Living our Best Life in Testing Times

What does living your BEST LIFE mean to you? 

The world is speeding up, beyond what is a natural pace for human evolution. The geo-political situation is getting more and more complex and so many of the things that make us despair, are out of our control. 

Many people have stopped following the news, and even more people are craving a simpler life, a slowing down. It feels like we all know, instinctively, that the best remedy is to slam on the brakes!

I am feeling this in my bones. Maybe you are too. So I have been quietly, consciously crafting my Best Life, as much as I can, within all that I can reasonably take responsibilty for. 

These are the things that I do day in and day out to make a difference as I can... so that I can sleep at night and wake up feeling hopeful and engaged.  

I pick up litter when I walk the dog (who throws MacDonalds wrappers out of the car window on a country lane?!) I wash out my recycling and put the bins on the kerb on a Thursday night. 

I only choose eco, natural products from small innovative companies for my home, laundry, my skin and hair and clothing. I eat organic fruit and veg as much as possible. I drink healthy coffee, organic tea and I am dairy free. I don't eat red meat or pork, I do eat chicken and fish. I keep the edges of my garden nice and messy so that there are cosy homes for hedgehogs. Foxes are in my garden most nights. I feed the birds, the Blue Tits, Goldfinches and Woodpecker are my favourites. I take my camera out with me on walks and am loving photographing nature in all her glory. 

I make my own soups, granola, smoothies and I cook from scratch in the evenings. I am on a mission to learn how to make my own bread over the course of this winter. I have been out gathering blackberries and rosehips near me and on Anglesey to make a delicious crumble and rosehip syrup - full of Vitamin C! I have plans to grow some tomatoes and lettuce next year. Watch this space! 

I choose camping and AirBnBs in the UK than flying off to Europe for city breaks. Yes I would love to visit Barcelona and Vienna but I find it hard to justify. I do allow myself to fly to the Netherlands to see my son Jake once in a while. I miss him.

I have 14 solar panels on my roof but I do have a log-burner, so I burn wood, which is bad, but I think it will come in handy when we have energy shortages in the future - at least I will be able to heat my home to some degree. 

I sign petitions for Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Avaaz and 38 Degress and Change.org. 

I meditate, practise yoga and lie down with Yoga Nidra at least once a week. I rest when my menopausal body needs to. I don't always sleep well, but I have strategies in place for that. I watch more sunsets and I lie on the grass and watch the clouds. I love losing myself in a novel, as well as reading books that keep my brain cells firing. 

BUT I know that all of this will never ever be enough. 

I do it all anyway. These are the things that I can do to take responsibility for my well-being and my little patch of Earth. 

As a Yoga teacher, I bring people together which also creates community - that is important, as we found out in the Covid lockdowns when we met up on Zoom and supported each other through those scary times. I am sure we have more scary times to come. 

Teaching Yoga, helping people with Chakra balancing or Life Coaching feels a lot like that saying "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Sharing the toolbox of yoga, rest, Yoga Nidra and energy healing, helps people to be able to manage triggered nervous systems, busy minds, rising anxiety, stress or burnout. My Wednesday evening yoga students say they have the best night's sleep on a Wednesday night!

PLEASE NOTE: I am not an angel! I buy my office supplies from Amazon and watch Netflix. I eat chocolate and cake. I drive a diesel van. I am not saying that because I do all of this, then you must too! This is not a sermon. But the thing is that I feel at peace with myself for taking responsibilty for my own inner landscape and the little patch of the earth that has been gifted me as it's guardian. 

If everybody took responsibility, just for their little bit of the earth, then surely we would be a kinder, more thoughtful and gentler civilisation, and not one that is destroying the planet at such a rate, that we need 1.6 planets to fulfill the needs of the 8 billion souls living here. We only have one planet and it is the most precious jewel ever known. 

Some things to consider if you are feeling the overwhelm of it all too... 

Make conscious decisions around these things:

Your energy levels, sleep and rest, food, company, your personal environment, exercise and your values. 

Movement is crucial. 

Rest practices are important.

Sleep is essential. 

So many people say to me, with a shrug. “I don't sleep. It's just the way it is." Sleeping is so essential for your well-being on every level.  If you're not sleeping, find a way to switch back on the mechanism that knows how to sleep - try Yoga Nidra for a start. My personal go-to is an Acupressure mat on the bed, the spiky feeling on your back takes a bit of getting used to but OMG it works like a dream. I even fall asleep on mine sometimes.

Exercise and get the body moving in some way, any way! It will increase your mood as well as your fitness. 

Clean up your diet and your environment. Think of the word CLEAN - take out processed food, saturated fats and fast food. Take all the toxins out of your life. That includes people, places and situations. That includes screen time and what you are consuming online. 

You are the only one in charge of your life. You hold the responsibilty to make the most of every single day. Nobody else will do that for you, and if they do, then take back some autonomy and take the reins of your life!

Finally do you know what your VALUES are? If you are living, working, sharing time in situations where you are being required to abandon your values, then that causes a deep stress response in the body. Know your own truth and have the courage to speak it, breathe it and live it. 

I think back to the 1970s when I was a lass. If we could have imagined life in 2026, I am sure we never have dreamed that we would be killing bees, butterflies, melting glaciers and chopping down the Amazon rainforest at the rate of knots. 

I wish we could go back and begin again...