MatChat with Mina Blair
Need a regular wellbeing boost? Then this podcast is for you! We know looking after our physical and mental health is more important now than ever, and talking openly about what concerns or worries us goes a long way to lighten the load. Hearing other people's stories gives us perspective and reassurance. So, every month I invite a guest onto the "yogamat" to discuss what they have learned on their wellbeing journeys. The intention is to leave you feeling uplifted and empowered.
MatChat with Mina Blair
What is the secret to happiness with Mina
This solo podcast is inspired by the BBC journalist Fergal Keane who has written an article about his search for happiness, a quest that has lasted 30 years. Did he find the answer? Yes, but not what he expected.
I go through his main points and add thoughts from my own journey, such as moments we have both had that can be described as the "lightness of being". Other points are:
- the science of happiness - "our minds are biased to interpret things very negatively", Professor Bruce Hood, University of Bristol
- there is such a thing as the Happiness Poverty Line, and too many of us are living below it
- it's difficult to achieve inner contentment in a "happy-obsessed world" where we are told to simply "be happy" (American psychotherapist Whitney Goodman)
- work is the great permissive addiction
- start with the simple small stuff to change your energy, your mind chatter
- acts of kindness are part of the solution (Finnish philosopher Frank Martela)
- ancient yogic scriptures support our life journey to help us get to a state of contentment
So, what is the secret to happiness? There is no secret.