compassion

Silence: does it help calm our brains and give well-being?

Many people do not value silence. I have found it to be comforting, nourishing and cosy.

The noisy world is drowning out our creativity and our inner connection. Noise effects our brains causing elevated levels of stress hormones even when we are sleeping. When I was a busy, working Mum most of my day was with other people and their noise. Being on my own in silence was refreshing.

In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded that the 340 million residents of Western Europe (about the population of the United States), were losing a million years of healthy life every year, due to noise. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Send love to someone you cannot meet

I am learning from giving virtual reiki sessions over WhatsApp in lockdown London, that distance is absolutely no problem for energy. My friends and customers are amazed that it feels the same as when I am in the same room as them.

Love is intelligent energy and has no bounds.

So with this post of the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, London I am sending my love to my friend Hitomi in Tokyo. Normally she visits us every other year but she has not been able to come due to the virus. Hitomi, we are missing you and hope we can meet again sometime soon. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

How are we coping with so many people dying of Covid-19?

Grieving for a loss or trying to support someone who has lost a loved one?

All of us experience grief at some point in our lives.  When we experience it for the first time it can come as quite a shock.  It is often not talked about so it is hard to know how to deal with it.

In the UK over 100,000 people have passed as a direct result of catching Covid-19. On average for each person who passes, 8 – 10 people feel the loss of them in their lives.

The population of the UK is approximately 68m people and up to 1m of them are currently grieving. Many of them are young adults who did not expect to loose a parent so soon. 1m people is nearly 1.5% of the population, so probably all of us know someone who has lost a loved one and is grieving. The UK is not the only country in this situation. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Feel good: find ways of putting things into perspective

Finding January a challenging month? Or perhaps there is something else in your life which is spoiling your calmness and well-being, giving you worry and anxiety.

Each of us runs our own lives and we can seek out ways of improving our well-being. This is not about expensive classes or time consuming activities. Music and singing can be listened to, or joined in with, as we travel to work or do domestic tasks.

Deva Premal and Miten give us an overview of what is possible and how it helped them. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Relaxation: learn to breath deeply and consciously

Mindfulness is a commonly used term these days. However it is true that breathing consciously or just being still brings calmness which enhances your concentration, lowers blood pressure and aids sleep quality. All are good for enhancing your performance at work and improves your well-being.

The simplest way to induce stillness is to take deep breaths.

I work at home on my own. It can be hard to keep my boundaries between home and work life. Each day I go for a walk, preferably in the park. Today I tried conscious breathing to see if it improved me living in the moment and finding happiness in that moment. It is a simple exercise; read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Lives remembered: Crystal Pyramid in Ancient Egypt

As a young girl of about 6-7 years, I climbed with a man to an aperture high on a pyramid where we looked out across the land. It was warm and pleasant, early in the evening when the work of the day is done and everyone is looking forward to the meal of the evening. Family groups were gathering outside their homes.

With great love this man explained to me the important of knowledge and how it might help to keep the people and land we love well and healthy. He placed a small, crystal pyramid in my left hand and my hand became warm. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Life is such a challenge: need some help?

Life and living standards have increased. You would think that this would make life easier, but I do not believe this is the case.

Life is very different from when I was young. With five adult children and many nieces and nephews, I see how the young run their lives.

Life is faster, more complicated plus there are greater physical distances between people as they travel or move for work.

I believe history will write up the 21st century as a revolution. The 19th and 20th centuries were an industrial revolution. The 21st century will be a technology and environmental revolution. Cleaner energy will become available, more effective health care and healthier life styles. read more

By Alison Wem, ago