So, it was our second Virtual Supper club on Wednesday. After delivering lots of food parcels last time, I was very grateful to Anne Marie from ‘Get Cooking!’ for delivering a brilliant 30-minute cooking session this time to start the evening off. She is a master at her art and was as brilliant as ever. I can’t recommend her cooking sessions highly enough and would recommend everyone to check out her wide variety of online classes.

We were then blessed with a wonderful presentation from the brilliant Bhavik Shah from Wellness Matters, who shared his wisdom on mindfulness and Emotional Freedom technique.

I am a huge fan of Bhavik and have learnt so much from him as he generously shares his wisdom to help others.

I believe that we can all learn so much from each other’s stories and I invited him to share his own story with us at the start of the evening. It is an inspiring story of a father’s deep devotion for his son, which led him to a long journey of learning and exploration to heal his health issues. Thankfully his son is now in good health, and despite years of challenge and adversity, Bhavik now has a very clear purpose in life, to share everything he has learnt… and he is doing it so powerfully and beautifully.

He invited us all to pause and consider what we had learnt from Covid in the early days of lock-down when many of us were forced to isolate and slow down. For many people this was a moment when they were forced to sit with their thoughts as the busyness of daily life alluded them. Many people struggle with their thoughts and try to avoid the discomfort with distraction. However, listening and accepting ourselves and treating ourselves with kindness and compassion is just so key to health. If there is one thing that is so important to remember right now is that ‘we are all doing our best’.

For many, our mental health has been as challenged more than anything over this challenging time, so developing mental fitness and resilience is key, and this is where the mindfulness practices that Bhavik shared with us are so important.

Mindfulness practices provide simple yet brilliant and powerful tools that can be so beneficial to so many people right now.

When people think of mindfulness they very often think of meditation. Without doubt, meditation has powerful benefits for our health. However, we can also access mindfulness in other ways, and Bhavik took us through these tools beautifully. He explained the power of the breath and invited us all to simply pause and slow down our breathing for a moment. He also took us through a body scan where we tuned into our how our bodies were feeling, and then he described how simply tuning into our senses can help us to access mindfulness at any point during the day. We can simply start to tune in to all our senses: what we can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. We can bring conscious awareness to any activity we are doing, whether that is really savouring and tasting that morning cuppa, or really appreciating the smell of the shower gel or the sensation of the water on our skin as we shower. We can take a moment to simply step outside and look up at the sky or appreciate the trees or flowers all around. We have an opportunity to tap into mindfulness everywhere we look simply by slowing down and noticing. It is also important now more than ever with all the challenges and uncertainty we are facing, to appreciate the present moment.

All these tools are so simple, yet they can have a profound impact on our health. They literally send messages back to the brain that switch off the stress response and activate the relaxation response. When we are relaxed state, we are much less reactive, which is just so vital right now as we deal with the daily challenges we are facing right now.

They are simple tools but so incredibly POWERFUL tools that are free and accessible to everyone.

Bhavik then took us through Emotional Freedom Technique which is also a brilliant, powerful and accessible tool for everyone.

I am so grateful to Bhavik for sharing so much with us all and would encourage you all to reach out to him at Wellness Matters. He runs 8-week courses to enable you to learn and practice these and many other powerful techniques for health and well-being. He has had a profound impact on my life, and will no doubt continue to impact many people for  years to come… Thank you Bhavik, for all you do.

It is very clear that right now people are experiencing extreme levels of stress unlike ever before, and there is a real need for people to learn stress reducing techniques, and to empower people to take control of their health. I will therefore be running my first 4-week group health coaching course in February.

The course will bring people together to support each other with their own personal health goals and will give them tools to reduce or manage their stress better. I will share information on a variety of aspects of health and well-being, help you to create realistic goals, and provide the support and accountability that is so vital to long lasting lifestyle change.  Anyone that knows me will know that I have a passion for bringing people together and the power of group coaching for the support and accountability it provides cannot be underestimated. We all know how much easier it is to achieve our goals when we do it with a friend….

The course will be one evening a week starting in February. Places will be offered on a first come first serve basis so please do get in touch if you would like to book on.

I would also invite you all to put the date in your diary for next month’s Supper Club on Tuesday February 16th when we will be privileged to hear from the wonderful Gregory Weston. Greg will be sharing his remarkable journey to independence having suffered a serious brain injury. Please do visit his Facebook page to learn about the wonderful work he does in the community to help others.

I am so grateful he has offered to share his story with us. I know that you will learn so much from his inspirational approach to life, and really hope that you will be able to join us. Details of the event to follow soon…

In the meantime, please do take good care of yourselves, and I hope to see you soon,

Harriet x