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Posts Tagged ‘Mobius Centre’

Circle of Women Yoga Retreat 20th-22nd October

Posted on: July 3rd, 2017 by mobiusleadership No Comments

Women’s weekend focusing on nourishment, creativity, ritual and connection to nature hosted by Claire Osborne. Including all of Claire’s favourite things to give you a rich and heart-warming experience: womb yoga, movement, sharing circles, group ritual, yoga nidra, restorative yoga, art and time outside. Based on 8 years of specialised training and work with women’s well being, including: pregnancy and post-natal yoga, yoga for womb yoga (women’s health training) focusing on supporting women through the cycles and stages of life in an empowering and nourishing way.

Fully residential.

Cost €320 / early bird €290 before Sept 1st

Further details: https://www.yogaandmovement.com/retreats

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Life in Transition

Posted on: April 5th, 2017 by mobiusleadership No Comments

Transitions are all around at the moment – of course, they are ever present.

Maybe it’s the ease or challenge of them that makes them more or less noticeable. Transitions in business, health, personal self-awareness, relationships and also the ultimate transition – the ending of a life.

One of the books that keeps its spot on my bookshelf to be pulled down at regular intervals is by William Bridges (an appropriate name given the topic of his book). It is titled ‘Transitions- Making Sense of Life’s Changes’. The cover describes it as a book with ‘Strategies for coping with the difficult, painful and confusing times in your life’. I would also add that joyful and very positive transitions can still benefit from a little careful, considered navigation.

As familiar foundations and relied upon experience start to shift and slip away – we are often left scrabbling for a new normality. And therein lies the challenge – we often try to grasp what appears to be a new normal before it’s fully formed only for the ground to shift again, further destabilising us and leading to more confusion.

Transitions don’t follow a pre-determined path no matter how much we might wish that were so. However, Bridges does offer a useful road-map that can be borne in mind. He suggests there are three stages:

Endings. Recognise them as opportunities as well as losses, and even celebrate them with rituals designed to open new doors.

The Neutral Zone. A seemingly unproductive ‘time-out’, we feel disconnected from the past and emotionally unconnected to the present. It can be the most frightening stage of transition, however, it is a really important time for reorientation.

The New Beginning. A successful transition requires more than perseverance; it means launching new priorities. Understand the external and internal signs that point the way to your future.

In our culture of speed, have we lost respect for the importance and significance of rituals, which mark endings and new beginnings. Have they become simply a tick in the box?

I believe we are particularly challenged to stand in The Neutral Zone for whatever time is necessary believing that we have to ‘get on’ often forcing the new to emerge before it’s fully formed – sometimes with negative consequences. Like peeling back the petals on a rose bud trying to bring it into flower – it’s not going to end well.

Like all of us – I’ve navigated a few transitions over the years. Bridges 3 stages have been helpful to me and I’ve also collected few of my own thoughts:

  1. Transitions demand courage; courage to face the loss, courage to stay the course and courage to ask for what you need when you need it.
  2. Give yourself full permission to stay in The Neutral Zone; many well-intentioned people will have plenty to offer by way of advice and suggestions. Listen respectfully, and make your own choices. Use the time to explore and experiment.
  3. Embrace the opportunity for change – it might not feel like it at the time but this could just be what you need in your life at this point.
  4. Transitions come in all sizes and timeframes. Life changing transitions to simply shifting from work mode into family/spouse mode at the end of the day– that walk in the park or journey home is your Neutral Zone.
  5. Lean in! Having a strong sense of self gives you something to lean into when your very identity gets rocked
  6. Be willing to share the load – my transitions wouldn’t have been as successful if I hadn’t been willing to seek and accept help, support and many hugs along the way.

However stable life feels at the moment – there is change just around the corner – it is a given nowadays. How well prepared are you for your next transition? What might you need to do to be ready?

Sarah Matthews is a Director of Mobius Leadership and owner of the Mobius Retreat Centre on Heir Island, West Cork, Ireland.

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Social Media Introvert

Posted on: August 5th, 2016 by mobiusleadership No Comments
How do having tendencies towards introversion and strong privacy values sit with having a presence on social media?

