Breathe. Move. Meditate.
Celebrate World Meditation Day With Us.
Friday | May 20 | 2022
In Conversation with Leah Simmons, Founder of KAAIAA
“Meditation can take many forms. It can be a moving meditation, it can be sitting in your breath, it can be spending time in nature. It’s a gift you give to yourself, to be fully aware and fully present in the moment.”
- Leah Simmons, founder of KAAIAA
Share with us one of your favourite daily rituals right now.
Leah: There is nothing more I love doing than getting out in nature to really ground myself. As a mother and business owner it’s easy to get swept up in the daily grind so I make sure I take some time to reconnect to myself by reconnecting to the simplicity of nature. Whether it’s a walk along the beach, a swim in the ocean or just standing outside with my bare feet in the earth, nothing calms you more than a little time out amongst the trees! This is a non-negotiable for me every day.
During times of stress/busy-ness/distraction, how do you bring yourself back to the present?
Leah: Some simple breathing techniques can do wonders for bringing you back into the present. Focusing on your breath is the easiest way to stop the chatter in your mind and regulate your nervous system. It calms you, lowers your blood pressure and creates space in what can be a very cluttered and often noisy part of your mind. It can be as easy as stopping what you are doing, taking 10 long inhales and exhales, ensuring you are breathing all the way down into your belly, perhaps pausing at the top and the bottom of the breath to centre yourself and refocus.
Do you have a gratitude practice – how useful do you find it?
Leah: I do! But unlike the usual “write down 5 things you are grateful for today” practice I like to find gratitude for things that are potentially seen as a negative. For example.. a missed opportunity, a disagreement with a friend or partner, an uncomfortable situation. It’s easy to be grateful for the good things in your life.. it’s much harder to apply that to situations you may find challenging. The more difficult the situation, the greater the lesson and the more you end up learning about yourself. It is in these moments that I apply my gratitude practice and find it the most useful.
What’s one of the greatest learnings you’ve experienced in the past year?
That community is everything!!! We crave connection and it has never been more apparent than in the past year. I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what you do, if you can foster a sense of community and encourage collaboration then you will always have a wonderful support team to lean on. I’ve also learned that you don’t have to be an expert in anything to just show up. In fact, people want to feel that we are all in this together. That there is no such thing as perfect. That as long as you come from a place of authenticity and compassion you will foster deep connections. Community for me is the greatest currency.
What’s one of your favourite memories from the past year?
Leah: One of the greatest memories for me was seeing the KAAIAA online community grow throughout the lockdown. I went from 20 people on my daily zoom classes to over 700. And it was due to the welcoming and warm space that every single person in the class brought with them. Everyone showed up with a shared intention – to just be exactly who they were, in that moment, with no judgement. It was a safe space where people could come and connect with other humans at a time that was so lonely and isolating for so many. It changed the trajectory of KAAIAA – and it will stay with me forever.
Oh and CAMP KAAIAA.. our online Burning Man experience last year was also EPIC!!!!
Share five favourite things you do for self-care.
Leah: Breathe. Move. Meditate. Hydrate. Sauna/Ice Baths.
Do you have any advice to help others connect with their purpose?
Leah: Finding your purpose can be a very daunting prospect for many as it’s often pretty unclear. Unless you are one of those people who JUST KNOW why they are here, narrowing it down to a single thing is nigh on impossible. I would start with something you are passionate about. Identify what you love doing. And then see if this can potentially be a career. I love the Japanese ideology of Ikigai to find your purpose. It asks you 4 simple questions to find your “WHY”. These are:
1. What do you love?
2. What are you good at?
3. What can you get paid for?
4. What does the world need?
If your passion can sit in the middle of these 4 principles then you are on your way to finding your purpose.
Can you share a simple meditation practice to try?
Leah: A meditation practice doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t have to be hard despite what people may think. I find that consistency is more important than duration i.e it’s better to do 5 minutes of meditation every day than 40 minutes once a week. Consistency fosters the growth of healthy (or unhealthy depending on what you’re doing) habits so the best way to bring meditation into your life if you don’t know where to start is to begin with something you can realistically maintain. Perhaps you set your alarm 5 minutes earlier and instead of grabbing your phone, sit up, close your eyes and focus on your breath. This will set you up for the day from a calm and centred space. Or.. you can just do KAAIAA and tick every box in under an hour!
How can people get involved with KAAIAA this World Meditation Day?
Leah: If you would like to join us for a FREE LIVE KAAIAA Class to celebrate World Meditation Day this Friday 20th May simply head to this page and sign up to receive your access link!
And follow @thisiskaaiaa and @iamleahsimmons for updates on everything KAAIAA.
