I’ve been practising yoga for many years. When I’m ‘on the mat’ I feel centred, it’s space away from everything else in my life and a rare chance to pay attention to my body instead of my mind. Recently I’ve been attending classes led by Liz Walker. Liz is an experienced yoga teacher who specialises … Read more
June treated us to some beautiful warm weather, as we celebrated the Queens Jubilee, Glastonbury and the start of Wimbledon. The Summer Solstice and Midsummer have already been and gone so I think it’s safe to say that Summer is officially here (cue cold weather and rain!) It’s often the Winter months as the dark … Read more
To mark the 25th World Book Day this month I’m sharing with you a list of book recommendations which focuses on the theme of mental wellbeing. Please bear in mind that this is far from an exhaustive list as the market is saturated with wellbeing books and there are more coming out all the time. … Read more
Press the pause button. Take a slow deep breath. Picture yourself in a forest. As you look up you see the trees towering majestically above you and the light radiating through the leaves. All around you is the sound of beautiful bird song. As you breathe in the air feels so clean and you can … Read more
We are currently surrounded by hearts, chocolates, roses and all manner of pink and red gifts for Valentine’s Day. This is wonderful for any of us who are lucky to be in a romantic and happy relationship, but what about those of us whose relationship is not great, those who are single, bereaved or lonely? … Read more
I’ve been interested in the links between creativity and emotional wellbeing ever since I worked on the Creative Alternatives project 12 years ago. The project delivered creative workshops and outings as a ‘treatment’ for depression and anxiety. Through this I saw the dramatic impact that creativity can have on people’s lives, how it brought them … Read more
Gardening and being out in nature, have long been recognised as good for our souls. So much so that in the 1800’s patients in mental health institutions were being encouraged, as part of their therapy, to work on the grounds and farm. Since then scientific research has shown that gardening reduces depression and anxiety, improves … Read more
Last month saw the release of my first book review and now it’s time for my first Q&A session! I’m grateful to Tobyn Bell for agreeing to be my ‘guinea pig’ for this, particularly as he is so busy right now traveling around Australia and New Zeland talking about Compassion Focused Therapy. Compassion Focused Therapy … Read more
Welcome to the April edition of Forrest Rambles. Today I’m going to be looking at Mindfulness as this is a really popular topic at the moment, and it’s recommended by NICE Guidelines as an effective treatment for recurrent depression. I’ve been interested in meditation for about twenty years now, and practice mindfulness on a daily … Read more