Connected Wellbeing

20/10/2025

Come and make a candle holder at the next open day. Clay is wonderfully mindful and grounding and taking part in a creative group activity may well reward you with a renewed sense of connection to self and others. Besides, participating in creative activities has been shown to have wider wellbeing benefits, like increase in happiness, relaxation, hand-eye coordination, improved sensory skills, potential for improved self-worth through a sense of achievement.

At the end of the hour together you can take your clay home to dry (sorry, no glazing or kiln facilities available) and use as a memento of this gift of time to yourself.

To book your spot head over to the Ways to Wellness CIC page and follow the booking link.

Also available to book and attend are the following
TALKS
11am Menopause: Food Hormones & Energy - Gemma Price
12midday Dealing with Stress Effortlessly (Mantra Meditation) - Andre Berry
1pm Easy Ways to Detox Your Mind - Hary Athi
2pm Enhance Wellbeing with Wearable Precious Metals & Minerals - Rebecca Street
3pm The Magic of Homeopathy - Ali Lomax

GROUP SESSIONS
11:00 Inner Child Art with Issy (Room1)
12:30 Qi Gong with Nick (Hall)
12:30 Flower Essences with Fabi (Room1) Fabi Holistic Wellness
2:00 Clay Candle Holders with Cami (Room1) Connected Wellbeing
2:30 Trauma/Tension Release with Gemma (Hall) In Tune Nutrition
3:00 Clay Candle Holders with Cami (Room1)
4: Soundbath with Lin (Hall)

17/10/2025

Open day 1st November GROUP SESSIONS
11:00 Inner Child Art with Issy (Room1)
12:30 Qi Gong with Nick (Hall)
12:30 Flower Essences with Fabi (Room1) Fabi Holistic Wellness
2:00 Connect with Clay - Cami (Room1) Connected Wellbeing
2:30 Trauma/Tension Release with Gemma (Hall) In Tune Nutrition
3:00 Connect with Clay - Cami (Room1)
4: Soundbath with Lin (Hall)

11 CONNECT WITH YOUR INNER CHILD ART WORKSHOP– Issy invites you to pick up your crayons, pencils, or anything that makes a mark, & draw with the freedom you had as a child! This workshop shifts away from the ideas of perfection, rules or expectations. Instead Issy leads you through a series of playful drawing exercises to help you to loosen up your creative practice+find value in the simple joy of making art You will be encouraged to tune into yourself & enjoy the expressive process of making marks to connect with your current self to return to the carefree creativity of youth. Open your mind to make Art like no one’s watching. Art supplies available. Don’t need any prior art experience to take part - just a willingness to explore and create!

12:30 QI GONG is a moving meditation that integrates slow, deliberate movements with standing postures & breathing techniques to build strength and clear the mind. It uses low-impact exercises that help cultivate balance, alignment & muscle control. Benefits include reduced stress & increased relaxation.

12:30 FLOWER ESSENCES EASING STRESS NATURALLY - Join Fabi for a calming & empowering workshop exploring the gentle healing power of flower essences. Discover how these vibrational remedies can support emotional balance. With expert guidance, you’ll create your own personalised flower essence blend to take home, crafted to meet your unique needs & intentions. No prior experience needed, just curiosity & a desire to feel more grounded & supported.

2:00 & 3:00 CONNECT WITH CLAY -In this 1hr session you get acquainted with the clay & get to work on producing and decorating a tea light holder which you are invited to take home to dry & keep / use. You will be shown basic ways of building the clay into the containing shape, i.e pinching, coiling, slab making.. Working with clay can be profoundly grounding. It invites us to slow down, focus on sensation and express feelings that may be difficult to put into words. Through touch, texture, and form clay allows for a gentle and deeper connection to what you are experiencing on the inside. My Connected Clay creative wellbeing workshops draw inspiration from the clinical observations of respected therapists & facilitate a safe space in which you can become more aware of your emotions. As your hands interact with the clay you are invited to give up your usual expectations of self & discover new ways of relating to yourself when the pressure to perform is removed. If you are wondering what to expect or are uncertain about aspects of the workshops, the list below was devised to reassure you that NO clay or pottery experience is needed; These are not art classes; Using clay has therapeutic value. However, the workshops are not group therapy; You will be invited to connect with the material in a way that supports emotional expression, grounding, and self-awareness; While you may be invited to share your thoughts and experience with the clay, there is no compulsion to speak; Basic materials will be provided (no kiln use; the clay you worked on can be recycled or taken home); The group will be kept small so everyone can benefit from equal attention. (see following comment for quotes from the researchers and pioneers)
2:30 TRE (TENSION / TRAUMA RELEASE EXERCISE) with Gemma is a series of exercises, that works to activate our innate ability to shake or vibrate, a reflex common to all mammals. This tremor mechanism assists the body to release held patterns muscular tension, that have been stored in the body after stressful or traumatic events. This can change the messages sent to the brain from the body, helping to calm down the nervous system and encourage the body to return to a state of balance. By connecting with your body’s innate tremoring mechanism you can unwind long-held tension patterns in the body. Gemma will gently lead you through the practice, that over time can improve stress resilience and bring your body back to balance.
Please wear comfortable trousers/shorts you can move in and bring a blanket/yoga mat (we’ll have few spare mats)

