All posts filed under: healthy body healthy mind

How the Body Scan Gives us the Power of Choice

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Technotox was asked to write an article for Everyday Mindfulness about the power of the body scan… I used to suffer from severe pain in my left shoulder. I would walk for 50 minutes into work each morning with a strappy bag casually hooked over my left arm. It was a beautiful vintage mulberry, so what did it matter that it was causing shooting pains deep into my muscle tissue? For weeks and weeks I ignored it, mindlessly going about my business, caught up in the busy cycle of day-to-day life, oblivious to the long term damage this pain might be causing. Three months later, I joined a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course with the aim to make mindfulness a part of my daily routine. I had heard a lot about its benefits and read plenty of books on the subject, but now it was time to put it into action and to be held accountable for my daily practice. During the first week we carried out a 20-minute body scan. Something I had grappled …

Reflect, Recharge & Redefine for 2017

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On Saturday 7th January 2017, Technotox is delighted to be hosting a one day urban retreat to get your mind, body and soul recharged and focused on the year ahead. Together with expert nutritionist and pilates instructor Ruth Tongue, we’ve created a day of nourishing, energising activities combined with personal development and style workshops, so you can treat yourself at the same time as growing yourself. What’s Included? Energising Pilates Class Personal Goal Setting Workshop Raw Vegan Cookery Class  Mindfulness Meditation Style, Personal Branding & Confidence Workshop Healthy Lunch, Snacks & Refreshments Stretch and Unwind Finish  We’ll kick-start the morning with an energising pilates class followed by a raw vegan cookery class from our expert Nutritionist and Sport Stylist ambassador, Ruth Tongue. Lucy Faulks, CPCC life coach and founder of Technotox, will then host a reflection and goal setting workshop. Using tools and techniques to assess where you are at the start of the year, and encourage you to look forward to where you want to go in 2017. You’ll then create a set of achievable, measurable goals to get you there. She’ll also look …

Reset, Connect and Create for 2016

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Introducing Reset, Connect & Create – Technotox’s inaugural urban retreat to nourish the mind, body and soul at the start of 2016. Reset your mind, connect with your body and enrich your soul during this one day urban retreat in the heart of Soho on Saturday 23 January (9.15am – 5.45pm). A day of personal growth, pilates, nutrition tips, mindfulness meditation and creativity, you will be left feeling balanced, nourished and inspired, and ready to make 2016 your best year yet! We’ll kick start the day with a pilates class and energizing smoothie, followed by a session on realistic resolutions from our expert nutritionist and Sport Stylist ambassador, Ruth Tongue. After a short break (with snacks provided by Whole Foods), take part in a values and meaning workshop to help you reassess what fulfillment and happiness really look like for you. After lunch, we’ll start the afternoon with a guided meditation to clear the mind, help reduce stress and promote positive emotions – held by wellness coach and founder of Technotox, Lucy Faulks. Round off the day with a …

eat food. mostly plants. not too much.

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It’s widely acknowledged that a healthy body equals a healthy mind, but in modern society we are all bombarded with contradictory dietary advice on a daily basis; coffee, wine and fish being the main culprits. Also confusing, is from which nutritional group the largest proportion of our diets should come from. High protein? High carb? Low fat? Low Carb? In a media full of mixed messages, whose rules should we follow? Michael Pollen, international bestselling author, has written a book called FOOD RULES: AN EATER’S MANUAL in which he provides 64 rules designed to help you stop worrying, improve your relationship with food and truly enjoy eating without the guilt. Researched from a collection of folk wisdom, grandmothers, science and common sense, this book is all you need to maintain a healthy relationship with food, dine happily and live well. It’s broken down into three parts – what to eat, what kind of food to eat and how to eat it. You can read it in a couple of hours but it will forever change how you think …

Action for Happiness

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You may have seen the latest ITV report ‘Tonight: Is Britain Happy?‘ an up-to-date exploration on the science of happiness, which showed (for those that were in any doubt) that improved wellbeing really does make a difference to our happiness levels. An organisation that have been pioneering the art of happiness since 2010 is Action for Happiness. Action for Happiness is ‘a movement of people committed to building a happier society. We want to see a fundamentally different way of life where people care less about what they can get for themselves and more about the happiness of others.’ They provide practical ideas (see their collection of posters below) to enable people to take action in different areas of their lives – at home, at work or in the community. Encouraging members to form local groups and take action together. Our genes influence around 50% of the variation in our personal happiness and our circumstances (like income and environment) about 10%. Which means as much as 40% is accounted for by our daily activities and the conscious choices we make. So our actions really do …

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.

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.    

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.