Table of contents for Issue 11 in Planet Mindful

EVERY YEAR AROUND this time, I wait with eager anticipation for one of spring’s greatest spectacles: cherry blossom. I’m lucky enough to have an ornamental cherry tree in my garden, right outside my bedroom window. So every morning in March and April, when I pull back the curtains, I’m excited to see what stage the blossom has reached. It’s fascinating to watch the barren winter branches develop tiny buds that grow and swell until it seems like they just might explode. It sometimes feels like nature is teasing me, waiting until my excitement is at a suitable fever pitch before my patience is finally rewarded. It’s usually on a sunny spring day, when the conditions are just right and I need a little cheering up, that the blossom finally bursts…

SINCE THE BEGINNING of our cultural history in Japan, cherry blossoms have always been associated with the fleeting nature of beauty and life, a tinge of sadness in the shadow of euphoria. Their full bloom lasts only until the next gust of wind, ending in the breathtaking beauty of sakura-fubuki (cherry blossom blizzard). During the flourish of warrior ethos amongst Samurai, cherry blossom became the symbol of their honour code, in which life is valued not for its length but for your deeds. In a sense, it became the artistic metaphor and backbone of Samurai values, sometimes verging on a form of death cult, honouring self-sacrifice over inglorious survival and perseverance. In Japanese villages, cherry trees were regarded as divine and their annual blossoming augured the coming year’s harvest. Long…

SPACE SURROUNDS US. Yet we often lack a conscious awareness of this fact – until we believe we need more of it. Such as more space to park multiple cars, more space in our homes for increasing amounts of stuff, or just space to think. We can never have enough space. Or so we assume… After my hysterectomy, I thought a lot about the nature of space – physical and mental. I wondered about the unexpected womb-sized space I imagined it must have created, visualising it as large and cavernous, although the consultant insisted it was only as big as a fist. Even so, bizarrely, I felt sure I could feel the difference inside my body. Would the new space remain hollow? Or would something else fill it? Well, apparently…

FROM A YOUNG age, I loved writing songs and singing. I had a total fascination with live sounds, instruments and music. The sound was incredibly powerful. Externally, the world made me feel anxious and insecure but with sound I stayed curious and felt safe. Th rough sound, I was able to express and identify with my feelings and emotions – over time and through experience, it felt only natural to share what helped me with others. Sound has been shared as a healing therapy in ancient cultures around the planet for over 40,000 years. We are vibrating beings made up of sound – it is innate within us all and has existed since the beginning of time. There is much to learn about the science and history of sound, through…

ASTROLOGY IS A WISDOM tradition built on observation of the natural world, and we can see how the elements of the natural world have correlations with the Sun, Moon and planets in our astrological chart. Each morning, the Sun rises triumphant over the eastern horizon. Reborn from a long night travelling the underworld, the Sun’s rise calls us to mirror its movements. Give our gratitude. Perform our rituals. Offer ourselves up to be of service. Human life begins in the darkness of the womb but it depends on a reliable source of light and warmth once it leaves its place of conception and incubation. The Sun in your astrological chart is your life force. This is why it represents your life’s purpose and perhaps why popular astrology has put such…

PERFORMANCE IS NOT just in the domain of the arts. We are all performers and everyone wants to perform their best in life. As players on the ‘stage of life’ we perform many different roles in our personal and professional environments and relationships. Yet our performance in these roles can often be stuck in ‘old stories’, habits and our ‘default’ zone. Examples abound of how we revert to our childhood behaviours within the family constellation and how we don our corporate ‘masks’ when we step into our workplaces. If Shakespeare is right and ‘all the world’s a stage’, then the greatest role you ever get to perform is you. Bringing your fullest, authentic self through the door is about dropping the mask and breaking out of habitual stories that may…

Gentle arm candy We’ve fallen in love with this butter-soft bag by French luxury vegan fashion brand Ashoka. Designed in Paris, the company works with some of the best manufacturers of vegan leather. The Brigette Couture Vegan Leather handbag in Camel (£163) is the perfect shade for late spring/early summer and what’s more, it’s made from revolutionary apple skin – ingeniously produced from the skin of apples grown in Italian orchards. The PETA-approved brand ups the eco-cool factor further by donating a percentage of profits to animal rights groups. Ashokaparis.com Facial skincare illuminated We already know about the many wellbeing benefits of yoga for the body, mind and spirit and now you can extend this to your facial skincare routine. Luminous Facial Yoga offers a host of easy-to-follow facial massage…

PLANET EARTH IS a resilient place: as humanity’s canvas, it has absorbed much and made way for so many of our inventions. Our species has now entered its sixth millennia on the planet and it is clear that for all our brilliance, wisdom has proved elusive. We cannot continue to think only of convenience and the immediate future. We need to change our ways to make sure that our beautiful planet can support us for hopefully many generations to come. In my new book, Sustain, I hope to enlighten you on how to lead life in a more thoughtful, careful, organic and ecologically friendly way. It is possible to keep a clean house and maintain a fertile garden organically, to shop locally and seasonally, and to recycle and reuse as…

