This weekend I participated in a wonderful community event as part of the Warwickshire Wellness Warriors who have been brought together by my dear friend Meeta Darji. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by like-minded people and to meet lots of other people throughout this uplifting event!

I really enjoyed talking to people and inviting them to take a moment to pause and take care of themselves. I shared a short Heart Math practice I had recorded, and demonstrated how it helps to bring their nervous system back into balance by using a heart rate variability monitor.

However, I also invited people to take a moment to breathe together as I led a short session on the power of the heart and the power of community.

In previous years I would have fretted endlessly over such a session. However, with my new gentler approach, a busy week, and a bit of last minute planning, I was able to offer myself a little self-compassion, with an ‘I always do my best, and that is enough’ approach, and luckily this time the butterflies came just moments before.

I feel so confident in heart math techniques that I knew I would enjoy sharing these at the start of the session and that people would feel better taking a moment to pause and breathe together..

I had then hoped  that I would find it easy to share stories from my work over the past week when it came to the community part of my talk… However, as so often happens I lose my trail of thought if unprepared! My talk therefore finished much earlier than I had anticipated.

However, it was not without impact, and not without a powerful demonstration of quite how powerful it is to bring people together and that is the story I ultimately want to share with you now….

So after the breath-work I invited anyone who had a regular breath work practice to share how it has benefited them.  I bring people together in groups a lot in my work, and one thing I say repeatedly is that it is very often what someone else shares that resonates more than what I share. That is one of the things I love about groups. It is an opportunity to constantly learn and be inspired by each other.

It is also important in my work to approach it all with compassion and curiosity as I never know how people will be feeling in that moment. However, I have to say it was a wonderful surprise when an 11 year old boy put his hand up in response to my invitation to share.

He took the microphone from me and simply said. ‘I used to struggle with ‘tics’ and heart focused breathing has helped me overcome it.’

Well, he blew me away. Choosing to speak out and to share your vulnerability within in a group takes real courage, but it offers a real sense of hope and inspiration to others.  To do this at such a young age is really something else. It was such a special moment to witness, and one that will stay with me for a very long time.

I actually know his parents who are the warmest kind hearted souls you could hope to meet. My heart opens any time I think of them, and in that moment I was also in awe of their clearly incredible parenting skills.

They say that children don’t do what you say, they model your behaviour… and this was such a beautiful illustration of that. His Dad is both a carer and shiatsu practitioner, whilst his mum hosts monthly heart meditation and drumming sessions in the community. Please click here for her contact details to find out more.

Together this very special family quite simply epitomise the title of my talk! The power of the heart, and the power of community.

I think it also just beautifully illustrates that we really are so much better together..

When people come together, they help everyone around them feel less alone, and they make everyone just that little bit braver…..

Thank you for bringing us all together Meeta Darji, and thank you to one very special young boy for bringing his own little bit of magic.

I wanted to share a story with everyone that day, but there was a reason I hadn’t quite prepared enough… because together we created a little story of our own.