Whose side are you on?

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In Medical Aromatherapy:

20120504-171549.jpg

Kurt Schnaubelt touches on the sensitive issue of science and the truth of research.

Working in the holistic field and trained as a scientific researcher as well as an aromatherapist, reiki master and Feng Shui Master I understand both sides of the argument:

– science is funded by big pharma & governments and many people believe, this steers them from neutral, objective research discoveries to biased ‘these are the results we will use to sell our drug’ discoveries.

–vs–

– pseudo science, half bad, unregulated, anecdotal ‘healing just works’ research. Usually based on hearsay, or extracted from a variety of sources, or antiquated sources.

So, yes, I get why scientists have a hard time with holistic practitioners and why holistic practitioners have a hard time with scientists.

I wanted to quote Kurt for you, and then tell me whose side are you on?

That there are not more studies is a clear demonstration of the economic interests governing the scientific process. Given the extremely favorable track record of essential oils in treating viral diseases, one would expect researchers to jump on this opportunity to study cures that could be effective and, being relatively inexpensive, available to all.

But again, since oils cannot be patented and scientists are economically dependent, these potential cures elicit mostly yawns from the scientific establishment…Those willing to try aromatherapy will find nontoxic and effective solutions for herpes simplex and herpes zoster simply with topical application of certain essential oils.

Who’s side are you on?
Can you side with both?

Essential Oils in the Autistic Classroom – Pilot Study

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Essential Oils in the Autistic Classroom – Pilot Study
by Monika Meulman – 2009

Introduction

We live in a world surrounded by ever evolving dis-ease. Now that I am a parent, I seem to be consumed by all traditional worries: germs, eating processed foods, exposure to dangerous plastics, dyes and food additives.

What fuels that worry is the dramatic rise in ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder. At my daughter ’s school, there are several classrooms dedicated just for helping children learn with ASD. In a recent updater course on the chemical function of essential oils, I realized that they can be quite effective tools for treating/helping ASD. I approached the principal at my daughter ’s school to see if I can design and carry out a pilot study working with a classroom full of ASD children. The principal was welcoming and supportive. What I have found thus far is quite surprising: the children were quite affected by the classroom sessions and even took personal liking to specific essential oils such as cinnamon bark, frankincense, and bergamot.

Background – Why Autism?

There has been an explosion of research in the past 10 years within the autism disorders field. According to the National Institute of Mental Health: “Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), cause severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in early childhood and range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, through pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), to a much milder form, Asperger syndrome.

They also include two rare disorders, Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder.” There has likewise, been an explosion of diagnosis in this field of disorders. In 1997 the estimated number of children with autism was 1 in every 1500 in the USA. The Autism Society in America website (www.autism-society.org) notes that “in February 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their ADDM autism prevalence report. The report, which looked at a sample of 8 year olds in 2000 and 2002, concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 150 American children, and almost 1 in 94 boys.” With no known cure and very few means of mediating and improving the life and learning for children with ASD, we need to focus as much research and time as possible to finding new means of help.

This pilot study is one such way we can strive to improve and ease a child’s life when learning and acquiring new skills in the classroom setting. In the Autism Advocate (fifth edition, 2006) John Green, M.D. wrote a short article on the Biomedical Treatment of Autism. When defining healing, I conclude with his words: “For children with autism spectrum disorders, healing happens through removing obstacles and strengthening weak systems by supplementing for physiologic deficiencies and providing corrective therapies.”

Why use Essential Oil Therapy in ASD?

Aromatherapy is a strong science using pure essential oils (plant aromatic extracts) in healing, restoring the body’s imbalances via aromatherapy massage, aromatherapy baths, essential oil inhalations, and essential oil supplements. Essential oils are powerful aromatic compounds. Their effects on our body can be instant and long-lasting.

We have 347 smell receptors that have been identified in the human genome project. The touch and olfactory senses are the first two to develop in the womb. Knowing this, we can conclude that the sense of smell is almost as vital to our survival and development as the sense of touch. Furthermore, the olfactory bulb and its relation to our limbic system ensures that the olfactory nerves have the shortest pathway to the brain of all our senses. Simply put: an aromatic molecule has the potential to be the fastest modifier of behavior, our central nervous system (CNS), and even our thought processes. It is because of this connection between the olfactory system and the brain/blood barrier that we can assume and hope that some aromatic molecules (components of essential oils) can have an effect on autistic behavior.

