Welcome to the 1st Flip Your Dog For Mental Health newsletter!
Just under a year since we embarked on our fundraising adventure we have decided to start this as a forum to build and celebrate community and connection. We are blessed to be in contact with a wonderfully rich variety of humans ranging from facilitators to service users, progressive thinkers and eco-friendly businesses through to community minded yoga students who enjoy knowing that doing classes with us means their self-care supports a brighter tomorrow.
This newsletter is an exploration of how we can hear from you, support you, stimulate you and grow with you. This is a space to let you know who we are and for us to find out who you are.
We’ll be teaming up with guest contributors to share features, news, social commentary, creativity and more. We’ll showcase some of the amazing work being done by the people who inspire us through their mental health and community wellbeing projects, and sharing information around holistic health research.
We’d also love to hear how you and your community are doing? What are the rays of sunshine in your world and what are the ways in which you are processing the energy of day-to-day life? What learnings would you like to share and what do you feel drawn to seek out in times of vulnerability?
At the heart of exploring this as a platform to celebrate and nurture community is the knowledge that many of us struggle with our headspace. Often.
If you’re reading this and you are struggling with your state of mind know you’re not alone – at the time of writing I’ve just finished a second round of a 12 week counselling course with Hackney Carers which has been helpful in ways words can’t describe. If there are people around you might consider letting someone close to you know what’s going on – often someone in the same room as you or a phone call away would love to have a chat. A change of space can help shift feelings and a walk around the block or to a nearby park can be useful; I find a random act of kindness to a stranger can lift my spirits too. Many people find sitting in a comfortable position and focusing on breathing evenly and with control for a few minutes to be pleasant. Nothing is permanent; we are part of nature and as we move through seasons so our emotions move too.
If you’d like some links for mental health resources and support lines please click here.
You may also enjoy immersing yourself in the wonderful offerings from our guest contributors this month, and I invite you to take a moment to settle and take your mind for a wander in this, our inaugural newsletter.
I'd like to say a special thank you to EqUa Coaching who are generously supporting our Sunday Selection event on April 25th. It's wonderful to be supported by a likeminded organisation who share our passion about challenging the stigma around mental health and supporting healthy hearts and minds.
Enjoy, indulge and send comments, feedback and suggestions for content you’d like to see in the future to admin@flipyourdogformentalhealth.com
Happy reading x
FROM COVID TO COMPASSION; CAN LEARNINGS FROM THE PANDEMIC SUPPORT A POSITIVE FUTURE? – Vaughan Dagnell
How are you feeling as we shift from lockdown to renewed freedom? Has cabin fever drained your capacity to care? Are you full of ambition and ready to spring back into action as if the last 12 months were a bad dream? Vaughan explores values and community as we transition from the collective experience of the Pandemic to the familiar realities of economic survival of the fittest.
CHANGING MY BREATH – Michelle Mathais
Life is rarely stress free, and while there are many spectrums of privilege and quality of life it is widely accepted that our troubles are all relative. What is less widely discussed is the notion that we all have access to a powerful antidote to many of the physical and psychological side affects of stress that bypasses all big pharmaceuticals. Yoga teachers, Registered Nurse and Breath Coach Michelle tells us more…
12 KEYS TO NURTITIONAL PSYCHIATRY – Kirkland Newman Smulders
As research continues to confirm the direct affect and impact our diet can have on our emotional and mental health Kirkland offers insight into natural psychiatry and how we can nurture a healthy mind through a healthy diet.
THE MOON AND THE STARS - Tasha Ponton There have been some huge energetic shifts in recent months and as 2021 hurtles into it’s 2nd quarter Astrologist, Taro readers and sound therapist Tasha shares her reading and intuition around what this coming phase brings forth.
RECOMMENDATIONS Please see below for offerings and suggestions for experiences and indulgences that have lifted our souls and make life feel just a little bit richer. Please send in any recommendations x - Podcast: On Being w/ Krista Tippett // John O’Donohue – The Inner Landscape of Beauty https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HM4NamDKm3EHPOltj7dm1?si=VM1U9_BkQ7aMWzMoOGLZRA A lyrical exploration of the magic that lives within every moment of life and the joys of living with a curious soul. - Playlist: The Holy Ghost // Flip Your Dog Mix – Summer Jam Exclusive https://www.mixcloud.com/the_holy_ghost/flip-your-dog-mix-summer-jam-exclusive-httpswwwflipyourdogformentalhealthcom/ A delicious adventure of eclectic and worldly delights as The Holy Ghost digs the crates for this mix dedicated to Flip Your Dog For Mental Health. - Read/Audio book Akala // Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire https://uk.bookshop.org/books/natives-race-and-class-in-the-ruins-of-empire-the-sunday-times-bestseller/9781473661233 A powerful deconstruction of the history of race and culture and an unflinching assessment of where the UK stands today as a multicultural society. - Coffee: Millfields Coffee 145 Chatsworth Road London E50LA Coffee lovers and tasty treat connoisseurs look no further – your needs have been met! Wonderfully close to the canal and Hackney Marshes and great for pre or post walk sustenance and delight. And last but not lease our scheduled classes and events; We're stoked to now have classes supporting mental health and wellbeing work 5 days a week. Alongside this we also have some great facilitators and some wonderful workshops taking place as part of our Sunday Selection on the 25th of Apri; and between May 10th and May16th we are running a Mental Health Awareness week fundraising campaign with 100% of proceed going straight to Mind. You can find classes via our booking platform with more to be added soon.
Tickets are on sale now Please feel free to use these discount codes when booking as appropriate -25% Key worker discount: NYXZCENX -50% Low wage discount: DAEQYJBE ---------
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