Kelly's Top Tips for Pregnant Ladies!

Tip 1 - Best sitting position for pregnant ladies

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HaC1JY-Mqgw

Pregnancy and Paediatrics Workshops

Normal V’s Common! Medicalisation of birth and how we can reset and reframe!

“Where will you be confined?”. This was the question the receptionist asked when I went to make an appointment to see a midwife with my first pregnancy! I think I stood there for at least 60 seconds trying to work out what exactly it was she was asking me? Eventually, I understood that she was asking me which hospital I would be going to. When I explained we were having the baby at home…. her reply, ‘Ah! This must be your first baby!’. This was not the experience I was expecting. 

I didn’t have a GP and was told that I had to see a GP first, then I could see a midwife. This being my first pregnancy and never having anything to do with the medical world previously, I didn’t really know how it all worked. Living the Chiropractic lifestyle meant that I was only really used to experiencing what I would call ‘solution people’, those who thought like me! Those who had an optimistic outlook, who strive to be and do their best. People who know we live in a ‘friendly universe’ (thank you Jeanne Ohm) and those who understand that our bodies have an innate ability to heal, grow and flourish… ‘my tribe’. I was about to have a rapid learning cycle of something dramatically different. 

My dear friend Hayley, the other half of ‘Hayley and Kelly’, had her first baby two years earlier. I had heard some of her personal experiences and challenges. She is part of my Chiropractic family, also has a trust in the body and always see’s the good in situations. This probably meant I was still shielded from how drastically different the world I was about to step into was from the world I was experiencing. I had this idea that all our decisions about our pregnancy and birth would be approached by midwives and doctors with the understanding that we had informed ourselves and had chosen what was best for us. I quickly learned that when you start to make informed choices there isn’t always a ‘box to tick’ for that and you start to create a level of stress and panic in those who are expected to care for you. We did not fit into the system.  

It became rapidly apparent that for us to have a baby in the way we would choose was going to be difficult in the current ‘medical system’. Now, I will state very clearly here, I am in no way ‘anti-medicine’. I know in some crisis situations it will of course save lives. What I also know is that the medical model does not fit with my understanding of health or life. I see lots of challenges created that I believe could be avoided if we came more from a place of trust. This is especially so in the maternity services. 

Thankfully my husband is very confident and supportive and so we decided, confidently and happily, to step out of the system and search for someone who could help and support us with the type of birth we wanted. We found an independent midwife and as they say the rest is history (well almost!).   

We care for many midwives in practice and have a great deal to do with them professionally. Without doubt all the midwives we have made connections with all want to help women and the vast majority have a deep understand and great respect for natural birth. They are also stretched to capacity energetically and physically in the main which often makes their job very difficult.  

Why am I sharing all this with you? Well, to explain that there really is a different way! One exceptional midwife I know has the saying, ‘peace on earth begins with birth’. Imagine how our world would look if we were able to support birth in a gentle way; without unnecessary time limits; with a constant care giver who knew the woman and her baby intimately and cared for them throughout the whole pregnancy; a midwife who knew when to seek more help and when birth just needed to be left alone; a midwife who was able to encourage from a place of trust and advise appropriately when the situation required it. A relationship between midwife, mum and baby that was based on trust! If those birthing women and their unborn babies could enter the world in this way imagine the impact that could have. A supported mum, who is nurtured and guided. A mum who healed well after a beautiful, natural birth. A baby who enters the world with minimal stress on their perfect, tiny system and was able to immediately thrive. I know there will be people reading this who did not have that experience themselves. They may have family members who did not have this experience. People reading this will care for babies in practice who did not have this experience. Too often we begin life ‘stressed’……..and that sets us up for life! 

Imagine if everyone knew that we had an inbuilt ability to heal. That people knew that we were programmed for health and designed to heal.  If we really trusted in our body’s inherent ability to thrive, I know people would make different health decisions. It may be baby steps at first. It may always be baby steps. Let’s remember though that many, many baby steps add up to marathons! What would happen if instead of looking externally for someone to tell us everything was OK, both in pregnancy and in health, we sat for a moment and listened to our inner voice. We trusted ourselves and believed that ‘everything is OK’? If we choose to regain our power to trust in ourselves magical things can happen! 

