Unstuck Yourself

Imagine it’s 8.40am on a Wednesday morning and you are one of thousands hurrying on their way to work, clutching mobile phones, bags and coffee cups, rushing to get to their desks. Sound familiar?

Picture instead, you are making your way to a quiet space in the middle of The Laines in Brighton, settling down on a yoga mat and cushions, donning an eye mask and being treated to a sound bath.

That’s how I spent my Wednesday morning a couple of weeks ago. I was attending one of the opening events of Brighton Wellness Festival, the first of its kind to be held, with the ambition of ‘challenging what it truly means to be well’ and promoting ‘authentic, accessible and community-rooted wellbeing.’ 

First off, DJ, producer, sound healer and yoga teacher, Caroline Banks, led a group of us through an incredibly relaxing and immersive sound bath, using gongs, cymbals, and well I couldn’t tell you what other instruments. At one point it felt like I was in the middle of a rainforest and the next as though I was floating above the Tibetan Himalayas.

Photo by Rachel Hardwick

I even can’t be sure how long it lasted or if I was really awake for all of it, as I drifted in a meditative state somewhere between awake and dreaming. When the group of about 8 of us sat up and rubbed our eyes at the end of it, we all looked ridiculously relaxed, adorned with big smiles. It was the perfect foundation for getting into the right space, in body and mind, for Hema’s work.

Queue, Hema Patel, RTT hypnotherapist and coach ‘helping change makers stand out, without burnout or self-doubt.’

Hema invited us to move to cushioned benches and eye masks were replaced with pens, paper and cups of tea.

The workshop was entitled ‘Unstuck Yourself’, Hema said we would: ‘Leave with clarity on your next steps, confidence to make bold decisions and courage to take brave action.’

The sceptic in me was reassured by Hema’s calm and confident voice and presence. It was my first time attending one of her workshops, and feeling grounded after the sound bath, I was intrigued by what the next hour would bring.

I was relieved to discover there would be no team-building corporate style exercises. This was a simple but powerful workshop where we could, collectively, all work on our own. That was something I could get on board with.

For the best part of the next hour, Hema led us through a process of recalibrating our mindset, replacing any self-doubt with self-confidence.

At some point or other, most of us struggle with negative thoughts. It’s all too easy to focus on when things didn’t work out, what we are not so good at, pushing our strengths and successes to one side. Eventually imposter syndrome creeps in and we find ourselves in a destructive cycle of unjustified self-doubt. Perhaps I’m just speaking for myself.

As we all got going with the first exercise Hema set us, everyone dived straight in and the levels of concentration were so intense you could have heard a pin drop.  I found myself so focussed that a couple of times I forgot where I was, or that there were other people in the room with me.

Hema’s technique helped us tap into our inner strengths and confidence and bring them back to the surface, however buried they might be. As Hema had promised it would, the workshop helped us to ‘unstick ourselves’ and ‘reset.

The sound bath followed by Hema’s workshop left me feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I left the building to go back out into the hustle and bustle of Brighton feeling more confident and ready for whatever the universe threw at me. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday morning.