We all experience stress. And while some stress can actually be positive, too much stress can negatively impact both our mental and physical wellbeing. The good news is that mindful awareness practices, such as yoga and meditation, can help calm our body's stress response.

We have leaped out of September and into October, continuing our Om:Pop Series with Family Support, Hammersmith and Fulham and Bubble + Sprout. It has been so wonderful being with families, as we bring bespoke mindfulness, yoga and brain building sessions to them. The theme for the first week at Cathnor Park Children’s Centre was “Stress Response.”

For those interested in trying out some yoga and mindfulness methods at home, here are a few things we did to help promote a sense of calm. You can call upon these methods for those times where stress is amounting to toxic levels and you need to take a moment and recenter, for the benefit of yourself and also to positively model this coping mechanism to your little ones.

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.

The latest theme was “Brain Architecture,” where we began to think about ways in which we can help children to develop, by providing strong foundations and solid walls of positive experience and nurturing.

Being in fresh air and outside in Nature is wonderful! What physical things do you like to do? Kratu likes to do special training, especially scent work where he has to find a hidden special scent, then he gets a reward. What things do you like to do to stimulate your brain?

“It was magnificent in its simplicity and in its effectiveness in getting the little kids to focus on their breathing. It calmed them down and put them into a relaxed state in no time."

My mission is to help bring joy and peace to the kids at Lausanne and anywhere else that I can. Everyone has so much going on in their lives (no matter what age) and I try to help people remember to take a moment and enjoy what is around them.

Our kids’ earliest experiences play an essential part in the construction of their brain architecture. It is at this stage that the foundation for lifelong physical and mental health is laid down. But what about the architecture of the parents’ brains? Can we still make structural changes or do some rewiring for our own wellbeing?

Being thankful is something that we want to instill in children from such an early age, always telling them to ‘say thank you’, even before they learn the meaning of the word they may say it, purely because it is expected of them. Is it more that we need to explain why we ask children to be thankful so they can truly learn the meaning of appreciation and gratitude?

“Think of all the good things that are in your life, warm bed, roof over your head, food when you are hungry, fresh water, clean clothes, books, toys appreciating and being grateful for somethings we can take for granted is very important. Gratitude can bring peace and happiness. The best attitude is gratitude! … We are the ones who can make a change with how we feel by doing something else and then after a little while, you have forgotten the sadness and are happy again.”

Rest and relax: With ingredients such as lavender, verbena, lemongrass, jasminum, eucalyptus, cloves and flax seed, I Love Grain products are all natural, beautiful and smell wonderful.

We are thrilled to announce an expanded partnership with Family Support Hammersmith & Fulham, to bring a series of mindfulness sessions and bespoke family yoga classes to staff and families that will include brain-building activities. Family Support, backed by the H&F Council, has an incredible mission, which is to help families in Hammersmith & Fulham thrive.

I didn’t know it walking into hot yoga at Lumi Power Yoga Hammersmith yesterday, but I desperately needed the lesson teacher Katie and her assistant Christina taught me. It was one of the most intense classes I have been to in my many years of practicing yoga, but also one of the most meaningful. (In all honesty, most all classes are meaningful to me, but this one had that extra special punch to it.) The theme seemed to be about letting go…. “Let go of your morning. Let go of your week. Let go,” were the words Katie used to guide us in the beginning.

It was an honour to be invited to the announcement of the NSPCC’s Look, Say, Sing, Play campaign at the Fulham Central Children’s Centre, the first London Authority to launch the campaign. The event was attended by Leader of H&F Council, Stephen Cowan, and CEO of the NSPCC, Peter Wanless, Family Support Managing Director Peter Watt and stakeholders in Hammersmith and Fulham children's wellbeing.

When the kids don't want to brush their teeth before bed and we are tired and ready for me time, the easiest solution often seems to raise our voice and loose our cool. Or is it?

How about we first press our internal pause button and introduce some mindfulness into our interaction with the kids? It can really help us enjoy family time more by learning to respond to each other in a calmer more rational manner.

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.

At HERE, our goal is to create happy, healthy households worldwide through mindful practice. From stress to mental health issues, families are in critical need of wellbeing support and resources are lacking. One way in which we aim to introduce mindfulness to families is through our Om:Pop… We would love to have your support to bring more Om:Pops to London!