Mindfulness Skills4Life, 6 Monson Park, Skellingthorpe (2026)

04/02/2026

Good morning

I'm here sharing our next wonderful Lincoln Wellbeing Retreat, Sunday 22nd March 2026

Here's a gorgeous invite for you to come learn, enjoy great company, nurture your ❤️ heart and take away tools and new ways of being that are really support in your fast-paced, modern life.

One special day House Lincoln

New growth for the rest of your life..

There's more info here and a juicy early bird 10% discount on offer on ticket prices. up until the 15th February.

https://www.mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk/the-lincoln-wellbeing-retreat

Come as you are, and leave feeling brighter, soothed and inspired.

Dr. Sands and Will

sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk

Mindfulness. Neuroscience. Wellbeing. Performance

03/02/2026

MINDFUL DOODLING
REMINDER

it's an earlier start this morning, 10.15am

Sands

02/02/2026

THE PAUSE

---------------------------------------------------

Hello lovely friends 💛

I can’t quite believe it’s been a week since I last said hello here.

I wanted to share why I’ve been a little quieter than usual. I’ve been a bit “under the water” in terms of energy and outward-facing comms with quite a lot of life to navigate, and the need to create space for my mind and body to process a few little (and a few bigger) speed bumps.

In the quiet, though, my work has still been very much alive, singing quietly in the background. I’ve been working gently and joyfully with my precious 1–1 clients, spending time with our community group where we explore creative forms of mindfulness, and loving the steady, grounding presence of our online meditation group. This precious work continues to bring connection, care, compassion, and meaning and for that I’m deeply grateful.

In my own mindfulness practice, I’ve been recommitting to wisdom, strength, and the beautiful messiness of being human. Resting more with the breath, reconnecting with my body and its deep intelligence, and practising presence rather than pushing. I’m also incredibly grateful for the support of my lovely supervisor and dear friends - a reminder that none of us are meant to do this alone.

So this is just a gentle hello… and a reminder (for me too) that it’s OK to take a little break now and then. To pause. To rest. To reconnect.

Thank you for your patience. I’ve missed you and I’m really looking forward to sharing again 💛✨

Here are some lovely supports that I use with my clients, when we are sharing the topic of compassion for self.

26/01/2026

🌿 You’re warmly invited: The Lincoln Wellbeing Spring Retreat 🌿
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT IS ON OFFER

Modern life places constant pressure on our minds, bodies and nervous systems.

Many of us are functioning well on the outside — yet underneath feel stretched, tired, or quietly depleted.

This is why my good friend and colleague Will Crawford and I created the Lincoln Wellbeing Spring Retreat, once again in partnership with the wonderful team at Charlotte House — Nick Peel and Emma Olivier-Townrow BA (Hons).

After the incredible response to our first retreat, we’re so happy to open bookings for this next chapter, themed New Growth 🌱

This one-day retreat is for people who care deeply about how they live, lead and relate — and who want practical, evidence-based ways to support their wellbeing in a world that asks a lot.

✨ What the day offers
• kindness, self-compassion and gratitude as science-backed antidotes to daily pressure
• practices shown to regulate stress, increase positive emotion and support emotional balance
• immersive mindfulness, sound, reflection and deep listening
• space to rest, reconnect and restore — without needing to fix or force anything
• the company of caring, like-minded people
• and simply delightful food from the exceptional teams at Stokes and Charlotte House

This isn’t about escape.
It’s about creating the conditions for sustainable wellbeing so new growth can gently take root.

📍 Lincoln Wellbeing Spring Retreat
🗓 Sunday 22nd March
🔗 https://www.mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk/the-lincoln-wellbeing-retreat

Come as you are. We’ll take care of the rest.

—
Dr. Sands & Will
Mindfulness. Neuroscience. Wellbeing. Performance

25/01/2026

We've been resting, as a family, a lot this weekend.

Enjoying cozy at home time

Having simple walks in our fave places, like Whisby Nature Park, where these beautiful silver birches stand tall, and where these strikingly white swans were gliding along.

We've been doing some arty, crafty stuff and watching The Traitors.

I have been meditating and focusing on the simple (though not always easy) breath meditation

Rest,

sometimes it's the most productive thing you can do...

