Cornwall

June 28, 2019 by And So We Begin in inspiration, mindfulness, nature, wellbeing

A much needed trip to see the sea. My sister took this photo of me looking out across the waves. The tide reminded me that life has a rhythm. Breathe in. Breathe out. The good always comes back around.

A Seven Minute Meditation with Adriene

October 07, 2018 by And So We Begin in youtube, mindfulness, feelgood

I keep seeing lots of vloggers and folks on Instagram recommending Adriene’s videos for forming a yoga practice. I had a little look at her account and can see immediately why she’s so popular. I started with this seven minute meditation and loved her gentle, easy approach. I especially like the moment when you bow your head to your heart. It felt really meaningful. A lovely treat for a Sunday.

Brush Lettering

January 07, 2018 by And So We Begin in art, mindfulness

Easing into the New Year with a little brush lettering. It's such a calming and meditative way to give me time to stop and think about what I'd like to achieve creatively in 2018. I did a course with Quill London which was a lovely relaxing way to learn. If you're London based, I highly recommend them.

Decreasing Stress with Pick Up Limes

November 28, 2017 by And So We Begin in feelgood, mindfulness, simple things

I subscribed to Pick Up Limes' channel as soon as I stumbled across it. Sadia has such a lovely manner, absorbing and kind. With all the stress of life these days, this is a much appreciated little piece of calm.

Experiments In Watercolour

August 30, 2017 by And So We Begin in art, mindfulness, painting, watercolour

This is a little corner of one of the mini abstracts in my watercolour sketchbook. I've mentioned before how therapeutic I find drawing or painting and playing with watercolours is a wonderful meditation. I am learning about how the paints behave with more or less water. And letting them seep into each other teaches me to relinquish control and to let the painting be what it wants to be.

Mindfulness

May 05, 2017 by And So We Begin in mindfulness

I'm sure I've talked about mindfulness on my mini blog before but I was reminded about how beneficial it is today when I read this 8 Reasons To Give Mindfulness A Shot article on the Headspace website. I was lucky enough to go to one of Andy Puddicombe's first seminars when he started Headspace and it had such a profound effect on me. The simplicity of reminding yourself to be in the moment is wonderful. It's honestly changed my life by helping me to handle life's ups and downs and to really enjoy the highs. Be mindful, be kindful : )

Sunday Song - Easter

April 13, 2017 by And So We Begin in #littlebitofpretty, music, mindfulness, nature, simple things

An early Sunday song this week as I'm taking a little Easter break. This beauty was introduced to me by Mary Anne Hobbs's show a year or so ago. I listened to it on headphones while walking through the blossom in Regents Park and was taken to another place. Just magical. Happy Easter my lovelies!

Words Beneath My Feet

November 04, 2016 by And So We Begin in mindfulness, photography

I went to a Headspace seminar a few years ago to learn about mindfulness and one of the techniques they taught us was mindful walking. It's simply noticing your surroundings and breath rather than missing everything by thinking about problems or plans. I like noticing little details like words beneath my feet especially ones you wouldn't expect to see.

Mindfulness

October 19, 2016 by And So We Begin in wellbeing, mindfulness, art, illustration

I'll be writing a blog post about mindfulness soon as it's something I practice and think about every day. For today, I wanted to share a little ink creation of mine. Mindfulness doesn't have to be about sitting quietly with your eyes closed. I find some of my most mindful moments are when I am creating. Drawing a pattern like this is so calming. I find myself totally absorbed in the moment and as my mind stills it starts to create things that I didn't even know existed in me.