How does inhaling essences work to our behavioral advantage?

In experiments involving stimulation of the left and right nostrils with pleasant and unpleasant fragrances, researchers have found differences in olfactory cortical neuron activity in the left and right hemispheres of the brain which correlate with the ‘pleasantness ratings’ of the odorants. These studies are claimed to indicate that positive emotions are predominantly processed by the left hemisphere of the brain, while negative emotions are more often processed by the right hemisphere. •The ‘pleasant’ odorant used in these experiments, as in many others, was vanillin. from article by Social Issues Research Centre ( http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_emotion.html)

Objectives in this Study:
Using Essential Oils to aid in removing obstacles such as

  • Anger and frustration
  • Anxiety
  • Impulsiveness
  • Inability to concentrate

Using Essential Oils to aid in providing:

  • Quick & Effective calming agent
  • Consistent personal treatment

The Pilot Study Outline

Focus on In-Classroom Time with Mild to Medium level autistic children: 25-30 minutes (circle time on the carpet).

  • Pre and post study questionnaire was used for each child
  • Use 6 single essential oils, 1 per week in the classroom
  • Provide background information about oils to the teachers and teacher aides (and parents) each week
  • Provide children time with each essential oil, under supervision
  • Provide inhaler with chosen essential oil for each child for classroom and home use

This Autism Pilot Study Specifics:

  • 6 children in 1 autism specific classroom
  • all boys ages 6-8
  • 5 teachers/teacher aides present
  • introduced essential oils: bergamot, lavender, benzoin, cinnamon, frankincense, neroli
  • consistent oil experience provided via white muslin tea bags scented with drops of essential oil
  • 25-30 minute ‘carpet’ circle time 1 week, for 6 weeks
  • each child chose 1 inhaler oil for personal use
  • once classroom visits were concluded, oils could be used at home

Essential Oil Choosing Guideline

Oils we chose based on their known chemical composition and known to be soothing and calming:

Bergamot – Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia
Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia
Benzoin – Styrax benzoin
Neroli – Citrus aurantium
Cinnamon Bark – Cinnamonum zeylanicum
Frankincense – Boswellia carterii

 

Results of the Pilot Study:

 

Diagram: Measured Essential Oil effectiveness in sitting ‘carpet’ time, during weekly visits 0 10 20 average time spent by each child, on carpet for oil talk/interaction (in minutes)

Autism Pilot Study Circle Time Results

Autism Pilot Study Circle Time Results

 

Oils selected by the children, for personal inhalers, after 6 week introduction to all oils:

(ranked by popularity)

#1 cinnamon
#2 bergamot
#3 frankincense
#4 benzoin
Note: None of the children chose Neroli or Lavender.

 

Discussion

In our short pilot study, we have found that essential oils can instantly affect the behaviour of the autistic child in the classroom setting. Most interestingly, lavender became a stimulant when each child received a tea bag infused with lavender drops. Even the teachers found the smell overpowering.

Contrastingly, frankincense elicited a pleasant and inquiring response from some children and the teachers. The most successful oils in calming and focusing, were cinnamon bark and benzoin. The children fidgeted less, were more likely to listen to me and the teachers, and were more involved in my question and answer games when we used the deep oils: benzoin, frankincense, and cinnamon.

When we used bergamot and neroli, the classroom felt calmer but fidgeting continued throughout the sessions. Also, the introduction of bergamot and cinnamon elicited more smiles, jokes, and a generally happier atmosphere. Two of the boys specifically chose bergamot because it made them feel good. One highly functioning autistic boy chose cinnamon to help him calm down. He had already been taught yoga poses that helped him in an anxious situation. A combination of yoga and essential oils can be quite a long term effective tool for minimizing disruption, when learning in the classroom.

What more can we do?

Further autistic child groups with identical presentation of essential oils, will increase our data and sample sizes. Using the same presentation on other children working with behaviour challenges, will allow us to compare effects of the same oils on different challenges in behavior. In the fall we will be introducing oils to another autistic classroom, where the behavior challenges are far more varied and extreme.

