Well, my floral summer dresses have come out of hiding and I’m in flip flops most of the
time! I hope you have been enjoying these hot summer days. Who needs to go abroad! I have
been making the most of it with early morning outdoor yoga and meditation sessions on our roof terrace – my favourite place to practise
WIN! 30 Chakra Incense Sticks...
All you need to do is invite 3 friends to sign up to the Katiemo Wellness mailing list. With their permission, reply to this email with their email addresses and I’ll add them to the list for an exclusive 15% OFF everything in my shop!
I have a brand new range of positive affirmation cards available! The ‘7 Days of Wisdom’ cards come with a wooden stand to pop on your desk for a happy week ahead!
Practicing positive affirmations can be extremely simple, and all you need to do is pick a phrase and repeat it to yourself. You may choose to use positive affirmations to motivate yourself, encourage positive changes in your life, or boost your self-esteem. If you frequently find yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk, positive affirmations can be used to combat these often subconscious patterns and replace them with more adaptive narratives.
There are numerous sounds around you at each moment of the day. From the natural sounds outside to the news on the radio, the songs on your music player, or the voices you spend your time around. These have a profound effect on your subconscious, altering your emotional state and influencing your wellbeing. Being conscious and selective of the sounds we let into our minds and bodies is the first step to a healthy sonic diet.
How Music Can Improve Our Wellbeing
In Robert Gupta’s TED Talk, Between Music and Medicine, he shares how music has the
power to heal. Stuck between a career as a violinist and a doctor, he discovered that music was the path to curing people when traditional medicine doesn’t work. Neuroscientists are now discovering the incredible remedial influence of music on the brain. When given seventy hours of music therapy, stroke victims who struggled to form four-word sentences could now sing lyrics to a song.
Music can rewire the brain. Through observing brain scans, scientists are seeing a different structure in the brains of musicians. The effects of both listening to music and learning an instrument can help children with autism, people suffering from anxiety and depression, and people with Alzheimer’s.
Music changes the frequency in our bodies, therefore influencing our physical and emotional state. So, how can we introduce a wholesome relationship with music into our lives? Firstly, we can create positive music rituals, by choosing a playlist of songs which lift us and play them each day whilst dancing at home, or with friends. We can sing daily, by letting go of judgements about our voice and inviting the pleasure of song into our space. If possible, we can have background music playing at work to help ease our stresses from the working day. And what about silence?
By switching off all devices, TV, and radio, we can hear the natural sounds around us. When we actively listen and tune in to music that surrounds us, the human brain lights up and becomes fully engaged, which vibrates deep in the body and transforms our emotions
and thoughts.
Various frequencies resonate with the human body. Mother Earth resonance is set at 7.83 Hz, known as ‘The Schumann Resonance.’ The idea is that all matter in the world, in motion, has a sound, a frequency - the number of pulses in a specific sonic wave-form. The frequency of a human being fluctuates, influenced by sound, environment, and people.
According to David George Haskell, even trees emit a vibration, which he calls their song,
that influences the physical, emotional and mental state of human beings. And what
frequency we vibrate at influences those who come into contact with us. We all influence one another. By being selective about the music we listen to, inviting this music into our daily lives, and
actively listening, we can alter our emotional state and feel better. Whether that’s seeking a
calmer state of being, or feeling more energised and uplifted, music has the power to transform and heal us in unbelievable and magical ways. What songs are you going to sing today?
Welcome to the June edition of the Katiemo newsletter! I spent most of May in Devon and Cornwall,
hiking, practising yoga, swimming in the sea, journaling and I had some art sessions with my mum (who has been a huge influence for my art and creativity over the years)
I have scaled down my intricate and colourful paintings into A6 postcards! These pieces will also make up a new year’s calendar towards the end of the year.
I thoroughly enjoy the process of painting and I create art as a way to reignite my imagination, stimulate my mind and improve my overall well-being.
Art opens the heart and mind to possibilities and fuels the imagination. It is a process of learning to create and experience the world in new ways. Art supports the bigger view of life: beauty, symbols, spirituality, storytelling, and allows us to be present in the moment. Art keeps the magic alive!
