🎶 Musical Mindfulness 🎶

“Paying attention NOW allows you to conduct this moment on purpose, just like a beautiful piece of music”. 

Michelle Townsend

As well as being a holistic therapist working with hypnosis and hypnotherapy, I am also a private music teacher.  Music plays a very big part of my life and my family’s life.  Music plays an important part in everyone’s life in fact.  More than we realise.

Have you ever tried to get through a day without hearing or listening to music?  Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Most people haven’t, not even noticing or realising the fact that music is everywhere around them.  It becomes something running in the background.  Just like we become automated in our routines and our thoughts.

Could we use Music to Help Promote Mindfulness? …

I’ve come to realise that if we can use music as an example to help describe and understand mindfulness, we can start to apply being more mindful more easily in everyday life.  By looking at life just like music, being aware of it, stopping in the moment to be aware of what we are listening to, and what we are seeing in the same moment, are we not already practising ‘mindfulness’?   

Daily Music …

Most of the time no matter how hard we try we won’t get through a day without hearing a piece of music.  Those wonderful resonating sounds and frequencies that we take for granted are always there.  I especially hear many different tunes during a day.  I have various pupils at different levels and standards.  Music serenades my life most days.  I am truly blessed. 

Become Aware of the Harmonies …

Think about when you are watching TV. Each programme has a theme tune, each advert has music in it.  We even associate songs and riffs to advertisements; that’s how they sell the things they are advertising!  Even films have music in them; the drama appears, or an exciting moment is about to happen, the orchestral film score performed by the orchestra creating the atmosphere in a split second.  We even experience it in shopping centres, shops, and public places where it is known as ‘muzak’.  Having light background music entertains and is known to increase sales, it runs at a subconscious level.  You may even start to be aware you are doing a little dance whilst hearing it or start humming the tune under your breath.  

Become Aware on Purpose …

So, what are we referring to here?  If you can become aware of hearing music, you can become aware of your surroundings and what you are thinking.  Mindfulness is being aware on purpose.  It is the key to making conscious decisions instead of impulsive ones.  It is the art of pausing and considering your options and choices in any moment. 

Concert Sounds and Surroundings …

Both our boys are musicians living in London, and we often go to concerts to see and hear them play.  Recently a couple of weeks ago we did just that.  I noticed just before and during this specific concert of how aware I was, being observant of everything happening around me, my surroundings.  Not only was I aware of the concert hall that we were sitting in to enjoy the amazing performances, but also the details about it.  The layout, the colours, the people attending the concert.  

I really listened to the sounds, timbre, and pitch of the different instruments during the performances.  How all the performers brought it all together to create the harmonious sound which was well balanced and well rounded.  I really focused on being mindful of what I was aware of and listening to, the intricate detail of it.  As I did this, I became aware of how easy it was to change my focus, to redirect it.  Since experiencing cancer 13 years ago I practise mindfulness daily; but it was at this concert I thought let’s really see what I am aware of here, let’s see how being mindful creates a change within our mind and body, bringing in the benefits of NOW.  I often choose moments do this to deepen my practise of being mindful.  You can choose to do this at any point during the day.  Holidays, special occasions and performances like the above are perfect for trying this.

Bring it Back to NOW! …

We spend most of our life on autopilot.  We respond from practised thought processes, old beliefs, and programs.  If we allow ourselves to become more mindful, we can start to change these old habits and responses, creating new ones; finding you are not worrying about past or future making better decisions to find joy in the moment.  Once we choose to do this, and we create a habit around it, we can start to change our mental vocabulary and our inner language.  This then brings forward the awareness of what we don’t want, then knowing more clearly what we do want.  Mindfulness brings our awareness back to NOW!

Music in Meditation …

You often find a lot of the time music is used in guided meditations and relaxations.  It’s usually a gentle soft flowing sound, generally not having a specific melody to it which helps create calmness in that moment.  It is also there to bring an awareness, a focus, training the brain to maintain being in that moment.  This is how beneficial music can be.

Using Music as an Awareness Tool …

If we can use music to bring in that awareness surely, we can use it during our everyday life, using it to help redirect our thoughts.  Therefore, using music as a metaphor of awareness.   When we become aware of the music we hear, we can then be aware of what we are thinking.  We are more than our thoughts. Just thinking about what we are thinking can stop the thinking; think about that! In that moment we can pause and consider our options; just like a conductor conducts an orchestra, we can conduct our thoughts and decisions deliberately in any moment.  We can then make better choices from a conscious aspect rather than an unconscious aspect. 

