Mistress Wellbeing

Sometimes the way forward in life is to take a leap.   A careful, supported leap, that will transform the way you see your life and who you have been for decades, so that you can create a vibrant, potent way of being in the world, and realise your genius.   I explain it as an upgrade of the operating system, just like a phone or computer.   Most of us are operating from a set of beliefs which arose in childhood and adolescence, it’s called conditioning, and it consists of limiting beliefs which keep us safe, small, and limited.   I have a few beauties of my own which I’ve been undoing this last weekend at the Brisbane visual arts pop up where I sold much of my ceramic work to people who responded to, and loved it as much as I do.   It was so affirming!   And blasted my belief that, ‘I don’t do art’ and ‘I’m not creative’, into the stratosphere.   Today I'm exploring this and more on the podcast.

I'm reading a book called 'How to be Miserable'.   It's by  a Psychiatrist!   I wish I'd written this book. It's so much easier to encourage people into their bad habits than to take the teachy-preachy position of showing what actually works to make us more happy.   Spoiler alert, the book is an unholy poke at the way we live, to demonstrate just how sick it's making us.   There are gems like this:   Sleep less, eat what the supermarkets and advertisers tell you eat, avoid exercise at all costs, drink alcohol every night, preferably to excess and practise 'Three bad things that happened to me today'.   I guarantee these will speed you along the superhighway of misery.   Let's be clear, cultivating good habits won't cure the trauma of childhood abuse or bereavement, or whatever flavour you endured. These need to be worked on separately.   But you can sure make your misery worse easily.   I'm taking a small boutique group of women to Provence in May 2023 to practise all the good things. Adventure, connection, and growth.   Early-bird is available till the end of November and flights are cheap now!   Let me know if you'd like to chat about getting off the hamster wheel, making a stand for yourself and creating change in the most delicious way I know!

Who's been to Provence?

It's an amazingly beautiful place, also full of history, art, food, and perfume. Nice has the second most museums in France after Paris.

I'm taking a small group of remarkable women on retreat in May 2023, and I would love one of them to be you! So if you'd like to know more, this episode is for you.

Today I'm talking about my love affair with France, and explaining how the concept of a French wellbeing retreat started and has expanded.

I go into detail about what to expect from a French adventure and 'inventure', where we will explore the fabulousness of the region while also taking a deep dive into what impedes joy and how to cultivate it.

I plan my retreats so you come home with a healthy routine to fit into your everyday life, lots of wellbeing tools to maintain your momentum, as well as the memories of an amazing adventure in the south of France.

Let the adventure begin!

 

Have you ever looked back over your life to realise that the slightest event changed the path you took?

 

It can be quite humbling, especially when I realise that a few people and experiences have been so instrumental in altering the course of my life.

 

Today I'm telling the second part of my life story. There were some fabulous, exciting times, and some difficult, sad times. 

 

All of them required courage and support, and allowing life to flow around me as much as trying to chart my trajectory.

 

I know it's useful to hear the experiences of others. It often gives permission to live according to your own true north.

 

I hope this episode works that way for you.

 

 

 

We often vilify psychotherapy as being 'navel gazing'.

I've heard that a few times! 'I don't have time to wallow in the past.'

But Gestalt therapy works powerfully to explore how the past shows up in the present, and how it continues to impact thought and behaviour negatively unless we intervene with awareness.

Today I'm sharing the first part of my life story, because I'd like you to know me better, and also because it's a beautiful way to show how beliefs arise and persist.

Psychotherapy can release these past creative adjustments, which served very well at the time but have outgrown their usefulness.

 

You have an internal guidance system which directs you towards a life that lights you up.

I call it my sparkle. It's like an exciting little flame that lets me know when I'm on the right path in life.

When difficult things happen, loss, diagnoses, or the anxiety of living out of alignment with your sparkle,there is a way to allow the process and find change.

That's what I'm describing today, the cocooning process which allows you to listen to your true self, your guide, your inner voice.

 

Awareness is not mindfulness.   There has been a rising tide of mindfulness teachers and practices over the past ten years.   Awareness is different. It's about our internal world, and it's about physical sensation within the body.   Let me try to explain it today as well as I can, because it came up as a big topic on retreat two weeks ago.   Thinking is often the place where attention flows, but there is a world of information coming to us from our body.    Listen in to find out what secrets awareness can bring.      

Recorded in Bali the week after my Finding Your Joy retreat, this episode is inspired by the time we spent together in group.

In the lead up to Bali I had an internal dialogue about creating a 'manifesto' and managing every moment of our week... or not.  

My fear told me to organise, while some bigger part of me reasoned, 'You have everything you need. Be transparent, respond to what arises, feel into the group and give them what they need.'

Happily I trusted my gut feeling Instead of giving in to fear, and what arose was a deep understanding of how safety leashes potential, leading to genius and growth.

I'll be back in Bali with a retreat in October 2023, places are limited so get in touch now if you would like to join me. 

 

 

Hello from the Finding Your Joy retreat in Bali.   I’ve recorded a special podcast episode this week to capture the essence of our remarkable time together in group.   Its my delight to be with others as they begin to drop the contractions of old limiting stories and behaviours, softening and expanding into wholeness and opening to their possibilities.   Expansion is exhilarating, and it’s joyful and fun to be around.   Like taking a really deep breath for the first time, exhaling all the stale air and drawing fresh, energised oxygen into your body.   And the process never gets old.    

I’m on a pre-retreat in Bali, and I spent the morning having a full body massage. 
I didn’t feel particularly stressed to begin with but I make it my practice to have a massage every day. 

The effect always surprises me, as if my body is holding onto stress like a magnet holds paper clips, effortlessly, unconsciously. 

So I started thinking about the healing power of deep rest, the ‘Bali Glow’ we all take on after a week of group connection, yoga, singing and massage. 
The surprising thing is just how much stress floats about in my body even when I feel relatively relaxed!

Yin yoga has taught me during the pandemic just how relaxed I can get, and how good that is for my mood and my body.

Today is all about the healing power of deep relaxation.