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Last time we explored the 3 most common hurdles people experience when they are practicing meditation & mindfulness. Here are some of the other obstacles it’s not uncommon to crop up against as your practice continues.
Things feel like they are getting worse before they get better.
When we get still & silent our minds often seem very loud & busy, this is completely normal, we just weren’t aware how busy our mind was until we stop & turn inwards. And sometimes in the stillness & quiet it amplifies things inside of us that we maybe don’t like that much. Meditation may show you things you don’t want to see, work that you need to do on yourself. And this work is never done, there is always something to work on – we’re a bit like the Forth Bridge: when they get to the end of painting it, they need to start all over again. So it is with spiritual healing.
Often if we have been pushing away thoughts, feelings, behaviours we don’t like, which is a habitual human habit, it can feel harder to deal with what comes up than to just push it away. Here’s the thing: we have all ‘chosen’ to incarnate on this planet to learn the lessons we need to learn to grow, heal & transform. If we keep pushing these lessons away, the universe will keep giving us the same one until we learn it & can make things really uncomfortable to guide towards that lesson. Healing & growth isn’t always love & light, sometimes it’s hard work but that’s a good thing, it’s always worth it because you are evolving & transforming.
How will I know I’m doing it right?
There’s no right or wrong to meditating. Every experience is different & unique for that time. Just remember: there’s no such thing as a bad meditation! Even a ‘tough’ meditation is transformative. The best thing to to try to not come to the practice with any expectations, just appreciate whatever your experience is. You’ll know it’s working when you you start to miss the practice if you skip a session.
It’s not what I expected
Nothing in life generally is! Be mindful (pardon the pun) of your expectations – they can trip you up. I mentioned before to watch your intentions & the energy you bring to your practice. It’s the same with expectations. Not every meditation will be relaxing, peaceful & calm so if this is what you are expecting you could be disappointed.
During the first lockdown I had done several days of hip opening yoga practices. We hold a lot of emotional energy in our hips. I was meditating one evening & felt this huge black mass of energy moving through & out of my body. It felt like stuff that had been buried decades ago was finally being released. It was immensely emotional & quite a visceral experience. Thankfully I am well aware that sometimes things like this can happen in a meditation & although it was emotional, it felt very cathartic & cleansing & so I appreciated the experience as such. I have been meditating for almost a decade & never experienced anything like this before or since & it is highly unlikely you will experience something so moving especially in the early days but meditation can often lead to insights & revelations you weren’t expecting, it’s all part of the healing process. It’s helpful to be mindful of this.
I can’t get comfortable.
We rarely sit still & silent for long so it can feel uncomfortable. Try lying down, sitting in a chair rather than cross-legged on the floor. Or try befriending the discomfort, using it to anchor yourself – discomfort can be a little like the distractions around you, try using them as an anchor rather than a distraction.
But if you are uncomfortable, simply shift your position, there’s no rule that says you must sit in a certain position & stay there – don’t sacrifice comfort for perfection. You are more likely to gain insights if you are comfortable.
Meditation & mindfulness have been a huge part of my life, helping me to navigate many of life’s challenges from international relocations, divorce, mental health wobbles, parenting issues, the menopause & I have found them to be extremely useful during the recent lockdowns. The journey hasn’t always been plain sailing but the practices have literally changed my life which is why I am so passionate about them. Next time we’ll explore informal meditation practices, which helps us to integrate mindfulness into our lives.
This week’s FREE meditation is the something very different to what I’ve shared so far: an energy clearing meditation. To get your own copy, simply email Alex to the email address below quoting Frost ECM.
Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for the last 8 years, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a sense of peace & calm within & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices.
If you would like more information on how to practice mindfulness, meditation & yoga message her at alex@alexbannard.com
For free resources check out her Facebook group: Mindfulness & Yoga for Self-Care, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulnessYoga4Relationships
Alternatively please check out her website: www.alexbannard.com
We have fallen completely in love with this delicious ice cream which is healthy for you and the planet. It is all of the indulgence with 60% less calories and sugar (they use stevia and other natural ingredients) than regular ice cream. The warm weather is coming and there is no better way to celebrate it than with Oppo Brothers Ice cream. The ice cream has protein in it and lots of other natural ingredients that are good for you. I am a particular fan of the Double Chocolate Brownie flavour.
Even my children love this ice-cream. If it pasts the kids test you know it is a winner. It tastes good and it does good. What more could you want?