A Simple Technique …

So, next time you hear music throughout your day, when you are out and about, acknowledge it, be aware of it.   Then, transfer it into being mindful in that moment to train your brain to make your decisions more consciously.   Because music is everywhere, use music to remind you to ‘train your brain’ in practising mindfulness, practise being mindful in your daily life.  Bring your awareness to NOW!  You’ll start to become aware of just how much you miss out on during your day. 

Rather than having your ‘mind full’ of automated thoughts, running your life on autopilot.  Have your mind ‘mindfully’ making choices that will better create your future choices the way you want it!  Use Music as the tool to help you get there.  Make it fun!  Enjoy!

Want to know More? …

Would you like to know more on Mindfulness?  Get in touch for help and advice in navigating a deeper understanding.  If we can use simple things to help change our approach, we can start to experience a change of perspective. Get your life back on track by being mindful. 

As Eckart Tolle says in his book ‘The Power of NOW’… ‘Realise deeply that the present moment is all you have.  Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.’

Monthly Inspiration …

If you would like to receive inspiration into your inbox, sign up to my monthly newsletter. (I won’t spam you) I share information on understanding the mind to help navigate life, updates, book updates, positive quotes, techniques, blogs and more.  I make it fun, interesting, and simplistic.  Come join us! 

SIGN UP

#mindfulness #mindful #musicalmindfulness #perspective #music #habits #programs

Pace, Patience, Appreciation and Achievements

Busy, Busy, Busy!

The last few months of 2022 proved to be extremely busy, almost overwhelming, and a bit stressful – but fabulously amazing!  Running two businesses; continuing with writing the content for my book; completing my book proposal and the research for it; keeping up with social media posts; running music exams and then attempting to make time for me – my space to breathe.  Now I must say the last one of those took a bit of a back step considering what I preach to clients.  I could have done with 40 hours in a day rather than 24!  There were many 2 a.m.’s, quite a few to be honest, but I did it.  Sometimes life is like that. 

Simple Things are Achievements Too!

When we reach a deadline, we feel fantastic!  It feels such an achievement.  It’s such a big thing to us, but do we stop and acknowledge our achievements of the little things in life? The simple everyday things that we do. The things that almost seem part of our life that we just do on autopilot and take for granted, the daily chores.  

‘Oi You!’ Stop and Remember!

Christmas 2022 became a powerful reminder for me.  It was almost a kick up the back side to say ‘oi’ remember what you do, remember what you have done, remember all the things that you do and honour your achievements large or small, but remember to be there for YOU!

After the extremely busy few months preceding Christmas, my body decided it was time to step back; it was time for Covid!  Now, I’m a great believer that if we are on the verge of burn out, then the body almost says ‘that’s enough’ we are going to knock you off your feet so you will rest!  So it did. 

Sitting With What You Can’t Change…

Christmas was cancelled completely.  I was gutted. I was so looking forward to a Christmas where I could finally get back to a more balanced routine and enjoy family time, but it wasn’t to be.  It was complete bed rest and although I had to deal with symptoms, it was very refreshing.  I completely switched off; I had to; I had no choice in the matter.  Even though I had really enjoyed the journey and the experiences of being super busy, I had no urge to read, to go on social media, to write, nor, in fact, to do any of the things I had been doing. I had, after all got into an amazing routine, which I am proud of, but it was the warning to switch off and rest.  So…I followed my joy and found the enjoyment in watching films.

Acceptance Is key…

In brief, Covid knocked the energy right out of me in the weeks that followed.  I had to accept that just for a while I had to take a step back and honour me (Which I sometimes find hard to do) but that’s ok.  It was good for me.  Whilst resting I thought about what I’d been doing.  Just thinking about what I’d achieved wore me out.  Had I really done all of that before Christmas? How did I keep going? Where on earth did I find the energy to do all of that?  

When you experience fatigue, you learn to pace yourself, you learn to be patient, you must, you have no choice.  I’ve been there before with cancer treatment, so you’d think I’d know.  I’d even had to stop my running back in October because there physically wasn’t time or energy in my schedule to go out on a run.  Especially with 2 a.m.’s on the cards.  That was just something else to do, so I paused it for a while.  Sometimes we must make sacrifices. 

I felt guilty for not sharing my regular posts on social media and for not writing. The list goes on.  But I knew that I had to take the strong step back, to heal, to reset and it’s absolutely OK!

Go Gentle…

Starting back to work after the Christmas break had to be subtle. I prioritised what needed to be done, what didn’t and what could wait.  Learning to be patient and honour the simple things in life, such as those daily chores, remembering that those in themselves are massive achievements and something to be proud of.  You build yourself back up.  It was a powerful reminder.   

