Messy, Luminous, Being Podcast: Recent Episodes
Sarah Beth Hunt
How can we incorporate meditation and spiritual wisdom into the messy realities of our lives? How can we think of spiritual practice as something that happens within life, rather than in retreat?
Hi I'm Sarah, and for years I trained in yoga and a form of Tibetan Buddhist meditation, but found it incredibly difficult with two young children to train in traditional ways which required me to step out of my life to sit on my own. What I have discovered over these many years is that many of us need an adapted form of spiritual practice that fits in with our lives. Especially for women whose approach to spiritual practice may be different.
This podcast is a continuing conversation about how spiritual wisdom can illuminate our messy real lives as women. Sometimes you'll get me with some stuff I've been thinking about. Sometimes you'll get me in conversation with another woman about the realities of their spiritual practice — what it's actually like, how it helps the in practical real-life situations and what inspires them most.
We are Messy. We are Luminous. And just Being.
Let's sit down and talk about exercise, health routines and the realities of life. There are lots of things I want to do for myself — whether that's related to food, exercise, cold-water immersion, meditation etc. But it's rare that things go according to plan and we all struggle to keep up a good routine. After years of trying to practice different things myself in the limited time left after kids and messy real life have their way, and working with others dealing with similiar scenerios in their homes, I'm really changed my perspective on all of these self-care practices that are genuinely so important but don't have to LOOK the way we think. Listen in and let me know what you think.
Want to get more Messy Luminous insights and inspiration each week? Come join the newsletter here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Emotional pain comes from an internal split between what our encultured mind believes and what feels deeply true in our hearts. When this emotional pain becomes stored in the body, it can be one of the most toxic disrupters of our health. So how does this happen? How do non-physical emotions get stored in the physical body, and how can we rethink the relationship between our psychological state and our physical health, as researchers are doing in the field of psycho-immunology? In this episode we talk about what inner integrity might mean, how the mind can sometimes perceive stress is 'normal' even though the body knows the truth, and what tools we can use to reclaim aspects of our own truth and inner integrity that we've abandoned along the way of messy real life.
Messy Luminous Being reflections and opportunities delivered to your inbox every week. Sign yourself up here. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Can our emotions be toxic? When it comes to stress and all those related feelings, the answer might be yes, especially if these experiences extend for days, weeks or even longer. In this episode, part of our Vital Health series, I share some new research on stress, how it is processed and stored in the body, and how we can use the natural capacity of our minds and our physiology to shift out of this negative spiral, shorten the 'refractory period' of stress and restore ourselves to health. Enjoy xx
Want to enjoy more Messy Luminous Being inspiration. Come join the newsletter and get a free copy of my ebook Embodied Transformation here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/embodied-transformation
Movement is one of the most effective ways to improve our physical, emotional and mental health. But which types of movement matter most? And how can we change the way we think about fitting them into our busy lives? In this episode, we cover resistance training, cardio and functional movement practices like yoga and pilates to discuss how these movement practices have different benefits, how we can move the way we were designed by nature, and how to rethink a new way to 'make time' to practice. Enjoy xx s
p.s. interested in trying Luminous Movement for a couple of months to see if it works for you? Tap here for details and sign up link.
Luminous Movement is a combination of yoga, pilates, functional and fascia movement designed to return our body to its natural postural alignment, re-awaken core strength, relax the nervous system and plug into the power of the present moment. It is accessible for everyone and because classes are online (live + replays) it's easy to work at your own pace and level. Best way to know if it will work for you? Try it for a couple of months and see how you feel! Questions? Email me anytime at sarah@sarahbhunt.com 💗
You are powered by sunlight. The amount of energy you feel in your body — to wake up refreshed, to exercise, to work and create and enjoy life — is directly tied to how your metabolism releases that light energy in your cells. This is where you really are a luminous being! In this episode, I share the first session from Vital Health week earlier this spring. We dive deep into the body to understand where energy really comes from, common misperceptions and how we can support the source of energy creation in the body so we start to FEEL as luminous as we are.
Get connected to Messy Luminous Being with weekly email updates & inspiration to motivate your journey. Sign yourself up here - https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Creativity is an experience that's often pushed to the edges of our lives— something we’re allowed to indulge in when all the important jobs are done. This is conversation about another role creativity could play in our lives...an antidote to anxiety. It’s about the way our brains work, the difference between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and states of mind that block our dreams versus the states of mind that bring our dreams alive. What a perfect time of year to reflect on how much anxiety is really running our daily lives and how creativity could be used as a medicine that already exists within us.
Coming up... Creative Alchemy: a month of activating health, vision & authenticity, January 1 - 30, 2025. Get access to Creative Alchemy for FREE by joining the Messy Luminous Being Whatsapp Community. Tap the link to get access...https://chat.whatsapp.com/GKEJ9SjhSyX1L3ukfI03Ym
What do you do when you know something that could help your loved one but they just don't want to hear it. How can we remain in our wise and true-to-ourselves state of being when we are in difficult relationships. This is a challenge we all face. It is the mud that grows the lotus, the obstacles that create the opportunities for deeper wisdom. This episode if a conversation and a few teachings I've been passed about how to look that the situation with a 'stuck' or unhappy loved one from a different perspective. May it be of service and activative the wise knowing inside you.
Our lovely sponsor this week is Ekotex a small family-run business making yoga and meditation products including eco-friendly mats, cushions and more. Connect and browse their collection at ekotexyoga.co.uk and use discount code MESSYLUMINOUS at checkout for 10% off!
For more Messy Luminous Being to your inbox tap here, to your Whatsapp feed tap here. 💗
It's the rare bubble of time...the quiet of the morning, before the day really gets started. We can do things for ourselves during this time that are unlikely to happen at any other time of day. But whether we're wishing for a meditation session, time with our thoughts and a journal, a regular exercise routine or something else that fills our cup and starts the day off right...it can feel like the hardest thing to weave into our busy lives. A good morning routine. In this epsiode I share some ideas for the way I have evolved my own morning routine which never looks the same from day to day. I also share my favourite tips from writers like James Clear's Atomic Habits that take a totally new approach to starting (or restarting) those practices we really wish were part of our daily lives. Enjoy xx
For the incredible tallow skin care from Freya's Kitchen head to IG @itsfreyaskitchen or online at www.freyaskitchen.com
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Can we consciously direct the body towards a stronger immune system and deeper level of health? If stress can make us sick, can we harness this power of the deeper areas of the mind to make us well? This radical perspective on health brings us into contact with the wisdom principle in the body, a deep intelligence and organising energy that lies beyond the thinking mind. This episode is a conversation about the three areas of deep health and how the wisdom principle in the body works (including the powerful teaching from the placebo effect studies and new understandings of our immune system). Understanding how to access deeper parts of the brain through breathing and meditation techniques, we can reframe not only our perspective on health but radically re-imagine our own power at directing these wisdom processes in the body. 💫
Want to learn and practice these breathing and meditation techniques? I'd love to practice with you. Message anytime on IG @sarahbhunt or email me sarah@sarahbhunt.com and I'll send you details of my monthly online classes for you to have a look.
For the delicious and heart-opening CacaoAmor head to IG @cacaoamor or online at cacaoamor.com — use MESSYLUMINOUS at checkout for 10% off 💗☕️
And to access more Messy Luminous Being including my weekly thoughts, teachings and online courses, tap here to join the newsletter and here to join the Whatsapp feed.
This episode comes as a spell to help us recast our ideas and assumptions about how to practice. Life is busy, time is a very limited resource...and yet what I continue to hear is that we woman need to be satisfied with finding scraps in the day to remember our Selves. That this is all we can really expect in these hectic times, and that sometimes taking three mindful breaths is enough. There is another more powerful way to both think about and approach sacred practice, ways to reignite our Intuition and deep Self that don't require Time in the way we're used to thinking. So come with me on a walk with bats, pheasants, autumnal trees and the wind, as we reframe what's possible for us as both everyday and sacred beings when it comes to finding moments of Presence and Inner Power in modern busy life.
I'd love to hear from you. Message me on IG here or email me at sarah@sarahbhunt.com
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deep in our hearts is a knowing of the original village -- a place where individuals were connected in community by our roles to meet each others' human needs. And in this original village was always a space for contemplation and connection to our inner world, the world of spirit, the world of the unseen forces that guide our lives. In this new season of the Messy Luminous Being Podcast we are co-creating that sacred space, the original fire circle, that used to occupy of physical reality in the village but was always truly located inside us. So when you need space to turn down the noise of the world and turn to your own inner voice, this can be your sacred tent, your higher ground, the fire circle you can step into. Onwards together xx s
In this episode I talk with Anna Neubert-Wood from Wander Women about the power of time in nature and with oneself. We discuss the "nature high", cold water swimming as a personal practice, and forest bathing. The fast pace of life can often make us miss what's going on inside of us, and Wander Women gives women the opportunity to experience a new level of self-care, slow living and reflection time. You are going to love this conversation!
To join Messy Luminous Being's new Whatsapp community and get inspiration straight to your phone tap here
Connect with Anna and all of Wander Women's offerings and wisdom on IG @wanderwomenscot and online at https://wander-women.co.uk
This second and third parts of the Nervous System Masterclass are all about activating the Calm Creative State, including new science on our brainwaves and meditation techniques, and finally some key Mindset Shifts we can make to radically reduce stress by changing the ways we think which cause stress in the first place. I can't wait to hear what you think and how you use these mindset shifts in your own messy luminous life.
There is real magic and possibility in understanding the wisdom of our nervous system, learning how to listen to it, care for it and harness its power. In this episode, I share part of a Nervous System Wisdom Masterclass I ran this month, with new science and new potentials. In terms of our nervous system and our body's reality, we live in two states of being — survival or creative. I know which one I want more of! Let's dive into this together...
Get access to the whole Nervous System Masterclass along with the MLB newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Sometimes the big picture is much bigger than we can see. In this episode, I have a conversation with Annu Tara, founder of Aurora Earth, about her perspective on the sacred earth, what she calls the 'Restorative Timeline' and the way mental constructs have created a false over-lay to natural reality. This is a conversation full of the cosmic, the sacred feminine and a chance to step into another perspective of life beyond what we can see.
Connect with Annu Tara on IG @annutara or at https://auroraearth.org to find out about Wild Wisdom and upcoming offerings.
For more Messy Luminous Being, join the newsletter here.
Your emotions are biochemisty. Your body is an energy conductor. Observing your thoughts is the most powerful technology for change (and here's why). This episode is full of science and three of the most powerful ideas of mind-body connections that can inspire us and guide us when we want to get unstuck, change or uplevel our inner experience of life. This is the mechanicals, the why and the how behind "becoming the change" we all want to see in the world.
Come hang out more with me in the Messy Luminous Being newsletter, weekly messages that will bring you gritty real-ness, meditation science and inspiration about becoming our most true and beautiful selves. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
How can we place our own life journey in a larger landscape that we might call the Mythic Dimension of our lives? In this episode, I talk with rites of passage guide, founder of the Art of Rewilding and self-proclaimed 'feral Buddhist', Natasha Lythgoe. We discuss the way wildness and mindfulness merge, how to find space for the parts of us we often don't want to claim, what rites of passage such as vision quests can be like, and how to bring the idea of the mythic dimension into our everyday lives.
