Movement and breath- steps towards everyday wellness

Dear readers ,

One of the lessons I have found immensely valuable in my personal and professional realm is the insights I have gained in learning about the fascinating architecture of our brainworks. It is positive that today -there is a niche that we have created for study of brain and its~relevance to emptional literacy and wellbeing.

It is even more positive that we are beginning to look at emotional literacy as fundamental to growing good kind children – our citizens of the morrow.

So the intention of today`s post is to share 3 key facts on the brain…

1. The brain develops in a sequential fashion  sequential developmental and sensitivity from the brainstem to the cortex ; the stem of the brain is the first to pick up any duress in out lives. Stress travels upwards from the stem towards the cortical region ( where thinking and learning happen)
2. Those of us who are able to cope in times of stress – we have the know-how to calm the brainstem – which allows us to think and reason better. Those of us who crumble during times of stress – we tend to feel severely displaced – the stress response generating from the stem -leads us towards feeling overwhelmed and/ displaced – so logic goes out the window- when the stress takes over and moves towards our cortical and thinking regions of the brain.
3. Ways to improve our capabilities in dealing with stress: Research indicates that taking time to reflect helps in improving our stress response . Keeping aside time to move , making mindful breathing an inherent part of what we do and taking the time to stretch our limbs builds our capabilities in dealing with challenging events.

More on brainfacts on a later blog…..wishing you all a gentle and upbeat week,

Much love from reach4art 🙂

Kia Ora dear readers – greetings to you all from the Southern Hemisphere

Throughout this week – we have had visitations from the rainman – a welcome reprieve for the water scarcity we face in Auckland 🙂

Today I connect with you with the intention of affirming the need to make time for what is important to each of our short and long term goals .

I often speak of connectedness to oneself -which means taking a tab of our strengths , weaknesses and what we aspire for – personally and professionally.
Here are some of the ways that I connect to myself
Personally– Excercise , reading and art is essential to keep me ticking in the zen mode – I also have realised that making time to talk to my friends and family each day adds to my wellness quotient- so on that note a friendly cue – keep connected with things that bring you joy, a sense of peace and contentment….

Professionally – I am blessed in doing exactly what I wanted to do – this came with a price of having to be disciplined in the way I manage my time .
I continue to walk my way through my chosen pathway in the way of connecting to each individual whom I interact -realising my role as a change agent -and in bringing each individual to a better place from where they started.

Sometimes it seems there is no end point – but what matters is doing what is right for that moment and taking faith that each of our steps is guided by integration of the following 3 aspects

• 1. Sound Beliefs : Being connected to your/our values and practising what is important to you personally – allows you to be led by a belief system that keeps you safe and well
• 2. Knowledge that is evidence based : Read , read and read – Keeping up with the science of whats happening around the world – in the pathway you/ we have chosen keeps us well informed in the way we work
• 3. Applicaton of skills: Having the passion to apply your skills – with intention is an indicator of motivation, growth , and resilience

Integration of these three aspects – influences change and leads us towards effective intentional outcomes – and allows us to live a purpose driven life in the now and for long term – the lenght of time to come……

So on that note – I bring today`s script to a close with a few lines from the Upanishads
“Let a man strive to purify his thoughts …. Man becomes that of which he thinks” ….

Arohanui

My dear readers,
The advent of spring and better weather took me to the South Island …. where I saw flowers in bloom, trees more green and a sparkle in the blue that lit the morning sky . Travel felt new and what brought warmth to my heart was the connection with my cherished friends and the visits with my oldest.

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Being with kind people and practising kindness brings in new purpose and also adds an extra dollop of wellness into our everyday living

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The intention of connecting with you today is therefore to affirm the goodness that comes with positive experiences . Today I had the opportunity to hear Dr.Bruce Perry speak on the healing that comes from repetitive nurturing experiences. Details perhaps on a later blog

So for now make sure you intentionally indulge in experiences that brings a smile and more kindness to your being. ….

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Ma te wa for now

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