It’s the Sunmer Solstice…. ☀️

It’s Exmouth Pride …. 🌈

And it’s time to get down to the beach for some feel-good Wild Yoga 🌸🌊😎🙏

Celebrating love in all it’s forms, diversity and inclusivity, equality, freedom, and solidarity… 

“We’re all in this together…We are all different, but we are all equal!”

So this is yoga for everyone!

The Big One 🌈🌈🌈

Yoga On The Beach session for one person Saturday 20th June 2020 10am Exmouth Beach

£5.00

So what’s so special about this one??

It’s all about Good Vibes, Love In All It’s Forms, and Summer!

For the first time, we are part of Exmouth Pride. We did a session on the beach last year, and then went along to the festival afterwards for a daytime dance, and it was awesome!!

It’s all about love and diversity, and it felt so aligned to our values here at Flow Yoga Devon.

For me, in my sessions, I like to show people that we are all different, and that yoga is for everyone!

We are all creatures of nature, we are all unique plants, and when put in the right environment, we bloom!!

In yoga we recognise that each of us have a unique light within us, and when raise our vibrational frequency (through mindful movement and being in nature), we can shine our lights out into the world with a sense of freedom and pride!!

If you’ve not tried Yoga On The Beach before, I invite you to come along and experience the good vibes of being by the sea, feel good movement with a sense of fun, and the love of the rainbow warriors that come along… ❤️🌈🙏

If you’ve any questions then drop me an email on gilliesutherland@me.com or sign up at the button above and come feel the love

Gillie xxx

Today was my favourite day back in the UK so far.

Sometimes it takes stepping away from a situation to really see it clearly, and gain perspective.

I returned from a spell out of the country a couple of days ago, and I have to say it was somewhat of a rude awakening.

Not just because I seem to have gone overnight from summer to winter, so much so that I have resorted to wearing ski wear for being outside, but because of the general energy I feel back in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, the country is on tenterhooks, as we await the results of the most important election of our lifetimes. I can feel the tension, the uncertainty, even the fear about what is going to happen.

More than that, I am looking around and seeing problems I hadn’t been subjected to for a while, and it’s shocking.

On my way back to the UK, I spent a few days in The Netherlands, and the contrast between our two countries was what struck me the most.

You would have thought that we would have shared many commonalities as nations, but it could not have been more different.

The big difference, the one that hit me the most?

There are no homeless people.

There hardly seemed to be any poverty at all.

As I started to question why, it started to become clear.

People seemed to look after each other. Someone having to resort to living on the streets would not be acceptable. Nor people living in poverty. Especially not children.

It’s all about values.

In the Netherlands, they have defined values as a country – freedom, equality and solidarity.

These values result in rights which you may claim, and the Government have a responsibility for making sure they are upheld. However, these values can only be maintained if everyone actively contributes to society.

Participation in society and community is extremely important in the Netherlands.

In a nutshell, everyone contributes, and people look out for each other.

It was the third value that really interested me. Solidarity. I looked up what they had to say about it.

“Citizens are jointly responsible for society. All citizens have the right to a safe living environment, decent housing, fair employment conditions, a minimum working wage, good education and good medical care”.

When I got back to the UK, and engaged in the political debates, I noticed that solidarity is sadly missing.

Statistics show you are more likely to die from poverty and being homeless than from a terrorist attack in the UK. Let that sink in.

Over 700 people last year died on the streets, a 22% increase on the year before, and a number that has been steadily rising since austerity measures were put in place.

An estimated 14.3 million people in the UK are living in poverty.

Out of all the children alive in the UK at the moment, 34% are living in poverty.

Now I don’t know about you, but I find this shameful.

It’s fallen upon charities to take care of people, because our Government has failed us.

The charity I was with last Christmas Day, supporting the homeless in Torbay, reported that at least 3 of the people they had put up in a hotel were now dead.

This broke my heart.

Meanwhile, I still hear and read people reeling off the same old headlines, stuck on a loop:

“Boris will get Brexit done!”.

“Yeah, but I can’t stand Corbyn!”.

None of this is important. Solidarity is.

On Thursday 12th December 2019, I will

Solidarity

Sometimes it takes stepping away from a situation to really see it clearly, and gain perspective.

I returned from a spell out of the country a couple of days ago, and I have to say it was somewhat of a rude awakening.

Not just because I seem to have gone overnight from summer to winter, so much so that I have resorted to wearing ski wear for being outside, but because of the general energy I feel back in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, the country is on tenterhooks, as we await the results of the most important election of our lifetimes. I can feel the tension, the uncertainty, even the fear about what is going to happen.

