Kat Byles

This month I’d love to draw your attention to the beautiful new book just out – ‘Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul, The Soul’s journey to Sacred Love’ by Simon Haas. This is one of those magical books that found me just when I needed it, every chapter seemed to be just right for the moment I discovered it. Don’t you love it when a book finds you like that?

Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul offers a powerful reframe of depression. Whilst modern day civilisation is fearful and ashamed of depression, hiding and medicating it, Ancient India saw darkness as a right of passage, a calling to sacred love, a gift. This book is about that right of passage, about the journey from fear and confusion to sacred love, unveiling the four stages to that journey.

The book is full of relatable, inspiring stories from Simon’s life and the people around him as well as accessible illustrations from the Bhagavad Gita. While yoga has to some degree become part of the feel good industry and “oooh look at my amazing handstand on Instagram” this book brings us the true purpose of yoga with depth and authenticity, to follow your purpose, engage your heart in yoga practice and live a life of love and compassion. It is quite literally a breath of fresh air.

Simon spent his childhood studying Sanskrit and the sacred writings of India and his teenage years living with monks the temples and monasteries of India. This is so far away from my own childhood growing up on a housing estate in Iver Heath, Bucks that it seems other worldly. He also apprenticed with an elderly master practitioner in the Bhakti tradition for 16 years. After returning to the UK to study Law at Cambridge University he now lives in Costa Rica practicing corporate law and is dedicated to making the ancient wisdom of India accessible to modern day.  He is also the author of The Book of Dharma, Making enlightened choices.

Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul is a beautiful book, one to keep and read over and over, as well as to flick open and take in the particular message for you on that page.  For those of us dedicated to listening to and following our heart’s it is a classic, a must have. You can buy it from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0957518528

I’m very happy to share on this sunny afternoon in Bath that the two PR with Heart Online Course bursaries have been awarded to women growing The Green House Education Project in Bath and Waves for Change in South Africa.

The Green House Education Project – Anna Robinson and Cindy Adams

There is an urgent need to transform the outdated schooling system in the UK and The Green House Education Project, based in Bath, is taking action to do just that, exploring and pioneering new ways that put the children’s needs at the core. Established in September 2014 they have a geodesic dome, yurt and outdoor teaching spaces that can accommodate up to 23 children from 5-14 years old. Now they are ready to communicate the heart and vision for The Green House Education Project to a greater audience, inspire and champion further change.  Check out their approach: www.ourgreenhouse.org

Waves for Change – Hannah Fowles

Based in South Africa, Waves for Change uses surfing as a form of therapy to help vulnerable children, often from violent and impoverished communities, cope with the stress of their lives. Since 2011 over 1000 children have benefited across 6 sites in Africa and now they are excited to increase the participation of girls. What a beautiful purpose and I can’t wait to get exploring with Hannah, pouring all that creative inspiration into growing the visibility and audience so more young people can benefit. Check them out: www.waves-for-change.org

PR with Heart Online starts 5 June 2017

Join us to grow your visibility, audience and impact naturally with grace and ease – none of the struggle – in a flourishing, supportive, global community of women making a difference. It’s for entrepreneurs, artists, coaches, teachers, authors, healers with inspiring, positive messages of healing, love and compassion.

PR with Heart uses pioneering, creative technology to open up your unique, expansive, natural pathway to greater visibility. When you walk this path of least resistance, aligned with your true nature and purpose, PR stops being a struggle, a drag and becomes energising, fun bringing a whole lot of fresh opportunities, joy, happiness and deep fulfilment to you and your business.

If you’d like to join us you can register here: http://www.katbyles.com/products/pr-with-heart-online-course/

I spent a wonderful day yesterday with the Teen Yoga Foundation aligning with the true purpose of the organisation, opening up the vision at the heart and the positive, inspiring message it has to share.

A beautiful purpose of building creativity and well-being in young people with yoga. Already there are over 550 teachers in 20 countries working with an estimated 50,000 kids in 1000 schools, empowering children to flourish and thrive. They are training teachers, researching, advocating, opening up the conditions and opportunities for yoga to be in secondary schools. Imagine all all that blossoming creativity and fulfilment with new visions for our planet spilling out of the next generation of peaceful, balanced human beings as a result.

This is what every child deserves in school, a true connection to who they really are and support for this to flourish. Then we will have more compassion, kindness, fulfilment, with the epidemic of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues a thing of the past – it’s all about connection, connection connection.

So grateful to organisations like Teen Yoga creating real grassroots to global impact with simple powerful tools. These are the organisations we need to support, fund, invest in to create the change we are desperate for – healthy, happy humans.

May you go from strength to strength Teen Yoga, I’m very happy to play a small part in inspiring you on your way.

