Stretching upside down - good for body and mind

And it made me wonder about how the balance of my mind had shifted too.

The purpose of yoga is to improve the flexibility and strength of the body in order to flex and strengthen the mind. When stretching, the key is to relax into it and let the stretch happen rather than push it. When you push too hard, the body resists and goes against you. With the mind, similar processes come into play. Too much pressure can have an adverse effect, and drive you away from the goal you are seeking to achieve. Relaxing, accepting, opening up – all passive actions (though no less challenging!) are the states that bring the insights, inspiration and focus to move you to the next level.

Yoga teaches that it’s far easier to take control of the body than it is to take control of the mind. Disciplining the body, and adopting a healthy lifestyle (without excessive alcohol and stimulants!) allows you to connect with the mind and accept it rather than running away from it, using various substances to numb it or spark it!

Working in creativity, I know absolutely that stretching the mind brings just as good rewards as stretching the body. Moving beyond our comfort zone psychologically is what allows us to move forward in life, to be self-aware, to apply this to our work and relationships, to set and achieve goals, to meet new challenges and embrace change.

Stretching and moving they body ensures that we perform at peak mentally too. And of course the relaxation that comes after exercising is so much more profound and recharging than a cup of coffee or glass of wine. It’s often during that profound relaxation, mentally and physically, that the best ideas come. Many of my ideas come during meditation or on a long run.

Just think if all our businesses recognised the body/mind connection and invested in developing the two together.

The results – better esteem, more energy, sustained resilience and peak performance. Routinely.

Es Vedra, Ibiza. Real happiness rocks...

Every time I return from a yoga course, holiday or retreat, I notice how wonderful life is, at so many points of the day, with no prompting, with fresh eyes. It’s the very simple things that can make a difference to the quality of life. We all know that much of every day passes in a blur. We race from one task, chore, and place to the next, constantly thinking of what we have to do, and rarely pausing to notice what is in front of us right there and then. I’m not a die-hard meditator, still like a rock for half an hour a day, but just a few minutes within my morning yoga practice makes a huge difference to how my day pans out. It’s enough time to make me stop, think and see the beauty in the day, the world, the opportunities and the love around me. Doing this regularly in Ibiza, plus a twice a day yoga practice, more than oiled the wheels for a refreshed commitment back here.

For those of you who haven’t tried and remain sceptical, just give it a go. You can sit on the floor, cross-legged or kneeling, whichever is comfortable, or on a simple chair with your feet flat on the floor. Sit somewhere calm, where the view, should you open your eyes, is lovely, where you sense some scope of the bigger world beyond you. The main aim is for your back to be straight, your neck long, and your head steady and comfortable. With your body relaxed, you can let go and ignore it (well, attempt to anyway!). Close your eyes and just notice what’s around you. Sounds, smells, feelings. Notice the thoughts that interrupt. Because they will! Don’t panic, don’t resist them, don’t get cross and give-up. Accept them, let them float on and the next one come. Just sitting still with the intention to switch off for a few minutes is a good start. You need do no more than that… And when you do open your eyes and come back to the conscious world, notice how you feel. How do you feel? And credit yourself with taking the time to consciously switch off – even if you don’t feel that you did, yet…

There are many things that give us perspective in life. Interacting with children and pets, brisk walks and outdoor runs, gardening and the damp earth on your hands, the smell of home-baked food or looking into the flames of the first fire in the hearth in Autumn. All lovely. But we can’t all have all of these all of the time. We can, however, take a few minutes every day just to notice who we are, where we’re going, what we have. To access our inner selves, slow down, switch off, reboot. It’s powerful. It really works.

Seeing the Feel Fab retreaters embrace and respond to their morning meditations so positively was amazing. I hope you’re all keeping it up (?!) and for those of you who’ve not tried yet, give it a go and let me know what differences it makes to your life.

For more information on Feel Fab retreats – visit http://www.feelfab.org/

Good things get snapped up early so it’s best to get there ahead of the crowd. And cash or cheques are the only real payment so forward planning essential – though I find ready cash in your pocket does make it so much more tempting to buy!

This is my lovely friend Mark Parrish, centre stage in the Main Hall with his beautiful furniture, carefully chosen pieces, elegant lighting and hand-designed Mid-Century Modern Christmas cards.

I really liked this Rosewood chest but sadly have no real space for it.

If you like what you see here, check Mark Parrish out at the Bristol show on November 27th where I’ll be again with my brother Nik and bargain-hunting, lover-of-junk-shops-niece Emily.

The Midcentury Show, Paintworks, Bath Road, Bristol, BS4 3EH 
10am–4pm.

My one purchase of the Dulwich day was this 1960’s light, English-made, flexible, adaptable, focused and fit for purpose – just like its new owner. It’s very at home already!

www.modernshows.com

Discussing communication, we study Mehrabian’s theory of face to face interaction. It finds that a mere 7% of our understanding comes from the words spoken, 38% from the way they are said, and 55% from non-verbal communication – ie. body language.

As always, this sparks the discussion. ‘What can we do to change that?’ ‘We can beef up the logic of our arguments, add more complex facts, study our subject harder, use more impressive words but how on earth can we change what we physically are whilst staying natural and true to ourselves?’

