Mind and Body Healing

18/03/2026

My next Mindful swimming session. See previous post for the first session.

This time it’s not a lane session at the pool, but an open session.

Started with breathing, then moved my awareness to my body, environment etc.

Bit more difficult than last time, as lots of distractions, HOWEVER, each time I found myself naturally returning to my breathing, then continuing.

This is important, as life is full of distractions, we do not always find the perfect environment to practice mindfulness. So the ability to centre ourselves in whatever way we feel comfortable with is important.

So, I felt comfortable with this, looking forward to the next session.

18/03/2026

Intro to Mindfulness today at East Cowes Library. No previous knowledge necessary.

2pm for one hour, £7.00.

09/03/2026

Introduction to Mindfulness
Ever been curious about Mindfulness?
Want to learn some relaxation techniques?
Curious as to how mindfulness can help you?
This is a series of weekly sessions to introduce you to various Mindful techniques. No previous knowledge or experience required.
Next session on
Wednesday 11 March at 2pm at East Cowes East Side Curve.
Each session lasts an hour and costs £7.00 per person. Booking recommended
For more information and to book contact Donna on
07891839024

Further sessions on, 18, 25 March. 1st and 8 April.

03/03/2026

First Introduction to Mindfulness tomorrow, 4 March

No previous knowledge necessary.

East Cowes Town Council Curve
2pm

£7.00 for 1 hour.

01/03/2026

Been trying to incorportate mindfulness into my swimming . In a moment of weakness, I have signed up for the Isle of Wight Pier to Pier swimming event. Therefore I have been trying to use mindfulness to increase the distance I swim at the pool. Frankly, I find swimming up and down a pool incredibly boring. Hence mindfulness.

I started by concentrating on my breathing, and realised that I am useless at controlling my breathing while swimming. Mindfulness should be "non striving" , you are not looking to achieve something, just accept that you are already there - easier said than done! However, by working through a simple breathing exercise, focusing on your breath, then the temperature and feeling of the water, then my body, then back to breath, I gradually started to calm down and only think about what I was doing, and didn't look at the clock once! It was not easy, I had to keep coming back to my breathing if I became aware of anything else around me - often the case in public baths! Or if I realised my breathing had gone awry! However, I did feel as though I got more out of my swimming as I was concentrating on this, and not the myriad of thoughts that normally blast through my mind. It became more of a time for me. Just need to ensure that I remember to breath!!

01/03/2026

Introduction to Mindfulness
Ever been curious about Mindfulness?
Want to learn some relaxation techniques?
Curious as to how mindfulness can help you?
This is a series of 6, weekly sessions to introduce you to various Mindful techniques. No previous knowledge or experience required.
First session commences on
Wednesday 4 March at 2pm at East Cowes East Side Curve.
Each session lasts an hour and costs £7.00 per person. Booking recommended
For more information and to book contact Donna on
07891839024

Further sessions on 11, 18, 25 March. 1st and 8 April.

23/02/2026

Introduction to Mindfulness

Ever been curious about Mindfulness?
Want to learn some relaxation techniques?
Curious as to how mindfulness can help you?

This is a series of 6, weekly sessions to introduce you to various mindful techniques. No previous knowledge or experience required.

First session commences on Wednesday 4 March at 2pm At East Side Curve, Town Hall, East Cowes.

Each session lasts an hour and costs £7.00 per person. Booking recommended
For more information and to book contact Donna on
07891839024

Follow up sessions on 11,18 and 25 March. 1st and 8 April.

16/02/2026

Many people think that to practise Mindfulness you need a carefully controlled environment. Not so. One of the aims of mindfulness is to live in the moment, and I found an unusual place to experience this recently- the car wash! The rhythmic noise of the washing was very comforting and and I spent just a few moments with my eyes closed, relishing the sounds and vibrations. Not too long though, in case I forgot to drive out!

30/01/2026

23/02/2021

Great news. We have a plan.

Under current guidelines, I will not be able to open before 12 April. I won’t be booking people in just yet as there are still a number of uncertainties. There will be restrictions applied from 12 April, and these may restrict or even delay my opening. Also, depending on what happens to the numbers of infections, understandably, dates could change.

Will keep you updated 😊

20/11/2020

A friend shared this and I really liked the lesson! *original poster (Kate Scott 2020)*:

RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE.

When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldn’t get out of bed some days. I had no energy or motivation and was barely getting by.
I had therapy once per week, and on this particular week I didn’t have much to ‘bring’ to the session. He asked how my week was and I really had nothing to say.
“What are you struggling with?” he asked.
I gestured around me and said “I dunno man. Life.”
Not satisfied with my answer, he said “No, what exactly are you worried about right now? What feels overwhelming? When you go home after this session, what issue will be staring at you?”
I knew the answer, but it was so ridiculous that I didn’t want to say it.
I wanted to have something more substantial.
Something more profound.
But I didn’t.
So I told him, “Honestly? The dishes. It’s stupid, I know, but the more I look at them the more I CAN’T do them because I’ll have to scrub them before I put them in the dishwasher, because the dishwasher sucks, and I just can’t stand and scrub the dishes.”
I felt like an idiot even saying it.
What kind of grown ass woman is undone by a stack of dishes? There are people out there with *actual* problems, and I’m whining to my therapist about dishes?
But my therapist nodded in understanding and then said:

“RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE.”

I began to tell him that you’re not supposed to, but he stopped me.
“Why the hell aren’t you supposed to? If you don’t want to scrub the dishes and your dishwasher sucks, run it twice. Run it three times, who cares?! Rules do not exist, so stop giving yourself rules.”
It blew my mind in a way that I don’t think I can properly express.
That day, I went home and tossed my smelly dishes haphazardly into the dishwasher and ran it three times.
I felt like I had conquered a dragon.
The next day, I took a shower lying down.
A few days later. I folded my laundry and put them wherever the f**k they fit.
There were no longer arbitrary rules I had to follow, and it gave me the freedom to make accomplishments again.
Now that I’m in a healthier place, I rinse off my dishes and put them in the dishwasher properly. I shower standing up. I sort my laundry.

But at a time when living was a struggle instead of a blessing, I learned an incredibly important lesson:

THERE ARE NO RULES.
RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE!!!