Welcome to the bi-monthly newsletter!
My-oh-my. Covid is back.
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And guess what ... I was on the last plane out of Sydney to Ballina the day lockdown was declared, 26th June.
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Was I nervous? Well, not in the lead-up. I'd been on a silent meditation retreat with fifteen other people, cut-off from civilisation. No germs on us. But after flying back in the sardine tin of a plane ... ew! By the time you read this I’ll have had a covid test and be waiting on the result. No symptoms, just caution. Fingers crossed. | |
Gotta love winter tho ...
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The cosy aspect of snuggling up in warm things.
This is my favourite hotwater bottle cover, recycled from a jumper and bought on etsy many years back on the proceeds of one of my first mindfulness courses. That makes it pretty sentimental! From Gaye Abandon (what a great name) made in Melbourne. Check her out on instagram if you're into sewing and upcycling.
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Cosy winter viewing:
Love on the Spectrum, abc iView (series 2)
Delightful, heart-warming. Proves that connection, care, respect, joy, gratitude, friendship and love are the cogs at the centre of the human heart.
What are you watching? I'd love to hear your recommendations.
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Launch of ZipZap Brain Snap | |
Here are some pics of the ZipZap launch at Kyogle's very own Writers Festival in sunny May. And the online launch (you can watch it here if ever desperately bored). Thanks to everyone for your support.
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Watch the live-read on you tube here
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Who needs to know about the amygdala? To understand it’s not our fault that we get triggered. That there’s actionable steps to help defuse?
If you have contacts in a counselling service; know psychologists or anybody working in mental health (government agency or private) or with PTSD... or at a school, or with teens... to whom I can send a complimentary copy of the book ...
Please sent me a hoi!
by replying to this email. Thank you.
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( it's great for reducing stress!)
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One day a woman answers the door to find a snail on her doorstep. She picks it up and throws it over the fence. Two years later she hears a knock on the door. She opens it and finds the same snail. The snail says, “hey, what was that all about?”
* * *
I went to the doctor and said: “Have you got anything for wind?” She gave me a kite.
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Window
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Hope makes itself every day,
Springs up from the tiniest places.
No one gives it to us.
We just notice it, quiet,
in the small moment.
The two-year-old
kissing the window, he said,
because someone he loved
was out there.
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I came across the Curable app while promoting ZipZap. It looks like a great fit for chronic pain management.
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"When the brain believes the stakes are high, it works hard to "protect you." It has many tools at its disposal, both emotional and physiological. One of those tools is pain. | |
Your nervous system may be programmed to interpret something like ‘failure’ as a dangerous signal, one that it must protect you from. Luckily, your nervous system can be reprogrammed to interpret the same signal as safe.
Know that you do not need to be perfect in order to be worthy, valuable or loved. ❤️
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So, I was on this silent meditation retreat recently. Silence, routine, predictability … until some of us decided to brave a walk through the wild, rugged heathlands to the edge of a stunning panorama. Truth be told, I found the vastness a bit overwhelming. Gestured to my companions I was heading back to camp, and made my way through the waist-high heath to where I guessed the uncharted track began. Luckily a fellow retreatant (who was a city-dweller) joined me. I must admit I felt a bit superior, being a bushy. Some time into my bush-bashing however, she enquired whether we were going the right way. Err… hang on. No, I don’t remember that stringy tree either … Yes, let’s back track. Coo-ee. Silence. No-one is answering. For some twenty minutes we went back and forth, at a loss … confused … disorientated … then nervous. Until my city friend, with her cool head, identified the correct path. Thank goodness. Of course, I got to savour the crumbly flavour of humble pie. (Thank you Isobel!) | |
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SAYING YES SAYING NO
Saying no saves you time in the future. Saying yes costs you time in the future.
No is like a time credit. You can spend that block of time in the future.
Yes is like a time debt. You have to repay that commitment at some point.
No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.”
- James Clear, Atomic Habits
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Thanks for opening the email and reading, folks, I greatly appreciate your company. Feel free to share by forwarding to a friend with an invitation to subscribe here.
Enjoy the remainder of winter. Snuggle up, keep warm.
Love Shakti
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ps, look out for the spring Newsletter, coming 1st September | |
"When we look after ourself,
everyone in our life benefits"
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YOGA live in Kyogle, Monday fortnightly 4pm (next on 5th July)
YOGA online. Series of six classes here
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Buy the book here
A bite-size online course is in planning to backup the strategies in the book. Interested?
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When emotions ride high, the brain’s alarm bell, the amygdala, takes over. You'll learn what the amygdala is, how it evolved and why we get so freakin' frazzled. Plus six clues to defuse that you can action straight away.
Find out more about ZipZap Brain Snap here
Watch the live-read here on youtube
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