The Happier Life Project

The Ayurvedic Way to Live Well with Berta Couto

Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest holistic healing systems. Originating in India, Ayurveda focuses on whole-body healing and believes that a person’s dosha, made up from the natural elements of air, space, water, fire, and earth, are responsible for a person’s physiological, mental, and emotional health.
The term Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Thus, Ayurveda translates to knowledge of life. Ayurveda believes by treating the root cause of a person's emotional, mental and physical imbalances using a comprehensive holistic approach that prioritizes diet, herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, breathing, and physical therapy; you will balance the mind, body and spirit. 
Berta Couto is a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner that has intensely studied the human body, mind, and soul. She is passionate in her work to help clients release traumas through the body, bringing them back to a state of balance by prescribing a personalized 360º holistic health plan.
Berta explains to host Gabby the basic principles of Ayurveda and how you can learn to become your own doctor by listening to subtle signals from your body. Berta also gives a breakdown on the three main dosha types; Vata, Pitta and Kapha, giving an overview of each of their characteristics and behaviours. Plus Berta shares how and why the dosha's can become unbalanced and what signs we can look out for when we know our own. 
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To work with Berta or for queries regarding an Ayurveda consultation: https://linktr.ee/berta.couto
 

The Incredible Benefits of Yoga with James Rafael

Yoga is widely known for helping us to stay fit and healthy, not just on the outside, but on the inside too. The mental, emotional and spiritual benefits, as well as the obvious physical rewards, are plentiful; if you make yoga a regular part of your life. For many, we know yoga is great for us, but we don't quite understand how and why these amazing, magical things happen. In this episode of The Happier Life Project host Gabby talks to yoga, qigong and mindfulness teacher and youtuber James Rafael, to break down what happens in the body when we bend and twist into certain positions that can create such wonderful results.
James and Gabby also discuss the different types of yoga styles, how to get started on the mat if you're new to the practice, why it's important to find the right teacher for you, and the life changing effects it has had on them both personally.
Yoga builds muscle strength, boosts metabolism, helps in lowering blood sugar, has a beneficial effect on the immune system, improves posture, supports good digestion, increases flexibility, improves balance, helps manage stress, improves lung function, helps you sleep better, can release stored trauma from the body, boosts energy levels and helps improve self esteem... and that's just scratching the surface!
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast To work and practice with James Rafael: https://www.jamesrafael.com/teachertraining
 

Learning to Love Ourselves & Build Self Compassion with Alex Bottomley

Somatic Therapist Alex Bottomley picks up where she left off in the previous week's episode by getting into the nitty gritty of how we can Learn to Love Ourselves & Build Self Compassion by becoming more connected to our body.
In this episode Alex demonstrates with host Gabby, a simple practice anyone can do to connect to stored emotion in the body that may need some compassion or to be released. Alex also talks about befriending our body and being grateful for what it can do, plus Alex and Gabby share and discuss some tips to give your self-compassion skills a quick boost.
 

An Introduction to Somatic Therapy with Alex Bottomley

Somatic therapy operates off the idea that what happens to you in your life is stored not only in your mind, but also in your body. Somatic therapy aims to help release how our body holds on to stress, tension, and trauma; treating the effects of PTSD, trauma and other mental and emotional health issues, through the connection between the mind and the body.
Alex Bottomley is a highly experienced Somatic Therapist who works mainly with women to help them transform trauma and return to body connection. In this episode, which is the first of two episodes with Alex, she explains the basic principles of somatic therapy. Alex also shares her own personal story, about how somatic therapy was life changing for Alex to work through her own trauma and relationship with her body.
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To learn more about somatic therapy and Alex Bottomley: https://www.alexbottomley.com/
 

Everything You Need to Know about CBT with Natalie Englander

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common and best studied forms of psychotherapy. CBT is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think (cognitive) and do (behavioural) to improve how you feel. It’s NHS recommended and prescribed to treat a wide range of mental, emotional and physical health problems, but is most commonly used to treat anxiety disorders and depression.
Natalie Englander is a Principal CBT Therapist and Mindfulness Teacher with over 10 years experience in the practice of CBT. In this episode Natalie breaks down how CBT works, why and how it can be used to treat a wide range of mental and emotional problems, and shares some simple exercises based on the principles of CBT we can all do to help change out thinking and feeling.
 
