Are you living in Full Bloom?   Has your Mindfulness practice become less over this long period of Covid lockdown? or maybe, you have found that your practice has improved with having a little more free time on your hands.  After talking with some of my clients this week, there seems to be a general feeling of frustration that they are experiencing, it's among most them, everyones lives had been turned upside down by the pandemic, now the time is upon us/them (some of them post vaccine) that they are all trying to rebuild and slot back into their old routines, But as they have expressed to me, nothing seems to quite fit the way it used to, not enough time in the day, how did I use to fit everything in, Am I that disorganised, its all a bit to much and they are finding it quite challenging to get back to or to start a new Mindfulness practice.

Firstly be kind and gentle with yourself, try to accept how different your life is right now and how you feel about it at this moment in time.  Remember study shows that people who practice mindfulness are happier, healthier and more successful when coping with the highs and lows that our life path will take us on. Setting yourself a realistic and achievable goal is essential, motivation is a combination of intention and focus, why do you want to start or restart your Mindfulness practice, having a clear picture of why, will help you to stick with it. Maybe you could try to schedule your Mindfulness session, make an appointment with yourself, put it in your diary and treat it the same as you would a meeting or a check up at the doctors.  Choose a comfortable amount of time to begin with, ten minutes, twenty or thirty, remember its your practice, so do whats best for you in your allotted time frame.  Finding time in a busy day can sometimes be really difficult, everyday we all follow a routine of some sort, we wake up, shower, clean our teeth you can see what I'm trying to say, maybe you could include one of your daily tasks into your Mindfulness practice be present and fully aware of your thoughts and feelings while you are doing the task. Try out some  different Mindfulness practices,  A Bodyscan, Breathing, Movement, Walking, Five Senses be curious and discover what it is that helps you maintain your practice.  Perhaps being part of a group (online maybe) or having a  friend will help to keep your focus going.  Make a list of the benefits you feel once your practice is complete, its always nice to remember the positives, but do also allow yourself time to recognise any other emotions, thoughts and feelings that may come and go during your Mindful practice.  Don't be to hard on yourself if you stray and get off track for a day or two, it doesn't mean its time to give up, workout why you strayed, recommit and continue onwards.  Different things work for different people, there will be some stormy days and some beautiful clear sunny days during this restarting or starting phase, just try to stick with it, enjoy and discover how Mindfulness will work for you, your lifestyle and your personality.  Live Life in Full Bloom  

Kindness: the quality of being warmhearted, considerate, compassionate, humane and sympathetic we all have individual thoughts, feelings and emotions of what it means to each one of us. There are many ways to be kind and a whole lot of opportunities each day for us to practice and do acts of kindness, for ourselves and others. Changes to our environment and the way we have had to adjust to new living and working conditions during the current pandemic is the time when we should whole heartedly be kind, compasionate, sympathetic and loving to ourselves and others. As human being's, it's in our DNA to show kindness and fundamental to our human existence. Truth is when we are kind, we ourselves feel happier and less stressed, it creates feelings of warmth within us, it gives us a connection to others, leading us to have more positive and plesant relationships. The effect of us being kind to other's is that the receivers of our kindness, also experience all of these benefits, they in turn will be more likely to assist others with acts of kindness, producing wider and larger ripples of kindness out into the community.                                                                                                                                                                                

Kindness is also important for our health, doing acts of kindness or something nice for someone, makes you feel better too, this just doesn't happen, its to do with the pleasure centre in your brain releasing feel good hormones (endorphins, serotonin) Kindness is good for your heart it can affect it's chemical balance, kindness releases the hormone oxytocin which is known as a cardioprotective hormone, assisting in the regulation of blood pressure.  Oxytocin (the cuddle hormone) is produced when we hug other's or our pets and when we socially bond with others, it is also considered to help us counter act the effects of stress by reducing blood pressure and cortisol levels, oxytocin can also help to reduce inflamation in the body, which could help people with inflamatory health conditions like diabetes, chronic pain, allergies. With all of these positive effects happening could kindness be the secret to helping us live healthier and happier live's.

Kindness starts with being kind to yourself, be kind and forgive your mishaps, mistakes or misjudgements, it's all learning helping us nagivate through the up's and downs of life. Kindness is more than just being nice, doing intentional and voluntary acts of kindness when it's easy is simple, it's when it challenges you that it may become somewhat more difficult to complete your gesture, but it needs someone to get the ball rolling, to start that wave, to keep ripples moving outwards towards our families, friends, colleagues, communities and reach further wider destinations. Simple kind acts such as a smile, holding a door open, a compliment could make someone else's day, donate to chartity or volunteer, we have so many choices available to us, that we can all contribute some kindness to other's that will ease alongside and into our normal daily patterns and life styles.

*The small act of Kindness that you do, could possibility mean the world to the person receiving it*