Friday Musings—25/08/23

If you haven't read it yet, this week's post was part one of a series devoted to taking actionable steps towards building a life we love. As always, share any insights or questions you may have on the topic in the comments, or send me an email—I'm always happy to chat. You can also book a free call with me.

Now onto my weekly musings 😎

A zen story

Last week, I shared how a discussion with one of my students prompted a profound reflection on the subjects of mindfulness, monkey brains, and inner critics. A few days later, I came across this lovely zen story about a young man named Hero, whose restless mind was constantly cluttered with thoughts. One day, Hero hears of a renowned Zen master rumored to possess the secret to finding inner peace and tranquillity...

Stretch it off

As you probably already know by now, I have something of a "stretching habit". I always stretch upon waking up and before going to bed, and usually step on the mat to do a bit of yoga every day. I'm always on the lookout for new gentle yoga and stretching practices on YouTube, and I've compiled a playlist of routines I can turn to whenever I feel the need to unwind or when I'm feeling physically or emotionally sore. This article helps explain why I find stretching so soothing on multiple levels. Stretching doesn't only involve your muscles and joints; it also engages your brain and the entire nervous system. So, it turns out stretching can help us become more mindful. In fact, the expert in the article cautions that if you're not focusing and taking deep breaths while stretching, these movements become almost useless. One more reason to add stretching to our self-care toolkit.

Childhood heroes

As a kid I did a few years of judo—it was my dad's choice, I wanted to do classical ballet (!), but that experience left me with an appreciation for the world of martial arts. My dad was also a Bruce Lee fan, and we watched the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story many times. So, it was a delightful surprise when I discovered this piece featuring some of Lee’s never-before-seen writings.

"You will never get any more out of life than you expect/ Keep your mind on the things you want and off those you don’t/ Things live by moving and gain strength as they go/ Be a calm beholder of what is happening around you".

Quote of the week ✍️

"Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit". (B.K.S. Iyengar)

That's all from me today, enjoy your weekend and TTYS

ML