Mindfulness

Have you ever been driving along in your car and then “wake up” noticing that you are almost at your destination? Or been reading a book and finding yourself at the end of the chapter but you have no idea what you have been reading?

There 

are many names for this condition such as being asleep, stuck in your head, off with the pixies - but they are all the same thing - not being present. There is nothing wrong with tuning out when you choose to do it deliberately, but you are missing out on a lot if it’s the way you operate most of the time.

My own experience of not being present in my life led to me missing vital signals and symptoms my body had been yelling at me, for some time as it turned out. Not only had I been missing out on many of the really good things going on and really lacking in gratitude for them, by the time I heard what my body was saying and investigated its call, surgery to remove cancer was the only option.

I truly believe if I had been more mindful, things would have been very different. The habit of tuning out had become so entrenched I didn’t even notice it.

Learning Mindfulness Meditation and building a daily practice brought me back to myself and helped me see all that I have, to really appreciate the many things around me. Although I spent much of my recovery time indoors at home, my life felt so full and rich because I was aware now of the simple pleasures I had taken for granted such as the birds in the trees outside my window, the salty sea air, the beauty of being able to walk to the end of my beach and back.

The simple technique of following the breath meant that I was now aware of my living breath. Strangely, the act of noticing my breath would slow it down. Make it calmer and flow smoother. That is all I would have to do.The slowing down would then create more calmness.

The ability to be present meant that when I would start to worry or feel anxious, I would notice that I was doing it. I was able to feel my shoulders stuck up around my ears and my neck stiffening. I could feel I was holding my stomach and barely breathing. Best of all I had learnt how to easily reverse the direction I had been heading in.

The practice of meditation gave me such incredible confidence and internal strength to cope with my diagnosis and recovery to wellness, I want it for everyone.

If you can relate to not being present I encourage you to take a few moments right now to stop. Sit still. Take a couple of deep breaths and just relax. Allow your body to soften and sink into your seat. And then just breathe naturally however it is for you right now. And just feel the breath. Going in and leaving. Feel your body gently move with each breath. Listen and see of you can hear it.

Throughout your day allow yourself to just stop and breathe. It’s really that easy.

If you are interested in learning meditation, taking an already existing practice to a new level or just looking for some clarity with your present situation we can provide the space
for that to happen.



Wildly Well offers private one to one and small group coaching at present in Sydney, NSW.
Please contact us for a 20min free, no obligation call to explain how classes work and to see if working together is the right option for you.
Contact: Michelle 0405 473 509

Green Goddess Juice

                                                    DRINK YOUR FOOD AND
                                                      CHEW YOUR LIQUIDS

Future Doctor

We share Edison's values about health and wholeness here at Wildly Well

Eat Slowly

We love Michael Pollan's book: Food Rules - An Eater's Manual - for it's simplicity and intuitive wisdom. In our house this week we have been rocking 
                                                    [Rule #49 Eat Slowly]

It may sound kinda lame, but if you do take the time to really chew each mouthful you will more than likely eat less but feel just as satisfied. 

Eating will become more of a sensory experience rather than just shovelling in food for energy.

Best of all you will find you digestion gets a whole lot better.We found putting down your knife and fork between each bite makes it easier.

Juice Rocks!

We don't know how we ever lived without Green Juice

Activated Nuts

Start activating! It is one of the simplest things you can do in the kitchen to make your food choices even better for you. 
All it takes is a jar, throw your nuts in and fill with filtered water. Leave overnight and voila. Once you have tasted soaked nuts, your tastebuds will do the talking.

Check out the the table to see which nuts and seeds work best below

image found via one of our favourite food suppliers - Loving Earth

Be quiet

We all know we need to take time out for ourselves. Get quiet. Be still enough to really slow down. And Let go. We hear of meditation's many benefits and yet many of us continue to put it on the To Do list, for some future moment that will 

present itself as the right time.

I know too well that that time can be a long time coming. I tried meditating and could not get past the fidgeting and stream of babble that my brain churned out continually. I didn't get it. Maybe I wasn't able to do it. I never did it long enough to see how it could evolve. I gave up on it. And I gave up on any really deep self-enquiry.

That was until life presented me with the right time. It took a cancer diagnosis to kick my butt and get me on track with some self-care. I absolutely committed myself to learning the ins and outs of meditation. I tried various styles and techniques. Sitting for 2-3 hrs throughout the day didn't seem a stretch at all as it became the best way through the turmoil I experienced when I just let my mind take over.

Eventually I settled with a twice daily mindfulness practice of just 2o mins twice a day. I would say to any beginner to just start. And commit to sitting for 5 mins today.

Get yourself comfortably seated. In a chair is perfect if you can't sit crossed legged. Close your eyes. And just feel yourself sitting. Listening to the sounds around you. Feel yourself breathing. Following your breath is the focus of this meditation. So just let yourself feel the in breath go all the way in until it turns around and then follow the breath all the way out. Notice the little pauses between the breaths. Even when you find that you have been thinking, narrating a story, chatting away in your mind, turn your attention back to breath and follow it again, all the way in and out, in and out.

Try it today, for 5 mins. Before you do it, check-in with yourself and get a vibe on how you feel on a scale 1-10. 10 being relaxed and happy, 1 being very uptight,angry, etc.
After your 5 mins of sitting and breathing again observe how you feel.

I would love to hear how you got on!