Table of contents for Issue 5 in WellBeing Being

A life in flow is something we all aspire to. A state of being where you’re so deeply immersed in what you’re doing that time ceases to exist. Thoughts vanish. Distractions fade away. It’s you and the activity you’re immersed in moving effortlessly through time as one. Pure bliss. Psychologists refer to this as a state of “flow”. You might have already experienced this in your life — perhaps in a yoga class or meditation, playing music, cooking or surfing. There are many wonderful ways to experience flow state. Did you know you can also experience it doing something simple like washing the dishes? “HOW?!” I hear you ask. Consistency, mastery and growth. According to positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, who coined the term “flow”, flow state is defined as an…

One of the most pronounced freedoms of modern life is our ability to move with ease and speed across the globe. Journeys that would have taken months to complete a century ago are now possible in a matter of hours, and we’ve come to think of our intercontinental mobility as more of a right than a privilege. We travel to explore, to learn, to celebrate, to escape, to relax, to work, to “broaden our horizons”. We tend to think of travelling as a marker of wisdom, knowledge and open-mindedness. It’s almost unthinkable, in such a context, that we would have to stay put. Yet that’s exactly where we find ourselves in 2020, and with no indication of when our regular travelling habits will resume. Wanderlust Of course, humans have always…

I left the gig reflecting on how focusing on “just this moment” can allow us to experience both lightness and darkness with greater ease, knowing both will come and go as they please. Early in 2020, when live music was still something we were lucky enough to be able to experience in Victoria, my sister and I went to a Michael Dunstan show at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne. (Flick to page 118 for an interview with the man himself.) On the way to the gig we listened to the beautiful sounds of his music, which allowed our worries to wash away and our shared curiosity and excitement of the evening to grow. Live music offers a unique opportunity to practise presence due to the array of distractions that…

I still vividly remember a conversation I had with my best friend 10 years ago. We were on a six-month sabbatical from our corporate jobs and travelling through Southeast Asia. One night, while sitting on our bungalow balcony, she looked at me and asked, “How much money do you want to be making in 10 years?” I considered the question and answered something along the lines of, “Probably around 80k.” But then I paused, considered a little more and piped up, “Wait, no. I don’t think I care how much money I make. I just want to be happy.” Epiphany had! Less than a year later I left my nine-to-five city job in Sydney and moved to the humble Northern Rivers of New South Wales. Ten years later and I’ve…

“There is a slight delay; I’m calling from a satellite phone because I’m out in the country!” Cyrus Sutton’s voice suddenly crackles in my headphones. He’s calling from Washington, Oregon, in the US and I’m in the hills of Byron Bay. He’s a man of the wild and I wanted to learn more about his story. Cyrus’ career began a long way from his San Diego home. In 2020, on the wild islands of Samoa, the professional surfer’s bare flesh met with a reef break, leaving the young Californian kid with a staph infection that would take the best part of 12 months to heal. Unfortunately, that reef incident ended Cyrus’ professional surfing dreams although, unbeknownst to him, it would steer him towards a prolific career in filmmaking — one…

Every morning I wander into our backyard, cup of tea in hand, and find a sunny spot to spend a few moments soaking up the bliss that is poultry parenthood. I admire our six “girls” enjoying their snacks, searching for hidden treasures and grooming their feathers. Every now and then they have an amusing interaction that warrants a text to my partner at work: Babe, wait till you hear about the cute things the girls did today! It’s not all scrambled eggs and cute clucking, but any chicken owner will tell you that they enhance your life in ways beyond the breakfast bench. One of my good friends swears by her chickens’ grounding powers. She says, “It doesn’t matter what’s going on for me. Whenever I sit and watch the…

“I prefer living in colour.” David Hockney From the bestselling author of The Mindfulness Colour Book, Emma Farrarons has created an anti-stress activity book called the Art of Mindfulness. This colouring book acts as a relaxing activity to help you connect with your creativity, flow and presence to the task you’re undertaking, whether it is drawing, colouring or hand lettering. “Mindfulness meditation is all about paying attention to the present moment. Almost any activity done right can be an effective exercise in mindfulness, and colouring in, with the gentle action of putting pen to paper, is well designed to help clear your mind of excess thoughts,” she reveals. Ally McManus…

Bonus question What does mindfulness mean to you? Mindfulness, to me, is just being aware of what you’re going through, being aware of your surroundings — so being present. I think the most important thing about practising mindfulness is learning to know when I’m feeling off — so when I’m not present. The most important thing I’ve got from practising mindfulness is the ability to pull myself up and be like, hang on a second, you’re really feeling off or you’re not giving 100 per cent of yourself to someone … so I think it’s an awareness to know what you’re doing and a chance to step back. Q: I feel most calm when … A: I am down south in Esperance in nature — in isolated coastal areas —…