Over the years it became apparent to both Hayley and I that we weren’t alone in wanting to choose different options for pregnancy and in raising children. We would often have messages and calls from people needing support. Questions from people knowing health is an inside job, who trust their greatness and know that they are programmed for health but who didn’t know how to support themselves. Those people didn’t have a community of likeminded people. They didn’t have people to help support their decisions. They didn’t have anyone they could reach out to, no one to ask those questions, no one to answer in ways that were congruent to their beliefs and values. This is how the community of ‘Hayley and Kelly’ was born (that, and a few espresso martini’s!). There are more people out there than you realise who believe what you believe. We are far from alone.  

So, I leave you today with the question that Jeanne Ohm often posed to us; Do you believe we live in a hostile universe or a friendly one? If this can be the basis of the health decisions you make for yourself and your family you will have an excellent navigation system. With the knowledge and confidence that your body is programmed for health, and that you are designed to heal you will be able to make the best decisions for yourself and your family. Health is ALWAYS an inside job. Supporting ourselves physically, chemically and emotionally will ensure we can thrive. After all, innate is always on the job!

Exclusive offer to all the LIONS pack, £30 off all workshops. Please add discount code ‘LIONS’ at checkout when booking. To find out more or to book a workshop you can reach us online - Pregnancy and Paediatrics Workshops

Rest

Needless to say this year has been particularly challenging for many and most people. We are all travelling along our own journey with this and each and every one of us has a different perspective and experience of this time we are living in.

But one particularly strong feeling we have been drawn to in the last few weeks is this idea of finding rest when you body calls for it. Acknowledging those moments of well deserved peace and community. This desire to branch out by looking in, is something that we at H+K strongly align with, which is why we are delighted to host our Revival Staycation Retreat in the picturesque village of Dutchling in East Sussex.

Join us for a weekend of relaxation and exploration as we hike the nearby natural beauty, indulge in some beautiful yoga and meditation, interact with our inner selves through a wonderful PSYCH-K Energy Psychology workshop and come together for a Breath and Mindfulness workshop.

Full details can be found on our website on our Revival Staycation Retreat page. https://www.hayleyandkelly.co.uk/the-revival-staycation-retreat

We hope to see you there.

Much Love,

H+K

What do you wish you could do right now?

Hello! How are you doing today?

As we enter another week of slowing down and focusing on the closeness and quiet that self isolation is bringing out. This week we want to focus on the things that you are making time for now, and the things you are missing.

A really fabulous exercise that you can do this week is to list the things you have started doing during your self isolation that have been nourishing you, the things that have made you happy. Then write a list of the things that you cannot wait to do again, whether that be sitting with a coffee in your local cafe, catching the tube or going to a library.

From these lists you now have a map to the things that make you truly happy. Things that, once the world is able to venture out of the confines of their homes again, you can begin incorporating more in your life.

Here is an example of our list:

Things I have loved doing in isolation:
1) Baking delicious treats
2) Reading fantasy books
3) Scrabble competitions with my family
4) Virtual pub quizzes with our friends
5) Daily morning walks in our neighbourhood

Things I cannot wait to do:
1) Seeing family
2) Going to the movies
3) Spending time leafing through book stores
4) Going to a yoga class
5) Exploring nature

Now what you can do is compare the two lists and see what common themes are between the two of them. But the most important thing is to make sure that these two lists, of nourishing activities, become a normal part of your life. It is so integral that when we eventually are able to venture out again, that we do not lose the perspective we have been able to gather over this time.

You are so worthy of time to rest and recuperate, it is not always about pushing and hustling.

Have a wonderful week,
Much Love,

H+K

S L O W D O W N

We hope you are doing well and are finding time for quiet in this unusual world we live in at the moment.

