Growing Strong Through Life’s Challenges

No-one has it easy, all of the time. You see that girl with a lovely smile and perfect teeth on facebook? The one who posts photos of herself where she´s always glowing and radiant? She doesn’t have it as easy as you imagine. You know that woman you went to school with, who has an immaculate house, three beautiful children and a well-paid job? Well neither does she. Neither does the richest nor the most spiritual guy you know. In fact, everyone’s fighting their own battles. Some are minor, others are great big monster battles that are consuming on every level. Life is not always plain sailing, and at some point, each one of has to face something they’d rather not. Pain and suffering, they say, are an inevitable part of the human experience. Whether it be a hard conversation with your boss; discovering your partner has been unfaithful; being told that a loved one has been involved in a fatal car accident; or being diagnosed with terminal cancer, you know what? Although we may not see it at the time, each and every small or large battle you face is an opportunity for spiritual growth. When we are faced with hardship and suffering, we are forced into delving into our own inner resources in order to survive. We may be surprised to discover inner strength we never knew we had, or wisdom, forgiveness or compassion. When we emerge from battle, these are the qualities we bring with us.

Facing life’s challenges with openness and understanding in place of mis-directed blame and anger, allows us to shift our experience of upheaval, pain and suffering into an opportunity to know our strengths more fully; and to approach all of our relationships, including that with ourselves, with a greater awareness and empathy, bringing radical change into our lives.

So next time you feel the world is crashing down around you, or you are silently screaming, “why me?” allow yourself to smile from within and know that this experience is shaping who you are meant to become.

Millie Brereton is a certified yoga teacher, fitness and nutritional advisor and general lover of life. She is the founder of The Kula Centre of Learning and Personal Development and co-founder of Project Huerta. She lives in rural Northern Spain and delights in nature, Tantric philosophy and seeing the good in everyone who crosses her path. She can often be found in her kitchen blending juices and cooking up tasty treats from her organic farm, or bounding through the mountains with her two dogs, Bonnie and Kin. You can connect with her by visiting her webpage,www.thekulacentre.com or connect with her on facebook.

The Kula Centre - Yoga in Pamplona

Project Huerta - Txoto Hill Farm

Spirit-Soaring in The Great Outdoors

I know I’m not alone in feeling rather like hibernating during the winter months. From my kitchen window I look out at the rain lashing down on the mountains and shiver at the thought of being out in the cold and wet.

View of the village from the lane

Living in rural Northern Spain, and having animals to look after (goats, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, dogs) and an acre of land to farm, means that “venturing out” under any weather conditions is a normal part of life. Whether it's to feed the animals, collect firewood, turn soil, or plant garlics, there is always an outside job that needs doing.

During the winter months I often feel more like staying in my comfy pyjamas by the roaring fire, than donning boots and waterproofs and tramping down the lane. Like so many of us, my body craves the warmth.

But over the years I’m learning more tricks to brave the cold and the wet: to wear more clothes, to remember my gloves and, most significantly to adopt a bright, optimistic attitude. Regardless of the weather or season, there is always a part of me that craves movement, to be in the Great Outdoors, to connect with the earth and to dance and soar freely under the vast sky.

The pleas of my spirit generally outweigh the nagging of my body to stay inside, and I don the wellies and waterproofs, and venture out. My body reacts: the tip of my nose tingles and reddens in the cold, my shoulders hunch up closer to my ears, my fingers curl into fists in an effort to stay warm. Yet, after some minutes of brisk stomping, I find the cold air exhilarates me. My breath deepens, my lungs fill as I take in that good country air. Arms and legs pump with every stride, inviting oxygen to flow around my body more efficiently. My cheeks are refreshed by droplets of rain.

The latest addition - baby goat

As I walk, I become struck as if for the first time, by the magnificent beauty of the mountains; by the carefree playfulness of the baby goats; by the grand stateliness of the prancing cockerel. A golden eagle soars overhead, seeming to reflect the uplifting joy of my expanding spirit. And I feel a deep sense of peace and oneness, an interconnectedness between all things.

