How To Cultivate The Art Of Attention And Focus

Now this is a challenging topic for me to write about. There are many ways you can cultivate the art of attention and focus. I will only show you one way, or rather 3, the way I practice.

The magic word is indeed “practice”. Just like we can lose anything, muscle, weight, discipline, faith, we can also lose the ability to focus.

The reason this is difficult for me to explain is because I was taught attention, focus, discipline from a very early age, 8 years old, when I began practicing karate.

So now the challenge is for me to teach others how to do it….my way. Of course I could easily go to others who have systems in place to coach others to develop such skills. But what’s the point then? They will never ever be able to show you how I did it, how I made it possible, my way.

So let’s get to it.

If I was to choose 3 ways to cultivate attention and focus those would be:

Look and See

We all look at things. We look at people around us, at trees, at buildings, at the device you are reading this on. But do you actually see….anything at all?

Do you actually SEE the colours, shapes, sizes and patterns. So often we just go through the day blindfolded and in a rush.

When I walk many times I try to imagine I’m slowing down time. Imagine Matrix, it’s old school but a great way to imagine what I do.

So I slow down time, not slow down my pace, and I look and see things that I’d normally just walk by, things that most people don’t see.

For example: a spot on a leaf, a chewing gum stuck on the sidewalk, a spot on the bark of a tree, a drop of water

Touch and Feel

Again a personal example. Walking to my Karate class I pass by a cemetery (a nice one though) and the fence is covered in trees, bushes and flowers.

Many times, slowing down time as before, I touch the leaves and the flowers, while I walk past them.

But it’s not just touching, is feeling their softness or harshness, feeling the drops of rain, the freshness of those drops.

Listen and Hear

We are seldom aware of what’s going on around us. We walk around like zombie or robots, and I do the same, I am part of it.

Yet sometimes, when you slow down time (there’s that “slow down” again) we begin to actually hear things we’ve never heard before.

As you walk down the street or sit on the tube or bus try to find all the sounds you can possibly find. Count them. See how many sounds you can capture.

You’ll be amazed at what happens when you do this. Please try it and leave a comment or email me. I’d like to hear your experience because it will be totally different than mine or anyone else’s

The common element

That’s the “slowing down” element. That’s the pause, the stop, the moment of stillness.

That’s what we’ve lose as humans in our pursuit for better, faster, stronger. I do the same, but from time to time I practice the Art Of Attention And Focus.

When you manage to do that you are cultivating the art of attention and focus. Practice these are your life will change for the better.

The way you go through life, the way you see the world, how you feel and what you listen to will change the way you live your life.

These are the things that I do with my clients. Sometimes our sessions are really physically challenging but other times we challenge the mind and spirit so we develop at all levels not just one.

April 21, 2015April 21, 2015

What Is Zanshin And Why It Is Important For You

What Is Zanshin And Why It Is Important For You

Zanshin is the state of readiness in Budo practice. Budo is the code of Martial Arts, the Martial Arts path, an education system in the modern world, rather than a fighting system like many people believe.

Translated literally, Zanshin means “left over or remaining heart / spirit”.

Zanshin is not something you can aim for, it’s not a goal, it’s rather like discipline or awareness, you always have to work on it. You will never “get there”.

I have yet to understand what it is but I will give it my best to explain what I’ve learnt so far in the past 20 years.

I took elements of Budo into my coaching and teachings blending the wisdom of traditional martial arts with modern coaching methods.

This approach helps me make huge breakthroughs with my clients, taking them from exhaustion and shut down to energetic and fully functional. As they learn about Zanshin they apply the 8 aspects and their life changes.

The 8 aspects of Zanshin:

It was difficult to find sources on Zanshin. Well….good sources with information that explains what it is in a satisfying way that I agree with and resonates with my teachings.

After searching and searching I found the eight aspects of Zanshin which made perfect sense and bring out exactly what I teach day in and day out.

The eight aspects refer to Martial Arts, at first glance. But….if you look closely you will see they apply to every and any area of your life. And here’s how:

1. Posture (Shisei)

How you use and move your body. Elongate your body, be relaxed yet prepared to respond to any unpredictable situations that may arise. Be prepared for the expected and unexpected.

If I’ve ever coached you then you know how much emphasis I put on posture at every single session and/or call we have. I remind and remind and remind you until you hear my voice in your head reminding you.

2. Eye control (Metsuke)

Observing the world around you, take notice of everything and everyone and be prepared

3. Engagement distance (Ma-ai)

Interacting with the outer world. Although you can clearly notice the application of this aspect in fighting there are ways to bring it into your day to day life. You can call this you personal bubble that no one should disturb.

