Tag Archives: mindfulness

Weekend Retreat Manifesto Writing

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During The Power Of Me weekend retreat we will write our own personal manifesto. You have heard this word before, no doubt. Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto? It is a credo. Our personal manifesto is something like our mission statement. Most companies or organisations have a mission statement. A raison d’être. We, as humans can also have our own mission statement. It keeps us focused and often can give us some perspective and calm when things go awry. It can be good to look back over our written manifesto to clarify things. Our personal manifesto is a written document that puts into words our deepest feelings about ourselves, our purpose and our beliefs. What we stand for? What we are willing to accept or not to accept. What we feel we deserve. What we wish to see in the world, in our lives, in our partners’ or children’s lives. It is a record of our hopes, aspirations and dreams. To return to The Power Of Me Weekend Retreat page, click here.

Reiki Healing Energy explained

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What is Reiki Healing?

Reiki Healing (pronounced ray key) is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.  It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive.  If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are capable of being happy and healthy.reikiman

It’s all about balance

Reiki is a holistic form of healing and works on Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual levels at the same time. The term “healing” refers to the balancing of energy in the body so that it may heal itself.

Reiki healing helps the client to heal and rebalance themselves; it stimulates the healing energies of the body and encourages the particular area of the body to heal itself.

One obtains this power to perform Reiki by being attuned by a Reiki master. This is done in four sessions in which the master activates the chakras, creating an open channel for the energy. The attunement process is not made known for general information, but is held in secrecy for only those being initiated. One of the main reasons Reiki has become so popular is its apparently pleasurable experience. Those who have experienced Reiki report feeling a powerful sense of warmth and security.

Some Hollywood celebrities who use Reiki Healing

Here is a list of Hollywood celebrities who find Reiki useful in their busy lifestyle – for example Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, Helen Hunt, Naomi Watts, Kate Hudson, Macy Gray, Sandra Bullock, Ellen DeGeneres, Kate Bosworth, Michael Flatley and Nicole Kidman.

Would you like to try Reiki Healing?

If you would like to sample a Reiki healing session, we will be offering complimentary sessions to participants at our Power Of Me Weekend Retreat

This holistic weekend focusing on Mindfulness and Journaling for increased wellness and focus will take place in beautiful Townley Hall, Drogheda, May 17-19, 2019. If you’d like to know more about Anne-Marie Curran, psychotherapist, well-being coach and Reiki Healer click here.

Vision Boards really do work

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vision boardVision Boards
You may have heard of these things called vision boards. You may be interested in learning how to make your own vision board. They are fantastic tools for focus and goal-setting. You can use pictures of places you would like to travel, your favourite car, dream lover, your dream body, your business goals, inspirational quotes, pictures of friends and family. Basically, anything that you love. For more information on how to make vision boards take a look at this article I published on Linkedin

Oprah Winfrey uses vision boards
Did you know that Oprah Winfrey uses vision boards?

“The media mogul, who pulled herself up from poverty to become one of the wealthiest women in the world, might be one of the biggest celebrity supporters of affirmations.

Her commitment started young: As a child watching her grandmother toil away, Winfrey says she’d tell herself over and over again: “My life won’t be like this. My life won’t be like this, it will be better.”

Besides frequently showcasing success stories of positive thinking on The Oprah Winfrey Show — and even discussing creating her own vision boards to realize her dreams — her many words of wisdom to fans include: “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe“.

Arnold Schwarzenegger also uses the power of visualization.
As a young athlete, Schwarzenegger swore by the power of visualization to reach his bodybuilding goals.

“I had this fixed idea of growing a body like Reg Park’s. The model was there in my mind; I only had to grow enough to fill it,” he explained. “The more I focused in on this image and worked and grew, the more I saw it was real and possible for me to be like him.”

Later, when he transitioned to careers in acting and politics, Schwarzenegger said he employed similar mental tricks: “It’s the same process I used in bodybuilding: What you do is create a vision of who you want to be — and then live that picture as if it were already true.

