What emotions are ruling your day?

”The quality of our emotions determines the instructions that our hearts send to the brain.” ~ Gregg Braden

So the question is …… what emotions are you allowing to run the show?

Are stress, fear & anxiety the front runners? Or love, peace & gratitude?

Did you know that every time you have a thought a chemical is made that will match that thought? The average human has 60-70 thousand thoughts a day! This chemistry then floods the body, bathing our cells in a healing environment or one which is toxic.

By bringing awareness to what is happening within us, we can interrupt the program, the habits that’s have become hardwired will in time lose their strength and the new thoughts, habits and behaviours can take root and create lasting transformation within, which then becomes evident in the world around us.

Science tells us that “energy flows where attention goes.”

Where are you placing your attention? Is it possible for you to be able to switch your focus from the coronavirus and everything that is wrong in the world and focus on health and peace, what positive changes can be made, how can I boost my defences to be able to deal with the challenges that are facing us?

Time to pause, reflect, breathe. See how much better you can instantly feel when you move your attention to something that feels good inside. Blaming & complaining will only feed the negative energy we so badly want to go away, so as energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed, we get to choose what we are projecting, which affects everything around us and beyond.

Let’s all try and make this world a better place to live through kindness, compassion and love. It really isn’t rocket science! If you would like to learn how to put this into practice, join me for educational & inspirational yin yoga & mindfulness classes online and on-demand at a time that suits you.

Get your 1st class free! It’s on me! Go to https://dramandabowen.co.uk/yin-yoga-classes/

Wishing you all health, peace, happiness & joy.

Amanda

xxx

It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself when things are not going as you want or expect them to be, when you are trying to control the uncontrollable, but left unchecked this then puts you in a cycle that becomes an additive state.

Take this time to examine what thoughts are coming into your awareness; are they happy thoughts or thoughts of fear, worry and doubt? How do they make you feel? Recognise the difference.

The quality of your thoughts will determine your state of being and ultimately the quality of your life.

Each time you replace a destructive thought or behaviour with a positive, nurturing one, you physically alter the chemistry of your body that bathes each and every one of your multi-trillion cells.

Your brain is malleable and more powerful than any computer on the planet. You can literally change the hardware just by thought alone, it’s called neuroplasticity.

You can teach yourself to feel joy and happiness; anything you do repeatedly becomes a habit.

So learn to be happy again, it’s just like riding a bike and keep at it until you are back up there, smiling on the inside as well as the outside.

Don’t feel guilty, just spread this love and happiness everywhere to share.

Like the butterfly effect, one small ripple in the universe can go on to create a huge impact.

And as the wise man Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Dr. Amanda Bowen

“Everyone wants happiness, no-one wants pain, but you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.”

~ Quote painted on a wall outside the beautiful shop Concept Corner, New Brighton (my home town)

“We’re waiting for tomorrow,

But tomorrow never comes,

Our last breath is right upon our heels,

Yet we still refuse to run,

86,400 seconds,

And we’re in another day,

All slipping through our fingers,

As we look the other way,

Days, weeks, months and years,

Are made up of right now,

A string of fleeting moments,

That we never can pin down,

We gaze into the future,

As though it’s where we’re meant to be,

Always planning for that day,

When we can say that we’re happy,

We spend so long looking forward,

That we may as well be blind,

Since we don’t see until the very end,

All the things we’ve left behind,

Now I know it’s just a theory,

But I think I’ve worked out how,

The only way to happiness,

Is to love what we have now.”

~ Erin Hanson thepoeticunderground.com

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Join my online series of yin yoga & mindfulness classes, specially designed to melt away stress, worry and anxiety.

See my classes page for full details.

Courses and workshops coming soon!

For a personalised private coaching programme or worldwide transformational yoga retreats, please contact me here.

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A Story of Forgiveness ~ How heavy are your potatoes?

The Final Analysis by Mother Teresa

“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centred;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, may be destroyed overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.”

Every experience in life changes us, physically, mentally and emotionally, even on the most subtle level, over time these make a huge difference in the person you become.

You are not the same as you were a week, month or year ago.
Go back even further and even though more traumatic or highly emotional events are more at the forefront, be aware that each decision, thought and action shapes who you are.

If you are struggling right now, and many are, take some time to reflect on the challenges you have faced throughout your lifetime.

How did you get through difficult times?

What great things have happened since then?

Use this reflection to meditate on, keeping eyes closed.
Now feel the feelings of your achievements, no matter how big, small or even seemingly irrelevant to you, they all count.
Every small change equates to massive transformation over time.

Give yourself permission to feel good.
Happiness is contagious.
But……., so is unhappiness.

Despite the world turning upside down, there is so much love and care around you.
Amazing people helping in every way possible.

You are alive; feel the life within you and somehow find that light that is still there, that’s maybe just hiding in the darkness, just like the sun is always shining, even though we do not always see it.

Let go of how you think things should be.
Feel the freedom of letting go.

Belief is more powerful than you can imagine, one of the strongest forces in the universe.

Trust and believe that good times are waiting for you along the horizon, because they are, and when the time is right, they will find you.
Trust me.

Dr. Amanda Bowen

Image : Wordswag

All change is inevitable, nothing lasts forever.

Change, whether through choice or suddenly thrust upon us can affect us all in many different ways

Usually grief is strongly associated with death, but it can come with any change, whether it’s big or small, expected or unexpected.

It can throw us off track leaving a sense of despair and a deep unconscious longing for how things used to be.

The sense of grief, whether for what is already lost or through fears of what might come, surrounds us. And it is okay and understandably normal to feel this right now, however, it arises.

Whilst negative thoughts shouldn’t be ignored, we can’t allow them to take over and sabotage our lives. 

