Tag Archives: wellbeing

Are you ready to rise?

February 3, 2017Believe in yourselfAwareness, connection, earth energy, Highly Sensitive Person, HSP, Seasons, sensitive, wellbeing, wisdom, yogaStella Tomlinson

Rise like a snowdrop showing the first signs of spring. — Mother earth is stirring

Early February. How does it feel to you?

Have you noticed the slightly longer daylight hours and a subtle but perceptible strengthening of the sun’s rays? Can you feel the sap rising?

2^nd February (as well as being my birthday!) was the festival of Imbolc – in the ancient Celtic Wheel of the Year this marked the first day of spring.

A shift from the dark, cold, introspective energy of winter to the start of the growing season of spring.

A time to look outward and look forward.

This time of year is a perfect time to get outside and notice signs of the rising sap, the first shoots of spring and the lengthening daylight hours.

Nature is stirring. Read more…

Self-Care for Sensitives

January 20, 2017Understand High SensitivityAwareness, connection, Highly Sensitive Person, HSP, Meditation, mindfulness, self-acceptance, sensitive, wellbeing, yoga, yoga teacherStella Tomlinson

Sweet Pea - sensitive tend to appreciate the delicate, intricate beauty of things — Are you sensitive to the delicate, intricate beauty of your natural surroundings?

When you’re sensitive to your surroundings and other people and you feel easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation and information, life can feel both challenging yet also soulfully rewarding.

Tiredness, overwhelm and feeling scattered and discombobulated may be feelings you know all too well. You crave withdrawal from this frantic world.

You’re also conscientious, observant, intuitive and empathetic to others’ feelings. You think about things deeply, you deeply feel the beauty of our natural surroundings and can easily be profoundly moved by music, art and acts of kindness.

You’re tuned into life around you. You have a delicate appreciation of the subtleties of life.

You may feel anxious, kind, connected, different from everyone else, aware, soulful, confused…

In short, you experience life intensely and sometimes it feels like a blessing and other times like a curse.

I know all this because this is how I experience the world. And if, like me, you’re Highly Sensitive (and if you’re not sure then take this short test) then you’ve probably felt all of these feelings, and more. Read more…

3 yoga tips to stay calm this Christmas

December 20, 2016Find your calm space, Soul wisdomAnxiety, Breath, calm, HSP, sensitive, Stress, wellbeing, yogaStella Tomlinson

Stay calm at Christmas with yoga — Stay calm this Christmas

How do you find the festive season? It can be enchanting. But it can also feel overwhelming.

If you tend to experience anxiety anyway, then you’ll know that there’s something about Christmas-time which can really aggravate and intensify the symptoms.

There’s nothing like an impending, immoveable deadline and yet-to-be-done Christmas shopping to get the stress hormones flooding your system!

And if (like me) you have a nervous system which is highly sensitive to external stimuli you’re more likely to experience the symptoms of anxiety.

And this time of year there are so many stimuli bombarding us: bright lights; crazy-busy towns, cities and shopping centres; parties and “dos” to go to; sugary & fatty foods; alcohol; Christmas shopping; the pressure to visit as many family members as possible; and jingly-jangly Christmas music everywhere!!! Read more…

Gratitude to lift your mood

December 9, 2016Soul wisdomAnxiety, compassion, connection, emotions, gratitude, Meditation, mindfulness, self-acceptance, Stress, wellbeing, wisdom, yoga, yoga teacherStella Tomlinson

December. Full of joy and sparkling lights. Full of cold bugs, coldness and darkness. Every coin has two sides eh?

How are you feeling?

Me, I work up earlier than usual this morning. It was still completely dark. I wasn’t feeling full of joy, to put it mildly (more to do with being day 26 of my cycle than anything else: I know from charting my monthly cycle all through this year that days 25/6 are often the days my inner critic gets LOUD).

But I still took myself to my meditation cushion and sat and allowed whatever was coming up, to come up. It wasn’t particularly pretty. But, with mindful awareness I offered kindness towards myself and to what I was feeling.

I began my usual practice – focusing on the cool-in breath at the nostrils and the warmer out-breath. I gradually took my awareness down through my body to ground.

Feeling grumpy, I continued to breathe. Read more…

I’m changing

November 23, 2016Soul wisdomHighly Sensitive Person, HSP, life choices, Meditation, sensitive, stillness, wellbeing, wellness, yoga, yoga teacherStella Tomlinson

We’re living in interesting and changing times.

It feels like there’s so much anger and fear in the world.

Yet at the same time more and more people are turning to yoga and meditation and other healing and energy modalities because they instinctively feel there is more to life than materialism and yearn for a greater spirit / soul connection – and are finding this connection and thriving with it.

The world is changing.

And I feel my work changing with it.

I’m feeling called to work more deeply.

