Mindful Gail June Newsletter
- gailcalthrop
- Jun 12
- 5 min read
Hello Everyone,
Well, what a wonderful weekend I had at Hellens Garden Festival. Lots of flowers and people, mindful practices and interactive connection to the Mandala I created, Mindfulness Connection. When we realise that everyone wants to live with, and hold, similar core values such as family, safety, shelter, compassion, then we recognise we have so much more in common than that which separates us. With a child mannequin in the centre of the circle, as the children are our future, visitors filled in the segments and it blossomed into a myriad of colours and interconnection. It gladdened my heart to feel and see the thoughtful placing of peoples chosen objects, a true picture of the weaving of shared beliefs and values.
Compassion and Mindfulness.
Mindfulness helps us see clearly. Compassion helps us respond kindly. The two together embody being fully present in our life.
We can imagine that they are like a bird in flight, the flying achieved by two balanced wings. One wing is awareness, balance and steadiness; the other is kindness and care. They both need to be cultivated and strong so the bird can fly.
In life, when we practise mindfulness without compassion, we are without warmth, in observational and clinical mode. If we are compassionate without mindfulness, we can be overwhelmed, our balance, perception and judgement displaced and unsteady.
Meeting life’s challenges takes courage and warm care of ourself, using mindfulness practices and approaches cultivates this balanced approach, builds and develops nurturing habits that grow our resilience, encourages clarity and insight, learning to be helpfully with our difficulties, nurtures equilibrium and liberates happiness.
To feel how this can become possible, remember what you would say and do with a loved one who is under pressure, feeling pain or distress. You would offer kindness, encouragement and tender care. They feel heard, accepted and validated and they often blossom a little, feel soothed and more able to go forward. You can be this for yourself; you are as deserving of gentle compassion as anyone and when life feels difficult in the moment, start with a small moment of self-compassionate practice.
Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient.
Dripping water wears away a stone.
Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.”
~Margaret Atwood
Small Mindful Moment Activity:
Pause, acknowledge to yourself this is hard for you in this moment. Notice and acknowledge your thoughts, any physical sensations showing up, and any emotional feelings that present. Place your hands on your belly, and allow the belly to soften. Now, feel the movement of your breath, the rising and falling beneath your fingers, how they rise up a little, and then drop down a little. Feel the rhythm again and again.
With just engaging in one moment of attention, and the next, we become open to the flow of moving into the next one more easily, letting go of tensions and tightness, feeling a restorative balance that is always within each moment, but usually so ignored. It all starts with one moment.
Practicing mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress and worry cycles, encourage helpful changes to physical symptoms such as pain and fatigue, reduce inflammatory markers and change reactive habits and behaviours to helpful responses to help us live the life we need to flourish and thrive.
Mindful Events Coming up:
June 20th Mindful Evening at Hampton Bishop, now FULLY BOOKED! Thank you to everyone who has booked a place. I am so looking forward to sharing this evening with people.
Monthly On-Line Mindful Drop In
Wednesday 18th June 7-8pm:.
Just £10 per session or £35 for four booked sessions.
Mindfulness On-Line Drop In, a chance to recharge your mindful batteries, restore and renew energies, find some calm and balance, and all from the comfort of your home. If you would like to join us, the first session is FREE.
Let me know if you can join us, clink on the link to book, and I will send you the Zoom link.
Book your place now with a discounted fee of £60. This is a very special venue that supports and creates mindful spaces, thoughtful explorations of Nature, and an opportunity to align with the quiet, restorative presence of being.
DON’T DO ANYTHING. JUST REST.
Don’t fall into the trap of believing that doing nothing… means doing nothing for yourself.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that not being productive is somehow a failure.
That if it doesn’t have a visible outcome, it doesn’t count.
That rest is wasted time.
We’ve become so used to being busy —
to checking off boxes,
to tracking our progress,
to measuring worth in output —
that we’ve forgotten something essential:
Rest is productive.
It’s the moment your body heals.
Your mind exhales.
Your soul whispers.
Reading a magazine.
Taking a long shower.
Sitting in the garden with a warm cup of coffee.
None of it is a waste.
Because time spent resting… is time well spent.
We’re not machines.
We’re not meant to hustle 24/7.
We are human beings.
And sometimes, we just need to be.
— Becky Hemsley
If you have any questions or queries about my musings or my offers, please do contact me.
I wish you all a wonderful summer Solstice; feel the sharing of the light, let it fill your senses, luxuriate in the warmth and energy, let it guide you forward into the rest of summer.
With love,
Gail
YOU TUBE
I have now added some new videos, please check them out!
I also recorded a few meditation videos during Covid and put them onto a YouTube channel. Their content can be helpful now as it was then, so have a look if you would like to follow guided practices. Follow the link HERE!
What I Offer...
Get in touch
Mindfulness crept into my life about 12 years ago after I completed a Mindfulness Based Reduction for Stress Course [MBSR], offered by my workplace, a Hospice. The teachings touched a need in me to want to experience life in a calmer and more enjoyable way; to find ways to be present helpfully to the way my life was unfolding rather than engage in battling with the automatic behaviours with repeating conflicting thoughts and emotions, with all the attendant emotional and physical fallouts.
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