Sometimes what is good for us is....

  Sometimes what is good for us is completely the opposite to what we think we want.

I am experiencing this at the moment. As a vinyasa flow yoga teacher, I like quite energetic, dynamic yoga full of sun salutations and asanas that challenge me. Recently I started to see a yoga teacher for 1-1 tuition and mentoring. She has given me the complete opposite, a slow, meditative practice with out a single sun salutation in sight.

It's a challenge, I consciously have to really slow my pace down every morning when I practice but it's making me feel good. I feel calmer, in actual fact I feel exhausted. I think recently I have been rushing around at such a fast pace it's helping me to slow down.

I can think of another time when something unexpected came out of something I didn't want. I had planned to go travelling with a boyfriend, I'd left my work and my home when he ended things. I decided to still go on my own and I can honestly say, thank God he didn't come! It would have been a completely different trip and I don't think it would have worked at all, our personalities travelling would have clashed. That trip transformed my life as it is today, but it might not have done had he have come along.

Life is constantly evolving and when we can learn to just flow with it's twists and turns that is where the magic happens.

Sometimes we think we want something, but that thing is just the same as what we have always done. It's not until we try something new that we can learn and grow. Experiencing something that is opposite to what we normally do, as in the case of my yoga, can bring us into a state of balance rather than extreme in one direction.

A useful (and fun) exercise is to look at your day to day routine and think about what you could change that would be completely different to what you normally do? Just one thing.

No matter how small, just try it and see what happens.

I'd love to hear about it! Comments below please :-)

How to Stay Positive When Working For Yourself

  Working for yourself is brilliant isn't it? You get to do what you love, when you want and you don't have anyone else to answer to.

It can sometimes not feel that great though. A stretch of no new enquiries, loneliness, a client doing everything they can to delay paying, lack of cash flow, work seeping over into play time.....it can happen to the best of us.

Choosing to work for yourself is never going to be the easy option, your determination and belief in what you are doing has got to be so strong nothing will break it.

It's completely life changing though, I would go as far as saying it's a spiritual experience. Faith in yourself, what you have to offer and in a grander scheme, whether you believe in God, The Universe or what ever, is a requirement.

Through my journey of creating my own business I have had many ups and downs but I've never given up, even when people have suggested maybe I should. I believe in what I do, it's my passion and you just can't beat the feeling when months of hard work are all falling into place.

I am a fan in setting intentions, as well as being similar to your goals they are also a way of focusing on a way of being. This directs how you are acting/ thinking/ speaking in different situations.

Here are my 5 top intentions for staying positive when working for yourself;

1) FAITH - Knowing that what ever happens you will be ok, everything is working out perfectly even if sometimes it doesn't feel like it. Often we are taken in directions we didn't plan for and feel like it's moving us away from what we really want but have faith it's all just perfect. You will learn what you need to learn at just the right time and what ever happens you will be ok. Everything that happens is for your highest good.

2) PATIENCE - It's easy to want to steam ahead and everything to be achieved right now, how ever sometimes other things need to happen first. Faith and patience go hand in hand. When you try to force something to happen quicker than it should you may actually end up pushing it further away from you. We don't try to pull the daffodils open in Springtime before they are ready do we? Even when we are sick of the cold bleak winter and long for some yellow sunshine in our lives. When they do finally bloom we appreciate them even more.

3) BE OPEN - Pay attention to the people that come into your life, the conversations you hear, the posters you pass by, you just never know what may be put in your path to help you towards what you want to achieve. The universe is abundant, have you ever thought about wanting something and suddenly it's appeared in a way you could not have dreamed of? I know I certainly have. If you walk around with your head down and not interacting with people who cross your path you may miss out.

4) LISTEN - Listen to your inner voice, your gut instinct, it serves you well. Sometimes thoughts suddenly pop in to our minds from nowhere or feelings deep down that can be easy to just brush off if not careful. Learning to follow that instinct and see where it takes you can lead you down path ways you never imagined. Or can keep you safe from situations that are not so good for you.

5) ACKNOWLEDGE - Acknowledge yourself and others. No matter what is going on for you right now celebrate the little things you get done each day, even if all you managed to do was just one small thing on your to do list. Acknowledge all you receive through out a day, a smile, a kind word, an offer of help and express your gratitude to people who show up in your life.  The more you acknowledge and feel gratitude for the more you will notice it.

Working for yourself can feel lonely so it's a good idea to build up a few trusted friends who are also self employed. It really helps to be able to share and support each other on your journeys. A life coach can help you keep on track with your goals too, it's kind of like having your own personal manager to hold you to account, boost your creativity and challenge you when you feel stopped. If you'd like to see how I could help you please do get in touch [email protected]

You Are Good Enough. You Do Have Enough.

  Over the years of being a life coach I have learnt that the belief "I'm not good enough" is one of the moment common ones to hold us back.

There is a fear that there are better people out there compared to us.

It's not just not being good enough but even just being enough, having enough, doing enough, saying enough.

In fact maybe this word enough should be BANNED!

Enough compared to what? Where is there a rule book of what is enough?

We are all completely unique individuals with our own special talents, gifts and beautiful qualities. The danger comes when we compare these to others.

We are not designed to be the same. If you put all your energy into forcing yourself to be like someone else, then you are not being true to yourself and you'll only ever be like a copy of them. You'll only ever go as far as they will, which completely cuts off your unique purpose in life.

The crazy thing is the person/ people you are comparing yourself to, will be comparing themselves to someone else, maybe even you.

If we are not careful our life can be driven by feeling incomplete; if we just buy those extra clothes, decorations for the house, go on the latest course then we'll feel satisfied. Do we? It can turn into an on going cycle of more more more but still feeling less.

Your soul is complete right now. You have all you need right now. You are a unique talented special individual that no one else on this planet is like. Isn't that amazing?

Just for a moment, sit down comfortably with your eyes closed and take a few long slow deep breaths. The once you feel your body has settled start to repeat to your self "I am enough, nothing is missing".

Notice how it feels.

It's the truth.

Reclaim Your Power!

I am running my third yoga workshop this weekend based on our natural energy centres, the chakras. This time we are focusing on our solar plexus which is in our stomach. The energy of the solar plexus is feeling a sense of power around who we are, what our unique gifts and talents are, having clear intentions of what we want to create in our lives and then surrendering, trusting that it will all work out just fine. If the energy is low in this area we can feel fear, doubts and others can have power over us. Compliments are brushed aside and gratitude for things we have done is dismissed. We can feel ineffectual and stuck.

If the energy is too high and our sense of self is so heightened that we feel more important than others then we can find ourselves being controlling, dominating and trying to force ourselves through life.