4:00 SOUND+GONG BATH with Lin. Prepare for a deep level relaxation of immersed in sound frequencies! Participants sit or lie on yoga mats while “bathed” in the frequency of particular instruments (including crystal bowls, chimes, native instruments and gongs). Many physical and mental benefits, some that include relaxing, stress reduction, improved mood and sleep quality. Very good process for ‘shedding old to make room for the new’. NB Please wear comfortable clothes and bring a mat / blanket. Remember to wait for at least a minute after the sounds have stopped before moving and getting up as the resonation continues even in the silence
lness

14/10/2025

Grief is not one-size-fits-all.

It can follow the end of a relationship, a health diagnosis, a relocation, a lost dream, the slow fading of a role you once held dear or other type of change or transition.

When we allow ourselves to feel our emotions, or to notice the numbness, we honour what mattered.

We give ourselves space to heal, to carry forward the essence of what we lost and to step gently into a future we may not yet be able to imagine.

💬 What has helped you create space for grief in your own life?

If you would like support, feel free to contact me directly to see how we can work together.

Alternatively, at The Eaves Counselling and Psychology, I work alongside a wonderful team of counsellors and psychologists who can support you through bereavement in all its forms. To find out more, visit theeaves.org.uk or call our friendly referral team on 01483 917000.

04/10/2025

Stormy day - perfect match for clay play 😉

29/09/2025

Hello Monday!

How did you start your week? For me, it is with a well earned cup of coffee after spending a glorious hour practicing while looking out in the garden.

I now feel , and for the week ahead.

22/09/2025

What do we notice about our own behaviour in the run-up to something important? This blog was written in anticipation, then paired with images from the events themselves, leading to a mix of reflection and real-world illustration.

To read it: https://connected-wellbeing.co.uk/2025/09/22/self-care-is-a-practice-not-a-performance/

Thanks go to the wonderful people who supported me to self-care over the last 4 days Ways to Wellness CIC Crystal Manifestations and Lucy.

19/09/2025

These days, anxiety feels like it is everywhere. With the rising cost of living and the threat of more cuts in the autumn budget, fearing the future is normal. Many of us are worrying about very real challenges, such as how to make ends meet, how to cope with uncertainty, how to stay afloat.

However, fear of the future does something sneaky. It blinds us to opportunities, freezes us in place and keeps us from moving towards better outcomes.

That is why grounding ourselves in the present is so powerful. It reminds us that even in difficult times, we have choices. Step by step, breath by breath, we can root ourselves out of anxiety.

I explore a few strategies in my latest blog: https://connected-wellbeing.co.uk/2025/09/19/rooting-yourself-out-of-anxiety/

05/09/2025

One of the things I love the most about my psychotherapy practice is the chance to work with clay. It has a way of gently bringing into awareness what has been quietly waiting to be seen. Like a bridge into the unknown, clay helps us to connect with the deeper parts of ourselves.

This summer has been a little quieter on the clay front, but today I returned to it and was reminded of how powerful and nourishing this work can be. I’m so glad to be bringing it back into the therapy room ✨

25/08/2025

Whenever I feel a little twinge in my troublesome hip or a tightness in the shoulders, I mentally remind myself that the body holds the tension for my mind. Where the mind seeks to repress and forget, the body remembers.

