Live The Life You Dream Of…

I recently read an article about ‘the happiness formula’. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania devised a formula for calculating happiness and found that ‘voluntary control’ had a high value. By voluntary control he meant not genetic capacity to be happy and not circumstance. This proved for him that people can learn to be happier and that wealth & health plays a less important role in happiness than might have been perceived.

He found that factors such as learning to be grateful for what we have and sitting down in the evenings listing all the things which went well with the day led to people achieving greater happiness.

I love articles like this as they provide a scientific base for what I do everyday and what results myself and my students get from meditation.

Yes being grateful can lead to greater happiness. Being grateful proves that you are looking positively at life. You are enjoying the flowers, the smiles, nature. If you can value your day and be grateful for what has gone on and what is around you; this in turn increases the likelihood of more things coming into your life, for which to be grateful for.

A really good way to bring a little gratitude into your life and therefore happiness is to write three things daily for which you were grateful for that day – it can be the simplest thing or a major achievement. This will help you to live in the moment, bring happiness to your everyday and generally live a little lighter and with more fun:)

What are you grateful for today? I am grateful for the wonderful blue of the sea, which I can look out at; my kitchen which I lovingly finished cleaning earlier today and my tea break which I’ll take after this is posted.

I hope you can find your three things to be grateful for too! Please post them and enjoy your moments!

Bindi x

Happiness Formula article was in The Independent on Sunday 20th June 2010

I am sure most of you have seen some coverage of the World Cup – I have definitely been enjoying watching the games

It is interesting seeing the ways the football teams celebrate their goals and I thought I would remind everyone to be sharing their goals and successes too!

It is extremely easy to get caught up in your everyday and not take the time out to:

1. Realise what you have achieved and

2. To celebrate these achievements.

It is important to do both and often. You are achieving more than you realise. Think through your last week and write down everything you have accomplished.

In personal terms, this could be the new recipe you tried which was a success; a new exercise regime you embarked on or quality time you spent with your partner or children.

In business terms, it could be the new blog site you created; the new client you gained or the follow-up calls you managed to make.

You are constantly achieving without necessarily taking the time to appreciate these achievements. Once you do know what your achievements are for the week, then start celebrating them! This could be by celebrating your business achievements on a Friday night with a glass of wine, or celebrating personal success with a family day out.  Remember to celebrate all your smaller steps towards your ultimate vision or dream and see it draw closer into your life.

So take some time out to see what you have achieved and I look forward to your ‘celebration stories’.

Bindi x

Welcome to warm and sunny June

Last month I talked about change and how by making even small changes in your life, there can be significant outcomes. I am happy to say that the people I have been working with this month have all experienced huge growth and I congratulate them on their commitment and focus.

If you are still unsure about where life coaching can and will take you then please do contact me for an initial free consultation where we can discuss your needs. My all-inclusive monthly coaching package can be face to face or over the telephone and includes Ayurveda advice, meditation classes and as many coaching sessions as you need. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to achieve the ‘live you dream of…’

As you can see from the photo, we had a cheque presentation for the Chestnut Tree House Hospice and another chance to visit the centre and all the wonderful work they do. We raised £726 for the charity which they will put towards the work they do to help the families of life-limited children.  http://www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk

Thank you again to everyone who supported us and the charity by attending the LIFEstival and to all our fantastic exhibitors. If you visited a stall and did not pick up all the information you needed, the contact details for the exhibitors are still on the website: http://www.lifestivaluk.com

The topic in the meditation drop-in classes for the last week has been Peace. We all need peace in our lives to balance ourselves and also to project into the wider environment – the more everyone is at peace, the more peace there will be in the world. Try this meditation to transport yourself to somewhere peaceful:

One you have focused on your breath and come to a relaxed state, then start visualising a place which you find peaceful – it can be an imagined place or somewhere you already know. It can be by water, in a garden or on a mountain top. Once you are in your peaceful place, focus on your emotions – really feeling the emotion of peace and tranquility. It is this emotion which you are bringing into your meditation and ultimately into your day. Meditate for as long as you want to before concentrating on your breath once more to come out of the meditation.

I have scheduled in more times for my drop-in classes so if you are in the area and would like to experience a group meditation class, then please let me know. If you live further away, I can give you meditation advice via e-mail and hopefully will see you at a Saturday meditation workshop.

Have a lovely week,

Bindi

Due to continued demand, I am happy to announce more drop-in meditation classes in Saltdean

Meditation can:

1. Bring an increased focus into your life – so good for getting to your aims, good for concentrating on what really counts in your life.

2. Bring more positive into your life – by meditating on the positive in your life, you are naturally attracting  more positive in – which can be in the form of anything you desire.

3. Increase your relaxation – it can help you sleep, aid your relaxed response when you are in a tense-situation and need to calm down quickly.

4. Help you to become stress-free - with meditation we concentrate on the now and bring gratitude into our lives at the moment – this leads to less stress about future things which may or may not happen and more happier living now.

Drop-in meditation classes in Saltdean:

Tuesdays:                                                         Wednesdays:                                                Thursdays:

11 – 11.45am                                                      9.15 – 10am                                                 9.15 – 10am

2 – 2.45pm                                                                                                                             11 – 11.45am

3 – 3.45pm

The first class is £5 and then £8 per class or buy 10 sessions for £65.

Please contact me for more information: 01273 302 350 or via the contact form on the website: http://www.anamaya.net/Web/Pages/contact.html

I look forward to guiding you through your meditation journey soon,

Bindi

There have been a few instances this week where people have mentioned their self-confidence or how their confidence has fallen.

