This month, our fitness guru takes some time out to recharge naturally
Have you ever felt as though your head is fuzzy, you have too much on your plate and life is grinding you down? No amount of caffeine can wake you up, and no amount of sleep can make you feel better? If you feel as though you just can’t get ahead of it all, there are some great techniques and experts to help you through these moments.
The art of Chinese medicine has been around for thousands of years, so who are we to argue about its many benefits? Katie Brindle, the extremely knowledgeable creator of the Hayou Method, teaches Yang Sheng techniques (which means to nourish life) that incorporates healing tools enabling people to master their health at home. Katie has a comprehensive knowledge of the Chinese philosophies and offers in-depth personalised consultations that diagnose health issues – physical, emotional or spiritual. During my own session she was able to unlock deep rooted reasons for my symptoms and tailored an individual plan (including my Chinese health/life chart and a Feng Shui plan of where my bed should be placed!). Forget herbs and acupuncture, the best part is that you can do it yourself at home. Katie reveals the self-heal techniques in her new book Yang Sheng, the Art of Chinese Self Healing (£9.67, amazon.co.uk).
Be still
When you’re stressed, imagine your mind is like a glass of water that is filled with salt and the glass has been stirred, so all the salt is whizzing around like a tornado. Now, stop, and imagine the glass being still. In your mind, watch the salt settle to the bottom of the glass. At the same time, those out-ofcontrol feelings will also begin to settle. Once the salt has reached the bottom of the glass your head will become clear, like the water.
When it feels as though the world is crumbling around you, it sometimes takes techniques to help re-wire your thought patterns and trick your brain into overcoming fear and anxiety. Malminder Gill is one such expert who focuses on this area of expertise.
She is an award-winning reinvention hypnotherapist who has helped so many people let go of the old and welcome the new. Using hypnotherapy techniques and visual aids, she is able to help you to see past any mental block. So, whether you’re suffering from anxiety, stuck at work, or unable to cope with a break up, Malminder is extremely qualified to help (hypnosis-in-london.com).
And…breathe
During times of stress, it may feel as though breathing deeply is the last thing you want to do. However, since breathing is the primary function we need to survive, it stands to reason that any time we are in crisis, we should return to our breath. It is the core of meditation, but you don’t have to take a meditation class to breathe. All you need is you, your breath and one minute of your time. If you have an I-watch you will find a Breathe app that constantly reminds you to breathe, or try apps such as Tide or Calm on your phone, that will remind you to breathe during the day. It took time for me to get my head around the fact that breathing could calm me, but I finally learned that even one minute of focus, breath and re-setting my brain meant I was ready to take on the world.
Silence your ego
We are all the hero of our own story, and therefore we always assume we are right. Even in times that we know we are in the wrong, we can get defensive and lash out – that’s the ego at play. So, the best way to combat this is, when you start feeling irate, aggressive, or argumentative, to close your eyes, take a breath and recognise the trigger that’s making you have the reaction (it might be your mother-in-law, someone in a car in traffic, or someone accusing you of stealing their towel at the gym). Then put an imaginary space between you and the ’trigger’ and tell your ego it’s OK.
Then apologise, either for your actions, or apologise for the other person’s perception of your actions and move on. This pause and acknowledgement is a huge step towards killing the ego and becoming happier.
