innerbalance HOLISTIC HEALTH CARE
A range of resources to balance MIND BODY & SOUL
SERVICES
“JOURNEY TO THE SOUL
THROUGH CREATIVE SELF EXPRESSION”
WITH LYNNE AND DAVID
8TH-12TH
SEPTEMBER
ANDALUCIAN HILLS,
SOUTHERN SPAIN
Join Lynne and David on this fun packed and energising retreat which will lead you on a journey of self awareness through a variety of creative expressions. Become enlivened and empowered as you connect with your spirit.
“Get of the head and into the heart guided by the spirit of love”
Course content will include but is not limited to :
- Dance, individual, partner and group work
- Chi Kung
- Breath and voice work
- Sound Healing
- Shamanic journeying through movement
- Individual expressive art such as Singing, Painting, Poetry and Storytelling
- Rebalancing and revitalizing the four elements of energy body.
This five day workshop retreat will take place at The Hummingbird Retreat Centre (http://www.thehummingbird.org)
Workshop cost inclusive of accommodation and all meals along with use of facilities is 700€. For more information, teacher bios and to book, please contact us.
INFINITE TAI CHI
Tai Chi consists of a series of continuous, smooth and graceful yet purposeful movements linked together to produce a standard form or routine. The principles of the Tai Chi forms are to move in a relaxed manner using concentration and breathing to direct each posture. In this way, we can improve overall strength and agility in the legs, relaxation in the upper body and suppleness in the waist. The waist is a very important feature of Tai Chi since it acts as a pivot for the body, developing fluidity, balance and power. Movements are rounded to maintain stability and to keep the joints open and muscles relaxed. This structure facilitates the passing of Chi or vital energy throughout the body.
CHI KUNG – 18 MOVEMENTS
The 18 Movements of Chi Kung is one of the most popular chi-kung forms nowadays. This easily learned form with graceful flowing movements enhances circulation and respiration, strengthens the body and brings about an inner sense of peace. The practicing of the “18 Movements of Chi-Kung” is suitable for any body constitution. The system is especially good for insomnia, nervous disorder, gastro-intestinal ailments, and problems with the breathing system. Present statistics, though incomplete, already indicate that more than 1.5 million people are now practicing the “18 Movements of Tai Chi Chi-Kung” all over the world.
By breathing correctly and moving in a circular manner, we awaken the physical body, calm our emotions and energise our minds. By withholding our breath, we create stress and illness. Breathing is one of the foundations of Tai Chi.
INTO THE WOODS
Groups of parents and children, of various ages, spending weekly sessions of approximately 2 hours in local wooded areas, to re-connect with nature.
A time for the children to explore, experience space and freedom, find stillness, learn about trees and plants, connect with the elements, make shelters from the fallen wood, listen to the sounds of nature and time to just be. Creativity such as story telling, drawing, poetry, singing and exploring feelings, along with time to discuss and share their explorations, observations and experiences with mum and dad and the rest of the group is done during snack time.
Individual group are available along with working with schools.
Just Breathe
Be present
Be with your breath
Merge with unity consciousness
Deepen your breath
Calm your emotions
Still the mind
Be still
Be one
Smile and Breathe
Smile....Breathe....Simply Be
Breath Development Training
Meditation
Relaxation
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DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
The majority of the work of breathing (80 per cent) is accomplished by the diaphragm, and poor use of the diaphragm in breathing is one of the culprits underlying universal ill health. The blood flow at the base of the lungs, near the bottom of the rib cage where the diaphragm is situated, is over a litre per minute. By contrast, the blood flow at the top of the lungs is less than tenth of a litre, and most of us are utilizing only this area because of the shallowness of our breathing.
By learning and regularly practising diaphragmatic breathing, you will be able to use your diaphragm more effectively than you perhaps now do, so benefiting your entire system. You will also be decreasing the use of your accessory breathing muscles (such as those of the neck and shoulders) and consequently easing the work of breathing itself.
BENEFITS
Because diaphragmatic breathing promotes the efficient exchange of gases which takes place at the base of the lungs, it is beneficial to all the systems of the body. Skin is your largest organ. When you breathe diaphragmatically, you supply it with more health-giving oxygen and nutrients than if you breathe shallowly. Skin is also an organ of excretion, helping to eliminate toxins from your body.
Breathing is also important within the circulatory system as it is so closely connected with blood circulation, the medium through which oxygen and nutrients are delivered to all cells, it is a major key to optimum health.
