Musings from an Enchanted Isle by Susie Self


Susie Self, singer, composer and facilitator for the leading holistic holiday, Skyros, visits the Skyros Centre on Skyros island in Greece. The Centre is home to the renowned Writers' Lab and Life Choices holidays where learning new skills, meeting new people and letting your inner child run free is paramount. Read Susie's article for an insight into just how inspiring a Skyros holiday can be.

Susie with Julian (left) and Andrew (right) who manage The Skyros Centre

I have had the incredible good fortune to be on composing retreat at the Skyros Centre on the island of Skyros in Greece for these last three weeks.  I have been working on my 4th symphony “The Island” which is inspired by Skyros. I love waking up every morning with my first thought being "how can I develop my symphonic material?" I need to go into composer's retreat more often. Up till last year I was very busy singing in opera houses in mainland Europe. This activity afforded me a lot of free time to compose so my first three symphonies were relatively easy to produce. At home its harder with all the details of opera company conducting and teaching to hold the massive architecture of symphonic material in my mind. I now understand why Mahler only composed symphonies in the summer when he wasn’t conducting. It is only when all the symphonic material is present simultaneously in one’s conscious mind that any significant progress can be achieved in developing material.

Originally I had thought to present all the aspects of Skyros island in the symphony and I have created some interesting textural effects inspired by cross rhythms produced by cicadas, church bells and distinctive overlapping owl calls . I am fascinated by creating texture in music, composing feels like weaving a complex piece of cloth. However my current time on Skyros has caused “The Island” to take on a more complex psychological undercurrent, it has become a Universal island: Prospero’s island or Cavafy’s “Ithaca”. The Island had become an analogy for the artist’s soul, how an artist needs to be alone yet also integrated and connected. How an artist longs for Utopia but when she arrives on the island she is challenged by nature, shaken up.

A friend on the island, Manos, made me a copy of “The Tempest” and I felt a broader connection to what an Island represents and how we want to dream that it has magic impregnated into its rock. Michael, my husband, suggested I listen to Sibelius’ storm music for “The Tempest” which I found inspiring for its texture: hypnotic and abstract. I was also reminded of Joseph Cambell's “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” and how the journey to the island is like being an artist: it is full of turmoil, false hopes and dashed dreams. To become a real artist she must lay bare her narcissistic ego, be dashed on the rocks by a tumultuous storm, struggle to shore half dead and begin again in a humble and simple way.

Following on with the theme of the fallen hero as artist, I had the amazing opportunity to swim though a cave that rivals Fingal’s Cave. Here follows a poem I wrote which forms the basis of a new section in my symphony. Each day I have worked on “The Island” from 10am to 5pm, then I sink into the island’s balminess, swimming in clear Aegean waters, walking into lush steep valleys or facing storms head on at the north east coast where Don Quixote’s windmill stands. All this is rounded off by delicious dinners and too much wine in the wonderful company of Julian and Andrew, the Skyros Centre managers, and all their amazing friends on The Island. I hope one day you will hear the symphony .


Susie Self 2012

The Cave

What do I have to bring to the cave?
Will I daringly go into its solitary darkness?
Swimming into cool, clear, water, deep,
My soul, seeking, sinking, shelving,
Exploring high aquatic chambers.
Rocks formally abstract in the ceiling
Glowing cerulean blue and hints of pink,
Uplifted from the incandescent sea hole below.
I need to orgasm, I need to sink
Into sadness, into loss, into friendship.
I swim but my inner man is not entirely authentic.
He is heroic, armoured, grailed.
I see ahead “her” hand rise up with the
Sword, she wants to pierce my heart
With simplicity and humility.
I swim through the cave once again,
This time I am myself .

Seawolf Skyros 2012

Booking a Skyros Holiday – Simplified

If you've been thinking about a holiday with Skyros, the leading holistic holiday company, but are unsure what to do next; why not follow these simple booking guidelines provided to you by The Skyros Team.