More than that, I am looking around and seeing problems I hadn’t been subjected to for a while, and it’s shocking.

On my way back to the UK, I spent a few days in The Netherlands, and the contrast between our two countries was what struck me the most.

You would have thought that we would have shared many commonalities as nations, but it could not have been more different.

The big difference, the one that hit me the most?

There are no homeless people.

There hardly seemed to be any poverty at all.

As I started to question why, it started to become clear.

People seemed to look after each other. Someone having to resort to living on the streets would not be acceptable. Nor people living in poverty. Especially not children.

It’s all about values.

In the Netherlands, they have defined values as a country – freedom, equality and solidarity.

These values result in rights which you may claim, and the Government have a responsibility for making sure they are upheld. However, these values can only be maintained if everyone actively contributes to society.

Participation in society and community is extremely important in the Netherlands.

In a nutshell, everyone contributes, and people look out for each other.

It was the third value that really interested me. Solidarity. I looked up what they had to say about it.

“Citizens are jointly responsible for society. All citizens have the right to a safe living environment, decent housing, fair employment conditions, a minimum working wage, good education and good medical care”.

When I got back to the UK, and engaged in the political debates, I noticed that solidarity is sadly missing.

Statistics show you are more likely to die from poverty and being homeless than from a terrorist attack in the UK. Let that sink in.

Over 700 people last year died on the streets, a 22% increase on the year before, and a number that has been steadily rising since austerity measures were put in place.

An estimated 14.3 million people in the UK are living in poverty.

Out of all the children alive in the UK at the moment, 34% are living in poverty.

Now I don’t know about you, but I find this shameful.

It’s fallen upon charities to take care of people, because our Government has failed us.

The charity I was with last Christmas Day, supporting the homeless in Torbay, reported that at least 3 of the people they had put up in a hotel were now dead.

This broke my heart.

Meanwhile, I still hear and read people reeling off the same old headlines, stuck on a loop:

“Boris will get Brexit done!”.

“Yeah, but I can’t stand Corbyn!”.

None of this is important. Solidarity is.

On Thursday 12th December 2019, I will be voting for the party who I think best reflects the values within me, including solidarity.

For the many, not the few. It says it all, and what’s more, I believe them.

Surrender in Surfing

It look me a long time to learn that the path of healing is not a linear route. It is a spiral. It is messy. It takes time, it takes patience and it takes courage.

It’s not a case of just following the steps, ticking off the boxes, and at the end you get a Blue Peter badge for healing.

It’s an ongoing process. Some days you’re on it, like a car bonnet. Others you wonder if you’ve made any progress at all. It’s all ebb and flow, except more random than that.

We don’t have much control over when and how the waves come. We can only prepare ourselves for when they come, and learn to ride them.

This came to me the other day when I found myself surfing, which I really was not expecting. I’d found myself having to do some really deep, inner work, as another “spiritual lesson” presented itself to me.

My first half hour at least was spent in a battle with the waves. I would conquer this. “I can surf”, I told myself, “I’ve got this”….. then “why isn’t it working?????”.

“It’s a different board”, I was saying out loud. “The waves are too short”. “There’s no power in them”. “This is rubbish”.  ….. then “I’ll beat it though”.

After half an hour, I’d exhausted myself, mentally and physically, trying too hard, using my mind to try to conquer the waves.

And then I caught myself. I observed myself like a young child having a tantrum (albeit privately, I might add, I was on a public beach).

I started to listen to myself, and finally I started to laugh at myself. Not in an unkind way. Just as an adult may be amused by their son or daughter as they get their words mixed up. Because that’s who I was in that moment, a young child. I’ve found that when we get this, we are more compassionate with ourselves.

Anyway, after that, I “let go”. I stopped trying to be the best surfer I could be. I sat out on my board for a while, and I just watched the horizon. That big expanse of ocean, with unknown varieties of waves that would eventually come.  I felt the power of Mother Nature within me once more. I surrendered, knowing that this Ocean was way more powerful than me, and I felt my faith return.

The reminder of my time on the way flew past. I was out of my head, into my body, and at one with nature once more.

I was reminded that the work is never really done. This is reality. It’s not paint by numbers. It’s not “follow this and it’ll all be ok”. It’s more a case of “let’s see if we can learn to ride these waves the best we can”. We’re going to fall off, that’s inevitable. Yet each day we do, we rise up again, stronger than before.

We may need to rest before heading out through the white water again, and preparing for the next wave. We may need to go and lie on the beach while we catch our breath. We may feel defeated at times, and it’s OK to feel like it’s too much like hard work for a while, and just sit and watch for a while.