Other important benefits of the routine practice of diaphragmatic breathing include:
- Reduction in respiratory rate (and therefore heart rate)
- Increase volume of air during inhalation and exhalation
- Decrease in residual volume (volume of air remaining in the lungs at the end of maximal respiration)
- Increased exercise tolerance
- The up-and-down motion of the diaphragm gives a gently massage to abdominal organs; this improves the circulation to these organs and helps them to function more efficiently
- Diaphragmatic breathing is a very important tool for the management of stress; it promotes a natural, even flow of breath, which strengthens the nervous system and relaxes the body; it is, in fact, the most efficient method of breathing, using a minimum of effort in return for the maximum in improved health care.
MEDITATION
Some ancient meditation procedures are based on the observation of breathing as it occurs naturally. Many current meditation practices also make use of the breath as a focusing device, and probably all of them integrate breathing regardless of the particular technique used.
Meditation is a natural tool for relaxing your conscious mind without dulling your awareness. Doctors describe this state as ‘hypometabolic awareness’. It means that you are still awake and conscious even though your metabolism has slowed down. This meditative state has also been referred to as one of ‘restful alertness’, an apparent contradiction.
When you are asleep, for example, your heart rate becomes slower, oxygen consumption decreases and consciousness fades. When you are awake, by contrast, your heartbeat quickens, oxygen consumption increases and you are usually alert. These opposites are united in meditation, so that although your body becomes deeply relaxed, you are conscious and your mind remains clear.
Meditation, then, is a process for quieting the mind. When your mind is quiet, you feel peaceful.
BENEFITS
An athlete tunes and trains his or her body. Meditation tunes and trains the mind. The end result is efficient in everyday living.
To have any real and lasting value, however, meditation must be consistently repeated over time. Meditating regularly helps you to bring deep-seated tensions to the surface and to cope with them. Consequently, you become more at ease with yourself and comfortable with others. This results in greater self-confidence and enhanced productivity. You gain a greater sense of self-control so that you feel less at the mercy of outside forces. As a result, things which you may have perceived as insurmountable in the past begin to appear at least manageable. In a nutshell, meditation helps to integrate and strengthen your personality, allowing you to become serene and competent.
Meditation is nature’s own tranquillizer. Unlike its chemical counterparts, it enables you to go deep within yourself to the source of disturbances; to identify them, become more aware of them and acquire and exercise more control over them.
Meditation helps to keep you in the present. States such as anxiety, apprehension, worry and depression represent concerns about past and future events. When we life life with full focus on the present, even major events lose their ability to cause the distress they otherwise might. Heart surgery is a case in point. Some heart surgeons are, in fact, amazingly relaxed as they perform major surgery. So completely absorbed are they in what they are doing that it becomes, in essence, a meditation which produces the restful alertness already mentioned. Others may find the same activity highly stressful. So it is primarily our perception - a product of the mind - that determines whether or not a situation is stressful or indeed pleasurable and satisfying. The regular practice of meditation can make the difference.
When you take care of the present, the future tends to take care of itself. When you worry unduly about the future or become preoccupied with the past, you miss what the present has to offer and you also decrease your chances of future success. It is prudent to plan for the future and it is reasonable to reflect on the past; but it is unwise to dwell in either place.
Meditation helps to keep you young. Researchers have discovered that long-term meditation helps to decrease a person’s metabolic age and also to give protection against certain disorders, such as heart disease, and cancer. Increasingly, doctors are recommending a period or two of daily meditation as an adjunct to treatments for conditions such as heart disease, high blood-pressure, migraine headaches, stomach and intestinal ulcers and various nervous system disorders.
There is no single way of meditating that is best for everyone. Each person must find the method that is most compatible with his or her personality through experimentation. You should feel better, not worse, after meditating than you did before.
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VISUAL IMAGERY
The ability to form pictures in your mind is known as imagery of visualization, and your body is very responsive to it. Visualization is not merely wishful thinking and there is nothing magical about it. It is not a form of daydreaming or fantasizing, both of which are passive and unfocused. Visualization as active and purposeful.
During the past decade or two, researchers have discovered and documented that almost anyone can learn to control functions formerly thought to be entirely involuntary, such as heart rate, blood-pressure and blood flow to various parts of the body.
When you visualize certain changes you wish to take place in your body, they tend to occur even though you may be unaware of the underlying mechanisms. All that is needed is for you to visualize what you want to achieve and you can, to some extent, help to bring it about.
BREATH & MENTAL STATE CONNECTION
Changes in feelings, especially if they are intense, are reflected as patterns of breathing, profoundly affecting the smooth, continuous flow of the breath. Fear for example, produces fast, shallow breathing. Anger results in short, quick inhalations and strong, rapid exhalations. Grief produces a characteristic sob and relief brings a sign. Pain often causes a holding of the breath and can, in fact, produce a change in both breathing and emotion. By contrast such feelings such a joy, love and forgiveness induce slow, smooth, even respirations and a general sense of peace and well-being.
