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Find inner silence with the STOP Practise. When you find yourself rushing telling yourself ‘not enough time, not enough time’ simply try the STOP practise; S - STOP what you are doing.
T - Take a Breath; feel your feet on the floor, throw down an anchor.
O - Observe; ask yourself what’s going on here and can I be with it even for a micro moment? Investigate what’s going on in mind, body and heart.
P - Proceed; carry on with the next moment of the day. Create outer silence with the WAIT Practice. Yes, even in the midst of family chat (or multiple chats happening all at once!) you can always pause and remind yourself of WAIT - “Why Am I Talking?”. Give yourself that space before speaking. Allow the healing power of nature to renew you Spend time outside as much as you can. Open up all your sense to the beauty of wind, rain, sun, fog. Stop and allow yourself to literally be drenched in it! Practice gratitude Give yourself time to truly be with that which lifts your spirits – stroking the cat, reading a story book, cuddling with family, your favourite food and drink. Savour it. The feelings, the taste - get close to, and spend time with, that which ‘gladdens the heart’. And finally – be upright… Whenever you find yourself ‘leaning forward’ to January, worrying about that which has not yet happened, planning, running through ‘to do’ lists in your head, notice this, and bring yourself back into the present moment. Throw down your anchor, bring all your senses to savouring this moment, this Christmas, this child’s smile, the smell of this meal cooking. January will come. Let’s notice the tendency for our minds to ‘tug us into the future’, and come into the present as best we can. So, on behalf of our teams, our schools, our students and (the often neglected!) ourselves - let’s allow space to renew this Christmas.
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