We’ve recently introduced a range of on-demand yoga lessons to guests’ televisions in partnership with the incredible Movement for Modern Life, ensuring your stay at The Cottage in the Wood is as relaxing as possible with just a tap of the remote.
The enlightening yoga and well being site hosts over 800 classes from some of the UK and beyond’s top teachers and has been called the ‘Netflix of yoga’ by Vogue.
Here, the founder of MFML, Kat Farrants, details her top tips for establishing moments of calm when you’re on the road:
When we travel, it’s so often that we imagine that our break will be relaxing, we take the trouble to book a beautiful hotel in a gorgeous place – we pack our favourite reads. Even if we’re travelling on business, we plan to fit in a few moments of relaxation amidst our work.
But don’t you find that often, when you’re away, there’s the temptation to be busier than in our day to day life? Sometimes life away from our routines gets even more manic than in our usual life – so many things to do and see, it can’t just be me who finds that after a break away, we need another holiday!!
I find there are some really simple things that we can all do when we’re away to make sure we create moments of tranquillity
1. Make a conscious decision to create moments of calm every single day.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on holiday or are away on business, it’s important for each and every one of us to have moments of peace and reflection in every single day – not just wait for the perfect moment to find calm. For those of us who are often overwhelmed with over-work and often feel stressed and anxious, it’s so important for us to set an intention of peace, just a couple of times a day.
You’ll be surprised at the impact of intention-setting. When you consciously set an intention for calm, or for anything for that matter, you can just wait for the magic to happen. On your break, it’s so important to have an intention for your break, otherwise the same inner dialogues and outer habits that make your everyday life stressful could disturb your holiday!
2. Commit to creating calm twice a day
The magic here is in the word ‘commit’, not in ‘try to create calm’. When we commit to something, we resolve fully to do it. If we try for something like calm, there is no way that we’ll achieve it – especially because calm can be seen as such an elusive and mysterious concept. Calm appears to be something intangible, and therefore unquantifiable and we think we are therefore not in control of it. But there are very simple things that you can do.
3. Commit to Daily Practices of Calm
Of course we are all different and there are different things that each of us can do to create a feeling of energetic spaciousness and freedom in our lives. I see calm as an energetic spaciousness because it’s not a ‘zoning out’ calm, it’s not a stupor of getting drunk or sitting on the sofa watching the telly. It’s a very conscious and energizing feeling when we’re really in the zone of active calm. The practices that I rely on to create an inner feeling of tranquillity are yogic practices of meditation, yoga and breath work. I do these every single day. Because they add so much quality to my days. I’m able to appreciate the days more when I practice. I’m able to soak in the tiny things that happen to me. I’m more able to live in the moment. I’m more controlled about the things I say and do. I set up Movement for Modern life (movementformodernlife.com) because I needed the very best teachers just where I am – I’m picky about the teachers, I won’t practice with any teacher, or someone who just did a training at the local gym! I can’t be wasting time travelling and faffing, I need my practices right where I am and when I am. I can’t be bothered to be doing my hair and getting fancy outfits. I’m in my grotty PJ’s and tracksuit bottoms, it’s 3am or whenever I need my practice, and I’m able to do exactly what I need when I need it. I also love my online yoga classes because I can bespoke my practice. If I’m needing to be more energized, I can search for that.
Or if it’s right before bed and I’m looking to turn off my mind and body for the day, i can do that. If I want a reminder of the breath work practices that serve me through times of anxiety, I can get to them. You get the idea. But the commitment is made for every single day. It’s not that I’ll wait until this period of stress is over, or that I’ll wait until I’ve moved house, or come back from holiday, or wait until life is more under control. that will never happen. Instead I practice every. Single. day. But often for just 10 minutes a day. nothing hard, nothing out of reach. Just ten minutes to change how the other 23 hours and 50 minutes in your day feels. Not a biggie.
I really do encourage you to just roll out a yoga mat, now you’re away, even if just for 10 minutes and to do a relaxing ‘before bed’ class, and just see the difference it makes!
4. Try easy
I’d urge anyone seeking their moments of tranquilly to try easy, don’t try hard. Choose yourself practices, to start with, that are well within your comfort zone or capabilities. Find it easy. You’ll find that the feeling of ease remains with you then as the daily habit forms and you go onto more challenging practices. Even as you’re challenged on your mat, even as everyday events, people and things challenge you in life, you won’t need to try hard to overcome, you can try easy and feel the difference that this quality in outlook gives you.
5. The Time is Now
Now you’re away from home, you’re somewhere inspiring, is the very best time to start forming daily habits that will transform the quality of your entire life. Now that you have a change of perspective, a new outlook on life. Now that perhaps you’re able to see your life from afar with new eyes, you can see the things that would add to your life. And perhaps creating a sense of tranquility, spaciousness and calm to your life would add to it? I know that in this life we all value ‘busy’ above all else. But that seems odd to me, because one of the only really non-renewable resources that there is is time. We can all have a chance to make more money, get more ‘things’, grow more food. But time? Well, that really is short. So don’t delay. There is no waiting, life has already started, and if you’re looking to move away from the busy narrative, if you’re wanting to take time for yourself, so that you can then give to others, just start right now, now you’re away, in gorgeous surroundings.
Give yourself the gift of some time to yourself, to look after yourself and give yourself the daily pause in your life.
MFML have partnered with The Cottage in the Wood and are able to offer you some free classes for your stay: movementformodernlife.com/cottage as well as a 30% discount when you subscribe to the site.