Sudden shock or surprise generates a sort of paradoxical breathing: a reflex action takes place and the person gasps when startled, while expanding the chest and tensing the abdomen. If a situation eliciting such a response arises often enough, the body will in time adapt to this pattern, offering less and less resistance to it. Before long, even minor stresses will produce this type of reaction. And since breath and emotions are interdependent, a paradoxical breathing pattern can recreate and reinforce the original emotional climate - a vicious circle indeed.
Because the relationship between breath and mind is reciprocal, we can create a change in our emotional state by consciously altering our pattern of breathing.
It is useful to incorporate imagery with breathing, for example: the state of mind (feelings and emotions) is a kite and the breath is the string that controls the kite. If you exert a smooth, gently, steady pull on the string, the kite will soar gracefully. If however, you tug at the string, the kite will pitch and toss, lacking in control or direction. So it is with the breath: a slow, smooth, gentle breathing rhythm brings about a calm emotional state, whereas fast, shallow, jerky, irregular breathing reflects or produces a troubled psyche.
Health workers in psychiatric hospitals have noted that most of their patients are shallow breathers. Breathing is largely confined to the chest and their inhaled air seldom reaches the deep recesses of the lungs where the exchange of gases takes place. This is to their disadvantage in terms of mental clarity. If you observe someone who is deeply depressed, for example, you will almost certainly see very little evidence of breathing. This respiratory constraint is frequently observed when people restrict their breathing during periods of great stress in order to cut off the flow of painful emotional sensations. Such a breathing pattern tends to become habitual. In suppressing things too painful to remember, in order to forget them and render them powerless to hurt us, we also curtail healing, life-giving breath.
The unpleasantness and pain of difficult emotions such as sadness, anger and resentment, and their impact on us, comes largely from our holding them back and not letting them through. By directly experiencing such feelings and participating with them through breathwork, you can free yourself from the bonds of much of their negativity.
In childhood we often held our breath when we were in pain. Because we were not discouraged from doing so, the habit may have persisted. As we become adults, we may have continued to restrict our breathing when in physical or emotional pain. What you resist, however, will likely persist. Feelings not dealt with promptly will be stored in the mind as unfinished business in the form of muscle tension and unconscious conflict and torment.
If we learn and regularly practise unrestricted breathing, it can help us to release and eliminate from our mind various unpleasant feelings laid away there. It can do so by facilitating the emergence of denied, repressed or suppressed feelings into the light of awareness, as a prelude to creatively channelling and regulating that emotional energy. When you expose an emotion to light, by bringing it to the surface, you in effect strip it of its mystery and some of its power to cause you pain.
Breathwork can help you to process and deal more creatively and responsibly with unresolved emotional difficulties by directing attention to them in a way that allows them to pass on a quickly as they arose.
Often it is not feelings themselves that bother people. Rather, it is their resistance to those feelings. If, for instance, you allow yourself to feel sand and consequently express that sadness by crying, you are actively participating with the emotion rather than denying its existence. You can thus feel, or make contact with, the emotion, acknowledge it and then move past it. If, however, you stifle the sadness (possible because you were taught that ‘big girls or big boys’ don’t cry), then you risk carrying the feeling around with you, perhaps for many years - locking away emotions also result in physical dis-ease, which over time can lead to ill health in many forms. By identifying the emotion, acknowledging it, feeling it and expressing it, you are much more likely to be able to move beyond it than if you were to resist it and bury it inside. Working with the breath can be one of the quickest ways to overcome resistance to painful and otherwise difficult feelings.
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THE ‘FEELINGS’ BREATH
This exercise is designed to help you to make contact with certain difficult feelings and, if possible, to defuse them. The object is not to get rid of the feelings, but rather to redirect the emotional energy into constructive channels.
Prior to this exercise, practice the Complete Relaxation technique. When you are relaxed, you are more open and receptive to positive suggestions than when you are tense and anxious. The therapeutic relationship then becomes more effective than if you were to be inhibited and guarded.
Part 1
Sit or lie with your spine in good alignment and supported for maximum comfort. Check that your throat, jaw and facial muscles are relaxed. Also check that your shoulders, chest, abdomen, back and hands are relaxed. Close your eyes and breathe in and out regularly through your nose.
Shift your focus of attention to that part of your body where you feel the emotion most (for example, your neck, stomach, shoulders or jaw).
Direct your breath to that area; breathe into it, as it were. Breathe in through your nose slowly, smoothly and as deeply as you can without strain, and breathe out slowly, smoothly and completely without force. Maintain an awareness of the emotion as you breathe. Feel and experience it without fear.
Package for Schools –
Assisting children and teachers to achieve an ecologically sound learning environment.
