Thriving through movement: discovering Aquatic Therapy

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 9th May 2025

I went to see Karen Charles at Mobility Therapies (www.mobilitytherapies.co.uk) last Wednesday to have some Aquatic Therapy which I’ve never had before, at a local swimming pool. I was really curious about it as I already know that movement is really beneficial for me. I usually like to do different kinds of exercise like working out at the gym, doing Pilates weekly, but also, I love to do chakra dancing most days and squeeze in some Qigong practice into my life too where possible.

Movement has such a positive effect on my body in terms of reducing pain and anxiety, improving my general fitness and increasing my energy levels, and helps me to stay committed to my health and wellness journey as I continue to find new therapeutic ways of releasing it all day by day. It’s not always enough what I do at home in self-care which is why I do have to resort to finding treatments that help to reduce the pain, especially when I am going through a flare-up and the underlying stubborn pain won’t go away. I normally give it a few days to a week then I seek treatment when the pain levels are too high and I need that release.

Wellbeing challenges, both mental and physical, are only on the increase and more and more people need support to thrive in life. Thriving is a great feeling – I love to feel good wherever I can, navigating with confidence and resilience around all the stresses and challenges that life brings us.

As someone with lived experience of fibromyalgia, TMJ (jaw pain) and osteo arthritis – otherwise known as chronic pain – which I’ve had to manage for the past 25+ years, I understand first-hand the importance of having pain management strategies in place to help keep it all under control and reduce the frequency of flare-ups. I don’t ever claim to be pain-free, but keeping the pain low is a high priority of mine and I have learned over time to listen to my body and know what it is that it needs. I can’t always meet my needs at every second of every day, but I do my best as I have strategies and new self-care routines in place to support me.

Mindfulness, connection with ourselves, and developing a good sense of self-awareness over time has become a really important strategy when managing pain and the anxiety too that comes along with it which naturally gets stuck in the body and increases pain. It felt great to let go of it all in my AquaStretch session and to feel the benefits of the gentle but liberating release it gave me.

Karen Charles worked with the fascia around my whole body during my AquaStretch therapy session. It was an unusual experience being moved about in this way as in the past, I have only ever had treatments such as physiotherapy, osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, lots of acupuncture and deep tissue massage – otherwise known as “passive” treatments – where I’m laying on the bed and receiving treatment. Although I love just receiving treatments, there was something empowering about taking part myself in mobilising my own body in different ways as instructed and according to my pain level. I moved in a way that feels comfortable for me – not excessively painful but bearable – at the same time as being stretched, pulled and prodded in and around all the tightness and sensitivities of my body.

I found it really awkward at first when I was first moved around in the neck and jaw area as my muscles were very tight when I started, but towards the end, I found that part very relaxing and so liberating in terms of pain levels around the jaw and neck area. There were uncomfortable and more painful parts of my neck that didn’t feel as relaxing, but I did ease into the movement, and by the end, although I stood up in the water feeling lightheaded at first, I definitely felt like a weight had been taken off my chest. Also, once dressed and ready, I noticed the pain was easier. I felt lighter, like a large chunk of pain had left my body. I felt taller and slimmer especially around the neck area. I also felt like it was easier to walk tall with a good posture as with tension, I can sometimes tend to slouch a bit as I do have to constantly remind myself to correct my posture. It felt so good to be without the constant heaviness and fatigue that pain brings me everyday. It’s really good to feel good especially when it makes space for new, positive surges of energy to come through. I definitely felt like I’d had a really good stretch throughout.

If you would like to get in contact with Karen Charles to see for yourself the positive impact it can have on your body and pain levels, please do get in touch with her to book your treatment. As well as at Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre, she also runs her sessions from Aspire Leisure Centre in Stanmore.

We have to power to heal ourselves

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 6th April 2025

We bury so much in our subconscious that drives our day-to-day behaviours and way of being. We all have the capacity to heal, though it may not be possible to see it right now.

It all starts within, and through regular self-care habits that nourish your wellbeing in some way. It really is a mindset thing to start with, and you have to want to improve your wellbeing. It does takes time and a work-in-progress, but as we build more and more self-care habits into our day, into our everyday reality that make us feel good inside, that relaxes us, that uplift us, and starts to feel the way that you envision your ideal life – around all the stresses and struggles, then there is such a feeling of achievement within.

You can do activities that generate the feeling that you want to feel inside, whether it is peace, joy, or something else. Jot down all the things you want to feel more of in your life, and maybe there is something that really connects to you deep down, that isn’t about anyone else changing their behaviour to make you feel a certain way. It’s really amazing to be able to find your own independent, empowering ways of connecting to yourself that make you feel really good. This is the only way to heal ourselves. No-one else is responsible for our wellbeing, only we are responsible. If we expect others to give to us what we want, it sets us up for failure, especially if this doesn’t always meet our expectations. Self-love makes us appreciate all those around us even more when we are better connected with ourselves, it helps us navigate all the ups and downs of life.

