Nearly every element in the human body was forged by a star so evert thing on earth originated from stardust its where the elements were formed its in our atoms - we are all stardust
Practise Mindfulness while Stargazing can reset your circadian rhythms and enclourages more peaceful sleep- turn off your lights and open your curtains -or go outside and sit or lye down.
Make sure your body feels aligned, relaxed and balanced
Notice what you see - it can take 15 minutes for your eyes to adust
Notice your body during this time , how are your breathing ?
Fix your game on one part of the sky and your filed of vision . Stress can make you tunnel visonbed so when we peuposedly tune into our visual periphery it send signals to the body that its ok to relax .
Fully immerse yourself in the experience - you dont need to know which star or constalatuion you are looking at just appreciate the view.
Thioghts will aris4 so just put them to one side and bring your attention back to the night sky. Notice the sounds and sensations be conscious of your breath how your neck feels, stay present
Feeling connected to something outside gives you a sense of purpose - looking at the night sky you connected not just to your country or planet earth but to to the cosmos and Universe. It reminds you that you are tiny spec on a blu marble in the middle of space. You get a sense of awe and large dose of perspective as theres more to life than just ourselves
Look up tonight and see the same patterns of stars as our ancestors and their ancestors stretching back to the beginning of time, This consistency can be your pole star in times of change and turbulence or when you feel alone and disconnected - we are all part of something big and we all look up at the same sky - this connection can make you feel less alone, Improve your compassion, wellbeing and feel more capable of handling anything.
Take inspiration from earth, wind, fire and water with these science backed ways to reduce stress tackle depression and boost immume system.
Earth - special times in nature enjoying green spaces - our environment has a hug impact on our behaviour and happiness levels. Being outdoors with sunlight benefits our production of vitamin D levels- the fractals ( geometric patterns only found in nature = relieve stress support sleep and aid digestion boosting our wellbeing - research says just 2 hours a week in the garden, sitting on a bench in the park & walking in nature will leave you happier and healthier .
Air- we say blow away the cobwebs - replace bad air with good - we dont all have access to walking on a windy seafront but we can all harness the power of the breath- breathing properly can help you feel relaxed and safe.It sends signals to the brain via the vagus nerve - it reduces levels of the stress hormones in the body reducing panic and anxiety.
Start breathing in for 2, pause for 2, exhale for 2, then pause for 2 noticing the pause will help keep your attention on the breath - try lengthening the exhalation as this will reset the rest and digest parasympathetic system which sends signals of calm and safety through the body.
Fire - Watching fire such as a candle burning can help you unwind, reduce blood pressure. Research says watching fire is an evolutionary throwback to our ancient ancestors making us more sociable . Saunas are another way to get your fire going with evidence that they can reduce heart disease, lower blood pressure and reduce painful joints.
Great outside and enjoying the sunshine even during winter which creates serotonin the happy hormone and will lift your mood.
Water - Spending time at the coast creates sense of wellbeing which is believed due to negative ions electrically charged particles created by the waves. A study found people who live near the the sea tend to be more active and have better mental health. We have a deep evolutionary connection with the water. Our bodes are 70 -80 % water and its thought that humans evolved from water creatures millions of years ago so its not a surprise water has a threputic effecting restorative effect on the body and brain
Listen to the waves or the rain, take cold showers or have a bath, swim outside and drinkilots of water
Discover yourself and get inspired by nature and the elements - try and get outside whenever you can appreciate the world its can help you heal emotional and mentally counter effects our fast digital lifestyles .
Dear Body
You are worthy of love
I will treat you like a friend
You are constantly changing and adapting
Thank you for being there for me
I will listen to and try to meet your needs
I will invest time and energy into caring for you
You are more than your appearance
I will focus on all the incredible things you can do rather than those you cannot
I dont need to compare myself to others
I accept you as you are here and now
Good news uplifting stories that have happened during lockdown.
