A mindful toolkit

Your shortcut to inner peace …

When you pause to think about it, there’s a lot to learn from the lyrical output of Tears for Fears. ‘Everybody wants to rule the world’. ‘Nothing ever last forever’. And above all, ‘It’s a world gone crazy’. Fact is, we could all use a little help to keep calm and stay centred. Besides, it’s all the rage right now.

Step forward Faith, our PR manager and in-house mindfulness guru. Faith does yoga. She gives off a glow like a SAD lamp. Her Spotify playlists are rich with the smooth-sax sounds of a robe-clad Kamasi Washington. And so — in a continuation of our mission to make your lives simultaneously smarter and more serene — we asked Faith to put together a wish-list of things designed to boost your health and put your mind at rest. And she delivered …

1. Patch
   If you want to be happy for a minute, eat a cookie. If you want to be happy for years, grow plants. That’s what psychologists say and who are we to argue? The green-fingered folk at Patch will help you choose the pot-plants that are right for your office or home. They’ll deliver to your door — and for any compulsive cactus-killers out there, explain the basics of how to nurture your plants.
2. Raw Press juice
   Raw press make healthy organic juices to keep you energised and brimming with vitamins. This particular juice was blended from a delicious combination of lemon, mango, apple, celery and carrot.
3. Silence: In the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge
   Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge (it’s pronounced to rhyme with “saga”) once spent 50 days walking solo across Antarctica. If anyone knows about silence, he does. In this softly spoken book, he explains why we now need silence more than ever — and how to find it.
4. Thriva health-check kit
   Say goodbye to germ-infested waiting rooms and the hassle of taking time off work. Now you can self-administer a health-check at home. Prick your finger with Thriva’s health-check kit and send off the blood sample. By return of mail, you’ll get a reading on everything from your cholesterol level to your B12. To get a 50% discount off Thriva products, enter the code SPOKE at checkout.
5. Liforme Yoga Mat
   This classic yoga mat from Liforme is longer and wider than most rival mats. It provides a fine balance of cushioning and stability. And it has alignment markers to help you execute the perfect Downward-Facing Dog.
6. Vinyl Me, Please
   Hipsters don’t lie. Vinyl really does sound better than digital formats such as MP3, since it reproduces exactly the smooth analog sound waves of the original music. Sign up for a Vinyl Me, Please subscription and you’ll receive a classic album once a month, along with a 12in x 12in art print inspired by the music in question. As an amuse-bouche, they throw in the recipe for an appropriate cocktail to drink while you listen.
7. Mahabis slippers
   Mahabis offer all the comfort of a traditional slipper. They’re built with a soft felt upper and warm faux-sheepskin lining. But there’s a twist. You can wear them outside too. Mahabis come with removable rubber soles, which can be slipped on or off as required.
8. 10% Happier with Dan Harris
   A few years ago, ABC news anchor Dan Harris had a panic attack live on air. The fall-out from that personal crisis led him to try meditation — a practice he had previously viewed with a sceptical eye. In this thought-provoking series of podcasts, he discusses the peaks and pitfalls of mindfulness with practitioners from Tim Ferris to Manoush Zomorodi.
9. Moment app
   Are you all thumbs? Do you find it hard to pocket your smart-phone and live in the moment? This helpful iOS app tracks your usage, lets you set daily limits on how much time you spend fiddling/texting/browsing, and tells you when you just need to *put it away*.
10. Scandi Pink Fives
    We couldn’t let you go without making at least one legwear recommendation. If His Holiness the Dalai Lama wore trousers, he’d probably opt for our brand-new Scandi Pink Fives. They combine our most relaxed style of chino with a clean, serene, natural shade of pink. They’re available now. Peace.