Step 1) Choose your holiday. Go to www.skyros.com and browse by destination. Choose from Greece, Thailand, Cuba, Cambodia and the Isle of Wight. For Greece you will have the option of Atsitsa Bay for the leading holistic holiday, or Skyros Centre for the renowned Life Choices and Writers' Lab programmes.

Step 2) Choose your dates. Which holiday dates are most suitable for you?

Step 3) Book your place online at www.skyros.com by filling out the simple booking form, or give us a call at +44 (0)1983 86 55 66 and we will go through the booking process with you.

Step 4) Book your flights. Take any flight to arrive in Athens the day before your Skyros holiday begins. If you are booked on our transfer, we will take care of your travel needs from the moment you arrive in Athens. Our courtesy coach will leave Athens airport at 7pm, and take you to The Metropolitan Hotel for your overnight stay. If this departure time does not suit your arrival time, you can take an airport taxi or public transport to the hotel.

For your return flight, you will want to fly out of Athens on the final day of your holiday, any time after 3 p.m. For bookings, you can call the Flight Centre on 0113 243 4572, or check direct with airline providers for the best options available.

Step 5) Buy your travel insurance. You must have travel insurance, so check with your local post office, bank or insurance provider.

Step 6) Pack your bags because you’re going on holiday!!

Skyros will send out an information pack closer to the time with all the information you will need, such as contact details, an itinerary, ideas for what to pack, your luggage tags and travel wallet.

Enjoy!

Skyros, 'the first and still the best' alternative holiday according to The Guardian, offers inspiring course based holidays in stunning locations. Holidays include creative writing, life skills, sailing, yoga, abseiling, windsuring, art, dance, theatre improvisation, singing, music and so much more. See www.skyros.com.

Wellbeing in the workplace

Wellbeing in the Workplace

by Beverley Drumm

As I sat down to write this piece, I reflected upon the fact that there was once a time when my entire working life was sedentary.  From 9-5 (on a good day!) I’d be sitting behind a desk doing very little physical movement and focusing my eyes at a point about 50cm away from the end of my nose.

Nowadays though, I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum: my work is not only defined by movement, but revolves around supporting people (just like my former self) to get fit, release strain and stress from their bodies and reclaim an integrated sense of wellbeing.

Now I’ve only been sitting here for 10 minutes and my bum is getting numb. I can feel the circulation in my legs slowing down and my eyes want to find a spot in the distance to focus on. Newsflash!  Sitting down for long periods of time ain't that great for body or mind. It’s not what we’re designed to do!

I could quote all kinds of facts and figures at you and I’m sure you already know this, but sedentary work and, as is often the case in today’s information age, prolonged engagement with a computer and/or smart phone can lead to:

-       tight neck and shoulder muscles, &/or pain

-       repetitive strain injury in hands and wrists

-       stiff joints and reduced mobility

-       headaches

-       lower back pain

-       varicose veins

-       deterioration of sight

-       low energy

-       weight gain

Sound familiar?

I totally get that many people are feeling under even more pressure than ever these days to be “productive”, but the fact is that by tying yourself to your desk and relentlessly slogging away, you’re not doing yourself – or your employer – any favours.

Besides being unkind to your body and setting yourself up for potential health problems, endless sitting, plus a nose to grindstone mind-set, will actually see your productivity diminish.

Without keeping your chi (energy) circulating and richly oxygenated blood flowing, you get sluggish: both your creativity and clarity take a nose-dive.  There’ll be no useful brain left to storm with!

So, here are a few things you can do to take care of your body, your mind – and, ultimately, your job security, during each working day.

1.     Nourish. Drink plenty of water (dehydration slows brain function), replace caffeine drinks with herbal or green tea and replace sugary snacks with nuts, veggies or fruit.  The sugar or caffeine high you get in the short-term is immediately followed by an energy slump – time to stop riding those artificial waves and find a healthier equilibrium.  Take time to have a proper lunch break away from your desk, computer and phone. Eat slowly, savouring your food.  Avoid heavy, fatty, sugary midday meals.

