Exeter Life Coaching

25/10/2024

Many people still believe that reason and emotion are incompatible. Wrong! Emotion and feeling are indispensable to reasoning. Sadly, our culture is still suffering from the pernicious notion that the mind and body are separate. I call on Albert Einstein and neuroscience to help me demolish this nonsense. I then explain when to trust your gut instincts and how to become more attuned to your intuition.

Should you trust your gut? Posted on October 25, 2024 by admin Albert Einstein certainly did: “I believe in intuitions and inspirations. I sometimes feel that I am right. I do not know that I am” (1929). Neuroscience supports Einstein’s conclusion. Antonio Damasio’s somatic marker hypothesis...

12/09/2024

On 12 September 1994 I gave a presentation that would change my life. My presentation, ‘Sacred Ecology’, led to me doing a PhD. It was subsequently published, and although I've published widely since then, ‘Sacred Ecology’ is more popular than anything else I’ve ever written.

To mark the 30th anniversary, I’ve recorded my original paper. Listen on the Embodied Pathways podcast to find out why this paper is as relevant now as it was decades ago.

Thirty years ago I gave a presentation that would change my life. I was a Pagan environmental activist and had been invited to deliver a talk at an academic conference at Newcastle University. The event, ‘Paganism in Contemporary Britain’, was the...

12/07/2024

The experience of awe boosts well-being and encourages positive feelings towards others. It can help shift your attention away from yourself and helps you to appreciate the wonders of the world around you. Natural environments often trigger awe and with a bit of help, awe can be found almost anywhere. Follow me as I take a short awe walk in a nearby wood.

The experience of awe has been linked to enhanced well-being, life satisfaction, improved mood, prosocial feelings towards others, and a reduction in mental ...

11/07/2024

Albert Einstein: “A human being is a spatially and temporally limited piece of the whole, what we call the ‘Universe’. He experiences himself and his feelings as separate from the rest, an optical illusion of his consciousness”.

Zen Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh: "We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness."

Indigenous leader Shaneihu Yawanawá: "We are not separated from nature, we are nature" and adds, "nowadays we are very disconnected from this consciousness, this awareness".

It's time to wake up from disconnection.

What is embodiment, and how can we deepen our embodied experience? These fundamental questions have fascinated me for decades. I was curious to know what other people thought about them, so I invit…

27/06/2024

"A person is a person through other persons." It's humbling to hear Wakanyi Hoffman explain the African concept of ubuntu. Western culture is slowly rediscovering our interconnectedness, but Africa has always known.

In a 21-Day New Story Challenge, storyteller and author Wakanyi Hoffman offers stirring insights on the African concept of ubuntu ...

13/05/2024

I'm facilitating a Nature Connection workshop in Exeter on Saturday May 18th from 3 pm to 6 pm for £30. Learn simple ways to re-connect with nature that you can use anytime. Costs £30.
More info:

My Devon-based nature connection workshops draw on many years of training, personal research, and practice. I’ve been engaged in nature connection for nearly twenty years and have trained with US and UK practitioners. My work is driven by passion and influenced by timeless indigenous wisdom and cu...

16/04/2024

This is a great sensory exercise to reduce stress, manage anxiety and reconnect with nature.

This simple exercise uses your five main senses to help you centre yourself, reduce stress and anxiety, and deepen your connection with the natural world. On...

12/04/2024

In our daily relationships, we typically offer a mix of positive and negative feedback. You might intuitively think that you can balance a critical comment with a positive stroke or compliment. It would be so simple if that harsh comment you made without thinking could be smoothed over with a positive one! Unfortunately, this is one occasion where -1 and +1 don’t equal 0.

https://exeterlifecoaching.co.uk/2024/04/12/criticise-or-compliment-get-the-right-balance/

29/02/2024

I sometimes invite my coaching clients to do the Big Five personality test. Research suggests it's around twice as accurate as the widely used MBTI test for predicting key life outcomes. If you want coaching based on research, you know where to come ;-)

A popular personality test beats out astrology but trails far behind scientific measure of personal traits

23/02/2024

Does your mind create your reality? Yes; unconscious processes involving the Reticular Activating System and priming mean that we see what we’re looking for.

