Square breathing for anxiety Feeling a bit hot under the collar? Square breathing is one of the simplest mindfulness techniques I know to cool your frayed nervous system, reduce anxiety and 'calm the farm'. And best of all you can do square breathing literally...
Find a sense of safety in your body so you feel safer in the world When the world around you is spinning, the only place you can find safety is in your body. Your body is a ‘resource’ to help you feel safe again and reduce the symptoms of anxiety. Here are 3 simple...
Chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms It’s not all in your head, it’s in your 'BodyMind' “What is your relationship with the sensation?” she asked. Within milliseconds my brain replied, “I am its captive. It has control over me”. The sensation in question was...
Photo by Paolo Nicolello on Unsplash Easy breathing technique: breathing in the stars Breathing in the stars and breathing out stress A few years ago, one of my clients told me how he had adapted one of the breathing techniques I had given him. I loved it so much I...
Photo by Valeriia Bugaiova on Unsplash How to do the calming 4-7-8 breath technique The calming 4-7-8 breath technique is an easy way to calm yourself down when you are feeling stressed out. The long, slow exhale is what calms your nervous system and takes you down...
Exercise as therapy for your mind We know that exercise make us healthier. It has the benefit of lowering blood pressure and reducing your risk of diabetes. But it’s so easy to NOT do it, right? Especially as it’s getting so cold and the sofa is so comfy. But...
A walking mindfulness meditation for people with ants in their pants. As a kid my parents called me “Squiggle” because of my refusal to sit still. 46 years later and I’m pretty much the same although I move a bit slower. Seated meditation just isn’t my bag....
The waterfall - a pose to help with anxiety If you ever suffer from anxiety, whether it's just low level worrying and rumination or a full-blown panic attack, you know that it's not a pleasant sensation. As a therapist I give people strategies to help with anxiety....
Don't hold your anger in - make pesto! Holding onto anger feels awful and it's no good for you physiologically. The other day a foul-mouthed oaf masquerading as a concreting contractor yelled expletives at me at 6.30am in my back yard, for a reason that was nothing...
“I eat the right food, exercise regularly, get 8 hours sleep. Why am I so tired all the time?” Not so long ago that was me. In fact some days it still is me. As a somatic psychotherapist I often hear this from otherwise medically healthy clients. What I tell them is...
The importance of scheduling time to do nothing How are you feeling right now? Are you running on a full tank of fuel or are you about to break down by the side of the road? Your ability to react positively to the stressors you encounter in your daily life depends not...
(Or ‘Why we work with both the mind and the body in somatic psychotherapy’) As a remedial massage therapist specialising in body-mind massage, I would help my clients release the tension and stuck emotions in their body. They would report that they felt immediate...