My own experience with social media has brought me up against some interesting (and sometimes painful) edges. I confess to having personal Facebook and Linked In pages for some years and been content to sit on the sidelines keeping in touch with family, friends and colleagues infrequently and from a distance.

From a business perspective, having a social media presence was not something we had taken seriously until this year. Once the decision to join the world of tweets, likes, shares and posts had been taken – my relationship with social media changed dramatically. “You mean I have to post, tweet, interact with people I don’t know – be public?!” Ouch!

There it was – I was looking at myself in the mirror – an introvert, a private person – happy to stay in the wings, certainly not centre stage – how was this going to work? All sorts of edges and underlying assumptions raised their heads;

  • What have I got to say?
  • Will I respond appropriately?
  • What if I get it wrong?
  • I’m not spontaneous enough!
  • Who will follow me?

Then somehow the learner in me connected with the business driver and I got into action.

I opened my own Twitter account – Big Step

I wrote a blog for our website – Big Step

I sent some tweets and found it fun to do – Big Step

This was actually OK – I realised I can do public, be safe and survive.

Of course the blessing and the curse of being in the personal development business is that you are trained to track all the internal dialogue and emotion that goes on.

I noticed that the process of entering more fully into the social media world did have a value to me in terms of my awareness and personal growth; I had to get clear on who I was (and wasn’t), what I wanted to align with (and what not) and why. Themes for blogs and posts came quite easily and I found writing was a vehicle that allowed me to express my thoughts on a subject that I am passionate about – how people can realise their potential, lead happy and fulfilling lives.

Progress was good, or so I thought. I believed my introverted self had this social media thing cracked until, encouraged to post my latest blog on my own Linked In page – I froze. No hiding behind the company name (and only a few connections) – this really was stepping up in front of clients, colleagues and friends that I held in high esteem. (Notice the sharp intake of breath, tightening in my chest – I was almost back where I had started from.)

  • Everyone else’s post are so much more professional
  • I’m not expert enough to write anything
  • I will be judged, and certainly not ‘liked’

All these beliefs and assumptions played out holding me in a safe but small place. Wanting to walk my talk (boats in a harbour are safe, but that’s not what boats are built for) I pushed on. Having experienced how powerful people can be when they are at their most vulnerable, I was inspired to break through these limiting beliefs. I drew breath, got out of my comfort zone and began posting – albeit it very tentatively.

So, this isn’t really about being a social media introvert – it’s about the opportunities that are around us everyday to grow just a little, to see our assumptions for what they are and to test them in a safe way so that gradually our full potential is realised and we live more fully.

I will find my way in the world of social media, sometimes private, sometimes public, always authentic, always growing.

What beliefs are you holding that support you? What are the ones that limit you? Is it time to challenge them?

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Sarah Matthews is a Director of Mobius Coaching and Development and owner of the Mobius Centre on Heir Island, West Cork.

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The Mobius Centre Story – Part III

Posted on: July 14th, 2016 by mobiusleadership No Comments

Mobius Centre

To begin where we finished our last publication – the paradox of playing safe is high risk.

I hope you were able to reflect on that and ‘notice’ where that statement applies to you.  This is a topic that I will revisit on many occasions in the future.

Returning to the Mobius Centre story, we did not have an official opening.  We were just so delighted to see this wonderful building, where we could be in the warm on a stormy day and peacefully sit, take in the view, and have the opportunity to be.

The building was beyond any expectation I had, beautifully built by David and Zabby, and aided by carefully chosen people who knew their trade.

The biggest thrill was the energy within. This, of course, is something that is felt and resonates within.  If I try to describe it,  I could not come close to doing justice to this exquisite spirit.

My energy for the time being was required elsewhere on work and travel away from Ireland, which required our focus.  The Mobius Centre had to take a distant second place.

It was not until March 2014 that we had our first corporate event. It was, of course, a very special occasion for us.  The team, a senior team from a worldwide company, had congregated at Cork airport having travelled from Scandinavia, USA and China.

Although we had a ‘dry run’ with a local business team, this was ‘full on’.  They were here for the week.  If we were being tested, and we never felt we were by the group, we would have passed with flying colours.  A fabulous time was had by all.

