???? All things wellbeing, yoga and ADHD! ????

I'm super excited to be back after a bit of quiet.

This blog has evolved to almost 26k subscribers.

The Standard Brain started as a personal side project to highlight incredible stories and issues that matter. The aim of this who thing was to share their stories to elevate social mobility whilst offering more accessible insights.?

This blog has four main aims. These are:

• Support honest conversations around neurodiversity
• Make interdisciplinary thinking accessible to all
• Champion diverse voices internationally & D&I
• Instigate conversations around social mobility

I am also thrilled that Saskia Bolscher will join me today to talk about body positivity, yoga, and why wellness matters.

Fun stuff

Meet the designer decolonising Chinese fonts.

Your brain is on overload. This is how to augment your intellectual capacity.

The secret to happiness at work? Your job doesn’t have to represent the most prestigious use of your potential. It just needs to be rewarding.

7 digital storytelling tips for the cultural heritage sector.

File not found? The generation that grew up with Google is forcing professors to rethink their lesson plans.

Five ways female founders can break the glass ceiling.

Hustle culture (or productivity culture) might be more like a religion than you might think.

The 10 commandments of salary negotiation.

The ultimate guide to time management at work.

A concise history of pickles.

How to person in public again.

Representation matters at all levels.

Time and time again, I've come back to this idea.

Representation matters at all levels. You really can't be what you can't see. I know this first hand. For a very long time, my career revolved around short-term six-month contracts internationally. It worked wonderfully for me at the time. However, I didn't know why. The six-month mark was a perfect amount of time, as I would remain engaged, passionate and motivated.

Longer-term roles were a different story. In the early parts of my career, the thought of staying in one role for more than a year terrified me. I was worried that I wouldn't be good enough or that I'd get bored quickly.

Throughout my career, I always had the fight or flight feeling. I remember constantly feeling fearful of overcommitting myself to projects or roles that I found boring or that could turn boring. Yet, I never had the vocabulary to explain why or understand what I was feeling.

What I was feeling was common traits among those who have Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a condition that includes symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Common symptoms of can include a short attention span, constantly fidgeting, impulsiveness and acting without thinking. With this in mind, I wanted to take a moment to highlight ADHD awareness month.

ADHD Awareness Month

Why challenging unconscious biases matter

Friday marked the first day of ADHD Awareness Month. I wanted to demystify this unseen disability by unpacking some myths you can commonly find around neurodiversity.

In all, I've had a mixed bag of experiences of being in work with neurodiversity. These all occurred in previous roles before my diagnosis when I was in the middle and after my diagnosis. For clarity, I got diagnosed with dyslexia in 2017 and ADHD earlier this year.

I've had to deal with several micro-aggressions in person and electronically. I've also witnessed firsthand some sheer absurd rationales around neurodiversity. Some of the ones I've had include:

? If you can't see it, it doesn't exist.

? Where is the proof (fun fact, the NHS wait time is two years).

? ADHD is just an excuse for laziness.

? Everyone has a little ADHD.

Before I had my dyslexia diagnosis, my line manager stated if you couldn't see it; therefore it didn't exist. I was asked for proof of being dyslexic. How do you prove that you have dyslexia? This is the same argument I hear for a lot of people who think they have ADHD. I am one of the lucky ones.

Most recently, a colleague of mine had a conversation with her leadership, and they implied that ADHD is something you can catch like a cold. I'll just let that sit there for a minute. Like a cold. ??

Let me be very clear. Neurodiversity is not a one-size-fits-all term. It covers a broad spectrum of people, yet we frequently find some disorders are spoken about less. This is my main reason for wanting to dedicate today to ADHD and to unpack it.

The one thing we don't often talk about is intersectionality. I am neurodiverse by three (ADHD, dyslexia and anxiety), which means many of my traits overlaps. In turn, I've often had people overlook my experiences, which is why the ADHD iceberg diagram can be quite helpful.

Creating a community of likeminded people...

...and why supporting colleagues across the UK Civil Service matters!

A lot of people think ADHD is simply either trouble focusing or even fidgeting. It is so much more than this. One of the things I am actively seeking to do is to unpack and challenge some of the unconscious biases we see around the term ADHD.

Last week I became Co-Chair for the?Civil Service Neurodiversity Network?with?Andrea Michaels. My mission is simple: to ensure that those with unseen disabilities feel like they belong.

I'm forever grateful to my colleagues, team, mentors and champions. I couldn't do any of this without you. Watch this space for some awesome network updates once we've got ourselves sorted.

As always, my (virtual) door is always open if you need to speak to someone. If my truth helps someone even a little bit, I'll be delighted.

This Week: An Interview with Saskia Bolscher, Yoga Teacher Extraordinaire.