Read how actor Jim Carrey motivates himself
To stay motivated, actor Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for $10 million for “acting services rendered,” dated it for 1994, and carried it in his wallet for daily inspiration. In 1994, Carrey learned he would reap exactly $10 million for his role in Dumb and Dumber.

Want to make a vision board with us?
Join our Weekend Retreat, May 17-19th, 2019. Form more information click here

vision board

Bring your Beginner’s mind to a Drawing class

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Beginners Drawing Class Dublin

Is it time to try a Beginners Drawing class? Yesterday I was reading an interesting article that talks about reducing stress through art creation. It’s kinda funny that it starts off by saying – “whether you’re the next Van Gogh or a stick figure sketcher”  – do ya think the writer might have been talking about our lovely Act The Maggot logo designed by yours truly?! Thus, research suggests that just 45 minutes of art creation can reduce ‘cortisol’ levels – which are an indicator of stress in our systems. We, at Act The Maggot thrive on bringing people back to this place, whether it is Beginners Drawing or Beginners Acting or Beginners Creative Writing.

Benefits of Doing a Drawing Class

Remember when you were a child how much drawing you did? In school, at home, with friends. That silent engagement with the page and pencils, markers, coloured pencils or paint. As a result, we need to open that doorway to our imaginations and the endless possibilities of the unconscious realm. Our teacher Mahua can lead you right back to that peaceful, fun place.

“When I’m drawing, time stops. It’s just the lines on paper and my hand holding the tool.”

Mahua Le Meur is a visual artist, who has been living in Dublin, Ireland for the past 8 years. Indian by birth, she has always been interested in traveling and multiculturalism. She has lived in South Korea, Japan and France for more than 15 years. During her career, she has worked with oils and acrylics, inks and graphite as well as training in Japanese woodcut printing. mahuaDrawing however, has always been her primary passion. Her recent work has been in drawing with Japanese sumi ink on paper. Therefore, she uses her own hands as metaphors for the abstract field of connections. One can see some of these works at her upcoming exhibition in May, 2019 at the Icon Factory Atelier in Temple Bar.

Bring your Beginner’s Mind to a Drawing Class

Mahua teaches our Beginners Drawing at Act The Maggot – the next one starts on Tuesday night, March 5th, 2019. For some more information, see our Beginners Drawing class page on our website or get in touch for more details. actthemaggot@gmail.com

klee

The Power of Me – Happy Valentine’s to me

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powerofmeAdios January! Sayonara winter! Spring is here. But wait, have those resolutions gone by the wayside and you’ve been under a duvet for the past month eating treats and watching Netflix? Who hasn’t? Who cares? So what, we say to that. Resolution Shmesolution. We can take it easy. Bit by bit. Bird by bird. Babysteps. But yeah, oh dear, another holiday, Valentine’s Day, is fast approaching. Well, we have just the ticket for you. Act The Maggot is thrilled to be offering a different spin on the annual hallmark romantic holiday. We’ve developed The Power of Me – a workshop for yours truly. Click on that “workshop” link for all the info. Yes, how about some self love, self care for Valentine’s weekend? Who is more important than you? Do you feel stressed, tired, exhausted, anxious at times? Do you have difficulty navigating all the different relationships in your life: work, friends, romance? Let’s get you grounded and relaxed. Have you ever tried meditation or mindfulness? Have your ever tried mindful journaling? Join us for this restorative two-hour session and learn some great tools for resilience and self care. Easy exercises that you can continue to do on your own. Why not take some time for yourself or come with a friend and go for a lovely lunch after at the fabulous Fumbally Cafe. There are still some places left. Get in touch – The Power of Me – Saturday, Feb 16, 2019 – actthemagggot@gmail.com

relaxation (ˌri lækˈseɪ ʃən)
n.
1. abatement or relief from work, effort, etc.
2. an activity or recreation that provides such relief; diversion; entertainment.
3. a loosening or slackening.
4. diminution or remission of strictness or severity.