There is no such thing as a perfect life – and we can easily get off-balance and come off-track – but it is possible to get into a better flow with it all, and ride the waves of life with more ease and joy. We don’t have to live our lives in this fear-based reality – we have the choice every second of every day to choose to do good, to make the right decisions for our highest good and for the highest good of those around us.

No-one ever talks about this, but our souls often get neglected – and due to this neglect, it can make us feel so disconnected from ourselves, from our happiest self which is why it’s so important to look after ourselves from within too. No wonder so many people are struggling with their mental wellbeing nowadays. It’s not just about looking after everyone else and leaving your soul and spirit behind until last if at all.

Prioritise you, prioritise your spirit, prioritise your soul! It’s an important part of you to be nourished and loved too. We can only give out so much and we can’t pour from an empty cup, which is why it’s so important to keep filling it up with nourishment, and all that lights it up, which sets it on fire even. Yes, it is safe to light us up that much!

We have the power to heal ourselves through therapeutic healing movement practices like chakra dance run by Australian goddess Natalie Southgate as well as other types of healing too. I’m a big fan also of Rachel’s Reiki’s meditations on YouTube and healing practices where I’m lying down on the other hand and don’t move! I really feel the healing even though I’m listening to it online. I do have a much better experience when I wear my hearing aids as I can hear much more clarity in her speech as she has a softly spoken, breathy type of voice plus she has an American accent which makes it harder for me to hear even with just headphones that I have to otherwise turn quite loud to get more clarity…

Healing is all about stripping the layers of negativity within us – we all have it to a degree. None of us are immune from this – whether it be any kind of trauma, or any limiting self-beliefs that you have buried since childhood and beyond.

You have to find what works for you, everyone is different of course. Plus also, it’s not only just one solution – sometimes it’s a combination of different solutions and tools that you use on a regular basis as and when you need them or else even better, if you don’t have one already, create a regular self-care routine, even if it’s a small one to start with.

What is your idea of pure bliss

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 28th March 2025

A couple of weekends ago, I went to a “Simply Self Love Day Retreat” which was held at Loudwater Farm in Rickmansworth, run by Hannah Kern who heads up a beautiful initiative called the Happiness Project.

As soon as I saw the flyer for this retreat, I knew I had to go, and in the excitement of what the day entailed, I managed to make it happen somehow and my husband looked after the kids for the day. This day retreat was and is everything I dream of doing and have been working towards over the past 3 years especially, and it was being offered to me on a platter – the whole day was jam-packed with a large dollup of TLC and absolute bliss.

The day started with drinking cacao which is like a very rich, fragrant, and somewhat bitter hot chocolate, but as I love dark chocolate and am used to the taste of it, the cacao wasn’t such a shock to my system. We drank it very slowly, and before even drinking it, we inhaled the gorgeous aromas of the chocolate mixed in with orange aswell – a great combination – and then gently and mindfully sipped it, appreciating each and every sip as we slowed down our pace in escaping our busy, and often chaotic, noisy everyday lives.  It was a great way to set the scene and get us all feeling relaxed and more energised at the start of the day.

The singing and musical improvisation which we started with, using drums alongside the guitar, was great fun. Also, I stepped out of my comfort zone and instead of singing during a couple of chants, I thought I would play my native American flute which I haven’t picked up for a few months. It sits comfortably on my windowsill at home along with my other bits of pieces (books, flowers, ornaments, card decks, candles) but I haven’t made use of it as much as I would like recently.

This retreat gave me the opportunity to ignite some light back into this special flute I bought during the pandemic whilst being inspired by American music therapist Christine Stevens. I also brought with my silver flute gifted to me by my Mum (whilst I was testing it out in the shop!) as I wasn’t sure if I would want to use it and which flute I would decide to use. I was playing it by ear, and was very grateful for the opportunity to play one of my flutes. There were over 20 in the group so it was a bit brave of me to just come out and play, but listening to my intuition, I went and just did it out of my comfort zone – and the joy and peace I felt in the moment overtook any fear or nervousness, and even better, the others enjoyed it too.

The food on display was amazing and so delicious, made with such love and care. Everything was gluten-free and vegan, so I was safe there and could eat everything which is unusual these days. It’s not always easy to get gluten-free food and I do have to plan my day carefully and always check the menu before I go anywhere. Saying that, there is much better choice of gluten-free food than there used to be, so all is good. Most of the time I don’t feel like I’m missing out and have gotten used to this diet that keeps my gut feeling happier and healthier. The frozen fruit dessert was absolutely sublime, so yummy, I will find out this recipe as I would love to make it for myself and my family. It’s something the kids might even eat – it’s always a miracle when I find meals all five of us in my family will eat, or even just the four of us. There was also Israeli salad on the menu too which you can’t go too wrong with.

