I was recently invited to a Health and Wellbeing Masterclass with Liberty Living, who are one of the largest providers of student accommodation in the UK and are dedicated to supporting their students’ wellbeing throughout their studies. All their staff and students have access to workshops and information to help breakdown the stigma of mental health.
“Self-care is sanity, not vanity”
This is one of my favourite quotes as it’s so true that you need to take time out from the daily stresses of life to relax and rejuvenate yourself so when an invite popped into my inbox offering an evening of yoga, healthy diet cooking and a mindful wellbeing lesson I couldn’t resist.
The event was held at Foraspace, in their Folgate Street location in Spitalfields, which holds coworking space and private offices and is beautifully decorated with an atrium style events area, wellness studio, Residents’ garden and roof terrace.
A welcome glass of Prosecco…
On arrival we were greeted with a glass of Prosecco, which you’ll know is an instant mood booster for me after a long day in the office, and I had the chance to catch up with the amazing ladies from Search Laboratory who invited me to the event.
I love meeting new people and catching up with old friends at events and it really is something that puts me in such a good mood. Jennie and Alice are always so welcoming and friendly, and such good fun to catch up with, as is the lovely photographer Elouise.
Close your eyes and open your mind
After a welcome speech from Liberty Living, we were split into three groups to rotate through the three activities, and first up for us was yoga. Yoga is not only good for your body but for your life and your mental stability and can be easily slotted into your daily routine.
Morning practises will set you up for the day and evening practices can calm you of a night time and have you ready to curl up in bed for a lovely restful sleep, or at least that’s how I felt after taking part in the yoga class. Top tip; try the Monkey Swings, highly amusing and good for you, almost as amusing as the grudge like capture of me during yoga…
Why You Should Do Yoga
- Reduce stress
- Increase your concentration
- Understand the mind and body connection
- Gain strength and stamina
- Improve balance and stability
- Improve posture
- Develop body awareness
- Breathe better
- Increase your energy
- Be more mindful
Practising Mindfulness
Mindfulness means non-judgemental awareness of the present moment, and although I was only in attendance for half of this session, I would definitely encourage everyone to practise mindfulness. The act of decluttering your mind and reducing stress promotes mental and emotional wellbeing.
I learnt a lot about mindfulness from Chloe Slade, along with the art of manifestation and I credit this as being part of what helped me this year get out of a really dark place mentally. If you make mindfulness a daily habit, then your mind will know what to do when you most need to relax or be focused.
Three Practices To Try Yourself
- Take three deep conscious breaths, while observing your internal state, any time of the day and can be done anywhere.
- A mindful walk in the park, leaving your tasks behind and turning your attention to the nature around you, is scientifically proven to help you feel grounded and relaxed.
- Taking a break to sit and pay attention to your breath daily, even if just for 3 minutes, can train your brain to settle and chill out.
Don’t Eat Less, Eat Right
The final session was all about healthy nutrition with Anastasia, from Anastasia Nutrition, who discusses how your diet and eating habits can affect your mental health. Essentially if you are eating rubbish then you are eventually going to feel rubbish, makes sense right.
A surprising bit of information I found out was that low-fat food is not actually better than full fat as they tend to have hidden sugars inside. There are a lot of sugars that you wouldn’t recognise because of the name that is used in the ingredients.
Anastacia advised avoiding refined sugars and grains, and to eat protein with every meal and snack. You can also optimise your gut microbiome by eating fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi and natural yoghurt, and rotate vegetables on a daily basis to increase bacteria diversity.
A Fond Farewell
Since leaving the event I have continued to focus on my manifestation and mindfulness, and I have tried to include protein in all my meals where possible. I have not yet added yoga into my daily routine but writing this post might just be the push I need to get back into it.
I had such a lovely evening at the event, and I love that Liberty Living are so supportive of their student’s wellbeing throughout their studies. My sister is in her first year of university and to know there are companies out there like this gives me a bit more peace of mind that she will be okay as will other students.
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