My 2020 Story

Frustration

Frustration is.. having to spend your time doing a job that you don’t care about do that you have no time to spend on the thing that would really ignite your passion.

Imagine getting up 5 days a week and dragging yourself off to to a job that barely interests you. Maybe it did a while ago, but now it just fills your day. At the end of you 8 hours you make your way home – mentally dulled, physically drained: and mostly from the sheer effort of going through the motions.

By Friday afternoon although you’re looking forward to the weekend you know it’s going to be mostly taken up by life essentials: shopping, washing, sleeping- do the by Monday you’re ready to start again.

Weeks turn into months, months into years and nothing changes.

Your passions get squashed. Pushed to one side. Your creativity curls up and sits in a corner waiting for you to wake up.

Wake up!

Wake up and follow your heart. Spend your time doing what you love. Leave frustration behind.

Just do it.

New Moon: New Start?

Every New Moon, it’s said, brings its 9wn opportunity for a new start. I like to set an intention for the lunar cycle.

Last one (Starting Boxing Day) my intention was to take some time and consider my direction for the year. Kind of taking a month to chill out and make a plan.

This month it’s to focus on making space and nurturing creativity.

Enjoy the space and nurture creativity ❤

I’m trying to go with the flow, be more in touch with nature and fo what feels right.

Standing tall

I’m listening to a book at the moment about making an impact in public speaking events – the art of being present and presenting the best version of ourselves to our audience.

It’s interesting, I think, that one of the main techniques for making such an impact is as much about the way we take our space in the room as it is about the words we speak. It’s often said that only 7% of communication is the words we say.

So preparing for speaking – taking space in the room – starts, so considers the author of the book, with great posture. Feet firmly planted, body aligned, spine tall and strong, chest open, shoulders correctly aligned and head balanced correctly. A relaxed, confident posture through which the breath can flow with ease.

Stand tall and take your space.
Posture is key.

Pretty much as is taught in my yoga class every time I step on the mat – yoga: old wisdom, totally relevant in our modern world. Tadasana – mountain pose. Take time, stand strong and breathe.

Shades of Grey

The issue of greying hair isn’t just one for women – but one which seems to be more of an issue for women.

Is colouring our hair an act of trying to hold onto our youth, our self-respect or our looks? Are we conforming to a social norm or saving our self-esteem?

At some point – what point? – will we stop fighting the inevitable and let nature take its course as we focus on perhaps more pressing matters?

Letting it go grey - an act of defiance, confidence - or giving up hope?

Is letting you hair grow grey a matter of lack of self-care – or an act of confidence and rebellion?

I’d love your thoughts on this one!!

My child, our world

“I’m not even 14 and there’s a killer virus in China and World War 3 is about to break out” – said my teenager. What sort of world is this?

As we leave the comfort of childhood and become more aware of the situations around the world if must seem overwhelming and frightening.

Of course there have always been crises – plenty during my life time which have come, appeared scarey, and gone. And of course I worry about the state of the world – our home – and the legacy we leave for future generations.

I couselled that there are some things we can impact, and others we can’t – and the ones we can do something about are the ones we should be focusing on.

Improve our personal physical and mental resilience (by making good choice for our health and wellbeing)

Make choices which reduce our personal impact on the world around us (waste, carbon footprint)

Join in global consciousness to work on positivity (meditation and optimism)

I hope I can help this lovely young man feel positive about his future and that of our planet.

Launching new Yoga class

It’s a subject that’s getting a lot of media coverage lately – and a phase of life I’ve pass through. It’s one that seems to stir a lot of conversation – surrounded by myth, false information and as many solutions as there are symptoms.

Menopause – every woman will go through it, every woman will have a different experience and every woman will learn something for herself in this time of change. It’s a time in a woman’s life where there is often many other things to contend with – teenagers, ageing parents, job responsibilities and more.

Yoga helps by offering a place of nurturing release – postures, sequences, breathing exercises which can help during this time.

So my new workshop will launch in a couple of weeks – I wonder whether these women will be able to find the time and desire to come along? Always happy to collaborate to reach the audience most in need and ready to take the step.

Namaste

Waiting for a call!

Last week I put myself forward to audition for a contemporary dance performance group – having not danced this style before. On Friday afternoon I had a second (call back) audition. Sounds very ‘Flashdance’ doesn’t it?!

Having followed a class and taken part in the improvisation class all that was left was the wait for the decision.

Waiting is always the hardest part! Was it good enough? Was it what they were looking for? Will they contact me if I don’t get in as well as if I do? Does it matter? – after all it’s not exactly life-changing! But I do want to do it….

Finally the email arrived at lunchtime today – I’m in! 55+ Performance Contemporary Dance Group: Yippee!!

Advice to a teenager

As the parent of a 14 year old in the throes of making choices for GSCEs I’m currently super-aware of the weight of responsibility we have as parents in guiding our children.

Negotiating a conversation with a teenager can feel like a combination of traversing a minefield and trying to get blood out of a stone. But it seems to me that despite an apparent lack of input that some listening can still happen. And I’ve found the best conversations can develop when there’s a distraction – maybe a drive somewhere or a walk (if you can get them away from their bedroom screen).

Far from it for me to offer advice – more a gently probing and directing. An offering of suggestions where they’ve fallen on a blank.

My advice to my teen?

What are you good at? – what do you enjoy? Follow your heart, listen to the advice of your teachers and you won’t go too far wrong.

Do you have any advice for the teenager of today making these choices?

Thumper says…..

“If you can’t say something nice, they don’t say anything at all.”

Remember this advice from Thumper the rabbit in Disney’s ‘Bambi’ ? Old wisdom – and always a good one to abide by.

I was chatting this morning to an acquaintance who seemed to want to vent about a situation and person: she had no idea whether or not I knew the other party, nor if the situation she was describing might offend me – but rather to tell her story.

Maybe some folk just don’t care or maybe we should all be a little more guarded about what we say. But for me, Thumper’s advice is a good start…

Dance audition

Heres a thing I would never have considered a few years ago.

Saw an advert for a 55+ dance group signed up and auditioned. Might sound simple enough – but I’ve never previously taken a contemporary dance class let alone been on stage performing.

Sure I can partner dance – and teach yoga – but this was a whole different thing!.

So why? And how? Did I take it from a random ‘that sounds like fun’ to ‘I can do that!’.

Firstly- because I have more time now.

Secondly – because I now realise that unless you try you never know.

And thirdly – because living with the ‘that could have been me’ isn’t real unless you have actually put yourself forward.

Took me a while but I’m getting there. Onward and upward!