In today’s episode of the Tranquil Awakenings Podcast, Debbie will be in conversation with Naomi Hardy, who is a yoga practitioner and Integral Eye Movement Therapist.

Initially Naomi participated in yoga practice to benefit her body, however, she quickly discovered that it helped her to get through the day. After suffering from depression, Naomi found that her practice not only lifted her mood, but the mantras she said to herself began to change her way of thinking, helping her to learn how to love herself more.

After a period of illness, Naomi recognised she needed to make dramatic changes in her life, leaving behind what she had known, embarking on a trip to Thailand to become a yoga practitioner and setting up her therapy business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Yoga can benefit the mind as well as the body.
• Guided meditations can help to bring the mind into the present moment.
• Saying mantras to ourselves can help to boost confidence and well-being.
• Everything starts with the breath.
• Listening to our internal voice, as opposed to external opinions, can assist us in connecting to our own wants and needs.
• Small, consistent steps of progress can lead to big positive change.
• Integral Eye Movement Therapy can assist with changing unhelpful and traumatic memories.

BEST MOMENTS

• “When I say meditation, it's not meditation. A lot of people think when we think meditation, we have to sit in a spot, still, quiet our minds for hours on end. And that's not what meditation is to me.”
• “Yeah, it was astonishing when I learned that because I didn't expect it. It's quite exciting. But yes, the breath always comes first with yoga and meditation.”
• “I think even if you just turn up on the mat, not do anything, you just lay on the mat, then you've done yoga for the day.”
• “During lockdown I realised that I was really, really depressed. It wasn't until that point I actually noticed I had been feeling this way for about five years beforehand, so my yoga was so, so important. It was pretty much a lifeline because I was not doing anything else with my day.”
• “I was sat in a cafe, Stokes, in Lincoln, on a really sunny day. I had this cake that was absolutely delicious. And I'd just bought a book, and I was reading by myself, just eating cake by myself, and I was like, wow, there's something here in me that's never happened before. I think I'm happy.”
• “So I had to run home and write that in my diary that I made it. And that was the first day I actually wrote that I love myself. That came out of nowhere as well.”
• “That day that I decided I love myself, I was like, I've got to give this to other people.”
• “Go the soft, smooth direction that you're meant to go. Going with the flow is a huge thing that I feel like everybody should think about doing.”

HOST BIO

Debbie is a seasoned therapist whose journey from being a primary school teacher to an adept therapist has been fuelled by her fascination with the intricacies of human nature. Equipped with advanced certifications in diverse modalities like hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming, mindfulness, meditation, past life regression and many more she has honed her expertise to bring about transformative change.

As a full-time therapist and trainer, Debbie's driving passion is guiding others, as well as herself, towards their best selves. Embracing the concept of holistic beings, she firmly believes in addressing the mental, emotional, physical, social, energetic, and spiritual facets of well-being and healing.

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