You have to be aware of who and how close someone may get. This can also be applied to other circumstances like how close you stopped to the car in front of you.

It’s paying attention to distance you put between you and someone or something for your own safety and comfort.

4. Focused energy (Kiai)

Be involved with your mind, body and spirit and let nothing disturb your focus. This is probably easier said than done with today’s technology and facebook on our iphones.

I personally refused to have internet on my iphone or ipad so that I am not tempted to see who and what commented or what emails I’ve received. If anyone wants to get hold of me they can call.

5. Connection (Ki musubi)

Awareness of and connection with your inner world. Now we talk about how much attention you pay to what’s going on inside of you.

And here I mean thoughts, emotions, but also how your body feels, what it’s asking for and how tuned it you are.

6. Decisive focus (Kime)

Don’t waste energy, channel it towards one thing. In Karate you do not think about your business while you practice a Kata. You do that and your focus and energy are lost.

You focus on what you are doing in the moment. You can be aware of what are your next 3-4 moves but the focus is on the move you are engaging in at that moment in time.

Of course this is difficult to do for someone who has 1000 other things. But this is where meditation come into play, to help make space and re-arrange your thoughts in the correct order.

7. Essence of the technique (Riai)

This is something I emphasize to my students over and over again. In life look for quality rather than quantity.

Too often we find ourselves running for more, faster and better. I know I do…many times. I am always striving for speed, perfection as well as quality. Sometimes I fail and that’s when I slow down.

It’s not easy, that’s why Zanshin is a lifelong journey. It is not a goal, a milestone or destination.

8. Intuition/awareness (Kanken)

The 8th aspect of Zanshin is link between the heart and the mind and brings together all the other aspects.

You cannot keep good posture if you are not aware of your own body. And you may notice what your body feels but you need intuition to know what it needs to thrive.

All aspects come down to intuition and awareness. And you need to train your awareness to train your intuition.

This is what Zanshin is and the reason I chose it to be part of The Merisoiu Technique Five Essential principles.

Zanshin can be taught through face to face or virtual coaching. That doesn’t mean you will master it. Mastering takes years, but you will get a glimpse of what I am talking about here.

So if you want to talk about it and I will also take you through a posture and breathing analysis book a FREE call with me and let’s put you on the Zanshin path, starting today.

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

How To Fall In Love With Your Training Routine

The other day I kept thinking why is it that so many people start a workout routine and then they either look very unhappy after a while, they don’t enjoy it or they just give up coming up with all sorts of excuses.

The thing is humans were built to move. Our bodies are made to move. So why is it that so many people don’t like it. Some go so far as saying they hate it, exercise that is. Why?

From personal experience as a sports woman, practicing many different sports, and as a coach to women and men as well, I believe the answer is simple. And you will learn what that is in this blog.

We, humans, are build to move, yes. But we are also programmed to grow, to learn, to develop, to make progress one way or another.

We are evolving all the time. And that makes us happy, thrilled, excited about that thing that we do.

Think about it this way. You are in the same line of work, doing the same thing day after day, nothing ever changes. You see the same buildings, roads, people, same process and routines. You are happy when you begin but how long does that happiness last?

I changed a few jobs and worked in a few different, unrelated industries and I remember every time I’d be very excited at the beginning and loved what I did. So I was making huge and fast progress.

That’s because it was something new for me and challenging. I was learning new skills, improving others and making progress in many different ways.

Now back to exercising

It’s the same thing with your workouts. If you keep the same workout for weeks and months you will end up doing it for the sake of it. Checking your phone, email and facebook likes. Because it’s BORING!!!

Now that does not mean that repeating the same techniques isn’t necessary. That’s very important for progress and fine tuning. I should know that, Karate is what I do and we repeat one techniques thousand of time to master it.

However within your regular routine you can bring other elements that you’d love to learn, that challenge you to think, to find solutions and alternatives.

Here are some things you can bring in your routine straight away to LOVE it more:

1. Change scenery. If you are indoors go outdoors. If you are outdoors find different places to do your run and workout. Take different routes. Changing the workout location will challenge you in a different way. I actually changes the way your body will move and function.

2. Be creative. Allow your body to flow and move freely. Be a little weird. It will enable you to create some really cool things. Stop thinking about what others might say if you start crawling around in your local park. Do it, be weird.

3. Fine tune. Pay attention to what you are doing and try to do it better and better. Think, think and think some more. This is also a form of being mindful and aware. Get your brain involved, that’s what it’s there for, it will love to get involved.

4. STOP. Chances are you are in a hurry all the time. When you workout you want those 30 min in and out. Now, forget about “gotta sweat and feel the burn” for a moment. Stop and look around, listen, feel, smell, see. Open up your senses. This small habit brings with it a feeling of calmness and peace leading to a better workout than otherwise.

