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Mindfulness Meditation

Do you want to learn techniques to help you manage your emotions?

Perhaps you have thought about Meditating before but thought #meditation involves completely having no thoughts? What if I told you this doesn’t have to be the case?

Would you give meditation a try? 

New Meditation class starting in Keynsham Wednesday mornings

If you know someone who might find this helpful please forward details to them. 

“Thank you for a beautiful morning, I have 2 small children and work full time, this is the first time for a very long time that I have made some time for me, its been lovely to have time for a bit of peace,quiet and to reflect on what I need for me, more please’ – Kate

“Thanks Sandhya really calm relaxing meditation class, (needed after hectic start 2 day)I think u have the perfect balance” Linda 

” Thank you for the meditation. I have found it very useful, I’ve been taken a bit of time out of each day for this,, thank you so much for teaching me”. Natalie

“Thank you for having me in the session earlier. I really enjoyed experiencing mindfulness with people and it felt so relaxing. ,You are such an expert.” Hiba.

How to Become a Confident Person

People often believe that confidence is a trait that comes naturally. In reality, developing a healthy confidence level requires consistently taking the right decisions leading to an increased trust in one’s ability to tackle challenges. In this article by Sandhya Coyle, we explore four effective ways to transform yourself into a self-confident individual.

Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels.com

Set Some Goals

The lack of goals is one of the prime causes of demotivation and low self-esteem. Without goals, you are essentially investing time and effort toward activities that provide you with nothing in return. To turn the tide, follow this two-step method:

The first step is to set some goals, which can be as follows:

Health-Based: Planning to develop a toned or more flexible body, learning a new sport, following better eating habits, etc.

Career Oriented: Learning new skills, working towards a promotion, making a career change, and more.

Education-Based: Pursuing a new degree, learning a language, publishing research papers, etc.

Relationship Focused: Develop stronger bonds with family, make new friends, spend more time with your partner, and more.

Next, you need to break down these goals into achievable steps which can be followed daily, such as working out, applying to 10 job applications, and spending time with loved ones.

Learn the Power of Visualisation

Visualisation involves using the power of positive thinking to overcome challenges. It is an effective way to condition your mind to overcome negativity and set yourself up for success.

Here are three effective visualisation techniques to explore:

Visualise Yourself Succeeding: This involves imaging yourself attaining the goal you have set for yourself, such as visualising yourself landing the promotion you have been looking forward to or reaching your desired weight in the coming months.

Visualise Overcoming Challenges: Rather than bowing down to stress, visualise the ways you can overcome the challenges. For example, imagine how you will bring up the conversation for a promotion to your boss. Additionally, prepare answers for all possible questions they may ask.

Visualise a Happy Place: Create an image of a place or situation that provides you peace and comfort, which can be a happy memory, a calm nature setting, etc. Each time you start to feel stressed, imagining being in your happy place will help replace negative emotions with positive ones.

Practice Yoga

Yoga is widely considered one of the best ways to improve confidence and self-esteem. Here are a few reasons why:

Improved Focus: A core aspect of yoga is learning how to control breathing and concentrate on the present. This allows an individual to disassociate from negative thoughts, and gain clarity regarding their needs and wants, leading to effective goal setting.

Reduced Stress: The combination of breathing exercises and poses leads to the release of endorphins also known as feel-good hormones, resulting in a natural upliftment of mood and alleviation of stress.

Increased Empowerment: Yoga involves various poses and techniques which take time to master. However, in the process, you will experience yourself getting physically stronger and gaining mental clarity leading to greater control over your wellbeing.

Pilates is known to provide similar benefits and is a great supplement to your yoga routine. You can find more information on the benefits of these activities here.

Improve your Finances

As reported by The Health Foundation, more than two-thirds of Brits report feeling stressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the primary reasons for this is uncertainty regarding finances. Here are a few ways to handle financial stress:

Start creating weekly and monthly budgets accounting for every pound earned and spent by your household.

Prioritise income toward savings and paying bills on time.

If you’re a homeowner in need of funds, consider refinancing your mortgage. As reported by Redfin, refinancing involves taking a new mortgage to pay off your existing one. Additionally, you can negotiate lower interest rates and cheaper monthly payments.

A larger mortgage amount can also be approved using your home’s equity. This serves as a reliable and safe method to generate funds to cover expenses or healthcare bills during the pandemic.

The key to becoming a confident individual is embracing the power of positive thinking and making consistent efforts towards achieving your goals.

by Annabelle Harris of elders.center

Have you had enough of your back pain?

Is back pain getting in the way of your favourite activities? or sitting at your desk perhaps? Or just being able to enjoy yourself?

Today, I want to share the good news with you.

