Why does creativity bring joy? According to ancient Indian texts, the sacral chakra is one of the seven central energy points in the body. Located about four finger-widths below the belly button, it’s associated with the colour orange, pleasure and creativity. Its Sanskrit name, Svadhishthana, means ‘dwelling place of the Self’. What happens when your sacral chakra is unbalanced? When all is well with your sacral chakra, you’ll be emotionally balanced. You’ll feel creative and alive, and relish the joy of experiencing life through your senses, without feeling overwhelmed. When it’s blocked or ..read more

Why are siblings competitive? Consider the following childhood scenarios. It’s the annual school sports day. Because you and your sibling have the same surname, you’re on the same team, both wearing your red shirts with pride and participating in cheering other pupils on when they throw further or run faster than the yellows, greens and blues. Except that, at the end of the day, your sibling has six medals clanking around their neck, while you only have two. Next, it’s Christmas Day, and your auntie, who you rarely see, is greeting you both fondly. ‘My, haven’t you grown to be lovely and tall ..read more

Do you work in a caring profession but sometimes think that you just can’t do it anymore? Are you in a caring role with a friend or family member, or maybe even a poorly pet? Do you feel exhausted from caring for others and find it difficult to put your needs first? If any of these statements ring true, it’s likely that you have a deep sense of empathy or compassion for those you support. You might have also noticed, however, that there’s a cost to caring, whereby the daily strain you’re under can drain you of your natural capacity to demonstrate understanding and kindness. This is often refer ..read more

A long wooden table laden with fragrant foods and Mediterranean flora has been placed among the olive trees. Chairs of all shapes and sizes have been brought out in readiness for the long-held Italian tradition of dining as a family. Here, the Italian proverb, A tavola, non si invecchia, loosely translated as ‘At the table, you never grow old’, comes to life. This is where a midday break can last up to three hours, shops are closed and the streets are silent. Why is eating together a tradition in Italy? Taking the time to have a leisurely lunch is built into the daily routines of many who live ..read more

What is a meadow and what is their practical purpose? ‘Sitting in a meadow is a balm for the soul – a meadow is the most peaceful and gently restful place I can imagine,’ says Wilson Wall. ‘Without meadows, we would lose pockets of diversity and serenity that cannot be replicated in parks and gardens.’ But what exactly constitutes a meadow? Nineteenth-century English romantic poet Christina Rossetti described them in her poem, In the Meadow – What in the Meadow?, as a place of ‘Bluebells, buttercups, meadowsweet | And fairy rings for the children’s feet’ – a depiction that might have appealed ..read more

How can crafting help you to achieve focus and attention in a busy world? Craft is not just the final product or the how-it’s-made behind the objects in our day-to-day lives. It’s a continuing arc between past and present, a way of weaving together broadly gathered cultural influences, of keeping them alive and offering creatives a foundation of material to learn, blend and build upon. Craftspeople and craft enthusiasts don’t seem to be motivated by nostalgia, however, so much as the possibility of retaining the spirit of craft – that is, the values and lessons it has to teach, respect for the ..read more

Why is it important to question capitalist ideas about the best way to live? Of course, people need money, and they need enough money, but structures built around money and profit-making for some are doomed to fail the majority. This isn’t to advocate everyone moving off-grid and stopping work entirely. At this point in time, most people live in capitalist societies – and I, as much as anyone else, like to have nice things. I buy clothes (sometimes too many), I travel, I drive an unreasonably large car and I work to afford these things. Modern life necessitates some of these things, while othe ..read more

How the right fragrance can help with self-realisation In the summer of 2005, on a visit to the French Riviera, I came across the beautiful village of Grasse, home to the almost 100-year-old Fragonard perfumery – a treasure trove of all things fragrant, where you can see the noses at work and even mix your own scents. I walked away with a small bottle of perfume named Miranda, a heady blend that smelled like vanilla ice cream mixed with coconut and a fresh bouquet of flowers. It garnered compliment after compliment. I was even told that I smelled like a box of chocolates. So, for the next 15 y ..read more

How did Kerry Ashby embrace the reinvention offered by a new career? Starting out as a florist, Kerry plodded along in her role, unfulfilled and frustrated, until, at 30, she swapped flowers for bandages and a career in nursing, retraining from scratch. Rising through the ranks, she found herself as head of paediatrics at a corporate healthcare company. Although at the top of her field, the 60-hour weeks and long stretches of time away from home took their toll and she reached a point of burnout. Instead of taking time off only to be thrust straight back in again, Kerry’s inner rebel kicked in ..read more

Why it’s rude to reject a compliment Do you think, these days, that you’re pretty good at taking a compliment? Maybe, when someone praised you in the past, you’d contradict them. ‘Oh, but it was easy,’ you’d say, or ‘Thanks, but I should have done better.’ But, since then, you’ve learned that rejecting a compliment isn’t polite. It’s equivalent to telling someone that their opinion is invalid, and that’s ruder than being gracious about what they think. Instead, you now say: ‘Really? Thank you,’ and sit on your desire to tell them it only took you five minutes / you bought half the ingredients ..read more