Category: Wellbeing

Why Qawah?

Qawah is a Hebrew word, which means “to wait, look for or hope with eager expectation.”

This waiting is far from passive – but balances the things we are in control of with those things that are outside of our immediate influence. We can wrestle (with our contexts, our resources and even ourselves) as we wait – and, in doing so, we begin to see clarity forming where once there was only confusion. So we neither naively expect everything to improve immediately, nor sit back and hope for change to happen without us having to do any work.

Hope is not dependent on personal circumstances, history or attitude – but stretches beyond our present reality, into a future where things have changed for the better. And we draw on an range of internal and external resources as we engage with this hope – including understanding that the realisation of that hope takes time, and positive change only comes through intentional action. This action may be to stop a behaviour or relationship, to start something new, and/or to alter how we think about and do things.

Waiting is not instinctively an easy thing for most of us. We live in a world where increasingly everything happens quickly, and we all-too-readily lose sight of the opportunity to stop, notice and reflect. When you work with a coach, you are giving yourself explicit permission to invest in areas of self-limitation, fear or false-narrative.

And so, at Qawah, we work with you to create space where you can have an honest conversation with yourself about who you really are, and who you want to be – personally and/or professionally – to begin a journey of improvement, with eager expectation that the journey will be exciting, engaging and profitable.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you help yourself

Wellness – what is it, and why should I think about it?

We are complex beings, and do not always feel able to invest or prioritise in our physical or mental health – but when we do so, we are at risk of under-performing or even injuring ourselves.

There has been a significant amount of study in the last few decades, highlighting the value of intentional wellness practices – of taking the time to notice and re-connect with your mind, body and spirit*.

Wellness – sometimes called well-being or mindfulness (and the list goes on) – is simply about making space and time to acknowledge who you are in the moment.

  • It might be about giving the body rest or exercise – for example through better sleep patterns, breathing exercises, stretching or physical exercise.
  • Or you might find you need to find ways to rest or re-charge the mind – connecting with others socially, giving yourself permission to put things down for a while or taking up something creative.
  • Others find they need to do some work with their spirit – through practices such as meditation, prayer or volunteering activities.

It should be obvious that there is significant overlap between the above categories, and practices that will bring benefit!

When you work with us on your well-being, we will help you identify areas where you wish to see improvement, and offer or point you a range of skills and practices which will fit with your lifestyle

(* ‘spirit’ can mean many things to many people – we use it to reflect on the part of ourselves that connects with the other – which may be other people, a deity and/or the world around us)