FOR most of us our lives can get so busy and hectic we barely have time for ourselves, this year my schedule has been so busy! From balancing work, my magazine column, gym, my blog – it all became too much!

I needed to find a way in which I could take a few minutes out a day to meditate or relax, I did some research online and came across mindfulness and meditation. I spoke to one of my good friends about mindfulness and how I would love to see if it would work for me and she recommended me to see Terrence the Teacher, a mindfulness expert based at The Wellness Clinic in Harrods.

Terrence is a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner, Breath has always been the main component in all the work he does. All the meditations are based on breath and connecting to the body in a very pragmatic way, his approach is to make it simple, short and easy to use for people in a very hectic world.

I got in contact with Terrence and we arranged a date for when my sessions would begin, I wasn’t sure how this would work for me, I had a lot going on in my life at the time and my main focus was to relax, stop over thinking and just be happy.

I made my way to the clinic where I was greeted by the lovely ladies at reception, I was given a health form to sign while I enjoyed some refreshing cucumber and lemon infused water. When Terrence was done with his previous client he came to the waiting area and introduced himself to me, he was so friendly - I instantly felt comfortable around him and we made our way to his mindfulness room.

The room had a super chilled vibe, dim lights, fresh lemon water, comfy chairs and the beautiful scent of a lit Roja Parfum candle, which all helped me to really feel relaxed and comfortable. Terrence told me a little about himself and gave me more information on mindfulness, how it works and how it affects our brain which can then lead to positive changes in our lives.

Terrence showed me ways in which mindfulness could help us not only to relax but it helps us to look younger as studies have shown it has a big effect on the Amygdala. The Amygdala is an almond-shape set of neurons located deep in the brain's medial temporal lobe, its key role is the processing of emotions, survival instincts, and memory. He gave me examples of how different experiences in our life affect our Amygdala and how neurons in our brains connect different life experiences with an emotion. For example Love, if love is a positive experience for you, if someone tells you they love you, you may feel happy however if love is a bad experience for you and someone tells you they love you, you may want to run!

So, say for example you get into an argument with a friend; you are feeling angry and get worked up. What happens in the Amygdala is that it starts shooting out lots of Neutrons and emotions, so you will feel sad but also angry and you will argue back and defend yourself. Once studying mindfulness it will help the brain to stay calm in situations like this, so the Amygdala will stay calm, you will stay calm, helping you to deal better with different situations that get thrown at you from day to day.

Harvard researchers have explored meditation and the effects it has on the brains of clinically depressed patients, a group for whom studies have shown meditation to be effective. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which not only takes pictures of the brain, as a regular MRI does, but also records brain activity occurring during the scan. In 2012, they demonstrated that changes in brain activity in subjects who have learned to meditate hold steady even when they’re not meditating.

Functional MRI (left), showing activation in the Amygdala when participants were watching images with emotional content before learning meditation. After eight weeks of training in mindfulness meditation, (right) note the Amygdala is less activated and has slightly shrunk after the meditation training.

After my first session with Terrence I felt so refreshed and my mind felt clear, it was a strange feeling because I was so used to feeling stressed out that it became normal. Once I left my session I almost felt as though a weight had been lifted from me. Terrence even noticed how I looked different and happier, he asked me to look in the mirror and I just couldn’t help but smile – I felt amazing!

Now a few sessions on I react different to certain situations where I would freak out, I am a lot calmer; but most importantly I am a lot happier and have a positive look on life which has made me nicer to be around as before I felt I pushed my friends away with my constant mood swings. I find it crazy how just taking out as little as 2 minutes a day to meditate has changed my life so dramatically and for that I am truly grateful to have met Terrence and be introduced to Mindfulness Meditation.

To book a consultation with Terrence you can call The Wellness Clinic direct or email Terrence directly: Terrence@terrencetheteacher.com

You can also find him on Instagram: @terrencetheteacher

Terrence has also just released a new app, Breathe with Terrence www.breathewithterrence.com

The App will be available via the above link and you can also find the links on Terrence’s social media. It is a chat based format that runs through Facebook messenger. The App teaches Mindfulness as a practice while helping to instil the habit of meditation. It will give people an opportunity to see how simple it can be. Starting with a meditation as short as one minute. Terrence the Teacher will check in with you on a daily basis and guide you through beautiful meditations. The App will help to create a personal experience of Mindfulness and meditation.