To travel

 "The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive" - Thich Nat Hahn

Having just returned from a beautiful trip to Venice, I realised how true the saying is that travel 'broadens the mind'.

As someone who is deeply interested in consciousness and the mind, I found it fascinating how a new place can not only take us somewhere physically, but somewhere mentally as well.

One of the things I liked best about the trip was not planning anything in particular, just 'going with the flow' and taking up opportunities when it felt right or easy to do so, such as eating in a particular restaurant or visiting a particular tourist attraction.

This meant that I was in a kind of 'flow' state, a consciousness that allowed me to be open to all possibilities yet not fixed to any. My partner has taught me the value of no expectation - going into experiences without a particular attachment as to how they have to turn out, and to experience things in this way is not only beneficial for travelling, but for life in general.

One of my favourite memories was sitting on St Marks Square as sunset began to fall, and seeing the hoards of tourists taking photos of themselves just about everywhere I looked. It was so interesting to see how people of different cultures experienced such a historic place (most with selfie sticks!).

It's so easy to become ingrained into a particular culture when you live somewhere, and get used to certain ways of doing things. It doesn't necessarily mean that these things are particularly healthy for the mind, body or soul, and to reflect upon other cultures is to gaze upon humanity as a whole and decide who you are and how you would like to behave as a result.  It's certainly made me experience life in a new way, and realise that there is no need to follow what others do, just to live in your own way.

Travel also forces you to become totally attuned to the present moment, to the sights, sounds, smells, and atmosphere around you. I think its a fantastic opportunity to try bringing yourself into peace with the present moment, and to test out how your state of consciousness can have an impact on your travel experience, as well as the other way around.

Travel can certainly change you...if you let it.

Truth as a way of life

Dusky, one of my favourite artists, talks about 'Truth as a way of life' in their song Truth Capital T.

What does 'living our truth' mean?

I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think it means to live with integrity.

Being aligned with who you are, what you think, and how you feel.

Living in truth is living in alignment with your higher self - the greater part of you that we are all reaching towards, and in fact already are - we just need to realise it!

It's about when your thinking, feeling, doing and being are in alignment. What you say, and what you do, are in alignment with your values and the person you are.

It's about being who you really are, free of what other people think.

Living your truth is speaking in accordance with your highest values, acting in accordance with your highest values, and living a life that is truly aligned to what is in your heart.

The more you feel in alignment with who you are, and have the courage to express that fearlessly, the more people, situations and experiences you will attract towards you that will resonate with you.

I think that so many of us find it difficult to live our own individual truths or even know exactly what we want because we are bombarded with the way other people are living their lives or telling us how we should think and behave.

We are immersed in digital media bubbles, and the only way out of them into our own true existence is to turn our attention inwards and listen to our own inner voice.

You know what lights you up. You know what you love talking about. You know what gets you angry and pushes your buttons, what you believe in. You know what you hold dear to you, above all else. These are your truths. And no matter how different they seem to be from anyone else, these are yours.

We are Nature

I have been consciously trying for most of this year to reconnect with nature and the natural cycles of life.

From eating a more plant based diet to charting my monthly cycle with the moon, I have been reaching towards nature after a period of ill health. I believe nature has the power to heal us, if only we would listen to our natural rhythms more and learn to allow ourselves to be guided by nature, rather than us forcing ourselves down an artificial path.

In my university dissertation of 2005, I wrote about how many of us in the West are estranged from the natural world, each other, and ultimately ourselves. I used references from ancient wisdom and eastern traditions to show that many of these cultures view nature as part of their larger self. There is no distinction between self and other for them - other people, the trees, animals, and plants are all part of a greater whole, and by disconnecting from this we disconnect from the natural flow of life itself.

Natural life is interdependent, and organic. We can learn a huge amount from nature and its cycles by simply taking the time to pay our natural world the respect it deserves. We rely heavily on this beautiful planet for our resources, but in our desire for more and our impatience to rely on nature's slow, organic cycles, we genetically modify and artificially construct quick replicas of nature in order to feed our insatiable desires.

One thing I have learned about nature recently is that it is slow. It does not follow the fast pace of time like we do in today's modern society. It takes its time. A plant slowly grows, after gentle amounts of sun, air, and water. It needs the right conditions to thrive.