How can we support the teachers?

Working with children in the classroom allows the teachers to learn, benefit and enjoy the oils as well. Currently, the school boards are equipped with catalogues full of teacher aids, which are available to order. We have seen that there are pages of aromatherapy aids in these catalogues. Unfortunately, the essential oils offered may or may not be of superior quality and in some cases are blended with other oils, which may not help each student.

Thus, I encourage you to speak to schools, teachers, and primary care givers with ASD children and emphasize the importance of one-on-one aromatherapy. Each child is different and has different needs. Lastly, we need to involve parents in studies to allow the parents to learn through their children. One parent refused use of cinnamon bark with her child since the origin was China. It is our understanding the parents believed an oil extracted in China would be tainted with plastic and caustic dyes. Education and continuous community outreach about aromatherapy and essential oils is vital to dissipate this kind of wrongful belief and lack of understanding aromatherapy.

Would like to participate or set up this study at your school? Please let us know.

Have you used essential oils in the Autistic classroom? Please share your comments and findings.

Balance and Harmony Design in Feng Shui House vs Room

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We shape our buildings,
Thereafter they shape us.
~ Winston Churchill

Incorporating balance and harmony in our interior design at home or office is becoming the norm. The question I often get from clients is:

How can I incorporate the Pa Kua design required of an entire property or home into a small space like a single room or open office? 

Some clients wish to apply Feng Shui design to a cubicle and struggle to figure out a way. Maybe you are renting an apartment or sharing living space with roommates, which makes it impossible to move walls, add water features, paint walls or change windows where needed.

Follow these basic tenets within any size space you choose, to incorporate the beauty and power of Feng Shui:

1. Orient the Pa Kua plan with respect to your room/office door or entry area. Centre of whatever space you are analyzing is always #5 – the earth. The north (compass direction) always contains #1 – the water (or your career or journey through life).

Feng Shui Pa Kua
           Feng Shui Pa Kua

 

2. Do not try to satisfy each of the 9 sections of the Pa Kua by adding or taking away something in each area of your space. This can cause confusion. Instead, focus on 1 or 2 most important energies you wish to strengthen or balance. For example, if you wish to improve relationships with your children or increase your creativity or joy, focus on the west sector, #7, and the element of metal.

3.  Keep entry ways clear and accessible. How one enters your space designates how easily you interact with the world. If the entry is blocked by shoes, cabinets, files, boxes, your life will be full of strain and stress. Eliminate these. Find homes for this ‘stuff’.

4. If you can’t paint a wall or add curtains to a room or office cubicle, bring in a large piece of art (canvas, sculpture, photo) to place in the section you are focusing on. Remember, everything has a vibration and we can always augment this vibration by shape, color, size, style of things we add into our space.

Art by Dallas Artist Maitreyii - Swirl

5. If a shared hallway in a home or office is giving off Sha (negative energy), and you feel it is affecting you. Ask if you can add a picture or plant of your choice, in that area to energetically reclaim it.

6. Basic upkeep is of outmost importance. If a light bulb keeps burning out, change the fixture to ensure smooth, effortless, minimal energy expenditure. Dirty hallways, porches, doors must be cleaned. There is no room for clutter. A cluttered space signifies a cluttered mind.

7. Each sector of the Pa Kua is represented by a symbol (circle, square, wave, triangle, rectangle), color (blue/black, red, purple, beige/pink, green, silver/gold) and an element (earth, metal, water, fire, wood). Often people misinterpret this to mean you have to have red triangles on the wall in the south, to increase fire energy. No, that is incorrect. When choosing art, wall cover, furniture for a space you have to like it first. Then assess if it represents fire, wood, metal, earth, or water sufficiently enough, for you to place it in a particular section.

8. If your ceilings are low in a basement room or small office, add in pictures or symbols of birds flying, clouds, a sunrise or other uplifting, rising energy art. Also point all lighting to flow upward to the ceiling.

9. If there is a structural beam(s) above you or bulk heads above your bed or table/chairs, balance out this negative energy by adding wind chimes, mobile, or the traditional bamboo flutes on it. Best practice is to avoid being under it completely. 