According to pop comics and fictional media, a superpower is considered to be an “extraordinary superhuman ability” or “an exaggeration of normal human traits”. Although the power of listening won’t grant us the ability to control the weather or fly, it could be argued that it does, in some ways, change the energetic atmosphere around us and can transport us to another place — the present moment. The art of listening is a tool to break the trance of operating in automatic pilot or feeling consumed by anxiety or depression. The conscious practice of listening can help us connect deeper in our relationships with others, ourselves, the natural world and with the life that holds us. So how is listening a superpower? Listen to your surroundings I vividly remember the…

For thousands of years, humans have been attempting to interpret and dissect our dreams. As early as 2200 BCE, Mesopotamian kings were recording their dreams by carving images into clay; around a thousand years later the ancient Egyptians started writing theirs down on papyrus. Despite all our interest in dreaming, we’ve yet to come to a solid conclusion about why exactly we dream. Neuroscientist Raphael Vallat told Discover magazine in 2019 that dreaming “is one of the last frontiers in our understanding of the human mind”. Perhaps it’s this mystery, coupled with the often bizarre nature of dreams, that makes them such an enduring area of human intrigue. Whether you believe that dreams are messages from our unconscious selves, a portal to the spirit world or simply a strange trick…

I used to spend an extraordinary amount of energy and emotion manipulating experiences to be to my taste. Had I not noticed that life is full of different flavours? Becoming familiar with the bitter and the sour as well as the sweet not only gave me a richer life, it aligned me with the truth of how things are. “We think that to study Buddhism is to take the food out of the refrigerator. Whenever you want it, it is already there. Instead, Zen students should be interested in how to produce food from the field, from the garden, should put the emphasis on the ground. If you look at the empty garden you won’t see anything, but if you take care of the seed it will come up. The…

“Qigong and tai chi take a lot of practice, just like any form of art, and you need to start with the foundation, put in the time and effort and practise regularly.” Images of graceful elders standing in a park wearing billowy clothes, flowing through a series of gentle movements: this is what often comes to mind with tai chi and qigong. These moving meditations are based on centuries-old Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy, and bring with them a host of health benefits. Abby Lee from Qigong Melbourne says it’s hard to convey the meaning behind tai chi and qigong (pronounced “chee gung”), as they relate to ancient Chinese texts — the concepts of which aren’t easily comprehended in modern Western culture. Understanding the differences between the…

I once had a cat called Ginger. We inherited the name when we adopted him from the RSPCA, and I like to think it’s because a little Ginger went a long way, and he had more than a little bite to him, especially as he got older. Even though ginger root is closer to blonde, gold or even brown in colour, it’s the crimson–orange flowers that bloom atop the ginger plant that have given rise to its eponymous etymology. I like to think that it’s also because redheads, like this rhizome, and my cat of the same name, tend to be a little on the fiery side (I still have an upper-lip scar to prove it!). So, if you’ve ever taken a whiff of a cinnamon quill and thought, gee,…

I hear the sound of the match being lit before I see the reflection of the flame in the glass window behind Lachie. His face illuminates as he lights the gas stove to boil the kettle. The crisp, white cotton sheets of the queen-sized bed I’m lying in feel warm on my skin, acting as a stark contrast to the 0-degree wintery morning we’ve woken to. The air is cold enough to create a misty cloud around my mouth as I breathe. It’s just before dawn so we’re enveloped in darkness and, although a subtle glow from the east is beginning to light parts of the sky, when I tilt my head back on the pillow and look up I can still see the galaxy of stars we slept under…

The Romans had a phrase for everything, including finance: pecunia non olet (“money doesn’t stink”). But you now know that your consumer dollars, from food to clothes to travel, reflect your values. This extends to your financial decisions, too; the way you invest your money shapes people, your environment and your world. It is increasingly possible — and even mainstream — to align your money with your values. Broadly speaking, avoiding investing money in companies with poor performance in environmental, social or corporate governance (ESG) areas, and/or investing in companies that perform well in ESG areas, is known as responsible investment. Ethical investment takes that one step further, to making choices in line with particular values or ethical views. The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), an industry body that represents…