When our energy is balanced in this area we feel in control of our lives, we are creating what we want and we have a strong sense of who we are. We feel empowered and courageous. We acknowledge that everyone else has their own strengths and purpose in life, we respect that and in that state we can speak our truth to people with out any fear of judgement, rejection or need for control.

Deepak Chopra relates this chakra to the law of intention. That is that everything is energy and where we place our focus change occurs. For intentions to be powerful and materialise in our lives there also needs to be surrender. It's important to be very clear what your intentions are and then to let go. To trust that they will happen in their own way. When you try to force something to happen you risk pushing it further away.

When your energy is flowing through your solar plexus you have this graceful power where you know what you want in your life, you have a strong sense of self but rather than forcing things you glide effortlessly through life dealing with what ever it throws at you.

Here are a few things you can do to connect with your solar plexus:

Make a list of:

3 of your biggest achievements 3 things you are proud of yourself for 3 things you admire about yourself 3 things some you know loves about you 3 things someone you work with admires in you

Close eyes and go back to a really happy positive time, remember what you felt, saw, heard? – Then list 3 things you were saying to yourself.

Look into the future; imagine you have achieved all you want to and what you are seeing, hearing, feeling in this moment. Write down your intentions and desires & 3 things you will be saying to yourself once you have achieved them.

Take time to reflect over these words. They are all part of who you are.

Write your intention clearly somewhere, maybe on a post it note that will catch your eye through out the day.

Then surrender. Trust it's out there, you have sent the energy of your desire into the universe and trust the outcome, what ever it is.

Surrendering doesn't mean sitting back and doing nothing though, every day take at least one action towards your intention but with a sense of freedom around it, no pressure or force. Enjoy the process, enjoy each step.

We are all completely unique, like snowflakes. We all have different dreams, different gifts, different lives ahead of us. When we get caught up in comparing ourselves with others we minimise ourselves, we are simply living by someone else's dream and in that way can only ever be like them. We have our own path to live though.

Take time to connect with who you are, all your amazing qualities and know that you have a place in this world. A place to shine and to experience life at it's fullest exactly how you want it to be, not by someone else's standard.

Enjoy the bank holiday weekend!

5 Spring Cleans to Welcome in New Energy!

  It's that time of year where we are all starting to wake up. I know I am feeling this for sure; sunshine, a bit of warmth and suddenly I am filled with more energy and inspiration. It's a time for new beginnings, being in action and creation.

It's also a perfect time for a spring clean, but not just of your home. Spring cleans are the perfect opportunity to clear out the old stuff, with stale stagnant energy that no longer serves you, to make room for the new.

Here are my top 5 re-energising spring cleans that are great to do around this time;

1: Email Junk

How much time do you spend in the morning sifting through emails you don't actually read. Have you signed up for newsletters and updates that no longer interest you any more?

Make a list of the sites you read regularly, that you find interesting and stimulate your mind.

Then un-subscribe from the rest. Yes it may take a little time but think how much simpler your inbox will be in the morning plus you know that the emails you do get will actually be of interest.

2. Ex Junk

Do you still have his/her stuff hanging around the place? Do you still have text's saved just in case you want to look over them one more time? Are you still getting a running commentary of their life via Facebook? If this is causing you pain bin, delete, hide. Get rid of their stuff, as hard as it is to rip off that band aid once it's done you will be freed up to get on with your life, mentally and emotionally.

I read somewhere recently that people find it harder to deal with deleting ex's from Facebook and longer to get over because they could still search for them and view their profile anonymously. The article recommended blocking them so they don't show up in search results either.

The sooner you can clear the junk the sooner you can get over the relationship and move on. Enlist the aid of a good friend if moral support, and maybe wine, is needed!

3. Toxin Junk

Is your body jumpy and irritable from too much sugar, caffeine, or alcohol? Are you feeling bloated from consuming foods and drinks that disagree with you? Is your sleep broken and are you constantly feeling tired?

Then maybe it's time for a spring detox! Now I am no expert on detox's but from my experience cutting out caffeine, sugar, alcohol  wheat, diary and meat can leave you feeling amazing. My sleep improves, I have less cravings, I feel slimmer and emotionally balanced.

Out of all of those sugar is hardest for me, it's so addictive. Once I have gone through a few days though the cravings do lessen. It helps to replace that chocolate fix with something healthy, so you still feel like you are eating something. Seeds are a great snack, slow release and tasty of you sauté them in a bit of soy sauce and chilli.

Research, ask what has worked for friends, speak to a nutritionist (I can recommend you mine)  and find a detox that feels right for you.

4. Old Clothes Junk

We change over time, who we were 10 or even 2 years ago will have evolved. Some of the clothes in your wardrobe will no longer feel like "you". This often happens when we go through major life changes like having a baby, coming out of a relationship, getting married, relocating, starting a new career and so on. Our values shift, what is important to us changes.

Now is a great time to look through your wardrobe and ask yourself is it a true reflection of who you are now? Try on things you have not worn in a while and honestly review if they really are "you"still. Are you hanging on to them out of sentimentality?

Ditching old "stale" clothes will make room for clothes that reflect your new energy, the person you are now to shine your light into the world.

I've been busy recently helping my image clients with this, it's such an empowering and releasing exercise to do. It can also feel quite overwhelming and daunting, if you feel like you need some help please do let me know; [email protected]

5. Habits Junk

How healthy are your habits? Do you have habits that serve and support you in living the life you love or hold you back. To explore this I suggest for the next couple of days noticing what your habits are, what you do regularly without consciously thinking about. May be there is a habit that you have been wanting to shift for a while, Spring's new energy is a perfect time to do this.

It takes 21 days to build a new habit, so the trick is to think of something new, something healthy, that will positively replace your unwanted one. Then with all your will power do this daily for the next 21 days. after this time it will get easier.

If you have no habits to release, then it could still be fun to consider are there any new habits that would support you in what you want to achieve. A few healthy habits could be things like:

1. Getting out into the fresh air every day
2. Experiencing mindfulness daily, for example sitting outside and just watching the birds/ the sea/ a flower. A few moments of completely being in the moment.
3. Meditation
4. Regular exercise
5. Fruit every day
6. Telling someone you love them each day
7. Planning to do something that will make you smile each day
8. Prayer
9. Writing down what you are grateful for each day
10. Writing a diary

The list could go on and on! Find one that feels good for you.

Harness the energy of spring to make these changes in your life and embrace the "new" it brings towards you!

Enjoy the sunshine x

Forgiveness

  For each yoga class I teach I like to set an intention, it's a way of blending in life with our practice on the mat.  It gives us space to see things from a different perspective, by connecting and listening to the body rather than the mind. The intention for tonight's class is forgiveness, whilst planning this today I felt it was something I want to discuss further by writing this.

