Stop. Breathe. Reset.
Hi Superstars!
As we have mentioned before, we are sharing some of our previous emails with the community (there are 3 years worth now!). It's really insightful to re-read the emails and reflect on how we were feeling back then. If anyone had told us in that first year what SMASH London would become, we probably would have laughed! We believed in ourselves but that belief has certainly manifested in to something stronger as the 3 years have progressed, and our mindfulness practise has strengthened
Here is our email from November 2017 -
Ups, Downs and Everything In Between
How are you feeling today? Maybe you have an automatic response to that question - "Fine", "Great", "Glad it's the weekend!" - but how are you really feeling? Not sure? Take 5 minutes now to do some mindful breathing exercises and you may find the answer to that question becomes a bit clearer. Most times we need to take time out to really acknowledge our emotions and feelings, and breathing exercises are one of the best ways to do this. Our suggestion is to find a quiet space if possible (although mindful breathing can be practised anywhere as long as it is safe to do so!) and breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 4 and breathe out for a count of 4-8. Do this at least 3-4 times but try to repeat for 5 minutes (or more) if you can. Give it a try...
So, how are you feeling?
We work best when we nourish our mind and take care of our emotions. Mindfulness has always been about managing how we react to life as opposed to trying to eliminate the cause of our stress or worries or anxiety, or pro long our happiness and joy. Life has twists and turns, ups, downs and everything in between, but one thing is always certain - impermanence. Nothing lasts forever. When you feel low or angry or frustrated, accept that this will pass in time. When you are having the time of your life, live and breathe it with all that you have, because this too will end. Such is life - nothing lasts forever. The bad days help us appreciate the good ones and those amazing days give us something to be grateful for.
How are you feeling? Whatever your answer, accept and appreciate it. Every day you get stronger, wiser and more appreciative and if you can do anything to make your day the best it can be then, well, just give it your best shot. There are no limits to your happiness.
If you haven't downloaded the Calm app yet (or a similar app like Headspace) then why not download it now and try some mindful breathing? We have never heard someone say they regretted taking a few minutes to calm their mind...
Impermanence - perhaps more obvious than ever right now! That knowing that nothing lasts forever - Lockdown will eventually ease and life will resume, albeit with some changes. We need Patience, Acceptance, Trust - 3 of the 7 pillars of mindfulness - to nurture our emotions and feelings during this time, with the knowledge that it won't always be like this. Lockdown may have brought ups, down and everything in between, but it's also given us a much needed opportunity to stop, breathe and reset.
Stop.
Breathe.
Reset.
You owe it to yourself.
Have a beautiful day
Sam and Ash