There may be a tendency to push yourself, to find a million and one things to do when in reality the thing your body is craving the most is space and tenderness. We all have beautiful things to achieve, but right now we have a fantastic chance to stop, reflect and invite our intuition and inner voice to the party.

This time of pause, will never come again. And during it we invite you to stop and take stock, don’t try to push through it and come out better than before from an aesthetics sense. Try to listen to yourself and develop habits and healthy goals from which you can continue your journey in a holistic and kind way.

We know it’s hard, it’s such an unprecedented and potentially distressing time. But this could be the moment that you really find yourself.

If you can, try and document your time and journal your thoughts in whatever way feels natural and authentic to you. That could be with words, or collage or even painting. Pick a book or notepad and make sure to jot down a few things, or even leave it somewhere you can get to it easily and each time a new idea, thought or emotion comes to you, write it down and let it sit on the page. Then use this notebook to inform your creative process and determine your inner desires.

Have a restful time, be with your loved ones (either in person if you are isolating with them, or virtually) and remember: you do not need to achieve a million things to be a success.

Much Love,

H+K

How are you doing?

This week we wanted to keep our blogpost nice and simple and ask, how are you doing?

In this really unsure time and period of rapid change it can be easy to get lost in the idea that we need to be on top of everything and stick to our resolutions and goals as we would in ‘normal times’. However right now we need to approach every day with a degree of care and awareness that maybe some days we won’t be as productive as we would like. Some days we might get everything on our to-do list done, and others our focus may slip away as easily as a leaf down a stream.

What we need to really focus on is compassion, that understanding that we need to spread kindness to others and ourselves as we are all just doing our best.

One exercise we would love to offer you in this time is writing down 5 things that you achieved or are proud of from your day. Make sure that you really force yourself to write 5 things. These can range from making the bed to baking a cake or can be as simple as “I left the house for my daily exercise today”. Whatever it is, it is worthy of celebration and acceptance.

You are doing so well.

Much love,

H+K

Ideas for lightheartedness during Isolation

We hope you are having a wonderful start to your week. What a challenging few days it has been, the world seems a little chaotic and we are all still finding our feet in this ‘new normal’.

What we want to achieve going forward is providing a space of positivity, growth and creativity. Looking for ways to improve the lives around us and offer opportunity’s to step away from mainstream media and our day to day lives.

This does not mean we do not acknowledge the completely unprecedented and unique position we all find ourselves in. The world is going through a monumental period of great sadness and solidarity, but we want to offer you the chance to take a breath, step back and smile.

So here are a few fabulous ideas for ways to spend your time whilst Social Distancing.

1) Start baking!- One of our friends has begun to grow her own sourdough starter and by the end of the week will try her hand at her first loaf of Gluten Free Sourdough! You could even try make your own hot crossed buns or host a Great British Bakeoff in your house using whatever ingredients you have available to you.

2) Join in on a group fitness class on Instagram TV or Youtube.- Many wonderful fitness, yoga, pilates or barre studios are offering free classes on their online platforms. Take time out of your day to move your body with others and release those endorphins! (The Body Coach is also offering workouts for children). We will link a few at the bottom of this article.

3) For those of you with little ones, why not take them on a treasure hunt or a safari! - Dot toys around the house and if you have an outdoor space (and it isn’t raining!) and take your kiddies on a tour. See if they can spot it and make the noise of the animal, if they are older you could even share a fact about the animal and get them to write it down in their safari journal.

4) Host a trivia night- Now we are sure you have already heard about HouseParty. But this is a fabulous app that is enabling group chats and games nights for people around the world. Get a group of your friends (up to 8 users can log in to a single chat) and play a range of games from Charades to Trivia.

5) Set up a ‘Family Challenge’- Over the next few weeks lay out a few challenges or tasks that each family member has to achieve. These could be to learn how to say hello in 5 languages, bake a cake, grow spring onions/herbs/leeks etc, or even making your own comic book. Each day set aside an hour to dedicate to your chosen task and check in with each other on your progress.

