by paulvb | Feb 7, 2021 | Books
I feel like every month I write a book review and every book I say “this is a must read”. But this one really is! Okay, they all are… James Nestor so beautifully explains the science of breathing including the power of breathing through the nose (and...
by paulvb | Sep 14, 2020 | Books
Okay, this is a big statement to make, but I believe that every woman should own this book. I have been buying my local book stores out of every copy to gift to the women in my life. If you don’t know Glennon Doyle yet, do yourself a favour and check her out. I...
by paulvb | Jan 21, 2020 | Books
As someone who has always struggled to find balance and functionality in relationships, the book Attached was a huge sigh of relief for me. In the book, Dr Amir Levine and Rachel Heller outline the three different attachment systems that differentiate the ways that...
by paulvb | Jan 21, 2020 | Wellness
… and just like that, our five night New Year Retreat is over. It was a whirlwind time full of laughter, tears, dancing, insights and connection. We started off the retreat with an opening circle with the intention of getting to know a little bit about each...
by paulvb | Dec 18, 2019 | Modern Life
Christmas is upon us and for many people that means pulling out the plastic Christmas tree, decorating it with tinsel and other trinkets before packing it all up ready for the following year. Kirsty and Jess have been getting creative in the past weeks with recycled...
by paulvb | Nov 19, 2019 | Books
Meditation… We all hear that it is good for us and many ‘wish’ they could do it daily, yet most still struggle to get it done. Why is that? In this book Sally Kempton encourages you to uncover your love for meditation. She implores us to stop making...
by paulvb | Nov 19, 2019 | Modern Life
This year we are seeing a huge movement towards gifting experiences rather than things and we are totally on board. Often people buy gifts simply so that they have something to give and I know I am not alone in being given many gifts over the years that I never end up...
by paulvb | Oct 15, 2019 | Books
We have been told for decades that sleep and exercise are crucial for optimal health but we don’t really consider sleep to be just as important… until now! Matthew Walker is a neuroscientist and psychologist that has dedicated his days to understanding...
by paulvb | Sep 18, 2019 | Books
Have you ever spent time with a loved one at the end of their life and asked them about their regrets? What they wish they spent more time on? Less time on? Things they wish they did? In the film Embrace, Nigel Marsh talks about how we all wait for the big four before...
by paulvb | Aug 7, 2019 | Books
It seems like almost everyone I speak to has some form of history with anxiety. Is it an epidemic? What is happening to make us so anxious and overwhelmed…? Author of “I Quit Sugar”, Sarah Wilson, delivers this candid, lighthearted book exploring her...
by paulvb | Jul 22, 2019 | Books
I would be really surprised if you have practiced yoga for a long time and have not heard of “Iyengar”. BKS Iyengar is considered one of the founding fathers of modern yoga and the creator of the Iyengar Yoga brand / style of yoga practice. He was a...
by paulvb | May 2, 2019 | Wellness, Yoga
You probably learnt about the five elements growing up but have you ever considered how they affect us? Our current society rewards doing, achieving and succeeding and all of that physical and mental movement can mean we spend a lot of time with fire and air running...
by paulvb | Feb 2, 2019 | Wellness
As human beings, we have always been aware that it is important to be healthy but it is only in recent times that we have had such a big focus on wellness. So what does that actually mean? Personally, I think that when people think of being healthy they think more of...
by paulvb | Feb 1, 2019 | Modern Life, Wellness
I am not going to lie, I don’t have kids. So perhaps I am not the best person to be writing this article. But, I have supported many students who are parents and I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of what it means to be a parent. You know: the guilt,...
by paulvb | Dec 18, 2018 | Books
When you think of ‘addiction’, what do you think of? Addiction comes in many forms, from the more obvious and in your face like drug addiction and alcoholism to the more subtle forms of food addiction, materialism and addiction to technology. Russell Brand...
by paulvb | Dec 4, 2018 | Spirituality, Wellness, Yoga
Although yoga has been around for thousands of years, it has evolved in the West to often be nothing more than a form of exercise that incorporates breath. Although this is great for some and is the reason why most people come to the practice, we are missing some of...
by paulvb | Nov 14, 2018 | Books
The thing I love about Ishmael is that it is written as a novel which means it is so easy to read! Too often I buy books that are full of wisdom but I struggle to sit down and actually read them. But not Ishmael. Daniel Quinn finally got this book published in 1992...
by paulvb | Nov 6, 2018 | Modern Life
Somehow 2018 has whizzed by and we are jetting towards Christmas at lightning speed. Given the state of our environment, the effects of the boom in social media and the increasing busy-ness of our lifestyle, it is more important than ever to be conscious of what we...
by paulvb | Sep 19, 2018 | Books, Wellness
If you haven’t already heard of Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions, you should have. For me, it has been one of the most insightful books that I have read for a long time. Written by Johann Hari, this book...
by paulvb | Sep 18, 2018 | Meditation, Wellness
Breathing techniques (also known as pranayama in traditional texts) have been around for thousands of years. The breath is such a powerful tool because it can be both automatic and controlled. See “Pranayama: What is it and why should you include it in your...
by paulvb | Sep 18, 2018 | Spirituality
It is no secret that I love Rumi. I read his quotes and poems in my yoga classes all the time because I find that he has such a knack for explaining something deep and profound in one short sentence that makes so much sense! If you are sitting there wondering...
by paulvb | Sep 18, 2018 | Meditation, Wellness, Yoga
You may have heard your yoga teacher talking about pranayama but do you actually know what it is? Most people just think of pranayama as ‘breathing exercises’ which is technically true but pranayama is much more interesting than that. What is Pranayama?...
by paulvb | Sep 11, 2018 | Meditation
Meditation has been around for thousands of years but has become much more prevalent in modern times due to the fact that science has finally caught up! There have been countless studies based around the effects of meditation on our overall health and happiness as...