5. Learn new skills. As I said before, we are programmed to learn and always grow. Get a Coach and learn some new stuff. Then you can bring them into your routine.

Oh, and stop watching and “learning” from youtube videos. They have their place but not when you learn something new.

You can work with a coach face to face or virtual. You will learn and get more out of being coached than watching videos presented by someone who doesn’t see what you are doing, who has no idea who you are, what you like, what your passions are, how you function and where you’re heading.

So go try some or all of these things, come back to this post and comment below.

And if you want to have a chat about this type of coaching book a FREE call with me.

February 26, 2015June 1, 2015

Why You Should Master The Art Of Nothing

How many times do you allow yourself to do nothing? No work, no writing, no worries (that’s doing something you know), no talking, no waiting, no smoking, no eating or drinking, no sleeping.

One day when I got really, really overwhelmed and realised that I will never get anything done unless I stop for a moment, I laid in my bed and, since my walls are filled with posts-it notes and dream boards, I stared at the white, empty, boring ceiling.

And there were, apparently no thoughts on my mind. At times one would pop by but I let it go past like a soft feather as if it never actually happen. Then I would take my attention back to the white ceiling.

I am not sure how long I did nothing for but the result was this:

I suddenly felt lighter, calmer and more peaceful
My mind was so free and clear, even if I had the same things to do and nothing outside of me changed
I was ready to go back to writing and replying to my emails and messages and working on my business, taking each item one at a time.
No more feeling of overwhelm
I was more productive than usual

It’s such a wonderful feeling to be so deeply relaxed mind and body, a perfect combination. You can call this a meditation or mindfulness exercise.

I call it “nothing” because I was not trying to be mindful or aware of anything, I was not focusing on my breath, of my senses, there was no aim at all.

The feeling is that you create space around you. All your thoughts come out of your head, they order nicely and when you allow them to come back you can see more clear what you have to do. Everything is in order

But can you actually do it?

The problem now is that we are so caught up in the web of things that it’s becoming difficult to do nothing.

We are so busy getting things done, making things happen that now it’s virtually impossible to stop and do nothing. I think you you’ll agree with me.

So, weirdly enough, I now actually show my students how to do nothing. And it’s a challenge for all of us. Just try it….do nothing for 2 min. Don’t touch your mouse or keyboard. Just try… can you do it right now?

We do not realize that if we respond to stress and tension with more stress and tension we make things worse. We cause tension after tension after tension. Then what?

This is just one of the elements I teach my students on my course. It’s the most simple and unexpected things which really helps them break through blocks and get them to be more focused and productive, relieve stress and tackle challenges life throws as them. So check it out, it might help you as well.

So I recommend, actually I challenge you to DO NOTHING for 5-10 min today.

Then place your comments below.

February 19, 2015March 8, 2015

How Does The Merisoiu Technique Really Work

The Merisoiu Technique or TMT is based on Six Guiding Principles of a Healthier Lifestyle:

1. Earthing or Reconnecting With The Earth
2. Natural Movement or Reclaiming Your Nature
3. Zanshin or Awareness and Mindfulness
4. Nutrition
5. Personal Development
6. Habits Transformation

TMT is not a step by step plan, you cannot do one principle and then go to the next.

All principles blend into each other creating a bigger picture which gives you a better understanding of how health really works and stop seeing health as a goal in your life.

Health is something we should not have to think about, and I should not write about…. but I do for some reason. We should not make a life purpose out of it, a milestone or a goal.

How I came about it

The simple answer is 20 years of sweat, blood and tears. Ha ha, seriously it’s everything I’ve learnt and applied from my coaches and mentors from the age of 8 to this day. And I am still learning of course.

TMT has strong roots in Japanese Martial Arts, particularly Karate Shotokan, but Daito Ryu and Ninjutsu as well. I also apply some of the internal Chinese Martial Arts philosophies of Tai Chi and Chi Gong.

Everyone sees Martial Arts as fighting methods. I agree and disagree with this.

Martial Arts, when the students is wise enough to take the essence of the art, can be a powerful Personal Development journey.

This is a different story of how Martial Arts planted the seeds of discipline, determination and motivation in me from a very early age. A story I will talk about in another blog.

For now it is enough to say that The Merisoiu Technique brings together everything I learnt and applied in six pillar which are the Six Guiding Principles.

Here’s how TMT principles intertwine:

Natural movement if the physical part of the program which takes place outdoors.

But it’s not just Natural Movement you are practicing because another principle is involved as well, Earthing.

You may do natural movement training indoors but then you are missing a very important element of your health: reconnecting with nature, with the organic matter of which you and me are formed. Break that connection and you suffer the consequences.