Realisations…

So, where am I going with this blog? What can you learn from it? You’ve already taken the information you require from it believe it or not.  That’s your subconscious working.  It would have highlighted many things within you to reconsider, you probably resonate with what I’ve shared in some way.  Use it to create change. 

You Set the Pace…

Life is busy, we all know that.  Jobs can become overwhelming whether at work or at home.  But life can be as busy or as relaxed as we make it.  We have a choice in any one moment about how we are going to deal with these jobs.  We are all guilty of setting the tread mill pace too fast without realising it.  When things need to be done, we just get on and do it in the best way we can and that’s great!  Sometimes we take too much on, overwhelming us without realising it.  

Acknowledging the Simple Things are Important…

So how can this reminder help?  What if we took the stance to acknowledge every simple little thing we do during each day.  Practising placing our thoughts into giving thanks and experiencing a feeling of gratitude for what we achieve every day, even those little chores.  We never think they are necessary or important, but they are.  Each chore takes up energy to achieve, it is within itself an achievement.  This may seem rather silly but it’s important. If acknowledging those little daily chores highlights to you what you are doing, could it change your choices and teach you to pace and be patient with yourself to help create a more balanced lifestyle? Absolutely it can!! We need to honour what we do, every single bit of it!  If we don’t, we can push ourselves too far.  Self-care is so important. 

Create the Balance…

So, what can we do to help create more balance in our lives? Here’s a few simple tips to help create Pacing, Patience, and Appreciation of your Achievements. 

  • Prioritise – what’s important and what can wait? 
  • Pace yourself – Go with the flow of what’s comfortable for you.  Remember to balance activities.
  • Be Patient – take the pressure off, go easy on yourself.
  • Praise and appreciation – Praise yourself up for what you can do.
  • Time Out – Allow times throughout the day to take a step back and reset, even if only for 10 minutes.  Being aware of what you are doing and being proud of it!
  • Space to Breathe – The breath is fantastic for bringing us back into balance.  Take time to allow space to breathe.  Nice deep breath in and slowly and gently exhaling out.  It feels good!  It is good!  You can do this in your time out. 
  • Rest Time – Honour a space each day to switch off completely (no that doesn’t mean bedtime! Or surfing social media!) If you switch off once home from work, make it more special.  Rest completely. 
  • Practise Gratitude – There is always something to be grateful for.  Remember those little things.  You’ll find more things to be grateful for because that’s where you are focused.
  • Enjoy the Journey – We are here to enjoy our lives.  Enjoy the simple things, you deserve it!  The bigger things will seem even more special when we take this approach.  Try it!

Final Word

These are all very simple but powerful.  Don’t allow yourself to burn out.  It’s all too easy to follow our thoughts and push ourselves.  Realise the importance of pacing and being patient with yourself, whether dealing with illness or busy daily life.  Take a step back, realise what you are doing and avoid going too fast on that tread mill!  Set your pace and enjoy the journey!

Monthly Inspiration

If you would like to receive inspiration into your inbox, sign up to my monthly newsletter for more information on understanding the mind, updates, book updates, positive quotes, techniques, blogs, hypnosis, meditations, and more. Click below.  I make it fun, interesting, and simplistic.  Come join us!

Sign UP

#Pace #Patience #Appreciation #Achievements #stepback #reset #heal

Reality or Reality??

When we have a deeper understanding of how the mind works in it’s mysterious ways, we have access to so much more, we have tapped into the knowledge to create powerful positive change. The more we understand, the easier it is to deal with life’s moments, good or bad. These understandings were so beneficial to me on my healing journey which I share in my new book. Read on…you may find you might think slightly differently. What’s your reality?

Have you ever thought about reality? What is reality? How does our mind process reality? You could ask many questions about it really.  Not many people really think of it much, they just going about their usual daily habits and routines, which all follow on one after each other. It’s how most of our days flow. 

So, what is reality? What is it we really see?  Reality is doing what we do in our everyday lives, we exist, we are in existence. We are matter in motion.  We live in the real world, our real world, we live in our truth, what we take to be true.  But what is our truth? Well, our truth is actually our perspective of that real world, and each and every one of us has a different perspective. Where does this perspective come from?

Why a Difference Perspective?

Our perspective is created from our experiences in life.  We all have completely different experiences because we are all individual people.  We are all living our life as WE see it or should I say, ‘FEEL IT!’. We create our reality because we can only create and see from our own perspective, the perspective which we believe to be true.  We are programmed through our life’s situations.  Another person may see the same situation completely different to you, may respond differently, because they have different programs and beliefs running deep within their subconscious.  We are all responding from our practised thoughts, habits and emotions which are linked to our experiences, our reality. 