Finding delight in nature helps us to live in a more conscious way. When we are more conscious, or aware of the natural world that surrounds us, we not only raise our personal vibration, but it also raises the collective consciousness of earth in an irreversible way.

Friends of ours getting to know the chickens!

If you don't have nature on your doorstep, search out a nearby forest/ field/ beach/ park. Stomp around in mud. Put on your wellies and splash in puddles. Roll in the snow. Take off your shoes and feel the earth or sand between your toes, or the grass underfoot. Do some gardening. Get your hands in the earth. Pause to watch animals. If you don't have a garden, find a friend who does, or join a land share like ours & connect yourself back to the earth. 

We welcome anyone who wants to visit us and lend a hand on the farm. Details on how to connect with us are below. 

Millie Brereton is a certified yoga teacher, nutritional advisor and general lover of life. She is the director of The Kula Centre of Learning and Personal Development and co-founder of Project Huerta. She delights in nature, Tantric philosophy and seeing the good in everyone who crosses her path. She can often be found in her kitchen blending juices and cooking up tasty treats from her organic farm, or bounding ecstatically through the mountains with her two dogs, Bonnie and Kin. You can connect with her by visiting her webpage,www.thekulacentre.com or connect with her on facebook.

The Kula Centre - Yoga in Pamplona

Project Huerta - Txoto Hill Farm

Christmas Liberation : Being More and Having Less

It has occurred to me that I have skipped my annual Christmas ritual of diving excitedly for the over stuffed Christmas Box as soon as the first of December came around. The box sits, with all its glistening promise neatly in tact, up in the loft with the house martins. With Christmas just around the corner, cities across the globe are proudly flaunting christmas lights, giant sized baulbles grace the plazas, and shop window displays twinkle their seasonal temptations to passers-by. As consumers, we´re stocking up with delicious treats, buying stocking fillers and sexy Santa costumes (well, maybe some of us are!) and generally getting into the spirit of things.

Yet here in our mountain village, the only sign of Christmas is grey smoke billowing softly from the chimneys and a dusting of snow on the Pyrenees. Surrounded by Mother Nature, in all her fine and under-stated glory, I am steadily arriving at the happy conclusion that everything I could possibly want is right here. That actually a quiet Christmas (with box of delights neatly stowed away with the house martins), will potentially be as enriching as one with all the trimmings. So far, this attitude has proven to be rather liberating. I´m starting to experience the reality of the words of Socrates when he says that,

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”

This year, exchanging spending frenzies and the rooting out of Christmas tinsel – which carries its own magical delight, for billowing chimney smoke and snow on the mountains has brought me as close to happiness as ever before. Yet I have to say, if the 25^th arrives and that box of sparkling delights starts burning a hole in the loft floor, I won´t think twice about clambering up the loft ladder to liberate it.

However you´re celebrating this year, I hope you get to do what liberates you most and brings you and those around you to an experience of true happiness.

 

Millie Brereton is a certified yoga teacher, nutritional advisor and general lover of life. She is the director of The Kula Centre of Learning and Personal Development and co-founder of Project Huerta. She delights in Tantric philosophy and seeing the best in everyone who crosses her path. She can often be found in her kitchen blending juices and cooking up tasty treats from her organic farm, or bounding ecstatically through the mountains with her two dogs, Bonnie and Kin. You can connect with her by visiting her webpage, www.thekulacentre.com, or connect with her on facebook.

The Kula Centre - Yoga in Pamplona
Project Huerta - Txoto Hill Farm

Counting our Blessings

Sometimes we forget that life is rich and full of blessings. We forget to pay attention to the little things. And we do not always feel the abundance that surrounds us. 