We live like we are apart from nature, separate in some way - but we ourselves are organic beings. I believe we will be a lot happier and healthier as a species if we focus on what can be cultivated organically in our own lives - whether that is our health, relationships, careers, or simply our life itself.

Don't rush. Take your time. Let things unfold naturally. Appreciate both the sun and the rain, the light and the shade. These are all things we learn from nature but because of the modern world with all its demands, we can too easily forget.

We are nature, let's enjoy living slowly.

Sensory deprivation: exploring the flotation tank

I’ve been interested in altered states of consciousness for most of my life. From studying Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, to running my own hypnotherapy practice, to setting up my own mind-body magazine on the mind’s potential, I’m passionate about learning more about tools for wellbeing.

So when I was offered the opportunity to have another float at Calm Water, I jumped at the chance. I’d only tried a flotation tank once before and I found it to be an incredibly relaxing and soothing experience.

For those of you who doesn’t know what a flotation tank is or how floating works, it’s a unique sensory experience. You float inside a large dome, filled half full with warm water and Epsom salts, and the air inside the tank is exactly the same temperature as the water.

Once you’re in the pod and comfortable (the salt water buoys you up and supports your whole body), the lights are turned off, the music fades and you experience full sensory deprivation. There’s no sound (except your own heartbeat), no sight (it’s pitch black), and no sense of space as the body can’t decipher where you end and the air meets (due to the temperature).

The float experience:

Shoes are left at the door as you put flip flops on, take a seat, and choose your introductory music. The float session lasts an hour, but you have gentle music filtered into your pod for the first and last five minutes of the session.

I chose some soft electronic music with Asian undertones, and made my way to the room. You have to shower before you enter the pod, and remove all clothing to ensure you get the full experience.

You’re supplied with some air tight ear plugs, and a towel. It’s best not to get any water near your face as it is filled with Epsom salts, which really sting!

I was incredibly tired after a long day so I was looking forward to floating.

There’s some really interesting studies on flotation and sensory deprivation, and the enormous healing benefits it may bring to both mind and body.

I read beforehand in the book of Floating that the float state is an incredibly good state to be in for healing, because of the lack of outside stimuli. There’s even an acronym coined for the experience, REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique). As I’d recently had Guillian Barre Syndrome, I thought having a float would be a great thing to try for my recovery.

As I was so tired, I seemed to drift away immediately. I felt as if I was sinking down, further and further through the pod and into the floor. Sometimes I felt as if I was drifting backwards, or forwards. I knew that the float state can be conducive to out of body experiences, and it certainly seemed that way in my heavily rested state. It’s as if it causes more of a perceptual disconnect between the mind and body, which is quite fun!

I decided to use the tank as a tool for healing and visualisation, and imagined a large glowing orb coming into the tank and infusing my body with light, and then imagined the entire tank being filled with sparkling light.

What was interesting is that I felt some psychological benefits, too. During my period of recent illness, I was alone in a foreign country, and experienced huge amounts of anxiety and panic, and felt totally out of control.

I knew this was an important lesson for me, and as I pondered it I thought I might have got salt in my eye. Sitting up for a moment to open the pod and wipe my face, the branding on the toiletries seemed to jump out at me ‘Faith In Nature’. I felt as if I needed to give my faith to nature more and trust that my mind and body can heal themselves if only I let go more and allowed that space for healing.

I remembered in my first float session I shut my eyes even though I was in darkness, afraid of what I might ‘see’ that would freak me out. This time, I opened my eyes and enjoyed the darkness. I also got a strong feeling that this was somehow symbolic to my psyche too, as the darkness was not something to be afraid of but something to be embraced.

Because the salt water in the tank supports your whole body, all the muscles and fibres throughout your body can really relax, even your head, neck and shoulders. There’s no words to describe that true sensation of being supported in every sense, not having to do anything at all, just relax. It is a really enjoyable feeling!

All in all, the float tank is a wonderful, calming and soothing experience, and can take you on a physical and mental journey into your own consciousness.

For more information or to try a float session, visit www.calm-water.co.uk

Discover More:

Float Hopes: How Floating aids mental health and anxiety, Time Magazine

Benefits of Floating, The Pacific Standard

Research on the effects of floating on wellbeing, Karlstad University