You can find Natasha on IG @the_art_of_rewilding and join the Art of Rewilding Newsletter here https://www.theartofrewilding.com/newsletter-sign-up-page
For more Messy Luminous Being including the upcoming free Wisdom Apothecary download, join the newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Reverse the way you see it. This wisdom teaching from Tibetan Buddhist meditation is all about taking mind-training into the wilds of messy real life. But how do we change the way we see things? And what does it mean to say — Life is happening For you? In this episode, I wanted to share my own mental reframe process with specific real life examples. This is the kind of meditiation practice that doesn't take any time, and is happening all the time. This is mental alchemy...transforming life into the path to Awakening.
Want more Messy Luminous Being delivered straight to you each week? Plus an amazing freebie for all subscribers, the Wisdom Apothecary download coming soon. Here's the link to tell me where to send it... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
What is the relationship between the inner and the outer? Between our Soul-self that exists as part of the great mystery, and our physical body? And are there aspects of ourselves that are lying dormant and looking for places to express themselves? These are some of the many questions I talk about with the wonderful Fiona Sears, reiki practitioner, energy worker and skin-rewilding tallow maker, who insists that the things we put into and around our bodies have energy.
You can follow fiona on IG @fiona.sears and find her tallow shop on etsy @beesncoos
And if you fancy getting some "whispers from your wise self" each week, jump into the Messy Luminous Being newsletter here
In this episode, I wanted to share a moment from my own messy real life that gave me a ton of wisdom about finding a new level of self-acceptance. What is so interesting about parenting is the reality that we don't choose our children like we choose our friends. We get the children we get and life teaches us how to learn and accept and love them for who they are in all their messy beautiful humanness. The truth is, we also don't choose ourselves! We don't get to decide what we're good at or what we find difficult. So whether you're a parent or not, this is a story you need to hear about what might happen if we really accepted ourselves the way we learn to accept our loved ones. It's wisdom in the midst of messy real life. The way our life becomes the path.
Want more spiritual wisdom in messy real life? Plus a weekly delivery of 'words from your wise self' to brighten your inbox? sign up here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Wisdom has most often been passed from one generation to the next through stories. How should we live? What is our relationship with the universe and ourselves? What is the deeper meaning of our life? In all cultures, insights have been held in stories, and these stories have been told as medicine for the soul. In this episode, I talk to storyteller Claire Hewitt. We talk about how story is connected to land and place, how sometimes stories come to us at just the right time and how women's wisdom has been carried and also hidden within story.
You can find Claire on Facebook here
And you can deepen and explore your own story with Messy Luminous Being and weekly letters from your wise self here.
Your body is a sacred interface between your deep self and the 3D world of form that we live in. This is why, taking care of our bodies and learning how to communicate with our bodies in the language it understands is the most powerful way to step into our most true and beautiful version of life. In this episode I talk about what it means that our body is an interface, how to use posture and the breath to change the interface, and what that does to our experience of what we call 'reality'.
Want to see want this means in practice? I'm running a week of short 20min sessions to empower you to direct your body in a new way. This is -- Awaken the Core of You, 5-9 February 2024. For more details tap here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/awaken-the-core-of-you
How can we rediscover the natural breath? What are the biggest issues we humans living in the crazy modern world have around breathing? What does it mean to 'optimise' the breath? And how far can the breath really take you? In this episode, I talk with Dani Mae, founder of Breath Guidance and avid explorer of the power of the breath, whether that's freediving, breath techniques for athletes, breathing for health and much more. This episode is guaranteed to inspire you!
Find Dani Mae at www.breathguidance.com where you can get access to her free Breath Technique Training program. You can also connect with Dani on Instagram and Youtube @breathguidance
And...the new Messy Luminous Being Online Journal is here! Check out my series of articles on 'The Core of You' coming all this month!
Plus get Messy Luminous freebies & special offers including discounts on the upcoming Awaken the Core movement challenge 5 - 9 Feb 2024 through the MLB Newsletter.
How can we make things easier on ourselves while still creating the life we really want? How can we genuinely stop overworking, pushing ourselves beyond our limits, and running out of steam? Three inter-related ideas come to mind, as we step through the threshold of this next year, and take that moment to pause and reflect on how we're living — consistency, ease & essentialism. In this episode, Sarah shares how these three ideas converge to create a new guidance system for Effortless Effort as we head into the next year.
Get Messy Luminous messages, letters from your wise self, and more every week. Just tell us where to send them... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
If you dared to visit the Oracle, what would she tell you? A novella of magical stories and spells of wisdom. The tales of the oracle tells like seeds, like threads that weave their way into your bones and have the power to transform. She waits for you at the threshold of her white stone house above the silver mangroves and against the towering cliffs of her indigo island. And in this final tale, she invites you into a dark passageway deep inside her home.
The Oracle's Tales by Sarah Beth Hunt. Listen here to the final chapter.
This January you can get a copy of The Oracle's Tales as a free gift. Just tap here and tell me where to send the ebook. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/the-oracles-tales
For those who visit the Oracle, she shares tales in the Old Language, tales that weave their way into your bones and have the power to transform. She stands at the threshold of her white stone house above the silver mangroves and against the towering cliffs of her indigo island.
She is waiting to tell you this next story…the tale of the hungry ghosts...
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A new year's gift...Enjoying the Oracle's Tales? Get your own ebook copy here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/the-oracles-tales
The Oracle's Tales is a novella of magical stories and spells of wisdom. The oracle is a healer, and most come to her for help with their physical ailments. But this is not the oracle's true calling. The oracle is a healing of the suffering of the mind.
In this third chapter, the oracle tells you the Tale of the Wild Horses. "You have come here," she says, "thinking of yourself as an ordinary person. Someone with problems and worries and things to do. But beneath all of this you are a daughter of the grasses and a son of the stones. So listen..."
If you enjoy the story and want to get a copy of your own, head here...https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/the-oracles-tales
The Oracle speaks tales in the Old Language, tales that weave their way into your bones and have the power to transform. And if you dared to visit the her at her home by the cliff, what tale do you think she would tell you?
Once there was, and once there was not and once there will be again, a young girl who dreamed that she stood before a long path that was littered with flecks of gold... Listen now to the story of the treasure in the cave, for sometimes it is told like this, and sometimes it is told another way...
The Oracle's Tales is a novella by Sarah Beth Hunt. You can grab your own ebook copy of The Oracle's Tales. Just tap the link & tell me where to send it... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/the-oracles-tales
If you dared to visit the Oracle, what would she tell you?
The Oracle's Tales is novella of magical stories and spells of wisdom. The oracle is a healer, and most islanders come to her for help with their physical ailments. But this is not the oracle’s true calling. The oracle is a healer of the suffering of the mind…
For those who visit, she speaks tales in the Old Language, tales that weave their way into your bones and have the power to transform. She stands at the threshold of her white stone house above the silver mangroves and against the towering cliffs of her indigo island.
She is waiting for you…
Get your own copy of The Oracle's Tales ebook. Just tap & tell me where to send it... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/the-oracles-tales
As we come into the beginning of winter, how can we align our busy outer lives with our inner desire to slow down, curl up and rest? How do the energies of this season invite us to shift our inner practices like yoga or meditation? And what lies waiting for us, if we allow ourselves to really descend with this yin energy? In this episode, I talk to Marit Akintewe about seasonal yoga and the different kind of energy and inner power waiting for us when we are willing to really come into flow with this slow season.
Connect with Marit on IG @seasonalyogaedinburgh
Hey lovely! Come join us for ❄️The Great Slow Down❄️ a FREE month of quiet practices, meditation moments, inner inspiration and invitations to slow down each day in December. All online so you can weave slow moments in when it's right for you. Tap here for details https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/greatslowdown
"You will never believe or surrender to any thought that is not equal to the way your body feels." This is a powerful truth, and the thing that makes mindset work really hard. Sometimes we genuinely can't shift our mindset because our body is stuck in a totally different vibe. In this episode, I talk about how to work with our experience of embodiment and take the body along with us on our inner journey. This includes both the science and the meditation advice on how we can feel the inner body and learn what the body is saying. This is how movement can also be a method of meditation and a doorway to our inner selves and the experience of our own luminous Being.
Want to check out Luminous Movement and try practicing with me. Here's all the details https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/luminousmovement with special offer price through the end of 2023!
xx s
The benefits of mindfulness and meditation are promoted everywhere. So why aren't we all sitting? In this episode, I talk with mindfulness teacher Aiko Smith about the invisible standards we're all trying to live up to and the political and cultural reasons why we can't sit in stillness. We also discuss the forgotten power of community practice and how Aiko's own life experience made her look in the mirror and say "I'm going to save myself".
Join Messy Luminous Being's 'Inward November' month of meditation practice. Live meditation sessions every Monday, all the lovely audio meditations & breathing practices, plus extra meditation tips & practical ways of weaving stillness into busy real life. It's all happening in the Luminous Mind membership, and right now you can jump in at the Founding Members Price of £18.99. Tap here for all the details https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/luminousmind
Connect with Aiko on IG at https://www.instagram.com/aiko.means.love for mindfulness teachings, inspiration and upcoming courses.
Heading out on a walk, I started thinking about the many ways I practice mind-calming and all the ups-and-downs-and sideways realities of having a long term meditation practice when you live in messy real life. So this episode is a chat, along a woodland walk and with a few startled pheasants, about how I'm thinking about meditation now after many years of weaving it in alongside life with kids, work and a constantly changing schedule.
Join me every week through Messy Luminous messages (they're free!) Just tell me where to send them... https://messyluminousbeing.mn.co/share/5KashZscKEu8X75g?utm_source=manual
And this episode of the mLb podcast comes in collaboration with CacaoAmor. If you've wanted to try cacao as a drink, would love a new chocolate-y ritual to create intentions for the day, or want to switch to a brand of cacao that really supports ancient trees in diverse & fair growing conditions for the planet and local farmers...this is where you need to go --> https://cacaoamor.com/
Softening our self-critical voice, feeling love for ourselves when we have a human moment, and the evolving journey of meditation practice in messy real life...these are just a few of the illuminating moments in my conversation with Elena Brower, poet, Zen practitioner, mother and creative soul. Elena shares a gorgeous reframe on what life can be as a woman beyond the age of 50, and profoundly important wisdom on parenting and when we are not responsible for the course of another person's life.
You can find all the beautiful courses, mentorships and meditations Elena offers at elenabrower.com. Follow Elena on IG @elenabrower
This episode of the MLB Podcast comes in collaboration with EkotexYoga, a woman-founded and family-based company for sustainable yoga mats and props. Our practice should align with our ethos. Products contain zero plastic, mats are made from plant-based natural rubber or reclaimed PVC, meditation cushions are made with organic cotton and filled with buckwheat or spelt. Find all their beautiful products at ekotexyoga.co.uk and use code MESSYLUMINOUS at checkout for 10% off.