Chinese Flutes

10. If there are not enough windows or too many windows, windows directly opposite your door, the Chi (energy) is off balance and you will feel the strain. Not enough windows or light and you feel tired, depressed, sad, lethargic. Too many windows, or a window across from a doorway allows chi to come and go quickly. You feel frazzled, harried, stressed, anxious, or sometimes over scheduled. To increase Chi, add pictures or colors that are light, uplifting or great landscape views, to represent windows and the outdoors. To decrease, slow down Chi, add plants or strategically placed furniture to promote the meandering of energy around the room.

The above guidelines are more than enough to get you started on a small space. Remember to only make 1-2 changes per week. The energy is quick to shift with every item that comes and goes within our spaces. Respect this natural law. Make sure to comment below, on the changes you have tried. Are you still stuck on knowing what to change, leave a question and we’ll figure it out together.

“The wonderful paradox of Feng Shui is that something so ancient can be so cutting edge.” ~ Chinese Whispers by Rosalyn Dexter.

 

5 things I learned from my knee pain

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Mike Ryan Fitness Blog Photo - Knee Pain

Several years ago, I was teaching the learn-to-run clinics at the Running Room. It was all very fun. I was an enthusiastic runner, since I had just learned to run myself (no jokes please, I really did have to LEARN, because before that I hated running!). That particular year I had run my first half-marathon and it was an amazing experience, but I digress.

One evening, as I gathered our eager beginner runner’s group, I was teaching about the importance of cross-training and incorporating yoga into the weekly routine. As runners know, running tends to stiffen the body and stretching is very important for the typical runner. As an avid yogi, I felt quite comfortable demonstrating various slow stretches (actual yoga poses) that could be adapted and added into the run workout and post-workout stretch.

And then it happened. I was slowly stretching out the left quadricep, toes and heel touching the buttocks, as I felt a light tingle in the knee. It was subtle, but definite and NOT a normal movement in the knee. As I relaxed the leg and stretched out again, the knee was not the same.

It hasn’t been the same since. In fact, it had progressively gotten worse over the past few years. Right now you are probably thinking – uhm what is the point here? Good question, what is the point?

Why did my knee get injured?
Why did it get progressively worse?
How is it now?

These are the five things I learned from my knee pain.

1. My left side is my dominant side, since I’m a lefty. When I work with clients, the dominant side represents their current life situation and where they are at. Injuring my dominant knee has told me I am not quite in the right place in my life and am bending with effort and strain to get things done. = that is absolutely true. Struggling to say the least.

2. According to Louise Hay, there are emotional connections to every physical part of the body, and the knee represents: “Inability to bend. Stubborn ego & pride. Fear. Inflexibility. Won’t give in”  - my injured knee was signalling the need to change direction, to open up, and allow life to move/flow. I’m a control freak and have difficulty letting others take the lead. My knee was beginning to show me the way to slow down and let others lead.

3.  Over the past few years, my knee pain got progressively worse. As an intuitive healer, I listened to my knee. I listened intently. Trying to decipher what my legs needed. How am I to stretch, release, and relax this pain for good? Nothing came to me. There was a nagging thought in the back of my mind that I really need to lose weight and exercise more but my knee hurt. It was easy to say no and stay home.  So I learned first hand, how painful a painful knee can really be. Walking up and down stairs was tricky at times. Sitting on my knees was painful. I felt unsteady and unstable. One knee being injured throws us off balance, and this can lead to a spiral of ‘off-balance’ steps in life. 

4. This past year, I have still been struggling with the knee pain, but I’m tired of feeling sorry for myself. So I set 1 goal. I will join up Maureen Rae’s Yoga studio (used to go there all the time) and get my joints and muscles whipped into shape gently and powerfully. This small goal led to another goal: I will try another tri-a-tri this summer. I even went for a run (cue: the GASP – AH!). As I added one new activity every couple of weeks, slowly and gently, my knee actually felt better. Hmmm. Odd. I realized that it was the weakening of the supporting muscles that made the pain worse. As I practiced more yoga at home, I also added a few more cycling sessions outdoors (yes, I bike all year round even in the winter, even with the knee pain). So an injury can easily create a negative cycle of destruction and weakness in your body. Setting a small but doable goal can begin a positive and constructive cycle in the body.

