Difficult emotions on the beach

Summer - the time of holidays, festivals and fun in general. However, emotionally it’s not always as straight forward. I’ve been on the most beautiful vacations in the past and all of the sudden anxiety and stress appeared. Have they really just appeared or did I finally stopped and was able to listen to my body? I’m convinced it’s the latter. It’s very common to get sick or start feeling those uncomfortable emotions when we finally let go and have enough space to look what is actually happening in our body, mind and soul.

So here are some ideas on how to cope if difficult emotions appear on your vacation or staycation.

1. This is normal.

   I don’t know about you but when I was for example in Mexico and started feeling anxiety and stress I thought right away that there is something wrong with me. I felt that I shouldn’t feel bad because I’m in such beautiful surroundings and I should be feeling grateful. Whatever we are feeling in any moment is absolutely fine. Accepting ourselves and our emotions is the first step we must take to free ourselves from those emotions. Additionally, many people feel uncomfortable emotions when they take time off so this is absolutely normal.

2. Welcome your emotions.

   Welcome your emotions as guests but when the guest overstays its welcome it’s time to move them along. If you are able to do it, entertain your guest, ask why it’s here, what it wants and needs. This can start a wonderful journey of discovery and healing. Sometimes all we need is the awareness or those emotions, sometimes we need to talk them thru, heal them, maybe even apply healing practices such as yoga or meditation. But always treat your guest with as much love, kindness and gentleness as possible.

3. Move your emotions.

   If the guest overstays it’s welcome move it along. The best way to move your emotions is thru movement such as yoga, run, dance or any other physical activity. But it’s important to find the right time to do it. If you move it too fast you may lose opportunity to transform that emotion and heal it. If you move it too late it can spoil your holidays or even lead to depression or anxiety.

4. You are in charge, not your emotions.

   Whether you choose to transform and heal or put your emotions to the side and deal with them later - it’s your conscious choice. Be in charge of your mind, your mind is your servant not your master. However, it’s difficult to be in charge in a stressful situation is you are never in charge otherwise. Which is why we meditate! When we are meditation, we are giving our mind simple instructions to follow so mind get’s used to idea who is in charge. So meditate regularly :-)

5. Support.

   You don’t need to do it all by yourself. Talk to your friends, family maybe even a therapists if you need a professional help. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure it all out by ourselves. Reaching out can create stronger relationships and helps to find solutions faster. Maybe support could be a book or a walk in nature? Find the support that works for you.

   I feel that difficult emotions on holidays are little bit like the elephant in the room, so I hope this brought a bit more ease and peace to you. Maybe you won’t need it this time when you go on holiday but if you are feeling some uncomfortable feeling when you are off, remember this is normal and ‘this too shall pass’.

7 easy tips for happy and healthy Summer

Most of us absolutely adore summer time as it’s a time of holidays, festivals and fun in general. It’s been amazing here in Manchester for the last few weeks and everybody is happier, smiling and relaxed.

I believe all seasons are unique and perfect in their own way and embracing each season can be a very insightful and inspiring experience.

Summer is the time when we let our hair down and let ourselves be more spontaneous and care free. However, it can be a fantastic time to engage in more uplifting and inspiring behaviours and create good habits that can serve us for the rest of the year. Sun and Light are supporting us to connect with the best versions of ourselves and transform any negative or unwanted behaviour.  

Here are some tips you can enjoy during the summer time that may encourage you to live a healthier and happier lifestyle after the hot period. 

1. REST

Who fancies working when it’s that hot? Nobody! Listen to your body and whenever you can take an opportunity to slow down and relax. Take a nap in the shade, walk slowly in the sunshine and find stillness in your body. Don’t try to catch up with the housework at the weekend and enjoy this glorious sunshine. Let the Sun recharge you with its fabulous energy! Trust me, you don’t need to do anything, just relax and everything you want and need will come to you.

2. GO TO NATURE

Summer is a great time to connect with nature and see its beauty. Nature can be a very healing force if we let it.

Money problems? See the abundance in nature, feel it and connect with it within yourself to feel again that you’re part of the abundant Universe.

Relationship problems? Sit with your favourite tree, unload and let its wisdom pour into your being. It’s a fantastic communication therapy.

Nature can heal you on so many levels, get out every day and connect with it for a month to see what happens.

