Through times of hardship and struggle such as what many of us are experiencing now, creating mandalas are a great way for kids and adults alike to focus their minds through this therapeutic activity.

It is important to be happy right? Absolutely! But it is unrealistic to be this way all of them time as life loves to throw a lot at us, good and bad. In light of Children’s Mental Health Week, we wanted to share our happiness toolbox to offer coping mechanisms for when the rough stuff comes our way, as well as to help bring in some joy into your life.

Whether it’s feeling your blood pressure rise during a long queue at the store, or experiencing overwhelming feelings of sadness and stress due to family trauma, we can all feel overloaded, particularly during the holidays. We understand, and have created some simple breathing techniques, mantras and yoga poses for those moments you need some inner peace.

Mindful family sessions can offer clarity and calm amid the chaos that family life will inevitably bring. We’ve just completed an OM:POP series with Family Support in Hammersmith & Fulham and can confirm that mindful practices deliver a sense of wellbeing even with a whole host of tiny tots in the room.

Cultivating self-love is a practice that takes patience and acceptance of our own vulnerability. The following brief meditation provides a platform to welcome in acceptance, recognition and love for our most vulnerable self.

We want to share some of the amazing creators, products and companies we came across at the Mindful Living Show, as it can be so helpful to have products and organisations in your life that can help with sleep, relaxation, meditation, yoga, anxiety and stress. There were many great exhibitors and groups, but here are a few of our favourites.

“Hello, is this your magical garden?” The story and the pictures are just adorable as you follow Ommie on her adventure encountering animals in the magical garden, and made it a lot of fun for Axel to do the poses along with the pages. He really loves cats, so got a big tickle out of seeing Cat Pose.

As a parent, if you want your child to develop a healthy sense of emotional resilience to all the various, mounting pressures there are on children each day, model mindful behaviour yourself. Your child will observe the way you deal with stress, anger, happiness, etc., all of which you have the ability to positively model.