Check them out: http://teenyogafoundation.com/

For the latest edition of Women with a Message I’m chatting to Irene Brankin, Chartered Counselling Psychologist on the importance of being comfortable with yourself.

Irene works with women who, stressed and overwhelmed, want to reconnect with themselves and get their lives back on track. She does this with one to one counselling and mentoring; her business brunches and retreats in the UK and abroad. She is the author of The Visible Woman – More Lust, Less Must and I Don’t Care – The Art of Divine Indifference, both available on Amazon.

Here she has a great take on vulnerability, choices, the importance of being comfortable with yourself and how to get there.

You can get in touch with her at www.theinvisiblewoman.com.

Irene is part of the PR with Heart Online international community of women growing their business around their true nature and purpose. If you’d like to connect with your purpose and make that your business, and grow your audience, visibility and impact with grace and ease join us for the next PR with Heart Online Course. You can sign up here:

Introducing you to BJ Smith of Shorecombers, a social enterprise set up to keep trash out of the ocean. (Hallelujah!)

We need more people like BJ with the firm conviction that we can keep all our trash out of the ocean within 10 years.

She’s already run a pilot and 2 educational programme for 50 graduates now setting up community programmes at the grass roots level with smart, fun, sustainable plans to keep trash out of our waterways.

Next up Shorecombers is looking for a financial partner with this shared vision and who would love to be involved in growing a grass roots community network around the US and globally to keep trash out of the ocean.

It’s an exciting time and an exciting opportunity for the right partner. Probably an organisation that has an invested interest in looking after the ocean – yachting, sailing, kayaking, fishing etc…?

If you know the perfect partner please do connect them. And please do share to amplify BJ’s and Shorecombers message and end result of zero trash going into the ocean within 10 years.

BJ is part of the PR with Heart Online Community, a growing international community of women building businesses around their true nature and purpose with heart and creative inspiration.

If you’d like to join us for the next one it begins 31 October to grow your visibility, audience and impact naturally with grace and ease you can sign up here.

Yesterday I sat down with Jules Wyman, Confidence Coach and Speaker to explore her purpose and message. Jules is a participant in the PR with Heart Online Course and growing global community.

Here Jules dispels the myths around confidence and the damage they cause, shares what confidence actually is, and what to do if you have a ‘wobble’.  Check her out and leave your comments on the youtube interview and share the video if you’d like to.

Enjoy your confidence.

x

If you’d love to join us for the next PR with Heart Online Course and grow your visibility, audience and impact naturally with grace and ease you can sign up here.

And you can reach Jules Wyman here.

One month on it was a real joy to catch up with each woman attending March 2016’s PR with Heart Antigua to find out how they were doing now and the impact on their business. Here’s what they had to share…

Nikola King, Founder, Infinite Essence 

“I arrived in Antigua with a temporary project and came back with a business.

I went to Antigua with a deep rooted belief that I was not a business woman. I came home with a business and owning that I was the Global Ambassador for it. This is a huge life and energy shift. It facilitated what I’ve been waiting a very long time for. I have clarity about my business and who I am within that. My whole life feels very grounded. I know exactly who I am and what I’m here to do.

One month on I have a crystal clear vision and assuredness I’ve seldom felt. I sense strongly that I can’t be moved from my centre even with all the external energies and influences in the world.

I’ve been very ethereal in the past. Antigua gave me the desire and knowing that I needed to ground my work. I want to be here and do this work. It gave me the vision of the impact of my work and other women around me who are here to make seismic differences from our creative hearts and I want to be a part of that.”

Thea Allison, Founder, Big Bang Creations

“One month on I am incredibly grateful. Both to you Kat, for having created the structure (PR with Heart Antigua) and to myself for getting myself there. The impact of it, the energy of the sun, sea and Antiguan vibes, is now a part of me.

The PR plan I created has landed and is the focus for my business. Knowing my market has brought a focus that excites me, and that absolute clarity of knowing where to put my energy is showing in results.

I highly recommend it to others, without a doubt. It’s very good value for money, a wonderful experience and if we are going to be women out in the world we have to give ourselves what we love. Otherwise we will be women putting ourselves out in the world in burn out.”

Jenna Yhearm, Founder, Gumption

“It was a perfect week of bliss and being focused.

One month on I feel calm and focused. Being at one with myself that week, with positive people, allowed me to remind myself who I am and why I am doing my business. This has stayed with me.

My purpose and message are integrated into every decision I now make in the business. I first stop and consider why I am making the decision and who will it affect. I’m much more conscious, it’s always there.

