VW Counselling and Meditation

03/11/2025

🌿 Looking forward to seeing you for Tai Chi this week! 🌿

🕰️ Class Times:
• Monday: 6pm – The Greig Hall, Alcester
• Tuesday: 10am – The Greig Hall, Alcester
• Thursday: 9.30am – Henley Train Station (weather permitting)
• Thursday: 11am – St Nicholas Church, Henley
• Friday: 9.45am – Henley Baptist Church

✨ Your first session is FREE! £9 per class thereafter.

Come along to experience the relaxing and restorative benefits of Tai Chi — a gentle way to improve balance, wellbeing, and peace of mind. 🌸

03/11/2025

🌿 International Stress Awareness Week (3–7 Nov) 🌿

As a Counsellor and Meditation Teacher, I see so many people reaching the point of burnout — feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or simply disconnected from themselves.

Stress doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it whispers through tension, sleepless nights, or that constant sense of being “on edge.”

Taking just a few mindful moments each day can help you reconnect and restore balance:
🌬️ Breathe slowly
🦶 Ground your feet
💨 Let your shoulders drop
🕊️ Allow calm to return to your body

✨ Pause. Breathe. Listen. Your body is speaking — it’s time to respond with care.

At VW Counselling, I offer counselling and meditation sessions to help you find clarity, calm, and connection again.

🌿 Reach out if you’re ready to take the first step toward feeling more balanced.

21/10/2025

🌟 ADHD Awareness Month 2025: The Many Faces of ADHD 🌟

October is ADHD Awareness Month, and this year’s theme — The Many Faces of ADHD — reminds us that every neurodivergent person experiences the world differently. Alongside the challenges of focus, organisation, and emotional regulation, many also bring incredible creativity, energy, and empathy.

As both a counsellor and meditation teacher, I’ve seen how mindfulness-based practices can support individuals with ADHD in calming the mind, improving focus, reducing stress, and building emotional regulation.

Recently, I wasb privileged to deliver a 5-week community Meditation Course for Beginners through Shali Wellbeing CIC at the Alcester Community Shed, funded by Alcester Town Council. Participants — including several with ADHD — reported feeling calmer, less stressed, more focused, and sleeping better 🌿

It’s inspiring to see Alcester working towards becoming a Neurodivergent-Friendly Town, with local shops proudly displaying stickers to show their commitment to understanding and inclusion.

✨ If you’d like to explore how Meditation, Tai Chi or Counselling could support you, your child, or your team, please reach out — I’d love to help.

17/10/2025

🌸 World Menopause Day – 18th October 2025 🌸

There was a time I honestly thought I was losing my mind. The brain fog, anxiety, and sleepless nights of menopause can make you feel completely off balance.

Saturday is World Menopause Day, and this year’s theme — Lifestyle Medicine in Menopausal Health — really speaks to us at Shali Wellbeing. Our hormones shift dramatically during this stage, affecting key brain chemicals that influence mood, focus, and sleep. No wonder so many of us feel anxious or foggy-headed!

The good news? Mindfulness and gentle movement can make a real difference. For me, meditation has been a lifeline — helping me find calm, clarity, and a little more patience and compassion with myself.

At Shali Wellbeing, my co-founder Alison shares that same balance through Tai Chi — a beautiful form of moving meditation that restores peace and focus through breath and flow.

💫 You’re not losing your mind — your body is recalibrating.
💫 You deserve calm and clarity.
💫 Small daily practices can change everything.

If you’d like to experience meditation or Tai Chi for yourself, reach out to us at Shali Wellbeing. You can join one of our community classes — or we can even come into your workplace to deliver a wellbeing workshop.

Let’s make space for calm, clarity, and connection — together. 🌸

10/10/2025

Join Us for World Mental Health Day here at the Ken Kennett Centre

Friday 10th October | 1:00pm – 3:30pm & 5:00pm onwards

Celebrating Community, Connection & Wellbeing

This World Mental Health Day, the Ken Kennett Centre invites local residents, services, and organisations to come together for a celebration of community, connection, and positive mental health.

As part of our weekly Clopton Connect session, a special event will take place from 1:00pm to 3:30pm, featuring:

🪑 Gentle seated exercise class led by Stratford Leisure Centre – open to all abilities and designed to encourage movement for wellbeing.

