A space where I share my thoughts on the intersection of breathwork, wellbeing and creativity. If you come across anything you like I’d love to hear about it!
Welcome to my blog.
WTF is a multi-hyphenate?
Is it just me or is almost everyone starting to think about doing something different?
More and more people seem to be disconnected, unfulfilled, stressed, tired, over it or just simply bored.
Feels like we're on the cusp of a new way of being.
Where how we spend our time is, well, more like how we’d like to spend our time.
I went through this process in 2021... here's what I learnt.
Defining Flow: Our Optimal State Of Being
In the zone.
We’ve all been there at some point.
That seemingly elusive state where time falls away and we become totally absorbed in our present experience.
Where our awareness merges with our action.
Where effort feels… effortless.
It’s the optimal state of being where we feel our best and perform our best.
It’s also known as flow state.
Mindfulness vs. Flow State: From Calm Awareness to Total Absorption
By now, most people know that some sort of mindfulness practice is beneficial for you.
Implementing one, however, remains particularly elusive.
There are many things that ‘get in the way’ - work, kids, social media, work…
The modern world is basically one giant distraction.
Which ironically is one of the main reasons a mindfulness practice is so valuable.
But there’s something else that our world of distraction is robbing us of.
Why breathwork is the key to unlock your creative potential
In the zone. We’ve all been there at some point.
That seemingly elusive state where time falls away and we become totally absorbed in our present experience.
Where our awareness merges with our action. Where work feels effortless and our performance elevates to new levels.
It's the state of mind that allows many of the world's greatest artists, athletes and creative minds to do what they do best.
It’s known as flow state.
Breathwork isn’t for everyone
Breathwork is incredibly effective at enhancing clarity and creativity, as well as releasing blocked energy, suppressed emotions and limiting beliefs.
One of the things I like most about it is that it doesn't require anything external - you don't need to go somewhere, believe something, ingest something, or wear something - it's available to all of us, pretty much all of the time.
That said, there are some instances where I wouldn't recommend breathwork, and in some cases where I would strongly discourage it.
A Psychedelic Experience That’s Always Been Legal
A step in the right direction
This week sees Australia become the first country to legalise MDMA and psilocybin for therapeutic use.
The somewhat unexpected decision surprised many in making Australia global pioneers when it comes to the recognition of psychedelics as a tool to improve wellbeing.
Certain types of breathwork have also been shown to produce altered states of consciousness that are similar to psychedelic experiences.
Meaning is found in relationship
Module Eight: Connect | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Our dictionaries even define us as separate from nature, with it defined as “plants, animals, the landscape, and other features of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations”
Worth noting the use of the word “opposed” there.
We literally wrote ourselves into opposition to nature and sadly we behave accordingly.
We Came Here To Play
Module Seven: Play | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
The whole concept of play is diminshed to the realm of little children, or the lucky few who’ve worked hard and ‘done all their chores’.
But what if we have it all wrong? What if we just played.
Too Tired to Rest
Module Six: Rest | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Rest is a multifaceted effort that begins long before your head hits the pillow.
In fact, true rest and a good healthy sleep starts with a healthy gut.
The body really does keep the score
Module Five: Move | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
The myofascial system - a spider-web-like substance that wraps around our muscles and vasculature systems - is being shown to be what ‘houses’ our memory of emotion and trauma.
When we ‘work’ the myofascial (e.g. foam rolling or deep massage) we stimulate the release of that that information (emotion, trauma, memory etc) which can be incredibly healing for the mind and body.
Breathe: the first, last and most important thing you’ll ever do
Module Four: Breathe | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Unfortunately, thanks to our modern day lifestyles, most of us are in an activated, stressed state, most of the time. Often without even realising it.
This is a significant problem. The downstream effects of staying in that activated (sympathetic) state are that we accelerate the ageing process, the loss of regulatory hormones, immune function breakdown, and overall biologic decay.
The good news is that we have control over all of this, and it starts with our breath.
How your food is grown is more important than what you eat
Module Three: Fuel | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Before we talk about food and nutrition, it’s important to better understand the broader context of the system in which our food is grown.
While technological progress in agriculture over the last century was supposed to bring about the end of global hunger, provide food security and engineer the best possible nutrient availability, the reality is, in many instances, it’s done the opposite.
How much water you drink has surprisingly little to do with hydration
Module Two: Flow | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Hydration is multi-dimensional. And how much water you drink has surprisingly little to do with it.
Considering our bodies, our planet and almost every biological structure on it consist of around 70% water, we spend very little time talking and thinking about how we are hydrating ourselves.
What makes us, us?
Module One: Be | from The Journey of Intrinsic Health
Our body is made up of a complex ecosystem that exists within the context of our local and planetary ecosystems.
In other words, who we are is the expression of the world within and around us.