Innehållsförteckning för Issue 6 från WellBeing Being

To create is to bring something into being. From tangible-like creations such as cooking a meal to the more intangible such as inspiration for an idea, being able to create something is a remarkable evolution. Just like the life stages of a butterfly, creation is a metamorphosis. It’s a phenomenon that is fluid, malleable and open-ended to wherever your creativity guides you. Being able to create is just as much about listening as it is about doing. It’s a mindfulness practice of noticing what’s present and then taking action on what feels right, aligned and true for you. The magic of creation is in the process, rather than the outcome. It’s about bearing witness to the beauty of the metamorphosis, perhaps without knowing where it will take you or what…

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been expressing myself through written words. Way back when it was called “writing in your diary”, before social media came along with a much more enticing way to kill time, I’d spend my afternoons pouring my heart out in my velvet-covered notebook. My mum tells me that whenever we fought, instead of throwing a pre-teen tantrum, I’d write long letters about my feelings. There’s just something so cathartic about writing things down. It provides an opportunity to reflect between revelations, to experience the magic of that precious pause. Allowing the messiness of the monkey mind to become somehow disentangled. And the research is on its side, too. Journalling has been found to enhance both mental and physical health. A 2005 study, by…

Have you ever felt caught between the lure of working hard to accumulate wealth and the somewhat elusive goal of work-life balance? Or been seduced by the hustle culture that permeates western society? Can you achieve career success while living a contemplative life? Or does this represent two separate desires, at odds with each other? There is a middle ground, and it starts with mindfulness — having an understanding of what drives you and taking a holistic approach to planning your future. The role of mindfulness As mindfulness is defined as non-judgemental awareness of the present moment, and goal setting represents future-focused attainment, I always viewed them as incompatible. It wasn’t until I read some of Dr Alan Wallace’s research that I was able to reconcile the two. Alan is…

Would you feel happier if you did less? Would you feel more creative and energised if you had time that was intentionally unproductive? Definitely, says Olga Mecking, the author of Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing. Niksen means “nothinging” in the Netherlands, Olga’s home for the past 10 years. She was drawn to the concept for its powerful simplicity. “For niksen, you don’t have to do anything,” she says enthusiastically over Zoom from her home in The Hague. “You don’t have to buy candles or sweaters, you can just do nothing.” When you do niks (nothing) you might daydream, cloud-watch or spend quality time on the sofa without distractions. Olga believes it’s an oasis against stressful living. The enjoyment of doing nothing helps Dutch people live a more…

At this point in human history, there is no shortage of entertainment. In many ways, modern western culture is engaged in the relentless pursuit of greater and greater means by which to distract the mind. Boredom-averse as we are, we seek to be entertained at all times. But how often do we experience awe? Awe, when you think about it, is not the same thing as entertainment. Consider the last time you felt a genuine sense of awe. While entertainment keeps our minds occupied, awe stops us in our tracks. Where entertainment might delight our senses, awe renders us stunned and speechless. Awe is moving and profound and involves reverence and respect. Usually the awe-inspiring object is of great magnitude, and induces a feeling of being outside our comfort zone…

“Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.” — Virginia Woolf Street libraries bring the joy of reading to everyone. The way they work is simple. You can take a book (or magazine) or several for free, with no registration required. There are no due dates either — whenever you’re done, return the item for others to enjoy. If you don’t have a street library where you live, why not make one? They are easy to set up and will bring a stronger sense of community to where you live, share resources and encourage a love of reading. Building and decorating You don’t have to be a DIY wiz…

Buddha nature (sometimes called Buddha Dhatu) is one of the most important teachings in the Mahāyāna tradition of Buddhism — and it’s one that resonates as much in the 21st century as it did thousands of years ago. Buddha nature is the first of Buddhism’s Three Gems (or Three Jewels), and understanding Buddha nature is one of the simple yet profound and essential steps on the path to enlightenment (the other two gems are dharma and sangha). Together, the Three Gems form a statement made by those wanting to express their newfound or ongoing faith in Buddhism: I take refuge in the BuddhaI take refuge in the dharmaI take refuge in the sangha While the word “dharma” has many meanings, in the context of the Three Gems it means staying…