5. Lastly, I realized we must heal on every possible level. I examined the spiritual essence that is my knee pain. I focused on physically stretching and massaging around the knee cap and the supporting muscles. I added easy, doable, cross training and goals to heal my wounded ego, and support my heart (to counteract the disappointment I felt in myself). I blended fresh salves to cover my knee, inhaled aromatic blends to support circulation and a strong mind within. Most importantly, this year I have chosen to slow down. My word for the year is PAUSE. I am spending more time pondering and thinking about my knee and my life. The knee is still sore, but it feels stronger every week and less painful. I’m sure that once it feels a 100% I will be a whole new person.

What’s your recovery story?

‘Kindness’ is overrated, misunderstood, and often misused.

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Giving kindness Charity Child Feeding

Picture from: http://momitforward.com/

When was the last time you were genuinely kind?

‘Kindness’ as we call it, is seldom that. Too many times I see ‘kindness’ used as a cover for control, manipulation, dependency building, and creating expectations.

Kindness is: a ‘kind deed’

In Merriam-Webster dictionary online. It actually has very little definition applied to it, so no wonder the word Kindness is so misused.

In real life and online, I see people trying to be kind to each other, but the truth is you have to be ‘kind’ to yourself before you can even remotely be genuinely kind to others. Your heart needs to be used to experience kindness. You need to feel love and care for yourself, in order to be kind!  Kindness resides in the heart. Many of us don’t know the first thing about connecting to our heart and really loving ourselves. Every time I read the phrase “Treat others as you would like to be treated” I have a good chuckle. I have seen many people treat themselves most terribly. There is nothing nice, pleasant, or kind about how we abuse ourselves, how we shut out our feelings, abuse our bodies, neglect our mind, and often completely ignore our spirit.

If you treat me the way you treat yourself, hmmm, I think I’ll pass.

I understand kindness to be:
Giving time, a resource, a connection, or affection accepting all possible outcomes, expecting nothing in return, and keeping my ‘kind deed’ to myself. 

The minute we share what we did, we are boasting, whether we mean to or not. The minute we say ‘you owe me one’ you did not offer kindness. The moment we think ‘that makes me a good person’, we did not engage in kindness. The ego mind is all about control. It is all about ‘better, bigger, brighter, stronger’. If the intent of your actions is any of those outcomes, kindness has left the building.

When I share on twitter I am not being kind, I am being smart and networking.

When I share with my family, I am not being kind I am supporting and promoting my family’s survival.

When I listen and build relationships with my clients, I am not being kind I am doing my job.

Only when I help someone, expecting absolutely nothing in return, and provide support just for the sake of acting supportive in the moment, am I truly being kind. That’s not very often. (Also, I would tell you examples of the few times I have practiced kindness, but then they would no longer be just acts of kindness, now would they) But I’m working on it. I am practicing everyday. Some days are better than others.

To practice kindness it's the only way to really learn it

To practice kindness is the only way to really learn it - picture from www.motivationalmemo.com

Kindly, please refrain from using the word ‘kind’ when it does not apply. Perhaps, just try the word nice instead. 

Healing from Anger

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There are days, like today, that any positive thought and positive affirmation just drives me nuts. Some days are just like that. Don’t you find?

Enough already with the ‘be the change you want to see in this world’ and ‘think it and it will be’. Honestly! Today is an angry day. Today is a day full of feeling lower vibrations, emotions that DON’T promote growth, that don’t make you feel good. They’re not making me feel good. I am feeling terrible.

So what do you do when you feel Anger?

Affirmations don’t cut it. ‘Positive energy’ doesn’t cut it either. On my spiritual journey of growth, spiritual healing, learning to be a more powerful healer I have to release old anger. Today is it. Today I am releasing some pretty old cr@p. The anger is attached to old habits, old patterns, old fears, past-long gone events that don’t matter anymore, but the feeling is still here in my heart, in my entire body actually.

Angry moni

First step in releasing anger for me is: crying. That works temporarily. But then what. How do we progress from superficial feeling of the emotion to a deeper understanding of it? How do I now move to a sophisticated, detached view of this feeling, the past, the hurt? How do I now grow with it and move into a healing space?