WATER
Our brains are made up of nerve cells which have two aspects, the axons which are responsible for sending, and the dendrites responsible for receiving signals. Learning occurs when one piece of information connects with another, and we can have thousands of connections in nerve nets, which makes up concepts.
Dendrites are made up of lipid-protein strands that require water to function correctly. If the water content drips just a little, the protein configuration changes and learning doesn’t take place because the dendrites cannot make the connection of incoming or outgoing information.
When we are under high levels of stress, we produce high levels of adrenaline, which allows our body to react quickly in times of danger. But recent studies have shown that high adrenaline levels also produce a chemical called cortisol, which decreases learning and memory function within the body.
Every time we are stressed, we lose water from sweating. This is a reflex reaction to keep the body cool in times of flight or fight. We therefore become dehydrated resulting in poor thinking and learning skills.
Drinking plenty of water increases the ability to learn and remember, cola, sugary fizzy pop or beer, have an almost opposite effect. Our bodies are made up of over 70% water, which is required for every function of the cells in our bodies and brains, it makes sense therefore, to have access to water at all times.
It has also been discovered that by increasing our water intake, the ability of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells to carry oxygen was increased between 100 and 1000 times. The more oxygen we have going to the brain, the better we function, because the brain needs oxygen and glucose to perform.
BREATHING
Changes in feelings, especially if they are intense, are reflected as patterns of breathing. Fear and anxiety for example, produce fast shallow breathing, anger results in short quick inhalations and strong rapid exhalations and all breathing patterns will produce corresponding behavioral patterns which can remain on a long term basis. By contrast such feelings as joy, love and forgiveness induce slow, smooth even respirations and a general sense of peace and well-being.
Because the relationship between breath and mind is reciprocal, we can create a change in our emotional state by consciously altering our pattern of breathing, for example, in an exam it looks like this: strong breath + attention on your breath = NO FEAR OR STRESS which results in a relaxed brain and instant recall.
Breathing can be either a conscious or unconscious act. Involuntary nerves and muscles control the breath that is taken without thought, that which keeps us alive. Stress can directly affect breathing patterns. In a stressed state, or fear, fight-flight mode, breathing may become rapid and shallow. This results in insufficient oxygen exchange. We then lose energy and health begins to suffer. Symptoms may include:-
- Chest tightness
- Feeling faint or lightheaded
- Headaches
- Palpitations
- Insomnia
- Muscular aches, pains and stiffness
- Cold hands, poor circulation
- Feelings of panic and anxiety
- Constant fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Changes in behavior
- Inability to take in, retain or recall information
We can override this, using voluntary muscles to breathe deeper and slower. In doing so, we influence the nervous system and the whole body. Breathing well:-
- Boosts vitality
- Improves mood
- Invokes the relaxation response – brings about relaxed states both physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, creating a Holistic response in conscious awareness, deep inner calm and the release of negative emotions blocked deep within the physical tissues of the body.
- Promotes a sense of wellbeing
- Revitalises body cells
- Encourages better sleep patterns
- Creates an ideal environment for learning, retention and recall of information
BRAIN GYM
Learning occurs throughout the entire brain, and recent brain research has given us the image of the brain in two halves, the left and right hemispheres. Each hemisphere processes particular kinds of information, the left brain for example is highly articulate, time orientated, logical, analytical and processes facts, lists and computation. Where as the right brain prefers space orientated tasks, such as three dimensional images, patterns, pictures, metaphors, insight and intuition. People are generally dominant in either the left or right brain which can create challenges in the learning process, because only half of their brain capacity is being utilized. Brain Gym exercises joins these two hemispheres to create whole brain learning, whereby learners are able to access information, ideas etc from both sides of the brain.
Brain Gym is a series of simple, energizing and enjoyable movements that are used to enhance whole-brain learning. These activities make all types of learning easier, and are especially effective in preparing any learner for specific thinking, co-ordination and academic skills.
Brain Gym is a system for empowering students of all ages by drawing out hidden potentials locked in the body, through movement activities. It encourages whole brain learning through movement, re-patterning the brains activities which enables students to access those parts of the brain previously unavailable to them
The changes in learning and behavior are often immediate and profound, as children discover how to receive information and express themselves simultaneously.
Here are a selection of the areas and skills Brain Gym has been proven to make a dramatic improvement on:
- Reading
- Spelling
- Numeracy
- Self Confidence
- Co Ordination
- Memory Long & Short Term
- Handwriting
- Raises I.Q.