🌿 Tai Chi taster session with Shali Wellbeing CIC – a calming introduction to this mindful practice.

🗣️ Information stalls and friendly conversations – local support services and organisations will be on hand to provide resources, advice, and signposting.

Continue the connection into the evening with a warm meal and good company at the weekly Community Kitchen, hosted by Net Zero Stratford from 5:00pm.
Everyone is welcome to enjoy a free, freshly prepared meal – donations are welcome to help support this ongoing initiative.

🟢 No booking required – just come along!

World Mental Health Day, observed annually on 10th October, raises awareness of mental health issues and encourages efforts to support mental wellbeing – locally and globally.

Let’s connect, support, and grow stronger together. 💚

Community Builder Stratford - Bishopton and Clopton CAVA in Stratford District Clopton Ward Stratford-on-Avon District Council Stratford upon Avon Town Council Stratford upon Avon Foodbank Stratford Herald Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon Wellbeing for Warwickshire Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire Mind VASA WRCC

09/10/2025

💚 World Mental Health Day 2025 - 10 October 2025 🌍

This year’s theme is “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies.” It reminds us that mental health support is essential, not a luxury — especially during stressful or challenging times.

As a counsellor, I’m passionate about helping people care for their mental and physical health. The science of psychoneuroimmunology shows how our thoughts and emotions directly affect our nervous system and immune system. Stress, anxiety, and unexpressed emotions can weaken our body’s defences — while calm, mindful practices can strengthen both mind and body.

Online counselling makes support more accessible than ever. Through counselling and meditation, I help clients manage stress, express emotions safely, and build resilience — all from the comfort of home.

On this World Mental Health Day, I encourage you to take a step towards your wellbeing. Whether it’s booking a session, trying a short meditation, or simply pausing to check in with yourself, you’re investing in your health and resilience. 💚

👉 Reach out today — prioritising your mental health is a right, and you don’t have to do it alone.

30/08/2025

We are so proud of you, Ellie . Taking on 100km in September is such a huge challenge, but the love and determination behind it make it even more special. You’re showing such strength and kindness in honour of your best friend, your nan, and everyone affected by blood cancer.

I’ll be cheering you on every step! Please, if you can, show your support with a donation. ❤️

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This September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and I’ve set my… Ellie Johnson needs your support for ❣️Running 100km in September for My Best Friend & My Nan

29/08/2025

💜 31st August – International Overdose Awareness Day 💜

This weekend we remember the lives lost to overdose, hold space for the families and friends left behind, and stand together to break the silence and stigma.

Behind every statistic is a person – a child, parent, partner, or friend. Grief around overdose can feel heavy and isolating, but you don’t have to carry it alone.

At VW Counselling, we offer a safe and non-judgemental space to talk, heal, and find hope. Whether you are:
✔️ struggling with your own relationship with substances
✔️ supporting a loved one
✔️ grieving someone you’ve lost

…support is here for you.

💜 Our message today is simple: Reach out. You are not alone.

📩 Contact VW Counselling – let’s take the next step together.

27/08/2025

💚 💙

Listening, Resting & Recharging

When the hectic school term ends, I find myself slowing down—listening to my body, resting my mind, and enjoying a quieter pace. Hence being a lot quieter on social media.

Summer has been full of highlights: touring Italy, festivals, my niece’s wedding, BBQs in the garden, and celebrating my sister’s 50th (albiet we couldn't celebrate in person/in Spain).

There were lows too—my daughter’s car was written off after a deer ran into it (thankfully she’s safe, though sadly the deer wasn’t). And this week, my son moves to Scotland with his girlfriend to start new jobs—I feel proud, excited, and a little emotional too.

Through it all, meditation and rest have been my anchors, leaving me renewed for September.

Ali and I also worked hard on Shali’s first big grant application to Stratford Town Trust—a milestone made possible thanks to the encouragement and support of many.

I’m also excited to share that we’ll be running a 5-week Meditation for Beginners programme, funded by Alcester Town Council, starting mid September with limited spaces.

✨ If you’ve been curious about meditation, now’s the perfect time to begin—message us to find out more!