We picked cards, went for a walk outside and chilled and talked with people from all walks of life, of all faiths and beliefs, with a wide range of ages too. We drank lots of interesting, healthy, detoxifying flavoured waters with three different blends containing ginger, orange, lemon, cucumber and grapefruit, and more. The setting was perfect, it was local and a lovely place to relax as there were multiple rooms and the kitchen and lounge. It was like a home away from home. The location of this farmhouse meant that we were surrounded by nature, including a lake, lots of trees and lots of birds singing away freely and happily. We were lucky with the weather as although it was cold, the sun was out for the whole day in our favour.

It was so lovely to do a Qigong class in person with Hannah Kern as until now, I’ve only really done Qigong in person at the Chakra dance retreat by Lizzie Clifford I attended almost two years ago, which is the place I was also introduced to sound baths, and in particular, a gong bath, which was one amazing sound bath! That was when I knew I had to do more of them, and this is what I’ve been doing as part of my self-care.

Self-care generally has to be planned and squeezed in – it’s a nice “to do” to add to the list instead of all the other heavy-going endless set of “to-do’s”. They don’t always have to drag you down and stress you out or overwhelm you – “to-do’s” can be fun, relaxing and energising too!

I practice Qigong online at the moment with Sheli Berger from A Daily Cup of Qi whenever I have a little bit of time here and there, and the flexibility of it being online makes it easier to fit it into my busy schedule – normally it’s the 20 minute routines that I’m drawn to and there is a short 12 minute bedtime routine too which helps me wind down after a busy day and helps to clear any anxiety or overwhelm or negative energies I might have picked up during the day too.

Back to the retreat I went to on the weekend, they then had a soundbath in the afternoon which included something different I hadn’t experienced properly before with my eyes closed shut, which was called a soundscape. I would love to know how to do this. Though I was in a deep state of relaxation and so immersed in the healing sounds of the instruments being played, crystal bowls, Himalayan bowls, chimes, drums etc, I was so tempted to open my eyes at that point to see what they were doing as there were at least 3 instruments being played that I heard at once and all the sounds sounded so beautiful blended together into one. However, I did manage to resist temptation and stay asleep as it felt so good and relaxing too; I could have stayed in that dreamy state for longer but at some point, I did have to wake up.

I was asked at the end how my experience of this day retreat compared with my expectations, and I said what I knew to be true, which was that I knew this would be an amazing event before I even got there, and especially after getting to know Hannah, her work and all that she represents.

I won’t forget this retreat in a hurry  ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Photo credits to Rick Harrop

What’s your mission?

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 2nd March 2025

I am on a mission. I’ve been on it for a while now and the truth is I don’t know when my perfect job opportunity is coming but it feels like I’m getting closer somehow if only in terms of guidance and clarity. I hope that my prayers will be answered soon as I continue with my spiritual journey to self-discovery.

I’ve been looking on and off for a permanent part-time role since the beginning of 2023. In between, I managed to add a new wealth of experience to my portfolio that I gained from a temporary PA role (November 2023 – June 2024) at a local special needs boys’ school, and also, via some ongoing part-time freelance work as Magazine Editor of a local community magazine which is still ongoing. However, since last September, I’ve been looking again more intensely once more for a permanent part-time role which is ultimately what I want. I can’t tell you how happy it’ll make me when I don’t have to think about job hunting anymore, when I am in my ideal role.

Having said that, job hunting has for sure taken me on a rollercoaster ride of a journey, and I have to say, though rejections are difficult, especially when I’ve felt so deeply aligned to the role and organisation I have spent a lot of time preparing for, really feeling into the role as if it were mine, I have had to learn the art (and freedom) of letting go.

Interview preparation is an intense process and it always takes time to prepare, not just what you might want to say and how to persuade the interviewer that you are the right person for the job, but also, self-care preparations are necessary on the day to keep you grounded, uplifted, empowered and calm, ready for the barrage of questions that you might be asked not knowing how it’ll be until you walk into the interview room!

My latest rejection felt a little bit different. The calibre of candidates were high (I was one of them), but ultimately it boiled down to not having enough experience of being in the role that I was applying for as someone else had more experience than me. The job I applied for was another PA role, not to the Headmistress but to the SENCo of a primary school in Central London – an amazing school actually with an outstanding Ofsted, and which caters for the majority of children attending the school who have special educational needs and disabilities. They have an amazing SEND provision which I was very impressed and inspired by.

As usual, what I do when I get a rejection, is to reflect and take away any lessons learned from my interview experience and the experience preparing for the role itself, then I plan to do a soothing, energising, uplifting chakra dance meditation or else some Qigong – on the same day – which is another great release that helps me to let go and release any feelings of negativity attached, which helps me to make space for any new, exciting opportunities that might be on their way to me instead on focusing on the negative.

This time round, the rejection has really revealed to me my soul’s mission, which is what I’m really passionate about, and that is to change the face of mental health and well-being of children and adults through creativity, music and movement, and in particular, parents, and people with chronic pain and fatigue, special educational needs and disabilities, and hearing loss.

