TWIL with Clare Walters

Late last week, we caught up with Mind & Body Master Yoga Trainer, Clare Walters of Third Space on Instagram live about her practice, wellness, and how to stay healthy + happy at home this winter. She told us, "When you control your breath, you slow it down and deepen it, stimulating the parasynthetic nervous system and calming your body down. If you can calm your body down, your mind will follow."

Below, she shared her top 5 tips with us for Health + Happiness.

Create a sanctuary at home. 

Home should be our safe space where we decompress from the outside world. Create a cosy corner at home where you can switch off, unwind and relax.

Get on your mat

Between the stretching, the meditation and the breath work practices you should feel 10 times better after a yoga class. 

Fresh Air & Green Spaces

As the days get shorter it’s so tempting to stay indoors. But try going for a walk surrounded by nature, get some fresh air and notice the energy boost it brings. 

Read

Sometimes there’s nothing more relaxing than picking up a book getting lost in another world. If fiction isn’t your thing, use it as an opportunity to learn something new. 

Sleep

So many of us are guilty of pushing our bedtime later and surviving on less sleep. But getting into a routine of getting enough sleep does wonders for our mood. 

If you'd like to learn more about how to stay happy + healthy in any season of life, here are a few of our favorite books:

Yoga- A Manual for Life by Naomi Annand:
Ideal for total beginners to more experienced yogis, this manual includes everything you'll need to live a more balanced, grounded life, from five-minute life hacks to longer sequences with specific goals in mind.

Mindfulness and the Natural World by Claire Thompson:
This book explores what it means to connect with nature and how we can learn from nature to be more mindful in everyday life. Through personal anecdotes and proven insights, this book reveals how a deeper awareness of the natural world is key to inspiring us to care about and protect nature, and developing a more sustainable world.

London is a Forest by Paul Wood:
Can a city be a forest? At first glance, this does not chime with our childhood idea of the `wild wood' - a dark entanglement of trees, where humans fear to tread. But a forest does not need to be dense and impenetrable, and it's not unheard of for people to live in them either. Following a number of trails through the rich diversity of London, this book will look closely at the urban forest, our relationships with it and attitudes towards it and will uncover the fascinating stories and secrets it holds.