There are 2 types of forgiveness, that of forgiving ourselves and that of others. Both are an act of self love how ever the latter we often confuse it with punishing the other person involved, making them wrong, making ourselves feel right.

When we harbour negative emotions like anger, hatred, jealousy, guilt, they build up as poisons in the body. They eat us up. This related to the phrase I often quote "what you resist persists" when you are unable to accept, forgive and let go. The longer you allow yourself to feel these emotions the longer they will continue to damage you.

We are often our harshest critic. We'll judge ourselves on what we perceive we have done wrong and go on and on about it in our minds. If you find yourself doing this ask yourself, "would I speak to someone I love like this?". Usually not. When we are speaking negatively to ourselves we are damaging our emotional bodies which lead to us feeling even worse and often eventually creating some kind of dis-ease in the body.

Self compassion and love is the biggest healer. I really recommend watching this TED talk on the power of self compassion by Kristen Neff. She has done research around the power of being compassionate to yourself, what this showed that although we have been led to think that if we are too soft and nice to ourselves we'll get lazy and won't get anything done the reverse is actually true. When we say negative things to ourselves we can loose our motivation but when we are supportive and encouraging we move forward with more ease and confidence.

One of the suppositions of NLP is that "every behaviour has  a positive intention". This doesn't mean that another person's behaviour is the best choice possible based from the outside looking in but I take it to mean that people do the best with what they have got. We have all had very different life experiences, which as a result we have a completely unique set of beliefs, values and rules in life. How someone behaves is from the way they see they world, what experiences they have been through.  It never really is about you. This can help to feel a level of compassion for someone even if you disagree with their behaviour.

Another technique to help generate compassion is to ask yourself where have you behaved in that way before? Often when someone else has acted in such a way that triggers us it's because it's touching a nerve subconsiously on something we don't like about ourselves. Within us we have all values and qualities good and bad but we choose to focus on the ones we like and hide the ones we don't.

For example I used to get really annoyed with people who would turn up late or cancel last minute, I saw it as a lack of integrity and it used to wind me up. However through enquiry I realised that I sometimes did that too, and being on time was so important to me that when I was late I didn't like that about myself. I didn't like letting people down.  Once I realised this, that we are all human and sometimes we are late and other times we need to cancel things for our own good it completely neutralised my annoyance towards friends who did that to me! Also, the times I have been late have never been about the other person at all, which is how it is with anything in life.

That was a simple example and I realise that sometimes forgiveness is very hard when someone has really hurt  and let you down. The first step to forgiving another person is a decision. A decision to love yourself enough to forgive them. It's not about them, it's to help you heal and move on.

There could also be something to forgive yourself for in that situation. When we are hurt our minds often make it mean it was partly our fault, we did something to cause it some how. So as well as forgiving the other person it's also important to forgive yourself for what ever you feel necessary.

Be kind to yourself, allow yourself the gift of forgiving and letting go. Make today the day for a new beginning; to allow love and peace into your life.

Namaste x

ps If you would like to experience living with intention I have created a 3 month e-course where I will set you an different intention to focus on each week and send you affirmations to help bring them into reality. To find out more see my Journey of Intention website.

5 Easy Healthy Habits

During my year long journey of intention I explored breaking habits. Habits form about 95% of our behaviour which means a lot of what we do is done unconsciously, with out thought. Our health and well being is often left to chance unless we have consciously created healthy habits.

For example you eat you lunch and then start to wonder which chocolate bar to have today? Or upon arriving home from work you pour your usual glass of wine to relax you. Or you light up your 6th cigarette for the day with out thinking.

These are just habits. Things we do with out having to even think about it.

If you find a habit is not working for you any more the first step is to bring your awareness to it. Upon doing it ask yourself;

• what you are getting from it? how is it serving you?
• if you are committed to living a healthy life, then how is it holding you back from this?
• and finally what could you replace it with?

It takes 21 days to build a new habit or neural pathway. So to begin with creating a new habit will require will power, creativity and determination but after 3 weeks it will be a lot easier. To take the pressure off yourself simply say "I'll just do this for 21 days" rather than forever.

Following are 5 easy healthy habits I have created that I find serve me well;

1) Upon waking I drink a mug of ginger tea. It's great for digestion, it's anti-inflammatory so good for the healing process, it gets rid of congestion, it's warming and it  improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body. Sometimes I also like warm lemon juice although I find it makes my teeth hurt, I think it's all the acid.

2) I meditate and practice yoga after my mug of ginger tea. Some days for 2 hours and some just for 20 minutes, all depending on how much time I have. Even just going into child's pose, doing a couple of sun salutations and then lying with my legs up the wall for 10 mins sets me up for the day ahead.

3) I use a lot of tumeric in my cooking, like ginger it's so good for you. It calms your digestion, is anti inflammatory, antioxidant, it protects the liver, reduces blood cholesterol levels, protects against Alzheimers disease, cancer and heart disease. I regularly make lentil and carrot soup with this in and lots of veggie curries.

4) Seeds. Seeds are great to snack on, put in soups, salads and on porridge. They are slow release energy so great for balancing blood sugar, are filled with healthy fat, are high energy, contain many minerals such as magnesium, zinc, calcium and phosphorus needed for bone development, immunity and energy production. A little trick I have for making them tasty for snacks is to sauté them in a little bit of soy sauce and chilli.

5) Oatcakes. Nairns make sweet and savoury oatcakes. The sweet biscuits come in different flavours like ginger, chocolate and mixed berry. They are so good if you like to have something sweet in the afternoon but are cutting down on chocolate.

So those are my easy habits. Two slightly harder ones that have served me well have been to cut down alcohol consumption and caffeine to a bare minimum. The benefits have been huge;  balancing my blood sugar, sleeping well, less headaches, my digestion system is good, my energy is maintained through out the day, I can think clearly and consciously. It also stops me from craving unhealthy foods.

It's the start of Spring, there is lots of fresh energy around right now bringing in new good things to us. So why not use this time to create a new healthy habit? Just for 21 days.....

What's In The Shops This Spring

  Spring is only 5 days away.....yes that's right, on 20th March is the Spring Equinox. Hoorah! Personally I can't wait to get out of thick heavy winter clothes and into some prettier feminine outfits. There are lots of lovely new clothes in the shops right now, lots of different colours and styles to choose from. Following are some of my favourite ones to look out for:

 Mint

This is one of the seasons big colours. It will look great with anyone with light colouring. If you have darker colouring and still want to wear it, teem it with black to create a contrast.

I love this dress from Anthropologie, it's the brighter end of the mint spectrum.

Purity

Designers have bought back a clean pure minimal feel to clothes to replace lots of the fussiness over the past few seasons.

This dress from Reiss is a perfect example, it's also in mint but at the lighter end of the shade.