mindfulness (ˈmaɪndfʊlnɪs)
n
1. the state or quality of being mindful
2. (Psychology) the practice of giving complete and non-judgmental attention to one’s present experience, used as a stress-reduction technique

meditation (ˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən)
n
1. the act of meditating; contemplation; reflection
2. contemplation of spiritual matters, esp as a religious practice

Journaling may refer to:

Writing therapy, a form of psychotherapy
Writing in a diary

And just so you know – while we have serious intentions – our groups are relaxed and playful

Phrases

act the maggot

informal Behave in a foolishly playful way.
‘we’d all walk in a line behind him, acting the maggot, you know, imitating him’

Origin

Late Middle English: perhaps an alteration of dialect maddock, from Old Norse mathkr, of Germanic origin.
Pronunciation
maggot/ˈmaɡət/

Beginners Creative Writing, Acting, Drawing – Newsletter

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dotGreetings friends, followers and maggots (old, new and future),
We’ve had a crazy year with beginners creative writing, acting, drawing, mindfulness, public speaking, role-playing, team-building, moving all these classes to a new building and that’s not even mentioning all the actor showcases we produced! I’ve decided to write an annual round up of where we are, what we’ve been up to and what we have planned for 2019. Next Thursday, we will host our final Showcase of 2018 – the fruits of the long awaited Level 3 Scene Study class – and nerves are running high I can tell you! It’ll be a great night and a few beverages will be had afterwards at Christmas Drinks.

New Friday Night and Weekend plans 2019
In 2019, we will re-introduce the monthly Friday Night Improv sessions for seasoned maggots. We will also host a Mindfulness and Creativity weekend away retreat (March) as well as some really cool Saturday half day (€25) and all day (€50) workshops in Imrprovisation, Character, Casting, Audition technique, Mindfulness, Drawing, Short Story and Flash Fiction. Keep an eye on our website for info and social media links for all our super early bird offers.

New Internship Programme
internNext year we are introducing a new Internship programme. It’s fairly straight forward. In exchange for taking a free course you put up some posters and do social media as well as set up the rooms and complete 30 minutes of reception work each night of the course you sign up for. Click on this internship link and have a read and see what courses/dates interest you. As I write this, Internship 1 and 5 and possibly 3 have been snapped up. So there is one Tuesday(Internship 4) and one Thursday(Internship 2) still available!

Finalised Courses for 2019 – click on link for course that interests you
Beginners Acting Level 1 – Jan 31 to Mar 7, 2019
Beginners Acting Level 2 – Feb 7 to Mar 14, 2019
Beginners Acting Level 3 – Mar 28 to May 9, 2019
Beginners Acting Level 4 – devising a play – May 16 to June 27, 2019
(open to graduates of Level 3 and previous Level 4 maggots)
Effective Public Speaking – Mar 5 to Apr 9, 2019
Beginners Creative Writing – Mar 5 to Apr 9, 2019
Beginners Drawing – Mar 5 to Apr 9, 2019
There will be more Beginner Acting Level 1 throughout the year and more Drawing and Creative Writing and Public Speaking in September.

2018 Highlights
screen-shot-2018-11-30-at-10-20-49In 2018, we moved all our classes to Chapterhouse Education on Middle Abbey street which has been a great success and has enabled us to grow and develop new courses such as Level 4 Acting, Effective Public Speaking and a new level 2 Drawing class is in the works. We were also able to give something back for the first time ever on Culture Night 2018 – we flung open the doors and ran free classes all night – nearly 100 people tried it out! Watch this video we posted on Twitter about the free mindfulness session.

private-conversationspublic-transportIn June, we devised and wrote our very first play called Private Conversations Public Transport with the Level 4 group which was so much fun to do and was a really satisfying experience. We will run another Level 4 before the summer. With just 6 short weeks to improvise and come up with a show – the maggots really pulled out the stops and developed some hilarious characters and scenarios reflecting contemporary Dublin on the Luas. In fairness, they did lots of extra rehearsals to get it tight by the show date and I was extremely proud of their achievement. The audience response was brilliant.