THERE’S A QUIET creative revolution taking place in the heart of London’s Belgravia. Thanks to Zena El Farra, MasterPeace Creative Studios is a mindful art space, where painting is used as an alternative form of meditation. We sat down with Zena to find out more… What is mindful art? Increasing research has shown a link between creativity, mental health and wellbeing, as well as connections between painting and the physiological state induced by meditation. When we paint mindfully, we aren’t focussing on the ‘final product’ or searching for perfection; instead, we’re taking the time to focus on the experience of painting itself and using that as a way to unwind and feel more grounded in the present moment. At MasterPeace, we aim to encourage creativity through ‘mindful painting’ and use…

1 ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL We’re all different and there are infinite ways to ‘do’ mindfulness, so however you do it is up to you. You might also prefer different approaches on different days, depending on the kind of mood you’re in. As long as it feels right for you, that’s all that matters. You can do it by yourself, with someone else (such as a friend or a loved one) or with a whole room full of people. It’s brilliantly versatile. 2 SLOW DOWN The first step towards mindfulness is to slow down and take a step back (either physically, mentally or emotionally) from the busy blur of life. If you like, you can continue with what you’re doing but more slowly and purposefully. If you prefer, you…

THERE IS ONE day I always look forward to. I count the days and will often bring it up in conversation, reminding people that day is nearly here. It’s not my birthday or anyone else’s or any kind of anniversary. It’s in the last weekend of March when the clocks go forward, inviting another whole hour of light into our lives. It marks a turning point in the year, when the days grow visibly longer, people smile more, the parks fill with the first real flush of flowers and everything seems possible. I used to find it vaguely irritating to change every clock and timepiece on what seemed a pointless and random date. When I worked in offices or lecture theatres, with their controlled environments and artificial light systems, this…

WE FEEL THE arrival of spring through our senses. It’s a joy each year to experience days feeling longer, a warming in the air and buds appearing. Yin yoga is a slow, grounded and meditative practice that offers an ideal way to prep mind and body for spring. This is a time for renewal and for this it is helpful to cleanse our systems, encourage flow of energy and let our consciousness expand. Yin yoga has its roots in ancient Chinese philosophy, specifically the Tao, which holds that everything comprises a yin and yang energy – opposite energies that together create wholeness. Yin yoga is an ideal complement to the yang of modern life’s fast pace. This Yin yoga sequence for spring involves postures that stimulate lines of energy that…

YOU WON’T HAVE anything interesting to say to anyone. Everyone is going to think you are stupid.’ I am about to walk on stage to sing with my band. Just moments before, I was really looking forward to this gig, but now my feet are hesitant to move and it feels like my heart has plunged into my stomach. I decide not to listen and begin to walk towards the stage again, but I can hear the voice, louder this time. ‘You are about to make a fool out of yourself.’ I want to turn around and tell the voice to shut up but the voice is in me. It’s the voice of my inner critic. Singing with my band always gave me immense joy but I simply didn’t feel…

THE SUPERFAST SPEED of modern life can make it seem as if nothing is certain anymore; everything is in a constant state of flux. While that might be true when you’re talking operating systems or celebrity status, it’s not when you get down to the very basics of life. By which I mean death. It was Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, who coined the phrase that says it all: ‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes’. He was referring to the creation of the US constitution, but it’s stuck around for this long as, notwithstanding Silicon Valley’s attempts, it is a rock-solid truth. We will all eventually die. But it is not something that people spend a…

TIME FOR A CONFESSION: I’ve often felt envious of those who seem to draw great satisfaction and nourishment from their friendships. I’ve always valued my friendships, but since the complexity and pace of life increased after I became a mother, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to experience friendship as a source of joy, rather than a ‘call of duty’. This is exacerbated by the fact that as an introvert, I need time on my own to recharge and relax, which is challenging when much of my day is spent at work with colleagues or at home with my children. With weekends consisting mainly of ‘family time’ and household tasks, keeping friendships going for the last few years has centred around catching up over an evening drink at the pub. We…

‘Experiencing the sheer beauty of the countryside while putting one foot in front of the other gives time to meditate, think and reflect without any distractions’ ACROSS THE AGES, people have always sought peace, tranquillity, resilience and moral strength among high places. To quote the Bible, ‘I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.’ Even as we metaphorically climb hills (or sometimes mountains) in our daily life, overcoming problems, the actual process of climbing a hill, in reality, can make a tremendous difference. Getting away from a crowded environment takes you instantly into a more peaceful world. Instead of being glued to a computer screen feeling you have to work, work, work, or having to deal with a multitude of daily problems, the effort…

