15 Gratitude courses

🌿 Guided Minds: A 12-Month Meditation Journey Create calm, clarity & connection—one month at a time. Guided Minds is a year-long meditation programme designed to help you build a sustainable, enriching practice through monthly themes, supportive sessions, and practical tools for real life. Whether you're new to meditation or looking to deepen your experience, this programme will guide you with compassion and clarity. 🔁 Programme Format Weekly Live Sessions (Online & In-Person) Monthly Themes & Challenges Guided Meditations & Practices Supportive Community Access to Session Recordings Join monthly or commit to the full journey—the choice is yours. 🌟 Monthly Themes Overview July: Making Meditation a Healthy Habit Learn how to create a sustainable daily practice using breath, posture and science-backed techniques. ✔️ Relaxation response ✔️ Meditation for clarity & calm ✔️ Core practices: breath, posture, stillness ✔️ In-person Session 5: “Pulling It All Together” August: Meditation & Mindfulness Focus on the profound benefits of meditation: ✔️ Stress relief, heart health, immunity ✔️ Slowing ageing, boosting self-compassion ✔️ 3 Principles: Habituation, Wisdom, Openheartedness ✔️ Diamond Dedication Meditation September: Calming a Wandering Mind Tame your busy mind through simple, powerful practices. ✔️ Focused attention vs. mind-wandering ✔️ Thought loops & rumination ✔️ Colour, mantra & visualisation meditations ✔️ Mindfulness of thought October: Creating a Mindful Life Bring mindfulness into everyday moments. ✔️ Living in the now ✔️ Radical acceptance & surrender ✔️ Senses as anchors: sound, touch, breath ✔️ Showing up fully for life November: Meditation for Stress Relief Practical methods to manage stress & emotional overload. ✔️ Good vs. bad stress ✔️ The ego, fight/flight, and impermanence ✔️ Gratitude & visualisation ✔️ Overcoming obstacles to meditation December: Rest & Reflection Warm the heart and calm the mind before the holidays. ✔️ Body-based awareness ✔️ Reviewing your progress ✔️ Meditations for resilience ✔️ Peaceful practices for winter January: Meditation for Positive Emotions Start the year with joy, love, and purpose. ✔️ Heart-opening meditations ✔️ Gratitude & happiness ✔️ Intention-setting with optional cacao ceremony ✔️ Emotional healing & connection February: Meditation for Well-Being A holistic approach to health from the inside out. ✔️ Four foundations of mindfulness ✔️ Forgiveness (including Huna meditations) ✔️ Body-mind connection ✔️ Compassion and curiosity March: Deeper into Meditation Explore advanced techniques with renewed clarity. ✔️ Insight, wisdom, open-heartedness ✔️ Posture & Nine-Cycle Breathing ✔️ Concentration & mental clarity ✔️ Appreciation for life April: Meditation for Relaxation Recharge your nervous system with rest-focused meditations. ✔️ Body scan & breath awareness ✔️ Guided deep relaxation ✔️ Calming anxiety & overactivity ✔️ Rest as a radical act May: The Art of Living Live with intention and reverence. ✔️ Meditation on impermanence & emptiness ✔️ Self-love & emotional nourishment ✔️ Present moment awareness ✔️ Breath as a life companion June: Meditation on Inner Peace End the year rooted, spacious, and unshakable. ✔️ Letting go of resistance ✔️ Unflappability & mental resilience ✔️ Responsibility & self-awareness ✔️ Lasting inner calm and clarity 💷 Pricing Options Online sessions: £10 each In-person sessions: £15 each Join the Guided Minds Meditation Community for £28/month ✓ Includes all sessions (online & in-person) ✓ Unlimited access to recordings ✓ Bonus practices & group support 🌱 Ready to begin? Each month offers a new opportunity to reset, reflect and grow. Join any time, or commit to the full year and transform your relationship with your mind, body and life.