Launched in 2014 by brothers Charlie and Harry Thuillier, Oppo’s mission is to create feel good indulgence, without compromising health or planet. Ice cream gives everyone a little lift, and with the sun shining and temperatures rising as we head into summer, Oppo delivers the most indulgent flavours, with up to 60% less calories and sugar than regular ice cream, and no compromise on taste. The first major ice cream brand in the UK to launch a nationwide ice cream delivery service, Oppo customers can get hold of exclusive flavours not available in the shops – arriving in perfect frozen condition. Furthermore, 10% of online profits go to the NHS, meaning #GoodTemptation has never felt better!
Feel good
Ice cream sales exploded last year as Brits treated themselves at home, with an extra 54 million litres going through the tills in 2020₁. Whilst some sought out comfort in calories, others embraced healthier lifestyles during lockdowns and tucked into better-for-you treats like Oppo, with this healthier brand seeing a 40% global increase in sales, and 140% in the UK, more than any of its competitors in the marketplace. In the last 6 years Oppo has saved 5.23bn calories from people’s diet, or 600,000kg of fat, when they choose Oppo over standard ice cream, showing that feeling good can taste good too!
Only the finest natural ingredients
Oppo brings indulgence without compromising health, using all-natural ingredients from all corners of the earth to provide an all round feel-good ice cream. Fresh meadow-grazed cow’s milk is sourced from a sustainable dairy local to the Oppo creamery. Hero ingredients, which keeps the % of sugar and calories at bay include organic Peruvian Lucuma fruit, known as the ‘Gold of the Incas’ which naturally provides a rich caramel flavour for the Double Salted Caramel. Pure Columbian Cacao Fino de Aroma is ethically sourced and used in chocolate ice cream flavours. Stevia leaf brings the sweetness, without the calories or any nasty additives, whilst Madagascan vanilla seeds, cinnamon from the jungles of Sumatra and fruit are bursting with flavour.
Flavour is everything
Natural ingredients combine to create the ultimate frozen treat, whatever the weather. With combinations ranging from zingy lemon to crunchy buttery biscuits and mouth-wateringly rich chocolate, there is something for everyone, including a growing list of plant based vegan options:
Caramel Cookie Melt
Vanilla Pecan Praline Crunch
Colombian Chocolate & Hazelnut
Double Chocolate Brownie
Double Salted Caramel Swirl
Canadian Maple Walnut Crunch
Very AlmondBerry (vegan)
Simply the Zest (vegan)
Madagascan Vanilla & Roasted Almond Ice Cream Sticks
Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sticks
Colombian Chocolate & Hazelnut Ice Cream Sticks
The Oppo Ethos
Oppo believes in #GoodTemptation, doing right by people as well as the environment. Oppo sources their milk locally, from cows that are free to roam naturally, and where circular farming methods are used to control waste and secrete it into a local forest to reduce C02 impact. For every sustainably-managed tree cut down for the packaging, Oppo plants five more, and their packaging plant runs on green energy. Removing the gold foil from Oppo packaging means that it is easier to recycle, and reduces the energy used in producing it. Cocoa farmers are paid above the market rate, and profits are invested into the local community to build schools and other infrastructure.
About Oppo Brothers
Brothers Charlie and Harry Thuillier conceived the idea for ice cream that makes you feel-good (indulgence at no expense to health) in Brazil in 2011 whilst breaking the world record for the longest distance travelled by kite. It took 2.5 years to create their first recipe.
Entrepreneurs Charlie and Harry Thuillier pitched their idea on Dragons’ Den, asking for a £60,000 investment for a 7% share of the business. Despite failing to secure the investment, the brothers went on to quickly raise over £1.1m in funding through the Seedrs platform, of which investors have now sold for significant profit. In 2016 tennis champion Andy Murray tried Oppo and loved it so much he invested in the ice cream dream, helping to introduce Oppo to over 140k people. Since then they have become the only lower calorie ice cream brand to win Great Taste Awards, and refuse to compromise on health or taste. Charlie and Harry believe that their success is down to Oppo’s focus on quality of product and premium, natural ingredients, plus an understanding that consumers are unwilling to compromise on taste.
Oppo is sold in 12 countries worldwide and is stocked in Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Booths, Ocado and more in the UK, as well as being available online for delivery.
RRP is £4.50 for a 475ml tub
This Summer they launch two new flavours – Double Chocolate Brownie and the UK’s first CBD ice cream – Choc ‘n Chill with CBD.
It seems a year of lockdowns and an inability to travel has caused authors to look closer to home for inspiration. This summer is seeing a surge in books with large or stately homes as their setting and family secrets at their centre.
