Tag Archives: teacher

The Books That Changed me by Alex Bannard

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I began my journey into mindfulness around 8 year’s ago amidst a battle with mental illness. 10 minutes of mindfulness by Goldie Hawn was my first insight into mindfulness & a wonderful reflection on parenting & engaging with our children.

It changed the way I parent & has shaped that experience for us all for the better. Flicking through it again to write this piece I am staggered by the simple wisdom in its pages & the great ideas that help us to encourage our kids to let their light shine…it makes me want to delve right back into it again! 

Some of the best, most honest, funny & engaging books written about mental health & mindfulness have been written, in my humble opinion, by Ruby Wax. Her brilliance, wit & searing honesty make each of her books a page turning delight. 

Finding a favourite is tough but possibly because I am fascinated by the geeky neuroscience behind mindfulness & spirituality, How to be Human pips the others to the post. In this book, Ruby chats through a variety of topics close to the heart of any full bloodied human with a neuroscientist, Ashish Ranpura & Buddhist monk, Gelong Thubten with her trademark frankness & humour. It was so good I went to see them perform on stage too, which was unforgettable. 

When we were living in Bangkok, a dear friend & spiritual guru introduced me to Gabby Bernstein’s The Universe has your Back. So began a mini obsession: I love Gabby’s work. This book introduced me to the idea that our thoughts & energy create our reality amidst the comfort of knowing the universe has our back. 

It taps into the idea of manifesting & law of attraction; the joy & flow that abound once we begin to dance in union with the energy of the universe. And it works. I ‘manifested’ a wonderful first home & fantastic school for myself & my kids when we returned to the UK soon after reading this book, within 2 weeks of making the decision. Having lived overseas for 12 years I have never seen anyone orchestrate a move so quickly & I put it all down to the universe having our back!

The Quantum & the Lotus by Matthieu Ricard & Trinh Xuan Thuan is an exploration of the overlap between quantum physics & spirituality, which feeds right into 2 of my passions. It’s not an easy read, but it’s remarkable & fascinating.

Finally, I recently finished my first ever book on Audible: Gabby Bernstein’s latest offering, I am the Guru.  The 6 lessons described are beautiful in their simplicity & ease of application. I had never ‘done’ Audible before. I love an actual book: the cover, turning over the page corners, the smell of it. But this book isn’t out in print yet & it was the only way to access it. What a revelation! I binge-listened to it one weekend, revisiting each chapter several times afterwards. And now I’m a convert, it’s revolutionised my reading experience for the better. 

Alex coaches yoga & mindfulness in person & online to individuals, groups, in schools & in businesses. She can be contacted at alex@myananda.co.uk or via her website www.myananda.co.uk 

 

Peace and Plenty and Annie Freud by Maya Pieris

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Annie Freud– teacher, embroiderer, painter, poet and brilliant party giver- is the daughter of Lucian Freud, great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud and grand-daughter of sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein. She is also the proud owner of a new studio at her home, Peace and Plenty, in the heart of Dorset. Here from a window seat, which I would describe as more window bed, she has a view of fields, her husband Dave’s sheep and the slow train to Bath.

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The studio “is a first” and, along with a dedicated space for Dave means their interests which involve “paint, mud and dirt” aren’t a problem. And she’ll have the occasional sheep for a neighbour in the adjoining animal pens. It is now also home to her father Lucian’s easel which she inherited following his death in 2011 and on which currently she has just painted a “portrait” of The Fox and Hounds Pub, her local and home to the Cattistock Poets.

I’ve got to know Annie over the last 5 years through the Cattistock Poets which she started and leads, encouraging writers to find and listen to their own poetic voices, “to make it better..and to take it seriously”. She has also been responsible for organising some fabulous poetry readings to which she has invited a variety of other published poets.

Peace and Plenty and Annie Freud by Maya Pieris2

Her latest collection, The Remains, published this summer, contains 2 of my favourite poems – Aubergines and Abbotsbury, the latter which I heard Annie read in a beautiful, small, ancient Dorset chapel as part of a Christmas carol service. The Remains is her fourth collection and has established Annie as one of an exciting new group of poets – and a performer firmly committed to poems being heard.

The Remains is , however, proving an artistic turning point- another first- combining 2 loves, the visual and literary, the book illustrated by Annie with original paintings, some inspired by the Dorset landscape. When “I started writing poetry..I thought I would embroider in the mornings and write in the afternoon” but she found that this wasn’t working so put the visual to one side though found this “painful” needing this element to produce “something I would try to make more solid. I’ve painted all my life with pleasure but without enough self-belief but The Remains changed all that.” I asked her if her renewed need to paint was a rearrangement of two loves but she said that “was too easy, that one should not have self-limiting views of who you are or what you can do” and that painting fulfilled a physical need.

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But whatever the medium Annie is committed to work that will “move, disturb or delight”  the point being “what it is doing to other people”. She has also had another first this December with the setting of her poem The Sun Looks Forward to Winter to music by Benjamin Tassie for three female voice and hopes this time next year to see her first London painting exhibition happen.

As for Peace and Plenty- not her own invention but the name of the 2 cottages which form her very peaceful and plentiful home.

 

 

Single Doctors Get Hearts Racing This Valentine’s Day

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  • Teachers and doctors among the top professions looking for love
  • Men begin their quest for love much sooner than women, as 32% more men in their 20s are looking for an online date than women

guardiansoulmates

Another year, another Valentine’s Day, and for singletons it can be a frustrating time. However, we have cause to be more positive this year as research from Guardian Soulmates today reveals that there are far more eligible single men and women than we may have expected. Ever wondered where all the doctors are? All the teachers? Mr/Mrs Right you expected to have married by now? Well they’re on your doorstep, and more importantly, they’re single!

From its dating database of over 200,000 singletons, Guardian Soulmates has found that there are more teachers and academics looking for love than any other profession, with media professionals and doctors coming in second and third respectively. And it’s not just doctors and teachers; those who own their own businesses are also up there with the UK’s most eligible singles, making up 5% of the sites daters.

Sectors with the most single men and women:

1. Education

2. Media

3. Health

4. Self-employed

5. Finance

6. Marketing / PR

7. Third sector

8. IT / telecoms

9. Government

 

Encouragingly our teachers and doctors don’t all fall into one group, and there are opportunities to meet your match regardless of age. Guardian Soulmates’ research shows that men and women in their 30s are the most prevalent daters; of those on the dating website 31% of men and 34% of women are in their 30s. There’s good news for those in their 20s too, particularly any young ladies who are apprehensive about getting online for a date before they turn 30, as 32% more men in their 20s are looking for an online date than women at the same age. Not only are men getting online early, they’re also continuing their quest for love in later life. The research also shows a trend that there are equal numbers of men and women in their 40s and 50s looking for love.

Age does, however, appear to define the type of date you may wish to go on this Valentine’s Day. The research reveals that there are trends in dating patterns across age groups, and even across regions. Those in their twenties are least likely to cook a romantic meal for two, whilst 79% of 30-something daters are cooking enthusiasts and would prefer a comfy night in. For those who believe the way to the heart is through the stomach, London and the North West are fertile dating grounds, as 67% of daters in London and 40% in the North West are cooking fans. Surprisingly, if you want to impress a lady you’re better off asking her out for a drink than a dinner date as 64% of single women enjoy a drink, versus just over half of single men (53%).