On the island of Okinawa, Japan, there’s a common sentiment that guides its inhabitants: the long and pleasurable journey of living a fulfilling life. Known as one of the Blue Zones, Okinawa, which has the world’s most centenarians, is an island that’s characterised by its healthy, happy and fulfilled residents. Among their plant-rich diets, moderate exercise and sense of community, there’s one strong tie that binds them — a deep sense of purpose and the very reason for their being. Ikigai explained Translated as the reason for being, as iki means life and gai translates roughly to the realisation of hope, ikigai is an active verb that can also be translated as “to serve, to create, to delight and to nourish”. The Japanese believe that ikigai is a universal human…

After a year that was confusing — filled with highs and lows of all sorts — we witnessed a breaking down of belief systems, racial unrest, a global health and economic upheaval, bushfires and more. 2020 felt laced with fear and trepidation but also deeply, deeply hopeful. We innovated and amplified our creativity and proved to ourselves how strong, yet feeble at the same time, we really are. In an effort to stay curious, I’ve observed what others have done in the past 12 months and how they’ve shaped up, bounced back, retreated or re-routed. In exploring the DNA of resilience, there are a few qualities and ways of being that make and shape its form. Resilience binds When we first heard that we’d have to shut down (due to…

Emilie Ristevski’s endless love for photography began nearly 10 years ago when she discovered black and white film photography in a tiny dark room in school. Since joining Instagram in 2010 as @helloemilie, she has gained a worldwide audience of over 1 million followers and her distinctive style of dreamy imagery has inspired many around the world. She hopes her work will inspire and educate others to recognise both the beauty and the fragility that surrounds our planet Earth.…

Body-positivity has paved the way for us to better appreciate our bodies, and now the skin-positivity movement aims to do the same. The #skinpositivity hashtag has more than 129,000 posts on Instagram, with people sharing images of skin that isn’t traditionally deemed “picture perfect”. Scars, acne, pigmentation, eczema, rosacea, dark circles — they are all on display to normalise what skin can look like for many of us. These images can help us feel less alone; connected to a community of people all over the world who are showing what previously was encouraged to be hidden. As a result, skin-positivity is an empowering movement that goes against the photoshopped ideal that surrounds us and is especially prevalent on social media. Being fully seen for who you are Yoella Nygren, a…

When it comes to creating a more balanced and mindful lifestyle, we often dive straight into the deep end, which becomes overwhelming, and often our attempts simply end up in the “too hard basket”. The best way to enhance your life is to incorporate small, simple habits into your daily routine. Young Living believes essential oils are a powerful and natural way to bring more wellness into your life and by incorporating oils into your daily routine, you are setting yourself up for a happier, healthier and more productive day. Essential oils have enhanced lives for thousands of years, offering a variety of benefits from cosmetic and dietary purposes to spiritual and religious use. Extracted through careful steam distillation, resin tapping or cold pressing, the purest essential oils are far…

“The beauty and nobility, the august mission and destiny, of human handwriting.”George Bernard Shaw My Journey Starts Here by Jazz Thornton & Genevieve Mora Penguin Books Australia Sometimes we least feel like journalling when we need it most. If life becomes overwhelming and every day is a struggle, the last thing you might feel like doing is reflecting on what’s going on. Yet this bright and colourful journal will give you a gentle nudge to work through what is bothering you, with writing prompts to support you in getting it out on paper. The three sections — prepare, act and move — are designed to help you reflect on yourself, what’s important to you and what’s going on. There are colouring in pages, gratitude exercises and empty pages to draw…

Q: I feel most calm when … A: “I am at the beach [smiles]. I grew up by the ocean, and it’s always been my place of solace and refuge. My favourite beach would be Torakina Beach, where we live now, in Brunswick Heads.” Q: The last time I felt inspired was … A: “This morning. I’m definitely not low on inspiration [laughs]. If anything, I find that I’m overwhelmed with the amount of inspiration that is available. It’s more of a centring and filtering through all the inspiration that’s available, and then trying to navigate which bits I invite in, and which bits I let go of. I have an unbelievable thirst for human behaviour, design and creativity, and what people are doing in the world. So even this…

All humans have an innate ability to be mindful, however your environment — internally and externally — can influence how easy it is to connect with. From walking barefoot in nature to cooking up a storm with your bare hands or sitting and simply just breathing, these gestures naturally lend themselves to mindfulness when actioned with presence. Here rests an inner peace that’s beyond your thoughts, feelings and actions, and you can never underestimate the power that a physical landscape plays in allowing you to be mindful and still enough to connect with this place within — where you can just be. I’m guided by my senses as I open the glass front door to The Wensley — an architecturally designed timber house nestled in Victoria’s Surf Coast Hinterland. I…