Welcome home to the sweet meeting of body and earth. A day of Qigong and Breathwork celebrating the autumn equinox and the abundance of life. Join me for a day retreat in the calm oasis of the Sunhouse to embrace the season of late summer and the Earth Element. A wonderful opportunity to take time out and align yourself with the natural flow of energy around us and within us, allowing each of us to access greater vitality and health. September is a time of transition the moment of fullness before the letting go of autumn. A time of giving and receiving and of recognising our own gifts. For me the one word that sums up the earth element is Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude. In the morning we will practice some simple qigong exercises, movements and meditations to access the deeper energies within us. We will be leaning into the earth nourishment of the equinox. Learning how to find our own grounded, stable centre, to connect to the earth of our body and to our own innate beauty and natural wisdom.  In the afternoon we will lie down and relax into the support of the earth to receive a deep healing Breathwork Session. We will use conscious connected breathing to encourage detoxification of your body, releasing stuck energy and beliefs and resetting your whole nervous system. Giving you the tools to transform and to let go of whatever may be holding you back from living the life you truly want to live. Come and join me and nourish yourself in the sweetness of life. Price includes herbal teas and delicious treats If you are interested but have more questions please contact me. I would love to hear from you.  Contact me for more details  Tel: 07779151916 emma@bringingbalance.co.uk 

Stress can affect your ability to think clearly and rationally and to perform well. This session aims to help you better deal with stress by sharing key insights and strategies to reduce stress and optimize your work-life balance, particularly as we face uncertainties in the economy, the workplace and the environment.

Part 1, October 27th -29th, 2023 @ Clophill The Spiral continues – Four modules going around the cardinal directions West Direction – October 27th – 29th, 2023 With Leo Rutherford & Ruth Humming Ford Mother Earth – Life, Death and the Dance!  This module is focussed on the Earth and our connection to everything physical – in other words, every-THING! This includes our own body which is our spirit's 'Vehicle of-Experience' for this life on earth. The shamanic path is about developing our personal sovereignty, our right to Real-ise our True Self.   Our movement West is towards our fitness to navigate our way through this life and into the beyond. The shamans say that all sickness starts in the spiritand only later becomes physical. Using tools including shamanic journeying and dancing we will seek access to the beyond and to whatever healing is needed to bring us health and fitness both individually and collectively. Overcoming fear of death is a key to daring to live fully with heart. It is by committing to ourself that we will live fully, live to our best, put our whole self into whatever we have chosen to pursue…. that the most stunning results come to be achieved. And it is from that experience of daring to to go full-on that the greatest insight and development happens. Through Shamanic Journeying, ceremony, dance, we disappear into spirit, detaching from life’s ordinary challenges, able to let go and see through and past everyday issues to deeper patterns. We enter parallel realities where hidden patterns can be experienced and solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems can be accessed. 'Thank you very much for these past months & the journey round the wheel. I gained much from this and the group and it has been lovely to reconnect with you.... In deep appreciation of what you bring & gratitude for what these months have brought me. I do hope you will keep in touch.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 27th -29th 10am – 6pm Saturday, 10am – 5pm Sunday At Clophill Centre, Shefford Road, Clophill, Beds MK45 4BT.  Residence (not included, book separately) available at Clophill or local B&B/ AirB&B etc.  Bring small share for light lunches. Booking:ruth@talkingtree.co.uk orleorutherford@eagleswing.co.uk £215 standard, £180 supported, £235 gifting. Bkg Dep £50BACS Ruth Ford 59568986 / 60-83-71 or https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/hummingruth/50

A special gong bath where we will tune into the energy of the equinox

Feather Stone is a beautiful practice rooted in the shamanic energy healing tradition. It combines the power of unconditional love with the healing energies of nature. The power of unconditional love is the force of the creator, the purest energy of all. When love and compassion flow through our hearts, we become a channel for healing. Within a space of love, we can transform, release and restore energy.