Natural movement in the outdoors challenges your body in so many different ways, from flexibility to strength, power and physical fluidity and balance to mental focus and emotional stability.

Zanshin is an essential part of natural movement.

When they hear about outdoors training most people think about bootcamps. Natural movement is NOT bootcamp, it’s technique. Technique requires awareness and mindfulness, energy and focus.

This does not mean that your training will not be challenging. They will be more challenging than you imagine. And no, you do not need machines to get results. Training outdoors is more challenging that indoors.

Nutrition is what gives you the energy, focus and strength for your training.

You cannot train the body on the outside and forget about the inside or the other way around. They come together to form the whole. Only then you can say your body is healthy.

Personal development is continuous learning and growing.

It’s about rewiring your brain, doing things you haven’t done before and explore your true potential. Through natural movement and Zanshin you develop, learn and grow.

Habits transformation is the principle that brings everything together.

No matter how much you study, apply and you are coached on if you do not address your habits you will not be consistent and you will not get the results you seek.

However, it is not easy to wake up and go training at 6 am. It’s not easy to put your training kit on in less than 1 min and run out the door to meet your coach (that’s discipline). It is not easy to say no to ice-cream when we love it so much. It is not easy to do anything.

That’s why the habits transformation principles in The Merisoiu Technique takes you through a series of steps which you can apply to any habit to create and make it stick long term without so much struggle.

So here’s another benefit of The Merisoiu Technique: IT SAVES YOU TIME…. and money.

So instead of going to the gym, then doing earthing separate because science has proven to be beneficial, then of course you need Yoga and some fluidity so you go to Tai Chi lessons. But then you want to practice mindfulness and awareness so you go to yet another class where you spend more time searching for it and travelling to it and of course more money.

So stop spending time and money and embrace The Merisoiu Technique.

This is a brief intro to The Merisoiu Technique so if you really want to know how it works and how it works for you in particular, book a FREE call with me and let’s chat.

And read more about the technique by downloading the free ebook

February 12, 2015March 20, 2017

What’s All The Fuss About Mindfulness

What’s all the fuss about mindfulness

“Mindfulness” is becoming a buzz word. Do you agree? I see this word every single day, many times a day and sometimes it gets to the point where it actually bothers me. You see, when everyone goes in one direction I go the other way

However, it is also a very good thing, when it’s not taking time and space out of our busy lives. My job is to simplify things for you, and not make them more complicate. So I will tell you why mindfulness is good, in simple bullet points.

Meditation??

Mindfulness is seen as meditation which by many is seen as something else to do. It’s slowly becoming a chore, another thing on the to do list, something that takes time and space. Makes you not want to do it!!

But you are wrong. Mindfulness does not have to be meditation, a chore, a to do thing on the list and in fact it creates more time and space rather than reduce it.

Pay Attention!

From now on I will refer to “mindfulness” as “attention”. Because that’s all it is to it. Mindfulness is attention. Simple…

Why is it good to pay attention (bullet points as promised):

1. Smoother interaction of the physical world.

You see the road you walk on, you stop tripping and bumping into things, you drive better, safer and smoother because you actually pay attention to the road. You are safe on the street because you pay attention to who is around you and what they are doing.

2. Peaceful connection with your inner world.

Paying attention to your thoughts and emotions is one of the first steps to a balanced lifestyle and personal development. It allows you to better understand why you feel the way you feel (happy, energetic or sad and miserable) and how to approach a situation calm and in control or everything. When you pay attention to your inner world you re-gain control over your own life.

3. Enhanced quality of life.

Better quality relationships of any kind, better communication in the office, family and social environment. Choosing quality over quantity leads to a more happier and joyful life. Would you rather live 110 years unhappy, depressed and without purpose or live 80 years surrounded by happiness, love and fulfillment? Attention bring quality to your life.

4. Less physical pain and fewer injuries.

How you use your body determines the way it functions (Alexander principle). That headache, shoulder pain, lower back pain, knee, ankle and almost any other physical pain you may experience comes as a result of body misuse. Paying more attention to your body and how you use it will save you a lot of physical pain.

5. Improved overall health.

Holistic health is about the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social life balance. You cannot think about holistic health if you are missing any of the 5 areas in your life. Paying attention to your inner and outer worlds gives you the chance to achieve that balance.

I will leave you at this. Everything else derives from these 5 blocks and you can easily see the other benefits of paying closer attention to your inner and outer worlds.

But it’s difficult…

I know very well how difficult this is. But I also know very well how simple it can be once you understand that it takes no more time than you already waste being inefficient and unproductive because you lack attention in your life and work.