I’m hugely positive and confident about my future. I know exactly where I’m going in my business, so there is no day-to-day panic. I’m clear on my path and I’ll gently take the steps, I know what the end goal is.“

PR with Heart Programme…

“I loved the structure and your facilitation was great. You held the end result passionately and it was gentle, forgiving, open and you honoured the true agenda of each of us. We had the freedom to get there in our own way and own time and that gave it integrity and the end results real power. It was fun. You gave me blindingly valuable insights into growing my business.”

“The course quite simply and profoundly takes you on the journey you need to go on. I loved the way it all came together. You held the space beautifully. The simplicity and beauty of the work is that it takes you to the deep places you need to go in a safe and supportive way.”

“I had no idea what to expect I just knew I had to be in Antigua. Half way through I was genuinely surprised that the work we had done throughout the week was pulled together into such a clear, and such a simple plan. I hadn’t expected it to be so succinct. It was perfectly clear, perfectly outlined, no doubts. That was genius.”

Villa Amazing…

“I loved the villa – it held us in a safe space when arriving in a country you don’t know. To be up on the hill was wonderful. It gave us the platform to be together and to also have our own space. Perfect.”

“The villa was wonderful, perfect for what we were doing, a lovely space to be together, intimate, comfortable with space to be on your own as well when you wanted to.”

Antigua…

“I’ve completely fallen in love with Antigua. The people are so calm and chilled it allows the rest of us to be calm and relaxed. I want to go back.”

“Antigua is a place I’ll return to for insights, clarity and support in my business.”

“Antiguan people are so warm, down to earth and so unattached they are very freeing and relaxing to be with.”

“The energy of Antigua is incredibly supportive without it challenging you. It aligns you and brings you in tune with nature. The energies are beautiful facilitating a clarity, truth and strength to proceed. I believe that Kat, you’ve tapped into the energies of the island and are bringing their natural beauty into our lives and business.”

If you would love to join us for PR with Heart Antigua 3-10 December 2016 email me – kat@katbyles.com – to reserve your place or book in an Antigua Exploration Session. 

See you in the turquoise. x 

As I come away from the first PR with Heart Antigua Retreat with four brilliant women, the transformation is still full flight.  And I want a Polaroid to capture the highlights; only the whole week was a highlight! The creative inspiration and connection to pure source; how everything flowed so effortlessly; the dedication and commitment of each woman to their true nature and purpose – what a joy; the clarity each woman received; the life-changing insights; the beauty, the nature, the innocence; the wonderful walks in nature, long swims in that magical sea, warm-hearted local people; the power each woman discovered within them; the stunning villa and how that came to me; the excitement the women had going home because they love who they are and what they are doing in their business. It goes on….

Creative inspiration and connection to source

During an early trip to Antigua I saw a vision that stopped me in my tracks – four blue phoenixes rising from the Caribbean Sea. This spoke to me of four women called to the Island to rise into their creative hearts, their true nature, purpose and power. PR with Heart Antigua was born. From here I made the choice to create it purely from source, taking action guided by my intuitive heart, letting go of the outcome.  At one point the fourth woman was creating the money to attend. In the past I’d have frantically rushed about to get someone else just in case it didn’t come through. This time my heart clearly spoke ‘relax, it is taken care of’. The energy I used to waste and stress I caused myself because I didn’t trust my intuition. I learnt that when you receive, when you create from your higher nature in harmony with life, it is divine, it is effortless, it is who you are.

The impact before we even arrived

The impact on the women once they made the commitment to attend, before we even arrived, blew me away – their power ignited, one restructured her business; one healed and deepened the relationship with her father. I more than loved standing for their hearts, their higher nature with love, truth and compassion, no compromise. A privilege.

Life changing insights kept on coming

A few favourites came during the financial structure explorations. One woman’s relationship with money in her lower nature is ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ – masculine, driven, loads of money and most noticeably no children. In her heart, her business is providing for her large family. How many women miss out on the truth of their heart when they adopt this masculine approach to business?

Another woman, in her lower nature is working with clients that don’t belong to her with a pattern of them leaving. Because they are not her clients! In her higher nature she is working with corporate directors introducing a new creative technology into large corporate teams who go on to transform their lives and the business. With this energetic embodiment she received her first corporate client 5 hours after touching down on the runway in the UK. These are her true clients that she is here to serve. Effortless.

Resistance

Throughout the week one woman had an inner battle as she questioned, undermined and denied her true nature, purpose and power. The control set in as the ego rejected her truth and fought to keep her small, tightly contained, in hiding while her higher nature offers deep connection and expansion.  The pain was evident, the realisation powerful and tearful.  How often do you battle with or try to control a natural expansion? How often do you reject your intuition or heart’s desire believing you know how it will turn out and you’re not having that?!  In doing so you shut down your whole life.  Embrace your true nature, let go of expected outcomes, take the action as an offering of love, and this is life changing.