What a weekly dose of Messy Luminous Being? Just tell me where to send it! https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Imagine your future self, a person you are moving towards through the landscape of time. Our tendency can often be to get caught up in this week, this day, just getting through. But what would happen if we adopted a radical new mindset, one that goes against our culture of reacting only when something has gone wrong? What if we cultivated a mindset and lifestyle that focused on how we are taking care of our future self? What would this look like in the way we approach of health? What we put into our minds? How we direct and organise our time?
This episode comes to you in collaboration with the beautiful CacaoAmor, pure ceremonial-grade cacao from the ancient trees of Ecuador. This is a beautiful caffeine-free way to bring the ritual of creating Intentions into your messy luminous day! Try it for yourself and get 10% off using discount code MESSYLUMINOUS at checkout. https://cacaoamor.com/ And follow Deya, such a goddess of intention & creation on IG @cacaoamor.
Want a weekly dose of Messy Luminous Being? Just tell me where to send it... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
The energy of plants and the living world is reflected within us. In this beautiful conversation with the wise and wonderful Lucy Jones, we talk about the meaning of self-sufficiency and personal sovereignty, plant medicine, intuition and the health journey we are all on with our bodies. Growing herbs in a small patch in her garden from the age of 8, Lucy trained in both Western herbal medicine and Tibetan medicine, so she brings a unique perspective to the ways we can call on herbs for healing. You are going to love this one!
Follow and connect with Lucy Jones on IG @myrobalanclinic, online at www.myrobalanclinic.com, and check out her books Self-sufficient Herbalism, and A Working Herbal Dispensary.
And step into the flow of the Messy Luminous Being community with weekly inspiration straight to your email. Just tap here and tell me where to send it. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
We are evolving beings, meant to grow and learn and change. This episode is about the gritty, non-linear process of our efforts to step into the next version of ourselves and what we have to overcome in the process. Overcoming old versions of ourselves is something we have to do physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. Yet sometimes along our life journey a portal opens and the call to step through it is too strong to ignore.
To find out more details of the Higher Ground movement challenge 2-6 October 2023 tap here. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/higher-ground-week
To join the Messy Luminous Being newsletter tap here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Our physical bodies are the lens through which we experience life. So how we take care of our health can completely change the life we think we are experiencing! In this episode, I wanted to share my latest adventures in wellness...from a summer of eating oreos to few new shifts that are making me feel a thousand times better both physically and mentally.
If you enjoy this episode, give it wings by sending it on to a friend.
And if you'd like more Messy Luminous Being in your world, come join our weekly Messy Luminous Letters that will light up your inbox. 💗 Just tell me where to send them... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Journeying into unseen places, spirit guides and imagination as the driver of spiritual practice. What a beautiful conversation in this episode with Rhonda McCrimmon who talks with me about Celtic Shamanism, the power of listening and her own everyday efforts to embody spiritual practice in messy real life.
You can connect with Rhonda on IG @centreforshamanism and online at centreforshamanism.com
Journeying into unseen places, spirit guides and imagination as the driver of spiritual practice. What a beautiful conversation in this episode with Rhonda McCrimmon who talks with me about Celtic Shamanism, the power of listening and her own everyday efforts to embody spiritual practice in messy real life.
You can connect with Rhonda on IG @centreforshamanism and online at centreforshamanism.com
We all have a face that we show to the world. An avatar of ourselves that we present outward. But the secret we all share without really acknowledging it, is that we are all also carrying so much behind the scenes. And our experience of our inner self doesn't always match the outward self everyone sees. This episode is a wandering conversation with me about the messy realities of our search for integrity and inner alignment. A matching of our outer self with what we feel is true for us on the inside. I also wanted to share what's been going on for me this year, what I've learned, & the theme for this coming season...the re-wilding of the self. Re-wilding...what that might mean? Could a return to our essential nature and inner truths be a return home to who we truly are? Welcome to season 5 lovelies! I'm so glad to be in conversation with you! xx s
Want to join the Messy Luminous DreamTeam and get access to a monthly zoom call of Mindful Time Planning session (aka DreamTime)? Jump into the Messy Luminous Being newsletter and find out how easy it is to join me each month, step into a moment of Higher Ground and plan the next month of life! https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
There is something I think we're all looking for...and that is a life that elevates us beyond the small self and into the most true and beautiful version of who we really are. A life where this connection to our deeper self is woven into every day. A life where we create and accumulate moments of illumination. This episode shares the method behind my own spiritual practice in messy real life. Moments of Illumination is a navigation system with three aspects of practice gleaned out of years of struggle to find space and time for myself. This way of practicing has shown me that most of our spiritual connection practice stands outside time and can be woven into life through sacred moments.
Join our lovely Moments of Illumination monthly membership to come practice creating moments of illumination for yourself. You'll get a drip-feed of guidance, inspiration, short meditations and breathing practices and so much more.
TAP HERE TO FIND OUT MORE --> https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/moments-of-illumination
Our bodies are the holders of ancestral knowledge, ancestral feelings, ancestral wounds. In this episode, Tara Wild shares her journey with feminine ancestral teachings from Ireland and Britain, how we can heal our lineage and ways we all embody a place in the lineage. We are also ancestors. Tara's journey began living in London when she felt a deep call of the land and a desire to come back into felt connection with the cycles, seasons and wisdom of the earth. I loved this conversation about women's wisdom, stories of the goddess from these traditions and so much more.
You can connect with Tara on IG @tarawild. Find out more about her upcoming workshop Women of the Wells: an introduction to England's native mythology and mythic womenhere https://tara-wild.com/women-of-the-wells/
Come take a few minutes to remember yourself, to come back home. To remind yourself of what you've always known. This is where your energy really comes from, this place inside of you. This is where your true power is.
There are so many inner practices to choose from and work with. In this episode, Sarah shares her reflections on a through-line which feels like the foundation of them all. Self-love has become a complex word and we all have different associations with it. Yet the reality is, we're still not very good at doing it. It feels like this through-line is also the basis of deep and true self-love. May this episode inspire you to see the deep truth and luminosity of who you are. xx s
Give yourself the gift of weekly Messy Luminous inspiration. It's free and comes straight to you. Just head here and tell Sarah where to send them :) https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
In this episode, Sarah shares her reflections on the importance of stepping away and finding space for just ourselves. Integrating practice into messy real life is such a journey. But there are times we can also take ourselves on pilgrimage...for a walk, for a day, or for a bit longer...and rediscover ourselves in solitude.
When we are surrounded by man-made environments, it can be hard to remember that we ourselves are not man-made. We are beautifully wild. And that's why stepping out into nature, whether on a walk you do everyday, into your back garden, or into the wilds of the 'loneliest glen in scotland' (where I recorded this episode) can be a powerful reminder of the incredible living force inside of us and who we really are. Come with me into Glen Lyon and reorient your inner world back to your deep wild nature.
My son told me recently that the reason he likes to climb mountains is because at the top, you can really hear 'the great nothing'. My whole being stopped when he said that, because I know exactly what he means. The deep, expansive space. The great quiet that also lies within us. This is a fertile space. A stillness that speaks. And when we learn to quiet the noise of our mind, we can find it.
This March 2023 I am running my 4 week Messy Luminous Meditation Course online. To find out more and join me in the Great Quiet, head here...(25% off for podcast listeners!) https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/meditation-course-communitydiscount
The deep value of practice, learning how to stablise our inner Witness, the revelancy of traditional yoga teachings to modern life and so much more. In this episode I talk to Marit Akintewe, advanced yoga teacher and director of Seasonal Yoga in Edinburgh. Come sit with us as we spiral through the seasons, yoga tradition and into ourselves.
You can find Marit on IG @seasonalyogaedinburgh and online at www.yogawithmarit.com
Want to invite spiritual practice into messy real life? Get some Messy Luminous Being weekly inspiration for free! Just tell me where to send it —> https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
For beautiful & sustainable yoga accessories head to www.ekotexyoga.co.uk & use promo code MESSYLUMINOUS at checkout for 10% off!
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Challenges in our life are inevitable. We have been taught to wish for calm seas and smooth sailing in life, but the truth is, it is often the challenges that bring us the opportunity for deeper transformation. This episode is about how to shift our mindset around our 'problems' and use them as soil for becoming wiser, more authentic versions of ourselves.
For your own cup of delicious Cacao, head to www.cacaoamor.com and use promo code MESSYLUMIOUS for 10% off.
And for weekly Messy Luminous inspiration plus inside information on upcoming meditation courses and coaching opportunities join the community here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Presence alone is healing. No one tells us this. We are taught that in order to heal our bodies, our minds, our relationship, we have to 'do' something more. Yet so often, the most powerful medicine we can give ourselves is Attentive Stillness. In this episode, Sarah talks about the meaning of effortless effort (wu wei), the power of our attention and how we can use simple attention or observation to heal ourselves.
To join the Awaken yoga morning challenge week, Feb 6-10 head to https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/awaken-spring-2023
To stay connected, come hang out with me in your inbox... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
And to get your hands on the most delicious Cacao, head to www.cacaoamor.com, use promo code MESSYLUMINOUS for 10% off
The deep value of practice, learning how to stablise our inner Witness, the revelancy of traditional yoga teachings to modern life and so much more. In this episode I talk to Marit Akintewe, advanced yoga teacher and director of Seasonal Yoga in Edinburgh. Come sit with us as we spiral through the seasons, yoga tradition and into ourselves.
You can find Marit on IG @seasonalyogaedinburgh and online at www.yogawithmarit.com
Want to invite spiritual practice into messy real life? Get some Messy Luminous Being weekly inspiration for free! Just tell me where to send it —> https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
For beautiful & sustainable yoga accessories head to www.ekotexyoga.co.uk & use promo code MESSYLUMINOUS at checkout for 10% off!
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Experiencing the death of a beloved one is one of our shared human experiences. In this episode, Sarah shares her experience of the death of her father and the incredible life lessons she found in that process.
Messy Luminous Being is about the messy realities of the spiritual life. It's about how our meditation, yoga and other inner practices can illuminate what is sacred and luminous within us as we navigate crazy modern lives. For weekly inspiration straight to your inbox TAP HERE --> https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Are you successful? How do you define success for yourself, and how does this impact what you feel grateful for? In this episode, I share my own evolving feelings about the idea of succcess, which is another code-word for self-worth. And I also talk about what happens when we Slow Down enough to re-imagine other frameworks for our worth and ways of defining what success in life means for us.
If you'd like to join me for a month of FREE practices & inspiration to slow life down...come join The Great Slow Down here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/the-great-slow-down
We have a tendency to go looking for the things we want. It seems counter-intuitive to sit down and have faith that those things will come to you. And it is. In so many ways, inner practices like meditation work differently than everything else we're used to in the busy world of accomplishing tasks and getting things done. This process of Being, of receiving, of becoming, feels so magical when we get into the flow of it. But we need a little mindset shift in order to get there! When we sit down, we aren't looking for calm or insight. We are waiting for them to come to us. Enjoy this episode!
