01.06.20 - Session 8 - Loving Kindness
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
In our final Big Boost Mondays Breakfast, Michael guided our listeners through a Loving Kindness Meditation session. Developed around Mental Health Awareness week and based on a Buddhist heart practice Michael experienced at a retreat in Nepal, this exercise was a created to open up universal kindness for ourselves and others. After a contemplative and poignant main exercise, we ended our final Big Boost Mondays Breakfast session with a virtual caffeine shot, as Michael led a round of rapid ‘coffee breathing’. This is an exercise designed to energise the body, ready to tackle Monday’s challenges and whatever the rest of the week has to offer.
As a recommendation, Michael suggests further exploring meditative techniques and exercises. From Tibetan gong sound baths to mindful yoga, why not discover another session with Breathing Space Wellness and continue your journey with Michael here.
Top Tip of the Week
“Kindness starts from within”
"Openness and compassion is so important but often easily overlooked. It’s especially important to open up our hearts to both ourselves and others, remembering we as humans all feel both pain and happiness."
18.05.20 - Session 7 – Intention Setting
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
This week was all about setting intentions and achieving goals. After guiding us into the space, Michael asked us to reflect on what we would like to bring into our life, affirming our intentions in both our body and mind. Following this introspective look into fulfilling internal intentions, Michael introduced some energy by ending the session with ‘coffee breathing’ – a rapid breathing exercise designed to offer the same alertness as an espresso but without the caffeine side-effects.
As a recommendation, Michael suggested reading ‘Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life’ by Max Lugavere. The book explores the critical link between your brain and the food you eat, and how this can change the way your brain ages. You can read this practical guide to eliminating brain fog, optimizing brain health, and achieving peak mental performance here.
Top Tip of the Week
“Don’t forget the small steps needed to climb the mountain”
Michael reminded us about the importance of acknowledging incremental steps before being able to achieve our wider goals. He notes that we shouldn’t overlook the power of small steps, nor get disheartened when we don’t reach our ideal goals straight away.
11.05.20 - Session 6 – Meditating with the body
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
After a bank holiday weekend, Michael returned by welcoming our listeners to get in tune with their body. Meditation is not merely for the mind, it also requires bodily awareness and a holistic approach. Michael led three individual guided practices to help relieve tension, promote posture and to invigorate sensations.
As a recommendation, Michael suggested listening to the British philosopher, writer, and speaker Alan Watts. He was best known as an interpreter and populariser of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. His monologues have a powerful way of connecting distant abstract ideas with the present moment and his words have a unique way of putting life into perspective. You can listen to his perspectives in Life is NOT a journey here.
Top Tip of the Week
It’s not just your mind that gets distracted…
As our minds get drawn into a situation, we often forget that our bodies are also affected – the way we sit, stand or position ourselves can have a negative impact, creating tension in the short term as well as long-term posture problems. Make sure you are aware of your body as much as you are your mind.
27.04.20 - Session 5 – Attention
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
Michael returned this week to guide our attention to attention and how it’s natural for the mind to wander. Michael reminded us that as our minds are naturally inquisitive, they will drift onto other subjects but we can train them to come back to a central point of stillness. We also discuss how deep breathing practice can releases noradrenaline, a hormone and neurotransmitter known to play a key role in attention and thinking – which helps us boost focus, sustain concentration, and maintain alertness and motivation.
If you want to book in a breathwork session with Michael, why not take a look at all the meditative services he provides on his new look website.
You can get in touch with him on his LinkedIn and book onto his upcoming sessions, or drop him a line to find out more.
Top Tip of the Week
It’s a practice, so keep on learning!
Michael shared the idea that breathwork techniques should be incorporated into your lifestyle and are an ongoing practice. Breathwork is not merely a quick win but a tool to be used throughout your everyday.
14.04.20 - Session 4 – Aligning the body
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
For one week only this session was hosted on a Tuesday morning, as Michael gave us a fresh start after a long bank holiday weekend break. Michael explored how we can take notice of our whole body to re-align, becoming more conscious of every element of ourselves. We discussed how music can enable you to get into a higher state when meditating, especially how music without lyrics can help your mind become more aware within a neutral state. Join us next week where we turn our attentions to attention – concentrating on where our energy goes.