I have a brand new range of essential oils as part of an oil recipe gift set (pictured left). The gift set includes 6x 100% natural essential oils, a beeswax candle, a ceramic Buddha head oil burner and a series of essential oil recipe cards.
According to many experts in aromatherapy, the best scents for relaxation are lavender (for calming properties), lemon (for cleansing abilities), and peppermint (for mental focus), but you can use any scent that resonates with you.
Which colour would
you wear?
I need your help for some market research!
Which of my ‘Inner Strength’ Elephant T-shirts do
you prefer? What other colours would you wear,
would you wear bright colours? Reply to this
email with your thoughts!
How Creative Hobbies Can Help Our Brain
In a world where productivity and achievement are rewarded, we have begun to spend less
and less time on hobbies. By a hobby, I mean doing an activity purely for the joy it brings.
It’s easy to think that spending time drawing or writing stories is wasteful, when we could
be working or pushing on with our next business idea. But there are benefits to taking up
hobbies such as painting, writing, learning an instrument and cooking.
In Anita Collin’s TED Talk, How Playing an Instrument Benefits Your Brain, she shares
research about how listening to music activates multiple areas of the brain. And when you
play an instrument, it’s the brain’s version of a full-body workout. Neuroscientists have
discovered that playing music activates multiple areas of the brain all at once, including the
visual, auditory and motor cortices. Regular practice strengthens those brain functions,
helping us apply that strength to other activities. Playing music has been found to increase
the volume and activity in the part of the brain that connects the right and left hemisphere.
This also helps with memory function, therefore protecting our brains from degenerative
diseases such as dementia.
In Colette Brown’s TED Talk, How Art May Alter the Face of Dementia, she shares how
practicing art may help prevent cognitive decline. So, by taking up an artistic hobby, there
are benefits for both our wellbeing and the health of our brains. Our brain can expand,
depending on our capability of neuroplasticity. By learning something new, neurones
change in the brain, and the more adaptable our brains, the better protected they are
against neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. We can help our brains at any age, by
increasing their plasticity potential and learning something new.
Too often, people don’t take up hobbies because there is pressure to perform and do things
with skill. Especially now, as social media feeds flood our phones, and we are exposed to
beautiful, curated images every day. But what if we let go of the burden to be perfect?
What if we listened to our curiosity and tried something because it filled us with joy? By
cultivating curiosity, we can embrace more joy in our lives and help look after our amazing
brains. Taking up hobbies helps us process our emotions, and assists our wellbeing.
Continual learning sustains our ability for neuroplasticity, therefore protecting our brains
from cognitive decline, whilst making life more joyful. It’s never too late or too early to start
a new hobby.
Hello Katiemo followers! I hope you’re all well and enjoying this slightly sunnier weather
Well I have been super busy painting brand new designs for fitness hoodies and yoga tops – all will be revealed soon!
I have been busy enjoying painting a brand new piece;
a peacock! Originally acrylic on canvas, the painting has
been turned into a repeat pattern for notebooks, backpacks and cushions.
Did you know that the word “peacock” does not actually apply to both the male and female birds. It’s only the males that are called peacocks, while the females are called peahens. Together, the collective name for them
is “peafowl”
These cards are hand illustrated
with pencil and ink
I have been designing a range of Faux Suede cushions featuring positive affirmations
Here is my latest design featuring my tree painting.
Check out the Homeware section of my shop to see more!
My favourite positive affirmation is ‘Today is the first day of the rest of your life’
What could be worth more than that?
Do you have a positive affirmation which helps you when you are struggling?
Katiemo Giveaway!
I have 5 Swans greetings cards up
for grabs! All you have to do is follow me on
Instagram @katiemo.wellness
The first person to reply to this email with ‘Swans’ as the subject will win 5 of these these pretty
cards
How to Find Meaning in Our Everyday Lives
Our modern-day culture breeds hectic and busy lives. If we haven’t got a list of things to do,
it can feel as though something is wrong. Yet, amongst the busyness, we are all stressed and
burnt out. There needs to be a balance between doing and being. The pandemic has slowed
everything down but mixed with the anxiety surrounding lockdown, many of us haven’t
been able to relax.
