Isobel at Coevolve

07/03/2023

Our lovely puppy recently celebrated her 1st Birthday 🥳.

We were looking forward to taking her on long walks to explore the countryside. Floss 🐶was diagnosed with a displaced hip in the Autumn which means long walks are too painful. Not quite what we anticipated but where there’s a will there’s a way! She loves her dog sling and that means longer beautiful walks, more of a workout 🏋️ and spending more time with her as we had originally intended.

Sometimes letting go of our expectations of the way things should be can be very liberating and certainly better for our mental health.

27/11/2022

At certain times in our lives, we feel frazzled, out of balance and yet we keep treading the same path, pushing forwards in the only way we know how. If you relate to this, then I have two tips to help you regain balance in your life.
This week I headed off to the train station realising it has been over 2 years since I last did the commute into London. Prior to lockdown this was a weekly or bi-weekly occurrence. I had a love/hate relationship with the journey in to work, sometimes I loved it, sometimes I hated it!
For many years the commute served to provide ‘extra’ time to catch up on email or work, I’d find , myself rushing, carrying heavy bags, my head full of what the day may, or may not bring. I was intensely irritated by the smallest things, e.g. the seat reservations being down, people making their way ‘too’ slowly through the train to find their seats or someone in my seat, call from home, or my boss asking me to do something urgently, like, right now!
During the journey it struck me just how much I had changed inwardly over the last 2 years. When I think back I recognise that the range of conflicting expectations I set for myself or others set for me, led to a constantly heightened state, physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, of low self esteem. Whilst now I feel calm, open to present moment, in my centre and confident about the day ahead. I reflected on what was different and narrowed it down to two things which I want to share with you:
Tip 1: Create Space
Give your head the space it needs and deserves. If your head is constantly cluttered with controlling the future or thoughts about the past, there is no room for the here and now. Space allows you get clear about what you want and hold that intent rather than the impossible goal of a perfectly run life.
Giving yourself the gift of time allows you to create new ways of being. I began to treat the commute as a release from being ‘busy’. It presented a different environment away from my home office, a feeling of space and sense of opportunity for different habits. I started to read, listen to music, an audio book or a podcast and even to catch up on sleep. On arrival sometimes I’d enjoy taking in the sights and sounds of the city, walking through the glittering shops full of luxuries and possibility. New habits began to embed and become a familiar part of my routine. Developing better habits involved me making a conscious choice, choosing differently, which led to different results. I was learning new things, taking an interest in the things I was curious about and simply allowed myself to slow down.

31/10/2022

“Everyone is scared said the horse. But we are less scared together”

Charley Mackesy

18/10/2022

The 5th step towards fulfilment is to “Stop listening to the voices which are holding you back “.

This reminded me of the story of two wolves. The dark and the light wolf and the struggle inside each of us, as the two wolves battle it out.

Every day we make decisions, these choices define us. They are a statement of whom we choose to be in this life, and what impact we will have on the world around us.

Listening to the dark wolf is much easier, it keeps us stuck or in our comfort zone, encourages us to give up or stick to the known. The light wolf requires far more effort, new behaviour or learning perhaps embracing feelings of vulnerability and the uncomfortable feelings of change.

Which wolf are you feeding?

06/10/2022

Step 4 of my 5 step guide is get to know yourself from the inside out 🤩💕🥰❤️

26/09/2022

Start the week off with a yoga class🧘‍♀️ follow the link to sign up every Monday morning.

https://dylanayaloo53628.ac-page.com/community-yoga-students

We are graduates of INSPIRE, a powerful training program that combines personal transformation with the principles of practising & teaching yoga.

25/09/2022

Welcome to step three of my guide towards fulfilment. Today’s post is about time.

I find it really strange how we all have the same amount of time 24 hours a day, 365days a year yet in any one-day time changes, sometimes it feels like time stretches, 5 minutes feeling like 15 minutes, and yet within the next breath time flies.

