When we're stressed, the breath tends to be tight and in the upper body. By directing the breath as low as possible, we can reduce the anxiety and help our bodies get as much oxygen as possible.

Deep breathing can reduce stress and anxiety by directing the breath as low as possible to help the body get more oxygen.

Breathing Deep into Your Belly

This is a super-simple breathing practice that even Navy Seals use to keep themselves calm and present! it involves breathing in for 4, holding for 4, out for 4, holding out for 4. Simple yet effective.

Navy Seals practice simple 4-4-4-4 breathing technique for calmness and focus, inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold out for 4.

Box breathing

There's a link between our mood or emotions and how we breathe - when we're anxious or stressed, breathing often becomes short and tight. By deliberately breathing slowly into our lower bodies, we can reduce anxiety and calm stress.

Slow, deep breathing can reduce anxiety and calm stress by deliberately breathing into lower bodies.

Deep Belly Breathing

Coherent breathing is simple, calming, and just the right way of breathing for health. It brings together belly breathing, nasal breathing, and just the right speed to harmonize brainwaves, improve heart rate variability, and synchronize both with your breathing. It's also easy to do!

Coherent breathing is a simple and calming technique that harmonizes brainwaves, improves heart rate variability, and synchronizes breathing for better health.

Coherent breathing

Here, you get a chance to practice two very helpful forms of breathing. We start with Coherent Breathing - in for 6 seconds, out for 6 seconds, and then add in a little throat constriction which surprisingly, has a relaxing effect. It's the same movement cats make when they purr! In yoga, its benefits are well known and it's called Ujjaya Breath.

Practice Coherent Breathing and Ujjaya Breath for relaxation: inhale for 6 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds, adding throat constriction like a purr.

Coherent and Resistance Breathing

Try this simple yet effective visualization with the breath of imagining the breath moving up and down the center of your body with each in-breath and out-breath.

Visualize breath moving up and down center of body with each breath.

Central Channel Breathing

Breathing through your nose brings many benefits - warming and humidifying the air as well as filtering out particles you don't want coming into your body. But how to do it if your nose is blocked? try this simple yet effective way to unblock. No need to be an athlete - I'm not!

Breathing through the nose is beneficial, but if it's blocked, try a simple method to unblock it. No athletic ability required.

Clearing Your Nose the Athletes' Way

Nasal breathing is so beneficial, but not easy to do when your sinuses are blocked. Try this quick and simple yet effective way to help clear them.

Clear your blocked sinuses with a quick and easy method to promote nasal breathing, which comes with many benefits.

Unblocking Your Nose The Buteyko Way

This simple breathing practice from the yoga tradition can be super helpful in calming a busy mind and helping you feel less stressed.

Yoga breathing practice calms the mind and reduces stress.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

This practice from the yoga tradition harnesses the power of internal sound vibrating in our bodies. it's remarkably soothing and calming and also very simple, so you can learn it here and then do it anytime.

Learn the simple and soothing practice of internal sound vibration from the yoga tradition for calming and relaxation anytime.

Humming 'Bee' Breath

Breathing through your nose is better in many ways - it warms and humidifies the air and filters out dust and microbes, as well as adding Nitric Oxide to the air which improves blood oxygenation. But what to do if your nose is blocked? try this simple way of clearing your nose.

Breathing through your nose is better, but if it's blocked, try this simple way of clearing your nose - helpful for warming, humidifying, and filtering air.

Unblocking Your Nose - The Yoga Way

In this practice, I'm encouraging you to find ways to enjoy your breathing, find the subtle pleasure in how it rocks and soothes your body, the soft touch of the air, and remember how lovely it is to watch someone else - human or animal - breathing, and bringing that sense of reassurance to experiencing your breathing. Enjoy!

Embrace the joy of breathing, finding pleasure in its soothing rhythm, and feel reassured by watching others breathe.

Enjoying your Breathing

Maybe you have a harsh inner critic? you can't turn that off....if only...but you can replace it with kind words of support and encouragement as you go about your day. Over time this will change the inner climate and how you speak to yourself.

Replace harsh inner critic with kind words to shift inner climate and self-talk.

Kind Words Throughout The Day

When we're not feeling good, a common response is to beat ourselves up for not feeling good....and then we feel worse! Why not try being kind and compassionate with yourself with this short self-compassion break instead?

Instead of beating yourself up when feeling down, try a self-compassion break to be kinder to yourself and feel better.

