More to... Archives - Trwyn Tal retreat

The Black Mountains in March

December 7, 2012 By Sarah Maliphant

I find early season walking particularly exciting … daylight gradually extending, bright sunshine on the wintered slopes and the weather can vary from deep winter to Lets Have Breakfast Outside at the drop of a bobble hat.

Last year, we enjoyed the Breakfast Outside sort of week:

I spent St. David’s Day grinning madly all over the route from Capel-y-ffin to Bal Mawr. March 1st gave of its best!

Walking along towards Twmpa aka Lord Hereford’s Knob, the mountain ponies were enjoying the early Spring warmth too.

And this chap was wonderful!

Crisp mornings continued all week, my early morning mug of tea accompanied by a mesmerizing vapour show at the farm.

The sheer exhilaration of the mountains is there whether you get sunny days or wild days or something in between. So if you know you’re going to be hungry for a fix of hills after the winter, go for it!

http://www.more-to.org
More to… Mountain Retreats
Relaxing guided walks, space to think, massage/reflexology, and a lot of lovely, local home cooked food
Season opens March 27th 2015

We support Crickhowell Walking Festival February 28th – March 8th

Choose the right path and just keep walking

September 7, 2012 By Sarah Maliphant

If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking,

eventually you’ll make progress. – Obama

Well, there’s a quote that I identify with! I have an absolute faith in our ability to know, deep down, the right path for us. And an equal faith in our ability to lose the plot, act like muppets and bury that wisdom under piles of Daily Stuff.

For me the answer to this endearing human feature lies not in Getting Brilliant at Dealing with Lots of Stuff. The answer lies in taking a walk, slowing ourselves enough so we can hear our own voice.

I love every aspect of mountains, walking and navigating, and it’s not just the literal act of walking: I find the parallels between how we walk in nature and how we find our way in life to be a very natural source of inspiration and insight. How about you?

Here’s some of the thoughts this particular quote inspired for me:

1) If you’re walking down the right path: Taking time to identify, find or create the right path is the IMPORTANT bit, make time for it! Otherwise you’ll make steady progress towards something you don’t particularly want, which is a bit of a bugger.

Web_3004 — Choose the right path for you

How you define, “right path” is also important. How much of its “rightness” is because it’s what others need from you? How much is it “right” because it’s what you feel you were born to do? How much is because it’s where you have the most fun?

2) And you’re willing to… Being willing is a good sign that you’re on the right path I reckon: you see yourself choosing to do whatever you need to do to follow the path. So if you’re not willing, what’s that about? It’s likely to be important and worth attending to.

3) … keep walking Even if you feel you’re not getting very far, every little nudge forwards is taking you along the route you’ve chosen. Be proud of the days when you whoosh. And proud of the days where you see only a teeny bit of progress: Frankly, facing forwards on those days is an achievement in itself.

4) Eventually…: Get to know the speed that you are able to move at. If it’s slower than you expected, might it be your expectation that is off, not your speed? You wouldn’t be being a teeny bit judgemental of yourself, would you??

5) … you’ll make progress: If you take even one step, you have made progress. If you keep taking the next step you will eventually reach the next place on your path that you want to reach. And it is YOU that makes progress. Others can help you, support you, bring out your strengths but the progress ultimately comes from the steps you take and your choice to keep walking your right path.

6) You’re walking, not running! Epic days are exciting and you cover a lot of ground. Attempting to make every day an Epic Day may be unwise, donut!

7) Breathers: Ok, it’s not explicitly in the quote, but remember to pause every now and again too – look around, realise how far you’ve come, refresh yourself, feed yourself, rest – nurture body, mind and soul. That’s an essential part of your progress too, or else you’ll go phut (*).

Web_4141 — Look how far you’ve come already

8 ) Company: Er, this isn’t mentioned either. Never mind. It’s your path, only you can travel it. But you can choose company that adds to your enjoyment of the path and do nice things like chat, laugh, inspire and share cake.

9) Keep Walking: Your path will always continue. It never ends. Keep walking!

So what do you identify with? What will you remind yourself to do more of?

Choose the right path for you, and keep walking!

Sarah xx

(*) Phut (technical term): To run out of steam physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Or all four, which is really not nice at all. Brought about by moving too fast, seeking too many Epic Days or ignoring your need for breathers, company and/or any other form of support.

www.more-to.org

Mountain Retreat holidays with cake, coaching, walks, massage

and plenty of space to find the right path for you.

Time for your self

When you’re too worried to think straight

June 1, 2012 By Sarah Maliphant

One of the arsey things about worrying is that you can feel too panicked to think straight: You’re imagining an unpleasant result in the future, and thinking about that sends you into a spin in the present. Coming up with a solution feels unreasonably hard, that feeds your worry too and – urgh.

Here’s a set of questions that lead you from your worried state into a clearer understanding of the problem that’s bugging you, and then helps you equip yourself and suss out steps you can take.

So. Next time you’re feeling worried, grab this set of questions and answer them one by one. I use them often, in all kinds of different situations, and I always find them helpful. Don’t take my word for it though – try them out for yourself!

What exactly are you worried about?
How long have you been worrying about it?
What started you worrying?
Who caused this worry?
Who is responsible for addressing it?
What’s your worst experience of this worry?
Why haven’t you stopped worrying yet?

What do you want to happen instead?
How will you know when you’ve got that?
What else will improve when you get it?
What resources do you already have which can help you achieve this?
What is something similar which you did succeed in doing?
What is your next step?

[contact-form] [contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /] [contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /] [contact-field label=”Comment” type=”textarea” /] [/contact-form]

Confidentiality: I sign up for stuff like this too. Your email address will be used by me to send you tips like this one. That’s all!

These questions are based on an original set by international Trainer and Coach, Ian McDermott: Highly recommended!

Wisdom from Mary Poppins

April 9, 2012 By Sarah Maliphant

I watched Mary Poppins for the first time in years yesterday… some of the lyrics jumped out in ways they didn’t when I was a kid! So here’s selected wisdom on work, life & fun, courtesy of a bit of Disney 😉

In every job that must be done there is an element of fun: You find the fun and snap, the job’s a game. And every task you undertake becomes a piece of cake, a lark, a spree, it’s very plain to see…”