Our tutors
In September, we bade farewell to Sarah Hone who now works for Ali Coffey casting. Any of you who are serious about getting commercial work, send a current headshot and CV out to her ASAP! We welcomed the brilliant Darren Yorke who is now over the Level 1 class and has been introducing maggots to all sorts of wonderful from his extensive improvisation knowledge having spent two years with a major Improv Troupe in Canada. We are really lucky to have him. Our creative writing tutor Niall McArdle won first prize in this year’s Penguin/RTE Guide Short Story competition and was shortlisted once again for the Hennessy Writers’ Competiton. Well done to him. Our drawing tutor Mahua LeMeur continues to turn out amazing work with ink and paint at her studio in Temple Bar and is busy developing a Level 2 class for next year.

Media and Corporate Developments
Act The Maggot was featured in the September 12 issue of the Dublin Inquirer – nice to get a mention and thanks to our maggots Shane and Irina who were interviewed. We also introduced a 20% discount corporate friends rate which has been taken up by many maggots who have recommended and introduced our team-builidng Improv, Mindfulness or Drawing sessions to their workplaces – yes – we want the whole country to experience the joy of Act The Maggot!

Mental Health
Act The Maggot is also thrilled to have won a tender for the second year running to design and deliver a 12-week course covering Drama, Movement and Creative Writing to DCU Recovery College. This a great new organisation operating in Dublin, Meath and Louth so if you know anyone struggling with mental health issues let them know about it. They run really varied courses all year round and they are virtually free. There are also opportunities to get involved with their talks or help put together their newsletter.

I’d like to thank you all for joining us, returning to us and for telling your friends and colleagues about us. We are nothing without your continued support and great “word of mouth”. Also, many thanks to Leanne Geaney for her support as our very first intern – who stayed with us so long she managed to complete three levels of Acting. We wish her the very best of luck.

hofeckinhoAs it’s Christmas – this is a shout out to a small, interesting new company called Trustwordie in Wexford designing the quirkiest cards ever. You can buy them online and their Christmas and New Year range are available now. You should definitely find something to make someone chuckle!

That’s all for now from Act The Maggot folks, if you got as far as here, you deserve a medal! Hope to see you at the Christmas Drinks. Have a cosy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Warm regards,
Amy
xmas

“A day without laughter, is a day wasted.”

Charlie Chaplin

Fun internship for 2019

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intern
Have you ever considered an doing an internship? Do you possess the Three Es to go with our Three Cs? At Act The Maggot we focus on Confidence, Creativity and Communication. We are delighted to announce a new Internship initiative for 2019. Are you Enthusiastic, Efficient and Engaging? Do you want to have fun while gaining invaluable experience working for a hip arts organisation? Better yet, do you want to try a course in any of the following for FREE: Public Speaking, Drawing, Creative Writing or Acting? We are on the look out for three amazing interns for Thursdays and two for Tuesdays in early 2019.

“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” Swami Sivananda

Each internship will be for an 8-week duration and will involve social media, marketing, old school postering in city centre and reception duties one night a week for the duration of the course you choose to take! Take a look at the following dates and see if you can Act The Maggot around your schedule. There is no age limit to this offer. We want enthusiastic, efficient and engaging interns to join our family.

Internship 1/Marketing begins Jan 17 then Thursday nights 7pm-10pm: Jan 31 to March 7, 2019
Internship 2/Marketing begins Feb 28 then Thursday night 7pm-10pm: March 14 to April 18, 2019
Internship 3/Marketing begins Feb 21 then Tuesday night 7pm-10pm: March 5 to April 9, 2019
Internship 4/Marketing begins Feb 21 then Tuesday night 7pm-10pm: March 5 to April 9, 2019
Internship 5/Marketing begins April 25 then Thursday night 7pm-10pm: May 9 to June 13, 2019

In return for your help, you will be welcome to take a course of your choice completely free. On Thursdays you can take Beginners’ Acting and on Tuesdays you can take Public Speaking, Beginners’ Drawing or Beginners’ Creative Writing. Make sure to roam around our website and social media links for details.

