Spring is coming. I’m sure we are all beginning to get excited about waking up when the sun is up, longer days and a little more warmth. It really begins to put a ‘Spring’ in your step, if you will.
I love all four seasons for different reasons. The world has a beautiful way of giving you a brand new, totally different season just when you might be getting a little tired of the last one, what a gift!
Spring is the perfect time to enhance your practice of gratitude and appreciation. There is an abundance of new life around us and nature provides us with a constant stream of beauty to be thankful for! So, why not start taking a morning walk of appreciation. As the days lengthen and the sun shows its face a little more (we hope, although you never know with England!), there is no excuse not to get outside, especially if you’re a fair weather walker! Science shows that if we can get outside to let the sun shine on our faces in the first 20 minutes of our day it is most beneficial for our mood and mental clarity. Not only this, but leaving your face sun cream free for this same 20 minutes allows the skin to properly absorb the Vitamin D that our bodies need (and is notoriously hard to get in the UK in Winter). As you walk, whether that is in your garden, round a park, down your road, wherever you can possibly get to, actively appreciate nature. Look around. Take in what’s new. Pick out particularly vibrant colours. Look for birds or other aspects of wildlife. Appreciate the fact that your body is a miracle (after all, we forget that we are nature too). It’s so easy to stick our headphones in, or plug ourselves in to a device whilst we walk, but in doing so we miss things that may add to the beauty of the moment. Like birdsong, or the sound of fresh running water. If you cant get out in the morning to walk don’t let it deter you. An activity like this that promotes gratitude, gets your body moving and fresh air flooding into your lungs is good for you no matter what time of day you do it. Get out on your lunch break, walking the dog after work, you’ll have more and more time as we get into Summer and Mr Sun is out from early till late! Nature is always moving in a beautiful cycle, so you could even shake up the time of day you go and see what differs. Let me know in the comments if this is something you try and what it is you look forward to seeing in Spring.
The first week of March sees my last week of online Kids yoga classes. A change in circumstances means that I have to say ‘see you later’ to these classes for now (they will DEFINITELY be back in some shape or form), but I am working on a timetable for Kids classes in person at a couple of venues around Essex. I am grateful to all of the beautiful little souls who have showed up with fearlessness and creativity over the past 7 weeks, and I look forward to practicing in person. There will be more updates on this coming soon..
The ‘Mindfulness Minute’ feature that I have ran alongside these classes is STILL AVAILABLE via my Facebook page, Instagram and Youtube Channel. These are FREE mindfulness exercises that you can do with your kids that take no more than a minute, but will bring a little bit more mindfulness into their day to day.
I am continuing to run adult classes via Zoom (Vinyasa Flow for All Levels and Meditation), but after the government announcement last week I am delighted to announce that I am aiming to start in person classes from week commencing 26th of April. With a start back date in sight I will be devising a timetable of two 6 week courses. I will reveal more soon.
Mum and I will be coming together to review when Moon Baths (2 hours of yoga, meditation and gong therapy) can start up again. If you are interested in helping your energy attune to that of the new and full moons then these sessions are definitely for you. Updates on all of the above will be posted here on my website, announced in my April Newsletter and posted to my social media platforms.
Lastly, I have some exciting news which will impact the long term future of Compassionate Awakened Living. I am currently embarking on a year long adventure with IIN (Institute of Integrative Nutrition) to become a certified Health Coach. I begin officially on March 15th and I am already astounded with the incredible programme content, quality of lecturers and all I will be soaking up over the next year. I will write posts about nutrition, mindset, what ‘Health Coaching’ means and anything else that I feel needs to be shared throughout the year. How this will fit into the world of Compassionate Awakened Living yet I am unsure, but I can’t wait to see where it goes!
I hope you enjoy welcoming in Spring with open arms. I would love to hear from you about your Spring experiences in the comments.
With Love, Light & Best Wishes,
Ciara X
Compassionate Awakened Living 