Einsteins theory on the relativity of time may explain some of this. We know that time moves at different speeds for people. As we age time feels like it moves more quickly, I remember my Grandma telling me this and now I experience it for myself. This year feels like it has been on fast forward. We all perceive time relatively and that means an hour at age 5 is different than an hour at age 55.

The last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind. So much has changed for us as a nation, a new Prime minister and a new monarch and most of us will have spent time absorbing all the change through the media, social media.

We also have so many draws on our time. I feel we often take time for granted and yet I believe time is one of our most precious gifts and it should be treated with respect and care.

I am naturally task driven and it is very easy to wake up in the morning to a head list of what I have to do that day, week e.g. go to the gym to keep in good shape, shop, cook healthy food, go to work, tidy the house, water the plants etc, etc and before I know it my day has ended and I feel flat. Perhaps a realisation that another day has disappeared into the ‘doing’ and the day has passed without spending time on the things I love or really wanted to do/achieve.

Writing this post has been on my mind for the last 2 weeks – at last I have prioritised this ahead of the washing and dishwasher, dog, kids. Lot’s of unhelpful thoughts got in my way of doing this sooner, is it really that helpful for people? Has anything got the time to read it? (oh, the irony).

To change things in my life, fundamentally I know that I must make space for the change. Today I want to share my learning on time and how it is possible to slow time whilst still being productive:

1. Create a healthy morning habit.

Habit is a strong force; habit becomes you and can take sustained effort to change. Are your morning habits limiting you? Ease into your day by not immediately turning to your phone or laptop or planning out your to-do list you have created in your head. Plug your phone away from the bed so it is out of reach.

Take five or ten minutes to just to ease into your day without such a sense of urgency. Engage with your breath or do a short mindfulness or meditation exercise, look at a beautiful image or view to create stillness ahead of your day.

Be clear about your why for today, what is your promise to yourself today? What one thing can you do today to begin to create the changes you want to see in your life?

2. Be present in each moment rather than trying to do several things at once.

I have a very active mind, I remind myself of ques to help me to stay in the moment e.g. there is nowhere to get to—only right now to be.

Having all the other 100 things in your head will not get the jobs done more quickly. Notice your feet on the floor, your breath, sights or sounds, drink in the small details.

3. Notice when you become distracted, spot your time drains.

Did you catch yourself scrolling endlessly through social media or got swept away in a sea of thinking? It is easy to become absorbed by external stimulation and not connect with yourself, and before you know it, hours have gone by and you still have your mental to do list undone.

4. Does your activity align with your values and goals?

We have talked about becoming intentional and setting out what you want from your life. Are you spending time on the things that you have said really matter to you?
Managing your time and energy is a balance.

Purposefully create space to connect with this future you and take regular steps towards it, no matter how small or how difficult it feels.

5. Take care of your mind.

It’s not easy to disconnect from our always-on world but consider switching off from your phone or the media. Everything you absorb has an impact and often that can be negative.

Pay attention to how you are feeding your mind, does your mind nutrition align with what you want from your life or is it full of bad news stories and other people’s social media stories?

6. Protect your time.

Being clear about my personal boundaries helps me to protect my time to do the things which really energise me, sharing my learning, keeping a healthy mind and body, yoga, travel, seeing beautiful things and places.

Saying yes can present new opportunities but saying no can give you a chance for me-time. Time when you don’t have to keep any commitments or please anyone else or time to focus on what you want to create for yourself and your loved ones.

Making small changes throughout your day can have a compound effect (read Darren Hardy) towards getting what you want. Slowing down your pace yet being really intentional about how you use your time will mean your productivity is high whilst creating more flow to your day. This can help you to feel more peaceful and yet still allow you to keep getting things done.

Until next time, have a peaceful and productive week.

10/09/2022

Hello beautiful people 💫. Last week I talked about slowing down and becoming more intentional.

According to Jonathan Malesic author of ‘The End of Burnout’ the reason why so many people are heading for burnout is we allow our work to be a main source of meaning in our lives.

Whilst this is fantastic if you love your job/business, it is not so great if you feel stuck in a job which is not fulfilling for you.

