NOVEMBER IS ‘CONNECTION’

“Only through our connection with others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others” Harriet Lemer

Recently, I was out celebrating the Spring sunshine with a friend, taking our favourite walk along the clifftop path that runs along our local beach. It had just been announced that we would soon be exiting lockdown .. and this, our sixth lockdown (in Melbourne Aust) feels like the longest and the most challenging. But now there was a ray of sunshine, physically and metaphorically! Soon we would all be enjoying much greater freedom to move and gather and connect.

So there was obviously a little more excitement is in the air, almost palpable, and we noticed how many others were outside also enjoying the Spring sunshine .. sharing a sense of good humour and lightness of being. And my friend commented:

we need this .. humans are wired to connect!

cience shows us that inadequate social connection – also called social capital, the web of relationships in our life and the tangible and intangible benefits derive from them – can lead to increased loneliness, isolation and alienation, accelerated ageing, depression and cardiovascular health risk.

“How connected do you feel with yourself and your closest relationships, right now?

Have you ever felt your in the right place, connected and supported by others, a part of a bigger whole?

Have you ever felt instantly familiar and deeply understood by another person, like you already know this person who you’ve just met?

And yes, our DNA is indeed predisposed to connect with other humans. Since time began we have gathered together to build better conditions for safety, food supply and procreation. As a teenager, I remember learning about Abraham Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ which also showed that our need to belong and to connect was secondary only to our need for survival. Science shows us that inadequate social connection – also called social capital, the web of relationships in our life and the tangible and intangible benefits derive from them – can lead to increased loneliness, isolation and alienation, accelerated ageing, depression and cardiovascular health risk.

Feeling connected generally means feeling known or in touch with someone that cares: a sense of being open and available to another person, and having a strong sense that they are open and available to you. As human beings, we are innately social at heart, constantly striving for this deeper connection with others. In fact research shows us that it is vital for children to feel a safe attachment to an adult who cares for them; and adults also need that same secure attachment to another adult. 

JOIN US starting 1st November for a month of meditation practices, mindfulness exercises, breath work and ritual for cultivating CONNECTION.

Spring is now turning on the perfect weather for getting outside, gathering, socialising and reconnecting with community, loved ones and the world .. encouraging new ways of thinking, fresh insight and personal growth.

Wondering how you might develop deeper more authentic connections with others?

Feeling the call to forge a deeper connection with yourself?

Needing some tools to re-connect with kindness and ease?

Then ‘Connection’ in November is for you!

What Do We Do?

We start Monday 1st November

Each day (Mon-Fri) you will receive an email with a practice and focus for that day.
The time commitment is approximately 5 minutes (to review content) and then 5-20 minutes to do the practice. Some practices may only take a few minutes, others you may wish to expand into the time you have available, or revisit a couple of times each day .. this is your practice, so you can adapt to your needs and interests.

Weekends are email free! giving you the space and time to reflect and commit to the practices that have resonated with you through the week. Find what you need .. start there!

There will be a mixture of meditation practices, mindfulness exercises, rituals, journal prompts, mindful movement sequences, and traditional wisdoms. Some of our Connection practices this November will include:

* our primary practice this month is loving kindness meditation (metta)
* rituals for holding loved ones close
* practicing presence
* mindful listening + RASA
* appreciation practices
* the power of self-compassion
* morning and evening rituals for checking-in
* padma mudra for connection in stillness
* ‘Just Like Me’ mindfulness practice

This is a self-guided journey into ‘Connection’ with no pressure to join anything or attend anything .. rather, these precious jewels are offered so you might find what you need for to cultivate a deeper sense of connection to yourself, others and the world around you.

A regular meditation practice not only improves connections within the brain, but also builds social connectedness, making us more amicable and affectionate as a person. Meditation cultivates inner and outer connection.

Who am I?

For the past twelve years I have been sharing my passion for meditation and mindfulness, and in recent years this has been through the beautiful lens of Seasonal Mindfulness.

#SeasonalMindfulness is a term that I coined to describe my own personal experience of deepening my meditation practice, and finding more joy and ease in daily life, when guided by the wisdom of the seasons. I found there were meditation practices that resonated powerfully in Spring, and others that were simply magical and insightful in Winter. I call this Seasonal Mindfulness.

I learned to meditate as a teenager, you can find out more about my meditation journey here and more about Seasonal Mindfulness here.