Lise Saugeres - The Mindfulness Diva

03/09/2020

Would you like to be able to manage and relieve anxiety so you can be the best version of yourself and live your life to the fullest?

Then this 2 hour online mindfulness-based workshop on Monday 21st September at 6pm is for you.

We can all feel anxious at times and it is easy to do so in these very challenging times, but if these anxious feelings keep coming back, they will make life difficult for you and will limit what you can do in your everyday life.

Mindfulness has helped me significantly in managing and relieving anxiety by learning to deal with my thoughts and emotions differently and I will show you how it can do the same for you by taking you through a 7 step mindfulness-based framework.
You will get to practice mindfulness techniques and do activities in small groups in breakout rooms to help you apply this framework to your everyday lives.

Normally valued at $90, now only:
-$25 early bird if you book by Sunday 13th Sept. at 11.55 PM
-$35 if you book after Sunday 13th September
You need to book your ticket via Eventbrite. Spaces are limited so get your ticket now, https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/online-workshop-how-to-manage-and-relieve-anxiety-in-7-steps-tickets-119387708851

Would you like to be able to manage and relieve anxiety so you can be the best version of yourself and live your life to the fullest? Then t

27/08/2020

Do you often feel stressed or/and anxious?

Do you often react and overreact to situations?

Would you like to learn how to stand back from your thoughts and emotions so that they not cause you stress and anxiety?

Would you like to learn how to stay calm and collected when dealing with challenging situations?

Then my online Mindfulness membership is for you. You can join from anywhere in the world!

Every week you will have access to 2 to 3 new weekly mindfulness exercises through audio, videos and worksheets for you to incorporate in your everyday activities each week and every 2 week you get new audio meditations for you to practice.

In addition, you will be able to participate to a live recorded session on a different aspect of mindfulness with time for a mindfulness practice and Q&A every second Sunday of every month at 10 am AEST.

And you will also be able to gain unlimited online support through a Facebook Messenger group or email.

This membership was designed specifically to give you all the tools, support and guidance that you need to establish a regular mindfulness practice, step by step, at your own pace to be able to calm the mind chatter, manage difficult emotions and help you minimise stress in your life.

Available for 6 months, you can pay and cancel at any time.
And as a special offer, available for a limited time only, you can try the first month totally free. Only $34 AUD ($24.61 US) per month after that or pay in a single payment of $136 AUD($98.45 US) and get 2 months free!

So take action now, register to try your first month free, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain! Find out more and register via the website: https://mindfullyserene.com.au/the-mindfully-serene-membership-2/

24/01/2020

Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Or if you don't want to call them that, is there anything you said you wanted to do differently this year?

It could be wanting to lose weight, walking or going to the gym more often, doing mindfulness meditation more regularly, etc . . .

The problem if that for these things to happen you need to turn them into actionable steps. You need to break these down in small chunks with a time associated with each, otherwise it won't happen.

For example, if you decided that you wanted to practice mindfulness regularly this year because you want to have less stress in your life and feel more grounded, ask yourself why is that important to you and what has been stopping you so far?

Then if you decide that you are now ready to do so, then choose what steps you need to take to make this happen and set measurable goals.

Make a plan, maybe start with focusing on the breath for one minute each day twice a day, morning and evening, and put this in your calendar with reminders or 5 minutes meditation every morning when you wake up every day for one or 2 weeks, then revise and make a new plan, maybe adding another 5 minutes, etc. For example, you might want to set the goal of meditaing at least for 5 minutes every morning and evening after 3 months or more depending where you are at.

Also ask yourself what kind of support you need to be able to put these in place. Can you do it on your own or do you need support and guidance?

Similarly, if you want to lose weight, ask yourself the same questions I mentioned above. Decide how much weight you want to lose, don't go for a big amount, start small, i.e. losing 2 or 3 kgs by the end of the month, for example by walking briskly for 30 minutes everyday at the same time that you also put in your calendar.

To use mindfulness, setting up a plan for losing weight might also involve asking yourself each time you feel hungry, am I really hungry or do I really want to eat because I am bored or sad, etc.? Connecting with the sensations in your abdomen, observing the thoughts that you are having and becoming aware of what is happening in your mind and body.

So set those realistic actionable and measurable goals and remember that practicing mindfulness will also help you set and achieve those goals by being more connected to what is important to you, feeling more in tune with yourself, having more self-awareness and making you kinder with yourself.

17/06/2019

Last chance to register for my FREE live online webinar tonight at 7pm (Melbourne time).