This style is perfect for those people that don't like lots of accessories, detail and fuss. Just pure simple style.

Patchwork

Completely different from minimal is the patchwork style, the mixing of different fabrics, textures and colours. When used cleverly this is a great style to cover up any lumps and bumps you wish to hide! It does not have to be over the top as you can see in this unsual dress from Anthropologie, who are fantastic for unusual and pretty pieces.

This is a great light options for someone with Autumnal colouring, team it with a brown cardi or pick out one of the green shades.

The oriental jacket

This is a fantastic jacket to wear with simple summer clothing, it will jazz up just a pair of jeans and a vest top perfectly. Look out for boxy shapes and mirror detailing like this one from Monsoon.

I also love this more glamorous one from French Connection.

Statement jackets really can make an outfit, they are especially useful for meetings and those chillier Spring/Summer days.

Cowgirl!

Yep cowboy boots are back in fashion, yee ha! They are so perfect for festivals and look great with dresses/shorts.

These ones from Kurt Geiger will be really flattering as they have that all important V at the front and back which elongates and slims your legs, plus the taupe colour will be kinder on pale legs rather than black. Perfect!

Also.......

Floral Shirts

Flowery shirts are an easy way to lighten up and bring spring into your wardrobe. They'll look great with faded jeans or denim shorts.

I love this one on My Wardrobe by Hermoine de Paula

The Pencil Skirt

The pencil skirt is back with a vengeance, it's so great for hour glass shapes who like to show off their curves and if your body line is straight. Ted Baker have some great ones, they also have a few pleated skirts which are still fashionable from last year. You can see the whole range via this link.

As you can see there are all sorts of styles to choose from, eclectic, minimalist, festival chic, colourful, feminine.....the most important thing to do is to choose what feels right for you. Clothes are a way of showing the world your personality and how amazing you are, when you do this you will feel amazing and shine.

Enjoy!

xxx

How to Get Past Procrastination and Get Into Action!!

  “Procrastination is the thief of time.”

Edward Young English poet (1683 - 1765)

I am sure I am not the only one who finds themselves some days just faffing around, with no real direction, making cups of tea, hopping from one thing to another but never really getting anything done. We all have days like this, it’s natural and sometimes it’s good just to accept it’s one of those days and allow yourself a break. However when it starts to become more like your reality of every day then you will start to realise how very true Edward Young’s quote really is. Time flies by and if you spend most of it putting things off before you know it you will have let all the things you want to achieve in your life pass you by.

The more you put things off the worse you feel about yourself or the task in hand. You either beat yourself up because you are not on track to achieving your goals or you feel more and more overwhelmed by the task you find most daunting. So why do we do it to ourselves? There are a whole number of reasons that will be personal to you but the most general ones are fear and lack of motivation.

Following are my top 7 tips to overcoming procrastination and getting yourself into action!

1.  Is what you are doing inspiring to you? When doing something that is linked to our highest values (the feelings we want to feel on a daily basis) we have the energy and motivation for it. We will do anything to make it happen as we want to experience what is important to us. If there is no link then you won’t have any drive to make it happen. Look at your to do list and ask yourself, how can this lead me to what I most want? Until you get this your motivation levels are likely to be low.
2. What will be the benefits of getting this task done? What will be the “pain” or consequences if you don’t get it done? Human beings are driven by pleasure and pain, we will do anything to avoid feelings that are painful to us and anything to feel good. When the consequences are bad enough and the benefits are attractive enough you will be driven into action.
3. Overwhelm can lead us to procrastinate so break what you have to get done into small manageable chunks and plan in your diary when you are going to do each bit. Then just pick one thing. One small thing just to get you started. If you do just that then be pleased with yourself, but you never know it might just get you started to carry on with a bit more.
4. Set rewards, if it’s something you really don’t want to do but have to, for the greater cause, then plan to treat yourself afterwards. Do something to reward yourself for getting it out of the way.
5. Pick the thing you are most putting off and do it first. The longer you put something off the bigger it gets in your mind, the more energy you use thinking about it and the more effort it feel like it will be. I have a pet name for these tasks…..monsters! Get your monster done first and then you are free to enjoy the rest of your day. Often they are not that bad anyway, it’s just the thought of doing it that makes it worse than it really is and being in action even though you feel a bit scared is a sure fire way to raise your self confidence.
6. Give yourself a deadline. If the thing you are putting off is not imposed on you by someone else and does not have a deadline then it’s easy to just let it slip. If you really want to get something done with urgency, set yourself a deadline and then tell people close to you about it. Our human nature of wanting to look good to others will then kick in and drive us to want to get it done on time!
7. If there is something continuously on your to do list, something you always set goals around but you just never get there then perhaps it’s time to have a rethink? Do you actually really want to achieve it? Sometimes we set our selves goals around what we think we “should” achieve, based on other peoples values and aspirations. However, these are other people’s dreams and what is right for them might not be want you really want deep down, then you simply won’t have the drive to make it happen. Goals like this are best left to the people whose dreams they are, instead create something for yourself that really gets you excited and inspired.

Finally.... sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself if you are really having "one of those days" is to just go out and do something completely different instead!!! Something that you'd like to that will make you smile and really enjoy doing it. Often when we take the pressure off it happens naturally, our creative juices start to flow and our energy for what ever it is returns. If it doesn't then, as above, is it really something you want to be doing anyway?

Have a great weekend!

What Feels Right For You?

Life Coaching Blog

I experimented with something new this week, writing my blog every day. As I sit here to write my last post of the week I have to say I don't think realistically I will be able to keep it up. I enjoyed it, I love a challenge, but come to day 5 and it's felt like it is something I "have" to do than really feel inspired to do.

So from next week I am going to go with what feels right for me, and that is to post when I feel really inspired to share something with you. Like I am now. Who know's it might end up being every day anyway :-)

When something feels right for you it just flows. It's not hard work. It's fun.

There is no tension, no resistance, no worry. It just feels right.

Tapping into how something feels for you is such a useful tool. I have had experiences in work, friendships and relationships where something hasn't felt right. The times I have ignored this continuing anyway I have ended up looking back and wishing I had just paid attention to those inner feelings. We learn through those times though so there is nothing to regret.

It can be easy to think once you have started something you have to go through with it or can't turn back. Of course you can. We are only on this planet for a short period of time and if something isn't causing you happiness why waste any more time on it?

When you take the seriousness out of life and see it merely as a game, an adventure then you can begin to really play.

So as we come to the end of our working week what game are you going to play this weekend? What do you really feel like doing? Our time can get caught up with doing things we should do rather than what we really want to. What could you do to make this weekend pleasurable for you?

