Blossoming And Creating

What's your smell today?

Working with essential oils to create an environment I can work in, creatively and productively is vital to how I work.  To do this, I create a blend that supports the outcomes I desire for the day. 

You can learn how to utilise essential oils in this way too. Once you know how, it can be easy to create a blend that matches where you want to go in any one day.

Today, it's a day for building creatively and ensuring I'm productive in my output too.

My blend for today was designed to support this outcome - and you're even reading my blog, so it must be working well, hey?

Recipe:

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri)

Orange - sweet (Citrus aurantium var. sinensis per)

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ct cineole)

This particular blend has been created to give the sense of Blossoming And Creating

Let me tell you a little more about how I developed this blend and arrived at the overall balance of this energy...........................

Often, when I am creating a blend for an emotional reason, such as this, I look to the subtle side of the essential oils, and choose them on the basis of what the emotions are that will be supported by the oils themselves. 

These concepts have been developed by many well respected therapists over the years (people such as Patricia Davis, Jennifer Jefferies and Shirley Price, there are many others also), as opposed to looking at the physical attributes and chemical constituents of the essential oil itself. 

Though, these elements do play a role in how the emotions respond!

Each essential oil chosen fits together to create an overall blend, which will elicit an emotional response.  Read on to learn more about the emotional side of each of these oils.

Frankincense

Frankincense will allow you to cut the ties to your past, particularly when you are growing and there are personal blocks that are making this growth more difficult. 

It will ensure that you are protected so that your energy is not drained while you are working.

When you are looking to work creatively and productively, often you wish to slow down your thoughts, to take a deep breath an allow the body and mind to combine to produce something new. Frankincense will ensure you slow your breathing.

Orange

Just looking at an orange, or anything orange in colour, makes me smile - the joy that orange brings to my soul is exactly what the essential oil brings to this blend.  The sense of pure joy!

When you are creating and expressing something new, being able to do it with an innate feeling of wonderment, of pleasure and joyfulness will ensure the vibe of this new project also projects joy and a sense of wonder.

Orange essential oil is about the simple pleasure of joyfulness, it allows you to release the sense of seriousness or sadness that prevails and uplift and nourish your soul to aid you in blossoming into your creativity.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a stimulant, just what you need to begin your work day! It will allow your brain to be active, though with clarity and the ability to cut through and truly 'see' what is required in your work.

With this clarity that Rosemary brings, you will ensure your productivity levels are peaking throughout your working day, avoiding being bogged down by distractions.

Harnessing your creativity and pushing it into action, will support your ability to be productive with clear results!

Blossoming & Creating

Frankincense

Orange - sweet

Rosemary

To learn more about how you can also blend oils for your work or home, consider our upcoming Aromatherapy for Pleasure course (you can read more about it here).  Use the coupon code SVBLOG to receive a discount. TOnly the first 5 students will receive the discount!

Calm Your Mind To Focus Your Mind

Creating Focus Through Calm

Choosing essential oils to create focus can create a variety of blends, as the essential oils do exhibit a multitude of properties.

For this blog, the essential oils I have chosen to share as a blend, will give you the strength to see the possibilities that are opening up to you, they will allow for you to increase your overall self-worth (from where overwhelm can come), increase your will power and resolve (for without willpower, we become overwhelmed and frantic at all that is required to be done) and it will give rise to inspiration for what is possible for you.

Choosing the three essential oils I have for this blend, will give a balance to the blend, as there is a top note (releases quickly and allows you to tap into your self worth), a middle note (lingers a little longer in your senses and strengthens your will power) and a base note (stays much longer and allows inspiration for all that is possible to become your focus).

The essential oils chosen for this blend of Focus Through Calm are:

Pine (Pinus sylvestris)

• top note
• tap into your self worth
• rescue yourself before you rescue others
• decongests the confusion you feel
• calms any apathy and timidity
• a tonic to your nerves, releasing fear, guilt and anger
• feeling strong in yourself and your path, allows you the strength to clear the path of those that are obstacles to your journey

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), ct linalool or geraniol

• middle note
• energises your will power
• enables you to tap into your strength
• grab a hold of your self confidence and overcome obstacles in your way
• soothe your tired heart of the troubles you have been holding onto
• dispel the despondency that is overwhelming your mind

Myrrh (Commiphora molmol)

• base note
• when your mind clears, you will embrace the inspiration to achieve your dreams, you will become clear on what is possible
• allows you to see your dreams and vision clearly
• enables you to manifest your dreams

These three oils together will clear the obstacles that are making your mind cluttered, busy and without focus, they will allow you to clear the obstacles that are blocking you and your mind, and free up the mind to calmly see what is possible for you and your future.

Preparation For A Balanced And Healthy Life

Preparation For Change

Cypress, Rose, Myrrh

When life happens and change is about to occur, the following blend will allow you to transition ahead with inspiration and a passion for the change.

Cypress

Cypress is a tree that exhibits much strength, especially when you are faced with change. There is an inner peace in the upcoming transition that is to be undertaken, and allows you to leave behind all that is draining you, the emotions or the people that are keeping you in one place.  Cypress allows you to tap into your willpower and to transition into the change with wisdom and a sense of inner peace and a soft power that will move you ahead.