I’m a Certified Copywriter, Magazine Editor, Administrator and PA, and all-round Health, Wellbeing & Music Advocate, so please do let me know if you see any suitable opportunities that would help to serve my purpose and soul’s mission. As I said in one of my earlier blogs, my heart is leading the way this time round in my job search, so I would appreciate any guidance that could lead me to the perfect opportunity.

I also quote what I said in an earlier blog titled “Never stop dreaming“:

“I know there is a job that is meant for me, and that someone who will choose to employ me is someone who accepts me as I am with the skills and talents I have right now, someone who looks beyond my imperfections and sees the potential in me as someone they can mould to become the greatest version of myself in line with their business needs and desires, someone who can see beyond my struggles and weaknesses, someone who they can see growing and thriving in their organisation using what I have right now.”

Music has been an amazing tool to help support my spiritual growth and personal development, enhancing my creative writing skills in the process, and helping me to grow and thrive. Part of this has involved me voluntarily setting up a new local community group for women who love to sing karaoke-style and share their love of music and the sheer joy they experience whilst singing their hearts out, but also, playing my flute after an 18 year gap, playing the native American flute, and singing in two local choirs. I love to spread the joy of music to others helping people and communities to unite/thrive/grow.

Writing has also been a very important part of my healing journey too. I also love to use copywriting as a tool to enlighten and empower people to look after their own well-being, make positive, healthy change and heighten self-awareness. I love writing about things on my blog site and on social media that inspire change and bring forth transformation and healing in others. I love to put a positive spin on the stories I write and enjoy sharing my blogs – where I share my insights and journey through my life experiences – with a variety of different community groups I am a part of and my friends of course.

My life motto is this, “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up”

Have a beautiful weekend and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What’s your key word for 2025? 

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 9th January 2025

My keyword for 2025 is LIGHT.

Light to me is the gateway to a productive, happy and fulfilled life all round, both professionally or and in my personal life too.

It’s a reminder for me to:

– Shine bright and stay authentically me.

– Continue to embody taking consistent imperfect action in my job search in alignment with the person I am and love being.

– Embrace my imperfections and be kind to myself.

Note to self: Imagine you are talking to your best friend or colleague and the words you would say to them – think before you speak in a judgemental way out loud to yourself. Notice it and catch it when you can! If you don’t catch it, don’t worry, forgive yourself and make a note to catch it next time 😲

– Stay grounded in my core purpose and values and all that matters to me most in life. Love, peace and joy is very important to me all round plus I also value authenticity, hard work, loyalty, integrity, diversity, a good sense of connection and great collaboration with whoever it is, family, friends and colleagues, celebrating each others’ successes too as well as supporting their growth, ideally maintaining clear, positive, kind and respectful communication. And finally, playfulness and embracing the need for creativity, laughter and inspiration to enhance happiness, self-esteem and productivity which has a ripple effect on all those around you.

– Continue to learn new lessons and gain new insights through each of my life experiences. Mistakes and bumps on the road are the only way to grow!

– Continue to spread my light across all the different communities I am connected with – friends, colleagues, business connections – and embrace new opportunities for growth and expansion.

– Prioritise self-care, practice mindfulness and gratitude always.

– Continue to incorporate musical and mindful practices and child-like play into my daily routine, which serves a great purpose to me in increasing productivity, creativity and clarity along my journey in finding my dream role with an employer “who accepts me as I am with the skills and talents I have right now, someone who looks beyond my imperfections and sees the potential in me as someone they can mould to become the greatest version of myself in line with their business needs and desires, someone who can see beyond my struggles and weaknesses, someone who they can see growing and thriving in their organisation using what I have right now.“ (quoted from one of my recent blogs).

– Trust my own intuition and guidance. My heart and authentic being is now leading the way in 2025!

Hope I’ve given you some food for thought… Happy and healthy new year all!!! Let’s make 2025 an exciting, successful and positively memorable year!

Sweeten the smallest moments with gratitude

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 2nd January 2025

In holding on to all the good things from 2024, and it being the last day of Chanukah, I thought I would reflect on everything during the past year to solidify the positives (and light) I can pull from each of my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned.

I’m so grateful for my Jewish identity now more than ever this past year whilst absorbing everything that has happened in Israel and the antisemitism that has spiked big time all around the world. We are an absolute miracle – this is a core part of who I am and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am so proud of the Jewish people as a collective, and all that we stand for, and the joy that the Jewish spirit brings to me and my family. I’m also really grateful to all our friends – whatever their religion or beliefs – all those who have stood with us in our time of greatest need and believed in the truth of who we are and our innate capacity for love and peace.

