Back to Blog

Learning how to flourish with equanimity

Last month I headed up north to complete a 10 day Vipassana meditation course. This was 100% for me; it allowed me to disconnect from my normal everyday life and gave me some well needed mental space.  In this blog post I'm going to give a bit of an overview on my time at Medini-Vipassana, and in later blogs I will talk more about some specifics of my experience and the ongoing impacts.  I didn't really do too much research into Vipassana meditation or where I was going. I re...

Vipassanā Meditation

A couple of years ago a friend told me that she was heading up north to attend a 10-day silent meditation. I had never really thought about something like this, and I remember saying there was no way I could do something like that. And yet in a few weeks I will be experiencing it myself. Back then I found it hard to fathom the idea of spending 10-days completely silent, meditating for around 10 hours a day with nothing to distract me from my thoughts and reality. However gradually the idea has g...

Have we lost our balance?

I'm not really sure where to start with my thoughts, so let's just see what comes out... I've had a few conversations recently which have left me feeling sad, and frustrated. I know this frustration is misplaced because it comes from a place compassion and wanting to see people flourish and not suffering. People are struggling and suffering, and I don't know what needs to happen for a major shift to take place. I feel like we have created a society which creates mental distress. Our lifestyles a...

Being vs Doing

A friend and I frequently talk about 'being' vs 'doing'. I find these conversations so interesting, as many people would see me as a 'doer', when in actual fact I am at my most peaceful when I can just 'be'. For me this means that I can just 'be' in the moment with no expectations. One of my Gallup Strengthfinders strengths is Achiever, which can easily become over-dominant. I become too focused on ticking everything on my to-do list that I forget to actually enjoy the moment. Over time this sta...

Mental health and addiction inquiry

This week I was able to attend a workshop on mental health and addiction to create a submission for the Government Inquiry.  The room was full with over 100 people who wanted to share their experiences and engage in changing the way we deal with mental health and addiction in NZ.  Tania Jones and Shane Madden facilitated the evening and did an amazing job to create a safe space where there was no judgement and everyone could 100% be themselves and share without fear of repercussio...

Labels & Stigmas

I have been thinking a bit recently about the term 'mental health', and how I feel about this label. I don't feel like I identify with 'mental illness', because I don't believe that I'm mentally unwell. I experience anxiety, both generalised anxiety and panic attacks - and by definition I therefore have a mental illness. Along with this label comes stigmas - that I'm unstable, fragile, or even off my rocker. And because I take prescribed medication, to help me manage my anxiety and live the fulf...

Radical Acceptance workshop

On Saturday a group of 15 came together for this workshop. My lounge was turned into a cosy sanctuary with cushions and blankets and we created a safe space to share our fears and struggles, be vulnerable and support each other. Through the afternoon we learnt about Jenna's Be, See, Ask Do behaviour model and touched on values. This information helped us understand why we do what we do, what motivates us and who we are. Knowing this we can come to love and accept ourselves, and just ho...

Love & Acceptance

I love each persons uniqueness and have always done things my own way. I like to be creative, flex my individuality and encourage others to do the same - something I've always embraced.  During a recent walk 'n' talk with my friend Jenna, who is taking the April workshop, we were talking about values and what's important to us in our lives. Jenna is such a soothing soul to be around. We have the most amazing talks, sometimes they can be quite in depth, and I always feel so invigorated ...

Mental Health

I'm interested to know how other people feel about the term 'mental illness' and whether those of us who live with mental health hurdles resonate with the terms 'mental illness', 'mental health', mental sickness' etc.  I have always resisted the term mental illness. It has never felt 'right' for me, and therefore I wonder if there is a better term that those of us who experience what are seen as mental health hurdles. One that doesn't feel like we are being labelled, put in the corner, or a...

Our Values

'Values' have been on my mind for a wee while now, and now it keeps cropping up everywhere thanks to the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.  Values are defined as, "principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life". My thinking around values has become even stronger since I spoke with my lovely friend Jenna about the opportunity for her to facilitate a workshop for Kamala. Jenna and I have the most amazing walk n talks, where we talk about all sorts of things....

The ups and downs

The last few days have felt a bit up and down for me. I have been pushing myself, saying yes to everything and everyone, and probably taken on a bit too much.  If you're like me, you struggle to say no, especially when it is something you are passionate about, or someone you love.  Whenever I start feeling this sense of overwhelm I come back to the in flight safety videos - put your own mask on before you help anyone else. I'm not sure if it's a female thing, or a personality thing, bu...

