Inneroxygen

Hi everyone!

It’s been a while since my last post here - October 2022 to be exact 🙈

A lot has happened since then - life threw me some challenges and gave lots of gifts too, resulting in a much-longer-than-expected break from sharing on social media 😳

From dealing with some major health challenges post pandemic, to a return to university, plus lots of rest and fun - the last couple of years have been quite a journey 🌈

I’m excited to reconnect and share what’s been happening in my life and behind the scenes during this time 🙂

If you’re still here and reading this post – thank you for being here!

I’ve really missed connecting with you all, and I’m happy to be back and sharing my work with you again ❤️

With love,

Carolina

I'm excited to announce the first free community workshop of 2022: ‘Cultivating Friendships - A Workshop in Mindful [Re]connection'.

As I've been away for quite some time I have created a very special 2.5 hour edition 😍

We lose touch with friends or struggle to maintain a connection for many reasons:

•We get too caught up in the busyness of life
•We move to a new city or country
•We struggle with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues

There are many reasons, but the outcome is the same: we end up losing touch or closeness with friends who we do actually want to be close to/keep in our lives.

This is a practical workshop to help you assess the quality of your friendships, and to create connected friendships 💞

In this workshop you will…

1. Be guided in written exercises to reflect upon the quality of your friendships

2. Practise a guided meditation to help you [re] connect with and appreciate the role your friends play in your life.

3. Spend time in mindful silence to actively write messages, emails, letters, and/or reach out to those you want to [re]connect with.

To learn more about the workshop, or to sign up to receive the Zoom link or replay click on the link below:

https://inneroxygen.lpages.co/friendship-workshop/

I hope to see you on Sunday, February 27th for a mindful morning to cultivate quality friendships 💞

Much love,
Carolina

Friendship Workshop I completed a two-year Mindfulness & Meditation Teaching Certification (MMTCP) with the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley under world-renowned mindfulness teachers and psychologists Dr. Tara Brach and Dr. Jack Kornfield, and I am now training in Narrative Therapy with the Narrative Therapy....

When you start practicing meditation on your own it can be confusing to know whether you should be practicing a guided meditation or a self-guided silent meditation.
 
The next time you are confused check the guideline below to help you decide if guided meditation is what you need 🙏
 
A guided meditation is more beneficial when…
 
1. You are just starting your meditation journey
 
At the beginning (and also middle 😉) of your journey your mind will not yet be used to noticing and then bringing your wandering mind back to a focused point. Hearing the voice of an instructor serves as an anchor of attention to the present.
 
2. When you have recently experienced a distressing event
 
Long periods of silence are not recommended after a very distressing event such as the death of a loved one, a relationship breakdown, a troubling health diagnosis, or experiencing a recent psychotic episode. This is because the extended silence and inward focus can actually cause you even more distress as you notice your feelings and thoughts a lot more. 
 
3. You are experiencing high levels of anxiety, sadness, or any other distressing emotive state
 
These feelings could be made worse in long periods of silence by pushing you outside of your emotional window of tolerance. It's important to ensure you are able to self-regulate.
 
4. You want to practice specific mindfulness skills
 
Mindfulness practice involves training in specific qualities such as loving-kindness, self-compassion, gratitude, and many others. A guided meditation is always a great way to start learning and cultivating these qualities.
 
5. You want to work through a specific emotional state
 
You can select a guided meditation according to the emotional state you are currently struggling with to help you work through it, understand yourself better, and get in touch with your inner world. This can be done for many emotional states such as anger, blame, envy, and the list goes on!
 
I'll soon be sharing some tips on when a silent meditation is more beneficial ☺️
 
Much love,
Carolina