(Hey lovely! In honour of winter, I'm running a FREE series called The Great Slow Down. It starts on 1st December 2022, so if you want to join us, hop into the Messy Luminous Being newsletter here so you don't miss out! https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing)
This episode is all about discovering our personal sovereignty and honouring the process of birth — whether that's a child, a creative project, or an aspect of our lives. Clem Cocquet of @wisewomenvillage is a birth and postpartum doula and shares some beautiful reflections on the three aspects of preparation, emergence and integration that come with the birthing process. We also discuss stages of women's life journeys and how we can expand our awareness of when the energy of creation and expansion should be channelled inward.
You can find Clem on IG @wisewomenvillage and https://www.wisewomenvillage.com
When we start something new, it always feels a little hard and awkward. We're not yet sure we're doing things right. We're getting used to everything. But if we stick with a practice long enough, what happens? For awhile we may get into a grove and just enjoy the ride. Yet journeys are always evolving and this episode is about what happens when you feel ready for a new depth or a shifting of gears. We're talking yoga journeys here, but this process is really applicable to any practice in our life. Enjoy!
Our body is a highly intelligent, self-healing organism. But do we believe it? And do we know how to allow the body to inact this intelligence? In this episode, I talk to Caz Hitchcock, founder of The Gravity Technique, human movement expert and the most sympathetic, gentle and profoundly effective body magician I've ever known. We talk healing, ways we process the external environment through the physical body, mastering relaxation and more. You're going to love this one!
Connect with Caz on IG @gravitytechnique or https://gravitytechnique.com
For all that CacaoAmor deliciousness, use promo code MESSYLUMINOUS on IG @cacaoamor or https://cacaoamor.com
And if you want my Honest Letters from Messy Luminous Real Life this month...join the newsletter here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
There is a middle way between our relentless push to Make Things Happen and Giving Up. A middle way of working beyond trying to control every step in a process and completely letting go. This episode is about the power of stillness, the power of simply observing, noticing and Seeing More. And it's about what can happen when we try this middle way.
What goes in comes out. It's easy to dismiss this simple truth when life gets busy and meals start to feel like one more thing to juggle. But at a basic level we know that the fuel we put into our body is one of the foundations of our well-being and influences so much about our energy and the way we feel. This episode will re-inspire you to pay attention to what you are putting in. Charlotte shares her reflections on how stress & perfectionism influence our health, the truth about blood sugar balance, and how we can get back into the joy of good nutrition in super simple ways. She also shares a few quick wins to get back on track!
You can connect with Charlotte and get more info on her Wellness Angels program on Instagram @balancore_nutrition
And for weekly Messy Luminous pick-me-ups come join the newsletter — https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Welcome to Season 4 of the Messy Luminous Being Podcast. We're starting this season with a conversation about our energy — how it gets knocked out of alignment and how to retune to what is true and beautiful inside of us. We are primarily energetic beings, and the way we feel determines so much of how we experience our life. Everyday people and experiences either help us retune to a beautiful state inside ourselves, or knock us out of tune. So how can we practice retuning to ourselves in the midst of messy real life?
In this episode I talk to Justine Nagaur about how our energy field works and the way it underlies our experience. We discuss the transformation that happened to Justine when she stopped resisting physical pain and invited pain in as a teacher. We explore the intertwining of the physical and the energetic. And we have fun talking crystals, moon circles and so much more. This is your permission to explore the energetic world within you.
Connect with Justine on IG @justinenagaur and www.aurorafacets.com (and go find out about her amazing Moon Circle!)
To jump into the Stress-full to Zen-full week with me head to: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/stressfull-to-zenfull
We can so easily dismiss small moments, short practices, small habits. In our search for bigger changes in our lives and in the world, we assume we need big solutions and radical 180 degree shifts. In this episode I talk about why it's the small moments we need to pay most attention to, and the small practices that have the greatest transformative power.
If this episode resonates with you, let's journey together each week with Messy Luminous Being. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
What does it mean to bring consciousness into our work? Can our working life be an essential part of our spiritual practice? In this episode, I talk to Nikki Trott, founder of the Conscious Accelerator and Going Conscious Podcast. She shares what it means to use more feminine energy in our working life, new ways to think about intentions, goals and growth, and the immense power of surrendering to the unknown.
Find Nikki on IG @going.conscious or at www.goingconscious.com
And if you haven't joined the Messy Luminous Being email list, you won't want to miss what's coming up! https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
The mind is the place of our own unlimited nature. It is the place of our deepest level of health. This episode is about a simple practice that will inspire you to weave meditation moments into everyday life. It is about finding the luminosity of our minds when we try new things & create new possibilities. It is a practice to bring the depth of you into the everyday.
In this episode, I talk with Deya of CacaoAmor all about Cacao — hot drink, incredible plant medicine and opportunity for ceremony and deep inner connection. Deya shares her journey through South & Central America to learn the traditional cacao ceremony. We discuss the meaning of cacao, her thoughts on intention versus expectation, and ways to let life unfold rather than cling to control. Deya is the founder CacaoAmor.
Connect with Deya on IG @cacaoamor & order yourself some delicious cacao to try at home! www.cacaoamor.com
Inner freedom is what we feel when stress is no longer draining our energy. When we learn to manage our stress response and train our minds into new, healthy pathways. In this episode I talk about the things you may not know about stress, and real ways to move beyond it so that you felt truly free.
Get more Messy Luminous Being into your week by signing up for weekly emails. Inspiration + freebies + courses & deeper dives into mindful living in messy real life.
TAP HERE: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Our harsh judgement of ourselves stops our growth. And yet it's so hard to get out of the habit of bullying ourselves into make the changes we want to see in our lives. In this conversation I talk to Erika Belanger, yoga teacher and founder of On & Off the Mat Podcast about yoga as a method for working differently within ourselves. How can we put down our judgements and learn to love and trust ourselves? This is where the true yoga lives.
Frustration. Disappointment. Fear that it's not working. Whenever these feelings start to come up for me, it's because I'm having trouble trusting the process. My expectations are off...especially on "how long it should take". Whether it's in our working lives, our relationships, our health or our personal growth, learning to stick with the process and keep going is essential if we want to see the results we're after. Here's what I doing to keep myself in that trusting-the-process zone!
What does practicing yoga or meditation off the mat really mean? Can work be another path to mindfulness? In this episode I talk to Kiara Harper Ufomba of Squirhill, a mindful working space. We discuss the challenges of working in corporate, running your own business, and how she used the power of the breath and mindset to stop racing through life and begin to find balance.
Connect with Kiara on IG @squirhill or www.squirhill.com
For more details on my new Lit Up monthly membership head here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/litupmembership
Is it just me or is there a lot of "blah" feelings around? In this episode I talk about ways I'm working with myself in low energy. When I need to pause and feel it. When I need to intervene and shift that energy with some practices. And what I do when I just don't feel like making the effort to feel better! Sign up for a FREE week of energy, inspiration and renewal, just in time for Spring! Revitalise: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/revitalise
This has inspired me to teach some of the things I need to hear at the moment. So all next week I'm running a series of FREE mini-sessions called Revitalise, including things you probably still don't know about stress & how to get beyond it, ways to manage and tune our energy and the science behind the vast power of our mind.
Access the free mini-series here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/revitalise
You did not come into this life to finish that report, to write the perfect email, to run the shop, to finish the laundry. You did not come here to be like someone else, to be liked by everyone else, to do the right thing, to always know the right thing to do. You did not come here to do. You are a being of light.Your real work here in this life is to find the light inside of you. To know it, to be it. This is what you were really made for. (Be reminded of who you really are...every week. https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing)
Meditation tradition has a different perspective and approach to Emotional Intelligence than modern psychology. In this episode, I talk about three aspects of Emotional Intelligence — the underlying nature of our feelings, the importance of the 'refractory period', and the science behind our 'emotional home'.
Want some weekly inspiration from Messy Luminous Being? Tap here and tell me where to send it: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Creating space when things feel crowded and overwhelming...this is what yoga can do for us. In this episode I talk with yoga teacher Becca Ryder about peeling back the layers of the self, ways yoga helps with anxiety and how to practice Mandala yoga.
You can find Becca on IG @yogawithbecca and at https://yogawithbecca.uk
There is a moment when our willpower fails us, when our efforts to push ourselves stops working, when we run out of steam. And when we're trying to make a positive change in our lives or start a new self-care practice, this can be so disappointing! In this episode, I wanted to talk about motivation. What works, what doesn't, and the new way I'm motivating myself to bring in new practices this year. Motivation that comes from an uplifting and ever-renewing energy source, so we create change that lasts.
Support yourself with the Messy Luminous Being newsletter (it'll be your favourite email each week!) https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
So we can step out into the world Whole. That is the purpose behind all of our practices. In this episode, I talk to Katonah yoga teacher Mary Dana about the way Katonah yoga maps the inner terrain as a 'magic square', and ways we look inward to experience the wholeness of ourselves. We also discuss the patterns of nature as they exist on the macro and micro levels within us, and how small practices can be big in the wider picture of our lives.
It's been on your radar. Maybe it's been an intention for a long time. You want to start (or re-start) a meditation practice. But you're not sure you can do it. You often struggle to sit still. Your mind is busy, distracted and restless. And finding the time feels like a constant battle.
If you've been thinking about starting meditation, listen to this episode!
And if you want to create a consistent meditation routine, check this out: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousmeditation
What does it feel like when you are LIT UP?! When you are being the truest expression of you? Your vision expands. You dream bigger. You see new possibilities.
What if you created a vision for the new year from that place? Would you see new horizons...for how you could feel, for your career & creativity, for your relationships, for your experience of joy & enthusiasm for life?
You better believe you would. And you know what else...
You'd also be better resourced to create the pathway to those dreams.
Sunday 19 December 8-10pm GMT / 3-5pm EST come feel LIT UP!
https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/lit-up
This is the most powerful and transformative session I've ever created. Give yourself the gift of your most Lit Up self.
How can we find our way back to ourselves? Beneath the layers. To the place where we are enough. Messy Luminous Being is celebrating it's 100th episode with some golden wisdom from some favourite guests. We're hear about:
Keeping our practice simple so it can continue effortlessly...from Clem Cocquet (ep 005)
The mentality of our homes as our monastery...from Mellissa Berry Appleton (ep 015)
Simple connection in difficult times...from Catherine Annis (ep 034)
Practicing with kids, away from kids & late at night...from Lucy Holtom (ep 040)
And the subtleties that come from our simple practices that we don't want to miss...from Sarah Clark (ep 079)
What would it be like to feel inspired by yourself. To feel that energy of Empowerment and Growth and truly connect with your own Potential. In this episode, I talk about that energy we're all looking to bring into our life — inspiration. And what it might mean to step towards our own beautiful inner state where we find inspiration on the deepest level. Your life is your own work of art.
