Mindfulness
According to the experts at Headspace "Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them."
If you'd like to read more about Mindfulness click here
Meditation
The practice of meditating is to bring your mind to a single point of focus such as looking at an object (candle for example) or reciting a mantra (sound) or focussing on your breath. A regular meditation practice has been shown to improve many lifestyle and health factors with improvements noted in the parts of the brain associated with meta-awareness, body awareness, memory and emotional regulation. Meditation has been shown to :
reduce anxiety
reduce depression
reduce stress
improve focus and attention
reduce pain
If you'd like to try meditating at home or reading more about the science, click here
Qigong
Is a movement practice that is over 3500 years old. Pre-dating Tai Chi, the practice was developed by monks to promote their health and wellbeing. In Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM), Qi (Chi) is the life force that supports and nourishes life. Qigong is a practice to master your Qi - to promote and enhance the flow of Qi in your mind body and spirit. Since Qigong has been introduced into the western world, we now understand not only the TCM benefits but also the western medicine benefits of this practice.
Qigong is a slow and gentle practice that uses breathwork to guide the movements. The best part is that anyone can do it! All ages and all fitness levels. It can even be done sitting down.
We've provided some links to interesting websites and research papers here
Mind Body Connection
The connection between the Mental/Mind and the Physical/Body are especially important to understand. In simple terms what we think, our thoughts, our beliefs, our conversations within ourselves and with others, everything that enters our mind, all mental activity, instantly and spontaneously influences the physical body, in a multitude of ways.
Our thoughts initiate a chain reaction of chemicals and molecules that cascade into the body, which either influence our health or create illness.
Psychoneuroimmunology Is the field of study dedicated to understanding the complex and intricate relationship between our Mind, Body and Health.
There are heaps of interesting reads available, we've picked a few for you here
Non Sleep Deep Rest
NSDR is a term to describe a modern adaptation of Yoga Nidra. The difference being that NSDR is a practice without the cultural and spiritual references associated with the Yogi practice. Yoga Nidra according to Andrew Huberman is a type of NSDR.
NSDR is a practice of deep rest while keeping the mind active. The benefits of NSDR include:
improved memory retention,
stress reduction,
enhanced cognitive functions,
better sleep quality, and
potentially aid in pain management.
You can google NSDR to find pre-recorded sessions, we like this one here
Journal
Writing
Therapeutic Journaling is the process of writing your thoughts, feelings, ideas, observations, experiences and reflections. The science of journaling shows a clear link between the power of writing and improved mental health outcomes.
The benefits of journaling include:
Decreased mental distress
Decreased levels of anxiety
Better sleep and memory
Improved work and social connectivity
Research for journal writing is really interesting included the benefits of handwriting vs typing. If you're keen, click here
The Science of Nutrition
It is often assumed that the word nutrition means food, and for those who do appreciate the difference only a select few understand the important and vital link between food, the nutrient values in food and the functioning of the brain and the body systems.
Most of us have been conditioned to assume different foods are either good or bad depending on the latest diet that’s being touted as the answer to weightloss. The reality is that just like the different chemical molecules released in areas of the brain when a person thinks, different foods contain various micro and macro nutrients, vitamins, and minerals which either influence our mental health or contribute to illness, disease such as Obesity and Diabetes.
Lots and lots of super amazing podcasts, research, books, videos etc for your further research... here
Sound Healing
Sound Healing as we use it in our programs is a practice that combines different healing sounds, music and sound healing instruments to induce a state of deep relaxation and calm.
We also use the Solfeggio Frequencies in our meditation practices to promote and facilitate changes in our energy centres and associated physical mental and emotional states.
There is now a growing body of scientific research demonstrating how certain sounds and frequencies can change our physical emotional and mental state on a cellular level.
There are a couple of incredible Ted Talks on this subject and some extra reading here