meditation

Why everyone should try retreating…

/ laurahogg82 / Leave a comment

collectmomentsnotthings

This time 2 weeks ago myself and Katherine took ourselves on a weekend Yoga retreat. What a treat! We figured, how can we preach why its so good to go on a retreat if we don’t sample it ourselves, right? It was great to be on the other side of hosting and be hosted for a change. And our hosts did not disappoint. We went to, of course relax and restore after a busy summer but the weekend also offered up lots of inspiration plus we got to check out some exciting new venues for the Tune Out Retreats on the way, more on that another time.  It really set in stone for us why everyone needs a little retreating in there lives for time to time. It doesn’t have to be for a long time, expensive or luxurious. There are so many different types of retreats out there these days its really about finding something that suits your budget, time, and what you want out of it. Watch out for those ‘retreat’ labels which could end up costing thousands…a retreat could be a simple as taking a day off and turning your phone off.

So whilst we’re still daydreaming about our weekend and trying to hang on to the retreat feeling, we thought it would be a good time put down on paper why we went and why we’ll be  giving ourselves a retreat again next year. For sure!

You reconnect with your body. When you spend a weekend tuning into your body, different things can come up, some things feel easier and maybe some things feel harder. But you get an over all sense of connection to your body and your feelings when all the other ‘stuff’ is stripped away and that can feel pretty empowering.

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You get to sit still. Can you honestly say you still and do nothing at any point in your day? (Not when your sleeping?!) Being on a retreat, in whatever version you choose, allows you to have the opportunity to do that. Whether its in one of the relaxation sessions, curled up on a sofa with a book, or taking in the gorgeous view for a moment. In a world that you get praised for doing more stuff in less time, its not often that we are forced to do nothing and its feels great!

You get to be creative.  Being creative isn’t just being arty or good at making stuff. Change inspires creativity in lots of ways and retreats can offer up a whole load of new things to try out. Maybe a new Pilates exercise or Yoga posture or eating different foods or getting a little craft on. We kind of got addicted to the colouring in books on our retreat, inspired by Anna’s love of them, we were able to colour as we wished in our free time, and we got hooked!

colouriung

Someone takes care of YOU for a change. Not having to think about what we were eating for more than 2 whole days and being greeted at every meal with wholesome, hearty, healthy food was such a treat. Knowing that you’re nourishing our bodies feels good but when its someone else doing the thinking and cooking for you, then that’s a real treat!

You get to be someone else for a little while. We all have roles to play and schedules to follow in our day to day. Those things are stripped away on a retreat, if only for a short time, and you have the choice to spend your weekend how you like. You can either fully engaged with the group and surroundings and do all the activities OR you can retreat to a corner with a book, go for a walk and/or be on your own. No questions asked.

 

Thank you so much to our lovely hosts Anna and Monique. You can check out their  super Yoga retreats here.

xx

 

Autumn is coming…are you ready?

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warmsocks

Its true! Its on its way. How you feeling about that? Personally, we’re suckers for a season change, especially Autumn. Everyone comes back to their Pilates classes…yay, and we do love to get all organised in a back to school kind of way. But more seriously, the cold, wet and darker days can have a REAL impact on our health and well being. After all we are a part of nature ourselves and therefore we’re going to celebrate the turning of the seasons with a little tuneout guide to preparing for the Autumn.

Are you suffering from post summer burn out? Yep we’re feeling it too. Its great to enjoy the summer and lets face it, its pretty short lived in this country so we’ve got to make the most of it! But all those late summer nights, after work drinks and festivals can take their toll on our bodies leaving us needing a little pick me up. So here goes…

  • Be boring. In our ‘do it all‘ culture and constant updates on other peoples lives via our smart phones the pressure is always on to get more stuff done and be a better version of you. And that’s great, its always good to be inspired and strive to be your best but when taken to the extreme that can have the opposite effect on our health creating a bit of a multi tasking monster!!! So maybe for a little while could you try doing LESS stuff? It might just be a couple for days or even a week, until you feel less wired and more tuned in to YOU. Try eating simple, uncomplicated, clean foods, go out less, drink less, exercise slowly with some Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi, finish work on time, turn your technology off, read and potter. And once doing so hopefully allowing some space not only in the body but mentally too for the start of a lovely new season…
  • Mix it up. Could you change your daily routine? We love doing this as its stimulates the brain, leaving us feeling revived and refreshed.