Megan Dalla-Camina is a best-selling author and women’s mentor. She teaches women all
over the world how to step into more fulfilling and empowering lives. In her book, Simple
Soulful Sacred, Dalla-Camina highlights the core areas in our lives that are essential for
meaning and purpose. These areas are simplicity, livelihood, wellbeing, comfort,
soulfulness, consciousness, sacredness, courage, womanhood and sovereignty.
What do we want to create in our lives for more purpose, abundance and passion? Making
space for what’s important is the first step. We are stretched in so many directions. In
today’s world, women often try to do and be everything - have a good career, be a wife, a
mother, a daughter, a friend. We often end up with so little time for ourselves, for our true,
authentic selves. So, what can we do to tap into our inner wisdom?
We can simplify our routine, clear clutter and create daily rituals. Clearing out what no
longer serves us has a ripple effect on the rest of our lives. Clearing out items we don’t
need, emotions that hold us back, and situations that drain our energy can be liberating.
Marie Kondo is a Japanese organisation consultant. She helps people to clear out and tidy
their homes, creating more time and space in their lives for their loved ones. What can you
let go of today?
What about work? Do you feel a sense of meaning and purpose in the work you do? If we
follow our curiosity instead of the voices of society and people around us, we are more
likely to find meaning in our work. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi believes that it isn’t money that
makes us happy, but doing activities that bring about a state of ‘flow’. In his TED talk, Flow,
The Secret to Happiness, he explains that this ‘flow state’ is when we are in the present
moment, completely absorbed in the task or activity, almost losing our sense of time. And
isn’t that what we want in our work? Make a list of five things you’re curious about. Try one
of those activities this week. Who knows where it could lead you.
We can choose a daily wellbeing practice, such as a morning meditation, a daily run, or a
healthy breakfast. The act of choosing what really matters to us is the first step to a more
authentic life. To go inwards, we must listen to our inner voice. Keeping a daily journal and
writing what arises after a morning meditation can be an excellent way to start living a more
soul-aligned life. Being connected to our inner guide allows us to live from the heart, and
not the ego. Practising present moment awareness, gratitude meditation, rituals, and
simplifying are all steps to find meaning in our everyday lives. These ceremonies also help us
to stand in our feminine power, choosing the life we want, instead of what others want of
us. And the world needs more authentic women living their most abundant, truest lives.
Well spring has finally sprung! What an inspiring time to get creative. I have been painting more soap dishes and tealight holders with spring and summer influenced flora and fauna. BBelow are some photos of the painting process...Painting in some of my favourite colours, influenced by Mexican Folk Art...
Pictured left is my latest tote bag design. ‘Be the peace you seek’ Buddha yoga bag comes in Cornflower Blue and Coral.
Buddhism as well as yoga recognises that there is suffering,
and that freedom from suffering is possible.
With techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things, there is no searching - we are, and can be,
the peace we seek.
I have re-stocked a few of my most popular wellness products including Jamaican Pineapple Eco Soy Wax Melts and mixed fragrance Chakra incense sticks which come in seven variations. Each variation represents one of the seven chakras; Strawberry for Root, Orange for Sacral, Lemon for Solar Plexus, Mint for Heart, Lavender for Throat, Blueberry for Third Eye and Blackberry for Crown. Each pack also includes a wooden ash catcher. Head over to the Wellness section at katiemowellness.com
to find out more.
The Benefits of Gratitude Meditation
During this global pandemic, levels of anxiety and stress have increased considerably. We are
living in a state of fear about the future, the economy and our health. Being in a constant state
of fear increases cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in the body, therefore impairing our
physical and mental health. With the current situation of the world and the constant torrent of
negative news stories, it’s no wonder we are struggling. According to the charity Mind, a
mental health crisis is predicted as a result of the pandemic. More people have struggled with
mental health during the pandemic, than previously ever recorded.
So, what can we do to alleviate our stress levels? Gratitude meditation can transform our
bodies and minds. By practising a daily meditation of gratitude, we can improve our mental
and physical health. By shifting our mindset from a victim mentality, we empower ourselves
to make decisions from a more grounded place. If we always focus on worries about the
future, we are living in our minds and not in the present moment. A regular meditation
practice can help us come back into our present lives and alleviate anxiety.
Gratitude meditation is a simple and beneficial exercise for ourselves, our family and friends.