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To work with Natalie Englander: https://natalieenglander.com/
 

Tackling The Imposter Monster with Sally Heady

Imposter Syndrome is when you believe that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be, often doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It's an internal experience that can effect anyone, but is particularly present in high achievers, who do not believe they deserve their success, or are capable enough to be where they are.
Sally Heady is a Mindset Coach and Cognitive Hypnotherapist who helps her clients move past imposter syndrome so that they can do what they love. Specialising in imposter syndrome, anxiety, fear of public speaking, low confidence and burn-out, in today's episode Sally discusses the differences between your inner critic and imposter syndrome, talks about why so many of us compromise on our hopes and dreams, and shares some useful techniques on how to liberate yourself from 'the imposter monster'.
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To work with Sally Heady and sign up for the Liberate course: https://sallyheady.co.uk/imposter-syndrome/
 

A Beginners Guide to Breathwork with Jamie Clements

Breathwork is a term for various breathing practices in which the conscious control of breathing is said to positively influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state. Some of the powerful benefits include reduced stress and anxiety, increased energy, pain management, lowering of blood pressure, management of ptsd, trauma and depression, and improvement of mood.
Jamie Clements is a leading ​​breathwork coach and founder of The Breath Space, which offers an accessible way to experience breathwork classes in London and beyond to improve physical, emotional and mental health.
In this episode of The Happier Life Project, Jamie walks host Gabby through how breathwork works, what some of the most common and beneficial exercises are, and where the best place is to start for those new to the practice.
 
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
 
To sign up to Jamie's 21 day breatwork course: https://thebreathspace.co.uk/21-days-of-breathwork
 

Let’s Meditate! with Andrew Swiney

Mindfulness meditation is a practice that teaches you to slow down your thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body. It combines meditation with the practice of mindfulness, which can be defined as a mental state that involves being fully focused on "the present" so you can acknowledge and accept your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgement.
 
In this episode of The Happier Life Project, host Gabby talks to mindfulness meditation teacher Andrew Swiney, founder of Mynd, who has been practicing meditation for more than 10 years. Andrew explains the science and purpose behind Mindfulness Meditation, dispels the common misconceptions, advises on to make the most out of the practice, and closes the episode with a short, effective Mindfulness Meditation exercise that has immediate positive effects.
 
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
 
For more Mindfulness Meditation practices with Andrew: https://www.mynd.uk/

Therapeutic Tarot: Counseling In The Cards with Steve Hounsome

Tarot decks, with their easy-to-understand symbolism, can be useful and cathartic when it comes to healing. As holistic therapies are increasing in popularity, a trend is arising with more people turning to tarot to help support their mental health. While therapeutic tarot is by no means a substitute for medication or working with a professional therapist or counselor, using tarot in an appropriate way can enhance therapy.
In this episode host Gabby talks to Steve Hounsome an Author, Healer, Psychic and Tutor at Tarot Therapy Ltd who offers Tarot and Psychic Readings, working from a healing, personal and spiritual development perspective.
Steve explains how the cards can hold up a mirror to reflect what is happening in his clients life, why he personally doesn’t agree with using the cards for ‘fortune telling’ and dispels a lot of the myths and skepticism surrounding the use of tarot. Steve also talks about how we can all develop our own psychic and intuitive abilities, gives an overview on the 22 Major and 56 Minor Arcana cards, and demonstrates how if we use therapeutic tarot in a safe, objective way it can help us navigate in our response to situations, circumstances and challenges we are facing.

Simple Steps For Rebuilding Self Esteem with Natalie Englander

Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our opinions and beliefs, which can sometimes feel really difficult to change.
Having low self-esteem isn't a mental health problem in itself, but they are closely linked. If lots of factors affect your self-esteem for a period of time, this might lead to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, social phobia, an eating disorder or substance abuse. So it’s important if we are suffering with our self-esteem we don’t ignore it.
Natalie Englander is a Principal CBT Therapist and Mindfulness Teacher specializing in helping millennial women overcome perfectionism and build self-esteem.In this episode Natalie helps explains to host Gabby why having healthy self-esteem is so important, the most common ways we might experience low self-esteem, and why setting boundaries with others can help us on our quest to building a happier life. Natalie also shares her top 5 ways to tackle low self-esteem and sets some simple homework to help build confidence and feel better about ourselves.