Why are siblings competitive? Consider the following childhood scenarios. It’s the annual school sports day. Because you and your sibling have the same surname, you’re on the same team, both wearing your red shirts with pride and participating in cheering other pupils on when they throw further or run faster than the yellows, greens and …
Should I go with my gut? If you’re sailing through a cloudy night, without the stars as a guide, you need an accurate compass. You can’t trust someone else’s word that you’re going in the right direction – like a GPS signal, it might fail you. But a needle pointing north never will. This is …
What is a meadow and what is their practical purpose? ‘Sitting in a meadow is a balm for the soul – a meadow is the most peaceful and gently restful place I can imagine,’ says Wilson Wall. ‘Without meadows, we would lose pockets of diversity and serenity that cannot be replicated in parks and gardens.’ …
Read moreWhy are meadows essential for the environment and our mental health?
Why is it important to question capitalist ideas about the best way to live? Of course, people need money, and they need enough money, but structures built around money and profit-making for some are doomed to fail the majority. This isn’t to advocate everyone moving off-grid and stopping work entirely. At this point in time, …
Read moreWhy is knowing when you have enough essential for mental wellbeing?
How the right fragrance can help with self-realisation In the summer of 2005, on a visit to the French Riviera, I came across the beautiful village of Grasse, home to the almost 100-year-old Fragonard perfumery – a treasure trove of all things fragrant, where you can see the noses at work and even mix your …
How did Kerry Ashby embrace the reinvention offered by a new career? Starting out as a florist, Kerry plodded along in her role, unfulfilled and frustrated, until, at 30, she swapped flowers for bandages and a career in nursing, retraining from scratch. Rising through the ranks, she found herself as head of paediatrics at a …
Although it might look easy, Savasana – also known as Corpse pose – requires focus and awareness. Practised with intention, it complements and concludes active yoga practice, bringing together the physical and spiritual aspects of the discipline. Here’s a reminder of how to practise it: *Place blankets or bolsters for added support where needed. Words: …
Why it’s rude to reject a compliment Do you think, these days, that you’re pretty good at taking a compliment? Maybe, when someone praised you in the past, you’d contradict them. ‘Oh, but it was easy,’ you’d say, or ‘Thanks, but I should have done better.’ But, since then, you’ve learned that rejecting a compliment …
What is the draw of people-watching for creatives? ‘If you’re people-watching, you see how it’s a story evolving in front of you,’ says London-based artist David Richardson, whose work captures the scenes unfolding in the capital’s public spaces, be that a fish market or outside the Houses of Parliament. ‘You notice more, too, when you …
Read moreHow people-watching can be used for artistic inspiration
How do people live a contemplative life in the modern world? Throughout history, people have retreated from the world. Laozi, the assumed author of the Tao-te Ching (the text is also thought to be the work of many people), was said to have been a recluse who shunned worldly life. However, Chinese spiritual recluses have …
Read moreHow to create a space for contemplation in your life
