HeadRest - A Series on Connection, Ep 1

 Episode 5 of a 5 part mini mindfulness series. Together, we'll practice the art of reset. Based on the relaxation techniques of autogenics and yoga nidra, we'll work though a series of self-statements on heaviness and warmth in the body to induce a state of rest. Use this one before you go to bed, if you're anxious before a pitch or a meeting, or , kind of like a nap - a mini time out for your brain to reset when you're feeling overwhelmed.  

 Part 4 of a 5 part mini mindfulness series. This session is about sensory immersion - reconnecting to all the layers of feeling that we have. It touches on Shinrin Yoku - the forest bathing therapy practice that has proven to reduce cortisol, boost immunity and calm the nervous system.  Let this visualisation practice help you connect to the beauty of the world around you - listen to the wind, taste the air, hear the earth rumble below. you. Allow it to help you step away from the smog and struggle of the city and step into the beauty of nature - giving your headspace freedom to wander into spaces that bring you joy. 

 Part 3 of a 5 part mini mindfulness series.  Come on a little journey with me - let's take a walk through the beautiful home we call our body. Lets step through all the doors, open all the windows, and feel a little deeper into the space that we live in every day.  This episode can help ground you towards a place of security, let go of tension you may not even know you're carrying, and drop you into a deeper state of recovery.  Your homebody is a work of art - give yourself the gift of discovering it.

 Part 2 of a 5 part mini mindfulness series. This episode speaks about the 25,000 chances we have each day to sink back into the present - by feeling into our breath. Practice sensing the pace of your breath, the texture, the sound, the rhythm of it - and notice how much power you can reclaim from switching your focus inward - even if all you have is a few moments to get centred. 

Part 1 of a 5 part mini mindfulness series. As this new year unfolds, let yourself discover why mindfulness isn't an option, but a birthright.  Let yourself experience how self-care starts with connection - not to the world around you, but to the one inside. Self love is an act of bravery - and sometimes the bravest thing to do is to let your mind stop running in circles and trust it with the gift of rest.

A little trip down memory lane. A story of how my life plan got derailed and how in hindsight, I'm so glad it did - because the pivot point was what it made it possible for the beautiful life as I know it now. A reminder that dead reckoning is for planes, not people - and that sometimes being thrown off course is the best thing that we could have asked to happen to us. 

Throwing it back to that time I was hungover, jet lagged and halfway up a rock face with zero grip strength left. A reminder to myself that pretty crappy things can gatecrash our lives without warning, but nevertheless - there are still things to hold onto, things to believe in, and safe places to land if we look for them.

A story about that time when I set off all the alarms of a building block and almost gave myself a stroke for no reason. Finishes with a breath countdown to help slow the nervous system and reset balance, ideal after a stressful day or when you feel too hyped up to think clearly.

Touches on the primal need for the negativity bias, and on the reason to be able to override it - along with a list of stuff that is simple and easy-to-smile-about - things that continue to exist in our lives if we notice them.

For those who, like me, struggle with restless nights and insomnia - and for those who just have a lot on their brain at the end of the day and need someone to whisper them to sleep. A ten minute body awareness practice to help your mind and your body soften towards sleep.