It was such a miracle this year that Christmas fell on the same day as Chanukah. We started our Chanukah celebrations when the sun went down and the stars came out whilst during the daytime, Christmas was being celebrated by many people. This has only happened 3 times in the last 100 years – and I believe it is a true sign of the times and especially true of the close friendship that we have built with our fellow Christians, especially this past year since October 7th, who have played an important role to help us fight the toxic antisemitism that has plagued the world after the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. I’ve loved every minute of Chanukah this year, and the light it has brought to me and all those people who have been inspired by the light we have shared around the world on social media, the shining bright public Menorahs at outdoor community events, indoor community events, in our homes with our families, the joy it has brought to the kids in lighting the candles and exchanging presents… Our lights have shined really bright this year.

I am so grateful for all the music that has inspired and uplifted me this year, whether it’s through the two choirs I’ve attended – Rock Choir and Mill Hill Community choir, the karaoke sessions I organise virtually every month at the Sync Bar, through chakra dance and Natalie Southgate’s enlightening and fun chakra dance meditations or through all the sound baths I’ve attended too which have been a great release, and also, all the amazing musicians I’ve come across on social media or YouTube that you may or may not have seen me share on Facebook in my news stories.

I’m grateful to have taken part in the “You’re the voice” Rock Choir event in November this year at the New Wimbledon theatre – the atmosphere was so incredible. I am looking forward to starting weekly Rock Choir sessions later on this month as we’ve had quite a long break over the winter break – I’m definitely now ready to rock ‘n’ roll again, and looking forward to the new singing experiences I’ll take part in this year!

I’m also grateful for the opportunity to participate in my first orchestra concert last week playing the flute for a local community soup and doughnut lunch to celebrate the 6th day of Chanukah. As well as it being initially nerve-wrecking, I was surrounded by a warm group of people and we had fun with it and I managed to laugh those nerves off, and just enjoy the feeling of getting myself out there doing something a bit different and brave too, doing the best I could, and learning some new lessons for the next time. It’s a totally new “listening” experience playing in an orchestra compared to playing on my own especially when it comes to timing the notes exactly with the other instruments, but also, developing a real mindful awareness of the sounds of the other instruments to listen out for, which is a new technique I am developing. As well as identifying those areas I could improve on for next time, there is also an element of patience that goes along with this as part of the learning process and being kind to myself in the moment.

I’m also grateful for all those job opportunities and freelance work this year that have come my way this past year that have played a big role in strengthening my recent work experience, amplifying my skills in the process, opening new doors for personal growth and development and increasing my own self-confidence and self-worth. I’m looking forward to what this year will bring, the people I will meet and the new opportunities that will arise.

Finally, I’m so grateful for simply being alive, especially when I think about those who are suffering so much right now and don’t have this opportunity. Life isn’t perfect by any means but I have learned to embrace it as it is, nurture my soul’s needs more and really get in touch with what makes me glow inside, and nurture the good and all the positive relationships that surround me. Music has become my sanctuary but also such a catalyst for my growth and expansion and has inspired me to grow through my experiences of life in general especially this past year which has been a real learning curve – learning how to thrive in the darkness, learning how to live and enjoy life in the best possible way despite what other people might think of me, and learning how to best change my perspective on life despite how it might look on the outside.

2024 has been a life-changing year which I will never forget. May the tears of 2024 water the seeds of 2025, today and beyond. It can surely only get better now.

Cheers to a fabulous, magical, successful year and a peaceful one too full of light, love and joy.

Firework by Katy Perry

Keep shining your bright light in 2025. May the light continue to shine each and every day of the year without it needing to be Chanukah. Let’s make 2025 an amazing year!!!!

Never stop dreaming

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 26th December 2024

Based on my last two interviews where I was a strong candidate but not strong enough to get the job, in my usual style, and especially coming up to the end of 2024, I wondered what can I do with the positive feedback I received, and how do I move forward into 2025, be the “Number One Candidate” and get my dream job.

Job hunting has become a real mission over the past few months, and also one of personal growth and development. I am grateful for every next step I‘ve taken in finding different creative ways to boost my confidence during interviews and improving my answers to interview questions, which has led me to applying for the roles I’ve had interviews for, not also forgetting all the amazing friends and family who have supported me in the process.

I am still to find the right role, one where we both equally align with each other – which seems to be the biggest challenge – not just me aligning with the goals of the organisation and the people that interviewed me. It’s a two-way process.

I’ve been told at different points in time by various people that when a job is meant for me, it’ll happen in its own time. I’m doing my best to keep the faith and to trust the process – which is another part of me I’ve been working on too. I know deep down that I’m somehow being guided to the right role though I can’t see it clearly now. Each step I’ve taken has pushed me to grow and to embrace my authentic self even more which has led me to this point.

Somewhere out there, I know there is a job that is meant for me, and that someone who will choose to employ me is someone who accepts me as I am with the skills and talents I have right now, someone who looks beyond my imperfections and sees the potential in me as someone they can mould to become the greatest version of myself in line with their business needs and desires, someone who can see beyond my struggles and weaknesses, someone who they can see growing and thriving in their organisation using what I have right now.