This isn't being selfish. By loving and taking care of yourself you will be better equipped to help and be loving to those around you.

Have a lovely weekend.

7 Tips for Bringing Some Colour into Your Wardrobe

One of the things that people know about me is that I have a love for colour and that I am passionate about encouraging people to wear beautiful colours that really make them shine. Whilst neutrals have their place in your wardrobe,  colour is what will really make you stand out, look healthy, vibrant and show your personality. Over the years of being an image consultant I have learnt that it is common for people to shy away from colour, preferring to stick with the easy and safer option of black or other neutrals. People tend of feel a bit afraid of colour mainly because they are not sure which colours suit them or how to put an outfit together that goes. Often people have certain colours they stick to, that are easy to grab when they are rushing round the shops and don’t often branch out to try new ones. If that sounds like you don't worry, you are not alone!

PLEASE NOTE - I am not against black! Black looks amazing on certain colourings and can really create a striking image. Unfortunately on other colourings it can over power and drain the colour from your face. If this is the case for you then focus on wearing a colour by your face and stick to black on your bottom half.

As there are so many lovely colours in the shops for Spring I have compiled my top 7 tips to wearing colour to help you out if that is something that feels a bit daunting to you:

1. You do not have to match your colours. This might be a bit shocking for some people but it is ok to clash colours or just wear colours together without neutrals in between, it is actually more up to date to do so. Matching shoes with your clothes with your eye shadows can look a little twee and out of date.

2. A dress is a really easy way of wearing head to toe colour. If you are not sure how to wear colours together then make it really easy for yourself and go for a dress!

3. To build your confidence around wearing colour experiment with some accessories to start off with. Shoes, scarves, handbags and necklaces are a great way of doing this.

4. If you have not had your colours analysed yet, which I recommend doing as it makes it all so much easier, then really assess the colour when you are looking in the mirror. Ask yourself does this colour make me look alive, vibrant and amazing? If not then it’s probably wrong. You never want a colour to detract from your natural beauty, change the colour of your skin tone, show up dark circles and lines or make you look washed out. This season there is a mix of very bright shades and more soft pastel colours, if you have soft low contrast colouring brights will over power you so instead go for the softer muted shades.

5. Light and shiny colours reflect the light which means they can make you look bigger if you wear them on an area you are not comfortable with. Dark and matte colours absorb the light which is why they can be more slimming. This is why people feel safe with black, although it is not only black that has this effect it’s any dark matte colour.

6. Watch where your colours break on your body. Where an item of clothing ends it will create a horizontal line across you, horizontal lines shorten or widen an area if you are not careful. This is also why people like to dress head to toe in black as it creates an uninterrupted vertical line which is lengthening and slimming. This same effect can be created with any colour though; you just have to blend your colours so you don’t have any horizontal lines ending on your widest parts.

7. Set yourself a challenge, the next time you go shopping ban yourself from going for your usual colours and try on some new ones. Only allow yourself to buy something if it is in a colour you have not worn before and looks great when you try it on. Then see what happens, often when people I have helped have started to wear new colours they start to get compliments from people or they simply feel a shift in their confidence/energy that day when they are wearing something different.

Often after having a session with me, and experimenting with new colours, my clients report how many complimentary comments they get from their new clothes. When a colour suits you perfectly you will naturally stand out with out having to be the most loud or confident person in the room. You simply are going about your everyday business but people notice and remember you which is fantastic if you are aiming for a promotion, looking a partner or networking for your business. Knowing you are looking great also helps to boost your own self confidence levels from within, you look in the mirror and like what you see. This creates a shift that will spill over into your how you move your body, speak and your actions.

If you'd like some help with knowing which colours will really suit you please get in touch. I offer 1-1 colour consultations and also group colour parties. The group sessions are a great excuse for a girlie get together and it's really helpful to learn from watching each other have your colours analysed.

Have some fun with colour and notice the difference it creates!

The Mastery of Love

  "Finally, if you are aware that no one else can make you happy, and that happiness is the result of love coming out of you, this becomes the greatest mastery of The Toltecs, The Mastery of Love.

We can talk about love and write a thousand books about it, but love will be completely different for each of us because we have to experience love. Love is not about concepts; love is about action. Love in action can only produce happiness. Fear in action can only produce suffering.

The only way to master love is to practice love. You don't need to justify your love, you don't need to explain your love; you just practice your love. Practice creates the master".

The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship (Toltec Wisdom) by Don Miguel Ruiz

How could you practice love this week?

What Are Your Rules To Make You Feel Good?

Life Coaching

Consciously or unconsciously we all have rules about what has to happen for us to feel good. For us to feel our highest values, those feelings that are more important to us for example:

Love

Honesty

Success

Integrity

Fun

Power

Freedom

Security

Abundance

..........the list is endless, but we all have a few that we'd really like to experience on a daily basis.

Over time we have developed rules of what has to happen for us to feel our values. A good example is love. Take a few minutes now to consider what has to happen for you to feel love. A good starting point is to ask yourself, how do you know when someone loves you?

This is a great exercise to do with a partner, if you have one, or someone you spend a lot of time with that you love, this could be family or friends. Often our rules for feeling loved are very different from each others and you will show you love someone in the way that you experience it. So say you like to be told and your partner likes to know you make time for him/her. Then say you don't have that much time, you have a busy life,  but you make sure you tell him/her that you love them a lot, so they must know right? However, they may not experience that feeling of love because they do not feel like you are making time for them, even though you tell them you love them all the time.

Next think about another of your top values, what has to happen for you to feel that?

Look at your rules; how easy, on a scale of 1-10, have you made it to feel good?

Notice if what has to happen is external from you. Do you need others to tell you? Do you need others to show you? Is your feeling good reliant on what someone else does.

This is the trap we can fall into if we are not careful. We look externally to feel good, when actually we have it all within us to feel how we wish to feel on a daily basis. When you are looking outside, you are giving your power away to others and to circumstance. Plus it's a lot of pressure for the people involved to be responsible for your feelings, only you are and taking control of this gives them freedom too.

It is possible to change your rules, after all you made them up in the first place!! How about making up new rules that make it really easy to feel good when ever you want?

Start them off by saying "Any time I........." Some examples could be:

Any time I think of the people (and animals) I love, I feel loved.

Any time I think of all I have achieved in my life I feel successful.

Any time I walk in outside and pay attention to nature, I feel abundance.

Any time I think of all the options I have and choices I can make I feel freedom.

Any time I think of all I have in my life I feel happy.

Allow yourself time to work through all your highest values in this way and you will be empowering yourself feel good when ever you want!

Have a great weekend.

Be Aware of Your Body

Life Coaching be aware of your body

As you are reading this start bring your awareness into your body. Start to notice any sensations, maybe an itch, a smell, a pain, a tense area, your heart beating. How are you feeling? What emotions are present.