It is possible to live the life you deserve. 

I was able to do it. And my client, Nick, is starting to live his life in his own terms too. Let me tell you his story.

Nick felt like an old man in his early 40s.

Nick is only forty years old but already feels like he’s in his 70’s. He has been enduring pain and discomfort on his lower back and at the back of his legs and knees for as long as he can remember.

In the last 3 years, the pain became more regular – putting Nick in constant episodes of pain. He barely plays golf anymore, a sport he loved doing every other day. Then the final straw came when he realised he couldn’t enjoy playing with his two-year-old kid or function properly at work.

Can you relate to this at all?  

If yes, why not try a class out either in Keynsham or on zoom with me?

Back pain

Is back pain getting in the way of your favourite activities? A sport, perhaps? Or just being able to enjoy yourself as a young parent? 

Today, I want to share the good news with you.

It is possible to live the life you deserve. 

I was able to do it. And my client, Nick, is starting to live his life in his own terms too. Let me tell you his story.

Nick felt like an old man in his early 40s.

Nick is only forty years old but already feels like he’s in his 70’s. He has been enduring pain and discomfort on his lower back and at the back of his legs and knees for as long as he can remember.

In the last 3 years, the pain became more regular – putting Nick in constant episodes of pain. He barely plays golf anymore, a sport he loved doing every other day. Then the final straw came when he realised he couldn’t enjoy playing with his two-year-old kid or function properly at work.

Can you relate to this at all?  

If yes, try out a trial session with me today all you need to do is visit my website and click book now.

Knee lifts - pilates core exercise

Pilates for backs

Strengthening your core muscles (the muscles that wrap around your lower torso like a corset) is a game changer for long term support of your back and if you want to reduce your back ache you need to learn how to do this safely.  It gives you a stronger support system for your back and It helps reduce the risk of further injuries and flare ups.

But what is really important is to find exercises that are not too difficult for you to do.

Strengthening your core is one strategy that will give continued support to the back and in most cases is more important than just stretching.

That’s why I recommend this gentle exercise which is suitable for those with lower back ache, slipped/herniated discs, spinal stenosis, Spondylolisthesis, Ankylosing Spondylitis and more.

This exercise is called knee lifts, give it a try and see how long you can hold it for, if under 40 seconds you could benefit from Pilates.

Too old to start exercising?

Do you think you are too old to change

I have a few questions for you today to reflect on

 🤷‍♀️If you think you are too old to change

🤷‍♀️If you think you are too old to learn something new

🤷‍♀️If you think “well what can I expect at my age”

🤷‍♀️If you think it’s too late, i should have started years ago ..

Think again… you are never too old to change or improve your health, fitness and mindset!!

If you are looking to do some short effective movements try out my exercises for older adults: 

Simple shoulder exercises for seniors

Foot exercise for seniors 

Pilates or Yoga?

What are the differences between Pilates and Yoga? There are many different opinions on this and it depends on the teacher too.

My Yoga classes are focussed on increasing flexibility, being mindful, introducing movement and meditation. The classes flow from pose to pose.

My Pilates classes are focussed around strengthening the muscles of the core, stretching out muscles and improving balance. It is more of a structured work out and the  exercises are carried out in repetitions.

Pilates or Yoga mat? Which one should you buy?

Whether you are new to Yoga or Pilates or have been practicing for years there is an exercise mat for you. This post will give you an overview of the differences between Yoga & Pilates mats and help you find the right mat for you. Yoga mats can still be used in Pilates and vice versa. It’s more hygienic to get your own mat.Yoga or Pilates mat

Yoga Mat

Yoga mats are the thinnest usually around 4mm – 6mm thickness and around 180 long and 60cm wide. Usually made of PVC. If you prefer you can find mats made of biodegradable fibres like hemp or cotton.

Benefits:

  • Lots of grip to help your hands and feet stay static and slip free
  • Good for balance as not too thick and you can feel the floor beneath you
  • PVC Mats you can wash in the washing machine
  • More compact when rolled up than a Pilates Mat

Cons

  • Less cushioned than a Pilates mats

Pilates Mat

Thicker than a Yoga Mat. Pilates mats are usually 8-10mm thick and made of foam.

Benefits: –

  • More cushioned than Yoga mats so good if you have any knee injuries (when in kneeling positions) or back injuries (when doing any exercises or final relaxation) lying on your back
  • Sliding surface to allow you to move smoothly in exercises.

Cons: –

  • Bigger
  • More slippery than yoga mat (if using for Yoga poses)
  • More cushioned so more difficult to balance. This can be easily fixed by stepping off your mat for balancing postures.

Where to buy?

  • Ebay
  • Amazon
  • TK Maxx
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