Breathe A day retreat at The Sunhouse: Relax, Let Go & Be at Peace this Autumn Sunday 24th November 10.30am-5pm Price £70 for the whole day A day of Qigong, Forest Bathing, Breathwork & Meditation (includes delicious vegetarian organic soup, seasonal snacks and herbal drinks) Join me for a day retreat in the beauty of the Sunhouse to embrace the season of Autumn and the METAL Element. A wonderful opportunity to take time out and align yourself with the natural flow of energy of the season. At this time of year we focus on our lungs, our breath and our strong and healthy immune system. Just as the leaves are falling from the trees, nature supports us to let go of that which we no longer need and to appreciate that which is of value in our lives. Breath is life, it is the energy or “Qi” that sustains life within every cell. When we breathe well our entire body receives the energy it needs. When we reconnect with our breath we become calm, aware and in control and we can begin to bring balance to our lives and access places of deep peace within. WHATS INCLUDED: – Qigong exercises to support our lungs and strengthen our Qi. Increasing our flow of energy & improving our immunity – Learn The Bird Form a beautiful Qigong form designed to help “transform grief into love” This form has a light, uplifting, energising quality leaving us bright eyed and full of joy. – Forest Bathing in the beautiful woodland taking time to pause and listen to the forest around us, absorbing the healing energy of the trees. – Guided Conscious Connected Breathwork Journey to open our lungs and increase awareness of our breath. Encouraging detoxification of your body, releasing stuck energy and beliefs and resetting your whole nervous system. Giving you the tools to transform and to let go of whatever may be holding you back from living the life you truly want to live. In the morning we will practice some simple qigong exercises, movements and meditations to access the deeper energies within us. Then its time to enter the woods together to connect with the living Earth. As we walk through the woods, we will take time to pause and play with our Qigong moving meditations, listening to the forest around us, waking up our the wild within us. After a delicious lunch, we will lie down and relax into the support of the ground to receive a deep healing Breathwork Session. We will use conscious connected breathing to encourage detoxification of your body, releasing stuck energy and beliefs and resetting your whole nervous system. Giving you the tools to transform and to let go of whatever may be holding you back from living the life you truly want to live. Come and join me and nourish yourself in the beauty of life. Relax, Let Go & Be at Peace this Autumn Price includes a delicious vegetarian soup, herbal teas and delicious seasonal treats If you are interested but have more questions please contact me. I would love to hear from you.  Contact me for more details  Tel: 07779151916 emma@bringingbalance.co.uk 

Wouldn't sales be a 'walk in the park' without challenging customers? Why is it that some customers are so difficult to please, so quick to call 'foul' at the slightest blip and so mean with their gratitude after we've bent over backwards to accommodate them? Whether we are looking at prospective or existing customers, there is a toolkit for dealing with the most challenging of them. This course will help participants: Use broad open questions to give the customer a platform for their opinions or issues Improve listening skills to really understand what's behind the customer's challenging style Probe specific phrases to show listening and earn deeper disclosure Use silence to let challenging customers 'blow off steam' Understand the negative impact of certain phrases on a challenging customer Summarise effectively and reassure the customer of our understanding of their needs Recognise the 'behaviour cycle' and avoid emotional escalation Understand 'transactional analysis' and how to bring people from 'child' to 'adult' state Create loyalty in customers who are slow to give trust 1 What makes a customer 'challenging'? Why customers challenge us - understanding their drivers 'Wearing their shoes' - seeing things from their perspective Understanding our own personality style How to flex with a style that is different from our own Ways to quickly recognise a customer's style The benefits of flexing with a challenging customer's style 2 Practical exercise - forum theatre Participants take it in turns to deal with the trainer (who plays the role of the challenging customer) Observers stop the action when they hear or see something they deem wrong The participant in the seat gets a chance to use a suggested alternative line The participant who makes the suggestion has the chance to occupy the seat and deliver it themselves Frequent feedback from the trainer as to how the participant's words are making him feel Opportunities to rewind the action if an ill-advised line is suggested and delivered Flipchart for capturing what worked, what didn't work and why Mehrabian principle - the importance of body language and tone over words used 3 Questioning and listening skills How to use open questions to get the customer talking What questions to avoid and why The use of pauses and silence to reduce tension and build trust What listening is and what it isn't Question funnelling - how to earn deeper disclosure through probing The power of summary 4 Transactional analysis explained What is transactional analysis (TA)? Exploring the TA states and why people behave in that way under pressure How to bring challenging customers to 'adult' state to reduce tension How 'parent' or 'child' behaviours can be inadvertently triggered Understanding the 'behavioural cycle' and how to break it Mini-role play 'vignettes' to demonstrate real time impact of ill-chosen words 5 How to build trust with challenging customers Techniques for placating current challenging customers Methods that the participants have already used effectively - understanding why those methods worked and how other participants can model them Participants' experiences of trust having been lost - understanding why those experiences had that negative outcome How to 'go the extra mile' with challenging customers 6 Bringing a 'real' challenging customer to life Participants give the trainer a brief profile of a specific challenging customer of theirs 5-10 minute roleplay in which the trainer brings that individual to life Observing participants - without interrupting - make notes on what is and isn't working Trainer stops the action half-way through to give feedback on how he is feeling Participant goes back into the roleplay having recalibrated their approach based on feedback Observers give feedback on what did and didn't work Trainer comes out of character to explain the impact of the participant's words and behaviours 7 Wrap-up Key learnings from each participant Individual action planning - steps that can and will be implemented in the workplace