I love to grow as a person and learn new things. I’m very adaptable and flexible to change, I have a positive attitude to work and I’m very self-motivated. I work well on my own and also work great with colleagues in a team. I demonstrate a high level of empathy, compassion and diplomacy no matter what level of seniority in the organisation. I’m also a hard worker and get the job done which are all important qualities to have.

For one of my recent interviews for a charity, both for Administrator roles, I had questions sent to me in advance so I had a few days to prepare and reflect on giving the best answers and best real examples I could possibly give, and this was evident in the feedback letter I received which at the start said the following:

“Firstly, your application form scored very highly in our process. It was one of the highest scoring across all applications received due to how well it illustrated your ability and prior experience to meet the job specification. It was also incredibly well structured which made it very easy to pull out key bits of information. In your interview, we were very impressed by your level of experience and you had clearly done a huge amount of preparation. It is clear that you were a high level and incredibly capable candidate.”

What amazing feedback right! I was blown away because not everyone takes the time to give much feedback if any at all (once I was emailed a blank template rejection letter!), so I am grateful to hear these positive and encouraging words, which must mean that I am somehow moving in the right direction. I asked myself, how do I take this forward? It felt so good to hear this feedback; I felt proud of myself of everything I had achieved until that point. I really did give it my all. However, I still wasn’t quite there yet where I wanted to be, at that final destination.

There were also other things I had to work on that were mentioned in the feedback email which included improving my answers to questions on the spot in the interview which wasn’t a surprise to me as this is my real struggle – and a constant work-in-progress too. I’m not naturally a sales person, and although I might not tick every single box in an interview, I have lots of amazing transferable skills and extensive administration and copywriting experience which I have gained over the last 25 years. If there is something new I need to learn, so be it. I am always up for a new challenge and will work hard to get up to speed to where I need to be.

Nerves is a big one for me because when they take over, I can simply just go blank despite how many hours (and days) I have spent preparing for this moment to shine in the interview. I was like this during exams at school aswell so I know these feelings well. These moments don’t always reflect my truest self but I do my best as I always do.

Preparing my answers in advance and having notes in the interview is a big help to me in terms of calming down my nerves. All of me was written down on paper, all my reflections, all my strengths, my best examples, my thought processes, my best presentation skills are all written down, and written whilst feeling calm which always brings out my best self. That’s not to say I can’t juggle under pressure – I have had lots of experience with this – but I do find it hard to sell myself under pressure.

Unfortunately, in that particular interview for the charity I spoke about earlier, it wasn’t a sales presentation as I thought it would be. I prepared my best content but unfortunately, I ran out of time to shorten my notes in bullet point format and practice talking with confidence without notes, saying what I truly want to say from my core. Hindsight is always great.

After every interview, I re-evaluate things and think about how I can improve my answers and my technique for the next time. I am also doing my best to include practices on the day of the interview that help calm and release those nerves – normally including meditation and exercise in the morning plus a really good sing-song in the car on the way to the interview – and build that confidence for when I walk in that door!!!!

In my last interview, I did a short session of Qi Gong that morning too, which was also helpful, especially as I did the whole interview without notes and only consulted them when I was asked at the end if I had any questions for them. I stayed calm and composed during the whole interview and this time, it felt like more of a conversation than a sales presentation, but by the end, I had given it my all,  and wanted to consult the notes I had made earlier at home to jog my memory and make sure I asked the right questions.

Although job hunting may seem like an impossible task, I will carry on as I always do. I’ve always been very determined and I have worked really hard to get this far – giving up or stopping is not an option for me. My only option now is to stay strong, keep up the self-care, never give up hope and rise above the obstacles, against the odds, above the competition.

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising every time we fall” (Ralph Waldo Emerson and Confucius)

Today is a new day. A new beginning.

A chance to start afresh. Another chance to get it right.

A piece of heaven

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 17th December 2024

Aside from playing the flute, singing in two choirs and karaoke-style too, I’ve been on an enlightening sound healing journey over the past two years, and especially this past year. I am fascinated by the way in which sound can heal your body, how the frequencies of sound can be incredibly relaxing, energising and such a great release for the body and mind.

I participated in a sound bath using gongs at the end of the Chakra Dance retreat I attended in April 2023, which this was the start of my sound journey.

To give you an idea what it’s all about, to start with, we lay down as if we were about to meditate (or have a nap) under a nice, cosy blanket. It was an incredible experience – I’ve never experienced anything like this. It really felt like I was having an internal massage, that I was able to breathe like I’d not done before in such a deep way, unknotting any balls of tightness and stress as the frequencies of sound travelled up and down my body, making me feel so expansive, taking me to an amazing, peaceful place. I ended up being the last to wake up from this trance-like state though I could have stayed there for ages, but at some point, I did have to wake up!

Since then, I’ve had lots of other sound healing experiences locally, otherwise known as sound baths, and found a nice, warm community at The Silo at Hill Farm in Radlett run by Natalie Faulkner. I’ve really enjoyed the sound baths run there every month by Sanchia from Head to Toe Harmony who always runs a great sound bath, all of which help to fill my cup with more positive energy and have brought me more calm and peace in my busy everyday life.