Self-doubt is a seed that can grow into the largest, tangled tree of worries, fears and insecurities. We all have our own triggers for feeling this way, and we can all rewrite our stories to create new, powerful pathways forward when we feel stuck in self-doubt. Self-doubt is about lacking confidence in ourselves, our skillset, our abilities and our innate power. On one hand, a little self-doubt might make you prepare for an interview more diligently, set goals to help you move closer to your dreams, or plan ahead to feel more organised. But on the other hand, self-doubt — if not approached with self-compassion and the ability to witness yourself and your thoughts — can lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. It can deplete you…

Ironically, while trying to write about how to cultivate balance in life, all that comes to mind are my recent experiences of a lack of balance. However, thanks to a few moments of curiosity about this irony, I’m now coming to believe that a lack of balance is actually where the practice of building balance begins. Throughout the incredibly tough year for many that was 2020, I had periods of difficulty with maintaining balance in my life. It would be easy for me to be self-critical about this, as living a balanced life is dearly important to me, but instead I’m choosing the path of compassionate self-reflection so that I can learn from the experience. What helps me to take this approach is the awareness that I am not alone…

Our time is valuable, however we don’t always treat it this way. From being roped into tasks we don’t want to do, continuing to be involved in things we no longer want to participate in or even spending too long on the things we do want to do, it’s easy to lose track of how we spend our days and therefore our life. “We often realise that time is precious later in life, when work and family for example create competing demands on our time and we feel like we’re losing control over it,” says Elise Clement, a life coach and wellbeing consultant. “It’s important to keep in mind that time is a finite resource for us all and that it should be valued as such,” she says. “No matter…

While the adage “you are what you eat” rings true in the West, ancient healing modalities have a drastically different approach. Aside from what we eat, how we eat is of equal importance and is encouraged in practices such as Ayurveda, India’s 5000-year-old system of medicine. At the core of Ayurveda is prana, which translates to vital life-force energy. Practitioners believe that prana flows through all living things and their goal is to balance the energy of mind, body and soul. In fact, optimal health is believed to be a by-product of this harmony. In her book East by West, author, cook and Ayurvedic expert Jasmine Hemsley writes, “Ayurvedic cooking is in itself part of the medicine of wellbeing. The principles of Ayurveda can therefore find a home in everyday…

Pumpkin Pie Serves 4–6 Inspired by a Maltese pumpkin and rice pie, this version is super fresh with lots of herbs, spices and lemon. The raisins add a lovely sweetness and the pine nuts give some texture to the filling. The pastry is very simple to make and can be prepared ahead of time, as can the filling. In fact, the whole pie can be assembled the day before and kept uncooked, covered in the fridge. Just save the egg wash until just before it goes in the oven. I like to use kent pumpkin, but butternut is my second choice as it’s very versatile and has great texture. 500 g (3 cups) plain flour pinch of fine sea salt250 g chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes1 tablespoon white vinegar100–150…

I used to dread cleaning because of the harsh chemicals, which always gave me a nasty headache. But with these simple natural recipes, now I enjoy it. Although some natural products get a bad rap in terms of their effectiveness, I’ve found you don’t need to use harsh chemicals to get the job done. This chapter contains all the low-cost cleaners I love to make and use, all of which are earth-friendly, low-tox and free of synthetic fragrances. But it isn’t just about cleanliness. The kind of space you create can have a profound effect on your mood, productivity, mental clarity and so much more, which is why I’ve included a few recipes and rituals to help you create a space that is equally conducive to work and play, productivity…

Bibliotherapy “Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.”Anna Quindlen For balance Wild Kitchen by Claire Bingham Thames & Hudson Wild Kitchen takes you into the homes of some of the world’s greatest nature-loving chefs. Inside these pages you’ll admire beautiful kitchens and vibrant gardens, as well as wholesome dishes from carrot cake to kitchari. This gorgeously photographed book reveals what’s inside the kitchens of leading chefs, food bloggers and restaurateurs and shares how they work with nature to cook and entertain. Wild Kitchen is a celebration of home-grown, local and seasonal produce that will no doubt inspire you to be more guided by nature when it comes to cooking and preparing food. Ally McManus For ease Down…