For Morton S Gray and Carol Thomas, both published by the award winning romance publisher Choc Lit, their similarities in setting choice only came to light when their covers were revealed. The friends, who message each other almost every day, were unaware of the coincidence but saw the funny side. With Morton writing romantic suspense and Carol writing romantic comedy they are confident their stories are very different, but I was intrigued to find out more.
Summarise your story in a single sentence
M: Summer at Lucerne Lodge is a contemporary novel set in my fictional seaside town of Borteen about family secrets and their consequences for main characters Tanner Bryant and Rosie Phillips.
C: A Summer of Second Chances is a romantic comedy telling the story of Ava Flynn who runs a charity shop and receives a donation that unlocks secrets and passions relating to her past.
Tell us more about those stately looking homes on your covers
M: Lucerne Lodge is an almost stately home, near my fictional seaside town of Borteen. It has a wrought-iron gate, gardens and a lake. At the start of the book there is a huge marquee on the lawn to house a charity auction.
C: Dapplebury House is a stately home that has been in the Bramlington family for generations, but with changes afoot in the village, the future of the house and its estate are in jeopardy.
The house in my book was inspired by visits to Petworth House and Uppark. I was lucky enough to visit Uppark with my dad, just before the first lockdown, we wandered through the wonderful house and gardens soaking up the atmosphere.
What inspired your story?
M: I love writing about mysteries. I don’t plan my books, so I am telling myself the story as I write. At the beginning of Summer at Lucerne Lodge hero Tanner has found a private investigator’s file on his father’s desk about Rosie Phillips and wants to know why his father is so interested in her.
C: I volunteer in a charity shop and received a donation of a photo album. As I was checking the quality of it for resale I spotted a single photograph that had been left inside. My mind began to weave plots and possibilities from that.
Who is your favourite character and why?
M: Rosie is my favourite, because she goes through so much emotion in the course of the book. However, I liked one of my secondary characters so much – Buzz, a mystic man who runs a crystal shop in Borteen, that I’ve almost finished a novel about his story too!
C: I always love my K-9 characters but also fall a little for my hero because I think its important to feel the attraction my heroine has for him, so I’ll go with my lead, Henry Bramlington, who has to face up to his past and all that he has been running away from in order to forge the future he wants.
How can we find out more about you and your books?
M: My website is at www.mortonsgray.com, where you will also find a link to my weekly blog.
C: I love readers getting in touch and enjoy getting followers involved with my research. My contact and social media information can all be found on my website. http://www.carol-thomas.co.uk
As a child and into my teens I wrote voraciously. I wrote for competitions, wrote for the school magazine, wrote for the sheer joy of making images through words.
Then I entered the workplace; the Civil Service – where words meant facts, policies, rules – and I met my future husband.
We were young and infatuated with one another – we married – writing flew out of the window; there was no time to live in the imaginary world; we had the real world to explore, to live.
Seven years later, with three children under five, an old cottage half renovated, and my husband’s small business that took up a lot of time, we decided to get off the treadmill. At least for a fortnight.
Pre children, cottage and business, we holidayed abroad. Too expensive, too ambitious with three children we decided to go to Wales. David’s grandfather originated from Four Crosses, near Welshpool; we’d call there on our way to Pembrokeshire. Though, in nineteen seventy-eight, there was no easy route from the North of England to West Wales, it was still easier than going abroad.
And it was to change our lives.
We found a lovely big house that needed TLC – or so husband decided. We could afford it – or so husband thought. And with Pembrokeshire’s wonderful beaches for the children, how could we not put in a bid?
One cold, wet, miserable November, we moved from England to Wales.
Years passed, Husband started a new business, it flourished, the children had many hobbies, in the spirit of giving something back I was on every committee (usually as the secretary). We had two aunts living with us in the flat attached to the house (both of whom eventually developed dementia). We did a stint at B&B.
But I realised I was yearning to write again.
I hadn’t been allowed to stay on for the sixth form in school so, in my forties by now, I took my A level in English Literature, completed various creative writing courses, took a script writing/drama course at Swansea University, and started a BA degree course with the Open University. This took longer than I expected due to contracting breast cancer halfway through the course.
During those years I had short stories and poems published, a play performed at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea and one play filmed.
Eventually I gained a MA degree at what was then, Trinity College, in Carmarthen.
Shortly afterwards I was asked if I would tutor some creative writing classes for Pembrokeshire County Council, under an adult Lifelong Learning Scheme. Something I’m still doing. I will be so glad to get back to the classrooms once we can carry on in ‘real’ life.
