Salutations to you my friend, 

This is your cue. 

Your permission to pause everything and dedicate a few moments of guilt-free time for yourself. Allow your mind to unwind from the worries of the outside world. If not now, then when?

Slow down, reflect, reset. Be inspired and uplifted. Fill your cup and nurture your soul with a few minutes of Green tea & Gratitude.

I. Create a circle of calm, your own little sanctuary.

Close your eyes and imagine a place where you feel happy and relaxed.

Is your happy place outdoors? A warm beach, or a leafy woodland? An open field? A sunset? A campfire? Most answers resemble one of these.

Why is that?

According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans are innately drawn to nature. We are genetically predisposed to enjoy connecting to life, and lifelike processes. We find natural environments more aesthetically pleasing and better for our wellbeing than those man-made. We have a biological need to connect to natural environments. They are integral to our development. We need nature to be truly content; to thrive rather than just survive.

There is something so nuanced and compelling about looking up at the trees, or gazing up at a bird soaring through the sky and realising its vastness. Watching the tide come in, picking fruit off a tree, seeing a plant come back to life after winter.

Leaving us in awe and wonder, they all remind us of the magnificence of life. Biophilia literally means “love of life and living things”. These are what make us feel human.

With this in mind, we should all get out more. Go seek your happy place - go to the seaside, go watch the sunset, go to the woods.

But also bring your happy place indoors. Think deeply about your happy place and fuse elements of it into your everyday, so you can connect to it daily. Wicker and wood. Sea shells. Natural sun light. The warm red light of a candle or a fire. Deep green leaves, budding flowers. Think of the colours, materials and textures of nature and enrich your home, your car, your workspace with these.

“Deviation from nature is deviation from happiness” - Samuel Johnson

Read more on biophilia here in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

II. Press play on the tunes, and press pause on life.

This week I've repeatedly lost myself in the delicate melodies of Gavin Luke.

All of his songs are truly captivating, it’s really hard to listen to just one.

Maybe start with the striking expression of longing in In Search of Home.

Or the reminiscence of intimacy in Notes to Self. See where it takes you.

III. Find comfort in your cup.

"If you are cold, tea will warm you;
If you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.”
― William Gladstone

This week I’m housesitting in the beautiful Cotswolds, England and have found in the cupboard the most amazing green matcha powder which I’ve mixed with oat milk for a matcha latte. I’m a bit late to the matcha party, but speaking of nature this week, there is definitely something about the grassy, earthy flavour of matcha that reminds you exactly where it comes from.

IV. A simple gratitude practice to boost happiness levels.

I’ve heard that deliberately smiling can trick your brain into feeling more happy. So this week I thought I’d take you through a guided breathing and happiness visualisation to see if it works.

Gratitude Practice 003 :

V. A little something to lift your spirit.

We’ve all heard of certain words that exist in one language, but not in another. This is fascinating, not least because some psychologists hold the view that language, which is moulded by our culture, plays a big part in how we think, feel and act (linguistic relativity). Noam Chomsky says language is primarily a system of thought. Our language is a cognitive toolkit that we draw on to create and interpret our thoughts and understand the world. Its function for communication is secondary.

“We seldom realise . . . that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society.” - Alan Watts

Have you ever experienced something but not quite been able to make sense of it because you’ve failed to find a word or concept for it in the language(s) you use and therefore have been unable to classify it?

I’ve come across a word in Japanese that has put in focus for me a mystical phenomenon I have marvelled at many times without anything concrete in my toolkit to help me intellectualise it.

[KOMOREBI] - the scattered light that filters through when sunlight shines through trees

Have you experienced this?

Japanese culture, and language, seems to show heightened appreciation for nature and highlights the romanticism of natural phenomena. Hanafubuki is a similar word, representing the blizzard of cherry blossoms falling from trees like snowflakes. Kouyou, a way to say the leaves are changing colour so Autumn must be on its way. Kogarashi, the first brisk, bitter wind that marks the start of winter. Petorikoru, the smell of rain before it begins to fall.

How magical is it to think that if we learn and use more of these words and concepts, thereby adding them to our cognitive toolkit, we can expand our perception and intensify the experience and colour of our world.

“To have a second language is to have a second soul” - Charlemagne

VI. Something on my mind

Sometimes you can only really hear your own voice when you quiet the voice of others.

To keep you posted

A Little Each Day yoga challenge.

I have recorded 7 short videos for you - one for each day this coming week starting Monday August 3rd. All are short and sweet (I tried to make them less than 10 minutes but I talk a lot so it’s more like 20), some of them can even be done from your desk. Try doing them in the morning, at lunchtime or in the evening. See what works for you to bring a little bit of breathing and a little bit of stretching into your everyday routine. 7 days. 7 videos.

A little each day goes a long way.

Weekly Schedule

All online yoga classes are still pay-what-you-can (!). Face to face classes are starting back up mid-August.

Check out the schedule for details of this coming week’s Pyjama Yoga, Family Yoga and Adult Relax & Unwind Yoga - all from the comfort of your own home.

How to join online classes: 

Please drop me a quick message here to let me know you’re joining in!

Download Zoom then click here

Meeting ID: 601 953 7811

Password: 12345

Pay-What-You-Can via Paypal.

Pass the pause

Know someone who could use a cue to take a time out? Forward GT&G to a friend and invite them to this circle of calm.

Until next week, let love and light lead the way.  

With gratitude,

Rossana

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