What amazing ideas have you seen or implemented to bring variety and fun into your life? Let us know and we would love to start a sharing system where we can all learn from each other in this time.

Much love,

H+K

Group Fitness Classes:

The Peoples Place Gym in Amsterdam (On Instagram for free workouts daily!) https://www.peoplesplacegym.com

Good Vibes Yoga Melbourne (On YouTube for 2 wonderful yoga flows and 2 meditations, more to come!)

https://goodvibesyoga.com.au/virtual-studio

305 Fitness London Dance Cardio sessions

https://305fitness.com

Barry’s Bootcamp

https://www.barrys.com/barrysigtv/

Community

We hope that you are doing well. Despite all this negativity, fear and anxiety that is circulating the world right now, we hope that in this moment you are finding peace.

At times of crisis it can be so hard to stick our heads out of the swarm, to find that island in the torrent of fear. But it is also a beautiful time to find a moment to generate love and care for our community. At the moment we have people in dire need, people who cannot face the crowds for whatever reason and those who right now feel lost and left behind.

Remember those people, when you are rushing in the supermarket, chasing up that toilet roll or fretting over the daily management of your life. This is not to diminish the panic you may be feeling, you are completely entitled to feel whatever you are feeling, but more to raise the opportunity to help (in a safe way) those who most need it.

Not everyone has a support network to fall back on at times like this, they may be away from their families, may be emotionally or mentally distancing themselves or even could just be too scared to ask for help. There is a wonderful initiative that is starting up all around the world, little calling cards that can be filled out and delivered to your neighbours or people you know may need a hand. But if this is not something you feel comfortable doing please just take the time to check in, ask your loved ones if they are ok, smile and check that the old person stumbling around the supermarket is ok, ask your colleagues and boss if they are ok. We are all processing this in our own ways and the main thing is not to loose our connection.

Remember to take care of yourself, drink lots of water, eat lots of vegetables, reduce time online and do things that relax and nourish you. We can all do our part to stay healthy.

Sending you all our love,

H+K

What do you love about yourself?

Happy Monday!

This Sunday just passed was International Women’s day and whilst we of course want to celebrate and cheer on our friends and loved ones, we wanted to focus on the idea of love for ourselves.

It can be so hard to accept and practice self-love, and we mean TRUE self-love. This extends so much further than our usual self-care practices, but opens us up to the realm of loving ourselves as a whole part, perceived flaws and all.

Take a moment today, around 5 minutes to write a list of 10 things you love about yourself. It may be hard, you may feel silly and narcissistic but please do it. Set aside time every day for this week to do this, writing down 10 things you love about yourself and observe how it makes you feel. What you write can repeat, it can be small things or larger more profound aspects of yourself. But every point you write down matters. If this practice sticks you can begin to change it up a little by altering the wording, this could be “10 things that are unique about me”, “10 things that I have done that are brave” or even “10 things that I am learning to love about myself”.

We really urge you to try this exercise, if you feel comfortable please share your experience with us.

Much Love,

H+K

Win the morning... win the day!

Happy Monday! Another bright, fresh and vibrant week is ahead of us.

We have previously spoken about the power of an inspiring morning routine but we just wanted to touch on this idea again as we are approaching Spring and Summer.

A morning routine can be an incredibly powerful way of reinforcing healthy or mindful habits and encouraging personal growth. Now, this looks different for everyone. Some people may find clarity in a morning revolved around meditation and yoga, whilst others just need to sit with a cup of tea and watch the sun rise.

Whatever it may be, your morning is a wonderful time to reconnect and energise for your week. A simple tool to establish ways you can bolster your morning is by listing 5 things you want to achieve by the time you head off for work, but also identifying why you wish to achieve them.

Having a ‘why’ for anything we do reinforces the longevity of it and can often be the thing that keeps us coming back to it. This can apply to anything, from going to the gym to eating healthy. All of the actions we take in our day to day lives should have a powerful why to make us excited to undertake them.

