The moment you enter the doors of this gorgeous historic building, you'll get the sense that this is a day to leave the rest of the world behind, at least for a few hours.  After all, that's exactly what Sundays are for, but somehow along the way we've lost that sense of just being.

That's what mindfulness really is, a sense of just being where we are with whatever is happening for us.  It's our busy minds and expectations that continually keep pushing us forward disregarding any need to stop and pause.

Life can be challenging and often the easiest option seems to be to just keep pushing through until our circumstances change but here's the interesting thing.  I meet stressed women from every generation:

• Students struggling with deadlines, part-time jobs and small children
• Mums balancing careers and families
• Women struggling with careers in toxic cultures
• Daughters supporting elderly parents
• Women who feel like they're in the wrong career or not fulfilling their purpose

Often one challenge subsides just to be replaced by another.  One day the world seems fine, the next day the same circumstances just don't work for us.  This is the nature of the inner turmoil that keeps our stress response system ticking over.   Life will always have those Yin and Yang days, but but when we lose sight of what brings us joy, or even downplay it's importance, life just tips over into what can feel like a battle.  

Professor Paul Gilbert's model of the emotional system demonstrates how not making that time for our own pleasures can push us into a strive and survive mode.  This lack of emotional balance can leave the threat system continually elevated with no opportunity for the chemicals of stress to subside.  When this happens we not only feel on edge for no reason, we may start to notice that we're more prone to irritation or breaking down into tears.  It can begin to impact our relationships at home and work and just makes everything harder than it needs to be.  Often we feel like we can't afford to slow down but the longer we push through the more likely we are to reach that point of burn out or exhaustion.  This is the body's way of forcing us to stop.

Stress exists to keep us out of danger and we cannot intercept it's very powerful and fast reaction.  However, stress is a long line of physical and mental reactions some of which prolong our exposure or keep the body returning to the stress reaction when it doesn't need to.  What we can do is learn how that chain reaction works and how we can use mindfulness to apply gentle techniques to reset when we need to.

During this mindfulness retreat day you will

• come to understand and experience that calm mind and body
• learn to tune into the messages from the body
• come to understand the busy mind and how we can settle it
• discover what peace of mind actually is and how we move towards it
• discover life changing techniques that you can take away and apply again and again
• receive free access to our app for a year 

So whether you're struggling with relationships; dumbing down your career for fear of burn out; or not living out your purpose, this day will give you some space to get back to yourself. 

It's time to retreat, relax and learn...

Before I discovered mindfulness and came to understand the science behind how our thoughts and emotions are generated, I thought I was broken. I didn't realise that I probably had full-time anxiety because what we're used to is normal for us.  When I became burnt out, I was diagnosed as depressed, yet I never felt down, I felt physically and mentally exhausted.

I want to share what I've learnt in a space where people feel safe and comfortable which is why I've chosen this lovely location.  We'll have a dedicated space at the Leasowe Castle fully equipped with cushions, blankets and refreshments.  Bring anything you need to make yourself at home, just come along and switch off. 

This is time out and more as you gain genuine insight into emotional balance techniques that will help you through the challenges of life.

So allow me to guide you through the knowledge and the guided practices that have helped me over the past 5 years.