Without compassion we wouldn't survive, yet it's not always easy to bring compassion into daily life (or we simply forget to). Learn to strengthen your empathy muscle with these 10 tips and insights and cultivate more kindness, gratitude and understanding.
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Hygge has been brought to us by the Scandinavians, and it’s specifically a Danish concept. The Danes are amongst the happiest nations on the planet, so they must be doing something right! Featured for a while now in the press in interiors and lifestyle magazines, it perhaps brings to mind snuggly woollen blankets, copious soft cushions, and an abundance of candles (the Danes burn more candles per head of population than any other country in Europe apparently).But it’s far more than an uber fashionable fad for fans of Scandinavian design or Scandi noir tv series, it’s actually a part of Danish culture that really puts self-kindness, presence, and space for yourself at its heart, just like yoga and mindfulness does. The similarities are hugely striking.
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“The workplace is constantly demanding and distracting, making it a challenge to remain mindful. Staying centred and focused without being frazzled by the mental noisiness that crowds into a typical workday can be hard, but is important.” Says Dr. Deepak Chopra, co-author of “You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters” and founder of the Jiyo app.
Here are six small ideas to help you keep mindful during the working day:
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It’s supposed to be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’. And yes it can be so very magical but Christmas can also be such a stressful time. With the list of things to do just mounting up - increased family commitments, lots of nights out, parties the children must be taken to, the added expense, work still to do, and all the booze (plus the killer hangovers) to contend with. Arggghh!
So to help you keep your cool this Christmas here are 6 top tips for a calm Christmas.
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Create a mindful glitter jar
The glitter jar represents the mind settling. It's a great afternoon activity that your kids can keep coming back to as a mindfulness practice.
A snow globe or glitter jar is one of the most powerful visual metaphors for the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It illustrates how mindfulness - the cultivation of stillness in the face of swirling chaos of life - affects us. The jar is like our mind, and each colour of glitter represents something different in our mind.
Find out more about how to make and use one here...
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“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Pablo Picasso
The wonderful thing about doodling is that it is a whole brain activity - spontaneous, at times unconscious, self-soothing, satisfying, exploratory, memory-enhancing, and mindful. In essence, doodling (and drawing and painting and making things in general) can be a self-regulating experience as well as a pleasurable road map of thoughts and ideas.
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Another monday morning, another Mindful Monday! For this weeks creative mindfulness practice you'll need a pen or pencil, and just five to ten minutes. Perfect for a lovely mindful tea break. Another monday morning, another Mindful Monday! For this weeks creative mindfulness practice you'll need a pen or pencil, and just five to ten minutes. Perfect for a lovely mindful tea break.
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So as promised, Mondays are going to be mindful for the next 8 weeks. I'm going to create for you a little creative mindful practice to do each Monday.
But first things first - what is mindfulness? Here's a nice simple definition:
"Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally." Jon Kabat-Zinn
Ultimately I like to think of it as being in and enjoying the present moment. Something most of use could do with doing more often.
Western research is now proving what yogis have known all along: Working with the breath can deliver powerful mind and body benefits. Learn how and why to take better advantage of it both in practice and in life.
Your body breathes on autopilot, so why worry about how to inhale and exhale? Well scientific research is showing that mindful breathing - paying attention to your breath and learning how to manipulate it - is one of the most effective ways to lower everyday stress levels and improve a variety of health factors ranging from mood to metabolism.
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How we wake up in the morning has a fundamental impact on how the rest of the day unfolds. There are a few things we can integrate into our morning routine that can have an immediate impact in supporting us in being more mindful, self-compassionate, connected, and resilient throughout the day.
Set your judgments aside and try these out over the next week as an experiment…allow your experience to be your guide.
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