Love, Dr. Sands
sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk

23/01/2026

What do a bar of chocolate, a hat, scarf, gloves, a knife, fork and a dice have in common?
🍫🎲

We’re playing this game tonight.

The good old-fashioned chocolate game.

Roll the dice.
Get a six.
Pull on all the clothes.
Try (and usually fail) to cut the chocolate with a knife and fork… while everyone laughs.

Simple.
Ridiculous.
Joyful.

And it reminded me of something we often forget — especially those of us who carry responsibility, care deeply about what we do, run businesses, lead teams, support families, and hold a lot for others.

When life feels heavy, complex or relentless, the brain doesn’t need more thinking.

It needs moments of lightness.

Moments that are:
• familiar and easy
• playful and pleasant
• warm and connecting
• uncomplicated and kind

Replaying something that went well.
Remembering a shared laugh.
Letting yourself feel something pleasant — even briefly.

From a neuroscience perspective, this really matters.

Simple, joyful experiences help calm the nervous system, soften stress responses, and create space for ease, contentment and positive emotion.

This isn’t avoidance.
It’s regulation.

It’s also something a client discovered this week — how gently returning to what feels light and nourishing can genuinely shift how the body and mind respond to stress.

And yes… it’s something we’ll be weaving into our upcoming retreat too 🌿

As the week closes, here’s a small invitation for you:

✨ What’s one simple, joyful moment you could replay for just 20–30 seconds — and really feel — before moving on to the next thing?

Sometimes, it’s the smallest moments that steady us the most.

22/01/2026

Blu Tac… just a desk fidget, or a quiet sign of something more?

Last night, my wonderful friend and colleague Will Crawford and I were on Zoom, planning the final stage of our Lincoln Wellbeing Retreat on Sunday 22nd March.

As we talked through the flow of the day, the science, and the kind of experiences we hope people will take into their everyday lives, I found myself saying:

“Excuse the movement — I’m rolling Blu Tac around on my desk. My hands need something to do. It helps me think.”

There was a pause.

Then Will lifted his hand to the camera.

Blu Tac.
Exactly the same.

Of course, we burst out laughing — but it also felt like one of those small moments that quietly says a lot.

Because in many ways, it sums up how our partnership works.

Shared ways of thinking.
A shared understanding of the nervous system.
A deep trust in evidence-based practice.
And a genuine commitment to supporting wellbeing in a world that often moves much faster than our bodies and minds were designed for.

Our work together isn’t about shiny ideas or quick fixes.

It’s about listening.
Creating safety.
Working with compassion and care.
And designing experiences that help people build positive, protective mental health habits for lives they may not have chosen — but are living fully.

As we put the final touches on the retreat (flyer and website launching very soon), I’m feeling deeply grateful for partnerships grounded in:
• shared values
• mutual respect
• curiosity, connection and kindness
• and the belief that wellbeing really matters

Sometimes it’s those little “Blu Tac moments” that gently remind you you’re building something meaningful — together.

🌿 More to come soon about the Lincoln Wellbeing Retreat – Sunday 22nd March.

With care,
Dr. Sands & Will

Mindfulness • Neuroscience • Wellbeing • Peak Performance

19/01/2026

What do a tick chart, an alarm… and a pile of dishes have in common?
At first glance , not much.
-----------------------------------

In my life, they all do exactly the same thing.
They remind me to care for my mind and body.

📋 The tick chart
This is where I track my collagen and supplements - the very first small act of self-care in my day. I take them, then I literally tick it off. It sounds simple… because it is. But simple systems keep me steady.

⏰ The alarm
This isn’t to wake me up - it’s to remind me to book my exercise class.
If I don’t schedule it deliberately, my busy brain will happily let it slide. and I will miss the booking slot and my class

🗒️ The Post-it note
These mark tiny pockets of time in my diary where I pause, breathe, stretch and reset my body so my mind can stay sharp during the working day. I want to work smarter not harder!

🍽️ And the dishes?
BEFORE We do them, I sit on my meditation seat and meditate first. The chores wait but my nervous system and my time for calm and clarity doesn’t.

None of this is because I’m super-organised.

It’s because I’m human - a busy working mum with a menopause brain who needs reminders.

Left to chance, I would simply forget the very things that help me feel calmer, clearer, kinder to myself and more effective in my work.

