Conscious communication and lifting other people up
Hello lovely people,
Cor blimey, what a rich week it has been! On Sunday, I had the privilege of running a mindfulness walk as part of an open day in my local park, on Tuesday my interview on the Same Shit, Different Brain podcast went live (listen here), and on Wednesday I announced the next Create Your Own Reality retreat that I’ll be running with my awesome friend Craig Seaton in early 2022. Phew!
But, I always find the time to put my Friday Feels post together… It’s one of the highlights of my week!
So without further ado, here are five inspiring things from my world of coaching, meditation and breathwork. Enjoy!
1. Song of the week
Sit Around the Fire by Jon Hopkins, Ram Dass and East Forest (Spotify and YouTube)
Ram Dass may have passed on in 2019, but his words live on in musical form thanks to the help of his foundation, and spiritually inclined artists like Jon Hopkins and East Forest. I played this song at the end of my regular free Wednesday evening breathwork session this week. Such magical words! Earlier in the day, I’d sat on my sofa, closed my eyes and listened to this track… tears of gratitude flowed down my cheeks, as I felt Ram Dass’s message.
What do you feel when you hear his words?
2. Quote of the week
“There’s more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Is slowing down a rebellious act in this fast, ‘always on’ age? I’m sure many of us experience resistance to slowing down, as though we should always be doing more, doing something else, something different and exciting at all times of day, every day! However, when we do finally allow ourselves to slow down, and move through the discomfort that this may create for us, it can provide us with such a glorious sense of inner peace.
I love to help people slow down, such as on my mindfulness walk at the weekend, and help them examine the discomfort they feel, in order to understand what it’s showing them. That discomfort is a healthy sign of you FEELING and becoming AWARE. Rather than constantly moving onwards to the next thing, to avoid feeling.
What do you start to feel when you slow down? What insights are waiting in the infinity of this present moment?
3. Practice of the week
Conscious communication!
Recently, I have really been trying to speak with greater intention and purpose, and not just fill the air with empty platitudes, like ‘good’, ‘nice’, ‘fine’, ‘OK’, ‘alright’ etc. Not that there’s anything intrinsically wrong with these words, but their overuse does tend to diminish their meaning over time. And there’s a literal dictionary of other words that we could use! Let’s expand our vocabularies, people!
My husband and I have even made a game of it around the house, picking the other one up if and when they say one of the ‘banned’ words. I invite you all to try it at home too – is that just a ‘nice’ cup of coffee, or is it a ‘delicious, warming and invigorating cup of coffee, the contents of which have come from the other side of the world to bring you joy on a daily basis’?
Did you have a ‘good’ day, or did you have a ‘rich and varied day full of interesting and colourful encounters with the wonderful humans you have the privilege of knowing’?
4. Article of the week
How breathing went mainstream – and why it could change your life forever, The Telegraph (paywall)
*Puts on best hipster voice* I was into breathing before it was cool… 😉 It’s been exciting to see breathwork receiving greater attention in the press in recent months. The Guardian (naturally) have been hip to it for a while, but you know you’re reaching the Middle England mainstream when you get a feature in the Telegraph…!
5. Client win of the week
Let’s hear it for women lifting each other up! A client has so generously paid for her friend to have coaching sessions with me. After supporting my client in levelling up in business, focusing on financial overflow, freeing up her time and upgrading her mindset around being an entrepreneur, she’s now wanting to give back. How generous is that?
This sentiment is mirrored in a comment another client shared with me, after upping her income since going freelance: “one of the reasons I want to earn well (and am starting to tbh) is that I want to do lovely things for people as that properly makes me feel good”.
I love coaching female entrepreneurs for this very reason! Because when people with big hearts earn more money, they share that abundance with the world. AMEN! Or perhaps A-WOMEN! 💪
Do you want to join my weekend retreat?
I am running another retreat with my good friend Craig Seaton. Join us at our Create Your Own Reality retreat, Friday 18th – Sunday 20th February 2022. Find out more information here, or reply to this email to book.
Here’s what one of our attendees said from our October 2021 retreat:
That’s it for now! In the words of Ram Dass, thanks for sitting around the fire with me 🔥
Big love!
Briony x
P.S. What is this Friday Feels email about? In case you’re reading this for the first time (hello!), I share a weekly email with snippets from my world of coaching, meditation and breathwork. My intention is to share useful, joyful or interesting tidbits, which may serve you in some way 🙏