HOW TO APPLY
Start following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram today – then send us your CV (please include your social media handles) and request which of the 5 internships you want and why – to actthemaggot@gmail.com – application deadline is Friday December 7, 2018.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs

Evening classes all go on MiddleFab Street

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eveningWhat a buzz we have created with our evening classes in town! We’ve been having a major maggoty Autumn on Middle Abbey street! There’s been heaps of new maggots and old ones breaking out of their comfort zones, exploring their creativity and generally having a super time in our evening classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our Tuesday night Public Speaking class has come on leaps and bounds and next week they will put their new skills to the test with full on speechifying. level2Our Thursday night Level 2 maggots took to the stage last week and did a fantastic job preparing and delivering an entertaining mix of serious and comedic monologues in front of a live audience. Our creative writers are scribbling away next door to the artists who are learning the rudiments of drawing and rumour has it some sort of collaboration between the two classes is emerging. screen-shot-2017-11-08-at-12-37-07See what happens when all these creative souls mingle? Last night a whole new crop of beginner maggots got together and hopefully those first night nerves have been put to bed forever and it’ll be plain sailing from here on in. We also began our Level 3 Scene Study class and finally cast everyone and had our first read through this week. Now this is one showcase that should not be missed – especially because we’ll be having our Act The Maggot annual Christmas drinks on the same night!

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”

[MovieMaker Magazine #53 – Winter, January 22, 2004 ]”
― Jim Jarmusch

Alternative well-being and team-building events at work

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Mindfulness, resilience, diversity, inclusion, engagement, learning, community – these are the current buzzwords when it comes to healthy human resources. More and more, companies are realising they must engage, entertain and even enlighten good staff if they want to keep them. … Continue reading →

Book into next Beginners Acting. Hurry!

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tootootEmail us at actthemaggot@gmail.com or call/text 087 3744926 if you want to join our next class starting May 10th. Read more here. You can take an acting class at any stage of your life. Whether you are eighteen or fifty-eight! The benefits are enormous. Get out of your comfort zone and have fun this summer with our flagship Beginners’ Acting class in city centre! Every week for six weeks, join a bunch of like-minded people and have heaps of laughs tapping into your creativity in ways you have totally forgotten. Most people say it’s such a tonic allowing yourself to play and have craic in a safe, respectful environment. There are only two more courses running before we take our summer break. The next course starts next Thursday, May 10th and runs until June 14th! After that there will be one final course starting on June 28th and finishing up on August 2.

Here are just some of the comments from previous maggots.

“Act the maggot took me to a place I haven’t been since I was a child. A place of pure joy. You meet great people from all walks of life and form firm friendships. I got to express myself in a way that I could never do in any conventional adult learning scenario and it made me feel like I was 10 feet tall.”
– Shane Lynam, Director, Elearn.ie

“I signed up to Act the Maggot to try something a bit different, I wanted to venture into the wilderness beyond my comfort zone but I soon found that I was totally comfortable outside of my comfort-zone. Act the Maggot just expands your comfort zone so that’s all there is. Classes like this are only ever as good as the person running them – luckily Amy is super fun, a master at her craft and really down-to-earth. She has a way of getting you to do things you wouldn’t usually do and she does it in such a way that it’s not scary at all. Everyone in the class was really friendly and willing to throw themselves into the thick of it. If you’re looking for a lot of laughs and a weekly holiday from reality this course will be perfect for you!”
– Alice Walsh, Librarian, Getty Images

“I would highly recommend the course to anyone who is looking to get an enjoyably informative and casual introduction to acting! Act the Maggot gives you a little taste of acting and public speaking while working as a medium through which you can meet some really interesting and really nice people that you would never meet otherwise! It definitely left me dying to try the next class and see what else Act the Maggot has to offer!”
– Sharon Moorhouse, TV3

Email us at actthemaggot@gmail.com or call/text 087 3744926