Feeling lost? That's very good, actually!

Often we carry an inner discomfort: we feel loss and wonder if we are missing out on life.

There is no apparent reason for this. In fact, we cannot explain or rationalize. 

We just feel that something is amiss.

If you  relate, then that is very good!

You are doing very well because you are aware of this discomfort within, you are facing it together with all the difficult feelings it brings. 

This is the first, the most relevant, step in addressing an issue in life.

You are ready to move on. 

That means that you need to discover all skills, strengths, positive characteristics that you have: probably you have forgotten them while feeling lost. 

It is important that you feel renewal in your daily life. There are simple gestures, changes in your behavior that we can help you implement in a brief period of time. Engage in physical training with us: when our body acquires the ability to jump, run, move in ways that were impossible before there is a huge impact in our life. We realize then that behavior is a choice, that work leads to real change in life, that we can trust ourselves to feel better.

Bring creativity in your life through writing, eating and cooking in a new healthy way. Learn about body expression, how to improve communication with others. 

Accomplishing these actions will bring you the sense that you are learning, that you can do what you decide to do. 

We are about perceiving You. Helping you identify all that is positive, connecting with you in order to help you 

• understand what you need and want
• generate fresh ideas
• implement change, with joy 
• keep on track towards your goals

We are about awareness: your heart beating, your ability to breathe, to love are processes within you, that occur all the time and that are the embodiment of beauty, wonder, accomplishment. 

There is joy in these processes. As there is warmth all around us: find it in sunlight as much as in rain; see it in Nature, in somebody’s smile; acknowledge it when you walk; feel it when two strangers hug. 

At Life Mentoring Studio® we will engage in this journey with you. We rely on your ability to be who you need and want to be. It will be hard work but it will also be terribly fun.

Sofia Naik

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Acting Techniques - part 2

Neutral Mask Technique

It's a game, of impulsions, feelings, but it all comes from an inner peace.

The idea is to do with the body what we usually do with words. But if we don't know how to do it the body, we'll hardly know how to do it with words.

Persona = from where the sound comes = mask

The mask is the explosion of the face in the body. All the impulses are appropriate, economic and essential.

It's a state of becoming, following the three B's:

• Believe
• Behave
• Become

We move from an inner pace, nothing happens until then and before any action you follow the 3 seconds rule:

1. Think
2. Feel
3. Do

If it's a good idea, it'll still be after 3 seconds.

To find out more come work with us at Life Mentoring Studio.

By Francisca Duarte

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Acting Techniques - part 1

Laban's Acting Technique


It's about body expression, releasing your body so that your emotions can go to every extension, even if it's only one finger. It's extremely useful for actors but first of all for human beings. Life is all about living, living as a human means feeling, it's not being emotional, it's simply having feelings, each feeling has a consequence in your body, you can see when a person is sad, happy, angry, etc... because the body is showing it.

Laban works in every level, focusing in your kinesphere (your personal space, that travels with you, when you move, it's yours to fill with your body and even, with your voice) and he also focuses in the basics of movement:

Space
Time (may be sustained or sudden)
Weight (may be light or strong)
Flow (may be direct or indirect)


Laban named eight qualities of movement, which every person, every character, uses to move, at least one of them, is the one you use when moving or not moving, you can be applying one of this qualities simply with your eyes, here they are:

1. Float (Light, Indirect, Sustained)
2. Glide (Light, Direct, Sustained)
3. Dab (Light, Direct, Sudden)
4. Flick (Light, Indirect, Sudden)
5. Press (Strong, Direct, Sustained)
6. Thrust (Strong, Direct, Sudden)
7. Slash (Strong, Indirect, Sudden)
8. Wring (Strong, Indirect, Sustained)

To reach all this, Laban developed a series of exercises, relaxation techniques and games. 

To find out more come work with us at Life Mentoring Studio.

By Francisca Duarte

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How To Develop Self-Discipline

No personal success, achievement, or goal, can be realized without self-discipline. It is singularly the most important attribute needed to achieve any type of personal excellence, athletic excellence, virtuosity in the arts, or otherwise outstanding performance.

Start with baby steps. No process takes place overnight. Just as it takes time to build muscle, so does it take time to develop self-discipline. The more you train and build it, the stronger you become. In exercise, if you try to do too much at once, you could injure yourself and have a setback. Likewise, take it one step at a time in building self-discipline. So, begin by making the decision to go forward and learning what it takes to get there.

Learn what motivates you and what your bad triggers are. You can begin by learning about yourself! Sometimes it is very difficult to fight off urges and cravings, so know the areas where your resistance is low and how to avoid those situations.  If you know you can't resist cake, fries, or other temptations - stay away from them. Do not have them around to lure you in moments of weakness. 

If you also know that putting pressure on yourself does not work for you, then set yourself up in an environment that encourages the building of self-discipline rather than one that sabotages it. Remove the temptations and surround yourself with soothing and encouraging items such as motivating slogan sand pictures of what you want to achieve.

Learn also what energizes and motivates you. Your willpower can go up and down with your energy levels so play energetic music to perk you up, move around, laugh. Train yourself to enjoy what you are doing by being energized. This will make it easier to implement desirable and appropriate behaviors into your routine - which is really what self-discipline is all about. 

Make certain behaviors a routine. Once you have decided what's important to you and which goals to strive for, establish a daily routine that will help you achieve them. For example, if you want to eat healthily or lose weight; resolve to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables each day and exercise for at least half an hour. Make it part of your daily routine and part of your self-discipline building. Likewise, get rid of some of your bad, self-defeating habits, whatever they may be. They can put you in a negative frame of mind and hinder your self-discipline. A poor attitude can also be a bad habit. 

Practice self-denial. Learn to say no to some of your feelings, impulses and urges. Train yourself to do what you know to be right, even if you don't feel like doing it. Skip dessert some evenings. Limit your TV watching. Resist the urge to yell at someone who has irritated you. Stop and think before you act. Think about consequences. When you practice self-restraint it helps you develop the habit of keeping other things under control. 

Engage in sports or activities. Sports are an excellent way to enhance self- discipline. They train you to set goals, focus your mental and emotional energies, become physically fit, and to get along well with others.  Participating in sports provides a situation where you learn to work hard and strive to do your best, which in turn, teaches you to integrate the same the thought processes and disciplines into your everyday life.

Learning to play a musical instrument can be another great way to practice self-discipline. The focus, repetition, and application required in learning to play an instrument is invaluable. Achieving self-discipline in any one area of your life reprograms your mind to choose what is right, rather than what is easy.

Get inspiration from those you admire. Michael Jordan has always maintained that his greatness as a basketball player came as much from his willingness to work hard at his craft, as it did his talent. It was his desire through discipline and focus that made him one of the best basketball players ever. If it worked for him, it could certainly work for the rest of us. 

Visualize the rewards. There is nothing more gratifying than accomplishing your goals. Practice the technique that high achievers and top athletes do. Project yourself in the future. Visualize your desired outcome. Feel how rewarding it is and the countless benefits you will enjoy. Remind yourself what it takes to get there.                                

If we are to be masters of our own destiny, we must develop self-discipline and self-control. By focusing on long-term benefits instead of short-term discomfort, we can encourage ourselves to develop of self-discipline. Ultimately our health and happiness depend on it. 

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