Our busy lives often lead to busy brains, constantly working with lists, pressures and worries. We worry about what could happen in the future, or mull over things from the past. 

Mindfulness is a meditation practice linked to being ‘in the moment’, hence my company’s name. It is about being aware of the here and now, whilst allowing any stresses in our lives to ease. By focussing on what we can feel, smell, taste, see and visualise in this present moment, we can avoid the often unnecessary ‘fight or flight’ response we can have to certain situations. 

There are many different kinds of mindfulness practices meaning you can choose one that really resonates with you on a particular day.  I often use a breathing practice to settle myself.  This means I can focus on my breathing any time I feel agitated - in a traffic jam, at the dentists or trying to get a small child to do something she doesn’t want to do! 

I also practise mindful movement, listening, eating, close observation of objects, body scans and visualisations.  

We can also take part in small mindfulness activities as we travel through our day. We just need to take notice of little moments. Whilst walking to school we can notice the sun glinting through the leaves of a tree or notice the feel of the water as we wash our hands. 

The beauty of mindfulness is that it can be used anywhere at any time – at home, work, at school, with friends - without anyone having any idea that you are doing it!

Mindfulness gives us a chance to slow down for a time, to rebalance and reboot ourselves. We are giving ourselves a bit of breathing space.

Life can be stressful for children too. Many can suffer from high levels of anxiety, which can manifest itself in many ways. As parents and educators we can support our children’s mental and emotional health.  

We want to provide children with the tools to help them to achieve their full potential, strategies to cope with the difficulties we all encounter through life. Inner worries, home situations, transition between schools, exam stress, peer pressure, and recently life with COVID, all of these things can raise stress levels.

By regularly taking part in mindfulness activities, we can help our children to recognise, calm and stabilise their whirling emotions. With my help we can give them quick and easy strategies to enable them to cope with upsetting situations. I can teach your child ideas and activities that they can employ anytime, anywhere.