Something to think about…

We CREATE what we BELIEVE

We BELIEVE what we PERCEIVE

We PERCEIVE what we EXPERIENCE

and … We EXPERIENCE what we CREATE

Anon.

Repeat … No matter where you start this quote it works, try it!  It gets you thinking!

How does the mind process reality?

Your subconscious mind remembers every aspect of your life, right the way back to the third trimester in your mother’s womb.  How amazing is that!  If it remembers every aspect of your life, it remembers not only the good experiences, but also the bad experiences as well. Each experience holds either a very strong emotion, or one that is not so strong, maybe irrelevant. If you have a strong emotion attached to an experience, your subconscious holds this more firmly as a belief within you.  It remembers how you responded at that point in time.  

If the response was traumatic and it made you anxious, any time you experience something like it again you will most probably find you will respond in the same way again, anxiously.  It’s your subconscious minds way of thinking it is protecting you, it believes it must respond that way. It’s been wired that way from the original experience; it doesn’t know any better.  It’s interesting to know that within any experience your subconscious will remember not only how you responded or felt, but it will also remember the temperature of the room, the colours, every single detail associated with the situation you found yourself in. 

The Monkey Brain

Your subconscious mind is also sometimes called the ‘Monkey’ brain. Basically, it doesn’t understand the difference between right or wrong, it just accepts what’s happening as true. Responses can happen from a traumatic experience programmed deep within your mind.  It plays out the response because it believes that is what it must do for you in that moment, it remembers from the first time you experienced it. You can think of your ‘monkey brain’ as a computer, saving the data information that is being fed into it. It then draws on the information that’s appropriate to help you through experiences which are arising again that are similar. Each time this happens it adds to the belief, strengthening it, whether it’s good or bad. 

Real Reality or the Power of Thought?

Now we understand that the subconscious doesn’t understand the difference between right or wrong, it just takes things as truth, let’s think about the reality we see in front of us and the reality within our thinking minds, the realities we visualise.  Does the subconscious distinguish between the two? 

Science and Imagery

It has been scientifically proven that when we experience something in ‘real reality’, then think about that same situation again in our minds, the brain fires, and wires in the same way. Experiments have been done with athletes to prove this works.

They got the athletes to run their race physically in ‘real reality’ around the racetrack, running the best that they possibly could, aiming to win and gain their best time whilst they were practising.  They then got the athletes to lie or sit down and visualise themselves running the exact same race again in their minds eye, visualising the run.  The aim is for the athlete to focus very clearly on the positive outcome of winning their race. When they visualise and imagine the positive outcome the mind and body is programmed to respond in that way.  This provides a strong belief within them that they can perform at their optimum levels. 

Scientists measured their brain waves and frequencies both in the ‘real reality’ and the ‘visualised reality’.  What’s interesting is the results show that the brain fires and wires very much the same, whether the athlete is physically running, or visualising running. 

Is Perception Reality?

If every experience remains deep within us, the response, the feeling, the emotion, the belief that it’s true, that it’s happened before us and within us, every single detail, then our perception of that experience is our belief around it. From that belief we then create future responses, which further builds that belief to be true.  

But is that truth actually true? … well it will be to you because you don’t know any different, you have learned from your experiences. That truth may be, and probably will be different for someone else. Our experience is what we believe, the belief is a perception of YOUR reality …therefore, Perception is Reality!

Can we change our Reality?

With the understanding of this, what could WE change in our reality? If our reality is only a belief we hold, could we change our experience through changing our belief? The new experience would then change not only the belief but the perception too. Perception is how we view and experience the world around is … therefore, Perception is Reality!

Favourite Quote …

My all-time favourite Quote is from a selection of books called ‘Seth Speaks’ which I found extremely useful whilst going through my cancer journey.  It helped me deal with the possibility of death.  Death was knocking right at my doorstep back in 2010 and this powerful quote was totally life changing for me.  It taught me how the mind works, I was intrigued by it.  When we understand how our mind works, we have amazing power to utilise through our thoughts! That powerful quote is …

‘We Create Our Own Reality’

… no one else, just us, through our perceptions.  Our Perceptions are OUR REALITY!

Thinking about how the subconscious understands reality, we can now see how beneficial Hypnosis can be in changing beliefs, experiences, and perceptions, it truly is a very powerful therapy, its life changing! … and that’s why I became a Hypnotherapist!

#reality #perception #experience #belief #create