Mindfulness

Everyone has their own unique story. What’s yours? We can’t change the past but we can take action now to impact how we feel, how our body functions and how we respond to tomorrow’s challenges. 

I offer a whole-person mindful approach that aims to empower life skills that create lasting positive change in the mind and body to support calm, clarity, creativity and compassion through everyday moments.

Healing begins from inside. 

Mindfulness, mindful movement, mindset, and metta (kindness) are the 4 pillars of the programs that I offer. The 8 week MBSR mindfulness based stress reduction course is the foundational program. I also provide presentations and trainings to health professionals. 

Are you curious? 

How can this help you? Many people have discovered the benefits to their health, sleep, mental focus, relationships and skills for leading and supporting others. You will only discover how mindfulness can help you, however, through your own experience. I can show you how, provide feedback so you can understand what you are learning, and support you to integrate the practices into your life to meet your unique needs. 

About Mindfulness: the art of a conscious living    

Mindfulness is a human trait, a skill that can be developed, and a way of life. Mindfulness is paying attention with curiousity to what is happening in our inner world of sensations, thoughts and emotions and to our sensory experience of the world around us, without judgment. 

Without mindfulness we can’t see clearly what is happening. We live on automatic pilot, driven by well rehearsed habit patterns. We don’t see that we have a choice in how we respond; to our mindset, thoughts and beliefs, to our body and how it stores experiences, to how we spend our time and engage in activities. Mindfulness helps us to make choices based on a clearer view of our reality, towards wellbeing, growth and purpose.   

Others agree. There has been a rapid growth in interest in mindfulness over the last decade primarily due to the increasing evidence of physical and mental health benefits. In health, education and leadership, mindfulness is being recognised as a valuable life skill. A skill that with practice creates positive change in the brain, in areas responsible for emotional regulation, paying attention, noticing and responding wisely to the body and mind, compassion to self and others. Mindfulness is now recognised as one of the 5 pillars of wellbeing.  

Mindfulness and pain

Many people say they strive on stress and are unaware of the negative side effects on their body. This may be you particularly if you are experiencing a range of body symptoms. You may end up at the doctors or physiotherapists with pain. Neck pain, back pain and headaches are all common responses to an overactive stress response. When you are examined there may be areas of tenderness and restricted movement but often the root of the problem is not in the muscles and joints.

Injuries heal. Occasionally the body continues to experience pain well beyond the expected healing time. Your thoughts and emotions play a part here, as when the stress response is overactive the immune and hormonal changes slow the body’s ability to heal and sensitise the nervous system. Its like the volume switch is turned up. Using mindfulness strategies to learn to cope better with your symptoms will help to turn the volume down.

Mindfulness and chronic illness

There are strong links between both the onset and extent of many illnesses with chronic stress. Every system of the body is effected by stress and when the stress response continues unchecked, illness results. High blood pressure, digestive problems, inflammatory conditions and respiratory problems are all common problems that are effected by chronic stress. 

Mindfulness can help you to better regulate the cardiac, digestive, immune and hormonal systems. With a greater sense of control over your body and a change in attitude towards self care symptoms can be better managed and in some cases reduced.  

Check out these inspiring documentaries:

My Year of Living Mindfully by Shannon Harvey 

https://www.myyearoflivingmindfully.com/opengroundpremiere

And the ABCTV program Catalyst. Fifteen ordinary Australians were followed as they experienced the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course. To see their journey and the science behind it visit https://ab.co/2KIUHjX