This is exactly what I help my clients build too: small, practical systems that make wellbeing easier than burnout.

From a neuroscience point of view, this is gold.

Reminders reduce cognitive load, lower stress, and make it far more likely we’ll repeat the behaviours that regulate our nervous system, protect our energy and support performance.

Care doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by design.

🌿 Question for you:
How do you remember to do the things that really matter to your wellbeing?

Dr. Sands
sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk
Mindfulness. Neuroscience. Wellbeing. Performance.

16/01/2026

After a mindful, mind-full week, me and my gal did a little art therapy.

A copy from Insta

A little first attempt with oil pastels, blending, smudging, making borders...

Super fun, relaxing and so connecting with my tiny one..

Body still and settled, mind calm and 'empty'

We are now going to get into Jim jams and watch some telly

Cozy Friday nights rule ok..

How do you connect with your little ones?

Happy Friday,
Dr. Sands x
sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk

13/01/2026

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MORNING

We were so delighted to be back as a community, at Mindful Doodling Lincoln and District Indoor Bowling Club .

This first session we explored how could doodle up the initial of our first name, or meaningful word that felt supportive.

The latter can be part of a mindfulness and compassion based practice called 'words of the month (or year).

I prepared a vision board of creative ideas, made up of different doodling ideas: floral, abstract, colour or black and white.

We spent time exploring how we can deconstruct arty bits to make them easy and accessible for anyone to do...

And then we moved into that quiet hum of mindful creativity

Your words of the session:

so glad to be back
loved it
so calming
loved seeing what everyone made
feel chilled now

And, look what these gorgeous humans created.

I think you and these pieces are really rather special...My heart was really full today.

If you'd like to have a go, and be part of a kind, caring, friendly community...pop me an email.

You don't need to be arty, you just want to come and have a wee go, and you will be supported all the way.

With love
Dr. Sands x
sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk

11/01/2026

TRUTH

I am having to commit a little more than usual to my personal self care practice.

Like many people, life doesn't always give us easy roads to travel.

I could 'switch off' by scrolling through my phone....

Time moving by, the mind distracted through zoning out.

Neuroscience is clear.

When we meditate, slow the breathing and use the breath (as one example) as an anchor to steadying the mind, then busy thoughts can settle, the stress response soothes a little, and the body can relax and soften.

When the body is centred and feels safe, settled, the mind can start to settle down too.

Kids in bed

Some dishes done

This is my time

Time for me

A dedicated space that prioritises my wellbeing.

Noise cancelling headphones in, a some compassionate breathing for the next 15 - 20 mins.

Well done Sands, for choosing you....

Dr. Sands
sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk

11/01/2026

nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know

…nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. perhaps there is no solid obstacle except our own need to protect ourselves from being touched. maybe the only enemy is that we don’t like the way reality is now and therefore wish it would go away fast. but what we find as practitioners is that nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. if we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we find the very same problem waiting for us when we arrive. it just keeps returning with new names, forms, manifestations until we learn whatever it has to teach us about where we are separating ourselves from reality, how we are pulling back instead of opening up, closing down instead of allowing ourselves to experience fully whatever we encounter, without hesitating or retreating into ourselves.

‐------

This quote is from a book I find truly sacred

"When things fall apart", by Pema Chodron

It was given to me some decades ago as I recovered, with immense support, from a really tough time dealing with my mind, a consequence of unattended stress, over-working, exhaustion, emotional overwhelm...all of which was suppressed, ignored pushed in order to keep doing and keep going.

You might find yourself having to go through 'the same sort of thing' , or the same old stress patterns hit you...

Life can be like that can't it?

No-one wants to walk a hard path again...

However, maybe there's a new learning, a growing that's waiting at the end of the path...a teaching that will enhance your life..

Keep hope, as Pema also says
"The obstacle is the path'

And for the in-between space we make time for self-care, kindness, moving slowly, prioritising whats truly important, ditching the junk that clutters life, making time for breath work and meditation.

My plan is moving slowly, breathing meditation in my cozy space and journalling.

And chilling with my team..

What plans have you today for your self care?

Dr Sands
sandra@mindfulness-skills4life.co.uk

Mindfulness Skills4Life

04/02/2026

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