For those who don’t know, sound baths are a type of meditation. I love meditation already and the sound just adds an extra dimension to how I experience it all. During a sound bath, all you need to do is lie down, close your eyes and focus on the musical instruments being played.  Nothing else.

Instruments can vary and can include for example, gongs, crystal and Himalayan bowls, chimes, shamanic or ocean drums, rain sticks and lots more.

Each of the sounds played on the instruments resonate with the frequencies within our body. It’s a very relaxing experience. It really helps to calm down our nervous system and helps with managing any anxiety or overwhelm you might be feeling, and especially if you go on a regular basis. None of us are immune to the feeling of being overwhelmed – there is so much digital clutter and overwhelm as well as all the to do lists that we plough through in our everyday lives, varying of course from person to person.

As someone with moderate hearing loss myself, music is one of my big passions. You really have to experience a good sound bath to understand what it’s all about and how good it can make you feel. I am so grateful for music and to be able to access the sound frequencies that I can’t hear without hearing aids, which for me are the highest frequencies and ironically the ones that are the most healing for me. For this reason, I love to empower others to look after their own well-being and discover some new forms of self-care that are really very nourishing for the mind, body and soul. I only discovered it recently and would love for others to discover the benefit of it for themselves. It’s also a great way of connecting with ourselves.🎶

Another sound bath I experienced that has stuck out in my mind is one that was performed by a lady based in Elstree called Claire Freeman who runs an amazing Gong bath, but also uses crystal and Himalayan bowls, rain sticks, amongst other instruments. I am going to one of her sound baths next Saturday 22nd December which I’m really looking forward to. It’s a great time to do this sound bath as we approach the end of the year. It’s also a perfect way to release and unblock stuck energies in the body, and simply relax as we all need to do at this time of year.

I thought I would share a review of my first session with Claire:

“What Claire did at the beginning was really nice, which was to prepare us all for the experience in doing some simple relaxing deep breathing exercises and some gentle self-massage to get us in that relaxed state for when we lay down on our backs snuggled up under a blanket, closing your eyes, and drifting away to the relaxing music started to play using various different instruments including the gong, Himalayan and crystal bowls, rainsticks and more.

It was a really divine experience. A piece of heaven. I really felt like I was able to drift away into a peaceful, blissful state, that nothing in the world could take away from you. It is such a great release from all the everyday stress and worries some or probably all of us experience to different degrees.

I felt like I could lie there for ages but after an hour and a half, I had to wake up! It was almost bedtime when it finished, ie 9.30pm, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to go to bed straight away but I was still tired as usual and slept really well that night”.

I’d definitely recommend Claire’s sound bath – she is based in Elstree, so for those of you who are local, do message me if you are interested in joining this session as I’d love for you to try it out in December before the chaos of Chanukah/Christmas kicks in and our diaries get overwhelmed with events and ticking off items on our to do lists, otherwise if you have an opportunity to find a lush sound bath near you, then that’s great, I hope I’ve inspired you to try out a new form of self-care.

A time to hope

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 26th November 2024

I just wanted to share details about this Jewish book I have started to read to my son called “A Time to Hope” by PJ Library. It’s a really lovely book for kids.

PJ Library is a charity that provides free educational books to Jewish children of all ages, starting from 3 until the end of primary school mainly. My family has benefitted over the past 10 years from PJ Library’s free books, and experienced the positive impact of their brilliant, funny, insightful, inspiring books first hand.

I’ve also been nosing around their website resources and it’s not just for kids – it’s a great educational read for everyone, adults included! They are also great resources for non-Jewish people to read too.

I love how they include information about Sigd too which is a festival celebrated by Ethiopian Jews. It’s really interesting to hear about their traditions too. It’s such a miracle so many thousands of Ethiopians were saved and flown to Israel. However many times I read about this, I’m always amazed. 8,000 Ethiopian Jews were saved in November 1984 (“Operation Moses”) and then 15000 Ethiopians were saved over 3 days in May 1991 (“Operation Solomon”). Picture that, so many incredible, beautiful lives saved. Now, this Jewish community called “Beta Israel” are thriving in Israel and their customs and traditions are well respected, nurtured and celebrated. It’s lovely how Jewish people from all over the world share the same traditions but also, it’s so interesting to see how they vary according to each person’s culture depending on where in the world they come from.

I love how on this website, all the resources are neatly organised under each festival, for example, any songs, music, traditions, art or cooking activities for kids, recipes, or stories that relate to that particular festival. There are also lots of opportunities in this book to self-reflect, to see how these stories relate to our everyday lives and make us more conscious of how we are spreading our light in the physical world and perhaps inspire us to spread even more….