Choose your path:
Inspire yourself every week through yoga... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousyoga
Inspire yourself & your luminous mind... https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousmeditation
Yoga is not about controlling the body. It's about finding freedom. In this episode I talk with the wonderful Suzanne Goddard of SheGlowYoga about mindset, mindfulness and yoga through all the stages of womanhood. Suzanne reminds us that there is incredible power that comes with the changes women experience throughout life. We also get real about the messiness of motherhood & menopause. This is yoga at it's best!
Connect with Suzanne on IG @sheglowyoga
For a feminine approach to Core Strength, there's the Messy Luminous mini course Awaken Your Core (and it's FREE!) Access the course here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/awakenyourcore
Taking care of ourselves shouldn't feel like one more thing on our To Do list. But it can feel like that sometimes. In this episode I wanted to share how I have shifted my mindset around practices that 'fill up my tank', especially at super busy times where lots of output is required!
Want to see how this can work in your life too? Why not try out a month of Messy Luminous Yoga? Come drink the Kool-Aid, as us American kids of the '80s would say ;)
https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousyoga
How can we understand joy as our natural state? How can we connect our individual meditation and yoga practice to the collective, so that we do less harm in the context of systemic injustice? How can emotional sensitivity become a superpower? These are some of the questions that arose in my conversation with Liz Getman. Liz is a yoga teacher, writer and podcaster who talks about our Big *S self and why "my liberation is connected to your liberation". You are going to love this conversation!
Connect with Liz on IG @lizgetman and www.lizgetman.com
And if you want to try the FREE 5 day Messy Luminous mini course Awaken Your Core --> https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/awakenyourcore
Feeling strong, energetic and able to move with ease are important ways we feel "luminous". That's why I believe Core Strength is a foundation of luminous being. In this episode I talk about why the core is even more important than we tend to think. I also share how we can shift habits in the body, habitual ways that we move, that may be causing us pain.
And I made something FREE for you... a messy luminous mini course called Awaken Your Core. 5 days of short videos straight to your inbox.
Here's the link to get access: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/awakenyourcore
This episode is self-care on a whole other level. In this conversation I talk to Ashley Sondergaard, yoga teacher and astrology expert about the forces that move within us and how we might understand ourselves better. We talk about women's relationship to the moon, how she uses birth charts to create customised self-care routines and the everyday struggles of implementing these in a life of work, kids and busy life.
Connect with Ashley on IG @ashleysondergaard.yoga or at ashleysondergaard.com
Want some Messy Luminous Being for yourself? Come practice with me.
Messy Luminous Yoga: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousyoga
Messy Luminous Meditation:
https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousmeditation
Usually we bring practices into our life for a purpose. We want to feel energetic, we want to get rid of back pain, we want to get rid of that stressed-out feeling inside. We have big asks of yoga & meditation. Sometimes we expect a lot from an individual practice session. So what do we do when practices doesn't go as planned? And how can we be open to the benefits of detours and the aim of 1% better...Would it help us stick with it and help us achieve what we're really after?
**Getting a little bit of that Luminous feeling in messy real life isn't as difficult as you think. And implementing & following through is always easier with support and accountability. So if you'd like to practice with me, you can find all the details of Messy Luminous Yoga and Messy Luminous Meditation here:
https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousyoga
https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousmeditation
You know that saying, everywhere you go, there you are? In this episode I talk to Sarah Lang, creator of Mindful Mamas, who has been living with her young family on a remote island north of Australia. She shares her own journey with mindfulness and two small children away from family and friends. We talk about following the breadcrumbs of what feels good, how small moments can be transformed into truly nourishing ones, and ways to shift our perception of Time so we enjoy more of it.
You can find Sarah on FB at: https://www.facebook.com/sarahalangmindfulmama
Sometimes the things that make me feel good don't involve a lot of comfort. And sometimes what's comfortable in the moment doesn't make me feel very good in my day. This episode is about the relationship between comfort, discomfort and what I think of as the 'big payoff'...which is that feeling of energy, vitality and being in the flow. It's about getting out of the habit of just "falling into our day" almost by accident, and instead getting back into a morning habit that helps us feel good all day. And it's about getting through very minor discomfort (like getting out of that cozy bed a little earlier) that is absolutely a million times worth it!
What a beautiful way to kick off season 3! Join me and the amazing Caz Hitchcock of The Gravity Technique as we discuss the 'process' of setting up a wellness routine, the biggest misconception we have about how our bodies work, and the myths we mistakenly believe about ageing.
Connect with Caz on IG @gravitytechnique
Welcome to the Harness Your Inner Momentum Challenge.
This is day 1.
To join the challenge and get all 7 days of audio, head to: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/harnessyourinnermomentum
In this 7 day meditation challenge, you'll get sparks of inspiration, learn how to build a bridge from the hectic energy of your outer life and spend a few minutes connecting with your own inner awareness. The best part is, you can do these meditations anywhere — on a walk, sitting in your kitchen, standing at your back door...practice in messy real life wherever you find yourself.
No matter how busy life gets around us, we each have the power to harness our own inner momentum and the luminous potential of our own minds.
In this episode, I have a conversation with Vani Shiroor about a traditional form of Indian sand art she uses as a daily mindfulness practice. Vani reminds us that creating inner space and calm minds doesn't require a meditation cushion, but can be done creatively, in our homes as a daily ritual. She also talks about the importance of this art being done at the threshold of the home, what that signifies for our inner life, and how brushing this art away each day has been the most powerful practice of letting go.
Check out Vani's amazing sand dot art courses on IG @dot_ur_minds
P.s. if life has suddenly gotten way to busy and your mind is feeling it — July is a perfect time to create some inner space!
Messy Luminous Being is inviting you to challenge yourself to 5 minutes of stillness practice every day in July...the catch? You practice standing with eyes open.
Disrupt the limiting belief that meditation and a calm mind requires a meditation cushion and time alone in complete silence. This July Messy Luminous 5 minute meditation challenge is free and I can't for you to see what 5 minutes a day can do! Details in the newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
There is a secret risk to cultivating a beautiful state of mind and living our most luminous life. We all probably feel it, but it can lie beneath the surface unacknowledged. In this episode I talk about the “risk” that comes with embodying our luminous life, why it’s totally worth taking, and the story about coloured houses in Wales that was the best teacher.
P.s. Have you signed up for the Messy Luminous Being weekly newsletter? Never under-estimate what little drips of practice, moments of stillness and a weekly ray of light into your email inbox can do! This is a weekly drip-feed of thoughts and motivation to help you move towards a luminous inner life even in the inevitable messiness of outer life. xx Sarah. Sign up here https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
In this episode I talk to Lisa Valentine about her journey from self-taught yoga and meditation lover to a yoga teacher and studio owner immersed in yin and mindful flow yoga. Lisa shares a lot about the process of giving herself permission to make her yoga practice her own. She has some beautiful words of wisdom on how to explore the different ways of practice that feel right to you and how to allow your practice to change and evolve over time.
You can connect with Lisa on IG @lisavalentineyoga and lisavalentineyoga.co.uk
This episode is an on-the-ground, messy real life story of what I have learned about life, the mind and myself during our house move. I often find that personal situations give me the biggest lessons. Selling our house and moving 8 hours north to Scotland has given me a huge opportunity to work with stress, uncertainty and my own expectations. There are 4 big lessons I've learned about the mind in the process, and a metaphor I want to share with you which has absolutely saved me over the past six months.
In this episode, three speakers from the Forward From Here online summit share their thoughts on reframing the past pandemic year. Melissa Berry Appleton, Zen chaplain and mother of three shares her thoughts on coming into better relationship with uncertainty and recognising how much choice we really have. Liza Kindred, founder of EffThisMeditation shares the power of looking closely at moments of discomfort. And Clem Cocquet, founder of Scapa, reframes how we can use time in new beneficial ways and why a better future is found by working at the intimate level.
Listen to the entire conversations with Melissa, Liza and Clem, and get access to all the speakers from the Forward From Here Summit by signing up FREE here:
https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/forwardfromheremay2021
This episode is my little download from the universe this week while I was out for a run. It's my reflections on how different running can be when I shift what's going on in my mind (i.e. the chat about how I hate running!) and ask myself — how can I let this feel easier? I have used this same approach and this very same question in my meditation practice for years. In fact, it's what has helped me maintain a consistent meditation practice over the years despite having two little kids and all the messy life things. So I wanted to talk today about what it might mean to create not physical but mental fitness. Because we're always training the mind in something. Sometimes that's worry, or stress or distraction. Or we can choose to create mental fitness by training our minds in resilience, gratitude, joy and presence. We choose by what we practice.
Sending you all love and if you enjoy this episode, I'd love for you to share it with a few friends. This helps me support this tiny podcast more than you know!
- in this episode I mention my monthly meditation support membership Breathing Space. It's there for anyone who wants to keep up a meditation practice. If you resonate with my messy luminous approach and you wish you were more consistent about taking time to connect inward, this is where you want to be. And I'd love to spend more time with you! xx s
Details at https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
In this episode, I talk to yoga teacher Monique Fryer about her favourite mantra — you're doing better than you think. We also talk about how time management and putting down our phones and social media can be part of our spiritual practice. She also shares ways to shift out of assumptions about our ageing bodies and what is considered inevitable (but shouldn't be)! This is a million-and-one mini mindset shifts in one inspiring conversation.
You can find Monique on IG @moniquefryeryoga and at www.moniquefryeryoga.com
There's been a moment when you've seen how incredible you can be. When you've felt how expansive joy is, or how a higher ground perspective brings you to a place of total peace even when life is still messy and complicated. You've felt it. You felt it strongly enough to believe it. That's why you are I are both here having this conversation. This episode is an invitation to turn our gaze to the horizon and define ourselves by our potential. It's also about facing the experience of getting unstuck from our habits and the biggest reason we stay in our smaller self.
In a world that is always pushing forward, always busy, and almost always overwhelming, what does it mean to take the backwards step? In this episode, I talk to Sarah Clark, yoga teacher and Buddhist practitioner about how she integrates practice into busy life. Sarah has some gorgeous advice about how to cut through habits of our mind-hearts, displacing the causes of suffering. And her greatest advice for herself and all of us is — don't miss it. The subtle shift that is the long-tail of the practice.
You can find Sarah at https://www.sarahclarkyoga.com and on IG @sarahclark_interconnected
This episode is sponsored by The Nutritional Therapist. For details of the 14 Day Spring Cleanse: https://spring.cleanse.pages.ontraport.net or on FB @LucyBishop.DNN
I've wanted to get up early and take advantage of the dawn quiet for years. But with little kids who didn't sleep, and my own need for a good 7-8 hours, it always felt like such a struggle and something that really wore me down. After reading The 5am Club, I wanted to try again. In this episode, I talk through what didn't work before and how I'm trying to harness the mornings with a new gentler intention that involves less 'push' and more 'ease'...with all the benefits of a lovely start to my mornings.
Messy Luminous Being — add more inner well-being to your week (luminous mind, self-kindness and messy real life tips straight to your inbox) https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
Our bodies are ecosystems, webs of connection, with the qualities of rivers, forests, lakes and mountains. In this week's episode I talk with acupuncturist Hannah Swift about the very grounded nature of our connection to our inner self. She shares how our weakness can often also be our great strength, how worry and overthinking come not from the head but from the spleen, and the one health tip everyone can do to create more inner wellness.