As Shakespeare famously said, “There is nothing good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.”

While this can be seen as a massive oversimplification in many situations, especially right now, there is still great wisdom to be found with this way of thinking.

“Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming.
All we can do is learn to swim.”

– Vicki Harrison

“Looking at a problem through old eyes, it is not only strengthened but also moves in its well-worn path. This is the miracle of perception, to perceive with a heart and mind that are completely cleansed of the past.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Life has been turned upside down. It’s not the same as it was a year, a month, a week ago.

Yet it never really is.

Acceptance, truly is a bitter pill we need to swallow right now. All we can do is accept each new moment, each new development and decision, and make the most of the life we have, in the best way that we can do right now, sending love out to the world along the way.

Each day, listen to your emotions, let them be heard, then let the ones that do not serve you go into the void of this mysterious and unpredictable universe.

Focus on what is getting you through these challenging times.

Find something positive in each and every day.

Nothing lasts forever.

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Join my online series of yin yoga & mindfulness classes, specially designed to melt away stress, worry and anxiety.

Try your 1st class for FREE!

See my classes page for full details.

For a personalised private coaching programme or worldwide transformational yoga retreats, please contact me here.

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Inspired by an article at upliftconnect.com by Ashleigh Wilson

Image from Wordswag

Yin Yoga is a meditative and healing form of yoga based on the principles of Chinese medicine and the meridian system, or nadis, as described in the Indian system.

Meridians are invisible pathways or energy channels interconnecting every tissue and organ in the body. They moisturise the joints with synovial fluid internally and externally. They work like acupuncture, without the needles!

Meridians enhance the flow of chi/qi (Chinese system) or prana (Indian system) otherwise known as life force or vital energy (in the Western world) through the connective tissues around the joints and ligaments, where energy can stagnate and the fascia (connective tissue) can break down causing immobility and pain.

Each organ has energetic components that affect us physically, emotionally and mentally. Strong emotional states are triggered by an organ imbalance or dysfunction.

Long term stress and negative emotions eventually break down the immune system leading to illness and disease.

Our bodies carry a record of all our experiences in our lifetime, and all experiences carry an emotional charge, so that over the years any trauma, bad relationships, betrayals, stressful jobs and grief can actually affect our physiology.

It is really important to stay with this practice to help release all the emotional baggage that we have been carrying around for so long.

Yin yoga helps to create a balance with all the yang practices of our busy lifestyles and often hectic environments.

Yin energy is peaceful and relaxing, helping to calm the central nervous system, allowing our bodies to heal and recharge.

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Join my online series of yin yoga & mindfulness classes, specially designed to melt away stress, worry and anxiety.

Try your 1st class for FREE!

See my classes page for full details.

For a personalised private coaching programme or worldwide transformational yoga retreats, please contact me here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is a very real and debilitating illness. A lot of people seriously misunderstand this invisible illness.

There is no single reason or definitive cure for this condition. Chronic fatigue syndrome certainly isn’t just feeling tired all the time, that’s a massive understatement, it is far more complex than that and the frustrating thing is when people tell you to just drink more coffee and have a sugar fix! Arggghh! This should be avoided, trust me on this one.

In a nutshell, it is like a complete power failure of the body. Nothing functions how it should do. The severe exhaustion that is felt throughout is very different from normal tiredness.

Symptoms

Symptoms include: debilitating fatigue, headaches, depression, palpitations, panic attacks, muscle aches, sleep disturbances, digestive problems, short-term memory loss, lack of concentration, sore glands and sore joints.

This will affect all systems of the body. This could include energy, neurological, psychological, circulatory, digestive, immune system and musculoskeletal. These effects make it a multi-factorial condition that requires a complete overhaul of diet and lifestyle including physical and mental health.

Causes

Common causes and triggers can include the Epstein Barr virus, which is the most severe type of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Another problem can be neck and spinal problems causing a restriction of blood supply to the brain. Others include nutritional deficiencies, toxic overload, yeast and fungal overgrowth, long term stress and hormonal malfunctions.

Anti-depressants are commonly prescribed by doctors as most people struggle with this condition. They can struggle so much that they end up depressed even if they were not before!

This is not a cure but the justification behind it is that some people may find that it can help to lift their mood which can then help them deal with everything else (and that’s not including the side effects from the medication!)

My Lifestyle Now…

I have had to make massive changes to every area of my life; however, the good news is that it gives us the opportunity to get to the root cause and improve our life in areas that are no longer serving us. In my experience, the holistic approach is the only way to conquer this debilitating illness. What I know now, after my diagnosis, is invaluable to me and I am thankful that I have had the chance to turn my life around! Trust me when I say that chronic fatigue syndrome does not have to be a life sentence. Believe that you can and will recover. Learn everything you can about health, well-being and especially stress management. Anything is possible and I am living proof and can talk from experience.

After addressing my diet and lifestyle and physical exercise being particularly difficult for me, the next step was yoga and studying the mind. This has been a life saver! But yin yoga, in particular, has been the game changer for me. And something I will be eternally grateful for! More about my story can be found on the “About Me” page and why not not follow my journey via Facebook and Instagram.

Classes, courses and workshops all include my own unique style of teaching blending various information and knowledge from numerous sources, drawing on personal experiences, knowing what has worked for me can work with others. Please see the testimonials from my students.

Keep checking back for more updates on the physical and mental health benefits of yin yoga.

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Join my FREE 4 week online series of yin yoga & mindfulness classes, specially designed to melt away stress, worry and anxiety.

See my classes page for full details.

Courses and workshops coming soon!

For a personalised private coaching programme or worldwide transformational yoga retreats, please contact me here.