Mindfulness: Tea as ritual

Melissa Green Photography : Tea as ritual and mindfullness practice

Having been a chronic sufferer of anxiety and a long term appreciator of aesthetics it is no surprise that I came to the practise of mindfulness with welcome arms. Taking a step back to appreciate the environment as it is brings an almost immediate stillness to my somewhat chaotic mind.... right now for instance..... I can hear the ticking of my little clock and the whirling of the laptop fan, I can smell the spicy aroma of my tea (yogi Himalayan ) and I am observing the dance of steam as it circles and swirls up from the mug below it .... and with a deep inhalation..... I am calmer. I am in the moment not my thoughts.

........ although I try to keep this sense of calm with me throughout my day it isn't always that easy, contentment too is impermanent. Life happens, work can be hectic, children have tantrums, and Christmas shopping left too late, means battling though busy shops,  loud Christmas music and neon lights overwhelming my senses. So the big question..... how do we bring mindfulness to these situations?

For me it is a work in progress, I am trying to catch myself in these moments and bring an awareness to the feeling of overwhelm and the rush of adrenaline, and take a step back to observe...is it serving me? At work sometimes the answer is actually yes..... on a busy hospital ward I need the adrenaline to keep me going, but whilst Christmas shopping.... nope!. I am just allowing myself to get carried downstream, feeling the powerful pull of the hive mentality.... must consume, panic buy!!!

So although moments like this when I am sat having a cup of tea, appreciating the smells, tastes, sounds and vision of my little house, may seem small, they are actually the starting point of something bigger . It is returning to this practise every day that is beginning to help buffer me from the outside world and the trap I can easily fall into. It is my reset button.

So how about you? How do you recharge and find stillness? :)

Tea as a mindfullness pratise

One Fine Morning via Flickr

Stillness and Immediacy

Studio Ora : Beautiful Open but cozy home in Boulder

There isn't much I can say about this beautiful natural, earthy home that these photos don't already say.  The property in Boulder, Colorado belongs to textile artist Ora and her family and I just love the open space and the combination of cozy and minimalism..... perfect!!!

Scroll down for more pictures of Ora's home or visit her Instagram page here for more

Sun Salutaion Print by Local Artist Amanda Leon 

Cozy Autumn/ Fall Living Rooms

Warm Rust Velvet Sofa

Cozy looking day bed

Cozy Sofa : Lucia LaFerme

Comfy sofa, bay window and a deerhound... the dream

I have recently come to the conclusion that my sofa is just not comfy. It is simply not deep or soft enough and is not a good place to relax, however with a 'spirited' 5 year old in the house I am not about to splash out on my dream sofa as chances is blue tack will be mashed into it within minutes... so I am looking to update the sofa by removing the back cushions and replacing them with some oversized soft ones and maybe a throw, for some extra cold weather comfort!!

So here is some comfy sofa inspiration for y'all :)

Gabi

Comfy sofa dressed with Hmong Textiles

Velvet comfort

Current Crush: Lucia LaFerme and her botanical dyes

Lucia LaFerme natural botanically dyed french linen bedding and silk pillowcases 

Californian based bodyworker and natural dye enthusiast Lucia LaFerme has become a bit of a Instagram crush of mine recently, with her scrumptious plant dyed silk self care sleep kits and Botanically dyed French Linen Bedding. Her instagram page is unsurprisingly also a visual feast and I love to see little glimpses of artists home life, especially when its as beautiful as Lucia's.

I have included below a selection of her beautiful pictures, and although Lucia does dye in colours other than yellows and oranges with Autumn on its way have decided to stick to this glorious glowing warm orange. I urge you to check out her work and visit her shop either via her instagram or via her online shop LuciaLaferme.com.


Inspired by Lucia's work I have just before submitting this post made myself a turmeric dye bath for my string shopping bag.... wish me luck!!

To see more of Lucia LaFermes work visit her website www.lucialaferme.com

Reflection, windows and awe

I can't believe I have been away for so long, but it was very much needed. Blogging has actually been a big part of my life for a long time and having some time out felt good and bad. Some where along the way I had begun feeling maybe I should endorse all the branded stuff that others do?, or set up a shop and try and make a job out of this social media malarkey but I am not the most confident and to be honest I wouldn't know where to start... the pressure just mounted and I lost my passion.

I started a couple of new projects, one of which was finally starting my training to become a counsellor, and I both needed it and intensly love it! There is a lot of personal reflection involved, which is throwing up some intense personal feelings and memories (which I am the queen of bottling up) but I can see myself changing , becoming more self aware and analytical (although as an anxious type this can sometimes be destructive, I am learning to challenge my inner demons by staring them in the face). I feel I may have finally at 38 found my direction.... like whoa!

Anyway I am back....... I am not sure I will stick around for long and I am not putting any pressure on myself to perform......in my absence however I have collected some beautiful pictures.

This little collection represent the awe of nature that can be seen from an armchair or whilst just pottering in the morning on a lazy Sunday morning.