Festive Wind Down with Meaningful Mornings
Meaningful Mornings is a wonderful health and wellness initiative created by Timea from our fabulous Instagram community. Timea generously shares some ways to stay grounded and happy during the festive season in this relaxing read. Creating some space to be mindful and making it one of your Christmas rituals is such a lovely idea, and you can practice throughout the seasons.
Timea also let us in on her favourite Emma Britton glassware for her go-to breakfast smoothie and wine glass of choice to wind down with! Take 5 minutes with Meaningful Mornings for a moment of festive calm…
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a Yoga Teacher hosting Cake & Yoga sessions (a combination of all my favourite things) in South West London and I’m also the founder of Meaningful Mornings – a health and wellness consultancy specialising in wellness for busy women. I host retreats and workshops, all about creating positive habits and meaningful routines and rituals to elevate your wellbeing while managing a busy schedule. I’m also a mum to my little baby boy who is now almost 1!
Christmas is often a very busy time, any tips on maintaining a sense of calm and wellbeing?
I recommend having a few non-negotiable wellness habits and rituals during this time of the year to look after yourself. These can be super simple and don’t have to be time consuming either, for example a quick daily walk, staying hydrated, taking vitamin supplements etc. You can also keep a few mindfulness boosters up your sleeve as your go-to tactics for when you feel yourself getting stressed out, for example closing your eyes and focusing on your breath for 60 seconds, focusing on feeling your feet on the ground, listening to calming music or lighting an aromatherapy candle with a relaxing scent.
What is your go to drink to positively start the day with, and your Emma Britton glass of choice?
I love a peanut butter and banana smoothie made with almond milk in the mornings, it’s a great way to start the day especially when I have a busy morning. For these I would choose the Crystal Coloured Tulip Tumblers because of their beautiful design and vibrant colours. In the evenings, I occasionally like to sit back and reflect on things with a glass of wine and for this I would choose the stylish and elegant Meadow Wine Glass.
Emma’s Ivy Tumblers would also be lovely for freshly squeezed Juice.
Positive traditions can be grounding and reassuring, is there anything you love to do each Christmas?
I’m originally from Hungary and one of my personal Christmas traditions is to cook Hungarian food on Christmas Eve. I like to turn this into a full mindfulness and sensory awareness experience by enjoying every single part of the process: planning the meals, shopping for ingredients, the preparation process, the smell of the spices, creating a beautiful table setup, the taste of the food, the moments shared with my family.
I even enjoy doing the dishes afterwards which I like to combine with expressing gratitude for the lovely moments and amazing meals shared with my loved ones.
Betwixmas! Tell us how do you like to spend those days between Christmas Day and the New Year?
Lots of winter walks, followed by hot chocolates and cups of tea, Christmas films, cosy jumpers and cuddles. I adore the slow pace of this time of the year.
Timea’s tips for wondrous winter walks are:
Get your body moving and discover the wonders of the season by creating a daily habit of going for a winter walk. Don’t let the cold weather put you off. Wrap up warm and head out with an open heart and curious mind. While out and about, keep a lookout for all the seasonal beauty and joy that surrounds us this month. Notice everything – let that be frosty grounds, pine trees, red robins or Christmas lights, allow yourself to take it all in, while engaging all your senses. Your body, mind and soul will be grateful for this.
How do you like to start a typical day, do you try and maintain this routine over the festive period?
My morning routine has evolved a lot over the years but it has always maintained the same core elements: some form of movement, a few mindful moments and planning for the day ahead.
This can look slightly different on a day-to-day basis depending on what I have got going on or what I need on that particular day, but it always contains those elements as to me they are essential. For example, some days I may get up before my son to practise yoga (movement), sit quietly with my coffee for a few moments (mindfulness) and write up a detailed to-do list (planning). Other times I may go for a walk with my baby (movement), meditate while he is napping (mindfulness) and scribble a shopping list down quickly on a piece of paper (planning).
I organise my mornings and days like this throughout the year as I find this works best for me.
Anything else you’d like to say?
Thank you so much for sharing my thoughts with your lovely community! If you like uplifting thoughts and experiences, you can follow Meaningful Mornings on Instagram where I share these every day, as well as wellness tips, ideas and resources.