MatChat with Mina Blair

The constant and relentless news headlines about violence between human beings, particularly by men against women, is hard to ignore.  What could be behind such an imbalance in human relations to manifest this level of anger?   How do we achieve wellbeing for all?  I put these questions to David Rogers, a yogi for over 30 years and a yoga teacher for ten, who offers helpful insight into the topics...

When I first saw a photo of Scott, aka the Yogibanker , on Instagram doing a yoga pose wearing a business suit on a street in the City of London, I knew immediately I needed to talk with him!  Fortunately for me, he agreed to a MatChat Podcast and to tell his yoga story.  Scott explains why he wanted to bring yoga into the office and put wellbeing on the corporate agenda.  What was the response? ...

We spend a lot of time chasing, wanting and desiring things that we think will fulfill us and make us happy, don't we?  Well, sometimes the universe feels it needs to show us that this is not always true, that this is in fact a distraction that prevents us from understanding what really matters and who we really are.  My friend Kate discovered this when she lost her marriage, family home and...

This MatChat podcast celebrates my one-year milestone post arm-breakage - last September I shattered my humerus bone in a freak horse riding accident which left me wondering whether I'd ever be able to practice or teach yoga again.  Fortunately, the universe sent me to physiotherapist and Pilates teacher Bill Potts of Perfect Motion Physio, who walked alongside me as I navigated the process o...

This week I connect with Hannah Wallace whom I "met" online through a mutual friend.  She describes herself as a speaker, model, podcaster of the Finding Grace podcast, mentor, healer, priestess and writer.  I invited Hannah to chat "on the mat" with me about her inspirational wellbeing story which takes us through health challenges and loss but ultimately leads to self empower...

I've invited my friend Sarah back onto the virtual mat and we thought this might be a pertinent question to ask and discuss because a) it's important to thrive and b) the world does indeed feel uncertain these days!  It would be easy to fall into a state of high anxiety and feeling out of control, but there are things we can do to keep things in perspective and stay grounded.  As my mant...

I'm delighted to be talking to my friend Diana this week about how she found the yoga mat along the busy path of being a physiotherapist.  She shares her learning from working with Olympic athletes to running yoga retreats - it turns out that everyone has to work with what there is, even the sports stars!  She explains why yoga will ultimately complement any other form of physical activity yo...

Can the body heal itself or is this just another alternative therapy "thing"?  I ask Kris Botterill this question, who, as one of Brighton's leading health practitioners with many years of experience in this field, is qualified to answer the question.  In her aptly named "Pamper Pod" she offers all forms of massage, reflexology and reiki to enable people to heal their mind...

Sarah Seymour's path to a life working with the arts - painting, singing, playing instruments and teaching music - did not manifest according to a plan!  Rather, it was a winding road with many twists and turns, often unexpected.  She shares her story of self-discovery and how she learned to follow and trust, and ultimately to let go. Find Sarah: www.sarahseymourart.co.uk

Our lives are dominated by the power of visual imagery during most of our waking hours given the amount of time we spend looking at all forms of digital devices.  From selfies to artistic shots, whether you are in front of the camera or behind it, photography is a creative process that just keeps on giving.  With a camera lens on every mobile phone, everyone can now be a photographer.  I talk to k...

With the pandemic restrictions easing next month, perhaps we're thinking more about spreading our wings again!  With that in mind, I chat with my globetrotter daughter about how travelling broadens the mind but also opens the heart which makes it an important part of life.  We discuss the impact the pandemic restrictions have had on people's freedom of movement, both negatively and posit...

I'm flying solo (no pun intended!) this week and talking about one of my favourite pastimes - birdwatching.  I share my research into the origin of birdwatching and man's fascination with birds that goes back thousands of years.  I also share my most interesting bird spots to date.  My conclusion? Put a bird feeder in your garden, invest in a pair of binoculars, watch and enjoy!

It can take a long time for trust to develop and yet it can be destroyed in an instant.  My friend Sarah Cox and I explore why this is the case and why it's important to take the risk, of disappointment and being vulnerable, to trust.

I talk to yoga teacher, yoga therapist, structural integrator, author ( Yoga, Fascia, Anatomy and Movement ) and minister Joanne Avison about the connective tissue in our body called fascia.  Moving in yoga moves the fascia, an effect which can have some profound results in helping us let go of the story we hold in our body.

Still thinking a Personal Trainer is for rich celebs only?  Think again!  I talk to Personal Trainer Ollie Roy about his fun and inclusive outdoor training offering - a one-to-one fitness service run from a mobile gym out of a van endearingly called "the tank".  

I chat to Singer-Songwriter Tobiah about her music journey and the important role music has for our wellbeing.  We've all been there - we hear a piece of music which touches our emotions, indeed, sometimes our very soul.  We can feel sad, uplifted, inspired or fired up depending.  Music connects us not just to ourselves but also to the greater-than-ourselves.

In this fourth and final MatChat episode  about my recently launched book "Not for the last time", I share the key learnings and messages.  Sometimes the only way to learn life's truths is the hard way, but therein lies the gift.  You have to go through it, the pain and the suffering, to reap the rewards of liberating and empowering yourself and find out who you really are.  Nothing...

Are you aware that 1 in 100 people in the UK are on the autistic spectrum, including Asperger Syndrome?  That's surprising, isn't it.  It certainly was a surprise to me to discover  Asperger's in my personal life.  Autism is more common than most people think, and yet it is not discussed as openly and publicly as perhaps it should be. Many are dealing with Asperger's without kn...

In this second MatChat podcast of four about my newly released book "Not for the last time", I chat with friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox about how reading philosophy with a spiritual mentor set me on a spiritual path of self-inquiry which eventually led to finding the yoga mat and the Eastern scriptures.  And finding the answers to the timeless existential questions, "who am I?&quo...

I'm very excited to have launched my first book and being interviewed by friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox!  It's the story of the last 13 years of my life after I suffered child loss when my youngest daughter died age 12.  This event led to a spiritual crisis followed by a quest to find meaning, a journey that took me on travels all around the world and meeting the people who would help...

Ahead of launching my first book next week, Not for the last time , I talk to my friend Sarah Cox about how to access the hidden gifts each of us carries inside ourselves.  For example, I never knew teaching was my thing but eventually discovered my inner yoga teacher.  I never dreamt I could write a book either, but here I am, holding it in my hand!  What inner gifts remain within you?

I invite yoga student Harriet to the mat for a chat about her story of overcoming health challenges to finally arrive at a place of wellbeing.  She shares the problems she had to face from a young age and how she eventually found the yoga mat 1 1/2 years ago.  She explains how practising yoga keeps her physically and mentally healthy.  Get ready to feel inspired!

Join me as I chat with my friend Colin, a retired Anglican priest, who shares his insights about the important role of poetry in connecting us to something greater than ourselves and how it can help us transcend to the spiritual.  

With all aspects of wellbeing now a topical subject as a result of the Covid pandemic, it perhaps makes you wonder how people coped during and after the war.  Is today's national challenge similar to what was faced back then, or different?  Can we learn anything from that past experience?  Enjoy listening to Malcolm Blair-Robinson, a family friend who was born the year war was declared on Ger...

Yes, it's true!  Listen to my friend Sarah and I discuss why there is no such thing as failure.  "Failure" is laden with negativity, guilt and shame isn't it?  Who needs it!  Let's replace it with "change of direction" and "opening doors" instead.  Ultimately, simply follow the trail the universe lays out for you!  Prepare to feel positive and inspired.