What raspberries taught me about happiness.

As you might already know, I have a little morning ritual that involves picking raspberries from my garden while I wait for my porridge to cook and coffee to brew. I've come to rather enjoy it, as it makes for a very peaceful start to my day.

This morning there were fewer ripe berries than usual,

 And I was about to be disappointed with this poor harvest, before I thought about it for a second.

A simple breathing exercise

Take a few minutes today to just breathe and relax. Because being calm feels good.

How to know if you eat like a zombie

Do you eat like a zombie?

No, I'm not asking if you like braaainz!

I'm wondering if you eat mindlessly. At this stage you're possibly about to close this page and read something else, but stay with me for a minute and all will become clear.

To give you an idea of what I mean, I should give you an example. I'd like you to think about the last time you went to the cinema in plenty of time for the show. You collected your tickets, got the popcorn and drinks, and found your seat. Once you're settled you'll start to munch on the popcorn. You'll notice if it's too salty, or too soggy(I'm sure there's a special place in hell for

A Balancing Act

A key to keeping active throughout your life is doing things that you enjoy. Balancing on the slackline is something I enjoy very much, for a number of reasons:
It promotes mindfulness, as you can't worry about the bills or anything else while you're slacking over water; if you do, you go splash!
It's a great leg and ab workout, and because the line will stretch, it's like a really skinny trampoline, so maintaining balance while walking is a challenge in itself!
It's a great way to develop the mind-body connection, as breathing and self-awareness are central to staying on the slackline, but over-thinking will also cause you to fall off!
Its great fun, and allows you to explore movement in a new way.

Mal Kelly Slacklines for Tralee Circus Festival with Blennerville Windmill in the background

As part of keeping balance in my own life I have been volunteering for several years with the Tralee Circus Festival, where I get to combine my clownish hobbies with my love of learning and teaching. It's something I always come away from feeling invigorated and inspired, if utterly exhausted due to burning the candle at both ends for the few days!

A few weeks ago, we did a promotional photoshoot for the festival, which incorporated the slackline. and made it to page 8 of one of todays national newspapers. This year, as usual, I will be giving slackline workshops as part of the festivals free workshop programme. Why not drop by and say hello?

Take a moment

A beautiful sunset at the beach

I've recently been making a point of  taking a moment to find something to be grateful about every day. I  suggest you give it a try. It has allowed me to remember how breathtakingly beautiful the world we live on truly is, despite all the problems and troubles it has.  It only takes a few seconds a day &  I'm definitely calmer and more centered as a result of doing this for only a week.

Got skinny nuts?

Fat Found In Pistachios May Not Be Readily Absorbed By The Body

A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition finds that fat in pistachios nuts might not be completely absorbed by the body.

The calorie information you see on the side of a food packet is obtained by 'burning' the food in a device called a calorimeter. From this the boffins can tell how much is protein, carbohydrate or fat. All well and good, but the human digestive system isn't a simple piece of lab equipment. There are far too many factors that come into play, including the persons gut health, and what else is being ingested at the time.

Panic attacks & breathing control

Panic attacks affect many people, and are very unpleasant. Thankfully, they can often be eased by mindful breathing exercises. Practice the deep breathing exercise in my earlier post regularly; this should help reduce the occurrence of panic attacks. In the event of an attack, carry out the exercise with the following timing:

1. breath in for 10 seconds
2. hold in for 6 seconds
3. breath out for 10 seconds
4. hold out for 6 seconds
5. repeat 6 times, or more if needed

It is important to focus completely on the breathing and muscles during this exercise. Be mindful only* of the physical sensations of the lungs and muscles. There will be other distracting thoughts, sounds etc. that will try to gain your attention. Register these as 'oh i've had a distracting thought' then mentally push them aside, and return your focus to the lungs and muscles involved in breathing. Feel the rise and fall of your chest, the gentle filling and emptying of air in and out of the lungs. If you feel tension across the shoulders or neck, physically 'sigh' with each exhalation, and with each sigh, feel the tension drain out of your body, like water down the plug of a bath.

Have you used this or another technique to control panic attacks? what works for you? post it to the comments...

* be sensible, don't risk your life or others; if you're driving, pull over the car before trying this exercise.