Emma Reynolds Mindfulness

13/11/2025

COME AND JOIN US! No need for any previous experience- just enjoy some mindful time to unwind. PM me for more info!

09/04/2025

Hello all, I've just started creating some bedtime stories and meditation for children on YouTube in case you've children under 10 and you're looking for ways to ease them into sleep :)

Welcome to The Cozi Nest, a gentle space where bedtime becomes a gateway to wonder, calm, and inner growth. Through lovingly crafted guided meditations and magical bedtime stories, we help children relax, feel safe, and connect with the wisdom within. Created by a mindfulness expert, these offerings...

11/03/2025

When you look up and smile, your brain releases a cocktail of feel-good neurotransmitters and shifts your emotional state. Here's the science behind it:

1. Dopamine (The Reward Chemical)
Looking up and smiling can trick your brain into thinking you're happy, triggering dopamine release.
Dopamine is linked to motivation, pleasure, and reward, making you feel more positive and energized.
2. Serotonin (The Mood Stabilizer)
Smiling signals to your brain that things are good, boosting serotonin levels.
Higher serotonin = reduced stress and a greater sense of well-being.
3. Endorphins (The Natural Painkillers)
The physical act of smiling (even fake smiling!) triggers endorphins, which reduce pain and enhance pleasure.
Endorphins create a mild euphoric effect, similar to a runner’s high.
4. Oxytocin (The Bonding Hormone)
If you smile at someone, oxytocin increases, strengthening social connections and feelings of trust.
The Body-Brain Feedback Loop
Facial expressions don’t just reflect emotions—they create them.
The "facial feedback hypothesis" suggests that smiling sends signals to the brain that you're happy, which then triggers more happy chemicals.
Looking up naturally opens the chest, improving posture and oxygen flow, which also enhances mood.
Bottom Line
Even if you're feeling down, looking up and smiling can "hack" your brain into releasing chemicals that actually make you feel better. Fake it till you make it? Science says yes! 😃

07/03/2025

Fight and Flight

When we are stressed and anxious this is our Fight and flight mechanism working. Sometimes we are easily triggered by events, or thoughts about the past, the future or by judging the present. Through meditation we can self-regulate ourselves and return to “rest and digest” state where we feel calm and present.

Here is a practice you can try.

1: The STOP practice:

S is for Stop
In fight and flight mode we are running on adrenalin and cortisol which makes us move fast, so physically stopping helps us to start changing our experience.

T is for Take some conscious breaths through the nose.
See if you can follow the breath in and out, through your nostrils. If you get distracted by thoughts, just come back to the next in-breath.

O is for Observe your emotions in the body
Notice what emotion you are experiencing, such as anger, frustration or sadness and see if you can locate it in the body. It often turns up as tension, tightness or heaviness. Focus with curiosity on the sensations, without judging them and keep allowing your breath to soothe the body and help it relax.

P is for Proceed into your day. What might you need now you are feeling calmer? Having taken a mindful pause you may notice you need to stretch, eat, drink, take a walk, talk to a friend or simply sit for a few more minutes being with the breath.

To listen to the practice follow the link below.

For stressful moments...The key is to recognize when things are getting ramped up and to STOP!Step 1 (S) is literally to stop and come to standing still or s...

04/03/2025

If you're interested in how Mindfulness can help you lower stress, anxiety and depression please take a look at this video. It includes practices you can do for yourself.
I teach MBSR- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and research consistently shows that the MBSR course makes measurable and lasting change in people's lives.
www.mbsr-mindfulness.com for more info and if you'd like to do the training.

From a talk for Mental Health day, 2024.An intro to Mindfulness.From www.mbsr-mindfulness.com

02/03/2025

Breathe.....

02/03/2025

14/01/2025

Here's a recent interview I did for BBC Radio Shropshire on Mindfulness and the course I teach

What is mindfulness, and how can it help you deal with the stresses of everyday life?

15/12/2024

For all of you in Shrewsbury, I'll be offering an 8-week stress reduction course from the 27th January 12.30-2.30pm, with a free introductory session on the 13th January at 12.30pm. MBSR is seen as the "gold standard" in stress reduction courses, with over 30 years of research consistently showing how mindfulness meditation can help people with stress, anxiety, sleep issues and body pain amongst other things. More info on my website: www.mbsr-mindfulness.com Course held at Yogalicious.