2.    Move! Walk as much as you can throughout the day: use stairs not the lift, walk to work, go for a brisk walk in your lunch break (even 15 mins is better than nothing!), get up and walk around at least 1x an hour during the day, take an exercise class before or after work or in your lunch break.  See if you can do some of your tasks (such as phone calls) standing, instead of sitting.

3.     Eye eye!  Take 30-minute eye-breaks & do this simple eye-gym:

Look away from your compute screen and

i.               follow the horizon with your eyes, sweeping your gaze slowly all the way from far left to far right and back

ii.              look straight up and straight down

iii.            look from top left corner to bottom right corner and vice versa

iv.             do eye circles in both directions

Repeat each exercise several times, then

v.              rub your hands vigorously together and place them over your closed eyes, take a deep breath in and deep breath out

4.     Breathe!  Sounds silly, but the majority of people do not breathe fully, and shallow breathing (the kind that only goes into your upper chest) will deplete your energy, amplify anxiety, dampen your mood and impair mental clarity and function.  Stay aware of your breath throughout the day. Maybe even put a sticky note on your desk or computer with the word “BREATHE!” on it, and practice breathing deeply into your belly and chest, in a relaxed, easy manner.  NB. Your belly should be pushing OUT as you inhale and contracting in on the exhale.

5.     Posture perfect!  Become aware of your posture as you sit. Notice if you’re slumping, twisting or kinking your spine or neck. Notice if your shoulders and jaw are tight or relaxed. Keep reminding yourself to come back to alignment, to adjust anything uncomfortable, and to release any unnecessary tension. Adjust your chair height or back-rest as necessary.  Do your best to keep your spine tall, with head floating over the chest, chest floating over the pelvis. Drop your shoulders down and back.  Imagine your head being suspended from above, giving you a sense of length through the spine and back of the neck. Connect the ease and depth of your breath with this relaxed, upright posture.

6.     Workout! Integrate a mini desk-workout into your day.  You can create your own, but here’s one I made earlier. Read the Mini Desk Workout here >

Now with these little changes to your day, you’ll begin to feel more energized and and keep your body and mind in better shape.  See it as a daily tune-up, that keeps all your working parts lubricated and the engine running smoothly; a little investment to get peak performance out of your driving machine and avoid a costly MOT further down the road.

Beverley Drumm

www.nectaroflife.co.uk

Beverley is an holistic wellbeing specialist, with a mission to support others in connecting to their bodies, reclaiming their innate vibrancy and living life to its fullest.  She’s known for her playfulness, warmth, knowledge and skillful use of music.

She’ll be teaching the Nia Technique, Kundalini Yoga and more in Atsitsa this summer in Skyros, Greece with Skyros Holidays, the leading holistic holiday company. See www.skyros.com.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Nia Technique, it’s a moving celebration of your body and your life. Nia combines free-form movement and simple, yet subtly transformational choreography rooted in the science and art of dance, martial arts and body-mind integration techniques. Music, sound and voice are an integral part of the experience. It’s an exhilarating way to get fit on the inside and out, and is adaptable to Every Body, however out of shape, uncoordinated, or indeed supremely athletic, you might feel!  Nia leaves you feeling alive, energized, centred and connected, inspiring you to live with mindfulness and joy.

If you’d like a taste of Nia, Beverley is teaching a Nia PlayShop on Sunday, July 29^th, 2-4.30pm at The Factory, 407 Hornsey Road, London, N19 4DX and all Skyros holiday participants (past and present) are welcome at a specially discounted rate of just £10 in advance or £15 on the door.  Please contact Beverley for more information and to register at: beverley.drumm@gmail.com, or call 0797 9934070.  www.nectaroflife.co.uk.