You can find Hannah at www.yellowempress.net and on IG @yellow_empress_acupuncture
Practice. Sitting down and being still and watching our minds. This is the only way to get where we want to go. We can't read ourselves there. We can't watch Eckhart Tolle on YouTube until we 'finally get it'. At some point, we have to stop the tendency to sit on the sidelines listening to others and bravely step into practice. In this episode, I talk about how we get stuck in study, how we can re-learn to trust ourselves and our own experience, and how to create a practice that we can really stick with.
Want to learn more about my monthly meditation membership Breathing Space? https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
We all have goals. And having hopes for the future and dreams of change are part of the creative expression of our life. But if we're honest, many of our goals are born from a negative judgement about where we are right now. In this episode, I talk to Cynthia Joanne, yoga teacher, animal lover, and global traveler, who has some pretty amazing reflections on the process of change, how we think about our goals and what intentions we bring to the process. We also talk scuba diving, yoga practice, and how the Yamas and Niyamas gave her a new 90/10 rule for life.
You can find Cynthia and links to all her online classes on IG @cynthiajoanneyoga
If we picture our inner experience like an inner sky, does that change what we think we're looking forward with meditation practice? In this episode I share my own reflections about the inner sky we each experience and how we can learn to be okay being ourselves whatever our inner sky looks like today. I'd love to hear your thoughts after your listen, so DM on IG @sarahbhunt and join the Messy Luminous Being weekly emails (they are the best!) https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
We are, quite simply, a part of the natural world, and the same processes and rhythms that govern the world around us also work within us. In this episode I talk to botanist, mother, wild flower meadow tender and botanical skin care product creator Sally Gouldstone. This conversation is full of Sally's insights about how we relate to the natural world and what we can rediscover about ourselves (as well as super incredible stories about Borneo jungles and Madagascar snakes!). Find Sally on IG @seilich_botanicals or at www.seilich.co.uk (Seilich is the Gaelic word for willow.)
What does it mean for us to be women practicing meditation through a tradition handed down largely by men? I have often found myself as a woman and mother, feeling like my meditation and yoga practice never lives up to the standard, that because I am practicing within a life with children, household pressures and modern working life, that my practice is always 'imperfect' or 'not right'. Recently I have reframed my own role as a woman bringing a new kind of creative and energetic methodology to the way we might work spiritually within ourselves. In this episode I want to share my vision for what women and feminine vision can bring to the way we practice meditation and yoga. I'd love to hear what you think!
And if you haven't already signed up for my weekly emails, you can get all the messy luminous-ness FREE at https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeing
How can we create a daily yoga and mind-calming practice that responds to what we really need? In this episode, I talk with yoga teacher Melissa Ingles about yoga movement, breathing and meditation as an evolving journey, how journalling is one of the best ways to nurture ourselves and exactly how we can intuitively listen to what we need today. You can find Melissa on IG @melissainglesyoga and at www.melissainglesyoga.com
When does less effort get us more results? When does less choices feel like freedom? When do less decisions create more time? These are questions that have come out of my efforts to bring the spirit of meditation and mindfulness into the practical areas of my life. Just like we are trying to direct our thoughts towards things that serve us, that cultivate joy and kindness and wisdom, and away from our habits to be overly critical or stuck. Similarly we want to direct our most precious resources — our time and our energy — towards the things that really matter to us and impact our life experience, rather than getting caught up in ineffective busyness. This is inner essentialism at its most powerful.
In this episode, I share my favourite moments from three speakers in the Forward From Here summit. Lydia shares her efforts to integrate "me time" into every area of her life, Aiko talks about the daily wrestle with time and Steph shares the meaning of Kali energy and how it represents the energy of this crazy moment we are living through. I'll be running the Forward From Here online summit again in late March and you can sign up now (it's FREE!) here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/forwardfromheremarch2021
This question came up in a group discussion recently and I wanted to spend this episode sharing a personal story as well as Buddhist & meditation teachings related to the question. If there is one motivation that drives my work, my business and my own personal meditation practice, it is this question. I hope this honesty helps and inspires us to keep practicing so that whenever anyone in our life reaches out a hand, we are there with wisdom and compassion to take it.
In this episode, I talk about getting out of the mindset of striving for perfect. Perfect is a concept made up by the ego-mind. Here's how I'm thinking about it instead, but a few sneak peeks from the Forward From Here summit speakers Dani Mae, Clem Cocquet & Natasha Lythgoe on exhaling, expanding time and moving into right relationship with ourselves...much more precious than 'perfect'.
Get your weekly reminder to love yourself and remember who you really are https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeingpodcastnewsletter
We might think we get energy from our food or how well we sleep, but the real energy we need right now comes from something else entirely. Excitement. Enthusiasm. One of the missing pieces for me in my own meditation practice was understanding that the true source of our energy is in our minds. Meditation isn't just about learning to calm the mind, let go of our worries and stress. It also gives us a pathway into an entirely new source of energy. In this episode, I explain what I mean, give some concrete examples & hopefully inspire you to experience this for yourself!
To get into action & boost your practice, join me for my upcoming 6 week course. Details here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/forwardfromherecourse
Certain moments stand out in a lifetime. For us, this pandemic, and most importantly how we go forward from it, might be the most important question of our generation.
This is a question we need to reflect on in conversation with others. So in this episode, you'll get a sneak peek at some of the conversations included in the Forward From Here online summit.
The week-long Forward From Here Summit is FREE and starts 18 January 2021. Grab your place now & get access to all the amazing speakers at https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/forwardfromhere
It has been my question for most of this year. With all the drastic and sudden changes to our lives during the pandemic, we have also learned a lot about ourselves, our families, and our global communities. We have learned what we really miss, what we value most and what things we can surprisingly do without. Sitting in this moment at the turn of the year we know two truths — all things are transient including this pandemic and we have a choice about how we step into the next part of our lives. So how do we want to go forward?
This episode is a reading from the first chapter of my book Forward From Here (available now on Amazon).
And this is only the beginning of the conversation! The Forward From Here virtual summit is almost here — and you can grab your place FREE and get access to all the amazing speakers by heading here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/forwardfromhere
How long does it take to make lasting, observable changes in our brains? This is the question neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson set out to discover...and the results of several decades of research are so inspiring, even for beginners! In this episode I share what I learned from the recent online summit on Science & Meditation. It will tell you what we know so far about what meditation does to the neuropathways in the brain, how much practice it takes and ultimately how we can "train the mind to be happy"! You are going to feel so inspired by what scientists have discovered!!!
This is an episode about how we come home to ourselves. It is about getting to know ourselves below the neck and beneath the words, about connecting in to the depth of our human experience. Sometimes it takes being out in nature and really allowing its wisdom and aliveness and presence to be felt for us to then know who we truly are. I know you are going to love this gift of a conversation with Natasha Lythgoe, who runs nature connection retreats, guides vision quests and leads The Art of Rewilding. Connect with Natasha on IG @the_art_of_rewilding
Whenever we put our creative work out into the world...or whenever we express our authentic truth, we open ourselves up to criticism. Behind closed doors we might tell ourselves not everyone is going to like our work (or like us!) and that's okay. But the truth is, criticism not only hurts when it happens, the fear of criticism can prevent us from creating and being authentically ourselves in the first place! This episode is about my own evolving relationship with criticism. I share the mind-training practices and mindset shifts that have helped me over my years as a writer (and now podcaster), and a new perspective of criticism that can help us find the courage to keep creating & keep living as our messy luminous authentic selves.
Small movements, brief moments, these have more value than we often realise. They can sneak up on us when we look up at the night sky and feel that clarity reflected within ourselves. They can come through gentle movement of the body. And we can cultivate those small drops in our day-to-day to bring true transformation. In this conversation, I talk to yoga teacher Meghan Hatalla about her own practice with Soma Yoga, giving ourselves permission to make small moments meaningful, and how she's getting more intentional about the way she uses her time, energy and attention this year. Find Meghan on IG @megtalla
When we think about meditation, most of us probably imagine sitting somewhere on a cushion with our eyes closed. But meditation, or mind-training, is actually a range of practices — and some of the ones I find most effective happen "on the go" when I look like I'm doing anything but "meditating". In this episode, I share the range of practices I do every day to reduce mental distress and increase my inner access to joy, gratitude, acceptance, compassion and peace of mind. I live in a busy world with kids, work and laundry. So my practice is my own version of Messy & Luminous. I hope this is helpful and I'd love to hear what your practice is like! IM me on IG @sarahbhunt xx
How can we learn to get into the flow and allow things to be easy? (Or at least easier...) In this episode, yogi Claire Graham reflects on the way we experience the fluxuations of yin and yang energy. She highlights how we are taught if we are not directing things and "making things happen" we are failing...and why this is exactly the opposite to the wisdom of yin and getting into the flow. And she shares her own experience of yoga and mindfulness practices as a way out of this habitual pattern of pushing, forcing, and working too hard. You can connect with Claire @cgyogaandwellness or www.cgyoga.org.uk
Here we are beautiful messy luminous souls, trying to find a sense of balance and connect inward to our deeper selves...while also trying to get to work on time, give our kids our loving attention, keep food in the fridge and the laundry from taking over the house (and all the other things)! We are part of an evolving tradition of meditation that is learning how to weave inner practice into messy real life — and learning how amazingly effective it can be to bring more joy and presence into our every day. So from one messy luminous practitioner to another, in this episode I wanted to share four quirky pieces of meditation advice I use all the time and find super helpful to practice.
How can we create a life where we experience true belonging rather than the compulsion to mould ourselves to 'fit in'? How can we use our physical yoga practice as a way of understanding the intangible aspects of our hearts and minds? And how can we unpack our layers of social conditioning that block our truest connection to ourselves and others? These are some of the many questions in this beautiful conversation with yoga teacher & online studio founder Brea Johnson. Find Brea @heartandbonesyoga on IG or www.heartandbonesyoga.com
In this episode, I'm going to tell you a story. It starts off with a girl who lives on an island in a vast isolated sea, until one day a strange boatman arrives. The story is about Isla. But it is also about all of us. It asked the fundamental question that inspires all my work — how does spiritual wisdom map onto messy real life? What does the inner journey illuminate about our difficult relationships, our tough choices? How does it help us navigate times that didn't go the way we expected? How can we use this wisdom in a world in which we never really know what the outcome of our actions will be? This is a story about the alignment (and sometimes misalignment) of our outer purpose and our inner purpose of awakening. It's a story about a girl and a boatman. It's also the story of us.
This is a story is a novel I wrote called The Boatman. I'll be chatting about it various aspects of the story, characters and the inner journey questions it asks each week on Facebook live. All the details will be posted in the MLB newsletter & FB group.
Have you signed up for the Messy Luminous Being Newsletter? It's free! https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/messyluminousbeingpodcastnewsletter
(Want to read The Boatman for yourself? You can get it now on Amazon!)