Teaching and empowering people who are more sensitive and soulful by nature to find inner peace and to embrace their sensitivity as a force for good in this world which sorely needs more kindness and reflection and compassion and connection.

Dru Yoga, Restorative Yoga, & Meditation are the perfect tools for this work.

So, you’ll find my teaching and writing subtly changing over the coming months to reflect this work I’m feeling called to do.

I hope you’ll come with me on this journey

How can I help you? What support do you need? Let me walk with you, by your side, supporting your sensitive, soulful nature.

Do comment below, get in touch or connect with me on social media: Facebook & Instagram.

Much love,
Stella xxx

Get out of your head and into your body

October 14, 2016Feel at ease in your bodyAnxiety, connection, earth energy, grounded, grounding, present moment, relax, Stress, wellbeing, yogaStella Tomlinson

Girl floating attached to a balloon — Occupying our mind we can often feel ungrounded

Where are you living? No, I don’t mean which town, or whether you’re in a house or apartment.

I mean, what space do you occupy? Do you live in your mind or do you inhabit your body?

It’s a good question to ask yourself because in our busy lives it can be all too easy just to occupy the top two inches of our body and live in the mind.

And when we live in our minds we’re rarely present. We over-analyse the past and fret about the future. We’re at the mercy of the to-do list in our heads. We lose perspective. We might fly off the handle at the merest provocation. We daydream, disappearing into our thoughts.

Occupying the mental plane of existence disconnects us from our body. Our breath becomes shallow and our muscles get tense and tight. We ignore our body’s needs to or even stop noticing them at all. Read more…

Calm contentment: a manifesto!

August 12, 2016Soul wisdomcalm, contentment, inspiration, life choices, self-acceptance, sensitive, wellbeing, yogaStella Tomlinson

Sweet Pea: smell the flowers for some calm contentment — Slow down and smell the flowers

Why oh why does our culture glorify busy-ness so much? We’re supposed to struggle, to push through our comfort zones, to do, to achieve, to climb the ladder. Blah, blah, blimmin’ blah. Whatevs. We’re not meant to want to relax in calm contentment.

Well do you know what? I can’t be bothered. It all sounds way too overwhelming and tiring for me, sensitive soul that I am.

I’m not lazy. I work hard – and yes, I find myself pushing too (and wind up exhausted when I do).

So I’m standing up for slowness. For gentleness. For kindness. For sensitivity. For time to relax and notice the simple pleasures in life. Read more…

Two tips to help you learn to relax

July 28, 2016Find your calm spaceAnxiety, Awareness, destress, mindfulness, relax, relaxation, Stress, wellbeing, yogaStella Tomlinson

Sunshine appearing from behind clouds — Let the sunshine appear in your mind

Ah, to be able to relax and let the world drift by.

To be able to switch off the tension and anxious thoughts and focus on the here and now.

To connect to inner peace no matter what the world sends your way, and remain connected to that sense of inner peace…

Perhaps you find yourself wishing you could feel this way but that inner peace feels an elusive dream?

Let me assure you dear one, that it IS possible. It is possible to relax at will. It is possible to let go of the whirlpool of thoughts whizzing around your mind.

It just takes awareness and practice. Read more…

What are YOUR symptoms of relaxation?

July 15, 2016Find your calm spaceAnxiety, Awareness, calm, destress, mindfulness, relax, relaxation, Stress, wellbeing, yogaStella Tomlinson

Relaxation in Southampton and Eastleigh: learn to relax like this sleepy kitty! — This sleepy one certainly knows how to relax!

Do you know how you feel when you relax?

This is a good question to ask yourself! Without having to ponder it, do you truly know the answer?

So often we focus on the negative sensations we experience in the body – symptoms of stress or anxiety, symptoms of a health condition, or symptoms of something we don’t know the cause of.

That’s because these symptoms are pretty good at and making themselves known. Headaches, back pain, joint discomfort, digestive problems, insomnia, stiffness… They’re hard to ignore!

And, it’s perfectly natural to notice discomfort and pain – it’s our body telling us something needs attending to. Read more…

Yoga for uncertain times

July 1, 2016Soul wisdomAnxiety, brexit, Dru Yoga, eureferendum, fear, sensitive, uncertainty, wellbeing, yogaStella Tomlinson

One word, one date. Brexit, 24 June 2016. And a whole world of fear, anger, frustration, and incomprehension opens (…insert your feelings here!).

I’m still feeling shock, anger and fear from the UK EU Referendum result and the follow-on effects of the disarray at Westminster – the back-biting, back-stabbing and vacuum of power.

And I can tangibly sense the disbelief, worry, confusion, rage and fear that has spread through the UK (and beyond).

We’re living in uncertain times – wherever you are in the world. Read more…

Living Yoga with Stella

Yoga & Meditation in Southampton & Eastleigh