A gentle manifesto of calm (and chocolate!)
I really admire people who are able to sail through life, taking it all in their stride and calmly responding to challenges as they pop up. I'm not naturally one of these people. Being more calm in difficult situations is definitely still a 'work in progress' area for...
Mindfulness, nature and wellbeing
One of the things that has been so apparent over the last year is the importance of having access to nature. I know that in the first lockdown my long morning walks in our local woods were lifesaving. I was feeling anxious, a bit scared and increasingly sad as the...
Boosting wellbeing with mindful baking
One of my total pleasures over the last few months has been watching Channel 4's Junior Bake Off. The kids on it are AMAZING bakers, but it's also lovely to see them having so much fun in amongst some pretty stressful technical challenges. Some of them are so little...
The power of contentment
February isn't always the easiest month of the year even at the best of times - and we are definitely not in the best possible times! This latest phase of the lockdown has sometimes felt really hard (and a bit tedious), but it's also been a good reminder of one of the...
Tips for meditation in lockdown
After all the ups and downs of 2020, starting the new year with a new lockdown is probably not what any of us hoped for. However when we are hit with with times of uncertainty, creating positive small daily rituals or habits can really make a difference to wellbeing....
Is stress always bad?
I spend a lot of my time talking and thinking about and giving people tools to manage stress. This is partly because for a really long time stress was mostly not a good thing in my life. I didn't recognise it or manage it very well, and it was very much at the root of...
How to meditate in difficult times
I'm writing this 4 months or so after we officially went into the lockdown in the UK - and we are now easing out of it. At the beginning of lockdown I definitely had a big bout of panic. And yes there were also some tears involved. A lot of my work is based on...
Three alternative ways to enjoy chocolate
I'm not going to lie, chocolate has been a bit of saviour during the lockdown. And I don't just mean in the eating. Spending time mixing up big batches of my Calm Cocoa hot chocolate blends, creating bespoke cookie orders and running chocolate meditations has all had...
7 Small Acts of Kindness
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and it's a week that's very close to my heart. As a meditation teacher, supporting people's mental health is a big part of my work. Particularly as not managing my own stress very effectively was what ultimately led me to...
My 5 Favourite Lockdown Bakes
It's no secret that the UK has gone a bit flour crazy amidst the Covid-19 lockdown, with supermarket shelves looking rather depleted of their stocks. Or totally empty in the case of my own local shops. I was beyond delighted to discover my local bakery selling bags of...
It’s okay not to feel okay
I actually started thinking about this post a few weeks back. But oh my goodness what a different world we're now in as we slip into spring 2020! My husband and I, as we sit next to each other working from home, have started to think of life as BC (before coronavirus)...
Why gratitude matters (and why it’s not just rainbows & positive thinking!)
Over the last few years you might have noticed gratitude journals popping up in lots of shops. And if you follow any wellbeing experts online or on social media, many are proponents of building a gratitude practice. Yes, being thankful has become fashionable, but it...
10 things I love about January
In the week that supposedly contains Blue Monday (nothing like encouraging people to feel crap even when they weren't in the first place!), I'd like to put a positive spin on this month and share 10 things I love about January. 1.Β It's entirely acceptable to...
Chocolate Figgy Pudding Balls
These little balls make a delicious addition to cups of tea or coffee over Christmas (or any time of the year really!). They're simple to make and tasty to eat, which I think is the perfect combination. They also contain all the different parts of chocolate... ...
Have yourself a compassionate little Christmas
As I'm writing this I'm recovering from a little bug which struck me down in what is my busiest time of the year. As well as feeling pretty rough over the last few days, I've been a bit frustrated with my body for 'failing'. But it's a reminder that I've had a very...
How to make time for meditation
I keep hearing the phrase: "... is my meditation". For the "..." you can insert running, walking, baking, knitting and a myriad of other things. But the hard truth is that unfortunately there really is no substitute for actual meditation. All of the above things can...
The power of micro-actions for wellbeing
Sometimes when it comes to health and wellbeing, we (and I include myself in this) can be a bit black and white. It's salads every day or sacking it off and ordering take away all week. Training for a marathon or just slobbing out on the couch and doing nothing....
Why there’s no perfect in wellbeing
I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I don't actually meditate every single day of the year. My normal routine is to meditate first thing in the morning right after I wake up. Sometimes I meditate for 10 minutes and if I have a little extra time, it might be...
Take a tech break: mindful use of technology
It's currently the summer school holidays in the UK and as I don't have my own children, I sometimes borrow other people's. Last week I spent a lovely day with my god-children rowing on the Thames at Richmond, playing with our dog Taz in the park and making some...
What happened when I took 5 days out to focus on self-compassion
If you're self-employed, you might be able to relate to what I was feeling about this time last month as I prepared to take five WHOLE days out of my business to attend a course on self-compassion. I was a bit nervous and also feeling a bit of preemptive guilt about...
Random acts of slowness
I started thinking about this post a few weeks back, but in the true spirit of slowness, I've been letting some thoughts bubble around and simmer a bit. However as today is the summer solstice, the longest day of light in the northern hemisphere, it felt appropriate...