We need to remember to get back on the board again though. And to respect that nature is more powerful than us. We need to learn to “surrender”.

Ever since the General Election was announced, I’ve been in a state of inner conflict, having a battle with myself, questioning what I should do.

My quandary is not based around who to vote for, that could not be clearer in my mind, my conflict is around how vocal I should be about it.

I’m so passionate about it, I’m a natural campaigner, a fighter for justice, so it would have seemed obvious I’d be screaming from the rooftops, persuading everyone I could that they need to be conscious in their voting.

A strange thing happened though. I realised it was “triggering” me. I was having both physical and emotional reactions when I engaged too much with what was going on. I realised it was reminding me of a previous trauma. It took quite a lot of soul-searching, and I realised what it was, it’s like being in an abusive relationship.

The lies, the gaslighting, the smear campaigns, the crazy-making, lack of empathy and compassion for others, downright bullying, and use of power and control to achieve selfish gains.

I realised what had happened. The bullies had quietened many of us, too scared to speak out, for fear of being bashed again. Others are in a state of confusion, cognitive dissonance, not knowing which way is up, due to all the mixed messages and lack of clarity.

All the smoke and mirrors, re-cycled propaganda messages, designed to brainwash a whole society, it will have disastrous consequences, as people don’t question what they are told, they just find themselves reeling off the same soundbites they’ve read in newspapers run by those with a vested interest in who gets in.

I’m triggered because my whole being knows what it is – coercive control.

Here are the facts – we have a cruel and dishonest Government. Their interests are looking after each other, and most likely, playing into the hands of the ones really pulling the strings, like Trump trying to get his hands on our NHS, and rich tax-dodging billionaires who own the newspapers using their power of influence to get what they want.

Meanwhile, those that haven’t take the time to educate themselves, reel off the same crooked and dishonest headlines, thinking because they’ve read it in the Mail, it must be true. It’s like pub gossip.

Jeremy Corbyn – racist. What????? He’s a pacifist, he campaigned against Apartheid, there’s not a racist bone in his body. Anti-Semitic? Do you know the history of Israel and Palestine, and what’s going on there. Since when was being against Israel murdering children racist? It’s spin. Why can’t people see it?

I’m so frustrated at how many people, people I’d considered to have good values, still saying “Yeah, but I can’t stand Corbyn”, as a reason to vote a certain way.

What people don’t like is change. Someone they can’t put into a box. Someone who is stronger, more compassionate, and has fought for more good than perhaps any other politician in our lifetime. As an unknown backbencher back in 1990, he took on Margaret Thatcher over homelessness. He has balls of steel, he won’t succumb to spin, nor lies, nor slander of the opposition.

Yet the media have presented him as the absolute opposite.

For me, it’s simple. Do we stay in a toxic relationship with the narcissist? Or do we put down all our pre-judgements, and vote for someone not popular, but real. For me, the “charmers”, they’re the ones to watch out for, they’ll be the ones who convince first you, then others, that they’re the answer to your prayers, then not long after, that you can’t trust your own judgement and what you need is them to take control.

Give me a leader I would trust with my children, to take care of my cat, to look out for those in need, as well as the good of the country.

Strong values equals a strong leader, and a leader with values will make good decisions.

So I guess I decided not to let the bullies win in the end. I’m back and I’m fighting for what I believe in. “Triggered?”, maybe. Or maybe just “a normal reaction to an abnormal amount of bull****”.

Join us for a day of movement, music, nature, meditation and a bit of magic at this very special place……

Shine A Light On 2020

Powderham Castle, Kenton, Devon

Saturday 4th January 

 8.30 – 5.30pm

“It’s time to step into the light, it’s time to shine!”

This special day is the perfect time if you’re ready to move positively into the future, to be a guiding light, not just for you, but for others, and in fact the rest of the world. Heaven knows, we are ready for this.

We have a team of experts on the field of healing and wellbeing to bring you an exciting programme to inspire and move you forwards into the next decade.

• Harness the power of nature, movement and music to re-discover your own inner light

• Release yourself from old stuck patterns and energy blocks, raise your vibrational frequency, and clear the path to create the future you deserve

• Understand the significance of the year 2020, and how to fully step into it’s energetic potential, and move into the light.

We all have within us a light. It’s a light like no-one else’s, it’s perfectly unique, and when we discover the power of our own light, we realise it holds the key to a brighter future, for ourselves and for others.