Self-Compassion Break

So easy to shovel food in, not really tasting it or enjoying it. So why not try eating mindfully? to do this, get a small piece of something tasty, ideally something that won't melt on your fingers!

Practice mindful eating by choosing a small, tasty food item that won't melt on your fingers to savor and fully enjoy.

Mindful Eating

It's easy to get lost in a morning whirlwind - so why not take a few minutes to set your intentions for the day and decide what's most important for you? This can really help you to settle the mind and heart, ready for the day ahead.

Set your intentions for the day to settle your mind and heart, ready for the morning whirlwind.

Morning Intentions

Particularly in difficult times, are minds are taken endlessly away from what's here and now into the future - the near or far possible futures. The possibilities are endless, and we don't know how it will play out. How about coming back to what's actually happening right now, and feel the power of being simply present with your experience rather than living in an imagined future?

In tough times, we tend to focus on endless future possibilities; instead, try being present with your experience for more power.

Anchoring in Here and Now

We can really set the tone for the day right at the beginning, by thinking of good things we're expecting today. Even just small things - enjoy the anticipation!

Start your day on a positive note by envisioning good things you expect today, even small things can make a difference. Enjoy the anticipation!

Good Morning - Looking Forward to Good Things Today

Compassion is the balm that helps us to heal. You can cultivate it for yourself with practices like these from Mindful Self Compassion

Practicing mindful self-compassion helps cultivate the healing balm of compassion for oneself.

Self Compassion Break

We're often just running from one thing to the next, never feeling that we 'get there'. But actually, we can fully inhabit every moment, by simply remembering that we are present here and now. Saying this to ourselves, like an affirmation, can be very helpful - try it!

Fully inhabit every moment by reminding yourself you are present here and now through positive affirmations.

I Have Arrived

It's easy to think of sounds while we're meditating as a distraction, but we can easily turn that round and make them a help, in fact mindfulness of sounds is a great practice. We simply become receptive and open to sounds, letting go of labeling and thinking about them, and listen to the ongoing symphony around us.

Mindfulness of sounds during meditation can be helpful instead of distracting, by becoming receptive to and open towards them without labeling or thinking about them.

Mindfulness of Sounds

We can use our own voice to reassure ourselves with phrases like 'I'm at home at this moment' - in fact, every moment is our home but it doesn't always feel like it! try this and see what a difference it makes.

Reassure yourself by saying "I'm at home at this moment" as it can make a difference in feeling comfortable and safe.

I Am home

By deliberately breathing more deeply and slowly, we can calm our nervous systems and our minds.

Deep and slow breathing can calm the nervous system and mind.

Breathing Deep and Slow

In this 3-minute practice, we're using the power of words to help us find a sense of ease in the day ahead.

Using words to find ease in the day ahead in a 3-minute practice.

May I Find Ease

By meditating at the beginning of your day, you give yourself a chance to set yourself up in a good frame of mind for the whole day.

Meditating in the morning sets you up for a positive day ahead.

Good Morning Practice

We easily focus on the difficult things in our lives and forget that there are positives too. We are hard-wired for this, but it tends to make us unhappy - so by practising appreciation and gratitude, we turn around this tendency and learn to find joy in our lives.

Focusing on difficulties makes us unhappy, practicing appreciation and gratitude helps find joy in life.

Appreciation and Gratitude

The practice of gratitude and appreciation for the good things in our lives can be a great way to boost mood and help us not get sucked into negative thinking. I love to practice with everyday things that I take for granted, and find the more I appreciate my life, the happier I am.

Practicing gratitude boosts mood and helps avoid negative thinking; appreciating everyday things can increase happiness.

Starting the Day with Gratitude and Appreciation

In difficult times, compassion is the ultimate soothing balm - learning to hold yourself in your heart with love and be your own best friend.

Compassion for yourself is the best remedy during tough times; become your own best friend and hold yourself in your heart with love.

Compassion

Getting in touch with our bodies is so important for mindfulness - knowing how we're really feeling, and learning to ground the attention here rather than living in scattered thoughts. A longer practice like this one gives you more time to focus and settle, and cultivate the habit of moment-by-moment awareness. Worth the time!

Mindfulness requires getting in touch with our bodies, grounding our attention, and cultivating moment-by-moment awareness through longer practices.