It is fair to say that the corporate world has become very testing and demanding, probably since the 80’s, and family has often taken second place.  This is without a doubt having an impact.  People are at work for more hours, although that does not mean to say we are working harder, just longer. This in turn, creates inner conflict, inevitably stress, and undoubtedly illness. How many people become ill when holiday time arrives?

The visit to the Mobius Centre helped this high-flying group to slow down and to calm down.  To spend time talking and reflecting on what it was they needed for themselves and the business.  The weather was good and the longer days of light meant they could walk and run and soak up the energy.  They were able to spend time together in the evenings and make even greater connections with their colleagues.

There are lots of reasons to slow down, but I’ll list just a few to give you an idea of why it’s important:

  1. Better focus.  When you slow down, you can focus better. It’s hard to focus if you’re moving too fast.
  1. Deeper focus.  Rushing produces shallowness because you never have time to dig beneath the surface.  Slow down and dive into deeper waters. 
  1. Better appreciation. You can really appreciate what you have, what you’re doing and who you’re with when you take the time to slow down and really pay attention. 
  1. Enjoyment.  When you appreciate things, you enjoy them more.  Slowing down allows you to enjoy life to the fullest. 
  1. Less stress.  Rushing produces anxiety and higher stress levels.  Slowing down is calmer, more relaxing and more peaceful.

 

 

 

 

Mobius Centre

 
Paul Matthews is Director of Mobius Coaching and Development and works with clients at his purpose built centre on Heir Island, West Cork, Ireland. For further details, contact Paul at 028 38834 or info@mobiusleadership.co.uk
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The Mobius Centre Story – Part II

Posted on: June 9th, 2016 by mobiusleadership No Comments

Mobius Centre

Last time I ended my Mobius Centre story by touching on our dreams and I will start where I ended.  

Monday 5th September 2011 arrived. This was the day we had been waiting for with some trepidation. The day the builders moved in. David, the builder and ‘digger Pat’, who could move a digger around with such grace, certainty and precision, it became a joy to watch him.

To arrive at this day, months of work and a few hurdles had to be overcome. Planning permission for a building that was a bit different to the one’s that had gone before. Larry our architect had been thoughtful and imaginative and we wanted to see his design come to fruition. An environmental impact study was required, where did that come from? This we soon discovered is an EU directive, perhaps the first that had been asked for in West Cork, maybe even in Ireland, and of course, the logistics of building on an island.

But we all know inside of us that nothing worth having comes easy.

Mobius Centre

I guess one of the most challenging aspects of this was the decision to ‘knock down’ the original house on the site. A typical dry stone building, part of which, was semi-derelict. It was unusual in that it had 3 parts to it.  The main room – the only room where a family of 16 children was raised. They all lived in this room, cooking there, eating their meals, and sleeping there at night.  On bad weather days, they would have even have milked the cow in there.

The other two small sections, which were joined to make the rectangular building, were a dairy for making butter, and possibly cheese, and the final section was the abattoir.

This was history and, of course, there was a sentimental attachment. We considered trying to utilize the building for our venture, however, there we no foundations of any note, door areas were much lower, the walls were not straight and overall it was too low. The decision was made.

The building came down quickly. A pile of stones just lying there.  Those stones would be reused later to create beautiful ‘dry’ stonewalls.

I think the only regret I have is that I did not set up a time-lapse camera, however, we do have a good photographic record of the build.

Not long after work started, and for the next 4 years, my work took me on a journey to many different countries. This was a wonderful experience for me; I received great learning and meet so many delightful people.

What I did realize is that the issues people have are so similar. I appreciate we are complex beings however, I realized that we do make things so difficult for ourselves, which it would seem in all cases is how we keep ourselves safe, to do that we actually play small and truncate our world.

Interestingly the paradox of playing safe is high risk.

Around one year later the building was complete.

Paul Matthews is Director of Mobius Coaching and Development and works with clients at his purpose built centre on Heir Island, West Cork, Ireland. For further details, contact Paul at 028 38834 or info@mobiusleadership.co.uk
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