Room Hire

Wishing Well

cancer self help support group

Wishing Well is newly re-launched and is hosted by Axminster Health and Wellbeing Centre

There are a series of talks planned for the next few weeks which may be of interest to you

25 June Meet the Complementary Therapists

2 July Care for Carers

9 July Mindfulness

All sessions begin at 2:30 pm and are open to people experiencing cancer and to carers, friends and family of people experiencing cancer

   NEW MINDFULNESS COURSES

   MINDFULNESS TASTER SESSIONS:-

   FRIDAY           19th June                                            6 - 7.30 pm

   FRIDAY           26th June                                            6 - 7.30 pm

    (£10 per session) 

  EIGHT WEEK MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION:-

  FRIDAY            10th July                                             6 - 8.30 pm

  THURSDAY     24th September                                   6 - 8.30 pm

 (£200 per course - some concessions available to those on low income)

PLEASE CONTACT THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING CENTRE TO BOOK

COURSES - 01297 32331.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness has ancient roots in the Buddhist tradition, but this approach, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the late 1970s, is entirely secular.

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment, without judging them.

In mindfulness meditation we pay attention to very ordinary experiences - the sensations of breathing, for example - that we don't usually notice.

Research studies have shown that regular meditation produces a wide range of positive effects on a person's mind, body and behaviour. Mindfulness is now taught widely in many areas, including schools, hospitals, mental heath services, prisons and corporate settings.

How does mindfulness help?

• There is a lot of evidence of benefit for people with stress, anxiety and depression, and reducing the impact of chronic pain.
• It can train the mind to serve us more effectively, sharpening concentration and focus.
• It strengthens the immune system and lowers blood pressure.

Meditation calms the areas of the brain that produce stress hormones and activates those that lift mood and help with learning.  People who practise mindfulness often feel more serene about life in general.

Discover the science of yoga - Are you open-minded?

by Eleni Markante

In one of my yoga classes recently, I was approached by an enthusiastic fellow student of life with the following statement: “I really enjoyed your class today, my daughter has told me all about the chakras and now I believe they are true!”

I was at first so happy that someone has seen the light, but then the thought that followed was one of distrust in today’s belief system. What proofs do we need to believe? What are we seeking? and immediately plunged into a pool of yet again ones life’s questions. The combination of our biological system and cosmology has been a matter of much personal interest. It is during this study that I started researching the scientific topic of matter and energy, only to find that various definitions in modern thinking describe what philosophical scriptures refer on Yoga.

So, it is no coincidence to be drawn to a holistic approach for health and wellbeing, one that encompasses our physical body, our emotions our thought processes and their interdependence. It is this balance we strive to achieve when we are practitioners of Yoga and matter and energy manifest throughout this journey. A concept not much observed clinically that bears the science of Yoga and its inherent reference to Prana, the principal vital force of creation and maintenance.

Along this yogic path we examine the secretion of hormones in the physical body regulating our metabolism, mood and management of stress and their relation to the energy points in the subtle (non-physical) body that recycle vital force. The purpose of this is to free the flow of prana by observing the effects of potential blockages in order to express harmony. Harmony is a space where we can enjoy our best health.  In my humble opinion, you better have a pretty open mind for health! So join me this Saturday as we approach our yoga practice from a deeper perspective, a space where our whole being endeavours to be present.

Eleni teaches Hatha Yoga at the Axminster Health & Wellbeing Centre and will be leading a workshop introducing the Endocrine System and the seven Chakras this Saturday, 23rd May from 10am until 1pm.

Please call the centre on 01297 32331 to reserve your space.

In this workshop you will:

1.    Learn about the relationship of the endocrine glands and the seven chakras

2.    Practice a sequence in relation to each chakra

3.    Receive a guided meditation associated with awakening your inner vision

Cost:£25

About Eleni Markante: I had my first taste of yoga in 1997 at the Life Centre in Notting Hill, London and fell in love with the practice. Today, I am honoured to meet other souls and share the numerous ways yoga and meditation can transform lives, simply by exploring comfort in stillness. As a permanent student, I am trained in different styles and still investing in continuous education.

My classes are designed to cultivate breath awareness, as a means to explore the mind, while finding balance by engaging wholeheartedly. I teach group and private yoga sessions. Book by sending me an email on markante@yahoo.co.uk

Cast your vote for Canned Sunshine 

and help to secure £1,000

We have applied to Aviva for funding to help stock Axminster Food Bank with food and other items.

We have the opportunity to receive £1,000 and in order to be successful we must receive the most votes between now and the end of May.

Please vote for Canned Sunshine - Axminster Food Bank.

You are given 10 votes which means you can vote 10 times for the Food Bank!

Follow this link:

https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/559/

Do tell friends and family and ask them to vote - the more votes the better chance we have of securing

funding.

Many thanks

OUR LOVELY GARDEN

 I am now sitting at my desk as a receptionist at the Health and Wellbeing Centre - after arriving back from two weeks vacation in the Big Apple.  It was a wonderful experience and I visited all the usual tourist spots. After one very busy day in the city I decided to go to Central Park and sit and relax away from all the hustle and bustle.  While reflecting on how lucky I was to be there - my thoughts went  to work and our lovely garden and how tranquil and inviting it is. On arriving back it's looking even more beautiful with all the lovely spring flowers starting to bloom. 

Not everyone has their own garden to enjoy, but it's wonderful to know they are always welcome to come and relax in ours!

Eva

Changing unhelpful thought patterns

Most of my clients want to change unhelpful patterns of thought or behaviour, whether that’s getting rid of a fear of spiders, overturning a life-long habit of believing the glass is half empty or wanting to feel more confident.

Until relatively recently scientists believed that our habitual thought patterns were laid down in our late teens, early twenties, and that they were pretty much fixed for life.

Fortunately, modern brain scanning techniques have turned this idea on its head.

Neuroscientists have discovered that our brains remain 'plastic' right up into old age. They have demonstrated our brains' ability to forge new connections, essentially changing the way we think. With 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) in our brains, each with 1,000 connections, the possibilities are endless. In fact, there is even evidence that we can overcome brain damage by rewiring the remaining neurons.

As a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist I help clients tap into this natural ability of the brain, by utilising the client’s own imagination. Brain studies show that thinking about doing something fires the same neurons as actually doing it.

So, by encouraging clients to think about how they want things to be, and actively discouraging them from focusing on how they don’t want things to be, I can help them to forge new, more helpful connections.

So, if there is some aspect of your thinking or behaviour that you want to change, start by imagining how you want it to be. If you do this often enough you will be surprised at how automatic this new pattern becomes.

Deborah Pearce

Solution Focused Hypnotherapist

01404 813388    07939 840788