✨ Nurturing Self-Love and Divine Feminine Energy ✨ Join Lizzie Williams from The Soul Studio on February 16th for a magical Soul Circle where we’ll honor the beautiful themes of self-love and the divine feminine. Together, we’ll create a sacred space to release what no longer serves us through a transformative Cord-Cutting Ceremony, reconnect with our inner light during a guided Self-Love Visualization, and celebrate the powerful energy of community. Through journaling, oracle cards, meditation, and ritual, you’ll leave feeling lighter, empowered, and deeply connected to your sacred essence. 🌕 🌿 This is your time to rest, release, and realign with the divine energy that resides within you. Let’s honor ourselves, embrace our intuition, and nurture the goddess within. #SoulCircle #DivineFeminine #SelfLoveJourney #CordCuttingCeremony #MeditationPractice #FullMoonMagic #SacredFeminine #InnerHealing #WomensCircle #WellnessRetreat #SpiritualJourney #MoonRituals #JournalingPractice #MindfulLiving #IntuitionAwakening #SelfCareFirst #HealingCommunity #Hersham #ThamesDitton #Cobham #Weybridge #Claygate

Sacred Kakaw Ceremony and Sound Journey You are warmly invited to join us for this autumnal gathering in the Sunhouse, guided by Annabelle and Arjuna. We will begin by sharing a kakaw ritual together before flowing into a long sound medicine journey to deeply relax, release, rejuvenate on a cellular level and experience a vaster state of awareness. Instruments include a Chiron gong, crystal singing bowls, drums, flutes, voice, kora, handpan, chimes, rattles and more. KAKAW RITUAL We will share a ceremonial brew of the plant Kakaw (a Mayan spelling of Cacao), with honour to traditions Toltec and Mayan. Kakaw opens the heart, connecting us to the ancestral wisdom in our blood, to our sensuous creativity and inspiration, and to the unseen realms. She is a grandmother plant for bringing about equilibrium and elemental connection, for supporting emotional expression, illuminating the shadows, and celebrating the bliss of existence. The Kakaw we will be communing with comes from an ecological plantation in the ancient Lacandona jungle of Chiapas, Mexico, where it is lovingly tended by a Mayan family and prepared with the intention for it to be shared ceremonially. SOUND MEDICINE A deep meditative journey, vibrating the material of our being to bring us into a more harmonious flow. Amongst other things, it supports our bodies in relaxation and stress release, circulation, detoxification, and cellular rejuvention. Meditatively, it can guide us into waking dream states whereby we can reconcile subconscious memories, receive clarity and guidance, and journey into the unseen. YOUR HOSTS ANNABELLE CHARANBANI My path is devoted to the healing and creative arts, supporting people to come into greater presence and to engage with life with more passion, ease, curiosity and confidence. For this, we work towards optimising physical health, creative flow, connecting with spirit, and allowing the heart and soul to lead with greater clarity. I primarily serve with kundalini yoga and meditation, sound medicine, intuitive storytelling, ritual and holistic massage, accompanied by various plants. This line of work is ultimately about finding balance. Of solar and lunar, personal and impersonal, infinity and finity consciousness, earth-water-wind-fire-ether. It includes detoxing physically and emotionally, reconciling and releasing tired memories, finding greater flow with creative energy and joy, and stimulating sensuality. We develop our relationship with the soul, and we become more awake to the ways in which wisdom and guidance is being transmitted in each moment. I’m in deep gratitude to my many teachers and guides – human, plant, animal, mineral, angel and other – with whose perspective and company I’ve had the fortune to be gifted. ARJUNA MAGEE I am a multi-instrumentalist with over 20 years of experience in music performance, recording, and teaching drums across the UK and abroad, and was raised in Glastonbury. From an early age I developed a passion for music and rhythm. I was born into a bhakti tradition, and whilst on a family holiday to India at the age of 10 I fell in love with the ecstatic heartfelt folk music, kirtan. This began my journey of music education, receiving lessons on the Mridanga, the Harmonium, the drum kit, the African djembe, Indian, Irish and Japanese flutes, guitar, hand pan, kora and singing. Since the age of 14 I’ve been performing with bands around Europe, playing and exploring many styles including Funk, Jazz, Reggae, Rock, Soul, Folk and World music. As well as making music, a lot of my focus is now directed toward studying music and rhythm therapy and offering this in care homes, hospitals and hospices.