With both feet firmly planted on the floor close your eyes and just allow yourself to stop to really come into your body for a few minutes. Allow your self the time to explore.

OK so if you are reading this I am guessing you have finished and opened your eyes :-)

How often do you allow yourself time to do that? To really be aware of your body? We are often so caught up in our minds, in the past or the future. Stopping and really experiencing your body, how your feet feel touching the ground, what sensations are there helps us to be in the present moment.

Our emotions are in our body, think about the times when you have felt stressed or completely different, in love. You feel it in your body somewhere, you have sensations. We can tell a lot about our emotional state through how our body is. Illness or pain is often a symptom of something we have been ignoring or simply not hearing.

Our body, breath and mind are all inextricably linked, you change one and it impacts the others. To experiment try the following things when you are experiencing some kind of problem, stress or difficulty;

1) Allow your self time to stop, inhale deeply and then make the exhale 3 times as long. Repeat this ten times and notice any changes.

2) If you are feeling down and heavy, skip. Skip around the room, down the road, where ever you can, and notice the changes in your state.

3) Lie on the floor and put your legs up against the wall, close your eyes and again notice any changes to how you feel.

Stuart Heller once said "We move through space like we move through life". Next time you are walking down the street pay attention to how you walk. Is it heavy, light, direct and purposeful, indirect, fluid, slow, fast, are you within yourself or looking around at the people passing by you?

Then consider how does this relate to how you are in your life?

For example I have a habit of walking very quickly, fast and direct, most of the time. However I always am looking around at the people passing me by, as a result I am forever bumping into people I know, which is nice! In the rest of my life I do have a tendency to do things quickly, to be quite driven and also to be interested in other people. There are benefits to this and also downsides. Sometimes I am can do things way too quickly and am not fully in the moment savouring every experience. Knowing this means I can consciously slow down my movements, slow my pace down which then slows my mind down and brings me into a state of calm.

Becoming aware of your body is becoming self aware, to make changes in your life you can start by making changes to how you move your body.

5 Ways To Feel Good, Even In January!

Feel good Life Coaching tips

I am not sure about you but I find this time of the year can be the hardest to get through. The excitement of Christmas has passed, it's cold, dark and no one seems to be in the mood to have any fun. If you are not careful it can all get quite depressing!

If you are not fortunate enough to be escaping to sunnier climes following are a few suggestions on how to lift your spirits and feel good;

1) If you are feeling stuck in a low place ask yourself "what will make me feel better?". It sounds simple but often when we are feeling down, we think about why we are feeling down and it spirals downwards out of control. Instead switch this around by asking yourself what will make you feel better and do that. Love yourself enough to do what makes you feel good.

2) In fact, stop right now and make a list of 50 things that make you smile.  Maybe things you haven't done since you were a kid, they are often still what brings you joy. Make most of them achievable things that you can start to plan into your life, daily or weekly. I did this once whilst reading "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron, the idea was that you were then to take yourself off on an "Artists Date" each week. I was in the middle of a tough break up at the time and this really lifted my spirits; I took my self off to art galleries, I baked cakes and I even went to a roller disco!

3) Look at your list of things you have planned to do and ask yourself if there are any "should do's" in there. You know, the things you don't really want to do but you feel you should. Then cancel them all. Set an intention for the next month to do only the things you want to do. Our life gets so full of doing things that we don't really want to do, we feel obliged, we don't want to let people down. Well now is the time to take care of yourself and do what you really want. In fact, when you are doing something out of obligation you won't be giving your true gorgeous wonderful energy to it anyway and others can pick up on that.

If it's reluctance for exercise (which can be the case in these cold months) find something that you enjoy rather than what you think you should do as it's good for you. There are so many ways of moving your body it doesn't have to be in a way that fills you with dread. Aside from my love of yoga I also really recommend Zumba in these winter months, it's so fun to dance around like crazy for an hour to light hearted music and you can't help but laugh your way through it.....which is also good for you too!

4) Invite a friend out for tea, eat the biggest most delicious slice of home made cake you find and share stories. You could even each bring 3 photos of the times in your life you have loved the most so far and then share those stories with each other. Taking about great times will remind you of all the good feelings and experiences you have had in the past (which also makes you feel them again) and that there are more on the horizon.

5)Drop the grasping and start allowing. Stop trying so hard to make things happen, when we get into a state of striving we often end up doing the opposite and pushing what we want away from us. (A perfect example is when you want someone to like you, the more you try to force it the more they run away!). In our minds we have a limited number of ways we think our dreams will happen but the Universe has an infinite number of possibilities. When you notice yourself acting from a place of fear and desperation bring yourself back to love, do all of the above, do things that bring you joy and have faith that there where you are at right now is perfect. In this space of allowing you will be open to noticing the gifts the Universe gives you.

I'd love to hear how you chase away the January blues, please do add your comments to help others who may be reading this and feeling a bit low.

Lots of love

xx

PS If you have been considering have some life coaching with me you have 7 days left to make the most of my January offers!

Often we can only get so far doing it on our own, we set goals, we read helpful books, we make a bit of progress then all of a sudden we can find ourselves stopped. Maybe doubts or fears have crept in or simply motivation has disappeared. This is where my professional skills as a life coach can support you further in making the changes you desire. Please do get in touch if you have any questions; 07779 150886/ [email protected]

Coaching can be done over Skype, in London or Brighton areas.

Foods To Keep You Warm and Healthy

Through my journey of becoming a yoga teacher and taking control of my health I have learnt a few additions to my cooking that have really made a difference. Now we are in the midst of Winter I'd like to take this opportunity to share what I have learnt to help keep you warm and healthy too. 1) Ginger. I am addicted to ginger at the moment, it's just so warming when it's snowy outside. Either fresh ginger in teas, curry's and soups or I have discovered Pukka Tea does the most delicious Three Ginger Tea. Really recommend it!

Ginger is great for inflammation and pain relief, I am sure it's been easing my shoulder injury and helping my breathing now I no longer take my asthma inhalers. It helps get rid of mucus and it's really good for your digestion.

2) Tumeric. Tumeric has so many healing properties, it's like a super food of spices. It calms your digestion, is anti inflammatory, antioxidant, it protects the liver, reduces blood cholesterol levels, protects against Alzheimers disease, cancer and heart disease. It's a staple for curries but also works well in soups and marinating.

3) If you have the beginnings of a cold try this drink through out the day:

Half juice lemon

Fresh ginger chopped up

a sprinkle of cayenne pepper (be careful of putting too much!)

Some honey to sweeten

It's delicious and will blast those germs out of your body.