The mini-desk workout

The Mini Desk Workout

By Beverley Drumm

 

Yawn.  Yes, that’s right.  Yawn!  Open your mouth and jaw as wide as you can, push your chest forward (stretching your lower back) and stretch your arms up into an Y shape above your head.

Shoulder shrug.  Inhale lifting your shoulders up to your ears, then exhale letting them drop down. 

Shoulder roll. Inhale, drawing your shoulders up to your ears, then exhale them back, down & around. Then reverse, inhaling back, down and up. Exhale forward, round and down.

Neck roll. Tilt your head to one side (ear toward shoulder), hold it there and breathe into the stretch, then inhale. As you exhale, very slowly roll your head down and around (chin to chest) towards the other side.  Begin to inhale once you’ve crossed the centre of your chest, so that when you reach the other side you are ready to exhale and roll back the other way again. 

Yes/No.  Look straight ahead, then inhale and rotate your head left. Exhale and rotate right. Then, inhale and look up lifting chin towards the sky, exhale and look down, bringing chin down to chest.

Shoulder squeeze.  Interlace your fingers behind your back, lock your elbows if you can, inhale; open the chest as you pull the arms up behind you as high as you can. Hold for a few seconds and release with the exhale. 

Heaven press.  Interlace your fingers with palms facing up towards the ceiling. Inhale and stretch arms straight up, exhale to release.

Happy clappy. Extend your arms straight out to either side of your body and then swing them up to clap over your head.  If all your colleagues start staring at you, simply make it a silent clap – swing up, but stop the hands an inch or so before they touch!

Creepy crawlers. Hold hands in front of you, palms up, then let your fingers and thumbs wiggle around, moving all of the joints.

Wrist action.  Rotate your wrists in both directions.

Greedy grabber.  Extend your fingers out as far as you can, then pretend you’re grabbing something and close them into a fist.

Spinal flex.  Make sure your feet are firmly on the ground, your bum on your seat, your hands resting on your thighs, your spine tall and straight, your chin level.  Inhale and flex your spine forward, bringing the sternum forward and arching the lower back, exhale and round the spine back, feeling your tailbone curve underneath you. Get a nice rhythm going with the breath.

Spinal twist 1.  Take your right hand over to the outside of your left knee, wrap your left arm around your lower back and slowly inhale and look over your left shoulder. When you reach your limit, hold it there for a few long, slow deep breaths, then inhale and release on the exhale.  Repeat on the other side.

Helicoptor/Spinal twist 2.  Put your hands on your shoulders, keeping elbows parallel to the floor, then inhale twisting left, exhale twisting right.  Keep going!  

Bum clench. Squeeze your bum cheeks together hard, pushing down into your chair, then release. 

Now take your shoes off; do the following one leg at a time, lifting the ‘active’ leg just a little off the floor.

Toe boogie.  Wiggle all your toes.

Ankle rotation.  Rotate your ankles both ways.

Prima ballerina (Men, it’s ok, you can do this under your desk and no-one will see.)  Point and flex your toes.  Repeat several times feeling oh so graceful and then, flex your toes back towards yourself and hold for a few seconds before releasing.

Placing both feet back on the floor to continue.

Grape press.  Lift alternate heels off the ground, pressing ball of the foot into the floor and contracting calf muscles.

Duck walk.  Keep heels on the ground & lift just the toes off, alternating one foot at a time.

Leg stretch.  Keep one foot on the ground, then straighten the other leg and place the heel on the floor.  Placing hands on thigh for support, slowly lean forward until you feel a nice stretch through the back of the extended leg. Hold, breathe deeply, then inhale and release up on the exhale. Repeat on the other side.

Repeat any of these exercises as many times as you like.  If you’re short of time, pick a few to focus on, aiming to move as many different parts of your body as possible.  EnJOY.

Beverley Drumm is an holistic wellbeing specialist, with a mission to support others in connecting to their bodies, reclaiming their innate vibrancy and living life to its fullest. She’s known for her playfulness, warmth, knowledge and skillful use of music. 