15-Minute Body Scan

The breath is a great refuge from worry and uncertainty - it's going on all the time and we don't need to do anything with it, but we can rest our attention there as a refuge from worry, anxiety and planning for the future. A real resting place, available at any time.

The breath serves as a refuge from worry and uncertainty, providing a constant resting place for our attention without the need for action.

Finding Refuge in the Breath

All of our states of mind are habits that we have either cultivated or fallen into. With meditation, we can cultivate positive states of mind. So start here with cultivating happiness and joy!

Meditation helps cultivate positive states of mind like happiness and joy by breaking the habit of negative thoughts.

Cultivating Happiness and Joy

By wishing for peace in our hearts, we make it more likely that we will experience that peace in our hearts and minds.

Wishing for peace in our hearts increases the likelihood of experiencing peace in our minds.

May I Find Peace

In these difficult, uncertain times, feeling the literal ground beneath our feet can be extremely calming and, well, grounding. It's always there as a literal and emotional source of support - why not try this practice to learn to find your ground in difficult times?

Feeling the ground beneath our feet can provide calming support during difficult times; practice finding your ground.

Find Your Ground in Times of Uncertainty

In these uncertain and even frightening times, it's so easy and understandable to get caught up in endless worrying. While of course we need to plan, spending all of our days and nights worrying just ups the anxiety levels. Thankfully, help is at hand - you can practice letting go of worry thoughts simply using the outbreath to help you. Breath is always there as our gateway into the here and now and out of the imagined future. Give it a go!

Practice letting go of worry thoughts by using the outbreath as a gateway into the present moment.

Letting Go of Worries with an Outbreath

This practice is great for cultivating the wish for yourself to be happy - sounds obvious, but very often we are hard on ourselves and much kinder to others. By bringing that kind intention home to our own hearts, we can find peace there and learn to quiet critical voices.

Cultivate self-happiness by being kind to yourself; quiet your critical voice and find peace within.

May I Be Happy

A settled mind is a calm and focused mind, and it's a great place to be. Try this practice using breathing and self-suggestion to give your mind a chance to settle and relax.

Practice breathing and self-suggestion to settle and relax your mind for improved focus and calmness.

Settling the Mind

Times are uncertain at the moment....but if we can find an anchor, a place to rest from the storm, it can be immensely restorative and calming for us.

In uncertain times, finding an anchor can restore calm and peace.

Finding Your Anchor in Uncertain Times

This practice invites you to focus on yourself and direct kind intentions and wishes. We often focus on others and forget that we are equally worthy of kindness and care.

Focus on yourself with kind intentions and wishes, as you are equally worthy of care and kindness.

Well-Wishing for Yourself

In these uncertain and even frightening times, it's so easy and understandable to get caught up in endless worrying. While of course we need to plan, spending all of our days and nights worrying just ups the anxiety levels. Thankfully, help is at hand - you can practice letting go of worry thoughts simply using the sense of the ground underneath you. Feeling the ground beneath you is always there as a gateway into the here and now and out of the imagined future. Give it a go!

Feeling the ground beneath you can help in letting go of worry thoughts during uncertain times, providing a gateway to the present moment.

Letting Go of Worries by Grounding Yourself

In these uncertain times, we easily get fixated on worrying and forget to be grateful for the good things in our lives. Yet gratitude practice is a great way of boosting your mood and feeling better, leaving us better resourced to deal with problems. Give it a go today - there's always something you can be grateful for..

Practicing gratitude can boost your mood and help you deal with uncertainty; take time to appreciate the good things in your life.

Breathing in Something You're Grateful For

Listen to this sweet story in old-fashioned rhyming verse about two kittens who just needed to be together...for cat lovers like me everywhere

Rhyming verse tells a sweet story of two kittens who needed to be together, perfect for cat lovers.

Kitten On The Quay

Listen to this classic tale from Aesop about the importance of staying focused...

Aesop's classic tale emphasizes the value of staying focused.

The Goat and the Wolf

Listen to this classic Aesop's fable of the vain stag getting carried away admiring himself in the water.

Aesop's fable of the vain stag admiring himself in water.

The Lion and the Stag

Listen to this story from Aesop's fables - with its clever moral at the end!

Aesop's fable with a clever moral at the end.

The Wild Mountain Goats & The Goat Herd

I love this inspiring story of a young woman going out into the world to learn what gifts are most important, and the downside of qualities we often value highly. Interested? Have a listen for yourself!

Young woman discovers the importance of certain gifts and the downside to highly valued qualities in an inspiring story. Listen to it!