- Health Awareness
- Vision Sharpness
- Stimulates Cerebro Spinal Fluid
- Balances Emotions
- Balances L & R Brain
- Mobilises Body
- Listening comprehension
| - Hyperactivity
- Creative Writing
- Operating Equipment
- Public Speaking
- Communication
- Achieving Goals
- Concentration
- Circulation
- Slow Learning
- Dislexia
- Lymph Flow
- Stress Reducing
- Increases Strength
- Improves Flexibility
- Thinking & Speaking Abilities
| - Motivation
- Stress
- Organisation
- Performance
- Energy Levels
- Teamwork
- Exams
- Balance
- Fitness
- Digestion
- Blood Pressure
- Clearer Thinking
- Body Awareness
- Creates Inner Calm
|
RELAXATION/QUIET TIME
We learn more when we’re relaxed. Information is more accessible to us when our brain waves are in a slower, larger pattern. When we shut out the distractions around us and focus on breath and muscular relaxation, our brain waves slow down. During these states of Relaxation & Quiet Time, our bodies and minds become relaxed, yet focused and alert, creating an ideal space in which to learn, as emotions and mental chatter have stilled and in its place feelings of well being and enthusiasm for the learning day.
Under stress, activity in the mind/body system is centred in the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares the body for flight/fight reaction. As a result, activity in the limbic system, where memory occurs and in the neocortex of the cerebrum, where abstract thinking and reasoning takes place, are minimized. Stress can create tension especially in the muscles of the back and neck. This tension can block the flow of cerebro-spinal fluid, creating toxin build-up in the brain. Research has shown that blocked CSF flow can lead to diminished concentration and learning ability. In addition, the learner who is stressed in a learning situation can go into a homolateral learning state, in which the dominant brain hemisphere takes over most mental processes. As a result, the learner no longer has full access to the functions of the non dominant hemisphere, and one sided learning occurs, thus handicapping performance.
Incorporating techniques such as specific brain gym exercises, focus and deepening of the breath, relaxation and visualisation exercises, together with simple body movements incorporated in practices such as Tai Chi & Chi Kung enhance the learning process, improves concentration, communication and listening skills and thus results in a sustainable calm and focused environment for learning, for both students and teacher alike. Confidence and high self-esteem are therefore kept intact and children grow up with a life long joy of learning.
TAI CHI & CHI KUNG
These forms of exercise incorporates the focus of breath, awareness and movement to enhance an inner peace along with strength, flexibility, co-ordination, balance, energy, vitality together with improving ones overall health, well-being and self esteem.
VISUALISATION & GUIDED IMAGERY
Visualisation and Guided Imagery are tools to unlock ones inner creativity, and the ability to create resources to assist a child to achieve their true potential. Through imagery high levels of distractions and tension that exist in our everyday environment can be shut out, and within the inner stillness we begin to find a wealth of creativity and wisdom within ourselves just waiting to be explored.
On an energetic level we all affect each other, so the mood of the teacher will inevitably cause a similar response from the children. For tutors and students alike, the work load seems insurmountable faced with the time to achieve teaching schedules. However, in my experience I feel that a little time spent on the above practices prior to lessons would greatly assist the teaching and learning environment for both the teachers and students, maximizing the learning for the students whilst creating a more focused and relaxed environment for the tutors.
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DEVELOPING CHILDRENS SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Don’t just do something – sit there
Mary k Stone
Aims
In developing childrens spiritual awareness our starting point is children’s own experience. Our aims must therefore be concerned to help them develop those capacities and skills which will enable them to explore more fully their own feelings and experiences, and those of others.
Hence
- to develop the skill of being physically still, yet alert
- to develop the skill of being mentally still, and to be able to concentrate on the present moment
- to develop the ability to use all one’s senses
- to promote an awareness of the enjoyment in using one’s imaginative potential
- to encourage quiet reflection during a lesson
- to develop individual self-confidence in expressing inner thoughts in a variety of ways
- to find an inner peace
- to appreciate that we arrive at some of our deepest insights through stillness and silence
- to appreciate that silence can be a means of communication
Terminology
Stilling – is literally “being still” – both physically and mentally. It is used here to describe an activity which offers a variety of methods for acknowledging, exploring and developing the spiritual dimension of life. Stilling develops an inner awareness and values it. It always begins with exercises in self-control, first of the body and then of the mind, and , like all skill, it requires regular practice.
Relaxation – is a releasing of all the tensions in the body so that one can sit or lie quite still and yet be fully alert, hence the phrase: “sit in an alert and relaxed position”. Relaxation of the body is essential if we are to still the mind.
Visualisation – means using one’s imagination, whether to recall the shape and size of an object or a situation one has experience. “Imagine opening your kitchen door and letting in a cat who is miaowing….” The term has also been used as an abbreviated form of Creative visualization, which is when one is led through a story sequence, be it a fairy tale, the life cycle of a leaf, or an experience of a prophet. The person visualizing is taking an active role in the story which is told in the present tense, using the imagination to act on the story.
