What Is Wellbeing?

I feel like I need to confess, and you seem like you might go easy on me:

My boyfriend and I ended up in York city centre at the weekend. It was anxiety-level busy, we had a pooch with us, and we were starving. We ended up getting a pizza and sitting on a park bench.

All well and good. Nothing amiss here…

Except as we ate, we watched two youths with an angle grinder nick a bike.

Broad daylight, plenty of people staring, no one said anything. Including us.

I should’ve stood up and waved my fist, right? Or shouted something? Shouldn’t someone have done something?

And this, my friend, is the city the Daily Express just named a ‘top wellbeing hotspot’.

What does ‘wellbeing’ even mean? As pretty and historic as York is, the crowds make me uneasy, kids are nicking bikes, and I really really hate bumping into a rowdy stag-do round every corner.

I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. And I’m sorry I don’t find York to be a ‘wellbeing hotspot’.

My definition of ‘wellbeing’: a sense of prevailing wellness in yourself, no matter what’s happening around you.

One simple tip for boosting your wellbeing

It’s always under your nose: breath. Rather than being a top-down approach, the way meditations can often be, using your breath is a bottom-up approach to feeling better and can change the way you feel in a radically effective way. Here are my two go-to breathing techniques to help you find a little more wellbeing wherever you are in your day:

Low energy? Espresso breath:

Breathe out quickly through your nose, about twice a second. The inhales will happen naturally, your belly will move like a pump.

Try this for 30 breaths, then take a big breath in, hold for a second, and sigh it out. Maybe repeating if you fancy.

This breath is like a caffeine booster for your nervous system. Perfect for mornings, or whenever you need a bit of energy and focus.

Need to calm down? Box breath:

This one’s simple. Just breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.

You can change the count, making it longer or shorter, depending on how this feels. Repeat for 5 – 10 rounds, closing this practice with a big breath in, holding, and sighing out.

This breath acts as a slowing-down for your nervous system. Use this when you need to wind-down and find some calm.

For a guided breathing and movement practice, jump into today’s recommended yoga class or choose one from the library.

This isn’t just yoga, this is joyful living.