I had the pleasure of first meeting Saskia earlier this year. In July, I rolled up to one of her classes at MoreYoga and had no idea what I signed up to. As someone curvy, I have always struggled with yoga. I often felt like I wasn't enough or not the right 'fit'.?

Saskia is a body positive, curvy yoga teacher who is passionate about making yoga inclusive and accessible for every body. Through teaching hatha, yin and slow flows she seeks to make everyone feel welcome to her classes.

Fun fact, it was only through her class that I felt confident to go deeper into my own practise. It is true, you can't be who you can't see.

Jess Gosling: Body positivity is an issue you talk about a lot. What does body empowerment mean to you?

Saskia Bolscher: Body empowerment to me feels like I can do anything I want to do, regardless of what my body looks like. I’ve always been a big girl, and I’ve been on countless diets. I’ve lost weight in the past, then gained it all back. Now, after Covid and several lockdowns, I’m the biggest I’ve ever been, yet also the most content with my body. I’ve reached a stage in my life where I no longer want to restrict my joy and happiness because of my size. I want to live my life the way I want, and I wish that for everyone.

JG: In the context of yoga, how has body positivity influenced your practice??

SB: I’ve always been very self-conscious of my size because in most of the yoga classes I went to, I was the biggest person in the room. I am glad I’ve never let that discourage me from practising because yoga brings me so much. During my 200-hour teacher training, I became very aware of the limitations of a larger sized body in yoga, and it’s helped me be more creative with variations and props. Over the past year, I’ve been sharing plus-size yoga tips and tricks on TikTok and Instagram. Yoga makes me feel so good, and I want everyone to experience that, or at least everyone interested in yoga, regardless of what they look like. Yoga may seem like a practice for thin, white, and flexible women, but yoga is truly for everybody. Even if you are unable to practise asana, you could practise pranayama, that’s also yoga!

JG: What does yoga mean to you? What inspired you to begin your training?

SB: For me, yoga is a practice of being present, being in the now. In our busy lives, we tend to live in our heads and forget about our bodies. Yoga can help us be more aware of our bodies, making us live in the moment. The feeling that yoga brings: a feeling of balance and calm is what’s kept me going to yoga. What inspired me to begin practice was curiosity, but the feeling of peace has kept me with the practice for almost 15 years.

JG: Do you have a favourite asana? If so, what is it, and why?

SB: I have a few, but it depends on my mood and energy level, which is usually linked to where I am in my menstrual cycle. I like a supported fish or supta baddha konasana (reclined bound angle pose) when I’m low in energy. I love natarajasana (dancer pose) because of how elegant and feminine it makes me feel. Warrior two is also up there because it feels so strong and grounded. But I suppose my all-time favourite is balasana (child pose); I can easily stay in it for 10 minutes; it’s relaxing, it stretches my hips and back, and it’s super grounding.

JG: How far do you think yoga can help with mental health or feelings of anxiety??

SB: For me, yoga is essential in terms of mental health. Without yoga, I overthink things, and I’m too much in my head. Yoga (asana, meditation, pranayama) helps me drop into my body and feel more present and calm. Feeling calm and grounded is important to me, and yoga helps me achieve that.

JG: What is your favourite playlist to practise yoga to? Why this playlist? Does it have a specific meaning?

SB: I have made my own playlists of songs I love, mostly songs without lyrics, as I find that lyrics can sometimes be distracting when practising yoga. You can find my playlist on?Spotify. I use this when I teach, and I like to listen to it when I’m travelling or cooking, because if I’m honest, I prefer practising yoga without music, in a quiet space, without distractions.

JG: What are your top three tips for others hoping to build on their yoga practice?

SB: The first has to be: find a teacher (or more than one) with who you resonate with, whose practices you like. If you primarily practise in studios, try practising on your own, without music. If you mostly practise at home, try practising in a studio.

Secondly, explore different styles of yoga; don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never tried before – you might like it! Trying out different types will help you find the style that is right for you.

Lastly, try to explore pranayama (breathwork) and meditation. These practices can be genuinely transformative, and in my personal experience, even more so than practising yoga asana.

?? You can reach Saskia on her website here and follow her on Instagram here. ??

Why "The Standard Brain"?

I think we are all so different, and we also work differently. I fully believe in building expertise, learning from others and bringing together different sectors positively. We often do not explore outside our own industries or what we know.

Exploration can lead to some fantastic ideas, collaborations and connections. It is, therefore, my aim through this blog and personal space to embrace all of myself: someone who is neurodiverse.

I've always seen the world, unlike most - in a connected way. So in a sense, interdisciplinary thinking is something I've always done; I just didn't have the vocabulary to articulate myself.

*Me being derpy with a coffee.

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