Holistic health care philosophy considers the body as a dynamic energy system, which is in a constant state of change. Not just a body, human beings are a complex balance of mental, physical and spiritual aspects that are integrated into and affected directly by environmental and social factors.
The cause of illness lies at a deeper than external symptoms alone. We live in an age of scientific speculation, where the body is viewed and treated as separate from our mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, therefore neglecting to take into serious consideration the connection between emotional blockages and physical dis-ease.
In healing holistically, we treat the whole person, the prime objective of which is to re-balance the mind with the body. Our minds control all the workings of our bodies and when emotionally stressed, tension, stagnation and inflammation develops within.
By addressing emotional beliefs and readjusting the energy flow, we bring back the equilibrium between body and mind and an overall feeling of well being results. From this vantage point the body and mind work together to bring about recovery.
As a practitioner, my main aim is to enhance the patients understanding of the symbiosis between body and mind and give guidance through their journey to self healing.
COURSES FOR ADULTS
4 WARD STEPS
The aim of this 32 week course is to assist people to look at life and themselves in a more positive way, gaining the confidence to seek out and take on new opportunities, resulting in feeling better about themselves, and living healthier and happier lives. This programme is structured into four steps, each section building upon the next, forming a strong structure upon which to move forward in a safe, supported, creative and fun-filled environment.
Step 1: Just Breathe – Conscious, abdominal breathing forms a firm foundation for the entire course. Learn how to breathe deeply, improving physical and mental health, use as a tool to lesson negative thinking, soothe away anxiety based emotions, create a sense of clear thinking, gain control of panic attacks, cope with stressful situations, re-direct frustration and anger along with using the breath as a method of relaxation.
Step 2: Stepping Forward – Walks in nature, light exercise, fresh air, whilst exploring what makes you feel good. Learn to identify and set achievable individual and group goals, communicate more effectively, gain confidence and assertiveness whilst improving your self-image with each goal achieved.
Step 3: Managing Thoughts and Emotions – The core of this course ‘All internal changes are experienced externally’. Learn to identify your values and how to live in harmony with them, how to use the mind in more positive and constructive ways, question and change negative beliefs and manage anger. There will be opportunities to greave, extend forgiveness to yourself and others and using tools to aid letting go of any shame and guilt held in the past.
Step 4: Express Yourself – As a butterfly opens it’s wings from the confines of its chrysalis, this step gives you the opportunity of expressing yourself in a variety of ways, bringing colour and joy to you and your life.
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SHAMANISM
Shamans work with the spirit or the soul. They heal illness at the soul level. They gain knowledge and insight from working with the spirits of nature such as rocks and trees, the land, and they gain knowledge from working with spirits of animals and humans such as their ancestors. For the shaman everything is alive and carries information, you can call this spirit, energy, or consciousness.
In order to communicate with the spirit or consciousness of these things, the shaman will shift his or her own state of awareness. Shamans can do this through various means, such as meditation, repetitive sounds such as that of the drum or rattle, or through the help of plants. The shaman will then "see" through a new set of eyes, they will see what is going on with you on a spiritual level. The shaman's practice is also characterized by the soul flight. The shift of consciousness that the shaman makes, which allows the free part of his or her soul to leave the body. The shaman can then go retrieve information for your healing and growth. They can retrieve healing power, or things that you have lost along the way in living your life. During the soul flight the shaman is both in the room, and going on this "journey" so that he or she has an awareness of both at the same time.
Power Animals
In the shamanic belief every thing is alive and carries with it power and wisdom. Power animals are an essential component of shamanic practice. They are the helping spirit which add to the power of the shaman and are essential for success in any venture undertaken by the shaman.
Shamans believe that everyone has power animals - animal spirits which reside with each individual adding to their power and protecting them from illness, acting similarly to a guardian angel. Each power animal that you have increases your power so that illnesses or negative energy cannot enter your body. The spirit also lends you the wisdom of its kind. A hawk spirit will give you hawk wisdom, and lend you some of the attributes of hawk.
Plant Spirit Healing
Since ancient times healers, medicine persons and shamans have understood that true healing is more than “fixing” a physical ailment. They knew that when dis-ease occurred the essence of a person was misaligned and that to be effective in a return to health one must reach into the core of the person to bring about a change toward balance. In these modern times this “core essence” of a person is understood in terms of energy. We know of meridians or “pathways of light” within our body through which energy flows, the auric field which is the energy body that surrounds our physical
body and chakras which are energy vortexs that exchange energy with the external world. We now know that energy anatomy is just as real as our physical anatomy and is, in fact, the template for our physical body. Given this understanding, when the energy body becomes compromised it is best to heal at this level before the compromise reaches the physical level. True healing occurs by going beyond symptomatic treatment addressing the source of dis-ease.