I write family sagas which crosses various genres, and, over the last twelve years, I have been published by Honno, the longest-standing independent women’s press in the UK.
I made many friends in the writing world. One of those was Jan Baynham. Although she lives some miles away, we managed to meet up to ‘talk writing’. She is one of the original members of the Cardiff Chapter, now renamed the Cariad Chapter. I became a member of the RNA. Unfortunately, I was unable to go to the meetings as they were held at the same time as I was teaching, Still, I kept in touch with all the news.
The lockdown brought many problems, one of which was keeping in touch online. Eventually I bought a new laptop to replace my ancient PC which enabled me to be on Zoom and join in with RNA and Cariad Chapter meetings, and the courses and workshops.
And who knows, one of these days I’ll be able to attend one of the Romantic Novelists’ Association conferences. Certainly something to look forward to.
Joffe Books is thrilled to announce that in conjunction with literary agent Susan Yearwood and bestselling crime writer Dorothy Koomson, they are looking for a new crime fiction writer to join our list.
The competition aims to champion authors from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds writing in one of our favourite crime fiction genres: electrifying psychological thrillers, cosy mysteries, gritty police procedurals, twisty chillers, unputdownable suspense mysteries, shocking domestic noirs . . .
Whether you are writing your crime fiction debut, previously published or self-published, if you are an unagented crime fiction writer of colour, we want to hear from you!
THE PRIZE
The winner will receive a two-book publishing contract with Joffe Books.
HOW TO ENTER
Entrants are invited to submit their full-length manuscript, written in English, along with a synopsis of the book and author biography, to: prize@joffebooks.com
The opening date for entries is 1 May 2021. The closing date for entries is 30 September 2021 23.59 p.m. GMT. No entries received after this date will be accepted.
Meanwhile, some new books from Joffe Books.
DON’T BELIEVE A WORD BY PATRICIA MacDONALD 99p/99c
One phone call changes everything. Eden’s mother is dead in what looks to be a murder-suicide. She wasn’t perfect, but Eden can’t believe she could be a killer. Quick turn the page.
CONSTABLE IN THE FARMYARD BY NICHOLAS RHEA £1.99/$2.99
Chaos reigns over the north Yorkshire moors. A motley gang of eccentrics are keeping Constable Nick busy with their outrageous antics — even though there are genuine criminals to be tracked, like the most recent bane of his existence: the phantom milk bottle thief. Can Constable Nick keep the peace while maintaining his own sanity? This, Frost Magazine readers, is something I ask myself when surrounded by my children.
And finally, . THE ICE DAUGHTERS BY D.E. WHITE in audio
As the temperature drops, the body count rises: Firefighters race to a burning farmhouse to discover two young girls . . . alone. Their mother is gone and the dead body of a man is found. The only scrap of evidence is two chess pieces that have been left on the doorstep.
It happens again: a missing woman, a frozen body, chess pieces made of ice. Can Detective Dove Milson put a stop to a serial killer without putting herself in danger? Listen and learn is what Frost Magazine says.
Find out more about Joffe Books’ inaugural Crime Writing Prize here
Find out more about Joffe Books book list here
Here at Frost Magazine we are endlessly impressed by the quality and superb customer service of the artisan producers we have had the pleasure of knowing.
I caught up with Williams Handbaked again when under pressure from Dick and my own great need to spoil myself, we totted up a list of our favourite hand baked cookies, and worked our way though the individual ordering system, rather than ordering a box hamper. At the same time, our son phoned to say he MUST order more shortbread cookies, but this time dig deep to find some control or he’ll scoff the lot in one sitting, again. One daughter dare not have them in the house until the diet is at an end. She calls them the diet destroyers.
Williams tell me they are sorting out a ‘Choose your own Box’ ordering system, which will make it an altogether quicker activity. But either way, if you have tried the box hampers, then rest assured that you can order your favourites with careless abandon. I have decided that there are no calories in any of Williams Handbaked goodies. But I am a fiction writer, which after all is one big lie, so what is another?
Do any of you watch Montalbano, set in Sicily, with sub titles in English? Well, Il commissario Montalbano (Salvo if one was being familiar, which one would so like to be) leads a police procedural, but in my mind he is my new best friend, because he is also a glutton for fine food. So, as well as enjoying the Sicilian scenery, and the actual business of solving ‘who dun it’, please enjoy Salvo’s sheer unmitigated pleasure in the food he devours. He will not speak when eating, he must enjoy in peace – well quite. One of his favourites is cannoli, baked by his housekeeper Adelina. I have longed to try some.