It’s easy to follow, it can be read in small chunks and the design is nice and bright which always fills me with hope.

https://pjlibrary.org/hope

Reach for the stars

Posted by: Sara Benveniste Posted on: 18th November 2024

I went to a Rock choir event yesterday with a few friends and a whole theatre load of other Rockies called “You’re The Voice” for the London/ Greater London region which took place at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

You’re The Voice – named after the song by John Farnham – captures the essence of this show, of the concept of Rock Choir, and also of life and how every day, we start a brand new chapter or page,

“We have the chance to turn the pages over, We can write what we want to write”. Such an empowering song!

Just because we’ve had a bad day or start to the day, it doesn’t mean that tomorrow will be the same. We can change the course of our day as we choose – we don’t have to let the stress around us affect us so much. Of course it’s not always straightforward and our lives can get stressful in situations that are out of our control, but we can only do our best and make sure we dip in and out of self-care as and when we need it. Which is where singing comes in sometimes!

We can’t ever take our life for granted – there’s no guarantee of tomorrow – which is why it’s so important to live in the moment and live each day as it comes with as much joy as possible.

Sunday evening’s event was absolutely incredible – “singing heaven” I call it – absolute bliss. The atmosphere was fabulous with around 1200 other people we call “Rockies” from different choirs coming together in unison to sing all our favourite Rock choir songs. The energy in the room was so high vibe and so liberating – the adrenaline from all the music, singing and laughs we had kept us going and standing up most of the time (even though we all had seats!!!). It was such a shame it had to end! It was great to see all the Rock choir leaders on stage and to cheer on our own leader Simon Reynolds every time he came to the front of the stage.

During the show, we did all the fun bits we enjoy doing at the end of class when we sing along in all our different choir voices along with the live track, but this time, we were all scattered all around the theatre and sang our parts as best as we could, though I’m sure quite a few of us dipped into the tune as well or some of the other sections – whoops! – but we all sang our hearts out and the energy was electric! So much so that the sound on stage stopped working towards the end of the show, but all was well as it was handled well on stage and it only lasted a few minutes and then the power was back on! There were some new songs that were sang as well by the leaders which we hadn’t sung in Rock choir – classics like “You are my sunshine” which was a great song to sing. So much musical talent amongst them all, each one of the leaders with their own personality and style which we all love and respect.

Also, there was a live band playing with a big screen in the background showing videos and lyrics of each the songs we sang – this was even more blissful for me, as anyone who knows me, knows I love karaoke too! It’s always good to have a reminder of the words we are supposed to be singing so we can enjoy the singing even more and don’t have the worry of wondering what the words are that we should be singing next, especially if it’s a song I don’t know or a song I haven’t sung for a long time.

During the show, we also recorded a new song – keeping my lips shut about any more details – which should be released next year, so that’ll be exciting to listen to! It was nice to be part of this experience too and also to be raising money for Comic Relief at the same time.

“You’re the voice, try and understand it, Make a noise and make it clear…. We’re not gonna sit in silence…. We’re not gonna live with fear”.

Oh, whoa – powerful words! Why should we have to live with fear… We can’t control those who want to make our lives fearful, but we can choose to not live in fear! It is however within our control and our decision to choose what’s right for us as an individual, and at the same time, what is right for us as humanity.

We have to fight for what is right, for how we want society as a whole to look from the inside out. This is the only way to a more loving, joyful society. We all have a huge innate capacity for love that we can give to ourselves and also that can be shared with other people around us. We are so much better as human beings when we stand (or sing!) united as this is what enables our lights to shine so brightly over the darkness which I hope and pray will fade in good time. Darkness doesn’t ever lead us anywhere good, but increasing the light around us can make us feel so incredible, and so peaceful that the sky is our limit of never-ending possibilities, which is a wonderful feeling. Never underestimate the amazing feeling peace and joy can bring to us! “A Thousand Years” was a great example of this last night with all our phone torch lights lighting up the theatre so brightly along with all the multi-coloured lights people were waving in the air too. A magical experience.

Caroline Redman Lusher, founder of Rock Choir, was amazing as always last night. This was her 11th – out of 12 – show! I can’t imagine how she must have felt at the end of the show. It must be an indescribable feeling… It’s so amazing how she has created this choir that is now truly well-established all over the UK. No doubt Caroline must be feeling on top of the world for what she has achieved in creating such a fabulous choir and giving so many people so much joy in their lives to look forward to every week and during these fun events they put on for us where we all come together in unison.

I’m going to end this blog and share some lyrics from one of the many favourite songs I love to sing, “Reach” by S Club, one of many songs that were played at yesterday’s event and a great message for us all:

“We’ve got to all stick together
Good friends are there for each other
Never ever forget that I’ve got you
And you’ve got me, so

✨✨⭐️ Reach for the stars⭐️✨✨
Climb every mountain higher
Reach for the stars ✨💃✨🕺✨
Follow your heart’s desire ❤️💙💜🩷🧡💛
Reach for the stars ✨💃✨🕺✨
And when that rainbow’s shining over you🌈
That’s when your dreams will all come true”