More insights on the English Borstal
Lecturer in Law
My Collection
This is a work-in-progress hub where I share my academic output, projects, and interests.
Academic output
Resources & Interests
Self wellbeing
The recorded talks by Tara Brach (meditation teacher, psychologist and author) have been instrumental to the awakening of my-self and the practice of mindful living. Having read many self-improvement books, her teachings are second to none. Her website provides hundreds of talks and choosing what to start with can be overwhelming. Therefore, I recommend you start with one of the first talks I listen to: Relating wisely with Imperfection. Then, I encourage you to explore her other talks, especially the ones related to ‘unreal others’ and RAIN.
Physical wellbeing
I came across Kassandra’s YouTube yoga channel because I was searching for short 10-15min exercises. Lately, I have found it very difficult to have breaks for exercise – I simply resist to mentally let go of whatever I am doing. Kassandra’s channel provides different types of exercises and lengths to choose from and thanks to her, I am now having short exercise breaks every morning. I follow either the ‘Morning Yoga Movement’ or her newer recording ‘Flexible Body, Flexible Mind’ – both provide different 10 min exercises each day for 30 days. The exercises are labelled as ‘yoga’, but I would call this ‘soft yoga’ or just ‘stretching’.
Supporting creativity
For many years I worked at the National Gallery of London, the British Museum, and the V&A, on behalf of the Audio Guide team. I met incredible early career artists there, and this section is my homage to their work. Mimi Rasco and Asio D. are up-and-coming interdisciplinary artists. Mimi produces powerful notebook exercises for mindful drawing as a relaxation tool. Asio creates drawing sketchbooks with a focus on animals and nature.
Academic Development
I found HARZING.COM Academic Resource (website and YouTube) by chance, when looking for advice on academic development. The owner is Professor Anne-Wil Harzing, the creator of the Cygna network and #PositiveAcademia initiative. These resources have enhanced my academic wellbeing because they have helped me reassess academic conventions and expectations holistically. Significantly, I have found a new and exciting balance between teaching, research, and service. Professor Harzing has published several texts that I found fundamental to my professional development, such as Measuring and Improving Research Impact and Writing Effective Promotion Applications (available on Amazon).