Energy exists everywhere, can neither be created nor destroyed and manifests as heat, light and movement but does not have sentience. In Plant Spirit Healing we work with the “vital principle held to give life” otherwise known as spirit. The conscious spirit of the plant directs the energy allowing healing to take place efficiently and effectively.
Healing is a journey that engages our whole being of heart, soul and spirit and is not a linear process but instead follows a spiral pattern. As we spiral through life we periodically reach new understandings allowing healing to reach deeper levels each time filling ourselves more fully with our true essential nature. As we become more our self our unique path is revealed and that which doesn’t serve us on our path falls away.
This form of healing is not a quick fix but is instead a maintenance program. Since we are constantly surrounded by that which can disrupt our energy anatomy we must be vigilant always striving for balance physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. As we raise our consciousness we view healing not as medicine but as a way of life.
A Shamanic or Plant Spirit Healing Session may include:
- Soul retrieval
- Chakra clearing
- Vertical alignment
- Removing intrusive energy
- Past life work
- Ancestral work
- Balancing feminine and masculine aspects
- Elemental balancing
- Soul contracts
- Removing energy blockages
- And more
PHYCHOPOMP WORK
Throughout much of human history, such archetypal escorts have been of great comfort to the dying. They confirm that there is some form of existence after the death of the body, and that a compassionate being will be waiting to offer their assistance through the transition. Unfortunately, many of the myths and rituals that once contained images of psychopomps and helped prepare people for this final rite of passage seem to be largely lost or forgotten in the Western world—a world that is also plagued with fears of dying.
A psychopomp is a shaman who waits with and comforts the soul of a person who is dying and guides them across at the moment of death. A psychopomp also has the ability to search for lost souls, find them and guide them home.
Sometimes when a death occurs, the Soul is caught unprepared. Depending on the person's spiritual or religious beliefs, the Soul may not remember where its spiritual home is.
There is a difference between having the ability to communicate (seeing, hearing, talking) with the spirits and being a psychopomp. Many people have the gift of communication with spirits. A psychopomp actually crosses over into the spirit realms, travels all over these realms and assists those who may be lost or trapped for whatever reason and helps, shows, guides them to their Spiritual Home.
A psychopomp can also be with a person who is dying, when they lose consciousness and communicate with them. This is the time when the person who is about to leave the dying body is mostly on the spiritual side but is still anchored to the body. The psychopomp waits on the other side, for the soul to emerge and meets them there. The psychopomp can at this stage ask the soul where it wants to go, then show them where this place is, so they have an idea about which way to go after death. I feel that it is important that the psychopomp stay with this soul that has made the final crossing and guide them all the way home.
The Soul of the person that has died, may stay with the physical body, not knowing where else to go, or if the person died in familiar surroundings such as his or her home, may stay there.
This Soul's natural journey back to its spiritual home, is then interrupted. The Soul needs help, it cannot continue the journey on its own. A psychopomp is needed.
When the physical body is near death, I meet with the Soul and show her or him the way to its spiritual home.
At the time of physical death, I watch over and guide the Soul, assuring safe return to its spiritual home.
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Reflexology
Reflexology is a complementary therapy and as this word suggests, these therapies are to complement allopathic medicine. If medication is being used, the therapist and GP need to monitor the client and any changes inherent with the healing process in order to vary medicinal dosage etc.
Reflexology is a holistic therapy, working upon the physical, emotional and spiritual levels.
All energy based therapies, reflexology alike work well in conjunction with each other. Having a massage or reflexology treatment from a Reiki practitioner, would result in a double treatment as the benefits of both reiki and the chosen therapy would be received.
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology has been used as a tool in the art of healing for centuries, evidence indicates the Egyptians used this science in 2500 BC. Its history is also closely liked with Chinese Acupuncture.
Our feet are the blueprint of our entire physical system, a map of self discovery. As well as containing thousands of nerve endings, our feet also house specific reflex points which relate to each organ and function of all parts of the body.
These reflex points are in direct contact with longitudinal energy channels which run the entire length of the body.
Reflexologists access the body’s energy through these channels in order to clear any congestion which may be causing imbalances thus preventing the body to function effectively.
Treatment is administered by applying focused pressure to these reflex points in a form of massage. As these reflexes correspond to all the various body parts, reflexology offers the means for treating the whole body.
Reflexology is a complementary therapy and as such stimulates the bodies own natural healing abilities to take place.
Benefits
A reflexology treatment assists the body to cleanse itself of toxins and impurities, improves nerve and blood supply, relaxes tension and restores balance to the body. By balancing the whole system, reflexology revitalizes the mind-body connection thus reduces stress, improves the immunity and speeds up the recovery process.
Reflexology is a gentle natural system facilitating ones own healing to take place and promoting a feeling of well-being. It is therefore safe to use on everyone, including expectant mothers and babies.