Clarity

Each of the four women went home with crystal clear clarity.  Clarity is my true essence and what I love to bring into business.  With clarity you can lean back, relax into what you are here to do on this earth. You have swift decision making saying an easy no when it is not in alignment. And you can enjoy mastery of your creative focus and the vitality, energy, fun and joy that comes with that. You can embrace and live your whole life.

The Magic of Villa Amazing

I’d been looking for a villa with four bedrooms with no luck. Until on a September visit my return flight was cancelled and I had to leave Antigua a day later. Standing in the check in queue I got chatting to a lovely couple scheduled to fly that day. They just happened to have a four bedroom villa and were considering renting for the first time. It was perfect – 180 degree sea views, infinity pool, beautiful bedrooms, and wonderful spaces for us to work in. When the world rearranges itself around you, when magic happens, you know you are on the right track.

Local Warm-Hearted People and Adventures

Walks with Vorn foraging for tangerines, coconut, and tamarind with stories about his grandma, knowledge of the plants and a tropical rainstorm. Taking to the sea to explore the beauty of the outer islands on our day off with Adventure Antigua, the lovely Trevor Erskine and a wind that turned the boat into flying log flume. Stewed Fish with Cavell ‘I put love in my cooking’ and pedicures with Tamara in Crab Hill, we were welcomed in as part of the local community.

Support from the Men

For me the new paradigm for women on earth is found where the feminine is seen, respected, held, loved and supported by the masculine. We all received this support from men in our lives to be in Antigua – be it financial, emotional or spiritual – it was deeply nourishing and appreciated.

Friendships Formed

I’m quite sure I’ll be life long friends with the four women attending keenly following their business growth with love and interest. Then there was Trevor Erskine who believed in me, and the retreat, encouraging me to create it; Kirsty MacAndrew who tuned in with me weekly to listen to intuitive guidance for inspired actions to take; Marianne Hartley, a business soul partner with regular check in’s; Victoria Player, a business consultant for women entrepreneurs who specialises in freedom based businesses who helped me feel my way practically into the new structure of my business to be based in the UK and Antigua; and Wendy Price who regularly pointed out when my ego was having a go and to return to my heart and what I’d love to create. It can take a team to create your dream. Thank you.

The next PR with Heart Antigua is 3-10 December. If your heart is called to rise in business message me kat@katbyles.com to reserve your place or book in an exploration session. I very much look forward to working with you in the divine pure source inspiration that is Antigua.

I’m so happy to announce that British film director Ken Loach will be our guest storyteller at Campfire Bath on Tuesday 30 September 2014, 7.30pm at The Porter, Bath.

This is a rare and such a special opportunity to share a pint and listen to stories from an acclaimed British film director.

The event will raise funds for Bath City FC Community Sports Foundation, which brings the benefits of sports to children in Bath, of which Ken Loach is Chairman.

Ken Loach has had a long career directing films for television and cinema from Cathy Come Home and Kes to Looking for Eric, The Wind that Shakes the Barley and most recently Jimmy’s Hall. He is also known for never selling out to Hollywood and speaking out on issues in Society that matter.

Drawing on stories and experience from film, his work in local community and society Ken will be sharing stories of ‘Collaboration’. The importance of collaboration in creativity, whether that is creating a film or a local community or wider society, and the role we can each play in choosing collaboration over competition.

Ken Loach, said: “Words like ‘collaboration’, ‘teamwork’ and ‘community’ have been devalued through overuse. Yet our society has become fractured and divided. I look forward to discussing how we can resolve this paradox, with a few stories from behind the camera thrown in!”

Campfire Bath tickets cost £12.50 (earlybird), £15 (general admission) and can be purchased here.  Get them now as it will sell out.

Campfire Bath was set up by Emma Horn, producer, Simon Tapscott, Do Good Things, and myself, to bring inspiration, collaboration and storytelling to the people of Bath doing good.  Previous guest storytellers include John Cullum sharing stories and insights on TALENT after nurturing the natural talent in two boys – Ben and Jamie Cullum – to become world-class musicians.

Follow Campfire Bath on Twitter or Facebook.

Simon Haas, author, The Book of Dharma, Making Englightened Choices will present The Dharma Code for Yoga at the Om Yoga Show in London in October. 

The Om Yoga Show takes place at the Olympia National, London from 24 – 25 October 2014.

You can join Simon on Saturday 25 October from 10.45-11.15am for an introduction to The Dharma Code for Yoga and access this ancient wisdom to deepen your yoga practice.

Simon Haas presents Yoga and The Dharma Code How to create transformative change in your life using four universal yoga design principles for making enlightened choices. See you there!