Shortly before Valentine’s Day, I took a lovely long walk in the woods. As I stepped out, I was playing with the notion of romantic love and how I feel about the natural world: ‘I love …

31/01/2024

I'm delighted to announce that I am now a Certified Physical Intelligence Coach. The body is the pathway to change; coaching with Physical Intelligence gives you the map and a compass to guide you to greater strength, freedom, resilience and endurance.

09/01/2024

In one of my most popular workshops, I teach people how to use William Bloom’s 'Endorphin Effect'. The body releases endorphins when you’re in pain or stressed; curiously, they’re also released when you experience something pleasurable, like massage, eating or s*x. These hormones are potent; beta-endorphins, used to relieve stress relief and pain, are more powerful than morphine! The bottom line is that endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress, enhance well-being, boost confidence and support the immune system.

Over 20 years ago, William Bloom taught me how to boost my endorphins whenever needed. This simple and powerful technique hinges on visualization. I use it almost every day, and it’s been one of the most valuable techniques I’ve ever learnt.

I now know that endorphins are just one of many chemical messengers, and they underpin our emotional state and overall performance. Have you heard about how adrenaline works like an accelerator or how cortisol floods your body when you’re under threat? It’s dopamine that keeps us hooked on social media, and oxytocin is sometimes called the ‘love hormone’. William Bloom taught me how to work with my endorphins. I’m now learning to manage many other chemical messengers using Physical Intelligence.

Find out more about the power of Physical Intelligence:

In one of my most popular workshops, I teach people how to use William Bloom’s Endorphin Effect. The body releases endorphins when you’re in pain or stressed; curiously, they’re also released when you experience something pleasurable, like massage, eating or s*x. Endorphins play several roles...

03/01/2024

Napoleon Hill wisely said, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Turn the dream into a reality this year! First, clarify exactly what you want and by when; next, identify milestones along the way from here to success; then take that first step towards achieving your goal.

02/01/2024

I'd like to share some good news; Here are 66 things that help make this a Happy New Year! A taster: Endangered species are recovering, China's carbon emissions are likely to start falling, childhood vaccinations are back on track, we're winning the war on AIDS, it's going to be the greatest year ever for clean energy, more girls are getting an education ... trackhttps://futurecrunch.com/goodnews2023/

03/11/2023

I've just finished listening to an interesting interview with Kevin Chapman, co-founder of the Physical Intelligence Institute. I'm very much looking forward to diving deep into Physical Intelligence next week: I've signed up for the certificate program in coaching delivered by The Physical Intelligence Institute.

Kevin Chapman, co-founder of the Physical Intelligence Institute introduces the concept of physical intelligence and explores how our bodies can impact our confidence and anxiety levels.

21/07/2023

Regularly reflecting on what you’re grateful for will nurture a positive mindset, reduce , improve relationships, and enhance your overall wellbeing. Why not try it for yourself?

I’m always looking for simple and enjoyable ways to improve my wellbeing, and keeping a gratitude journal is a favourite. The easiest way to start is the Three Good Things exercise, which will bring you significant benefits for just 10 minutes a day. Why not try it for a week and see if it makes a...

30/06/2023

Research shows that "people who are disconnected lead sicker, sadder and shorter lives". That's pretty scary! But don't panic - here are 7 tips for Healthy Social Connection.

Could public health guidelines help stop loneliness? 7 tips that show how crucial social connection is to well-being Unite...

28/12/2022

We think more than 50,000 thoughts per day. Typically, more than half of those are negative, and over 90% are repeats of what you thought yesterday. Choose to think differently in 2023.