What are some things you would like to achieve in your morning? Let us know!

Much love,

H+K

Taking up space

For many of us flying under the radar is comfortable and familiar. Whether that be hiding our opinions, going with other people’s ideas or even just keeping to ourselves entirely. Learning to step out of that place of quiet ease and share your experiences and expertise with others can be very daunting.

However, we want you to realise that you are worthy of taking up space! You offer the world an entirely fresh perspective and viewpoint. Your skills, passions and dreams are so unique and wonderfully powerful. Learning not to draw inward and to really open to others can be daunting, but it is such a profoundly beautiful lesson to have. You, in your entirety, deserve to be heard and appreciated for your journey.

It can be an arduous journey, but learning to be vocal and share your worth is so rewarding. Perhaps start by speaking up a bit more in office meetings, or the next time you are with a close friend discuss ways you wish to change and impact the world?

By taking small steps, everyday, you can begin to unravel learned habits and open yourself up to the world and it’s gifts.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Much Love,

H+K

Make your life an adventure

Life is a matter of perspective, something we have been taught time and again. But never is this so relevant as when it is applied to the idea of living the life of our dreams. We all understand that in order to live a life of fulfilment and purpose we need to sacrifice a few things and work hard. At times it can be easy to view these as hugely challenging things, whether it be giving up a high paying job or moving overseas. We can become downtrodden and even unhappy as we look at all the things we have let go. But what if this is all part of the adventure? What if in fact, this is the very best part of pursuing our dreams?

We often look at the end point of a journey, but sometimes the most fun is had in the journey itself. Just like travelling to a foreign place there is a small joy to be found in the transit. So what if instead of lamenting the hard work you need to put into the creation of this life, you look at it as a wonderful challenge to demonstrate your strength and resilience.

If you begin looking at life as a grand adventure, to be experienced to it’s fullest then it all starts to seem less daunting and becomes exciting!

Let us know your thoughts and how you may have already implemented this in your own life. We would love to hear your experiences.

Much love,

H+K

Taking risks

Happy Monday! With the dawn of a new week we find ourselves feeling recharged and ready to launch ourselves into our goals. This past weekend we were reminded of the importance of taking risks in the pursuit of something that is truly meaningful to us. Jumping headfirst into the dreams we have is incredibly daunting and may take a few false steps before we are truly willing to surrender. But once we do, incredible things happen.

Often our default is to accept a state of comfort, as we discussed a few weeks ago on the blog. But learning to rewire our brains and accept that true growth and achievement comes out of a place of the unknown can be the real challenge. For many people a risk can be simply accepting and vocalising the dream life we have in mind for ourselves and our family. Learning to open up and manifest can be a daunting task but is integral in the early stages and throughout our journey. But once we have overcome that hurdle we can begin to prepare ourselves for the larger risks, those things that truly set us away from our usual expectations and invite us into the depths of our potential.

Remembering to allow this and to truly own the challenge can be hard. We can wrestle with our self worth and second guess our abilities as we may feel unworthy of our lofty goals. But once we allow ourselves to sit within the truth behind our purpose things become a lot more manageable. Like the Lion in the ‘Wizard of Oz’ the courage we need is more than likely within us already, we do not need someone else to grant it.

So this week we urge you to take risks for your happiness. Allow yourself to really own your journey, the past and your future.

Good luck and Much Love,

H+K

Finding calm in a storm

When things don’t go our way it can be incredibly easy to lose control. To fall into an old habit of lashing out and perhaps getting angry or overwhelmed. The age old saying of “seeing red” when faced with a particularly triggering or provocative event can really highlight the importance of finding your calm. We can never make logical and clear decisions when we are in a state of defence. In order to properly understand and come to terms with where we are in the moment we need to ensure that we are existing in a position of clarity and awareness.

It can be so easy to pass on advice to “take a breath” and that will fix it all. But in reality we need to cultivate a feeling of calm that blankets our whole life, not just for moments of crisis. This looks different for everyone, it can be meditating in the morning, going for a run after work or even taking 10 minutes on your way to work to listen to your favourite music. Small routines that enable you to “fill your cup” and find fun, calm and peace.