Second step for me is: allowing. Seeing the anger, crying, or being truly angry with all my cells, my thoughts, my breath (read: fuming), with all my words (…dont’ worry, I am staying away from public spaces and random people). This living, breathing, feeling anger then transforms into a more peaceful ‘viewing of my anger’.

The third step for me is: acceptance. The last stage of feeling this rich, powerful emotion brings forth greater clarity. It feels like I have my body back. I also feel more energy. Anger is tiring. It tenses up the entire body. It ceases organs and shortens your breath. In the acceptance stage, I take a deep breath. Now, I still feel some residual anger, but it is in the distance, it is no longer in my core, and no longer monopolizing my mind, my heart, and my body tissues.

 

What was I angry about? – Myself, of course.

Archangel Uriel

Archangel Uriel

ps – choosing to reach out for an external tool, I picked up the angel cards. shuffled. picked one ‘randomly’. the chosen card: Archangel ‘Uriel’

“Your emotions are healing, which enables you to open up to greater love. I will help you release anger and unforgiveness from your heart and mind”

 

pss – sometimes the anger from the past isn’t even our own. I know as a child I absorbed toxic anger from the loved ones around me. to be complete it is vital to renew, regenerate your heart, mind, and body with beliefs, experiences, people, that support you.

Stop children what’s that sound

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When was the last time you truly stopped to listen?

When you watch kids stop, they STOP. It’s amazing to see a child suddenly enthralled in a hawk circling the sky, a line of baby ducks following their momma, a brand new, shiny train go by. The attention of a 3-4 year old is perfectly tuned into just one item, one source of sound, one idea at a time. That’s a perfect age to watch and learn how to listen.

As adults, we grow up super multi-taskers.

We embark into the world each day knowing that we can tackle all of our ‘life’ problems. We rescue. We sort. We file. We type. We drink coffee. We answer phones/drive/take notes/make dinner/sort laundry/make plans…

Wow.

It’s the life of ‘many attentions’ that is rewarded externally isn’t it?

Listening can take many forms. Listening for sound is obvious. Listening to your inner voice, your higher spirit, your heart, your intuition – not so obvious. Quieting the mind to be able to hear the finest of what nature and our inner hearts have to say takes some practice. And, practice takes time. Do you put time aside to listen?

Do you practice? – prayer – meditation?

In last week’s ‘Body Awareness & Meditation’ class we concluded the meditation time by focusing on this quote:

“Attention is power. Do not direct it too many activities. Clarify your emotional reaction, then eliminate as much as possible.” by Swami Sivananda Radha

Where is your power being directed on a daily basis?

Listen you will hear it. What is it telling you?

February Winner Announcement and Welcoming of Spring

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The Winter is almost at her end…
and the Goddess of Spring has just about sprung…
We welcome spring with open arms and open hearts.
Balance comes from the heart.
 Our February 15th Draw Prize  Winner
of $50 Healing Muse™ Gift Certificate is:
Stefania Priolo
Congratulations!

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

Spring Specials for the month of March:

Blending for Spring

Come in for 1hr custom blending instruction with me. Learn the basics of blending essential oils, aromatherapy tools of the trade & go home with 3 unique blends to use at home:
1 body lotion
1 massage oil
1 perfume

offer good for March:
*bring a friend and save an additional $10 each

$65

$45

Body Reading Spring Special

Would you like to try an intuitive healing session but don’t know if it’s right for you?  Try the intro session designed for feet or hands only. Includes a gentle massage for either your hands or feet.

25 minute sample session

$30

Single? blame it on your apartment & grandparents – Feng Shui, Luck and You

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In Ancient Chinese Traditions, life is governed by 3 types of luck:

Man Luck
Earth Luck
Heaven Luck

Man Luck = You, Your personality, your character
(completely open to change and subjective)

Earth Luck = Your home and/or office: FENG SHUI (if you are renting, it’s much easier to get up and move away from ‘bad’ earth luck than if you are a house owner)

Heaven Luck = Your ancestry, your birth, your beginning.
(Very little you can do about this luck!)

Water Dragon by Tymora

Single? Looking for a mate? Tired of the dating band wagon?