The town of Tankerton, in Kent, turned the town’s Christmas lights back on in February to brighten up the dark evenings and to lift spirits.
It’s been revealed that not one single rhino was killed by poachers in Kenya in 2020 – something that hasn’t been achieved since 1999.
A student from Leeds created an innovative bin bag dispenser to tackle the trash epidemic as revellers started returning to parks and public spaces.
England’s largest ocean rewilding scheme began in April, with the aim to plant eight hectares of seagrass meadows – which are incredible habitats for marine creatures, as well as absorbing carbon 35 times faster than a rainforest.
Footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and his fans have officially given out more than 21 million meals since the first UK lockdown. Food redistribution charity, FareShare, who Marcus partnered up with, also revealed that it’s given out 128.5 million meals since 23 March 2020.
Two dolphins were spotted swimming in Venice’s famous Grand Canal – an extremely rare sight, most likely thanks to the calmer waters due to social restrictions because of the pandemic.
Anonymous artist Banksy has raised more than £16 million for an NHS charity through the sale of a painting depicting a little boy playing with a nurse doll wearing a superhero cape.
Paddy Joyce an autistic teen sent 663 individually-named cards to front-line workers at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary to thank them for all their hard work.
Waterhaul (a social enterprise in Cornwall) have a project to take waste plastic and turn it into something good – every 45 face masks make a litter picker! 129 billion single-use face masks are used globally each month!
Tesco managed to permanently remove one billion bits of plastic from its stores in 2020. This was done by working with suppliers to reduce plastic shrink wrap, removing double lids, and getting rid of plastic bags for loose fruit and veg.
As part of its efforts to become a carbon neutral company, Swedish furniture store IKEA has bought 11,000 acres of woodland in Georgia, USA, to preserve the forest after it seemed likely to be land used for development.
The Bank of England revealed the new face of £50 notes, which will feature pioneer mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing. His work to decipher Enigma machine messages during World War II saved countless lives and helped bring the war to an end sooner.
In March, Nomadland director Chloé Zhao made history by becoming the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for best director. And in April she did it again – becoming the first woman of colour and only the second woman ever to win an Oscar for best director.
A colony of dormice, a protected species, that has been living next to the M1 in Buckinghamshire for five years, is to be given its own special street crossing to help the animals thrive.
#movefreelyforever
#Tierra-Madre
#goodnews
A video
We can challenge the sensory motor vestibular system through our yoga practise, take 30 minutes out of your day to join me and lets get moving. Life is dynamic, children move in lots of different dimensions in relation to gravity - climbing, falling, running, jumping, swinging. As we age we get more liner or regular about movement we do the same exercise patterns climb the same stairs, we forget how important it is to regularly challenge ourselves both physically and mentally and that this reduction in movement could be the reason why the plasticity in the brain may be reduced. Our vestibular system (eyes and ears) is the way to access neuro-plasticity. The brain knows the position of your body relative to the orientation to gravity depending on whether your head is engaging more in pitch (nodding), yaw (shake head saying no) or roll (ear to shoulder) or combination of the 3 planes of movement. Our ears hear and take in sound perception and balance via vestibular control . We have semi circular canals in our inner ears and inside these are little tubes where calcium balls roll back and forward as we move our head which send signals to rest of body how to shift our body in respect to gravity. We know the benefit of cardio and resistance training will train our nerves and muscles, however exercise will maintain but not improve plasticity unless you do specify things. A certain level of automatic arousal is needed to open up plasticity so we need to include balance training and consistency learn new things. When our brain senses an unstable position it sends a signal to the cerebellum to release brain chemicals which is basically saying “ you need to do something before you risk injury”. So when practising balancing find safe place to create this learning experience, stay dedicated to the task and dont be frighted to make errors as you learn as this will help increase the production of neuro-chemicals into the brain. If theres a mismatch in the motor sensory vestibular feedback like when riding a stationary bike where you have visual feed back but you don’t have a fear of falling off , neuro-chemicals like dopamine won’t be released.