This isn’t another “New Year, New You”, “let’s set some intentions” workshop, this is about finding yourself again. Because you are perfect as you are. That pure light is already within you, it’s inside you and it’s all around us. It in infinite and it is the secret to all healing.

When you shine your own light, you lead the way for others. It’s the same thing.

The light is within you, the light is all around you, it’s where it’s always been. It’s time to shine. Full details below…

What the day entails:

• Enter the magical grounds of Powderham Castle, leaving your worries and the last decade at the gates, join us by the fire for a Winter Tonic in the State Dining Hall, and let us take care of the rest.

• Enjoy a slow, grounding flow with Gillie Sutherland of Flow Yoga Devon – a moving meditation to help you come into your body, into a place conducive to healing

• The lovely Meg from Your Body Matters, one of the team of teachers at the castle, will then take you through a powerful meditation, to help clear your mind of all personal limitations and open you up to the potential within you

• Take a walk in nature, exploring the beautiful historic Powderham estate, connecting with the trees, the deer, the birds, the estuary, and all the abundant Energy that Mother Earth has to offer.

• Collect treasures from nature to help understand who you are, as a beautiful creature of nature yourself, and return to the circle by the fire for some cosy reflection and crafting with Ellie from Darling Buds

• Break bread together over a delicious and nutritious, seasonal lunch, taking time to slowly savour all the goodness from the food, whilst gaining inspiration and insight into how best to nourish yourself through the winter season.

• Rest and digest, and take learn from astrologer Teresa Searle from Intuitsoul about how to tap into the potential of 2020, so you can start to create magic in your own world.

• Give your soul a chance to integrate everything you have learned and discovered about you and the potential available and let it marinate through a Symphony of Sound – a chi yoga flow with Gillie, accompanied by Jo Hooper on cello, followed by a blissful sound bath with Oliver Jenkins of Sol Energies, to raise your vibration to the frequency needed to manifest your heart’s desires, and heal what needs healing.

• Closing the day with a “Hug In A Mug” by the roaring fire, we’ll chat about moving forwards with this new inner glow, ready to shine your light in 2020.

Cost: £75 per person, includes all refreshments

To book follow this link

This Thursday is Mental Health Awareness Day, and I’m honoured to have been invited to run a series of workshops for local business Rothwell and Towler.

It’s a subject very close to my heart, and I’m hoping that in offering this, we can make a positive impact to at least one person’s life.

Over my years in the field of wellbeing, I’ve studied a lot. My bookshelf is filled with self-help, personal development, modern psychology, ancient wisdom, philosophy, witchcraft and everything in between.

It has only been, however, through first-hand experience, that I feel qualified to speak about this subject.

I’ve spent my life managing the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and I’ve found my own coping strategies, none of which involved any kind of lightbulb moment or major overhaul of my life.

Of course, when necessary I made big changes. I left a relationship that was toxic, I’d taken a sabbatical, I’d gone sober, and I’d even gone on a rather extreme colonic cleanse in my ongoing attempts to help me manage my emotional state.

All of these things helped, for a short while, but what made the biggest long-term impact was the small steps I took.

I started “walking the beach” every day. I put my feet in the sand, I felt the sun (or the rain in many cases) on my skin, and I walked. Sometimes for just 20 minutes, but it became a habit. It became my time for me, to create space in my head, to ground myself, and to immerse myself in nature where everything made a lot more sense than in the (un)real world.

It was taking small steps each day, and building that into a habit, that made a long-term impact. It was sustainable. Something I found that I enjoyed and that I wanted to do, rather than felt like I should.

I had a theme tune for when I set off. I created a playlist on my phone to listen to when I walked, and I walked until my head was clear.

It was just one little thing, the effects of which I didn’t see until I’d been doing it for a month, and the world became a lot lighter and brighter.

Feeling better, I gave myself another little project. I started writing Slivers of Light. Actually I started reading what I’d written and then worked on it, edited it, and put it into a format that meant it could be a tool for others who may be struggling.

Each chapter was designed to be a little glimmer of hope, not in an overly positive, pseudo happy-clappy way, but just small changes you could try taking to improve your state of mental wellbeing.

It’s the little things over a long period of time that make the difference.

“How do you eat an elephant?”, I often ask in workshops.

“One bite at a time”.

So today I’m aiming to help people find “Just One Little Thing”, not a bolt of lightening, just a jolt, a small step they can take towards feeling better, or at least seeing some hope.

Of course I’d always recommend seeking professional help. It’s been invaluable to me, and I think most people could benefit from it. What’s more, is there is no shame in asking for help or admitting you need it.

And if we all did that one little thing, watching out for each other, being kinder to one other, imagine the difference that would make.