Beverley will be teaching Nia Dance, Kundalini yoga and more in Atsitsa for Skyros Holidays in August this summer. The Nia technique offer an exhilarating way to get fit on the inside and out and is adaptable to Every Body, however out of shape, uncoordinated or indeed, supremely athletic, you might feel!  Nia leaves you feeling alive, energized, centred and connected, inspiring you to live with mindfulness and joy. See www.skyros.com.

If you’d like a taste of Nia, Beverley is teaching a Nia PlayShop on Sunday, July 29^th, 2-4.30pm at The Factory, 407 Hornsey Road, London, N19 4DX. All Skyros holiday participants (past and present) are welcome at a specially discounted rate of just £10 in advance or £15 on the door.  Please contact Beverley for more information and to register at: beverley.drumm@gmail.com, or call 0797 9934070.  www.nectaroflife.co.uk.

 

Five Pathways to a Happy Life

Michael Eales, psychologist, writer, and leadership coach for 27 years, is one of the leading figures in Humanistic Psychology. He has been facilitating with Skyros holidays for a number of years in Skyros Island, Greece; Thailand and Cambodia.

Here he gives his top five tips on following the path of happiness. If you are considering a Life Choices course in Skyros, Greece, this season; read on for more, and get a good feel for what the inspiring Life Choices courses entail…

There are five key pathways that make it more likely than not that we will feel more happy and fulfilled.

1) Discover your sense of purpose. Perhaps you’ve done it once already... The family has grown up and left the nest, the business is a success. So, what now? What are your dreams? What do you hope for? Whether family, work, friends, or something completely new, discover your sense of purpose.

2) Engage with others. Do you spend enough time with the friends who really support you? One of the things people often come to regret is not giving enough time for, or losing touch with family and friends.  So get a diary, and be sure to pencil to quality time together.

3) Enjoy the little things in life. When was the last time you really tasted a meal rather than rushing around or eating in front of the TV? When did you last sit down, alone, and listen to your favourite music? When did you last laugh until your belly hurt? Set some time aside for something you really enjoy, and let your inner child run free.

4) Emotional resilience. When we are ‘just surviving’ we often become reactive, despondent, and judgemental. To protect ourselves we often hide within our comfort zone. Part of the answer is to manage our stress, to keep fit and eat healthily. Another important part is to get support, to talk things through, which often means finding ways to walk toward our fears rather than running away.

5) Live for right now. Don’t dwell on negatives of past and future. Take a moment, sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. When your mind wanders, stop! Concentrate on your breathing. Let your worries and stresses, filter away.

These five pathways to happiness are key to a Skyros Holiday: Reflect on your life and rethink your direction, with expert support. Meet like minded people, swim in the sea, eat good food, dance, sing and be creative. With quality listening and emotional support, you can slow down, learn to meditate, practice yoga, or just relax and read a book by the sea.

You can join Michael in Skyros this September for his course ‘The Path of Happiness,’ where he will help you to transform blocks and fears so you can learn to live life with more strength and resourcefulness. You can also join Michael in Thailand and Cambodia to kick start 2013 in style. See www.skyros.com for more. Do something good for yourself this year. It’s time to laugh until your belly hurts.

How to choose the right holiday for you…

If there's one thing that doesn't go amiss on a Skyros holiday, it's variety. But have you been struggling to choose between the holidays in Greece this season? Not entirely sure which holiday is for you? Use our guide to see which is best…

You have three different types of holidays in Greece:

1) The Writers Lab holidays at The Skyros Centre, are designed for writers, dabblers and thinkers who would like the opportunity to learn from distinguished writers. If you have a novel in process, or if you’ve always wanted to try, then this is the holiday for you.

2) Life Choices holidays at The Skyros Centre, focus on life skills and personal development. Fully supported by the warm, relaxed environment, our top notch tutors and the like-minded participants, you will discuss current strains and pressures of everyday life in a fun and explorative way that will help to remind you what you love and what makes you smile. This holidays are for those in search of awakening lost passions, finding new ideas, new friendships, or even a whole new way forward.