Remembering to care for ourselves in a life where we are often focused on taking care of others is a practice in itself. In this episode, yoga teacher Nicole Windle shares her thoughts about how we can avoid burnout and why caring for ourselves is the essential spiritual practice. She also shares her experiences with kirtan, a beautiful form of devotional singing from the Indian tradition. And we discuss how reflections on Impermanence have shifted her mindset and help her not over-think things.
You can find her at https://nicolewindleyoga.co.uk and on IG @nicolewindleyoga
There's no doubt that in addition to times of joy, excitement and deep satisfaction, life also holds a lot of uncertainty, change and loss. When these things come, our sadness, pain and heartache feels like just another part of life. But does uncertainty have to bring feelings of fear and anxiety? Does loss and unexpected change mean we have to feel deep heartache and pain? Or do we create unnecessary suffering for ourselves by the way we think about certain aspects of our life. This episode is my own thoughts about four reflections that form the basis of Buddhist practice. Usually known as the Four Noble Truths, these are beautiful reflection for our times and can help us see just how much influence we have over our inner experience of life, no matter what the outer circumstances might bring.
We practice. And then suddenly life hits us with something big and unexpected. It's in these times when our practice becomes more than something we do for momentary enjoyment. We start practicing to help us live well. This conversation with yoga teacher Claire Bradley brings so much practical wisdom and down-to-earth experience of how yoga can help us ground ourselves during the pandemic. Most importantly is the mind-shift yoga can bring, to use these moments as an opportunity to get to know ourselves more deeply. This is yoga on and off the mat in a way I know you're going to love.
This episode is my celebratory round-up of my favourite bits of wisdom from the many conversations I had over the past year of Messy Luminous Being. The women who came on the show over the course of the past year shared their real-life, behind-the-scenes experiences of meditation, yoga & mindfulness practices. They told us their favourite ways of reconnecting inward in the midst of busy life. And they shared the wisdom that has helped them navigate challenges we all face. Ultimately, what has always been so important to me is that this podcast represents spiritual practice of women whose lives looks like ours. And listening to them reminds me that we don't need our lives to look like retreat centres or a beach on Bali. And we don't need to be different people who finally "have it altogether". We can show up as our messy luminous selves and weave inner practices into everyday life. Thank you. Thank you. Beautiful messy luminous women!
We may like think of "spiritual practice" as joyful and calming, but the reality is that it's a bumpy road. It takes work to stay connected to our inner selves in a world that is always pulling us outside, into action and busyness, and trying to keep hold of our attention. There are so many times where it feels awkward, where our emotions are raw, sitting still is uncomfortable and we just want to fall back into old distractions. But as this conversation with Vikki will remind you, it doesn't matter how fast or slow you feel like you're going with your spiritual practice. It just matters that you keep going, keep showing up.
You can find Vikki Rood at www.vikkirood.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/awkwardandawesomecoaching
Routines have always been the way I carved out time for myself. Blocking in specific time-slots for activities was how I thought things got done. But between lockdown living (where we watched our carefully cultivated routines completely fall apart) and watching the rhythms of the natural world (which can speed up or slow down but remain resilient), I've been wondering whether there might be a different mindset we can adopt — towards our inner practices and towards the way we think about our lives.
It can often seem like the world's problems are so big that our individual efforts barely make a difference. Yet from a meditation perspective, inner work is the most revolutionary and transformative action you can take to create change...not only in yourself but in the world. When Gandhi said, "be the change you want to see in the world", I think this is what he meant. This episode is my reflection on why this is true & how we can do inner work that makes change in the world.
Things that we experience in childhood and the parts of our life we struggle with are our spiritual curriculum for this life. And if we apply love to the places that hurt, then real healing can happen. Because Love is the ultimate competency. These beautiful words all come from my conversation with spiritual psycho-therapist Chausey Leebron Jameson. We talk about boundaries that help us care for ourselves and our energetic state, the power of long hikes, raising children in 'lockdown' and becoming our most authentic self. You can find Chausey on Instagram @chauseyj
In this episode I talk about my take-aways from the conversation about self-compassion I had with my own meditation group last weekend. It's a personal episode and my attempt to pull back the curtain continually to show what my practice really looks like and how I'm using buddhist teachings to negotiate real messy life situations. It's in messy real life where different meditation teachings take on their most profound meaning & where we learn to react differently to the same old situations.
If you want to experience this kind of group support, check out the Breathing Space membership group I run monthly https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
Combining spiritual practice with the journey of motherhood, this episode is a conversation with Leena Lemos & Megan Horowitz, the founders of Enlightenedhood. We talk about how Leena and Megan find space for themselves & their favourite practices. We also talk about ways joy can mix with stress & anxiety and how spiritual practices have helped both women navigate the ups and downs of motherhood. This is an beautiful and honest conversation that will inspire you to keep working to create your own unique and messy journey to Enlightenedhood.
You can connect with Leena and Megan on Instagram @enlightenedhood or at www.enlightenedhood.com
And if you would love some support and inspiration for your own weekly practice, check out the Breathing Space monthly membership here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
It feels easy to think about getting exercise & good nutrition as part of our weekly habits. And we also easily accept that these habits have a wider impact on our physical health, energy levels, mood and mental states. Yet somehow when it comes to our inner experience and our minds, it feels different. We don't tend to think about feeling calm or a sense of balance or joy being something we can actively cultivate. Somehow we have been told that happiness, peace of mind, & calm that comes from outside us...from holidays, retreats, evenings out...is legitimate. But if these feelings were practiced, if we treated them as a habit like exercise or nutrition, they would be false feelings, inauthentic. It's time to change that mindset. In this episode I talk about why we should be intentional about making calm, joy, balance and all those lovely good things a habitual practice that we do daily.
In this episode I talk to Martina Knight, who in the midst of a successful professional dancing career found she needed a way to reconnect with her authentic self. This is how she discovered yoga and then as a yoga teacher has continued to share this practice with others. In this episode we talk about the emotional toll of the performances we all do in everyday life, and how yoga and the breath can be a path back towards feeling more authentically yourself. We also talk about how motherhood has shifted her practice and how she practically fits yoga into her day with a six month old in lockdown. Connect with Martina on Instagram @moving.mindflowness
For details of the Breathing Space membership group to support and inspire your daily practice head to: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
Have you ever worked for something and when you achieved it, you didn't feel like you thought you'd feel? There are times when we find ourselves in real dissonance between our expectations and our inner reality. For me, these times always bring up the question of meaning. We have this beautiful precious life & it can feel a great responsibility to use it wisely and well. So where do we look for meaning? And where can we find it? This episode is about how we weave our inner journey with our outer journey, and how we find lasting meaning beyond the temporary changing circumstances of our lives.
What happens when you stand on your mat and wait for the present moment to find you? How do you find time to do this in busy life? And how might that simple practice transform your life? In this episode I talk with Lucy Holtom about her experience as a yoga teacher, actress and parent. This is a conversation full of heart, practical ideas, and profound golden nuggets of wisdom about the places where spiritual practice and real life merge.
For details on the Breathing Space membership group I mention in the intro, head to https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
In this episode I take a deep dive into a big issue for many of us stuck in lockdown with kids — how do we find any time for our practice or any space for ourselves when we are homeschooling, working, cleaning the house, keeping everyone fed and busy from the moment we get up until we're too exhausted to do anything but stare at the wall. (Yep I know the feeling!) We keep looking for that 20 minutes to breathe and get to the end of another day not finding it. So instead of fighting our current situation, I'm sharing my thoughts & tips on how we can keep up our practice even in this beautiful, frustration, joyful, overwhelming "ultra mess".
What are your big questions? What are the things in your heart that you really want to ask? And do you feel free to ask them? In this episode, podcaster & spiritual seeker Krista Xiomara talks about how asking questions and following our innate curiosity is the vehicle for our spiritual journey. Her story about being raised in a strict sect of the Catholic Church and then setting off on her own spiritual journey is honest, inspiring and full of courage. You can find Krista's own podcast "I'm Awake! Now What?" at all of your usual podcast places.Connect with her on Instagram @ianwpodcast.
In this episode I share a session I ran for the Scapa Home Festival on moments of meditation. Sometimes we only have a few moments here and there, and taking advantage of these times to connect inward can be a really beautiful habit. Moments of Meditation includes both chat from me on my own "messy luminous" perspective on how & why we might meditate in our lives just as they are, and also includes three short practice sessions to help reconnect to that luminous and profound part of you that is so immense and special.
Remember you can jump into the weekly zoom Let's Sit Together sessions for free at 7am in the UK with this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/129251072
And for more information about the Breathing Space group I mention in the intro you can head here: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/breathingspace
Questioning and finding ways to make meditation and yoga practice work within our individual life is such a journey. In this episode I talk with yoga teacher and meditation friend Natalie Wiltshire about walking with herself, perspective on hard times, acknowledging our real humanness and finding signs of hope. You can find Natalie at www.natsyoga.co.uk
I remember the first time I tried to meditate when I was about 20 & had a really strange out-of-body experience. I was confused and knew I wasn't going to do that again without more guidance. So five years later when I met a friend who had been practicing buddhist meditation for years, I asked her loads of questions about her experience sitting. What she described then was very mundane and disappointingly dull...or so it seemed to me then. But after a decade now of practice, I've found it's the seemingly "boring" aspect that provides so much subtle illumination. This is an episode to inspire you to get back to your mat and practice!
Sometimes connecting to yourself is possible, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes all we can do is get through it. But we can find a place...a yoga mat, or whatever your place is. And in that place we can find time and space to sit with how we're really feeling & what's really going on inside of us. These are some of the beautiful insights from my conversation with Catherine Annis in this episode. You can find Catherine's classes, retreats & yoga teacher training at www.catherineannisyoga.co.uk.
To get a free printable copy of the Messy Luminous Moments calendar & audio breathing practices head to: https://mailchi.mp/sarahbhunt/calendar
And if you'd like to start up a morning practice but would like some motivation, accountability & someone to hold space for you, I'm running free Let's Sit Together sessions every morning M-F at 7am BST on zoom via this link: https://zoom.us/j/129251072 (for those not in the UK, these sessions get uploaded to the Messy Luminous Being Facebook Group which is free to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/416245352437981/
The place we really live is in our minds. Any frustrations we have, any fears, loneliness and longings for things we miss...all of it happens within our minds. So now, while we are being challenged with this huge upheaval in our external lives, we can also think about how to support ourselves inside. Marathon runners need the right fuel and training practices to build up stamina. And maybe that's how we can think of this time of social isolation. In this episode I talk about how we can work within ourselves to create inner lives that feel good. To what extent can we soften our resistance to the changes and things we can't control? If there was ever a time to use tools and strategies to support our mindset & inner-wellbeing, it's now.
As our life changes, our spiritual practice must also change. Our body ages, different times bring different challenges. And allowing ourselves space to acknowledge what's present for us at a particular point in our lives, or even on a particular day, brings a beautiful new level of honesty to our spiritual practice. In this episode, I talk to the lovely Fiona Hayhoe-Weiland about breathing practices she loves and ways she has adapted her practice after having children. We also talk about ageing, how yoga helps us soft into the impermanence of our lives and what she has learned from working with women with cancer in her yoga class.