Good questions indeed. Where does dynamic body language come from? In the Western world, we are disconnected to our physical beings on a day to day basis. We hunch over our computers, talk into mobiles when we walk, and eat whilst updating Facebook and catching up on texts. We stay indoors, rarely pulling our eyes from the screen, in an atmosphere heavy with electricity and second-hand air.

The more disconnected we become, the more lethargic, and the more difficult to break the pattern.

But we have all experienced that euphoric feeling of hitting the shower after a long run, stretching out at the end of a yoga session, breathing in the air on a cold afternoon walk. This is what changes our body language. This is what reconnects us to what we really are. We are animals with an animal instinct for movement and strength, and take pleasure in expressing our physical force. This is what puts us in touch with our personal power. This is what makes us feel our best. This is what makes us strong – literally – physically, mentally and externally – to those who we seek to influence and lead.

The way forward in training and development today is to integrate the power of the body with the power of the mind. The mind is the focus of so much of our education and training, yet as Mehrabian proves, our bodies speak far, far louder than words.

We owe it to ourselves to access their power and allow them to do more of the talking. Physical and intellectual training, combined, is the way we will make real differences to behaviour, resilience, health and personal power in the months and years to come.

Catching up with old friends and colleagues, and the chance to chat, the photographs did not immediately take centre stage. But having helped the charismatic and utterly charming design luminary, Ken Garland, to tea and cake, I was invited to sit with him to discuss and discuss them.

Wise, revered and utterly of his time, I felt like a12 year old again, taking an exam at school. He asked my opinion of the images I’d scarcely glanced at. But sitting with him, with one just in front of me, I was moved by the power of his vision and my instant connection to its mood and suggestions.

It spoke of beauty and loss, form and freedom, nature and man, artifice and reality. Casual, artless, powerful art.

I felt transported, caught up in the timeless moment, our lives of violence and glory, and they way we somehow adapt to it all as our norm. In the warm and cosy atmosphere of a cathedral refectory, surrounded by friends, the backdrop of chatter, laughter and squealing children , I was being educated by a great mind with a huge heart about a world I am just touching the edges of.

The conversation brought tears to his eyes and humility to my heart. He reminisced, saw his life in her images, and read her life through them. It was a powerful moment of pain and wonder and glory in the midst of love and laughter and , we are in England after all,… tea.

For me, it was another Sunday in London.

Not taken for granted, not unnoticed, not mundane. Wonderful, terrifying, thrilling and nostalgic – the stuff of real life.

http://www.kengarland.co.uk

The artists are enormously talented and take great joy in their work. Sharing ideas and working together around a communal table, I always think it’s the ideal scenario to produce creative results.

Last time, they noticed I was buying architectural line drawings of local buildings and introduced me to John, the artist of that particular range. Knowing that I live right on The Green, he offered to draw my house. This morning, I took three photographs in for him to turn into my own personalised Christmas Card. What an exciting opportunity and lovely way to promote their great work.

Watch this space for a beautiful finished result!

http://www.steppingonout.org.uk

The atmosphere down here is vibrant and alive. With so much of the UK featuring featureless high streets, Brighton is a stimulating mix of independent boutiques and book-shops, cafés and bars, and colourful creative energy. It’s cheaper for designers to work from here and there’s a vibrant culture of shared ideas, creativity and entrepreneurial force. I’m impressed by who knows who, the quality of the work, the richness of the projects and the visions of the future.

Add that to the blue, blue sea, a beautiful heritage property stock and the lively and varied array of nightlife, and I can see the appeal. I won’t be moving here just yet but am delighted to have more and more excuse to come down here for work and pleasure.

The only thing I don’t squeeze in this time is catching up with lovely yoga man Gary Carter at his Natural Bodies studio. But I’ll be back soon…

http://www.nixonmcinnes.co.uk
http://www.naturalbodies.co.uk/
http://www.janehilder.co.uk
http://www.g-simmons.co.uk

In the passing three years, their relationship and the building project have faced some tough challenges. Remote and often cut off by snow, with only a handful of friends and allies close by, and little resource for respite or distraction, it’s been a testing journey.

Sarah now works part-time, looks after Findley and is the on-site skilled help and technician; Matt has visualised, shopped for and built a stunning house using their own four hands and only occasional help from local craftspeople, and they have worked together to bring up that tiny baby into a beautiful, feisty, happy boy.

It is an adventure reaching its climax with now only the interior to finish. They are looking at moving-in in Spring 2011 and finally, that deadline looks achievable. In the meantime, the pictures here show that the challenge of the build brings some stunning rewards. Experiencing a part of the world they had no knowledge of before, they have no plans now to return to urban England.

I have spent an incredible Hogmanay there, several Summer and Autumn visits and always find the sea, the sky and the sharp, salt-tangy air more like Scandinavia than the UK. It’s a place where you can simultaneously relax and feel more alive than anywhere else I can think of.

I love it and will miss the room with a view at the top of their Harbour house when they do move into the new one. So, in celebration, some memories of Gardenstown Harbour, the walk from Duff House and … and next time, I’ll reveal their lovely new home to be!