3) Green Tea. If you are used to a caffeine hit in the morning and not ready to give it up just yet (since giving it up my mind is calmer, emotions are more balanced and I sleep better) try switching to green tea.  Even though it does still have some caffeine it has lots of antioxidant in it.

4) Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. We have all been told too much salt is bad for you but this type of salt contains 84 essential minerals, alkalises the PH of your cells, balances electrolytes and is anti ageing. As well as adding it to your food, taking a long bath in it will help sore muscles and will restore your natural energy. Plus you sleep really well after bathing in it. It's amazing! You can order it on Amazon or find in most health food shops.

5) Cinnamon is great for balancing your blood sugar and is also good for treating indigestion and colds. I am a big sucker for sweet things so stave off those cravings by adding cinnamon to porridges and having it in tea. Cinnamon and ginger in a cup of tea is lovely!

6) Sugar. Making an effort to reduce inflammation in the body(eg when you have colds/ asthma/allergies/muscular problems) is not good if you then eat a load of refined sugar! It creates inflammation and weakens your immune system.

7) Seeds. Seeds are a great source of magnesium, zinc, calcium and phosphorus needed for bone development, immunity and energy production. Magnesium is again great for reducing inflammation which is related to many diseases. They provide slow release energy so great if you need to have a snack, much better than something sugary which will give you a high and then a big low. I find sautéing seeds in soy sauce and some chilli makes them really tasty. I also add them to porridge and yoghurt which is an easy way to slip them into your diet with out even really noticing they are there.

So that's a little of what I have been learning over the past few years. I am not a nutritionist but I do like to take care of my body and health, it's all part of living a yogic lifestyle.

I also believe in the benefits of having a huge slice of home made cake every now and then,  that is simply good for you soul :-)

Show The World How Fantastic You Are

  Do you dress to show the world how fantastic you are? You know, all that great lovely warm stuff about you; like what you are good at, your loving characteristics, your playful side, your creative flare, you loyalty, your courage?

Or do you dress to hide something away? To shrink away from the limelight.

Many people I meet to discuss their image and how to make the most of how they look do the latter. Their main focus is hiding their bottom, their thighs, their tummy, their chest, the list goes on.

Most of the time when I ask someone to tell me something they like about them self they get a stuck.

Many of us are so used to looking in the mirror and focusing on what we don't like that is all we see and that makes it exaggerated. People always think they look a bit bigger than they actually are.

How about this year doing something completely different?

How about this year choosing to just focus on what you like about yourself?

Then show this to the world.

We all know that people make assumptions about you in the first few seconds of meeting you, which is largely based on your image and body language (followed by how you speak, only a small per cent is the actual content of what you say). If you are hiding yourself away how are they going to know how fantastic you are?!

Consider the times when it could be important to make a great first impression;  a few examples are networking for business, dating, wanting to step up your career ladder or make new friends.

I am NOT saying you need to dress to conform, wear something that does not feel comfortable to you or be head to toe in high fashion.

What I am saying is celebrate your greatness, dress in a way that feels totally authentic for you not based on a need to cover up or hide away.

Look in the mirror and focus on only what you like about yourself, dress to draw attention to this.

Grab a pen and paper to make notes on the following;

• Write 3 qualities you love about yourself
• Think of someone who loves you, write 3 qualities they love about you
• Think of someone you have worked with and write 3 qualities they like about you
• Think back to a time when you feel really good about yourself, write 3 words to describe how you were feeling, what you were saying to yourself.

Looking down at your pad these words are an expression of who you really are. Pick the top 3 you are drawn to the most, that you really feel represent your true self.

Next consider how you could show these qualities through how you dress. A few suggestions are:

Fun - bright colours, fun jewellery, quirky accessories.

Creative - mix matched colours and patterns, individual vintage, hand made pieces, unusual make up.

Friendly - softer colours are perceived as more approachable where as anything really contrasting (eg black and white) or really high fashion can be perceived as more powerful so could give off the impression of being less approachable. Yellow and orange are seen as friendly colours.

Loving - red, pinks, flowers and heart shaped accessories or patterns.

Confident - bold patterns and colours, statement pieces, high heels.

Have fun with this and enjoy fully expressing yourself. Remember like attracts like so if you are really showing the world your true self you are likely to attract people like yourself into your life.

Louise x

PS If you'd like some extra help with your image, learning what colours and styles will really suit you and how to express yourself fully please do get in touch! [email protected]

Life Coaching willpower

Life Coaching Willpower

Happy New Year!

I hope you had lovely time over Christmas and the New Year celebrations. I know it's often not the best of times; we are reminded of who is not with us any more, what has not worked out so well over the past year and any kind of other lack can feel like it's put in the spotlight.

The past couple of years have created lots of upheaval and unplanned change for many of us. Through these times though we have grown and have had the opportunity to connect with who we really are and to discover what is important to us. 2013 is a year for love and abundance. Many of us have read about the law of attraction and manifestation over the years, now is the time to use it fully and have the power to create what we want in our lives. Love and abundance are part of the energetic shift that was going on in December, which many people spoke about being the end of the world because the Mayan calender ended. This of course wasn't the case but just an opening for new energy to come down to our planet. It's up to us what we do with it, we can ignore it and carry on as usual or we can choose to utilise it.

Use this brilliant time to be loving to yourself and every being you come in contact with. Use it to set your intentions for the year and to spend time thinking about what you'd like to create in your life. Be aware of not being attached to your dreams, set your desires free and trust what ever happens will be for your highest good.

Around this time of year people think about things they want to give up or begin, i.e. New Year Resolutions! I read in The Metro this week that a study shows that 4 out of 10 people will break any resolutions they set with in 2 weeks! Half of them blame lack of willpower for this.

Willpower muscle

I regard willpower as one of the most important muscles we have. If you work on strengthening it you will be able to achieve anything you put your mind to. Following are my top 5 tips to strengthen your willpower!

1. What ever habit you want to start doing do it for 21 days and it will then become easier. It takes 21 days to create new neural pathways and thus create a habit.
2. Give yourself choice. Spend time to think about what is most important to you in your life, what you are committed to and then when ever you are being tempted ask yourself does it fit in with that? It is in alignment with what you want for your life? If not then you have a choice, you can either do it anyway and accept that you have or you can stick to what is important for you. For example I am committed to being an inspiring yoga teacher for my students, there are some days when I may not be in the mood to practice or perhaps just want to pig out on  unhealthy food. So when faced with temptation I have a choice. More often than not I will choose yoga and a healthy diet but every now and then I choose the latter, and just enjoy it for what it is.
3. Take any negatives out of your language. If you tell yourself "I will not eat chocolate today" your mind does not hear the not! Have you found the nights you go out saying "I'm not going to drink tonight" are the nights you end up with a bad hangover the next morning? Instead tell yourself how you would like to be instead, eg "I fill my body with healthy energising foods" or "I am clear headed, refreshed and revitalised".
4. Freedom is one of my highest values so any kind of discipline used to send me running for the hills. However I have since learnt that discipline is actually the path to true freedom. For example, one aspect of freedom to me is to be able to travel how ever if I am not disciplined with my money and health I won't be able to do that. Following a discipline such as yoga, martial arts, tai chi, meditation will help you to strengthen your willpower, which then gives you the freedom to do what you want in your life.
5. What ever it is you want to do, just start it. Often the biggest set back is getting started but once you have and you build momentum it will become easier.