 

3) Holistic Holidays in Atsitsa Bay, are for those who want to live life to the full by experiencing an engaging and vibrant holiday with a wide selection of courses and activities. Courses, such as yoga, sailing, singing, songwriting sketching, music and more, are held outdoors on beautiful stone terraces, between the pine forest and the sea. You are free to do as much or as little as you please, making Atsitsa the ideal place to relax, unwind, get involved and let your inner child run free. 

On all holidays there is always time to walk, explore, swim in the sea and enjoy the tranquility of charming Skyros island. Good food, great company, inspiring courses and a stunning location, it’s a winning combination.

For solo travellers, choose any Skyros holidays. See our solo travellers blog article to find out why Skyros holidays are perfect for solo travellers…

Are you travelling with a family? Children from 5 and over are more than welcome to Atsitsa bay during the month of August.

Relationships...

Our guest writer this week is Ari Badaines, Ph.D. Ari has been a Skyros facilitator since 1982. He runs personal and professional development courses worldwide. His Life Choices course, 'Relationships' will run at the Skyros Centre in Skyros Island, Greece from the 1st to the 11th August 2012. For an idea of what Ari's course will entail, or for an insight to improving your relations, read his latest article here...

We often think of relationships as pertaining to intimate 'coupledom', but in reality, there are all kinds: employer/employee; parent/child; adult child/parent; friends/enemies to name but a few. The basis of the relationship may vary from the intensely emotional to the practical as it can form out of necessity.  However we define it, in all of these relationships the nature of the contact can have a very potent effect on the satisfaction/dissatisfaction level of the individual.

Researchers discovered that if you put an engaged-to-be-married couple in a room and invited them to talk together, there was a simple ratio which could predict with a high degree of accuracy how successful that marriage would be. If, in their conversation, the ratio of positive statements –- appreciations, acknowledgements etc – to negative comments – complaints, put downs, nagging etc – was 5:1, the likelihood of a successful, satisfying relationship was greatly enhanced. If on the other hand, it was 1:5, the relationship would probably not survive, or if it did, it would prove to be highly unsatisfying. When working with couples, or in organisations, I will invite each person to estimate what they think their ratio is, and what they experience the other's ratio is. That in itself is very revealing to each, but far more significant is the shock for most when they actually start attending and tracking it. I then invite people to try to bring the ratio up to 5:1, and within a few days both parties experience a marked improvement in their relationship.

There is nothing magical in this – those who do it discover that they are noticing things that they appreciate and show they do so, and stop focusing on the negative, the disappointments, and what they are NOT getting. Naturally, this way resentments reduce and positive feelings increase. The other person experiences this and the good will between the two increases, and things get better!

What fascinates me and tells me a lot when working with people around their relationships is the time resistance sets in to doing and then maintaining the 'ratio work'. When resentments have encrusted the style of interaction, when the heart is wrapped in a protective shield against hurts and disappointments or when expectations and longings unmet and long buried re-surface, it takes significant time to melt that shield enough so that there is again sufficient good will to restore balance and harmony.

If there is a lack of immediate response, the initiator will give up too soon and the situation will actually be made worse because with a lack of success motivation to continue to work at the relationship is diminished. Then often, unfortunately, resentment is increased. The professional working with the relationship system needs to be able to 'innoculate' against the potential for disappointment and withdrawal!

So, this is a simple and highly effective approach to changing how we communicate with one another that can have a profound effect on relationships, usually in a positive direction, though, as I described above, it can sometimes go in the opposite direction.