Simply, turn off the television and radio, gather your loved ones together in a room and sit
down. Each take it in turn to say three things you are grateful for, including why you are
grateful for them. It is important to be aware of why you are grateful. Focusing our minds on
what we are grateful for gives us a sense of freedom and abundance. And once everyone has
had a turn, you have transformed the room into a space of gratitude and calm, reducing stress
levels. According to the author and meditation teacher Jack Kornfield, Buddhist monks start
each day with a practice of gratitude meditation, Native American elders begin each
ceremony with prayers thanking nature, and Tibetan monks offer prayers of gratitude for
their suffering.
Practising gratitude isn’t just positive thinking. It is shining a light on the parts of your life
that are beautiful and wonderful; on the people who you love and cherish; on the things that
bring you joy; and on the blessings you experience each day. Sometimes it can be extremely
difficult to look beyond life’s challenges and see what is good in our lives. We so often miss
it, taking those we love for granted and the beauty is lost. By slowing down, being aware of
the good things, appreciating our loved ones, and reminding ourselves of what is going well,
we are able to shift our whole perspective on this life we are given. We can start today. What
three things are you grateful for, and why?
Hello Katiemo followers! I hope you’re well, even in these trying times. Well February is finally here – what a long month January was! I have been very busy this last month as I am in the process of launching my rebrand – Katiemo is changing Katiemo Wellness! Check out my new logo...
The Importance of Downtime
There are places around the world, where people are living well into their hundreds and claiming to be some of the happiest. These places are called Blue Zones: Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia, Loma Linda in California, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. The lifestyle of the people living in these locations has a few things in common. They have an abundance of sunshine, eat locally grown organic food, are close to the sea, and experience a very strong sense of community. They take time out to be calm and enjoy life. It sounds so simple.
Yet, in many parts of Europe and America, so many of us are experiencing chronic stress, which causes mental and physical health problems. It is estimated that in Britain, 79% of adults experience some work-related stress. Anxiety and depression are rampant. Now, more than ever, it is essential to introduce wellbeing practices into our daily lives and prioritize downtime. Rituals and habits that bring us back into the present moment, and our bodies into a state of calm, can add years to our lives.
So, what can we do? Headspace is a great place to start the practice of meditation. Introducing just ten minutes a day can help alleviate stress and anxiety. Practising yoga for twenty minutes a day, especially yin yoga which calms the nervous system, can help create a sense of ease in the body. Cooking a healthy, organic meal and taking time over it is also a meditative practice. The food we put into our bodies has a great effect on our health and wellbeing. And spending time with loved ones (which, right now isn’t possible due to the pandemic, but it will be) is so important for our mental and physical health. In Susan Pinker’s TED Talk, she claims that the key to a longer life is a good social network.
Life doesn’t always have to be about productivity and success. We can slow down, be more aware of the present moment, soften our step and breathe more deeply. Allowing things to be as they are, eating a wholesome diet, stretching the body, and laughing with friends are all essential to a healthy life.
The elderly women of Okinawa meet daily to sip green tea and gossip about their lives. This space to connect and communicate is a form of healing for them. It is a place to vent the struggles in their lives, and have others to share them with. By taking time to be with friends and just talk, we release stress in our bodies, we feel less alone, and ultimately, we are better off for it. There is a lot to be said of good food, friendship and a little bit of tranquillity.
I have been creating a range of hand painted soap dishes which include luxury organic geranium & orange handmade soaps. Also available are hand painted tealight holders with tranquility scented candles – a relaxing blend of lavender, orange & ylang ylang, perfect for meditation.
The first edition of my book ‘Therapy for Stress, Anxiety & Depression’ is now sold out! But fear not! I have just received delivery of the second edition pictured below (left).
The book features mental well-being exercises and coping techniques to help overcome stress, anxiety and depression.
Go check it out at katiemowellness.com!
There will be lots of exciting things to come, but first, I have a brand new website, go check it out at katiemowellness.com! Here
you’ll see that I am focussing my brand
on mindfulness and well-being,
it has been going in that direction for
some time now so I thought it was time
to freshen up my look! Many
new products are already
available, including the T-shirts
featured below (right). These
are the first of many T-shirts to
feature positive affirmations
and wellness slogans
