Category: workplace wellbeing

What is Mindfulness

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Photo by Anna Tarazevich from Pexels

Mindfulness has become very popular in the West over the last decade. More and more people are getting interested to explore the topic and many corporates are now offering seminars for the wellbeing of their staff. For those who don’t know what it is, it may sound like a new age trend but the truth is quite the opposite.

Mindfulness is a way of being that everyone is capable of. More precisely, it is the practice of bringing our attention to the present moment, about reconnecting with ourselves and living to our full potential every day.

The difference between mindfulness and meditation

Although they complement and reflect each other, they are not the same. Their main differences are:

  • Mindfulness is about being aware of something, while meditation is about becoming aware of nothingness.
  • Mindfulness can be applied to any situation or activity throughout the day, while meditation is practiced for a specific amount of time.

What mindfulness is not

There are a few common misconceptions which can be misleading and confusing. Some of them are:

  • Mindfulness is not a religion, although it was originally founded on Buddhist and Hindu practices plus other ancient teachings. It is a practice that anyone from any religion or background can learn it. Actually, we all have it within us, therefore we just need the tools to unlock access to our inner capacities.
  • Mindfulness is not the same as positive thinking. It is rather being realistic and accepting everything, good, bad and neutral. However, it can help us think more positively by being more resilient and compassionate.
  • Mindfulness is not a miracle cure that will magically dissolve our problems. However, it is a tool to train our mind which can help us deal with our stress and problems. Moreover, it can help us become emotional resilient and calm during difficult times thus overcoming challenges with more ease.

In conclusion, mindfulness is for everyone regardless of culture, religion, age or status. Daily practice helps us be in harmony with our past and, on the same time, helps us accept the future with more optimism. The long-term aim of the practice is to change our perceptions, expand our awareness, increase our compassion and reprogram ourselves into a positive mindset so we can eliminate stress and be grateful and happy every single day.

Mindful Walking Exercise

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Photo by Thomas from Pexels

With November already here, it’s the perfect time to try this mindful walking exercise! Enjoy the autumn colours while clearing your mind and recharging energetically in nature!

Mindful walking is a mindful meditation exercise, a type of mindfulness practice. It is a simple way to transform walking into a mindful observation. Having a stroll while noticing everything around us without judgement helps us to become present in the moment. You can walk anywhere you like (make sure you are safe) but ideally try walking in nature: a park, a forest, or whatever is available in your area.

First of all, try walking in silence for a minimum of 5-10 minutes. Avoid talking if you are in a group or talking on the phone if you are on your own. Then, observe each step, the movement of your legs, your arms, your posture. Once you are mindful of your body’s movement, then you are centered and you can really begin to observe your surroundings. Now watch the sounds, colours, shapes, smells, trees, animals, every little detail around you. If your mind starts to drift away, simply bring it back to your mindful observation without judgement.

You can of course combine the mindful walking exercise with the walking meditation practice. Just make sure you have adequate time so you can really focus and enjoy the whole experience without rushing to get back to your routine and daily tasks!

The healing power of silence

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

“Listen to Silence. It has so much to say.”

Rumi, 13th century Persian poet
Photo by VisionPic from Pexels

Since ancient times, ascetics from different spiritual practices have spent significant amounts of time in silence and isolation, either with prayer or meditation. Even nowadays, monks and spiritual practitioners retreat themselves for days without socialising or talking to anyone. Throughout history, artists and musicians always had the tendency to spend time on their own in order to connect to inspiration and creativity. Nowadays, many meditation teachers advise that frequent meditative pauses throughout the day have poweful healing effect to our body, mind and soul regardless of our spiritual beliefs. So what is the significance of silence in our lives?

Modern science has proved that noise is destructive to us while silence is healing us. Various studies have shown that noise has a powerful physical yet destructive effect on our brains, because it causes the release of stress hormones. Actually, not only our brain, but our whole energetic field, our aura, receives noise as disruptive sound waves. Even when we are sleeping our body receives noise as intrusive and threatening to our system, therefore it reacts with releasing stress hormones. Consequently, living in a consistently noisy environment causes high levels of stress and can even lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, tinnitus and insomnia.

In 2006, physician Luciano Bernardi studied the physiological effects of noise and music. He surprisingly made a very important discovery. During the study, the participants were not only exposed to noise and music, but also to random stretches of silence in between. These pauses were far more relaxing for the brain of the participants than the relaxing music. In fact, these ‘irrelevant’ pauses became the most important aspect of the study as they had the most powerful and relaxing effect.

In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated that the root cause of 3,000 heart disease deaths in Western Europe was due to excessive noise.

All these facts and other important studies and practices are a proof that taking time to switch off is crucial to our wellbeing and our lives in general.

According to the “attention restoration theory”, when we are in silence, the brain can recover some of its cognitive abilities. Moreover, according to Imke Kirste, a Duke University regenerative biologist, two hours of silence per day can initiate cell development in the hippocampus, our brains center of our memory and senses.

Unfortunately, in our modern digital world, our brains have minimal time to switch off as we are exposed to enormous amounts of information. Modern life demands our brains to be in constant attention and consequently a lot of stress. This mental overload leads us into difficulties with making decisions, solving problems and daily functions. However, when we switch off and ideally spend time alone in silence, our brain is finally able to relax, release this constant focus and start its healing process.

To conclude, silence replenishes and nourishes our cognitive powers, raises our concentration levels, increases our motivation and helps us connect with our centres and balances us emotionally. Hence, as ancient spiritual masters always taught, silence is healing as it connects us deeply into ourselves and balances our body, mind and soul. The simple yet ancient practice of silence might be the healing balm we all need to cope with our modern lifestyle.

Behind the Scenes: Massaging for the Film Industry

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

filming on set
Fun shooting for the “behind the scenes” film edits – photo by Fiora Touliatou

Over the last few months, we were thrilled to have the opportunity of working for the film industry. So far, film sets have been the most unusual and exciting workplaces we have experienced. On the other hand, we had no idea what to expect or how the days would progress.

Our massage services were booked as a gift of appreciation from the actors and producers the various teams and were booked at the last few weeks of each film shooting. The bookings were extended over various dates as there were a lot of people to treat. We massaged both filming crews and members of the cast: cameramen/women, scriptwriters, make-up artists, nurses, actors, producers and other members of the production team. Everyone was so happy, appreciative and excited to receive their sessions. Their feedback was amazing and they wished we could be there every day. Also, we were excited to learn some details about the films but unfortunately, due to confidentiality, we cannot share.

Life is a like a movie. Write your own ending.
Keep believing, keep pretending.

John Henson

The film shootings took place at the premises of Warner Bros Studios and each day we would work on different locations depending on where filming crews and production teams were. Their free time was limited and sometimes they even had to go before the end of their session as they were called via their intercom to run and assist. Parts of the areas we were accommodated were not glamorous at all (outside tents in parking areas or between backdrop areas) while others were inside modern offices and very nicely decorated with posters of various past productions such as the Matrix Reloaded. This diversity and adaptability is part of the industry as we realised and the overall result is what matters.

The overall experience was unique and we are looking forward to watch the movies whenever they are released as well as to recognise some of the clients we massaged!