'There are two worlds; the world we can measure with line and rule and the world we feel with our hearts and imagination.' - Leigh Hunt
Spring is springing and summer is on it's way and this is my first blog since I launched my new website - hurrah! I hope you like it and find it helpful. It's also a great time to do some spring cleaning and de-cluttering of your life including house, office, finances, work, relationships, wardrobe, etc. The less clutter around you means the less clutter in your mind. I've always found it fascinating that the ancient Oriental philosophy of 'feng shui' helps us to understand that our homes are a direct extension of ourselves and by looking after your home you are ultimately looking after yourself. Worth remembering when you're spring cleaning........
We've experienced some intense energy so far this year from the universal forces of nature - so replenishing and self-care are important. I've had to overcome my own resistance with this way of thinking because I didn't want an ordinary life - which is why it's taken me a while to fully embrace this new consciousness. We are born with this knowledge but it gets overrun by our educational programs as we are growing up. However, I always knew I was half way there in my thinking which is why I'm fully embracing it now. When I first read Arianna Huffington, Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay and many others, I felt I'd come home - this spiritual knowledge nourishes your soul.
My mission is to bring this knowledge into education - so here are 10 practices I have found helpful and Spring is a great time of year to start practising them:
- Get fit and healthy. Wake up just a little earlier and move your body out in nature - a fast walk or run, whatever works for you, and savour nature andconnect to that higher universal energy and say what you would like to achieve that day... think of it as having a check-in with a higher power. Make it non-optional - like brushing your teeth!
- Get creative - practising writing and saying affirmations and visualisations daily can change your life. Remember, the vibration of your words and thoughts carry tremendous power. Speak of what you want, not what you don't want. Your words are your thoughts that become things soonest. Start a morning journal as Julia Cameron suggests. Write 3 x A4 pages before your ego defences are in place. I've found this exercise very helpful when I lost trust in the creative process. The truth of the creative process is that it cannot be forced. Great work takes time.
- Start a mindfulness practice by cultivating quiet time and silencing the mind for just a few minutes. Focusing on your breath reduces stress. I gather meditation can knock 7 years off the age of your brain so it's really worth practising!*
- Repair one relationship. Understanding what you seek from a relationship is more important than what you seek in a partner. I've managed to turn old lovers into friends - no-one can change what you shared and that's never going to go away - authentic relationships are the best foundation - too many people are looking for the right person instead of trying to be the right person.
- Refuse to fear fear. Instead, follow the fear and build daily confidence. Fear is a sign of growth, anyway.
- Change a belief. Be your authentic self by loving, accepting, acknowledging and appreciating yourself more and learning to be moresatisfied with who you are and your place in the world. Don't follow cultural stereotypes - follow your true calling.
- Forgive yourself and make sure your worst enemy is not living between your own ears!
- Embrace change. See, hear and feel every imaginable detail - they represent marker points along a journey of inner evolution being taken by our highest consciousness.
- Eat great healthy food. A balanced diet makes your body thrive and raises your body's vibration. Also, drink water to cleanse and remove toxins. A good detox energises you.
- Rest - get enough sleep - a great day starts the night before - so a good sleep pattern is like a good meditation and helps the body heal itself by supporting cell renewal.
AND HAVE FUN AND GO OUT TO PLAY! Listen to music and just dance! Music can heal so much - better than most medicines!
Summer is on its way - hurrah!
'Take a quiet walk with Mother Nature. It will nurture your mind, body and soul.' - Anthony Douglas
*PS Good to hear that Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, (along with Goldman Sachs, TFL, etc) has offered to his staff 'mindfulness' classes to help them be in the moment and reduce stress with the 'less is more' mantra.........is the City finally changing from 'greed is good'? Let's hope so.