In this free webinar, I will talk about what stress is and will take you through a simple five key step process that will enable you to minimise the amount of stress that you experience.

You will also get to practice quick mindfulness techniques that you will be able apply to your daily lives.

The replay will be available the following day to those who have registered, https://mindfullyserene.com.au/become-resilient-to-stress/

This webinar will take you through 5 key steps to become resilient to stress so you can enjoy life more, be happier and more fulfilled.

12/06/2019

We can all feel down and go through difficult emotions at times but if we do not have the inner resources to deal with these it can lead to depression, anxiety and other mental health issues as well as physical health problems.

So how can we deal with these differently so we can have different results?

1. It is important to distance ourselves from our thoughts and emotions so we don't get pulled into the story that we tell ourselves.

For instance, when you experience loneliness, sadness, despair or any version of these, name the emotion by saying, `I notice a feeling of despair or loneliness or this is a moment of suffering'.

2. It is also important to remind ourselves that we are experiencing is part of being human as when we go though painful emotions we usually want to isolate ourselves. Take a few slow deep breaths and tell yourself, `I am not alone in this, we can all feel lonely or sad etc. at times.

3. We usually want to avoid feeling a difficult emotion and try to escape from it as a result. However, it is only by staying with the emotion and feeling it that we can really deal with it.

Notice where the emotion is located in your body and focus on the sensations in your body, noticing what these feel like rather than thinking about the emotion. If the sensations are too intense, watch the movement of your breath for a while before bringing yourself back to feeling the sensations in the body.

05/06/2019

Living mindfully is all about noticing what is happening in your mind, body and around you without judgment.

So much of the time we don't pay attention to how we think and how we feel because we get caught into the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world around us. We can also miss out a lot on what is around us because we get distracted by our thoughts or technology!

It is important to notice what is going on without judgment, this means that when judgments come and they will, because that is what the mind does, notice that it is a judgment and let it go.

What are 3 things you can actually do to live more mindfully?

1) Notice the colors, smells and sounds around you without judgment, simply noticing how that feels like.

2) Ground yourself in the body a few times a day by noticing the sensations in your body, paying attention to any areas of tension or tightness in the body and taking a deeper breath in, breathing into the area of tension and relaxing that area on the outbreath.

3) Watch the movement of the breath a few times a day, paying attention to the kind of thoughts you are having and letting them go.

By practicing these techniques, you will feel more present, enjoy more the moment, calm the chatter in your mind and will feel more connected to yourself. Awareness is also the first step in being able to change any behaviour patterns that you don't think is helpful to you.

29/05/2019

How to deal with anger?

We all feel anger from time to time, but how we deal with it will make all the difference. As I have discussed before, I used to have a lot of anger and let it take me over by dwelling on what made me angry which caused me a lot of stress, now when anger comes I know how to observe the feeling and move through it.

As soon as you notice a feeling of anger in the body, you can: 1. Name it, `here is a feeling of anger' or `I notice a feeling of anger'.

2. Anchor yourself in the body by connecting to your breath, while watching your breath, notice what the sensations associated with the anger are like, ie. maybe it feels like a buzzing in the whole body, maybe tingling in the body, in some parts of the body more than others, maybe you notice tensing some parts of the body. Bring a gentle curiosity to the sensations without judgment and observe how they change.

3. Take a few deep breaths, relaxing the whole of your body as you exhale continuing to observe the sensations in your body.

By getting out of our minds and the story we tell ourself and connecting with our breath and the sensations in our body instead we are able to move through the feeling of anger and let it go a lot quicker so as to minimise stress.

11/04/2019

We all are very busy these days, most of us feel we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. We also feel the need to be busy as if not being busy was not acceptable.

But `busyness' is a state of mind. By feeling the need to be busy and reminding ourselves of how busy we are, we create more stress of ourselves and we can also try to fit too much into our lives because of it.

Thinking about how busy we are can also prevent us from taking time for ourselves, feel at peace and enjoy the present moment.

So what can you do to not feel so busy and manage your time more effectively?

1. Prioritise what you have to do according to what is most important and do one task at the time.

2. Whenever you think, `I am busy' or `too busy', label the thought, notice that you are having the thought `of being busy' but let it go and take a slow deep breath.

3. Make sure you connect with the breath for at least 1 minute a few times a day and/or do a mindfulness meditation. Do other activities mindfully like feeling the sensations in your feet and legs when you go for a walk, noticing the colours, smells and sounds in your surroundings.