Holistic health care treats the whole person, not just the symptoms, therefore a myriad of disorders have responded well to reflexology, listed below are a few:-
- Pre & post operative treatment
- Disorders of the Immune, nervous, heart and circulatory systems
- Depression, stress and anxiety
- Asthma and Eczema
- Back pain
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Constipation
- Menstrual and menopausal conditions
- Endometriosis
- Thrush
The Treatment
Before the treatment commences a detailed case history will be taken. This includes details pertaining to your medical history, you and your health, from physical and emotional conditions, sleeping habits to aspects of your lifestyle. This allows the therapist to focus on the kind of treatment which will be appropriate to you as an individual.
During the reflexology massage, one will feel different sensations in the feet as specific reflexes are stimulated. These sensations are interpreted by the therapist to indicate which parts of the body are working well and which are not. Areas where more discomfort is felt show that the corresponding part of the body is more out of balance than those areas where less discomfort is experienced.
The degree of discomfort felt during a treatment lends itself as an accurate diagnostic tool to gauge where stagnation and imbalances are located within the system. The therapist is then in a better position to advise on self help outside the treatment room to assist in a greater recovery and improved long term health.
REIKI
Reiki is the name given to the Universal all-pervading life force energy, which flows through all living things and can be channeled for the purpose of healing.
The recipients’ system draws the desired quantity of this energy through a therapists hands, activating the body’s natural healing abilities to gently take place.
Reiki lends itself to all levels of a person’s being, physical, emotional and spiritual, adjusting itself according to the needs of the recipient.
Reiki supports orthodox and complimentary medicines by assisting the body to cleanse itself of toxins, improves nerve and blood supply, strengthens the immune system, clears energy blockages, relieves pain, relaxes stress related tension restoring balance to the body and increases ones own stores of vital energy.
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MASSAGE
Many are aware of the tremendous psychological and physiological benefits that regular massage can produce. Massage is a great way of aiding the body’s circulation and stimulating a more efficient digestive an elimination system. Can improve skin conditions, muscle tone and increases the metabolism. A fantastic way of relieving stress and promotes a healthy frame of mind.
Pre, post and corrective sports massage allows the body to work at its optimum ability and aids a swifter recovery from sports injuries.
Essential oils and lymphatic drainage form a therapeutic Aromatherapy massage. This treatment offers feelings of relaxation and comfort to whomever uses it.
Pre, post and corrective sports massage allows the body to work at its optimum ability and aids a swifter recovery from sports injuries.
Essential oils and lymphatic drainage form a therapeutic Aromatherapy massage. This treatment offers feelings of relaxation and comfort to whomever uses it.
REFLEXOLOGY
Our feet are the blueprint of our entire physical system and house specific reflex points which relate to each organ and function of all parts of the body. Reflexology is the process of applying focused pressure to these reflex points in a form of massage.
It is a whole body treatment and assists the body to cleanse itself of toxins, improves nerve and blood supply, relaxes tension and restores balance to the body. By balancing the whole system, reflexology revitalizes the mind-body connection thus reduces stress, improves the immunity and speeds up the recovery process.
A myriad of disorders have responded well to reflexology, listed below are just a few:-
- Pre & post operative treatment
- Strengthens the immune system
- Relieves pain
- Cleanses the body of toxins
- Disorders of the nervous, heart and circulatory systems
- Depression, stress and anxiety
- Asthma and Eczema
- Back pain
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Constipation
- Menstrual and menopausal conditions
- Endometriosis
- Thrush
- Cystitis
Holistic health care philosophy considers the body as a dynamic energy system, which is in a constant state of change. Not just a body, human beings are a complex balance of mental, physical and spiritual aspects that are integrated into and affected directly by environmental and social factors.
The cause of illness lies at a deeper than external symptoms alone. We live in an age of scientific speculation, where the body is viewed and treated as separate from our mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, therefore neglecting to take into serious consideration the connection between emotional blockages and physical dis-ease.
In healing holistically, we treat the whole person, the prime objective of which is to re-balance the mind with the body. Our minds control all the workings of our bodies and when emotionally stressed, tension, stagnation and inflammation develops within.
By addressing emotional beliefs and readjusting the energy flow, we bring back the equilibrium between body and mind and an overall feeling of well being results. From this vantage point the body and mind work together to bring about recovery.
As a practitioner, my main aim is to enhance the patients understanding of the symbiosis between body and mind and give guidance through their journey to self healing.
OTHER TREATMENTS AVAILABLE
NLP
BOWEN TECHNIQUE
EFT
CORPORATE STRESS MANAGEMENT
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Service Categories
Energy Healing, NLP, Qigong, Reflexology, Spiritual Healing, Tai Chi
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