Yesterday it rained hard all day. It was a dark grey day and I had jobs to do in town. One of my jobs involved cycling 25 minutes in the downpour to get to a class on the other side of town. It was okay – having lived 6 years in Northern Spain I´ve learned to be prepared for any weather conditions and was sporting my best waterproofs and the shiniest positive attitude I could muster. But it still sucked. Until I saw a rainbow. Actually it was two rainbows. Giant arcs of colour framing the misty mountains in the distance. I´m sure there are a hundred and one quotes about rainbows and seeing the good, and it was a classic moment of just that. The sight of those rainbows caused a great goofy smile to form on my face. And for a moment I forgot the rain and my being wet and uncomfortable. I carried on through the rain feeling like I´d been given a gift to uplift me and see me through the day.

I have learned that life is not perfect, nor will it ever be, and neither is it necessary for us to strive for it to be. I have also learned that it is very possible to be happy without seeking that perfection. It is about counting our blessings, making it a daily practice to engage in the art of delight. This simple practice asks of us to pause, to notice, to pay attention, and reflect on the simple things in our life that give us pleasure. A bird of prey swooping overhead, the smell of roasting chestnuts on the street, a cheery hello from an ageing neighbor, or an arc of light creating a rainbow in the sky. All of these I recognise as blessings, as gifts, and looking out for them and acknowledging them as such can fill each day with an abundance that is much sweeter than any perfection I could imagine. 

Millie Brereton is a certified yoga teacher, nutrition coach and general lover of life. She's currently living and working in Navarra, Northern Spain. She is the director of The Kula Centre of Learning and Personal Development and delights in Tantric philosophy and seeing the best in everyone who crosses her path. She can often be found in her kitchen blending juices and cooking up tasty treats from her organic farm, or bounding ecstatically through the mountains with her two dogs, Bonnie and Kin. For more information on any of the above, or to simply connect, contact her at thekulacentre@live.com or visit her webpage, www.thekulacentre.com

12 Tips for Better Sleep

Sleeping Goddess

You´re lying awake in bed. Sleep is just around the corner. It must be – you want it so very much and have been lying there for what seems like an eternity waiting patiently for your eyes to get heavy and the world of dreams to take over. So why is it that your sought after slumber seems so far away?

Finding it difficult to drift off to sleep at night or anything from restlessness to chronic insomnia is a frustration shared by many. Of course, those of us who have ever been confronted with this particular challenge will most likely know a whole stream of things we´re meant to be doing, as well as things we´re not meant to be doing in order to induce sleep. Your sleep schedule, bedtime habits, and day-to-day lifestyle choices can make an enormous difference to the quality of your nightly rest. Below is a list of 12 tried and tested sleep tips that will help you get on that fast track path to sleep nirvana, meaning you´ll be productive, mentally sharp, emotionally balanced and full of energy all day long.

1.       Exercise. Studies suggest that exercise is best done at least 3 hours before bedtime. Doesn´t need to be anything too fancy - walk, swim, climb, surf, jog, ride, jump… whatever it is that floats your boat and gets your heart rate up will help to keep your whole body system balanced and easeful.

2.       Eat well to sleep well. We´re talking about a healthy balanced diet. We all know what we “should” and “shouldn´t” be feeding our bodies, and we need to be looking at our body system as a whole – it´s got to be in balance if we´re to get restful, uninterrupted sleep. This means cutting back on stimulants like caffeine, sugary drinks and foods that contain E-numbers and artificial rubbish.

3.       Develop a bed time routine. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to re-calibrate your body clock.

4.       Switch off your screens. Neurologists have been telling us for years that staring at screens late in the evening can disrupt sleep - be they television screens, computer screens or mobile phone screens. Switch them off an hour before you plan on going to sleep. Your Facebook buddies and that super challenging level on your PS3 will still be there tomorrow.

5.       Add a few drops of lavender oil to your pillow before you get your head down. Lavender is said to slow your heart rate reduce your blood pressure, ignite your para sympathetic nervous system and put you in a relaxed state.

6.       Fresh clean sheets – make bed time inviting!

7.       Make a playlist of sleep inducing sounds. I love natural sounds of the ocean, birdsong and rainfall. Try “Celestial Glow” or “Eternal Wave” – Natural Sleep Inducement by Dan Gibson and set your ipod to turn itself off after an hour of sweet melodies.