A. Badaines, Ph.D.

You can join Ari on a Skyros Holiday this summer. His course 'Relationships' will take place on beautiful Skyros island in Greece from the 1st - 11th August 2012. Book online or contact the office for more details. We are always happy to help. Tel: 01983 86 55 66 e: office@skyros.com www.skyros.com

Special Offer: Loan out your Friends of Skyros Discount

If you love Skyros and find yourself, as many do, wanting to return year and year again; why not share the secret of these inspiring holidays with your closest friends and family? Recommend us and in return your friends will be entitled to your Friends of Skyros discount. That's right, for this season in Greece only, Skyros are giving past holiday participants the power to grant their friends and family the same £75 discount they enjoy themselves. Call your friends and tell them the special news. At the same time you will be supporting Greece and Skyros island, in particular, through one of the toughest times since the war.
 
In order to qualify for your Friends of Skyros discount, your friends and family will need to give your name as a source at the time of booking either online or over the phone. For more information visit the 'recommend a friend' page at http://www.skyros.com/recommendfriend.htm. 

The only problem now, is choosing whom to give it to...

SKYROS, the world leader of course-based holidays is perfect for the discerning traveller; its benefits include new friendships, relationships, interests, a fresh outlook or even a whole new way forward. Yoga, art, writing, life choices, music & more.

For more information about SKYROS' fabulous holidays, visit www.skyros.com. Or call Gemma, Michelle or Laura on 01983 86 55 66. 


 

How to follow your calling and let the 'real you' shine through...

In this blog post, Claire Schrader, life coach and facilitator at the leading holistic holiday company, Skyros Holidays, talks about the call to adventure and how you can follow yours.


So, life has suddenly taken new direction. New opportunities are opening up, stirring up an energy within, and you're daunted by the scale of it because you don't know quite where to start.

Or perhaps the opposite has you overwhelmed. A spirit of adventure calls for you to break out, to live your life in a more inspiring and authentic way, and you feel excitement at that even if you don't know quite where it's coming from or how to deal with it. All you know is that your life right now is not an adventure. It's comfortable, but not what you need.

The calling is there, but how do you follow it when you don't even understand what it is?

A call is one of those tiny moments of massive proportion - meeting someone new, reading a book, watching a movie, waking up in the morning - something so simple, yet somehow your world spins on an axis as you experience the WOW factor, and something deep and powerful stirs within.

It could occur in any area of life: career, relationship, travel, home, health, family. It may be spiritual or materialistic, and you may be daunted by this, terrified maybe? Excited? Inspired? But you will never forget it. Even if you ignore the call, it will come back again and again, a whisper of a reminder. That's what a call is. And from there, you let it lead, allowing it to unfold at it's own pace.

Tips to discovering your calling in life?

1) Close your eyes and take a few breaths. With your out-breath concentrate on letting go and releasing all clutter in your mind. After a few breaths switch to focusing on your in-breath.

2) In your imagination take yourself to place in nature where you feel comfortable and at ease. Take in your surroundings, all the smells and sounds. Allow your mind to wander and see what comes. It could be an image, a symbol, colours, or a feeling, or something more conceptual. Don't worry if what comes makes little sense to you.

3) Focus on that thought, allow it to unfold. Write down what you experience, or any insights, thoughts or reflections that come to you. Let yourself dream a little. You can do this over a series of days and see if a pattern emerges.

So you got this far, but what's next?

Interpreting the results is a tricky thing because what is coming through to you is expressed in the language of the unconscious... but trust yourself give your thoughts space and time to let this unfold in their own time.

Alternatively, you could come to Skyros Island and join my course “The Call to Adventure” which starts 21st July. We’ll be having fun playing and creating together whilst at the same time releasing some of the blocks that may be holding you back from fulfilling your deepest dreams.

Many people who come to my workshops discover their calling or find insight into following what they deeply desire. They receive inspiration for the work they really want to do, or they discover what really brings them alive, or they get powerful insights into an issue that had previously perplexed them.

For more information about the Life Choices courses, or about some of SKYROS' other inspiring holidays, visit www.skyros.com. Alternatively email the SKYROS team on office@skyros.com, or give them a call at 01983 86 56 66