Tag Archives: wellbeing

Self-Care for Sensitives

Understand High Sensitivity, , , , , , , , , ,
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

Find your calm space, Soul wisdom, , , , , , ,
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

Soul wisdom, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Grey skyDecember. 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

Soul wisdom, , , , , , , , ,

I'm changingWe’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

Feel at ease in your body, , , , , , , , ,
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!

Soul wisdom, , , , , , ,
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

Find your calm space, , , , , , , ,
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?

Find your calm space, , , , , , , , ,
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

Soul wisdom, , , , , , , ,
Stormy weather ahead
Stormy weather ahead!

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…

A simple tip to calm your mind

Find your calm space, , , , , , , ,
Let the stormy skies of your mind clear with relaxing yoga in Southampton and Eastleigh
Let the stormy skies of your mind clear

I can’t relax. I can’t switch off. My mind is constantly racing. I can’t concentrate on anything. I can’t sleep.

These are some of the common phrases I hear from my (new) yoga clients, as well as friends and family.

A feeling of being out of control. Feeling edgy. A feeling of foreboding. Mind skittery. Body tense and achey.

I know how it feels. I’ve been there. I remember many a night when I lay awake with that feeling of not being about to shut up my mind. Of it being in control of me. Of not knowing how to even start to make it quiet.

Take back control through your breath

But I want you to know that it IS possible to take back control of your mind. To find peace with your mind. To be able to release the thoughts and find ease.

And it all starts with your breath. Read more…