hosted as a mindful event but I haven’t felt that present and focused in a while.

The Shakti Mat idea came from the ‘bed of nails’ practice that has been popular in Indian culture for more than 2000 years and is more commonly known as an ‘acupressure’ technique.

Developing an attitude of gratitude helps us want what we do have and not want what you don’t have, usually this is the other way around which can lead to immense dissatisfaction end emptiness.

Metta meditation is SO extremely powerful. It sounds almost too simple to be effective. ‘Metta’ is a buddhist term which means loving, kindness or friendliness. Metta mindfulness meditation develops affectionate awareness.

I don’t know about you but time is flying – I literally can’t believe it’s almost the middle of the year!! With this in mind, as I’m getting busier I find my meditation goes out the window.

There are two types of values, values that represent feelings such as companionship, freedom and security and values that represent character traits. Being Values are associated with values that describe the character of the ideal person you would like to be.

For some of us the thought of meditation is not appealing at all (I used to fit into this bracket)….there is nothing wrong with that but finding alternative ways to quieten your mind can be so beneficial and can help you be more productive, sleep better, be calmer, have better relationships and limit stress to name but a few.

ohhhh sleep……..its something I’ve battled with my entire life…..well, until recently. Sure, I still have my restless night here and there (I am human) but on the whole I can safely say my sleep has improved, especially since introducing these ‘mindful’ techniques.

Some of you already know from my social posts that I am going through a break -up. It’s not something I really want to document in detail on the internet but I definitely don’t mind sharing what I’ve learnt and how I’m dealing with the situation.

At the end of last year I travelled to Bhutan and had the most amazing spiritual experience. I went on an awesome program called the Slow Change Experience – I met some beautiful people, I took part in so many mindfulness activities and I got to travel, see and explore Bhutan and it’s amazing culture.

I had just finished my Law degree…..the job market was tough. I didn’t REALLY enjoy being a paralegal for a law firm…..and I was always the odd one out with the kale salad and gym bag in tow. I needed to use the other half of my brain…

BUPA recently asked me how I plan on starting 2017 with a Plus. This was excellent timing as I have just embarked on mindfulness and meditation as a way to counteract stress and live a more ‘present and ‘fulfilling’ life.

As you all know my recent trip to Bhutan exposed me to meditation on a much deeper level. I’ve been so inspired by the whole experience that I wanted to create my own space at home and I thought I would share it with all of you!

I wanted to mix it up a little bit and do a piece on ‘cheat days’ as the last post got me thinking about balance and adopting health as a lifestyle choice not an ‘all or nothing approach’.

In a world where we are constantly engaged on our phones, at work, on our computers and so on ‘learning to switch off’ can be something that is overlooked until you are so burnt out you need a holiday.

De-cluttering is something I find really hard! I am not one of those ‘neat-freaks’ with no paperwork in sight, no lists, no mood boards, lovely clean white lines in the office space…