Are we really happy?

I've really started wondering "How happy are we really"? I feel like many of us are constantly pushing ourselves - striving for the next promotion, a bigger and better job, a bigger house or more properties, a better car - and I have to wonder, are these things really making us happy? We seem to be constantly striving for the next "material" item to signify our success, but are these the things that really matter and make us truly happy? Sure it might feel nice to drive a fancy car, have a bigge...

Essential Oils Workshop

On Saturday Kirsten from Infuse Yoga & Oils shared her experiences and the health benefits of doTERRA Essential Oils with us.  We were able to smell, use and breathe in the different oils to feel the effects that they can have on our health and wellbeing. Kirsten took us through the top 10 oils that every house should have - peppermint, lavender, frankincense, tea tree, oregano, lemon, ice blue, easy air, smart & sassy, digestzen and on guard and the different ways to use them - application...

My love for Kamala

Wow! What a start to 2018. After setting up Flourish last year, since rebranded to Kamala, things seemed to stagnate a bit, but I went with it, trusting that everything would come together, and they sure have!  The rebrand to Kamala feels so right, and I'm so in love with it. I stumbled across this word not long after I made the decision to rebrand, and it immediately resonated with me. 'Kamala' is Sanskrit for Lotus, and the Lotus has such a beautiful meaning..."Throughout time the lotus f...

Kamala launch and candle making workshop

On Saturday (the 20th of January) we officially launched Kamala with our first workshop - yay!  We were blessed to partner with Betley to make candles while enjoying the sun (although some of us were trying to escape it) and making connections.  Gemma from Betley took us all through the whole process of making a candle, from measuring out wax and scents to pouring and setting the candles. It was great to see people make connections - chatting and getting to know each other, a...

Chris's story

Chris is a local photographer who has decided to share his story with mental distress...thank you Chris! OccupationPhotographer Director of Photography, Documentary film maker. What type of mental distress have you experienced?Anxiety How old were you when you first experienced mental distress?  4 or 5 years old Did you know what it was at the time? No If not, how long was it until you knew it was anxiety?  Early 30's Do you have family members who also have anxiety? Yes How have ...

When molehills become mountains

If you have experienced anxiety you may find that you identify with this feeling of complete and utter overwhelm at tasks that seem small and insignificant, in the rational mind.  In a book I'm reading at the moment the author writes about how the character had recently had her first child, and her husband was returning to work. She had all of these things planned to do with her husband back at work - however found that the thought of getting on and doing these things was so overwhelming th...

Do you know your triggers?

Realising what my triggers are for anxiety has been so important for me to understand my anxiety and take control of it. Interestingly they have changed over the years. One of my triggers is food. This has been a trigger since my anxiety became severe after I ran the 12km round the bridges event a few years back. I can recall being at home after the event and trying to think of what I should cook to eat and refuel my body after running the event. A feeling of panic welled up in me and thoughts ...

Breathe

For many years I had heard about how breathing techniques and exercises could help manage anxiety, but had never really given it much thought let alone committed to trying it. I had kind of fobbed it off I guess. Thinking back, I guess it was learning yoga that started my understanding of how important the breath is. When I started yoga about 4 years ago I jumped straight into Ashtanga yoga which is based on synchronising the breath with yoga poses. At the time I had no idea what the different ...

My story with Anxiety

At 13 I don't think I had ever heard of anxiety, and I certainly hadn't given it much thought. I grew up in a loving family, what I think of as a typical Kiwi family in the 80's and 90's. Dad worked at the local pulp and paper mill, and mum was a stay at home mum, with a part time job a few hours a week so that she could be at home for us before and after school. Then mum got a new job when I was about 10. Before long she was being promoted and her hours started to change, yet she still made s...

The inspiration for Kamala...

A friend contacted me one day asking if we could catch up for a cuppa. Anxiety had let itself back into her life, and knowing that I too have had my battles she wanted to chat. We had a lovely catch up, although I was sad to hear her struggles with anxiety. I did what any good friend would do, listened and shared my own experiences and methods to deal with anxiety in the hope that I could help in some small way. It was after our catch up that I started to wonder if there was something more to ...