Could you…

  • Get to bed earlier. With the darker nights, we’re not going to feel bad about sneaking off to bed at 9:30pm. Nope. If you struggle with getting off to sleep you could try our recently posted ‘How to Tune Out…last thing at night’
  • If you’re getting to bed a little earlier, could you get up earlier in the morning? Try re-setting your alarm to allow for an extra 15 minutes, which might allow some time for the following – a 10 minute Headspace meditation. A morning stretch. A hot water and lemon. A mindful breakfast.
  • See sunlight. Whatever you’re day entails, try to get outside. In your lunch break or hopping off your commute a stop early and walking the rest of the way.
  • Make some plans. Sit down and think about who you’d like to see over the next few months, things you’d like to do and see. Life can move so fast sometimes we get caught up in the day to day and those special moments can pass us by. Catch up with some old friends, book a retreat (!) workshop or start a new project.
  • Bring your green inside. The garden might be on the turn but there’s still loads of homegrown veggies that you can plant up in your container garden just now. Or you could buy some indoor plants and help to detoxify the air with these species.
  • Mix up your midweek meals. Have you been eating the same things for a while? What about cooking some new recipes or checking out your local farmers market for some inspiration and the best fresh seasonal food.

hellosept

 

How To Tune Out…..last thing at night

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sleep

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning all…feeling ‘fresh as a daisy’ this morning? No? Did you sleep well last night? Did you get your 7-8 hours of uninterrupted, deep, nourishing kip? If the answer is no then don’t worry, you’re not alone.

We’re always reading and being told that getting enough sleep is really important for good health and general well being. We know we always feel better after a good nights rest, but for a lot of us, getting to sleep and staying asleep can be a frustrating and exhausting process.

Being a new(ish) mum I’m pretty obsessed with sleeping. Not only for my daughter but also for myself! I used to be a great sleeper, but then half way through my pregnancy it all started to go down hill, and I’ve never quite regained that lovely perfect nights sleep. And although I realise perfect sleeping might be a thing of the past  for me, there’s a ton of external factors that have a huge impact on how many zzzz’s we’re clocking up at night.  So if you’re in the same boat then this could help you too. Below are some tips. You don’t have to do them all (that would take ages), but perhaps making a few subtle changes might help you out. Good luck.

So lets talk about diet and exercise first. They both play a huge part in how well we sleep. We already know that what we put into our bodies directly affects how we feel. Sugar makes us hyper, alcohol makes us tipsy, bread can make us bloated etc etc and if you think of it that way then of course what you eat in your day is going to influence your night’s sleep. So here are a few things to remember.

  • Eat well. Whatever your diet/nutritional choices are. Eat natural, wholesome food. Eat slowly, chew your food properly, and be mindful whilst you eat
  • Don’t eat late at night. Your body needs time to digest and break down what you’ve eaten and therefore will be trying to do it whilst you sleep!
  • Be mindful of your caffeine intake
  • Be sensible with alcohol, sure it might help to get us to sleep, but the sleep you get won’t be great and you’re more than likely to wake up during the night and find it difficult to get back to sleep

Then onto exercise. Its a very simple one. I see it all the time with my 2 year old. We go out playing all morning, running around the park, climbing, jumping and she then sleeps like a log afterwards. Its the same for us, but you have to find what type of exercise YOUR body needs and also what you enjoy doing.