By being calmer and more focused through regular mindfulness practice, it will help you manage and use your time more effectively. As a result, you will feel less busy.

27/03/2019

Most common excuses that the mind comes up with to not practice mindfulness!

The mind does not like to be still, it does not like the present moment, the mind loves being in the past, in the future or in judgment mode. For that reason, when we practice mindfulness, we are retraining the mind, and it is normal for the mind to put up some resistance and come up with excuses to not do it.

1. I don't have the time or I have too much to do already

In fact, by taking a bit of time out of your day to do some mindfulness meditation or simply becoming aware of what is going on in your mind, body or around you, you will save time! Doing this will enable you to be more present, more focused and make more effective decisions and better use of your time.

2. I can't do it, it's not for me, it's too hard

If you listen to that voice, then it is over! You will have decided that it is not for you and you will be closed to the benefits that mindfulness can give you. Mindfulness practice is challenging for pretty much everyone at the start but practice makes it a lot easier.

3. I have too much to think about right now

That is exactly why you need to practice mindfulness! It will help you stop worrying so much and will you help you enjoy more the present moment. We need to think but unfortunately a lot of the time, we are engaged in this incessant thinking which is very unhelpful and can be harmful.

So what to do?

Whenever, you have these thoughts, tell yourself, `I notice the thought that `I am too busy' or that `I can't do mindfulness' or that `I have too much to think about to do mindfulness" and let it go.

Remind yourself that a regular mindfulness practice will give you a new lease on life by bringing you much more peace, inner contentment and fulfilment.

21/03/2019

Do you know the origins of mindfulness?

The origin of Mindfulness is often traced to Buddhism and Eastern traditions and most secular Western teachers of mindfulness have been inspired by the Buddhist or Hindu traditions.

However, the origins of mindfulness are not only found in eastern religions. Indeed, it has been found that mindfulness has also its root in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

In addition, there are a number of philosophical ideas and principles dating back to philosophers from ancient Greece that can be said to underlie the practice of mindfulness in its secular form.

Therefore the concept of mindfulness, observing and living in the here and now, has existed for thousands of years even thought it was not called mindfulness.

Mindfulness in its non secular form as it is practiced in the West today was made popular in the 1970s John Kabat Zinn through his Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program.

18/03/2019

Do you find it difficult to make time for yourself during the day because of family or work responsibilities or both?

Well, if you don't, you are likely to often feel stressed and worn out.

What does make time for yourself mean? It can mean different things to different people, it can mean taking time out to listen to music you really like or going for a walk or doing something else you really enjoy doing.

If you can do these activities by bringing yourself in the present moment and being fully engaged with what you are doing, you will enjoy them a lot more. However, when we are really busy, it can be hard to switch off our minds even when we are going for a walk or listening to music, which is why taking time out for yourself while bringing yourself in the present moment by noticing what is happening in your body and around you is so important.

For instance, you can connect with your breath and watch your breath from time to time even for one minute or go for a walk by feeling the sensations in your legs and feet and noticing the colours, sounds and smells around you without thinking about what you are experiencing or listening to music by noticing without judgment how it makes you feel in your body.

Bringing yourself in the present moment will help you connect with yourself, feel focused and more centered and will give you an even greater enjoyment of what you are doing.

07/03/2019

Do you often react and overreact to everyday's challenges whether in your professional or personal life? Do you wish you didn't? Would you like to know how to handle potentially stressful situations with more calm and self-control? Then this 2 hour workshop is definitely for you. In this workshop, I...

27/02/2019

5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Are you fully aware of how you interact with others?

For instance, do you tend to interrupt people before they are finished talking?

Or do you often think about something else when another person is talking, maybe what you want to say next or your mind wanders off to something totally different?

How much we are present and engaged when talking to another person will of course impact on the interaction and the relationship. I know that my relationships have improved so much since I became more present and engaged in conversations. After all we all want to be heard and listened to.

So how can you become more present and engaged in a conversation so you can improve your relationships?

1) You need to become aware of how present or distracted you are and what thoughts come into your mind when you are interacting with another. In order to do so, practice being the observer of your thoughts on your own throughout the day by watching your breath or focusing on an object or telling to yourself, `I notice a thought of or that I am having the thought that'. This will make it easier to observe your thoughts during a conversation.

2) Whenever judgments come in about the person you are talking to, notice the thoughts in the same way as previously and let them go without giving yourself a hard time.

3) Bring yourself back to the person you are talking to each time you notice that your mind has wandered off, make sure you keep eye contact with them.