Often when we feel our most overwhelmed it is simply a case of just removing ourselves and venting to a friend or even just a journal. Learning to appreciate that you’re not going to have it all together all the time, and also allowing yourself to take a moment is so integral to your mental health.

Let us know your methods for finding calm, we love learning from you all.

Much Love,

H+K

Learning to accept discomfort

We all have wonderful things we wish to achieve. Be that personally or professionally, but at times we can feel overwhelmed by the task that we can put it off in favour of comfort. But true growth and life changing experiences happen on the edge of our comfort, in the moments where we choose the unknown above that which we have become accustomed to.

Take a moment at some this point this week and consider this “Is there anything I am putting off that could have a huge impact on my life?”. Now these experiences can be anything from a wonderful seminar or workshop you are putting off, to a painting class or even a hike. Anything that makes your soul feel full and listened to is what you need to pursue. Chase the moments that fire you up, the moments that remind you that you are alive and full of beautiful promise.

Life is not meant to be lived on the sidelines, you are meant to come into contact with the parts of you that scare you, the things that throw your life into stark perspective and also the moments that forge your next journey.

In each and every day you may be putting off the spark that could lead you to your best self and future. Use this week, or today even, to change that.

Much Love,

H+K

Learning to ask for help

In this modern world it can be easy to fall under the expectation that you are meant to be able to do everything for yourself. We can often place an unrealistic expectation on ourselves that we are meant to be able to conquer every challenge, complete every task and solve every problem on our own. But this is simply not true. Humans are social and community driven by nature, throughout history we have come together as a group to offer support and to lean on one another in times of strife.

Asking for help is not a weakness, in fact it shows strength and an ability to observe and critically acknowledge where perhaps your skills may need to be supplemented by another's. Particularly when we are juggling a million tasks and trying to maintain our social lives and family’s happiness being able to pass on something that may not necessarily need our attention solely is a hugely liberating thing.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and a bit swamped by the sheer number of things you wish to achieve, or perhaps you are looking at your goals and cannot see where you could even begin to start, try asking a friend or family member for advice or help. They can offer a wonderful new perspective, or even be able to take the burden away through their own expertise.

The key thing to remember is this- at some point we all need help, and you wouldn’t hesitate to help your loved ones and neither will they.

Compassion and Action

It has been an emotional start to the year as we have all witnessed the coverage of the horrifying bushfires in Australia. At H+K we believe that true health stems from love and kindness to ourselves, our friends, our wider community and the environment. We may look at these situations in a hopeless and heavy way, as we watch terrifying news reports and come to terms with the scope of the loss as a result of this disaster. But one thing that we must all focus on, is our unique privilege to offer help to those in need, whether that be at home or abroad.

There are many ways to spread positive change, be that through monetary donations, volunteering at an organisation or even just focusing on improving connections with your local community. Every action towards solidarity and compassion counts.

As Mother Teresa said “It is a kingly act to assist the fallen”, and this is more profound and poignant in these times than ever.

Remember that when you feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, you must talk and be there for one another. We cannot afford to shut ourselves off or to feel like we are not allowed to feel upset or afraid. We are so grateful for the community of people we have around us, who constantly support and inspire us to seek out ways to help others in more personal and actionable ways.

Much Love,

H+K

If this crisis has effected you and you wish to donate to the Australian Bushfire relief:

Red Cross Australia- https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/disaster-relief-and-recovery-donate
Wildlife Victoria - https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au

Finding your focus

Welcome to 2020! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and are feeling rejuvenated and ready for another fantastic year.

Ringing in the New Year comes hand in hand with resolutions and goal setting. Now we love setting goals and becoming more aware of the ways in which we are able to support our growth and path to our dreams. But one thing we have noticed this year on social media and amongst our peers is the movement away from set ‘goals’ and a greater pull towards having a central focus to determine your actions throughout the year.

