Yoga for Psychological Flexibility

It absolutely does not matter if you can touch your toes.

It matters if you can handle the challenges, the pain, that life throws at you.

How can you handle pain (without it turning into suffering)?

Well, through the cultivation of something called psychological flexibility.

Yoga, a practice we often think more of in terms of physical flexibility, is a brilliant tool to help you develop this mental skill.

The best person to learn this all from? Dr. Emily K. Sandoz. An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) expert, and regular yoga practice.

Emily started her practice with limited financial resources, 3 children, and 10 minutes a day that she found on a yoga mat at the foot of her bed.

Put your ear buds in, start doin’ the things (in my house this means dishes, tidying toes, and maybe… painting my nails). Perhaps by the end of this Wisdom for Wellbeing podcast episode you will find yourself rollin’ out your yoga mat. Or, simply doing a little mindful movement to check in with you.

Enjoy!

~Kaitlin Harkess

embodiedpsychology.com.au / wisdomforwellbeingpodcast.com

Creating a Space for Parents

Hi, Amelia here from My Soulful Space. Today I would love to show you how to create a little space for yourself. A space to sit and relax, to feel like you can take a breath, maybe even have 5 minutes to read an actual book or magazine (maybe :)

We all know that our environment can really affect our inner experience, which is then transferred to how we feel and act. Having a space to return to during the day that is calm and restful, even for 2 minutes a couple of times throughout the day, is vital to keep a positive frame of mind.

It doesn’t need to be a whole room, or be too fancy, but it is important to create a little retreat, especially if you are at home with your children for the majority of the day.

If you have a whole room that you can create as an adult space, great! But if your space is shared with your children, we can definitely work with that.

Creating your space:

• choose a room or area of the house that you feel relaxed in and enjoy spending time in. I personally find it more relaxing to be in an area that I can still watch whats happening rather than be seperate and have to pop out to check on everyone. If your children are older you may be able to be further away. Its whatever works for you and your family :)

• Tidy up all the toys in the space…either completely if it is an entire room dedicated to the adult space, or if it is a shared space, create a little toy nook so that your children’s toys/books are minimised. Grab a basket or nice box, a little rug and create your child a small area with toys that are relaxing and not noisy or annoying to have around, and that ideally do not require adult interaction (see my previous article on creating a beautiful play space for your children if you would like to know more) We only keep a basket of wooden blocks and some dolls and books near our parents nook, and keep the lego and other crafty/messy toys in another area.

• Make sure there is a nice comfy couch, cushions, cozy blanket, lamp and side table for your cup of tea and book.

Enjoy this space. Take some time out and recharge. Just sit and breathe if you need to.

By doing this, although we may face some resistance at times, we are teaching our children by example about self care and the importance of slowing down and resting. And who knows, you may even get 5 minutes of peace as they take the time to rest or play quietly nearby (here’s hoping!)

Whatever you have in store today I hope it is a lovely day …I think its time go and pop the kettle on :)

Amelia x

Creating a Beautiful Play Space for your Children

I’m Amelia from My Soulful Space and today I would love to help you create a beautiful play space. Especially at this time when we are at home with our children for much longer periods, creating a space that brings more serenity and calm into our home can make all the difference to our days.

There are many benefits to having a simple clutter-free play space which include:

• Your child feels more relaxed and at ease

• They are less distracted

• They are able to focus on one activity for longer periods of time

• They play independently for longer

• They can be more creative and imaginative

• It takes less time to keep the play space clean and tidy.

And for the parents, the benefits are that you have more time for yourself to do what you need to do during the day!

Step 1: Declutter your child’s toys

Decide if you would like to do this with your child or on your own….it can be fun to do together if your child is at the right age (very young or a bit older!) but I find that with my children who are 2 and 4 it is a bit tricky, so I try to do it when I have time by myself.

If I am feeling inspired and have the time, I will gather ALL of the toys from every area of the house and put them in a big pile in one room. If you are limited with time or that feels a little overwhelming for you, simply declutter one small area at a time eg the toy box or the art and craft box.

What toys to remove from the play space:

• broken toys

• ugly toys that you just don’t like looking at

• Noisy and flashy toys

• Toys that you have multiples of-just keep out 1 or 2 favorites

• Toys that are not age-appropriate

• Toys that are character related or that only have one specific use

• Toys that your child simply doesn’t play with anymore (or at the moment

Toys to keep:

• Beautiful toys that your child uses frequently

• Toys that have multiple uses (eg blocks, dress-ups)

• Toys that you love looking at

• Toys that you enjoy playing with together with your child

What to do with the toys you aren’t keeping out:

• Donate to charity or gift to a friend

• recycle or bin if they are broken and unfixable

• Gift special toys with meaning or that you are reluctant to part with to a friend’s child for a special occasion such as a birthday. Preloved gifts are great for the environment, more cost-effective and have meaning. We now tell friends that we love preloved gifts for our children’s birthdays, and the children love it too!

• Store them in cupboards in your home to swap out so that the children have a chance to miss them and then enjoy them more!

Step 2: Create the space

• Place like toys together and create little nooks. I like to put my daughter’s dolls and imaginary house play in one area. Arts and crafts in another area and my son’s blocks and little cars in a little spot of their own. They will both end up sharing the toys or playing separately but it’s nice to have some cohesion of where toys are placed.

• Create a little reading nook and a special chair or cushion.

• Tidy like toys into boxes and baskets that are easy for your child to get to and easy to clean away.

Create a mini space if you are in a small home:

• If your child’s play space is shared with your lounge room space, create a little corner with a lovely rug and a couple of baskets of toys. Try to keep your child’s toys together in one area so that they can feel like they have a little special space.

Enjoy creating your child’s beautiful play space!