It’s so easy once you see how you can easily take your focus and attention onto everything you do, takes no time and not more space. In fact it creates more time and more space.

And I’m not talking about meditation. No wasting time, no more chores and to do list items.

This is where I come in. I can show you in 30 min how to become more alert and relaxed, more focused, paying more attention and be more mindful.

It’s so simple that my clients, after just spending some time talking to me become more relaxed and mindful without me doing anything in particular.

January 31, 2015January 31, 2015

3 Mindfulness Lessons From Practicing Target Shooting

Lately I’ve been thinking and talking about the time when I practiced target shooting. I practiced for more than 1 year, I even entered some competitions. Sorry, unfortunately I have no pictures from that time.

I also practiced archery but not as much.

I practiced target shooting on rifle but the pistol was my favourite and I was also better at it so that’s what I trained for mostly.

I was always amazed at how good I’d do in training and how everything changed when competing.

Target shooting is indeed a sport of the mind. It also teaches you about relaxation, mindfulness and focus. It’s a challenging sport.

Nowadays I still practice some of the mindfulness and focus exercises I learnt from my coach. And I wanted to share 3 of them with you. Here they are:

1. The finger on the trigger

Pulling the trigger does not just happen. If you pull the trigger just like that you will certainly be off target. The trick is to breathe in half way and hold your breath for 10 seconds then slowly push on the trigger, millimetre by millimetre.

Do you have any idea how difficult that actually is? :)) And how annoying it is when you pull it a little too fast and you are waaaay off target.

Awareness of how you use your arm, hand and fingers is essential in target shooting. And the millimetre by millimetre requires relaxation, focus and so much control.

2. Mindful of the breath

I remember this as if it was yesterday: “feel your breath on your upper lip”- my coach said one day. And you know what…this made a huge difference, it made my mind focus on the present moment.

I still do this from time to time. The feeling is unique. Try it…

3. Posture

Again with the posture. No matter what I talk about I still end up here.

That’s because no matter what you do, posture is the first thing you need to be aware of. Whether it’s showering, making toast or practice target shooting, good (and relaxed) posture should come automatic.

In target shooting, every millimetre of your body, of how you position and use your body can make the difference between shooting in the centre of your target or off it. One millimetre makes a huge difference.

This is what I wanted to share with you. Learn from everything in life, good or bad. Gather wisdom and later on, when you’re ready, pass it on.

Want to learn or practice some of my unique exercises or learn a good and relaxed posture? You can always book a free call with me. I’d be happy to share my teachings with you.

And, of course, to learn more about my philosophy download my free ebook The Merisoiu Technique

January 25, 2015May 17, 2015

5 lessons I learnt from balancing exercises

For an athlete who has practiced many sports in the past 20 years, particularly martial arts, balancing is probably one of the most important lessons when it comes to fine tuning movement.

However balancing is not only for athletes and not only for the body. You see, if your mind is busy ere are good chances you will lose that balance.

But when your mind is calm, clear and focused balancing becomes easy. It’s really that simple….or is it?

So these are 5 lessons I learnt from balancing exercises:

1. Clearing the mind. As I said before, a busy mind leads to an imbalanced body. And the opposite is also true, a balanced body leads to a balanced, calmer mind.

2. Self-confidence. Nowadays this is particularly true when I balance at heights that are less comfortable for me. We all have our comfort zones even when we balance.

3. Relaxation. Relaxing the body is so important when balancing and results in a relaxed mind as well.

4. Fluidity. When I walk up and down branches, relaxed and focused, is a bliss, I am in another world.

5. Patience. When I began balancing as a part of my coached routine I used to get so frustrated because I could not make it to the end of that wobbly branch. But as times passed I became more and more relaxed, more aware, more under control and patient.

It really is a wonderful feeling when you reach a point where you know that in the past a certain event would have made you angry and lose patience and now you are calm and relaxed, no sign of negativity in sight. But alone this would have been a difficult task, I wouldn’t have had the patience to keep going with it.

Nowadays I take others through difficult and challenging moment either physical or psychological. I believe that once we learn or master something and we are good at it we should pass it to others, otherwise what’s the purpose if we keep everything for ourselves. That my opinion anyway.

Incorporate balancing in your life. But before you start balancing make sure you are safe, there is nothing for you to fall on and hurt yourself. It is important to be responsible and mindful of your actions and the consequences.

These are things I might do throughout the day:

1. Walking on tree roots I find in parks.

2. Standing on one leg when I wait for the bus or tube. Just stay at a good distance from the street or railway.

3. Standing on one leg while I brush your teeth. Again make sure there is nothing around you can fall on and injure yourself.

4. Stand on one leg when I read, watch a movie or tv. Yep…I do that quite often.

Don’t forget to alternate legs. Everything in balance.