Exercise, spending time in nature, restoring our natural breath and dropping into moments of stillness are essential human experiences. Ones that we seem to have lost in the hubbub of busy life. But as we enter this strange moment where we have been forced to slow down, it might be just the time to remember, these are not bonus extras. These are the essence of the human life. In this episode, I also share a beautiful story of a cheetah who thought she was a lab from Glennon Doyle's new book Untamed, as well as the question she asks that really inspired me.
Getting out into nature is a beautiful practice, but we all know the saying - wherever you go, there you are. And it can be just as easy to bring our worries with us on our walks. Or feel we can't practice because we're always getting interrupted by our kids. Or maybe feel like we don't know how to unwind from that feeling of push and drive. If this is resonating, you are going to love this episode with Lydia Zamorano. We talk about what it means to establish the mind in stillness, how to practice in the 'construction site' of home life, and why she feels spiritual practice is best experienced in the physical body.
When we consider our health & well-being, it's easy to focus on what we eat or how much we exercise. These things feel more tangible and accessible than the more intangible practices we can do to calm our minds or transform destructive thoughts into thoughts that promote joy and inner well-being. But are they so different? In this episode, I get curious about how we sometimes compartmentalise certain practices as "spiritual", which makes them feel mystical & less accessible. Can we start to approach meditation as a very down-to-earth practice integral to our health? And is anything in our lives including how we eat, move, breathe & think NOT spiritual?
When you feel alone or disconnected remember, the very particles of air you breathe in have come from the trees around you. They are breathing us and we are breathing them. In this episode I talk to Dani Mae about her passion for the ability of the breath to heal us and connect us back with ourselves. We talk about her journey through anxiety, grief and injury as well as the daily challenges of staying centered in this busy world, and how the breath has been the thing to bring her home to herself again and again. Whether you're new to breath work or want to go deeper into the power of breath holds, you're going to love this conversation. To connect with Dani head to @breathguidance on Instagram or www.breathguidance.com
Meditation is most commonly known as a practice for calming the mind. And while this is definitely true, there are (at least) four other things my meditation practice has given me over the years that have been really unexpected...and such a joy. In this episode, I talk about what my meditation practice really looks like right now, (not the idealised version, the real messy luminous truth) and how even small doses of stillness each day can lead to profound shifts in our mindset and ability to experience joy.
In this episode I talk with the lovely Bre Williamson about transforming anger & anxiety into a power rather than a hindrance. She shares her favourite meditation practice, the Green Tara sadhana, which connects us to our inner wisdom of compassion through action and the feminine power of creating life. We get real about how parenthood changes our practice and ways we can let go of the "perfect" to reach for the beautiful reality of the journey. You can find Bre on instagram @brecwilliamson and more about her yoga studio True North at www.thecollectiveattruenorth.com
What do we mean by self-care? And are our acts of self-care genuinely helping us? Or could they sometimes be keeping us stuck in our hectic & overwhelming lifestyles? It feels like the idea of self-care has become ubiquitous for a reason. There is a part of us that genuinely needs care, an aspect of our being that is squeezed out by the busyness of our lives and the demands we are under. But as consumer society co-opts and utilises this idea of self-care to its own ends — to get us to buy stuff — have we lost track of the deeper aim of self-care, which surely is to heal us & bring us back into connection with a life that feels good? Are our go-to self-care practices actually helping us to move towards that life? Or are we relying on imitation practices that act as bandaids and serve only to "keep us coping" and thus stuck in a life that is essentially unhealthy?
In this episode, my gorgeous meditation buddy Jacquelyn Cooper and I discuss meditation practice within the traditional Tibetan Buddhist tradition. We talk about how she has incorporated traditional practices into her life, what happens when we worry too much about "getting things right", and how meditation practice can become a precious inner safety net. You can find Jacquelyn at halcyonyoga.com.
Didn't make your morning routine or finding it hard to meditate in the mornings? I know that was my situation for years when my kids were little, and it can still be the case that some mornings I just don't find time to sit. Don't worry! There are still so many opportunities in the day to practice. Here are five suggestions I have for integrating mindfulness into the rest of our day. (I'd love to hear your ideas too, so get in touch and share your thoughts!)
We are all different. We come into the world as unique selves with unique constitutions. We all like different kinds of exercise, have varying levels of energy & come with our own emotional worlds. We work within different practical time constraints, react differently to seasonal change, enjoy different diets. And so, says Su Menon, we need to find our own unique practice through a holistic approach to fitness and well-being. I loved this conversation with Su who is a yoga teacher, holistic fitness instructor, Ayurvedic practitioner and creator of shakitFIT. Connect with Su on Instagram @shaktifit.co.uk or online at www.shaktifit.co.uk
Can't fall asleep at night? Waking up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep? Need some tips for getting up in the morning in time for your morning routine? This episode is all about sleep and how we can use yoga breathing techniques & simple meditation practices to improve our ability to rest at night. As someone whose first child never slept, I know first-hand the torture of sleep-deprivation. A lack of sleep impacts everything from our health and mood to our ability to show up in the world feeling like ourselves. So if this is something you struggle with, hang in there, you'll be surprised at how effective some of these techniques can be!
It's the time of year for overwhelm, reflections and hopeful intentions for the future. In this episode, there are some fun Messy Luminous projects you can get involved in (for FREE) and I talk about my own personal practice of creating intentions for the year ahead.
Have you ever felt low on energy or a sense of fulfilment and wondered what was going on? Have you ever had that sense that something isn't working, but you weren't sure what was wrong? Have you ever felt like you were out of balance with yourself but didn't know how you could ever find balance within the messy busy life you were living? If so, you are going to love this conversation with Lucy Bishop. Her journey through burnout in the corporate world and the many practices she used to recreate a mindful, grounded and balanced life is one so many of us can relate to. Lucy now works as a Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach. Inspired by an approach of nourishment, not deprivation, Lucy empowers women to build strong, healthy relationships with food, their bodies & minds so they can feel healthy, confident and energised.
Our boundaries lie at the intersection between what is necessary for us to be live authentically, truthfully, mindfully & all our big fears about disapproval, rejection, hurting people we love and maybe especially feeling exposed and vulnerable about saying what we need and who we truly are. This process is a constant mindfulness practice, and this episode is my reflections of how to create boundaries that are not only compassionate towards others but compassionate towards ourselves.
Creating a practice when every day is different. Using yoga as a profound adventure...both on a paddle board, as a traveller and as a personal inner journey. Reflecting on the physicality of releasing emotions through yoga practice. These are some of the many topics we explore in this conversation with Allison Moonbeam Archer.
When we open our eyes in the morning we have two options. We can take some time to align. Or we can pick up our phones, gulp down a coffee and start rushing around. The temptation to take this second option is always there. So we need to figure out how to set up a morning routine that is resilient to these temptations! In this episode I share a few new tips I've learned on how to establish a morning routine habit, and discuss why creating space in your morning for YOU works as a vote for the person you want to become.
As blissful as retreats often sound, as quiet and peaceful as we imagine monasteries to be, we live in real messy busy life. And yet, we still want all those lovely aspects of calmness, mindful presence, & community to become a bigger part of our lives. That's why I loved this conversation with Melissa Berry Appleton, who talks about creating a domestic monastery. Melissa is a yoga teacher, and is studying Zen Buddhism with the Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program led by Roshi Joan Halifax. In this episode we talk about honouring transition moments like coming home from work, her journey from addiction to meditation, what her own domestic monastery looks like and more. You can find Melissa on Instagram @mettawithmelissa and all about her retreats at www.melissaberryappleton.com.
Our spiritual practices help us find inner space for ourselves, return to the core of who we really are & reconnect to the beautiful world around us. And we've got a lot of ideas about what our practice should look like. We strive to be consistent, to stick to our practice day-in and day-out, but life and our own energy levels are incredibly inconsistent. In this episode, I talk about my own experiences with inconsistency and how we might create a spiritual life and group of practices that embrace inconsistency rather than assume it is always just taking us off track.
In this episode I talk with fellow yogi Belinda McLean about what she calls the great question we must ask of all our thoughts and assumption — Is it true? We also discuss what she has learned from working with the elderly as an Occupational Therapist, how hugging trees can be a life-saving practice, and what is means to keep making good causes (even if we sometimes mess up)!
"The cultivation of gratitude and joy is the way home." This quote from a conversation between Oprah and Brene Brown has had me thinking about gratitude. Research has shown it isn't joy that makes us grateful for the many blessing in our lives. Rather, it's the opposite. Practicing gratitude is the thing that invites joy into our lives. Wow! In this episode, I talk about my own recent experiences in practicing gratitude. This includes expanding our understanding of gratitude to include ourselves!
In this conversation with Aiko, we talk about what how to fit mindfulness into our day when our morning practice doesn't go as planned. We talk about our expectations for ourselves, what to do when life doesn't go the way we thought it would, and how most of life is "none of our business". You can find Aiko on Instagram @aiko.means.love and her coaching practice and blog at themindfulnessmindset.com
We think happiness is something we experience when we get what we want. When situations go the way we expected, or we get a reaction from another person that we were hoping for. But what if we were to experiment with the idea that joy is a natural state of being? What effect would it have on my life if I started with the assumption that feelings like calm joy & alive presence are already there inside of me all of the time?
In this episode, I talk to Anna Neubert-Wood about how sea-swimming has become the purest way for her to reconnect to herself, how her 100 day personal challenge to create nature mandalas became a form of meditative play, and how leading women on adventures into the wilderness allows her to continue her passion for stepping out of busy, everyday life and slowing down in nature. Anna is the Chief Wanderess of her organisation Wander Women in Scotland. You can find more about joining one of her adventures at www.wander-women.co.uk or connect with her on Instagram @wanderwomenscotland
Whether it's our yoga mat, a daily walk or time enjoying the morning quiet with a cup of tea, our practice of reconnecting with ourselves should be a time we invite all parts of us to show up. All the emotions we aren't always able to express, all the aspects of us that don't always have a place in our family or professional life. But don't we also really practice to have a calm mind? To get away from all the busy whirling thoughts? In this episode, Sarah talks about how we can accept the reality of our emotional lives and still enjoy a sense of calm in our minds.
In this episode I talk with yoga teacher Emma Johnston about how barefoot walking is the best way for her to reconnect with the present. We also get real about parenting young children, how taking a few minutes to do Emma's 'utility room breathing' might be the best new life hack you've heard of to stay calm, and the details what her daily practice actually looks like within her busy, full life. You can get in touch with Emma on Instagram @emmajohnstonyoga.
So often we fall into the mindset of waiting until things calm down so we can find space for ourselves. Next week is looking better, but this week is crazy! Or we think the only way we can find mental space and time to meditate is to step out of our lives. Head off on retreat. But making space for ourselves in our lives just as they are is the goal. This episode is about how our lives don't have to be look like the calm, perfect pictures of 'meditation' for the practice to work for us.