4) See if you can notice your body language and the other person's body language as you are interacting with them.

5) If you feel the urge to jump in before the other person has finished talking, see if you can simply observe that urge and if a feeling of impatience or frustration comes along, notice the sensations in the body without giving you a hard time, and bring yourself back to the person(s) in front of you.

25/02/2019

Check out this great event organised by Bron Williams.

Connect the Dots is an evening by women who lead, for women who lead - entrepreneurs, business owners, those in the corporate or community space, not-for-profit and sport. Our amazing panel will share wisdom and laughter, stories and truths, showing how we can connect the dots in our lives, at a per...

25/02/2019

https://www.facebook.com/gentlebodybalance/posts/546982722480128

03/12/2018

What a fantastic evening we had last night at the Christmas Party of my Meetup Group Living in Awareness Christmas Party. Fun stimulating activities, meaningful connections, poetry, live music, dancing, delicious food, it was all there!

22/04/2018

17/04/2018

Do you often feel stressed out? Rushing around trying to get too many things done?
Do you often worry about stuff?
Do you often forget to appreciate the present moment because you are thinking about something else?

Then the new FREE short guided morning mindfulness meditation + visualisation that I created is just for you. To start having more peace and calm in your life click on the link below to receive your free meditation and get practicing!

https://mindfullyserene.com.au/free-mindfulness-meditation-visualisation/

I have created this guided short morning mindfulness meditation so you can start practicing mindfulness skills such as observing thoughts and emotions, acceptance, letting go of thoughts, being more present and being more in touch with yourself in order to feel more at peace.

16/04/2018

Do you find yourself over reacting in certain situations?

It happens to all of us of course. Road rage is a common one for instance! Whenever you notice that you are reacting in a way that is disproportionate to the situation, stop yourself. If you can remove yourself of the situation so you can calm yourself down and are able to decide how to deal with it. If you are unable to remove yourself from the situation, take a few slow deep breaths, staying with each movement of the breath.

Notice the thoughts that come in but let them go bringing yourself back to the breath. This will help you choose how to handle this situation.

So for example, if somebody cuts in front of you in a car and you feel this urge of anger raising in you and you are already yelling an insult or doing a gesture in anger, as soon as it happens pause, park car as soon as possible and take a few slow deep breaths, accepting this reaction because it happened but reminding yourself that you can choose to let the thoughts and judgments go and anchor yourself in the present moment to your breath.

Of course the more you practice mindfulness in everyday life, the easier it will be for you to respond rather than react to situations.

07/04/2018

Do you lack confidence in your abilities? We all have self-doubts at times but if you lack confidence in yourself it will be difficult for you to achieve what you want to achieve and find fulfilment in your life. I had very low confidence in myself for a long time so I have been there. It is only once I was able to believe in myself more and have more confidence that I was able to take my life to the next level.

So how can mindfulness help you have more self-confidence?
Here are 5 tips to help you.

1. Notice any limiting beliefs that you have about yourself and negative self-judgments and start noticing how often in the day these thoughts come back.
2. When you do notice you are having these thoughts, just name these by saying `I notice I am having the thought that for example, I am not good enough' or whatever it is. In doing so you will become aware of the ability of looking at things differently.
3. Accept that those thoughts are there but recognize that they are just beliefs.
4. Similarly accept the emotions that are associated with these thoughts by paying attention to the sensations that you are experiencing in your body without judgment, simply breathing in and out into and out of these sensations and noticing how it feels in the body.
5. Whenever you doubt yourself, make a list of all the things that you have achieved so far, however small these might seem to you, and congratulate yourself for having done, taking a deep breath in and out each time you tell yourself that achievement and if judgments come in just notice them and let them go.

07/04/2018

Only 2 sleeps before our next event of Living in Awareness on Monday 9 April at 6.30 pm in South Melbourne. Come along for our guest speaker Anita Bentata who will be talking about how to develop an `emotional muscle', for the delicious finger foods, for meaningful connections with like minded people, for networking, for the fun ice breaker games, the great door prizes but do come along! Only $12!

Make sure you RSVP now to get your ticket, https://www.meetup.com/Living-with-Mindful-Awareness/events/248415850/

Mon, Apr 9, 2018, 6:30 PM: • What we'll doWe are lucky to have the popular and inspiring guest speaker and presenter, Anita Bentata. In her work from over 20 years she has helped thousands of women, m

03/12/2017

At the Christmas Party last Thursday night.