Be creative and incorporate balancing in your daily routine, don’t save everything for the gym.

So if you’d like to know more about my philosophies and approaches please download my free ebook The Merisoiu Technique or book a free call with me and let’s chat.

January 8, 2015May 17, 2015

3 ways to enhance your meditation experience

I was introduced to meditation and mindfulness when I was 8 years old through my Martial Arts practice. I never thought I would ever teach it though. For 20 years I practiced Zanshin, the Japanese for “state of total awareness”. I experimented in different situations and environments, from indoors in my room, to outdoors in the mountains, even in supermarkets and at parties. The fact is that mindfulness can, and should be, with us anytime and everywhere.

Today I will give you 3 of my best ways to enhance your meditation or mindfulness experience.

1. Posture

All the information is sent to and from your brain from and to all the corners of your body through your spinal cord. If you visualize your spinal cord as a garden hose, it is easy to understand why posture is probably the most important and overlooked elements on our lifestyle not only meditation.

If the hose is bent then the water is restricted from flowing. When the hose is straight the water follows its path.

The same goes for your spinal cord. When we sit or stand tall the exchange of information is free to go back and forth helping us function at our optimum level, heal faster and better, have more energy and vitality and sending nutrients where we most need them. In meditation the same principles apply, a tall spine and body allows for better flow and communication and enhanced awareness.

2. Open up your senses

Touch, smell, hear, see, taste. Depending on the circumstances you may open up all 5 senses or just some of them. Nonetheless studies show that being in a state of awareness of the world around you helps reduce stress levels, anxiety, helps focus and productivity.

In fact NHS encourages mindfulness for mental health.

So next time you are in a supermarket try this:

FEEL how your fingers and hands pick up a piece of fruit, feel its texture, temperature and shape.

SMELL the difference fragrances surrounding you while you walk around the store. The smell of freshly baked bread, spices, fruit and vegetables.

HEAR how the cart wheels roll on the ground. Hear the rustling of peoples’ clothes when you walk past them.

SEE or rather acknowledge colours, shapes, sized and names of different products around you.

You can experiment in many different ways. Acknowledge the world around you.

The same goes for when you sit and meditate. You may close your eyes and observe your thoughts, or even hear far away noises, outside your room or house.

3. Breathe

Breathing is the element which brings us in a state of total awareness. Almost every meditation exercise begins with breathing and relaxing your body.

When you focus on breathing your mind cannot wonder around. If it does then you don’t focus on breathing anymore. When this happens slowly bring your awareness back to breathing.

When you relax your body you can choose to do a full “body scan” – relaxing the top of you head, forehead, cheeks, and go all the way down to your toes. Or you could relax certain parts of you body where you hold most tension. This is normally in the face muscles, shoulders and shoulder blades and lower back. But it’s not the same for everyone, so observe where you feel tensed around the body and breathe into that part of your body, releasing more and more tension with every out breathe.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body” or book a free consultation with me.

December 23, 2014May 17, 2015

The role of mindfulness in my childhood

Author’s note

Hi. I think this is one of the most difficult blogs I’ve written lately. That is because I am sharing with you another part of my life, the one which involved meditation. It is very difficult for me to put this into words. So if there is anything that doesn’t make sense and creates even more confusion please let me know so I can try to explain in a different way to make it more clear.

Today I was in the forest trying to fluidly move on a narrow path through branches and leaves. I was paying attention on how my body was moving, the items (branches, leaves, mud) around me and I was just experiencing the moment.

At one point I began thinking about Urban Women Fitness, and without even realizing I went straight through the foliage in front of me. When I was asked why I answered I just lost focus. It’s that simple.

And doesn’t this happen to all of us? We seldom let go of the daily thoughts we carry around with us day and night. Doesn’t it feel like pulling a boulder up a hill?

When you come in the present moment you cut the rope and the boulder just falls. Instant relief. There was no use getting it up that hill anyway.

The leaf the at the top of the tree

Mindfulness is a type or style of meditation otherwise called ‘Vipassana’. But didn’t I say in another blog that meditation is not an actual technique? Yes, I did, right here.

Meditation, in any form, is about letting go. Whether you let go by relaxing you body, or your breath or about letting go of thoughts, anger or frustrating, it’s about allowing for a little space in your life, your mind and your heart.

Mindfulness has been something I’ve been doing since I was a little girl without realising. It just made me feel so good. It felt like I was coming out of the grown up world and retreating into my own world.

I remember I used to go my local park and to search for the highest tree I could find. Then I would lie down on a bench, look for the leaf at the very top of the tree and watch how it moved in the wind. The patterns it created, its speed, its colour, its shape. And I would spend a long time watching that. At the end I was ready to go back, with a smile on my face, a happy child.