It is very easy to lose confidence when someone criticises what we have done or when some self-doubt creeps in to whether we are good enough.

I thought I would give you a really quick way to boost your self-confidence today:

Write down all the ways in which you have achieved in your life. These can be academic achievements, personal achievements – things you wouldn’t have expected from yourself. Go through the whole of your life and keep writing. Once you have finished, then put the paper up where you can see it daily – this is your daily reminder of your achievements and will be an aid to keeping your confidence levels high. When you start feeling the self-doubt, then just look at your list of achievements and see the self doubt disappear and good self-confidence appear in its place.

Try it now

Bindi x

Welcome to the month of April!

I would firstly like to thank everyone who has sent messages of condolences to me regarding my cousin, Samir. For those of you who do not know my cousin passed away on 23rd March 2010 aged only 44 years old. It has been a challenging time for the family and we are gently starting to heal ourselves.

Although very young he was an extremely positive person, and this came through with his battle against cancer. His dream from a young age had been to move to England from Mombasa where he grew up and this dream was fulfilled two years ago when he moved to London with his wife and two sons. He definitely lived life to the full and enjoyed every day.

His legacy, I believe, is to make us all aware of the fragility of our own lives and thus to treat life as precious. Do something special for yourself and for a loved one today

My next workshop will be on 17th April on the meditation technique of Visualisation.
We can use visualisation in our lives to become more positive, to achieve the dreams we want and to move forward from negative emotions. If the weather warms up sufficiently, we will have the option of going to the beach at the end of the workshop to use the healing powers of the sea in our meditation. Please contact me to book: bindi@anamaya.net

Again thank you to all of you for spreading the word about the LIFEstival, the health and well-being show in Saltdean 1-2 May 2010, I am really looking forward to seeing you there. Our stands are almost gone, but please still get in touch if you are want to exhibit and I will see if we can fit you in.  50% of all our proceeds will be to the Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice, who provide much-needed care and support for families when a child develops a life-limiting illness. For more information see the website www.lifestivaluk.com.

I have been doing a gratitude meditation in my drop-in classes this week. The more you can acknowledge what you have and be grateful for it, then the more you can receive into your life.

Take a few moments to think of what you are grateful for today…it can be the little things such as the flowers you saw on your walk, the sun shining on your back through the window, the smile you received on the train to work…. or the bigger things such as the love of your family and friends, your fantastic job, your lovely house.

Feel the positive energy when you feel the gratitude and it is this energy you want to take with you for the rest of your day.

Have a peaceful Easter weekend everyone and enjoy the time with your family and friends,

Visualisation Workshop

Saturday 17th April 11am – 2pm

Learn to use this meditation art of visualisation to bring some of what you desire into your life.

Our thoughts make up our world – the more we can visualise and use this meditation technique, the more we can obtain what we desire from life.

The workshop involves:

1. Deep breathing and a breath meditation

2. Guided meditation

3. Your own visualisation for what you want to achieve emotionally

4. Yoga Nidra

If the weather permits we have the option of going onto the beach at the end of the workshop.

Please e-mail me directly to book your place: bindi@anamaya.net or call 01273 302 350

I look forward to hearing from you and being a part of your meditation journey,

Bindi x

Happy February!

Well what a month January was! With snow keeping us inside, I feel as though I’ve only had three weeks of the new year so far!! I know a lot of you have experienced the same and I am still talking about setting 2010 goals with people everyday. My next teleworkshop – a conference call, so you can be in the comfort of your home – on goal setting will be Saturday 20th February 10-11am. You will get all the handouts by e-mail which we will work through on the call and an individual 15 minute session afterwards. The cost of the teleworkshop is only £10 and it really will steer you in the right direction for achieving those goals or resolutions this year.

Our LIFEstival is fully under way now with our marketing and getting stands booked. If you would like to be a business sponsor and feature on our website, leaflets and flyers and have your company information displayed throughout the weekend, then please get in touch. 50% of all our proceeds will be to the Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice, who provide much-needed care and support for families when a child develops a life-limiting illness. For more information see the website www.lifestivaluk.com.

I was also interviewed for Diverse Ethics in January. Diverse Ethics is a social enterprise which provides expert information, training and a consultancy service for public and private organisations. For the full interview and more information about Diverse Ethics see http://www.diverseethics.com/article/interviews/voices/binditherapist

A new year always makes me think about moving forward and growth. But what about the events, habits and feelings you cannot let go of and which are restricting and limiting your growth? If you find yourself in this situation of frequently looking back or remembering things which have hurt you, then now is the time to let this hurt go and move forward for the future.

A brilliant technique of letting go is to write down the event which is sticking in your mind. By writing it down, you are letting it leave your mind and go onto the paper instead. Then tear the paper up and throw it away…this way you have let go of the event. Try it, believe me it does work

Have a lovely rest of the month and ’see’ you in March!

Bindi

‘Visualise Love‘ Meditation Workshop:

Come along and learn how to increase the love you have in your life:)

I will be teaching meditation techniques to:

1. Let go of past love hurts.

2. Open up hearts to receiving love.

3. Give, receive and visualise love.

Location: Saltdean, Brighton

Date: Saturday 13th February 2010

Time: 11am – 2pm

Cost: £40 which includes a guided meditation CD, handouts and refreshments.

For more details please e-mail me on bindi@anamaya.net