8.       Treat yourself to a soothing, warm bath, filled with bubbles and nice smelling salts. Candles are an optional extra that help to relax our vision and put us in the mood for some shut eye. A full on soak obviously may not be practical for every night, but the occasional bit of simple self-indulgence goes a long way…

9.       Make your bedroom a “sleep and sex only” zone. That means, no TV, no laptop, no smartphone, no work-related discussions with your spouse… This way you´re keeping the bedroom vibe more conducive for sleep.  An orgasm is scientifically proven to act as a natural tranquilizer. That wonderful release of endorphins is very calming.  So get touchy feely with your bed buddy, or get down and personal with yourself and drift into a state of satisfied bliss...

10.   Meditate. You don´t need to be a Zen master to engage in this activity. Nor do you need to have received any specialist training or spent time in an Indian ashram. All you need is a place you can sit comfortably, preferably on the floor, but a chair also works, particularly if your hips are a bit stiff. It helps to have your knees in line with or lower than your pelvis, so sit up on a cushion or blanket if necessary. The trick is to be comfortable, whilst keeping a nice lengthening in your spine. Rest your hands palms down on your thighs. Close your eyes. Find your breath. Notice how your breath feels in your body. If it helps, take a few really deep breaths, letting out the exhale slowly. Notice if the exhale helps your body to feel relaxed and more grounded. Then focus on your breath – the inhale and the exhale – for a few minutes. If the mind starts wandering, as it so often does, observe your thoughts without letting yourself get carried away with the dramas and implications of each one, and gently bring your focus back to your breath. This simple practice, when done regularly will help ground and centre you. The perfect pre-courser for deep, uninterrupted sleep.

11.   Keep a notebook by your bed. So often for us busy bees we go to sleep thinking about “all those things we should have done today and didn´t”. No biggie. Jot those “super important” things down in your notebook, thus clearing your mind of annoying niggles. They´ll be there for you to address tomorrow. Right now, nothing is so important that it interrupts your rest.

12.   The Tense and Relax and Auto-Suggestion Strategy. I´ve put that in capitals ´cause I think it deserves it. This is a super helpful practice that many practising yogis will be familiar with. In order to relax enough to induce sleep, we want to activate our para sympathetic nervous system. It´s that part of our body system that tells our bodies to “rest and digest.” So often we are stuck in “fight or flight” mode, controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. So, in order to ignite the bliss of “rest and digest” try this: You´re lying in bed. Close your eyes. Bring your awareness to your feet. Inhale and scrunch up your toes as much as you can, then gently release as you exhale. Mentally repeat the phrase, ”my feet are relaxed”. Next, lift your legs an inch from the bed and extend through your legs bones. Tense the leg muscles as much as you can, hugging muscles to bones, then as you exhale, gently release your legs onto the bed, repeating silently to yourself, “my legs are relaxed”. Continue working up your body – hips (lift them from the bed a little), spine (stretch through the length, from top to bottom), shoulders (shrug them) arms (extend them), hands and fingers (make fists), face (make an ugly face by drawing all your features into a tight little ball, then slowly releasing on the exhale as you open your mouth and let out a sigh). We´re using the contrast between tension and relaxation to show the body how we want it to feel when we´re relaxed. Sometimes all our body needs is a little gentle coaxing into what we want it to do. Perhaps you are more in control of the way you can relax your body, than you thought.

Millie Brereton is a certified yoga teacher, nutrition coach and general lover of life, currently living and working in Navarra, northern Spain. She is the director of The Kula Centre of Learning and Personal Development and delights in Tantric philosophy and seeing the best in everyone who crosses her path. She can often be found in her kitchen blending juices and cooking up tasty treats from her organic farm, or bounding ecstatically through the mountains with her two dogs, Bonnie and Kin. For more information on any of the above, or to simply connect, contact her at thekulacentre@live.com or visit her webpage, www.thekulacentre.com