Take the 3 types of luck to improve your odds today:

Man Luck = You
33% of all your luck depends on your charm, charisma, speaking well, eye contact…
Take up dance lessons, join a toastmasters club to improve your speaking, join co-ed sports teams to increase opportunities to go out…PS learn some comedy, go to comedy clubs, read funny stories, increase your chances of being entertaining. Life is much more fun, when filled with laughter.

Earth Luck = Your home and/or Office
33% of your luck depends on the space around you. The environment we live in dictates (up to 33%) how successful we are. Our home and office directly affects how happy, energized, tired, bored, excited, or creative we are.
Clean up your space first. Then, arrange a few key design pieces in pairs. See those frames that are off centre? Centre them and put 2 together.

Match lamps by size and style. Make sure you have 2 nice place settings, and matching drapes instead of 1 long one. Walk around your home and office and notice how many stand alone items you have… If you truly wish to meet someone special, the stand alone items are directly hindering your progress. Now get to it.

Heaven Luck = This is a tough one. When we are born dictates 33% of our luck, or success in life. Each year also heralds a special energy of its own.
2012 is the year of the water Dragon and it officially starts reign now! (Well, February 4/5th the start of the spring season according to ancient custom) The Water Dragon brings in Yang Water energy. That’s fast moving, fast changing times for you and me. Are you ready? Time to move! (No, I don’t mean houses, I mean ‘change’, adapt, welcome new things) So what can you do to improve your Heaven Luck? Go with this energy.

When change comes at you, be ready. This is the year to work with flow, be fast adapting. Maybe you will meet someone on a trip, or travelling for work? Maybe you will literally be called to meet someone in the rain, or at a swimming pool. Where there is movement, there your love will be!

Try it out! Let me know what happens.

 

Why we are fat.

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The top 5 reasons you are fat…from an environmental perspective.

  1. - You need protection

  2. - You love food…

  3. - It’s easy to eat

  4. - You are a creature of habit

  5. - Life is too easy

    Fat belly - health mind?

You have read that calories in and calories out is the #1 way to change your physique. You then diligently calculate how much you eat everyday. How Fun! (Did you catch the sarcasm?) Then, you improve your exercise regimen and workout more, better, often. Within 2-3 months you are slimmer, stronger, and look better than ever right?

Hmmm. Why is it that many of us just never get there?

Let’s try another tack. Your metabolism is slow, so you pick up the health food journals, jot down some metabolically magic foods, increase your energy food intake, decrease the sluggish, heavy foods and within months you are 15 pounds lighter. No?

Well, there are countless resources out there on what to eat, what not to eat, when to exercise, when not to exercise, eat right for your body type, and on and on. Many of us have started a new ‘lifestyle’ of eating and living. Most of us have ‘failed’ to maintain this change.

In this post, I examine what happens to those of us who feel like we have ‘failed’.

1. You need Protection

Fat is protective. It provides physical protection from the elements, holds vital energy stores, in condensed form, keeps us insulated literally. It is also very protective energetically. You can be the happiest person in the world, but inside that extra 50-100 pounds, you might be hiding from something, or scared of something, or not wanting to face something. (BTW, we have an ancestral reason for eating fats: they keep us physically safer – check out this PubMed research abstract entry: The influence of food on pain perception in healthy human volunteers)

Fat also holds toxins. It is protecting us from toxic elements by accumulating them inside the fat cells, as they circulate in our bodies. You don’t have to grow up in Chernobyl to have grown up in a toxic environment. Emotions can turn toxic. Anger, hurt, rage, fear, grief, when not expressed, can become internalized and create a toxic environment inside your body. Some of us store decades of ‘bottled up emotions’ in our fat cells. They are very protective. Sometimes, a change in food intake and exercise that promotes fat loss can create huge mood swings, and even bring many of these bottled up feelings to the surface (and into the face of your loved or not so loved ones).

2. You love food…

Food is exciting, I am the first to admit that. Some foods are intoxicating (as all chocolate lovers know – if you love chocolate check out this post: Does Chocolate Addiction exist?). Studies have shown that some foods make us feel better than others. So, why not just eat more right? Well, the message here is: Is there really nothing more exciting in your life than eating more of that meal? Is that all you have to look forward to?