So, when I was informed that online delicatessen Affetto Italiano would provide these, (what diet??) we had to try them.
Cannoli are Italian pastries that originated on the island of Sicily and consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling. Dick and I could not decide between chocolate, pistachio or lemon, so ordered a box of each. (We have no shame). They’re not large, three mouthfuls, or as Dick so wisely said, ‘If you don’t want crumbs it can go in in one’. It is not, though, a good look. I repeat, no calories – I repeat, I am a fiction writer, do not believe me.
We also ordered one of the most popular Italian filled pastries – Aragostine which are also far too delicious.
Affetto is an online Italian delicatessen based in Birmingham. It was formed in 2017 and works in partnership with a family-run producer and importer of fine Italian foods. Agostino is the director, a young entrepreneur that has kept his customer firmly in mind, much like another of Frost Magazine’s favourites:
Delicario , whose artisan products were delivered trouble free to the kids in wicker hampers at Christmas, but are available all year round, and of course, one can order individual items. The hampers went down a treat. I must order more of their products.
I also bought cheeses from Affetto: Asiago, Percorino with black pepper, and Scamorza affumicato. Salvo would drool.
To round off our tour of well – gluttony if we’re being honest, onto another Frost Magazine favourite … Rounton Coffee Roasters where a small group of entrepreneurs have introduced Midnight Harvest. The Midnight beans from Porta do Ceu, Brazil, have been stored in barrel aged (whisky) and let me tell you, it is pretty darned splendid. But I think aged in brandy flasks would flavour the beans just as well. I might then buy a bag of both, and their sparkling water de-caff to look less BAD.
All in all, quite frankly, and seriously, I feel Salvo and I could sit on his balcony, after treating ourselves no end, and watch the sun go down, sipping whisky or brandy barrelled Brazilian coffee with no need of speech.
How about it, Salvo? And reply came there none.
Williams Handbacked is available here
Affetto Italiano is available here
Delicario is available here
Rounton Coffee is available here
Bringing together a trio of short and unforgettable plays from one of the country’s most prominent playwrights, Caryl Churchill (Top Girls; A Number; Drunk Enough To Say I Love You), Greenwich Theatre are reopening once again with their first in-house production since December.
Led by acclaimed actor Paul McGann (Withnail and I; Doctor Who), Churchill’s earlier works will be brought to life for this limited season. Further casting will be announced in due course. Bad Nights and Odd Days will see Churchill’s rarely performed plays, Abortive, Seagulls, and Three More Sleepless Nights, reenergised for the stage under the direction of Artistic Director James Haddrell.
Exploring life-shattering events, a carousel of shifting relationships and the presence of psychic phenomena, this intimate collection of plays shows why it is so hard to categorise Churchill’s writing, blending the personal with the political, the naturalistic with the supernatural, the spoken with the unspoken.
Abortive highlights the strains of a married couple reeling in the aftermath of a shocking event; Three More Sleepless Nights details the everyday arguments and daily suppression of emotions; while Seagulls is Churchill’s powerful and personal allegory about losing the ability to write.
Director James Haddrell comments, We are delighted to be emerging from the last year of closure with this special collection of short plays. Caryl Churchill is undoubtedly one of the most important British playwrights of the past half century, and thanks to support from Arts Council England I am excited to be able to share some of her earliest, most rarely performed work. With special permission from Churchill herself to bring the pieces together under the title Bad Nights and Odd Days, I know that this collection of intimate, quietly heart-stopping dramas will offer a powerful, moving evening of live theatre – the kind of evening that we have all been missing so much.
Greenwich Theatre is excited to bring quality entertainment back to the area. The theatre continues to adhere to the ongoing government guidance, with social distancing potentially in place for indoor performances. Should the restrictions and circumstances change they will look to adjust accordingly.
Bad Nights and Odd Days: Three short plays by Caryl Churchill (Abortive, Seagulls, and Three More Sleepless Nights)
Dates Wednesday 23rd June – Saturday 10th July 2021 Tuesday – Saturday, 7.30pm Saturday matinee, 2.30pm
Running time 90 minutes (no interval)
Access Tickets are £26 (concessions £21) and can be purchased online at https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/bad-nights-and-odddays/
Age Guidance 15+ (trigger warnings: Abortion, Rape and Suicide)
Director James Haddrell Writer Caryl Churchill Producer Greenwich Theatre Twitter @greenwichtheatre Instagram @greenwichtheatre Facebook /GreenwichTheatreLondon