The other things you can try at night are…

  • Meditation. You could try meditating when you go to bed, but if you’re new to it you’re more than likely going to fall asleep and not reap the benefits. If you’ve followed us for a while then you’ll know we love the Headspace app. Bonus – they also have a whole section on SLEEP. Meditating for just 10 minutes a day would make a massive difference
  • Have a ritual. Similar to sleep training a baby, us adults also thrive on routine, and we form habits. So select what works for you from this list and then try to repeat your ritual every night in the same order. That way by the time you get to the last one your body knows the next thing to happen will be zzzzzz
  • Keep a set bedtime and wake up time
  • Take a bath or a shower. Throw some Epsom salts in there, a couple of drops of lavender oil and/or your favourite bubble bath
  • Stretch. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy or long. A simple side reach, a roll down or a neck roll.
  • Take a few deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth
  • Get some good PJs. Hey we’re throwing this one in, not entirely that important but everyone loves a set of silk pajamas!
  • Open a window and let the air flow, even in the winter, if you’re cold pop an extra cover on
  • Keep your reading light low and invest in some decent curtains/blinds that block out the light. Or just wear an eye mask
  • Look after your mattress, maybe its time to buy a new one or just turn it over and round to balance out the springs and support your body better
  • Add a few drops of lavender to your pillow. They’ll help to relax you
  • TURN OFF YOUR TECHNOLOGY!! One of the most important points on this list! Laptops, tablets, smartphones – whatever it is you use. Its stimulating and therefore NOT relaxing and if you’re on it in bed and you can’t sleep. Voila!
  • Get a great book…I tend to go for something pretty chilled and read until I can’t quite keep my eyes open…..

neverland

Sleep well tonight xxx

Tune in Tune out. You choose…

/ laurahogg82 / 4 Comments

comfortzone

Starting this blog has been a long time coming. I’ve ummed and ahhed over it for literally ages and written it and re written it several times, and Katherine will confirm this!

And although we have tons of stuff we want to share with you, starting something new can always be a little scary, right? First of all, it’s the whole exposure thing. Us saying here it is/I am, hope you like it/me..(eek!)

This is also known as stepping outside your comfort zone.

Honestly, we rather like being inside our comfort zone, nice and simple, always familiar but where’s the fun in that? Also apparently ‘great things never came from comfort zones…”

The funny thing is we see people stepping out their comfort zones all the time. For some of our ‘retreaters’ making the decision to come on a retreat can be a pretty big step. For others it may seem like the most perfectly normal (and wonderful) thing to do but for everyone that comes along on one of our retreats the best bit for us (and them) is seeing/feeling the layers of tension and stress fall away as they move through the weekend.

Our goal, is to guide you through the tuning out process, offering up a whole load of stuff along the way to help and hopefully inspire, and there you have it. That’s what this blog is all about. We’re not claiming to be experts or gurus but we do have a lot of stuff we’d love to share with you. On Pilates, making stuff, the outdoors, food and oh yeah, cake!

So here goes. We hope you enjoy reading our future blogs but first just a little taster to whet your appetite…

 

WAYS TO TUNEOUT.

1. CREATE. When sitting down with my 2-year-old daughter to do some colouring (or “skwiggles”) I noticed how therapeutic it was to colour in, then a little later I noticed a shop selling adult colouring in books. What a great idea (especially for those of us who are rubbish at drawing!) I did a bit of research and turns out it IS therapeutic and super relaxing. Give it a try…

2. BREATHE.  So underrated! Find yourself in a stressful situation. First thing in the morning. Last thing at night. Whenever you need it – it’s there, completely free of charge.

So try this – sit still. Close your eyes. Breath in through your nose. Feel your lungs full. Exhale through the mouth. Feel and enjoy the chest softening. Repeat 5 times. Voila.

3. SOMETHING NEW. You know life really can be pretty short. You never know what’s around the corner and if there’s something you’ve been longing to do for a while just do it. Make the call, send the email, book the spot and go. Who knows what it will throw up.

 

WIN WIN. 

We’d love to see your pics of you taking time to TUNEOUT.

Post them to Instagram with #tuneoutretreats and @tuneoutpilates to win one of our signature tuneout goodie bags.

Complete with super handy canvas tote, all natural and homemade products including, scrubs, balms, candle and eye mask. (Winner picked end of July ’15)

goodiebagtuneout