Fairy Gifts

Listen to this charming story of how two women named Clara came to meet, all because of a clever cat and a patchwork dress.

Two women named Clara meet thanks to a cat and a patchwork dress in a charming story.

The Patchwork Dress

This lovely story tells of how an English pub sign lion comes to life and with his keenness to learn, helps a young boy go up in the world.

An English pub sign lion comes to life and helps a young boy with his eagerness to learn.

Sandy the Blue Lion

Listen to how the people of Zwolle came to be known as Blue-Fingers and how their church bells saved all of their lives.

Zwolle residents became Blue-Fingers and their church bells saved their lives, listen to their story.

The Blue-Fingers of Zwolle

Listen to how our Wily fox is cleverer even than the old, cunning lion.

Wily fox outsmarts the old, cunning lion.

The Old Lion

Listen to this classic tale by Beatrix Potter of how an old tailor is nearly ruined, yet his fortunes are saved by the mice that live behind the skirting boards.

Beatrix Potter's classic tale tells how a tailor is saved from ruin by the mice living behind his skirting boards.

The Tailor Of Gloucester

Have you ever known someone who was ridiculed but proved themselves in the end? Listen to this charming story of the dog in the hat who did just that!

"Charming story of a ridiculed dog who proved himself in the end."

The Dog Who Wore a Hat

Listen to this lovely story of a ginger cat who, quite literally, lost face, and her adventures to find it again.

A ginger cat loses her face and embarks on a quest to find it in this charming story.

The Cat Who Lost Face

Listen to this lovely story set in the time when we used horses instead of cars, and our hero Ned who loves his work.

Ned loves his job working with horses in a story set in a time before cars.

The Horse Who didn't like Sundays

Listen to this heartwarming story of how even our smallest actions can make a difference.

Tiny actions have the power to create a big impact - a heartwarming story.

Starfish

It's so easy to get sucked into other people's emotions and dramas but do we really need to? Listen to this classic story originally told by the Buddha to understand that actually, we don't have to accept these unwanted gifts.

The Buddha's classic story teaches us how to avoid getting caught up in other people's emotions and dramas.

Not Accepting Anger

How would it be if you could listen to other people's thoughts? Listen to this heartwarming story about what happened when Janet did exactly that, using magical earrings left behind.

Janet discovers the power of magical earrings that let her hear other people's thoughts and uses them to help others in a heartwarming story.

Earrings on the Underground

Listen to this classic story by Beatrix Potter about the naughty Tom Kitten's antics.

Beatrix Potter's classic tale of Tom Kitten's mischievous behavior.

Tom Kitten

Welcome to the charming world of Beatrix Potter and this lovely story of a village shop run by a cat and a dog.

A delightful story of a cat and a dog running a village shop in the world of Beatrix Potter.

The Tale Of Ginger And Pickles

Listen to this famous story of how the boy Arther came to be recognised as the King of all England by pulling the sword out of the stone where no-one else could do it.

Boy becomes King by pulling sword from stone.

King Arthur And The Sword In The Stone

All of us have conflicting voices in our heads pulling us often in opposite directions. Which will win?

Conflicting voices in our heads create inner conflict, leaving us uncertain of which voice to listen to.

Two Wolves

We never know when an opportunity to be really kind may come up - even at work, we can make a huge difference to someone.

Opportunities for kindness can arise unexpectedly, including at work, where small acts of kindness can have a big impact.

A Taxi Driver's Kindness

Listen to this classic bedtime story by Beatrix Potter, about a naughty little rabbit who gets into the vegetable garden and his adventures as he tries to escape.

Beatrix Potter's classic bedtime story follows a naughty rabbit as he tries to escape after getting into a vegetable garden.

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit

Listen to this heartwarming story of how the lonely sea serpent makes friends with a Princess and how they help each other.

Lonely sea serpent befriends a Princess and they help each other in a heartwarming story.

The Sea Serpent and the Princess

Listen to this magical story of how you need to respect the little people and what happens when you don't!

Respect the little people, or face the consequences - a magical story.

The Smoking Chimney

Listen to this lovely story about how and old pirate's dream came true...

An old pirate's dream came true - listen to the lovely story.

The Old Pirate and the Creaky Caravan

Listen to this story about where we tend to put our attention, and see if you recognise this pattern! when we know our patterns, then we can work to change them to new ones that are more beneficial for us.