For something to do this week, Michael recommends attending a breathwork session – you can get in touch with him on his LinkedIn and book onto his upcoming sessions, or drop him a line to find out more.
Top Tip of the Week
Give it a go!
Michael suggests trying out a full breathwork or meditation session to see what it’s all about! From the tingles in your toes, to a new sense of euphoria, why don’t you give it a go and immerse yourself within a different space.
06.04.20 - Session 3 – Understanding the breath
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
To kick off April our session this week looks at how we can become more aware of the breath. Michae introduced us to a light breathing awareness practice which looked at regulating nasal breathing. We discussed how our understanding of the breath can help us to benefit from increased oxygen levels in our blood, especially useful to boost our exercise or sports performance. We also talked about how approaching mealtimes in a mindful way can help to promote a healthy relationship with food – Michael shares his experiences of mealtimes in a silent retreat in Nepal, where each person would express their gratitude for food.
For something to watch this week, Michael recommends the ‘Dark’ series on Netflix. This German sci fi, thriller, drama is sure to get your mind racing and stimulate deep thought.
Top Tip of the Week
Mindful Eating
Taking the time to really enjoy what is on our plate before eating helps with digestion and boosts our mental state – helping our bodies, inside and out. It’s also important to be grateful for the food we have and its intrinsic connection to the vital elements water, sun and earth.
30.03.20 - Session 2 - Positive not panic
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
In our second session, Michael introduced us to two parasympathetic breathing techniques for calming the mind and body – known as ‘Rest and Digest’ these techniques help to regulate our body in those moments of stress. We discuss why it’s important to take notice of the way we breathe, the power of contemplation and how to ensure a positive outlook in times of panic. Michael also shares his free online classes to support NHS healthcare workers, as they work on the frontline during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Michael recommends a mobile app ‘BreathPacer’ which enables you to set times to your breathing, enabling you to intuit into a slower, deeper and more rhythmical pattern. Find ‘BreathPacer’ on the App Store.
Top Tip of the Week
Understanding the breath
As an ‘Oxygen Advantage’ Coach, Michael shares the book ‘The Oxygen Advantage: The Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques for a Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter You’ by Patrick G McKeown. It gives a fascinating insight into what happens within the body when we breathe, and how this can improve our overall well-being.
23.03.20 - Session 1 - Focusing the mind
About Big Boost Mondays Breakfast
‘Big Boost Mondays Breakfast – The well-being start to your week’ helps you kick off the coming days with positive thoughts, shared communication, mindfulness and a renewed sense of clarity.
Join us online each Monday at 8.30am with our favourite Breathwork and Meditation Coach Michael McCaffrey as he shares insightful techniques to help you boost your immune system, reduce anxiety and provides a much needed place to communicate positive messages – our shared ‘online sanctuary’.
In this week’s session
In our first session, Michael guided us by focusing the mind – ways to stay settled even if we are bombarded with outside noise and anxiety inducing information. We talked about the importance of routine, especially in current working from home environments and how experimenting with scent can invigorate both your sense of smell and surroundings.
Michael also highlighted the importance of laughter – his recommendation this week is the hilarious ‘XFM The Ricky Gervais Show’ – you can find it on YouTube here
Top Tip of the Week
Routine
If you are working from home, make sure you make the most of those extra hours in your day saved by not having to commute. Create a daily routine and itinerary that ensures you make time for yourself, work, leisure and exercise – you’ll be surprised at just how productive you can be in your own living room.
Michael McCaffrey
Founder of Breathing Space Wellness and a breathwork and meditation coach.
His practice brings wellness to the workplace through guided mindfulness, sound, breathwork and counselling. Breathing Space Wellness offer sessions across multiple co-working spaces and organisations, including Chelsea F.C, to increase emotional and physical wellbeing – increasing performance through meditative techniques.
Follow @breathingspacewellness on Instagram for more information.
