Embracing the present moment and working on your own terms

20 May

Well, hello there!

What. A. Week!

I returned home after 9 days in Glastonbury, one of the spiritual centres of the UK (and I am not just referring to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival!) As a mentor in breathwork training for Integrative Breath, I was there supporting the final part of their 7-month training course. We all met for this special event with 22 breathwork sessions being hosted over 7 days.

Now, if you’ve ever taken part in an in-person breathwork session, you’ll know it can be intense. So 22 breathwork sessions over 7 days is like a bloomin’ warrior marathon!

Personally, I took part in 4 breathwork sessions over that week (I was observing and giving feedback on the rest). I had some pretty deep stuff come up each time. Part of me wondered if I should keep a lid on it… as part of the Integrative Breath teaching team, I observed my own shyness around my emotional expression in front of the students. Then I remembered that I am constantly inviting my clients to express their emotions as they arise, when it feels safe to do so. So I did… lots of healing tears later, here’s Friday Feels!

These weekly posts feature snippets from my world of coaching, meditation and breathwork – with the intention to share information that brings joy, wonder and self-reflection.

1. Song of the week

You Gotta Be by Des’ree. (listen on Spotify and YouTube)

A late 90s classic! This featured at the end of a breathwork session at Breathcamp. Everyone was up on their feet dancing, which was so sweet! It’s a memory imprinted on me now. Any time I hear this song, I know that’s what I will remember with a big smile on my face and on my heart…

2. Quote of the week

“I am here now in this.”

— Michael Brown

Which books have changed your life? A few books that have changed my life – connected to personal/spiritual development – that immediately come to mind are:

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
The Presence Process by Michael Brown

I am here now in this. These six words are part of a breathing meditation offered in The Presence Process. There is a whole process that you guide yourself through by reading this book. I did it first in 2020 and then again in the last 6 months. To be frank, it is f-ing spooky reading this book. Yep. Whether you believe that it’s just your subconscious being primed for an experience or it’s the Universe responding to your intention, the way life starts to mirror the book is freaky! Genuinely. It reminds me of The Never Ending Story…

I am going to start the Presence Process again. A few friends are joining me. If you’re interested to join us, drop me a reply. Maybe this time around I will find a Luck Dragon… who knows!

3. Practice of the week

Dancing to celebrate.

Three years ago this week, I lost my job. So I am celebrating that this week!

All my colleagues and I were made redundant over night. No warning. Losing our jobs was a total shock. But also I knew it was time! This was the Universe giving me a great big nudge! It was time to switch careers and work for myself.

I could have easily gotten another corporate role. But I knew I would be letting my fear of failure stop me from following my deepest desires. And I just wasn’t happy being in a corporate role any more. My heart hadn’t been in it for a little while…

This was May 2019. I’ve grown a business during the pandemic, for goodness sakes! Phew!

So this week I have been celebrating that! With regular dance breaks. Jumping around in my kitchen, shaking and shimmying with wild abandon.

If you haven’t danced in a while, I warmly invite you to pop on that song You Gotta Be by Des’ree and get your lovely body moving! If that’s not your jam, try this number from Mötley Crüe.

4. Teaching of the week

S l o w i n g d o w n.

Many of us live in a perpetual state of over-stimulation. Reflect on just how much your mind-body system experiences every day. Whether that’s the sheer volume of messages via marketing (we may see up to 5,000 marketing messages in the UK EVERY DAY: source). Or the mind-melting visibility of people’s lives through social media. Not to mention what the physical body has to deal with from the likes of coffee, sugar, alcohol, blue light from your phone etc. Coupled with our “always-on” culture, it’s no wonder it can be hard to slow down!

Slowing down was the hardest lesson I learnt. I remember trying to learn to meditate. It felt f-ing impossible! Even now, my mind can feel like a caged animal at times. And this is exactly why it’s important to slow down. Because life is HERE. Now. In this moment. When we rush about or are overly occupied with our thoughts, we can end up missing the life that’s right here in front of us.

Slowing down can look like being offline for the weekend. Or taking your time to enjoy your coffee and do nothing else. To spend time walking in nature without your phone. Or perhaps to just breathe deep through your nose. To listen, rather than speak. To let go, rather than push. If learning how to slow down appeals to you, I recommend the work of Cal Newport!

How do you like to slow down?

5. Client win of the week

“I CAN make my business work for me on my terms.”

A client and I dug through her business this week and spotted some communication gaps. This was costing her money and creating a lot of stress. We’d started working together as she wanted to increases her income and avoid burnout. So this was an obvious win!

When we explored this in our coaching session, she felt awkward about voicing certain needs with her clients. She was worried that putting in place boundaries would mean she’d lose work. Her previous pattern would be to suck up the discomfort and any loss of earnings, not sharing this with her clients. She’d then end up overworking and feeling resentful, often leading to burnout.

In every area of life – including business – I believe we are the co-creator or architect of our own suffering and our joy. My client realised that, by people-pleasing, she was actually creating more problems. It can feel uncomfortable being upfront with your stuff – I totally get it! But trust me. It’s more uncomfortable in the long term to keep those things hidden.

If you feel awkward about expressing boundaries, be curious about if you people-please as well and say ‘yes’ to things that don’t work for you… It’s a pattern I had to break too. Boundaries are hugely healthy. And anyone else who respects boundaries will welcome you to express them too.

Boundaries help direct and shape your attention. Communicating them up front gets everyone on the same page, reduces overwhelm AND can help you generate more income (through time saved as well as not losing out to hidden costs). Clear boundaries also create a safe container for your work 💖

I warmly invite you to embrace them! If you want to explore more about boundaries, check out my article* on this at the end of this blog post.

That’s it for this week’s Friday Feels! Thanks for your time and energy!

Big love,
Briony x

P.S. Did you catch the 3x part series of sh*t hot business development tips for biz owners and entrepreneurs?

✨ Rich Life Business Development Tip #1: How to charge the “right” price in your biz
✨ Rich Life Business Development Tip #2: Get clear on your money beliefs + how they are blocking you
✨ Rich Life Business Development Tip #3: Protect Your Energy with Boundaries*