It was like running away for home

Mindfulness is one of the things I carried with me through my tough moments in life as a depressed child, teenager and young adult.

I used to be a very panicked child. I would feel uncomfortable in crowds and around my friends, so I didn’t have many. I liked to be alone, to retreat in my own universe (a 2x3m room in our apartment).

Listen, or rather read. The #1 reason mindfulness was an escape route for me is thanks to my parents. I am serious, I am grateful for this. They used to fight every single day (I actually logged their fights). So I wanted to run away from home, to escape.

Mindfulness, because now I have a name for it, helped that child calm down and slowly make sense of what was going on. It was like running away for home for a while, escaping the fights my parents had.

But I am grateful for what they gave me. As I am writing this I realize that what I am doing today is thanks to them and the negative charged environment I grew up in. They brought light into my life.

So what is mindfulness all about?

Mindfulness is about being present, about slowing down, observe and not judge. It’s non-intrusive, you don’t interfere.

You allow your thoughts to come up and go past you, without interfering in any way – judging or forcing them out of your mind. Just let them float like bubbles on the surface of an otherwise still lake. When they reach the surface they pop and disappear.

Observe your breathing

It is usually done by focusing on your breath. When focusing on breathing your mind cannot focus on something else unless you split the focus and come out of meditation.

There is no attempt to change the breathing. Just observe it and observe the different feelings throughout your body.

What else can you be mindful about besides breathing:

objects around your room; say out loud “there is the printer, there is the door, there is the window” etc. See how that affects you.
people passing by; glimpse for a fraction of a second at a the pattern on a tie, at a woman’s freckles on her checks, without judging, just observe (just don’t stare, that’s awkward)
mindful walking; how you touch the ground, how fluid you move around, what you feel under your feet or through your shoes
mindful eating; see, smell, feel the experience. I wrote a full blog on this topic.
mindful sitting
mindful standing

You got the point. Mindfulness is paying attention rather than anything else. Mindfulness is everywhere and in everything we do. Or it should be.

For example if you live in a noisy city, you don’t have to block out the outside sirens and screaming children, you let your mind be aware of the sounds. You observe.

You literally just let your mind be fluid and flow from one thought to the next, not really focusing on one particular thing, just let them unfold.

If you’d like to learn more please download my free eBook “15 Healthy Habits For The Body”

December 18, 2014December 18, 2014

3 steps to Mindful Eating and its benefits

Mindful eating is not about how many calories you get it but more about what you’re eating and why you’re eating it, what’s the benefit you get out of it.

Many times we do things for the sake of it. When it comes to eating, sometimes we eat just because we have food in front of us. Think about weddings, they bring you so much food you end up eating it just because it’s there.

About Mindfulness

NHS actually encourages mindfulness for mental wellbeing. Mindfulness is about being aware of what’s going on inside of us as well as what’s going on outside of us.

Whether we talk about mindful eating, walking or running, they all contribute to our mental and physical wellbeing.

There are many ways to be mindful. You can and should be mindful every moment of the day. But when “life gets in the way” we lose sight of what’s happening around and within us. It so easy to do that.

However we forget that mindfulness is an actual solution to our problems. When we are stressed about work, the only way to get out of a tough situation is to find the best solution. You find the best solution when you are relaxed, in the flow, mindful then you can get creative.

But we end up saying “I have no time to be mindful”. On the other hand we do have time to stress out without finding a solution to our problems. Isn’t that a waste of time?

Mindful eating

You eat every day. How many times do you actually see your food, smell it, taste it? I mean really feel its essence. Not a superficial experience.

I will be honest with you, I’ve struggled with this. Since I was a child my mother kept telling me off for eating too fast and no chewing my food properly. I’ve been working on it myself I know it’s difficult.

Instead of giving you many things to think about when you eat I would like you to focus on 3 things only.

3 Steps to mindful eating and its benefits

1. Have a sit

I used to eat standing and walking. I used to do this many many times, and I’m still doing it sometimes. This is mostly due to lack of time and the fact that if I am not home I don’t like eating out so I eat walking to my next destination. But these are some the excuses we all use, especially lack of time. Not a very good excuse.

Sitting encourages you to eat slower and pay more attention to what you are eating. It’s a break in the routine which slows you down and brings you in the present moment where you can truly experience the moment you are in. Your mind is nowhere in the past or in the future..

2. Chew your food

When you are mindful about chewing your food, you feel its texture, its temperature, its taste. You are in the moment where you can feel, listen, taste, touch and see.

From a nutrition point of view chewing your food has many benefit, among them:

– your body has access to more quality nutrients from the food.