3. NOURISH YOUR BODY

I love summer time because my body is craving fresh fruit and vegetables more than ever before. Eating healthy foods is so easy, delicious and fun at this time of the year. Even if you’re not a salad fan usually, this is the best time to try and buy fresh fruit and vegetables that appeal to you. There are loads to choose from so everybody can find something they like. Have a nutritious meal and see how wonderful you feel after. You may just love it and find yourself eating even healthier later on in the year.

Oh and don’t forget to drink plenty of water too. With lemon, mint or fresh fruit. Do it for your body!

4. MOVE

Another nourishing thing for your body is movement. Whatever tickles your fancy! Running, yoga, tennis, dancing, swimming – so much better done outside in such amazing weather. As a result your body and mind will feel great. Get into good habits now and by Autumn you will be hooked. Addicted to feeling awesome.

5. MEDITATE

I’ve recently started doing a lot of meditation al fresco and it’s very eye opening. I strongly recommend you try it too. Even lying down on the beach (or in the park) and consciously focusing on your breathing can count as meditation. Makes sunbathing much more fun too.

6. HAVE FUN

Cherish every moment in the best way you can. What do you like doing? What did you always want to do? Go wild, get creative and love life. Do something new and get out of your comfort zone. Enjoy this time of the year because it will finish soon and you will be craving Summer and sunshine again. If you really embrace what is and fully participate, you will be happy to welcome the next season with gratitude and open heart, no regrets.  Live in the moment!

7. COMMUNITY

If you choose to have fun, you know it’s best to do it with great friends too, with people who encourage the best of you and appreciate you being you. So either spend more time with your friends and family or make new friends. It will open your heart to a level you never knew existed.

If you would like to spend a Soul nourishing time with like minded people, check out our Kundalini Yoga Retreat in Snowdonia this November

The gift of yoga

Yoga practice is so much about consistency. It’s the regular practice, whether it’s daily or weekly, that will create transformation. We make quicker progress with consistent practice and the effects of our practice are everlasting. Moreover, regular yoga and meditation practice is like savings in your bank account, it comes handy when we need it. When we have especially difficult time in our life, illness, loss of a loved one or any other challenge we may need to face - that previous regular yoga practice and energy we generated there will be working for you. Even if you can’t physically do yoga or meditation.

However, as a yogini with many years of regular practice, I must say that daily practice doesn’t always come easy. Sometimes it feels like a routine, chore, maybe even a bit boring. And there is nothing wrong with having a bit of break from yoga but lack of regular practice is noticable in our physical, emotional and mental state.

I was in such situation recently and needed a bit inspiration. So I booked a private yoga session with a teacher and she inspired me. She said something that really touched me, she said ‘Give yourself the gift of yoga’ instead of forcing yourself to do it, trying to motivate yourself, just give yourself the gift of yoga.

And obviously, I’ve heard that many times, I even sell vouchers that say ‘Gift of yoga’ haha but this time it really touched me and I now look at my practice differently. So I’m sharing it with you, because maybe there is somebody out there who really needs to hear it and it will inspire them.

Let’s not treat yoga as another way to punish ourselves, as a measurement if we are good enough or as something that needs to be ticked off the list. Let’s do yoga with compassion, kindness, care, gentleness and love that we all need.

Do you struggle sometimes with regular practice? How do you motivate yourself? What works for you? Please share in the comments below🙏

5 reasons gratitude is so important for your body, mind and soul.

It connects you with your soul.

It connects you with the universe. The ancient root of the word GRATITUDE, that means “to praise, to celebrate; to be in contact with the Divine.” In other words, being grateful is equivalent to feeling the presence of the Divine in our lives. It is the same as being in a state of bliss. It allows us to see value, virtue and blessings in everything. 

Experiencing gratitude is one of the most effective ways of getting in touch with your soul. When you’re in touch with your soul, you are in your heart, when your heart is open - feeling abundance and generosity come easy. You feel connected to everything in creation. You embrace the wisdom of uncertainty and you sense yourself as a field of infinite possibilities. You are one with the universe. 

It gets you out of your own way.

The feeling of gratitude involves two stages. First we are grateful for something. Second, we are grateful to something/somebody. One can be grateful to other people, to animals, and to the world, but not to oneself. We are reminded that a lot in our lives depends on others, that we are not the centre of the universe:-) So we get out of our own way here.

It challenges our ego.

