Supporting Guernsey Mind through yoga nidra and Reiki

Thank you so much beautiful people for helping to raise £308.50 for Guernsey Mind through yoga nidra and Reiki this evening.

I’m probably biased but I just love a room full of people channelling and receiving Reiki, it’s powerful stuff! I also love sharing a yoga nidra, so it was the perfect evening for me, especially as I taught yoga first too. The Reiki share was a particular highlight, where we linked palms and shared Reiki around the circle, my hands were buzzing!!!

Thank you very much to my helpers too, so much appreciated.

Sending love and Reiki.

Emma xxx

Syrian Refugee Fundraising Yoga Class (Bridge2Bridge)

The refugee situation in Greece has triggered a feeling of utter helplessness and hopelessness in me. These are people running from war, bombs and torture, yet here they are met with resistance from a world that doesn't want them. It's so sad, especially when you consider that these are people just like you and me, with young children, trying to live. I know that getting sad, angry and frustrated serves no one, especially the refugees. I also know that 'we need to be the change we want to see in the world' (Gandhi) and as I'd like the world to be a kinder, more compassionate and loving place I'm working on that. But I feel I need to do something practical. Sarah Griffith of Bridge2 is on the ground in Greece and has asked people to help her help the refugees by donating the price of a take-out coffee or two. I hope we can do better than that. Please join me on Easter Saturday, 11th April, 10-11am at St Martin's CC, with friends and family, to practice yoga together, helping to increase (potentially) kindness, compassion and love for self and others, while also raising some much needed funds for the refugees. Those of you who are Reiki attuned will also be invited to send some distance healing to the refugees and fill the room with Reiki too. Absolutely all proceeds will go to Bridge2 to enable Sarah to make a positive difference to the lives of some refugees, even if it is just for a day. It's the least we can do as fellow human beings. Thank you xxx

Beinspired by Wombling!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the environment and what more I can do to help heal this beautiful planet we live on. The ‘Found on the Beach in Guernsey (Beachcombers)’ Facebook group have inspired me, as they are always out wombling on the beaches collecting litter and held a large group event recently to clean up Le Grande Havre. 

Travelling by electric bike as much as I can (which has been positively life changing might I add and I can highly recommend), has made me realise how much litter there is cluttering the roads, lanes and hedgerows here in Guernsey. Then, while I was pondering all this, Elijah came from home from school and excitedly told me that the planet is currently being cleaned up as if it’s some agreed worldwide project! I loved the simplicity of his understanding of it. Yes, I thought, let’s just focus on cleaning up the planet, as if we were cleaning up the house, or cleaning up ourselves. The more I thought about it, the more I’ve started to consider that there is a link – the more we do clean up ourselves, the more we want to clean up the environment we live in, and the more we clean up the environment we live in, the more we want to clean up ourselves! 

We’d love it if you got wombling too, but off the beaches, in our many lanes and roads. Perhaps taking a bag out with you to collect litter while dog walking, or when you’re walking the children to school, or just taking a quick stroll around your neighbourhood; anything you can do to pick up litter will help! More hands make ‘light’ work as the saying goes. 

To start this off I thought we could have an impromptu Beinspired ‘Cleanup’ event this Sunday 19th January, 2-3pm. We could meet at Jerbourg main carpark and then split up to comb the area for rubbish on the cliffs, at the side of roads, in hedges and so on.

But whether you can join us on Sunday or not, please do share with us photos of your wombling efforts, which we can post here. Email to me , emma@beinspiredby.co.uk.

Happy cleaning!!

Annual Yoga "class on the grass"

Thank you to all of you who supported the yoga "class on the grass today, we raised £533 for the Eleanor Foundation and the Ivy Trust. I love that we can make a difference to others simply by practicing yoga, let alone giving money too! Thank you x

Herm 2015

Admittedly the weather was not as Spring-like as I would have liked but nonetheless the Beinspired Spring yoga wellbeing retreat was hugely enjoyable.

In fact with many of the same people joining the retreat year after year it is getting to be quite a familiar event, so that each year seems even more relaxed, enjoyable and “in the flow” than the one previously.

Of course much of the enjoyment of the weekend comes from simply being on the magical traffic-free and out-of-season Island of Herm with all its natural beauty to ourselves, and trusting in the process and allowing these retreats to take on their own beautiful energy.

The yoga itself was marvellous, and I was truly humbled by the commitment and focus shown by those attending - the classes which were suitable for all levels of ability and were filled with lightness and humour. It was an inspiration truly, students taking the leap of faith and practicing poses they have never practiced previously (on their own or assisted by Vicki and I).  What a joy, limitations challenged and transformation taking place before our very eyes.

And what a joy too to join together in such a beautiful setting, with stunning views from the yoga space over to the East Coast of Guernsey and us coming together to consciously breathe, move, meditate, chant, relax, let go and laugh. What a wonderful way to spend a cold March weekend.

There was plenty of time away from the mat too for relaxation or activity.  Eight joined the invigorating led run with JP Macé and Debbie Stokes, nine joined the led walk (including some foraging!) with the very informative Herm guide Lesley Bailey, and six of us managed the lunchtime swim in the sea at Hotel Beach (it was indeed freezing!).

There were treatments on offer too, holistic massage with Hayley Le Marquand, reflexology with Christine Shepherd, Reiki with Joanne Henton and food insensitivity testing with Sophie Shand. Needless to say all the ladies were fully booked with waiting lists and the treatments/testing were a real compliment to the weekend for those indulging.

The Mermaid excelled themselves again this year too and the vegetarian food was really yummy and was enjoyed by everybody.  In fact Ewan, who is a connoisseur of chocolate brownies, concluded that the Friday night chocolate brownie was the best he has ever tasted!  I particularly enjoyed the chickpea and spinach curry with brown rice and the rather tasty roasted vegetables and rye bread, to say nothing of the scrummy greens.  What a treat not to have to cook too!

For me, after weeks of preparation and the usual last minute rushing around, the weekend always passes far too quickly, especially now with Elijah joining the weekend.  Still Ewan, Elijah and I managed to fit in a couple of brisk walks to soak in the Herm energy and take in the views across to Guernsey and check out the moo moos and the ancient stones. We even managed a sandcastle on the beach in spite of the rather chilly weather!

I wish we could manage a couple of retreats on Herm each year, this beautiful Island really does have such a special spiritual and relaxing energy so that even though we were only away for 2 nights, life had most definitely slowed down a pace by the time we got home.  There is something so primal and heartening, grounding then, and enlivening about being so in touch with the elements and nature like you are on Herm, it really is so nourishing for the soul.

I am really grateful to my Mum for all her help with preparing for the retreat, to Vicki for both assisting in the classes and her general support, to JP, Debbie, Lesley, Hayley, Christine, Joanne, Sophie, Sion, Tom and his team and of course Ewan and Elijah for helping to turn dreams into reality and help make a weekend on Herm very special. Om Shanti.

Needless to say we have booked Herm for the 2016 retreat, 11-13 March 2016.