This deviates from usual practice as it firstly encourages you to more holistically assess how your life is travelling in the present. It directs you away from fixating on a single outcome and gives us all a greater breadth of experience. Secondly it enables you to continually adapt to changes in circumstances and desires. The fixed nature of goal setting for many people hinders their progress. They can feel trapped and unable to succeed as they become overwhelmed by the constraints placed upon them.

For example, instead of setting many small goals to gain better health and fitness, phrasing your intention or focus of the year to be one of health and vitality will naturally draw you towards activities and challenges that embrace that.

We encourage you to take a moment to sit with this idea and see what comes up for you. Find some quiet time and mull over the feelings you are carrying into 2020 and what you wish to achieve. Invariably a word will pop into your head and this could be your focus! Make sure to chat to a trusted loved one about this (if you feel comfortable), as we often find our most clarity through discussing our ideas and feelings with those we love.

Of course having a set list of goals is incredibly useful, but we feel that perhaps having a core focus or intention for the year, upon which you can build your experience can be far more kind in the long run.

Let us know your thoughts, do you have a core intention for this year?

Much Love,

H+K

New Year Reflections

As we reach the end of 2019 and ring in a new decade we wanted to focus on the idea of expansion. Learning to embrace change and the wonderful opportunities that arise from being open. Taking a moment to evaluate the year that was and look at what you can do in the new year to support your goals and aspirations is incredibly powerful. We encourage you to find a few minutes to sit and journal your thoughts, here are a few exercises we find invaluable in plotting our dreams.

• Jot down your reflections of the year but also your hopes for 2020.

• What word can you find that suits the mood you want to set and the intentions you want to bring in to this fresh chance for growth.

• Create a gratitude list for the things you have experienced in 2019.

• Draw a simple mind map of the different facets of your life (physical, emotional, education etc) they can be whatever you want! From there write down a few things you would like to achieve in each of the groups. You can use this as a visual reminder of all the things you want to do.

Let us know the ways you are preparing for the New Year and decade!

Much Love,

H+K

New Christmas Traditions

We are nearly there! The big day is 2 days away and I am sure you are eagerly awaiting the feast and festive time that is approaching.

Christmas is all about traditions. For those in the Northern Hemisphere it involves warming meals, fireplaces, hot chocolate and Christmas jumpers.However we can sometimes get stuck doing the same things every year. This is not in itself necessarily a bad thing, but we have begun thinking of ways that we can incorporate a bit more of a soul nourishing element to our Christmas day.

1) Tech/Screen Free Christmas
Throughout the year we have touched on the importance of lessening screen time to create more work/life balance and cultivate more presence. How about this Christmas you work with your family to encourage an ‘Offline Christmas’. Once you have done the rounds calling friends and family turn your devices off or on airplane mode and even go as far as deleting your social media apps. You will not lose your login information, it just will remove it from your devices until you are ready to use them again. By doing this you may notice a far greater presence during your festivities. Christmas after all is a time to be with the ones we love, and not distracted by the tantalising world of Social Media.

2) A grateful moment
For many people this year has been one of spectacular achievements and challenges. Why not take a bit of time this Christmas to sit with the ones you love and write down 3 things you are grateful for. After you have written it down, read them aloud (if you are comfortable to) and open a conversation of gratitude. You can also use this moment to lay a goal you would like to achieve by next Christmas. By completing this exercise with your loved ones you can support eachother in achieving your goals and celebrating your year.

3) Write a letter
Christmas is certainly the time for writing cards. However often they can be quick notes of love and well wishes. Perhaps at one point in the day or after Christmas you can sit down and write a long love letter to someone you care about. Even if they live with you, address it and post it to them. They won’t receive it until the New Year (poor Royal Mail!) but it will no doubt make their day when they do.

We would love to hear the ways you are creating new traditions for your family Christmas!

Have a very Merry Christmas and remember, the most important thing is to be with the ones you love, and to share love with all.

Much Love,

H+K