This leads me to my second tip of my five step guide towards fulfilment. ‘Get clear on what you want from your life’. We talked briefly last week about slowing down and becoming intentional.

This week I am encouraging you to get really, really, intentional and set out your direction for change.

Spend time asking yourself some key questions:

1. What do you want your life to look like?
2. What more do you want from your life?
3. From a health/physical perspective, what changes do you want to create?
4. How do you want to feel every day?
5. What financial and career or business outcome later do you want to create?
6. What social or relationship changes do you want?

Setting out your plan for change to help you to get clearer on what you really want in life.

As Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.

08/09/2022

Publicly and privately you were an incredible lady. You served us with grace, beauty and dignity. Rest in peace Your Majesty ❤️

02/09/2022

Step 1 of my 5 step guide to fulfilment is to slow down, stop. This could sound easy or really impossible depending on your perspective. Most people find it more comfortable to allow life to happen rather than make the changes they want.

During July and early August I found I had stepped back on the the hamster wheel of life, allowing circumstances to direct my actions, thoughts and feelings which prevented me from having the space to be intentional. It is very easy for me to hide behind being busy, a Mum, a career and home. It is also easy to deprioritise myself, move into people pleasing and then my sense of being shifts.

I made a promise to myself to take some time. Create space and reset to allow myself time to recharge and get really intentional! The beautiful settings of the Mediterranean certainly helped me to become present and set out my next steps, including posting more regularly on my page to share what I've learned. I also decided I wanted to become the healthiest version of myself, eating well, reinstating a regular fitness and yoga practice.

Remember you to are a creator of your own life, habit becomes you but you can choose to stop and create time for yourself. Which reminds me of the quote by Laurie Buchanan "Whatever you are not changing you are choosing". Choose differently today for tomorrow.

Email me to get your 5 step guide towards fulfilment.

11/07/2022

Do you feel that there is more you want from your life? To receive your free 5 step guide towards fulfilment message or email me with your email address. Use the button below or email me using the button at the top of the page.

11/07/2022

29/06/2022

Regular routines help to relax the mind and body preventing overwhelm and even burnout. What do you do?

I wasn’t overreactive or sensitive, despite what I was told. I was in survival mode, and my body and mind perceived everything as a threat.

28/06/2022

If you are looking outside yourself for happiness, validation and direction, you might just be looking in the wrong place

19/06/2022

Happy Fathers Day ❤️🥰. Happy Sunday, make it count 😘

13/06/2022

18 months ago I was a master at being frantically busy, constantly strong. This is partly learned behaviour and partly numbing avoidance. I found it really hard to just ‘be’ to sit with the difficult but I found it is here that clarity and direction hide out 🫣🤗😶‍🌫️

07/06/2022

Beautiful days do not come to you. You must walk towards them.
Rumi

That move you are scared to make might be a game changer.

06/06/2022

Listen to what you tell yourself, if you hear it often you will believe your own thoughts “I can't do it, I have to much to do, I am not good enough" and that narrative is not a place for creation or fulfilment👣🫶

06/06/2022

Hello, I'm Isobel, a huge warm welcome to Coevolve.

I work with women who have become disconnected from themselves and their bodies. Perhaps experiencing feelings of stress, anxiousness or overwhelm and dealing with feelings of being stuck in perpetual motion, running and fighting to keep up with life.

Helping women to become more present, intentional and step off the hamster wheel of life to regain healthy emotional and physical wellbeing. Together we restore balance and calmness leading to the purposeful and fulfilled life they are seeking.

Balancing a career and raising a family can be challenging. I've been a working Mum for the last 25 years, raising two beautifully diverse children. In my current role of Head of Health and Wellbeing I get to practice what I teach every day although my core values can sometimes feel conflicted. Caught between achievement and striving at work and being a loving parent, providing a fun and stable family environment.

As a wellbeing coach and a yoga teacher I bring lived experience blended with modern science and ancient techniques to help rediscover your confidence and self-belief. Enabling you to re-set and reach your goals, regaining control to create the life you are seeking.