SEEN AS RELIGIOUS images, cultures around the world have drawn mandalas for centuries. You can use a variety of mediums, from paint to sand, to draw them. All mandalas have the same radial symmetry, and after you lay it out, you can simply let your spirit roam free. The first step to creating mandalas is to practise drawing different patterns. From the floors we walk on to the bark on a tree, textures and patterns are everywhere. By using simple lines to build patterns, you can develop your drawing skills as well as your eye for detail. In the boxes (right), try to complete the different patterns. Some are simple, while others are more complex, but you can try whatever feels right to you. After a bit of practice with…

1 FRESH AIR “Being cooped up all day inside can really take its toll on you, physically and mentally. So try to get outside for some fresh air at least once during your working day. Whether it’s eating lunch outside or going for a walk, this will get you moving and give your eyes a break from constantly looking at a screen. If you can do this with friends or colleagues, that’s even better because you can encourage each other to get outside, plus doing an activity together builds better, more resilient relationships.” Kira Mahal, personal trainer and founder of Reset LDN (resetldn.com) 2 Tap into reflexology “With stress being so prevalent in our modern lives, reflexology is a wonderful way to unwind, calm a busy mind and tap into…

Equilibrium restored The Wellness Sabbatical is a new travel concept where days of work and wellness are intentionally blended, addressing the reality for many who simply can’t escape from the office for long vacations. From May, Kamalaya in Thailand will offer a minimum 21-day sabbatical program which aims to go far deeper than a mere ‘recharge’. Guests can work for fixed period of time every day and then enjoy a holistic ‘reset’ aimed to rebalance the nervous system. Therapies and treatments include ayurvedic massage, physiotherapy, yoga and qi gong, all set in a lush paradise. Kamalaya.com Yoga in style Make your yoga practice more mindful with planet-friendly clothing – ChaYkra offer a brilliant range of yogawear, all ethically made with breathable fairtrade organic cotton. Their best-selling ‘Balance’ crop top is…

DO YOU FIND yourself talking about time running out a lot? About not having enough time? About wishing there were more hours in the day? Do you rush all the time? Do you feel like you’re a slave to the clock? These are all indications that you’re living in time poverty. It’s time to switch into time prosperity. The simple fact is, if we want to have the experience of more than enough time, we must start with how we think about time and what our relationship to it is. First off, simply notice what you think about time and what you say about time, especially around your kids. Children are sponges, and when you’re stressed about time, they’ll pick up on it and either adopt your same stressed-out relationship…

TENSE, NERVOUS HEADACHE? What could be more soothing than a whiff of lemon or perhaps lavender, both of which are known to have calming properties? But hang on, maybe the chemicals in the scented candle you lit earlier is causing that headache, that itching, even that respiratory problem. Indeed, research over recent years has suggested that manufactured fragrances can have an adverse impact on modern society – only now are the effects of some of the components being understood, much as toxic white lead was used as a cosmetic for centuries without its harms being realised. In fact, the very properties that make a fragrance easily vapourised, and thus able to stimulate our sense of smell, also mean they’re highly reactive. They may stimulate our immune reactions, too. Small wonder…

CHICKPEA BURGERS WITH SWEET MUSTARD SAUCE Who doesn’t love a great veggie burger? These chickpea burgers are a quick and hearty meal that will please the entire family; kids included. They’re made from protein-rich chickpeas and topped with a sweet and tangy mustard sauce for an extra dose of flavour. Serves 4 Chickpea burgers: ½ yellow onion, finely diced2x439g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed10g finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)¼ tsp adobo seasoning¼ tsp paprikaSalt and black pepper, to taste3 tbsp (23g) all-purpose flour3 tbsp (45ml) olive oil, divided Sweet mustard sauce: 1 tbsp (15ml) agave syrup2 tbsp (30ml) Dijon mustard For serving: 4 burger bunsLettuceRed onions, thinly slicedAlfalfa sprouts 1 To make the burgers, in a large bowl, mix the onion, chickpeas, coriander, adobo seasoning, paprika, salt, pepper, flour and 1…

Serena Louth 12 ways to let go of stress From p8 “With stress being so prevalent in our modern lives, reflexology is a wonderful way to unwind, calm a busy mind and tap into the body’s innate healing wisdom.” Kira Mahal 12 ways to let go of stress From p8 “Try to get outside for some fresh air at least once during your working day. Whether it’s eating lunch outside or going for a walk, this will get you moving.” Jane Ayres The space between From p27 “The Japanese have a concept called Ma, in which everything is mindfully placed to create serenity. It is experienced as a conscious awareness of the space between things. A pause.” Leah Weiss Be more bhāvanā From p44 “The five distinct components of the…

12 ways to love every day Ecotherapy guide: how to use nature to feel better Finding a sense of purpose through volunteering The surprising benefits of being buried Coping with pain, emotional and physical Simple ways to get a better night’s sleep Using mindfulness to cope with teenage children Centre yourself: 15-minute core-based yoga workout Visit ancient stones and discover a sense of peace Easy ideas for growing your own fruit and veg Building a healthier fashion and beauty regime and much more… @PLANETMINDFUL @PLANETMINDFULMAG @PLANETMINDFUL…