Gratitude is a fullness of heart that moves you from limitation and fear (EGO) to expansion and love(SOUL). When you’re appreciating something, your ego moves out of the way. You can’t have your attention on ego and gratitude at the same time.

Present moment. 

Gratitude brings your attention into the present time, which is the moment in which miracles can unfold. We spend so much of our time in the past or in the future, creating a lot of anxiety and depression as a result. Gratitude helps us to stay present, and avoid a lot of unnecessary suffering. 

Gratitude is good for your health and science proofs that. 

Research performed in 2015 showed that patients with heart failure who completed gratitude journals showed reduced inflammation, improved sleep, and better moods; this reduced their symptoms of heart failure after only 8 weeks.

In these and other studies, science has been providing clinical proof supporting what many religions and spiritual traditions have been saying for millennia: gratitude does good.

If you would like to learn more about gratitude join high on yoga membership where you will find the full programme with yoga mediation and yogic teachings.

The link is here.

7 ideas to be kinder to yourself

Love is the easiest and works best when expressed as self-compassion. If we are not compassionate towards ourselves, we can't truly love another person, we can’t understand them fully. The flight attendants always remind us to put on our own mask first before assisting others. Self-compassion is a gate to happiness. 

Self-love awakens your soul, self-love invites your soul to be more present in your physical body. The more you love and appreciate yourself, the more peace, love and light your body and nervous system can hold. And this is how you become the light, radiating the energy of peace, love and stillness.   

This all sounds lovely, but most of us still struggle with self-love. So here are some ideas for you on how to be lovelier and kinder to yourself. 

1. Go on a MIND DETOX.

   On a regular detox, we stop eating junk food, unhealthy stuff, and tons of sugar. On a mind detox, we leave out complaining, trashing ourselves, being mean to ourselves, calling ourselves names, etc. You get the point. Never done it before? I invite you to a 7-day mind detox, where you will be kind to yourself, where you will appreciate yourself and give yourself the recognition and love you deserve. Your self-critic or self-victim will most likely try to sneak in, but you will catch them every time and say, "Thank you, but we are on themind detox."Try it, it’s fun and very rewarding! And you will build positive habits that may stay with you forever.

2. Practice AFFIRMATIONS.

   I know affirmations are very worn off but they are great and work. Create your own affirmation in the form of ‘I AM ….’ for example ‘I am loveable’, ‘I am loving’, ‘I am enough’, ‘I am beautiful,’ ‘I am peace’, ‘I am loved and supported by the Universe’. These are just ideas, it’s best to create your own affirmations that resonate uniquely with you. What to do with your affirmations? Write them down 100 times a day in your journal, meditate on repeating them mentally, walk mentally repeating them, create a screensaver or drawing with them. Possibilities are endless.

3. Protect your energy.

   Are you always making sure that other people’s needs are met first? Are you trying to be helpful to others while forgetting about yourself? It’s time to start valuing you and making yourself important to you. It’s time to start blessing yourself and connecting with the infinite qualities in you. Time to rely on your sacred space. The more you protect your energy and nurture your sacred space, the more your sacred space will protect and nurture you. Crete small habits where you protect your energy, value yourself and connect with your inner sacred space. I know I’m biassed, but I think the best way to connect with your sacred space is through yoga and meditation.

4. JOY in your heart.

   Connect with your heart, see what comes to you when you think of joy and inspiration, find the answer and do that regularly. Do the things that bring you genuine joy more often. This is an easy way back to your heart, where compassion and love live.

5. Be kind and generous to others.

   When we think badly of others or hate them, - we are filling up our being with that negative energy first. When we are kind and generous to others, we get to experience that energy too. So love yourself first and then love others. Not because they are your family members or friends, love all - a shopkeeper, a bus driver, anybody you meet.

6. STAY HUMAN.

   We can’t be happy non stop, it’s difficult to be kind and loving all the time, so when you slip, don’t beat yourself up. Love yourself, both your good and bad sides, your cheerleader and your critic.The whole of you. Love and accept yourselves as you are, and you will feel the peace and happiness you never thought was possible.

At the end, I will leave you with something that inspired me years ago and it keeps inspiring me… If you don’t value yourself, nobody will value you…  

Oh and a bit of Kundalini yoga to open your heart to yourself. Try it on YouTube.

How does it sound? Are you going to try on of those ideas? Please let me know in the comments below.