Some people tend to get into a rut. Where is the fun? Where is the hike up the mountain, a run down to the beach, a late night at the concert theatre? What about the all night talk-a-thon with your favorite pals? If there is no fun, no joy planned on a daily or at least a weekly basis, chances are that food is really the most fun you will encounter. Sad, isn’t it. So comforting to eat too, isn’t it. Eating also makes us ‘feel’ good emotionally and psychologically, regardless of whether we are hungry or not. You have heard of emotional eaters right? Yup, eating solves the unhappiness dilemma temporarily.

 

3. It’s easy to eat.

Some days are so friggin challenging that eating is probably the easiest thing you will do. As a parent, or project worker, a manager, organizer, or whatever your position is, you encounter days that are just very tiring, complex, strategically overwhelming and maybe even unsolvable. Problems, delays, system breakdowns can leak over to the next day and next day. You may not even see the end in sight. On those days, the hearty chili, or simple bagel and cream cheese just make you feel like you know what you are doing for that moment. It’s so simple. Toast. Butter. Coffee…Wonderful.

Better yet, after a long day of complex multitasking, isn’t it amazing that we can just hop into a restaurant, point to an item on a menu, maybe not even say the food out loud, just point and it comes to us. It’s so rewarding and pleasing.

Perhaps you are a procrastinator…You know what that means. That boring task ahead, those emails, the packages to send, the laundry to do; it’s all so much easier after a mid morning snack is

n’t it? We mistakenly reward in the wrong order! “I will eat this and then I will get that done”. WRONG! It’s much harder to say: “I will get that done and then I will eat this” Eating is easy, that’s why we do it so well, and forget about many other things, that are much harder to do, like ironing that pleated sleeve.

4. You are a creature of Habit

It’s time to get up. Put on the grey suit. Get on the 8 am train. Travel to work. Nod to your coworkers. Sit down. Type. type. type. Eat. Type. Eat. Print.Type. Walk around to get the paper. Sit down. Type. Travel home. Sit down and eat. Watch tv. Do dishes. Go to bed. Most days, we are pretty boring aren’t we? ‘But, you have to do that at work’ you argue… My DH told me that everyone sits in the same spot on the train travelling to work. WHY?

We are creatures of habit and it’s hard to break that habit. In many cases, the habits we pick don’t make our life better, easier, or happier, they are just the habits that stuck. They are the behaviours we did the longest in repetition. Repetition makes a new behaviour stick, like gum. So changing our diet, our exercise regimen isn’t going to stick after just a few days or even after a weeks. It’s just not long enough. Many of your ‘bad’ or negative lifestyle habits have been around for decades, thousands of repetitions. That’s what you are up against. The ‘old’ lifestyles creep back in over time and you feel like you have been sabotaged. But it’s not sabotage. It’s just you being human and choosing what you know over what you don’t know.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Life is too easy

Let’s face it. We can buy food in the modern world just about anywhere and anytime. 24 hour supermarket

s don’t discriminate. You can walk in with $1 and come out with a broccoli, or with a bag of processed, over-preserved, wannabe food anytime your heart desires. You don’t have to physically work for it. You may have a job all your life making phone calls (call centre), m

anaging people (sitting in a big chair), teaching (standing sometime), computing (majority of our jobs these days), and so on. These jobs, that we have created, are not designed for our bodies. Many have not even been created with our brains in mind. They are task oriented positions that require very little, if any, movement. (Check out more on this in the UK Telegraph, reporting on the latest study done on sitting and fat deposits)

It is up to you to compensate for that by getting outside everyday. It is up to you to go move, visit somewhere, do something. Walk. Run. Bike. We can all do it but we don’t. Why? It’s hard, and life is supposed to be easy right? Kids love to run. Kids love to move. At what age do we start to choose the sedentary lifestyle? Do we do that because of our parents? In our modern society, we have created such an easy life for ourselves with supermarkets, cars, automated bank machines, that we can get home to the couch so much faster. We can TIVO all our favorite shows and not miss a single thing. We spend more time watching people live on TV than we do actively living for ourselves.

That’s why we are fat. Because of one or more of the above is a part of who we are.

So, what do you think?