Month: October 2014

Find what you love

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Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple Inc and Pixar Animations, was responsible for revolutionising four major industries in his relatively short life; computing, music, movies and mobile telephones. He was a visionary who transformed our day-to-day lives through his passion for technology and drive for perfection. But something few people know about Steve Jobs is he was an incredibly spiritual man with a deep interest in Zen Buddhism. It began in high school when he started experimenting with fasting and rigid vegan diets. Then during his only semester at Reed College, Steve continued to explore his spirituality by creating his own reading list, including the following titles – Be Here Now by Richard Alpert, Cosmic Consciousness by Richard Maurice Bucke, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa, Meditation in Action by Chögyam Trungpa, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki Once Steve dropped out of College, he continued to sleep on friends’ floors and drop in on lectures which took his fancy. Meanwhile he would travel seven miles across town to the local Hare Krishna temple once a week for a good meal. In the Summer of 1974 he …

Poetry Friday

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The endless cycle of idea and action, Endless invention, endless experiment, Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness; Knowledge of speech, but not of silence; Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word. … Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? T. S. Eliot

10 ways to look after your mental health

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The Mental Health Foundation published a list of 10 ways to look after your mental health. Can you think of any others? Talk about your feelings Keep active Eat well Drink sensibly Keep in touch with loved ones Ask for help Take a break Do something you’re good at Accept who you are Care for others Find out more at http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk.

How Grateful are you?

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Can you be consciously grateful for 100 days in a row? Apparently 71% of all participants in the 100happydays challenge have so far failed – stating ‘lack of time’ as their main obstacle. But how many of them managed to visit facebook that day, or scroll through twitter aimlessly? Switch on the TV after work and watch their latest download in bed with their iPad? The challenge is to find one thing every day (for 100 days) that makes you happy. It might be the smell of fresh coffee on a sleepy morning or the affections of a pet, perhaps finding a bargain in the latest sale or a smile from a stranger in the street. You simply acknowledge what it is and make a note of it. You can use a regular notepad, take pictures with a camera or most popularly, record it via social media. The exercise isn’t to show off and try to make others jealous, but to encourage us to be aware of the simple things in life that bring happiness and joy every day – if acknowledged. It is reassessing our …

Positive Psychology

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This book is an easy to follow introduction to Positive Psychology for anyone with an interest in mindfulness or searching for authentic happiness. Positive Psychology is the most recent branch of psychology, founded by Martin Seligman. It is summarised in his own words as the ‘scientific study of optimal human functioning, it aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive.’ (Seligman & Csikszentmilhalyi, 2000). In this book you will find the results of scientific studies carried out to help us understand the key factors in creating and maintaining a happy life. Broken down into 15 easily digestible chapters including Optimism and Hope, Living in Flow, Happiness and Subjective Wellbeing, Time in Our Lives, Love and Positive Psychology interventions, it provides a brilliant overview of optimal human functioning along with simple tools and tips on how to apply it to your own life. A highly recommended read. Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness by Ilona Boniwell Available at all good book shops or via Amazon.

Ruby Wax: Sane New World

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I recently discovered a fantastic Ted Talk on Mental illness by comedy legend Ruby Wax. Notorious for her writing and comedy sketches, she recently gained a Masters from Oxford University in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy and has become an avid mental health campaigner. This 8 minute talk covers Ruby’s own experiences of mental health, being institutionalised, finding her tribe and discussing how ill equipped we are for life in the 21st Century. WATCH HER TED TALK HERE.  Ruby is currently on a UK tour with her new show Ruby Wax: Sane New World – an extension of this TED talk. You can also catch her at the St. James Theatre in Victoria next March.    

Talking to your Future Self

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MindBodyGreen.com is an interesting website founded by Jason Wachob, Carver Anderson and Tim Glenister. Their mission is to “Revitalise the way people eat, move and live” – providing an ongoing conversation about health, with useful tools and information to help you achieve the life you want. I discovered a great list on their site recently, a list of things my future self would want me to know. The exercise encourages a more balanced life by taking a mindful approach to how we spend our time now and what impact that will have on our future. Take a look for yourself and think about what your future self might want you to know – http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15318/50-things-my-future-self-wants-me-to-know.html 

The Great Outdoors

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There’s nothing like running through a park on a crisp and sunny autumnal day. Pacing over crunchy fallen leaves, in every shade of orange imaginable. A time to reconnect with mother earth, away from the drain and noise of our digital age. I urge everyone of you to take the time this month to run in your local park one morning. Leave your iPods and iPhones behind and just carry your own thoughts from tree to tree. Notice the difference in the air and the clarity in your attentions.

Go on I Dare You!

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Welcome to Technotox. A revolution to reconnect with our inner selves, to fight the digital age of smartphones, iPads, Sky TV and social media and rediscover our spirituality. By switching off to the distractions and drains of modern technology and learning to look within ourselves, we can begin to explore our inner sanctum, rediscover our intuition and nuture our own wellbeing. This makes us happier, more spiritual and satisfied individuals, better able to love and succeed in a world full of distractions. For regular ideas and inspiration, please sign up to our newsletter back on the homepage.