Izzy Sogorb is Speech and Language Therapy student at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Even though she has a background in mindfulness, with meditation playing an important role in her homelife from a young age, it was not until she had an opportunity to take part in drop-in mindfulness sessions offered through her course that Izzy realised just how much she had missed having a regular practice. She explains:
“In joining the sessions, I quickly realised just how much I had let ‘life’s noise’ permeate my everyday routine and that mindful moments were few and far between. I also realised just how much I was on autopilot, passively doing and not being present in the moment.”
Life enhancing benefits
Izzy has noticed an array of benefits in her life since taking part in the sessions. Her sleep has improved greatly. Having struggled with a busy mind making falling asleep difficult, deepening her mindfulness practice has allowed Izzy to become aware of a continuous loop within the sleeplessness: not being able to fall asleep, leading to stressing about not being able to fall asleep, leading to further difficulty in falling asleep, and so on. This awareness has allowed Izzy to relate to sleep in a different way:
“I started to face my sleepless night without judgment, accepting my sleeplessness, which would allow me to fall asleep quicker.”
Another unexpected benefit that Izzy noticed has been a reigniting of her passion for reading. Increasingly stepping out of autopilot has allowed her to have the space to focus on one thing at a time and to enjoy reading books without experiencing her mind wandering.
Izzy also recently completed the Newport marathon and credits her mindfulness practice in her massive achievement:
“Had it not been for my mindfulness practice I would not have been able to run the last 10KM. Many had told me that the last few KM would come down to mind over matter and I can confirm that was certainly the case!”
Study
Making more time for mindful moments has also helped with Izzy’s studies. She is now better able to notice when stress around work is beginning to build and rather that getting caught up in a negativity loop, she now has the space to choose a mindful practice to ground herself, which has greatly improved her productivity levels. She describes using a mindfulness practice to manage stress in a recent exam:
“I always find those few minutes just before it [the exam] starts are the longest and the most stressful. In this time, I made sure to focus on my feet being flat on the floor, as well as my breathing to ground myself.”
Mindful activities radiating positivity
Izzy is bringing mindfulness into many other areas of her life. She particularly enjoys daily mindful walks and feels that the practice brings more positivity into her outlook on life, finding herself smiling and saying hello to people she encounters, creating a feeling of wellbeing and hopefully a positive knock-on effect:
“I really hope that this sense of positivity [and] calm radiates to others”
Izzy reflects that the experience of being more present in the moments of her life has given her valuable awareness of her feelings throughout the day, allowing her to respond to her needs and make wise choices. She describes how mindfulness has helped her relate differently to a busy wandering mind:
“Through mindfulness, I have found this sense of facing those thoughts without judgment, letting them come and go, without trying to actively suppress them”.
Mindfulness drop-in sessions
Izzy describes feeling truly grateful to her mindfulness teacher for creating a space where she felt safe and confident to share her experience of stepping out of autopilot, becoming aware of patterns in her life and making choices to change:
“My mindfulness teacher has opened my eyes to the countless mindful moments hidden in plain sight, whether sat at my desk or out on a walk. I have really enjoyed incorporating these practices into my daily routine, which has had a really positive impact on my emotional wellbeing and how I approach every day.”
Izzy hopes that many more will embrace mindfulness practice in their everyday routines and experience benefits in many areas of their lives.
To contact Izzy:
St20280794@outlook.cardiffmet.ac.uk