Patterns formed in times of or can quietly shape how we move through the world. Sometimes these old patterns keep us safe, but at other times they hold us back and keep us stuck.

Practices like Tai Chi Qigong and mindful movement invite the body to soften, release and reconnect. In that space, something shifts: we begin to notice the possibility of openness, tenderness and even love (for ourselves and for others).

From my own practice and from sitting alongside clients, I’ve seen how gentle awareness in the body can help us loosen what feels frozen, soften the tension and find more choice in how we respond to life.

At the heart of it all is self-compassion. When we meet ourselves with kindness, we open the door to deeper connection, healing and resilience.

If you want to know more about , please drop me a message. I have taken a break from teaching for the time being, but my self-practice continues and I am very excited about the latest Qigong set I am learning, Yi Jin Jing, and its amazing ability to help release muscle tension and improve flexibility.

If you already know about Qigong (or if you’re curious to know about it), live in the and are keen to learn and practice, please keep an eye on my page because I am about to bring my classes to you soon.

✨

14/08/2025

Today, like every August, my feed filled with A-levels related posts.

Many proud parents celebrated their children’s achievements and posted photos of smiling faces, envelopes torn open and heartfelt captions about resilience and hard work.

I began to wonder about the covert communication contained in their posts. Whose story was being shared? What was truly being said?

I also noticed the young people themselves being quieter on their own channels, preferring to share in close circles or not at all. They are young adults; they make all sorts of other decisions and post other moments for the world to see, so why not this?

This made me curious and prompted me to reflect: when we post on their behalf, what need are we meeting?

From a therapeutic perspective, public sharing can serve many roles:

> Marking a milestone after years of support and effort.

> Seeking connection with others who understand the journey.

> Finding validation for the unseen labour of parenting.

> Projecting a narrative about our family, our values, or our identity.

None of these are wrong. They are deeply human. However, it is worth noticing that these posts are rarely just about grades; they are also about identity, belonging and the stories we tell about ourselves and our children.

For some, sharing online feels like an act of love. For others, not posting is just as loving: protecting privacy, preserving a safe space to process emotions, or avoiding comparison.

From a therapeutic standpoint, both choices are valid. What matters is awareness:

> Did we post from a place of pride and joy, or from fear and pressure?

> Did we maybe post because we needed our big feelings heard and validated?

> Are we comfortable with the story this post tells about our child and / or about us?

> How might this shape their own self-story?

> If this was our achievement, would we also choose to post?

Milestones matter and achievements deserve a lot more recognition than we usually afford them. However, being aware of our own emotional landscape when we post is also important.

As results day draws to a close, maybe the most valuable reflection is not whether we posted, but what our choice reveals about what we value, what we need and how we connect.

What do you think?

12/07/2025

🌡️ When emotions run hot…

I must confess that this heatwave has slowed me down. The plans I had carefully laid out have melted in the sun’s insistence that I rest.

Finding myself in an enforced pause, I found myself reflecting on the similarities between hot weather and emotional intensity.

In my Qigong practice, I have learned that if we are open, nature will teach us.

At the back of my garden, where I can normally see and hear a lot of birds and the occasional passing foxes and squirrels, all has gone quiet. When the temperature rises the animals seek shade and conserve their energy.

Our emotions are not so different:

☀️ Anger, stress, anxiety can feel like rising internal heat.

Just like the heatwave, they invite us to slow down, reassess and regulate.

When things feel too much, internally or relationally, try:

✨ Parasympathetic breathing (inhale for 4, exhale for 6)

✨ Grounding with the 5-4-3-2-1 technique

✨ Taking a break before reacting (think ‘just one more breath before I speak’)

✨ Asking for space to cool off (remember to keep it about you and your need to think, calm down, or whatever else you need; this is not an opportunity to start the blame game)

✨ Seeking shelter — with someone safe, or within yourself

Slowing down is not avoidance. It is the wisdom of your nervous system choosing safety and presence over reactivity.

🧠 Being with emotional heat, not suppressing it, not snapping from it, helps us stay in relationship (with ourselves and others) even when things are hard.

05/06/2025

Looking forward to bringing some clay on Sat 14th :)

Looking forward to Ashtead Rotary Village Day 14 June… our STALL, treatment TASTERS, RAFFLE, INFO - find us near the dog show area 🥰 stall D219