Willpower notes

Something else I find helpful to keep my intentions in mind is to stick post it notes every where! "I am healthy and full of energy", "I look after myself", "I live every day abundantly", "I am love and courage", "I eat and drink only what is good for me" .....and so on.

Willpower Events

Just to let you know I am running some special offers this month to help you kick start your New Year, click here to see them all.

Love and abundance to you all xx

How To Strengthen Your Willpower

Happy New Year! I hope you had lovely time over Christmas and the New Year celebrations. I know it's often not the best of times; we are reminded of who is not with us any more, what has not worked out so well over the past year and any kind of other lack can feel like it's put in the spotlight.

The past couple of years have created lots of upheaval and unplanned change for many of us. Through these times though we have grown and have had the opportunity to connect with who we really are and to discover what is important to us. 2013 is a year for love and abundance. Many of us have read about the law of attraction and manifestation over the years, now is the time to use it fully and have the power to create what we want in our lives. Love and abundance are part of the energetic shift that was going on in December, which many people spoke about being the end of the world because the Mayan calender ended. This of course wasn't the case but just an opening for new energy to come down to our planet. It's up to us what we do with it, we can ignore it and carry on as usual or we can choose to utilise it.

Use this brilliant time to be loving to yourself and every being you come in contact with. Use it to set your intentions for the year and to spend time thinking about what you'd like to create in your life. Be aware of not being attached to your dreams, set your desires free and trust what ever happens will be for your highest good.

Around this time of year people think about things they want to give up or begin, i.e. New Year Resolutions! I read in The Metro this week that a study shows that 4 out of 10 people will break any resolutions they set with in 2 weeks! Half of them blame lack of willpower for this.

I regard willpower as one of the most important muscles we have. If you work on strengthening it you will be able to achieve anything you put your mind to. Following are my top 5 tips to strengthen your willpower!

1. What ever habit you want to start doing do it for 21 days and it will then become easier. It takes 21 days to create new neural pathways and thus create a habit.
2. Give yourself choice. Spend time to think about what is most important to you in your life, what you are committed to and then when ever you are being tempted ask yourself does it fit in with that? It is in alignment with what you want for your life? If not then you have a choice, you can either do it anyway and accept that you have or you can stick to what is important for you. For example I am committed to being an inspiring yoga teacher for my students, there are some days when I may not be in the mood to practice or perhaps just want to pig out on  unhealthy food. So when faced with temptation I have a choice. More often than not I will choose yoga and a healthy diet but every now and then I choose the latter, and just enjoy it for what it is.
3. Take any negatives out of your language. If you tell yourself "I will not eat chocolate today" your mind does not hear the not! Have you found the nights you go out saying "I'm not going to drink tonight" are the nights you end up with a bad hangover the next morning? Instead tell yourself how you would like to be instead, eg "I fill my body with healthy energising foods" or "I am clear headed, refreshed and revitalised".
4. Freedom is one of my highest values so any kind of discipline used to send me running for the hills. However I have since learnt that discipline is actually the path to true freedom. For example, one aspect of freedom to me is to be able to travel how ever if I am not disciplined with my money and health I won't be able to do that. Following a discipline such as yoga, martial arts, tai chi, meditation will help you to strengthen your willpower, which then gives you the freedom to do what you want in your life.
5. What ever it is you want to do, just start it. Often the biggest set back is getting started but once you have and you build momentum it will become easier.

Something else I find helpful to keep my intentions in mind is to stick post it notes every where! "I am healthy and full of energy", "I look after myself", "I live every day abundantly", "I am love and courage", "I eat and drink only what is good for me" .....and so on.

Just to let you know I am running some special offers this month to help you kick start your New Year, click here to see them all.

Love and abundance to you all xx

Give From The Heart

Life coaching Give from the heart

Happy Christmas!

Christmas is a time for giving isn't it? Although it can also be a time for feeling like you have to give when you don't particularly want to, or have the  time or money to, or maybe that all you are doing is giving but not receiving anything in return. Baaaaa Humbug!

Is giving really worth it when you are in that frame of mind?

Life coaching: Received wisdom

When I was away this year in India, a good friend said to me "I bet you receive a lot in your life" after noticing how regularly I was spending in his crystal shop. I flippantly replied something like "not yet, all I do is give, hopefully one day it will come back to me!" thinking about the amount of purchases I had been making during my entire trip.

When I got home that evening I had a realisation that I am constantly receiving, I have received so much in my life it's untrue. So many amazing things have happened to me, so many people have given me wonderful things, their love, energy and time. I instantly felt ashamed I has reacted so quickly the way I had, I think I was just caught up in shoppers guilt at the time!

I went back the next day to correct my reply and to thank him for the gift of that realisation. You see, again I had received something.

Often what we receive does not come from the same source we have given to. How many unexpected events, gifts, kind words have come to you when you were least expecting them?

I spoke to a friend the other day who was feeling a little depleted from so much giving at work but not getting anything in return. After our conversation she thanked me for helping her to realise all the other people in her life, outside from work, who have given to her this week.

The spiritual law of giving and receiving is that the universe operates through dynamic exchange. Consider your breath for example. Try breathing in then holding your breath for as long as possible. Notice how uncomfortable it feels to hold on to something that is supposed to be released. The same discomfort comes from breathing out and holding your breath, not allowing yourself to take in what is naturally yours.

Any time we are holding on to something, maybe feeling a sense of lack, it doesn't feel good. These negative feelings will have an impact on your energy, your thoughts, your emotions and your physical body.

Life coaching: Give unconditionally

When you give unconditionally from your heart it is a joyful experience. Giving does not have to be about money as we so often believe it is. It could be your time, your words, your kindness, your wisdom anything that is for the highest good of the other being.

Yes Christmas can feel a bit like a commercial opportunity at times but what it really is about is love. Love and connection.

So this Christmas give from the heart. What ever you can give it unconditionally with out expecting anything in return and enjoy the magic unfold. In fact continue this way from this moment forward, it's simply our natural way of being.

Thank you for reading my blog this year, I am grateful for every single one of you that reads it!

Lots of love

xxxxx