– your digestive system doesn’t have to overwork, as the food reaches it already well chewed, so less chances indigestion.

– it slows you down and you are more aware of what you eat and how you eat.

– more aware of how much you eat

– it takes about 20 min for the feeling of fullness to reach your brain. So by chewing properly, you will slow down so it takes 20 min to eat your food (or less of it) of 10 min, you feel fuller faster with less food.

3. Disconnect

When there are several things happening around you there is little chance you are actually paying attention to what you are doing, let alone what you are eating, why and how much. So you end up overeating.

When watching a movie or the news the flood of information affects us at a mind level but also physically. Depending on what you’re watching you automatically frown, tense your lips, your jaw, you start tensing your whole body. Experiencing the moment is out of the question at this point.

Physically you are no functioning properly, you are not relaxed and you experience nothing. You end up eating for the sake of it, no matter what, why or how much.

If you want to experience the benefits of mindful eating, you have to cut out all distractions as much as possible.

To fully experience the moment you need to actually be in the moment.

If you would like to learn more please download my free ebook “15 Healthy Habits for the Body”

August 3, 2014August 6, 2015

‘Engage your core’, what does that mean? Why should I do it?

‘Engage your core’, what does that mean? Why should I do?

crunch — Photo Credit: ShareHows.com via Compfight cc

‘Engage your core’, ‘suck your belly in’ or ‘squeeze your abs’ are terms repeatedly used by fitness professionals, including myself, but do we really think about what that means? Due to a limited time frame we never really delve into the benefits of building up a strong ‘core’ or how specifically to do it, in each training session.

So today I am drawing on my experiences as a gymnast, dancer and personal trainer to give you the low down on why you really should be engaging your core throughout exercise and how to do it.

Have you ever wondered how a particular dancer/gymnast/ice-skater effortlessly glides around the stage or floor? Well here is your answer in basic terms.

I have been taught from a young age in gymnastics and dance how to ‘shift my weight’, ‘stay on top of my supporting leg’, ‘find where my weight is’. All of these demands require you to connect your mind to your body. The individual tells their body to move a certain way and it responds correctly.

This is Mind-body connection is something innate to dancers and gymnasts. It is not, however, natural to everyone, which is why there is often difficulty when a non-dancer/gymnast is asked to engage his or her core.

So initially, I would suggest mindfulness as a useful tool for reconnecting the body to the mind, and incorporating breathing techniques into exercise.

girl — Photo Credit: martinak15 via Compfight cc

So once the individual manages to connect to their core, why should they focus their time on building strength in that area?

1. Keeps you graceful – It helps with your ability to control your movement, particularly when you come across a difficult exercise or you are starting to fatigue.

2. Back health – It is estimated that four out of every five adults (80%) will experience back pain at some stage in their life. Back pain is the number 2 reason for long – term sickness in much of the UK.(http://www.backcare.org.uk/factsandfigures).

The ‘Core’ is made up of a group of muscles that begin with your ‘abs’ and wrap right around to your back.

A strong core will support your back in times when it may be vulnerable to injury.

3. Power – A strong core is the starting point in powerful explosive movement, such as lifting and jumping.

4. Balance – Our bodies have the potential to do a lot more than we think. If ever in a situation where your stability is compromised a strong core will enable you or increase your chances of staying upright.

5. Light on your toes – If you ever start to feel fatigued and tired during exercise, your core is there to get you through and ensure that keep exercising effectively and efficiently.

But how do I do it?

I have found this to be the easiest way to activate connection to the core:
1. Start by lying or standing up

2. Place your hands on your stomach

3. Take a deep breath in allowing the stomach to balloon

4. Start breathing out feeling the abdominal muscles pushing the air out your lungs

5. Keep breathing out until your lungs are completely empty, to do this requires more effort then normal breathing and so you should feel your abdominals fully contract/tighten.

This exercise can be used as a core activation exercise or throughout your workout.

handstand1 — Photo Credit: Evil Erin via Compfight cc

What’s my ultimate core strength exercise?

It has to be pike handstands (influenced by my gymnastic days). I love playfulness of the movement, challenging your body’s ability to respond to the movement quickly and you feel like you are doing something really impressive.

For those still building up core strength an easier, but equally impressive, version can be done by using a Swiss Ball to support the legs.

About the author: Alice Bowmaker

Alice is an East London based, YMCA qualified personal trainer on a mission to inspire and motivate people to push themselves past their expectations and help them rediscover their love for the beauty and strength of their bodies.

She has a background in dance and gymnastics which he uses extensively in her training repertoire. She also holds memberships with REPs and NRPT.

You can contact Alice at www.alicepteast.com