26/11/2017

Yesterday at my Intro to Mindfulness Workshop at Glen Eira Learning Education Centre in Ormond

16/11/2017

Here are 3 tips to help you start the day on the right foot:

1. After you wake up, connect to your breath for one minute to start with, simply feeling the sensations in your body as you breathe in and out. If you mind wanders off, note where it has gone to and without judgement bring yourself back to the breath. You can do this lying or sitting down, and can add one or two minutes every now and then as it gets easier.

3. Find 3 things that you are grateful for and breathe deeply after each one.

4. Bring awareness to the process of preparing for the day, for example while you showering, or brushing your teeth, preparing or eating breakfast, use all your senses (touching, smelling, tasting, seeing, and hearing) to connect with the present moment and feeling the sensations in your body. Start with doing one of these activities mindfully in the morning, then add others.

07/11/2017

Only 23 days till our fabulous Christmas Party Bonanza- 5 Group Combo at Honey Bar in South Melbourne on Thursday 30th Nov. at 6.30pm. I have teamed up with 4 fellow Meetup organizers to throw a Christmas bash that will be talked about for years.

The 5 groups are: Living with Mindful Awareness; Personal Development in Business Melbourne; Enlightenment for Entrepreneurs Melbourne; Connecting Women in Leadership Melbourne; and Connecting Women in Business Melbourne.

This party is for you if you:

• Love networking and making new friends

• Enjoy celebrating wins with fun, like-minded people

• Would love to find a new social circle to expand your horizons

• Resonate with passionate, heart-centred people

• Are always on the lookout for new ways to grow

IT’S A GROUP PARTY! Come for the Games! The drinks! The food! The door prizes! The live music! I will be singing a few songs on the night and we have another great musician who will be playing classic songs that you will not resist dancing to! Inspiring speakers! Above all else, come for the mindful fun! This event on Nov 30 will blow your mind!

The venue needs to know the numbers by Thursday 23 Nov., so make sure you secure your ticket today on the Living with Mindful Awareness site, https://www.meetup.com/Living-with-Mindful-Awareness/events/243538860/

22/10/2017

18/10/2017

3 TIPS TO LIVING WITH MINDFUL AWARENESS

Living with mindful awareness means paying deliberate attention to what we think and feel in the present moment as well as what is happening around us right now.

We spend so much of our time in automatic pilot doing everyday activities while thinking about other things. As a result we can feel disconnected from what is going on right now and we do not appreciate the present moment.

Similarly, because the mind loves rehashing past events, judging, and anticipating the future we are often not aware of our thought patterns, how they make us feel and how we experience the world as a result.

So here are 3 tips to help you live with more mindful awareness from day to day:

1. Notice how you feel when you wake up in the morning, are you looking forward to the day ahead or are you already feeling deflated and anxious?

Notice the kind of thoughts that you are having by naming these thoughts for instance telling yourself `I notice that I am having the thought that ...' and without judgment letting them go.

Practice this a few times throughout the day, what thought patterns do you notice when you do a certain task or talk to different people, what emotions do you notice?

2. After waking up, watch the movement of your breath for a few minutes, starting with one minute or using a guided meditation if you are new to to it and without judgment noting how the thoughts and emotions that arise but letting them go and bringing yourself back each time to watching the breath. You can also take at least one minute a few times throughout the day to connect with your breath.

3. Throughout the day, each time you notice that your mind is thinking about other things and you are not fully present, observe what is going around you, notice the sounds, the colours, the smells, or grab an object and notice how it feels at the touch.

Notice what is going on as an observer and letting the judgments go, simply noting what it feels like to be smelling, touching, watching a color or hearing those particular sounds wherever you are, at work, at home or at a social event.

If you have not yet joined our Meetup Group Living with Mindful Awareness and attended some of our events, join us on Thursday 2nd Nov. if you can for our next Share, Learn and Connect event with practical tips, practices and discussions to help you have more mindful awareness in your everyday lives,
https://www.meetup.com/Living-with-Mindful-Awareness/events/243840460/

Remember to join our Facebook group by the same name, https://www.facebook.com/groups/290276534780307/

11/10/2017

If you find meditating difficult or have even decided that it was not for you, please read my blog,

http://mindfullyserene.com.au/2017/10/seven-tips-to-meditate-more-easily-even-if-you-do-not-think-you-can/

Seven Tips to Meditate More Easily Even If You do not Think You Can October 11, 2017October 11, 2017 by lise21 Have you tried to meditate but you found it too hard? Your mind kept wandering off or thoughts kept rushing in as soon as you started to meditate, maybe you felt frustrated because you told...