Have you ever felt lost when making decisions? Maybe you’ve felt unsafe or unsupported when navigating challenging situations, or perhaps you’ve felt as though you can’t focus and have no motivation? It’s easy to get caught up in the “noise” of our lives and our society nowadays. With a constant influx of news, social media and the vortex of cat videos at our fingertips, it’s understandable that the only inner dialogue we can often hear is our ever-present to-do list. This continual outer focus moves us further away from our inner knowing and guidance as we search for answers, validation and direction from outside of ourselves. This is where living with intention and having an intention practice is at its most powerful. With clear intent on what you want to…

When was the last time you made a friend? Perhaps this person came into your life unexpectedly, yet the relationship blossomed as you were open to letting them in. As we get older these occurrences can be less likely, as people tend to establish friendship groups in their late teens and twenties and then feel they don’t “need” any more friends. We might feel too busy to get to know someone new or unsure how to even meet potential pals. “Many of us go through stages in life where our focus and energy for our friendships fluctuate,” says counsellor and psychotherapist Wendy Gilroy. “When we’re young, we’re surrounded by friends so much of the time. Friends help shape who we are through play, learning, sports activities and generally having fun,”…

As our interest grew in sustainable beekeeping, we began providing honey to friends and family before deciding to commence small-scale production and local supply on the Bellarine Peninsula. Our focus is around local, small-batch honey production with the health of our bees a priority. Our honey is sourced from a range of apiaries across the Bellarine Peninsula and our varieties are location-specific and extracted as small-scale batches. This allows us to produce from the same locations throughout the year but with different characteristics and flavours. Our spring, summer and autumn honey taste vastly different and we feel it a shame to blend these together. Where possible, we chase varietal honey from one floral source, creating some distinct flavours. Bellarine Apiaries is made up of a trio of surfers — Ed…

Create your own wellness ritual in three easy steps: 1 Reflect on the actions, sights, sounds and smells that make you feel at “home”. Do you need that extra five minutes of snooze before you wake up? Need to stretch before you go about the rest of your day? Love a hot bath at night? These are the starting points in discovering what the elements or building blocks of your ritual will be. 2 Consider the timeline of these actions. How long will they take? Where can you build them into your day? Will you need to wake up earlier? Turn down the lights before 10pm? Have your lunch outside where you can find a quiet moment? 3 Commit to your ritual. This practice is a time to honour you…

How do we find space where there seems to be none? How do we find calm in the chaos? Perhaps it is less about searching for the perfect conditions and making the most of the moments we have. Nature provides the perfect backdrop for slowing down and reconnecting with your true self. To practise this, take the time to find the right surrounding. For some, that might be an early-morning walk on a deserted beach. For others, a hike in a rainforest may call you to open up. Nature invites us to let go of the projection of busyness — to take the armour off and look at life holistically. Nature opens us up. Mindfulness involves connecting the body and mind to the present moment. As a practice, mindfulness trains…

Q: What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation? A: I would say that they are both yoga. They are both methods for helping to quiet the chatter in our minds, for bringing unity and equanimity. Meditation is a more formal practice that requires you to withdraw from the world around you and detach from the activity of the mind. Essentially I see meditation as an internal exploration in, and into, stillness. Mindfulness is being fully present, without judgment, in the current moment. Practising mindfulness means you are fully aware of what is happening in that moment: thoughts and emotions, the external vista or activity you are participating in. I see meditation (and yoga asana) as a practice, or a drill, for mindfulness. A bit like a pianist would perform…

“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” Anna Quindlen For calm Skogluft (Forest Air) by Jorn Viumdal HarperCollins “We like being with plants because they give us something we need,” suggests Jorn Viumdal in Skogluft (Forest Air): The Norwegian Secret to Bringing the Right Plants Indoors to Improve Your Health and Happiness, which I can’t help but agree with as I admire the calming peace lily sitting beside my desk. Exploring a concept known as “the Forest Air method”, Jorn reveals how to embrace a natural living environment in your home and workplace to enhance your health in myriad ways, from reducing fatigue to increasing concentration. “Those who have used the Forest Air method relate that they…

“The beauty and nobility, the august mission and destiny, of human handwriting.” George Bernard Shaw Mindfulness can be applied to even the shortest snippets of our day, but we often think mindful practises will take a considerable amount of time and effort. As a result it’s easy to reason that you don’t have the time to be mindful, yet it’s when we’re at our busiest that it can be most beneficial. This beautiful journal is full of prompts to guide you through self-reflection, whether it be tuning into your senses, writing what you’re grateful for, considering your potential and unpacking any challenges you’re facing. Some exercises might only take five minutes or you may want to spend longer on them. With eye-catching photos and illustrations accompanying the prompts, it’s not…

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