Rose

Usually associated with romance and love, in this blend, the Rose is allowing you to tap into your inner vision and freedom, with love for self and your choices.  Rose has the ability to aid in balance in your choices, and the changes that are facing you.  It gives you the motivation to take on the change, while ensuring a peaceful and gentle harmonisation between what is now, and the change.

Myrrh

The three wise men used Myrrh in their offerings and in this blend it allows you to tap into your dreams of what is possible.  Myrrh is inspirational and allows you to be curious about what is possible, as well as to seeing it.  All the while, it keeps you grounded in your dreams, so that you can manifest them.  It is easy to be a dreamer, but Myrrh gives you the grounding to realise those dreams and not to stay in the clouds dreaming.

A blend of these oils will transition you into the future change with inspiration and love, enabling you to manifest the powerful dreams that are inspiring your change.

Dealing with desires

Desires

Today is a Friday. Just saying that it's a Friday brings into play habits, expectations and desires.  

The habits are that it's time to kick back, relax and put my feet up, maybe have a glass of wine, or three! Let's be honest it's the beginning of the weekend and this brings to mind many different expectations and desires as well as habits.

Friday night for about 30 years has meant the finishing of work and the beginning of play time. And for me, it usually involves friends, food, relaxation and wine.  

Tonight is going to be different!

Due to my 30 days of commitment to myself, and looking after my health, one of those commitments is to reduce my alcohol intake significantly. Okay, it is to completely cut it out (so far this week, that's been achieved) however, before I made my commitment, I knew I had a friend arriving tomorrow that I've not seen for years, and there will be a few little drinkies to be had. Sooo, my official commitment to no alcohol for 30 days begins on Sunday. However, I have been faithful to myself and my future pledge and not had any alcohol since Monday.  I began my commitment on Tuesday if you remember!

So, while I'm sitting here writing this, my hubby is upstairs with a glass of wine. I'm soon to join him, company only, and pour myself a glass of my kombucha and soda water. This is my 'swap out' if you like.  I make sure it's in a lovely glass, with a slice of lemon and looks the part. That is my way of ensuring I stick to my commitment.

When you are initially swapping out something, you need to maintain some of your habit around the initial sway, then it doesn't feel like you're doing it tough, that you're denying yourself anything.  That's my experience.

Enjoy your weekend and kick back, have one for me (or maybe two) and enjoy your time with friends and family, doing something that makes your heart sing.

Hemp Seeds & Weight Loss?

Seems an unusual combination doesn't it? How do you use hemp seeds (if you can obtain them for human consumption in your country) in your new lifestyle journey?

Well, firstly there is some interesting information available about hemp seeds and hemp oil that will support your knowledge and ultimately your body on your life journey.

Hemp seeds:

• contain healthy fats (omega-6, omega-3)
• are considered a complete protein (contain all the essential amino acids our body requires)
• are a good fibre source

How does this information help on your life journey? 

As you may remember I have written before about how you need to increase your muscles in order to burn more calories or energy, thus reduce the amount of fat contained in your body. 

I have also written about increasing your metabolism by increasing your protein and increasing your fibre.

We also need to remember that our body needs good healthy fats in order to transport hormones around our body efficiently.  Hemp seeds contain both omega-6 and omega-3 oils, and in the ratio recommended by WHO as being ideal, 3:1 (omega-6:omega-3).

This allows us to consider hemp seeds as a viable supplement to our diets, to ensure we are obtaining our required protein, fibre and good fats every day.  Of course, there are other nut and seeds, oils, protein sources that will do the same as hemp seeds, but for such a versatile, all in one package, they seem a great source.  Also, they are rather in the headlines recently due to all the new research going on into hemp oil and it's potential health benefits. There is much more you read about on that issue elsewhere.

Interestingly, it has been shown that 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds contains 7 - 11 g protein and 1 - 9 g of fibre.

A good way to introduce them to your diet can be by adding a tablespoon to your breakfast smoothie, including them in your loaf of bread or by including the oil in your salad dressings or dips.  Remember that as they are a seed oil, they will impart a nutty flavour.

Let me know if you use hemp seeds and in what recipes you use them.

Canada Day Fireworks

As Canada celebrated it's 148th birthday, I found this collection of fireworks from across the country.  Enjoy them as much as I did and wish Canada a wonderful day!

My favourites are the Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Winnipeg and St Albert.  I'm sure they were all amazing to be at!  Next year, I will be in Canada, so will look forward to seeing these places - my treat for achieving my goal weight, and maintaining it, by then it'll be two years of my new lifestyle journey and one to treasure (oh yes, as well as my 50th birthday).  So, yes, Canada has a place in my heart!

Enjoy the fireworks

Secrets To Fasting

Over the last year there has been much written about fasting as a way to lose weight.

Fasting is not a diet though, it is a way of life.  The change to this type of lifestyle needs to be permanent for you to achieve the desired outcomes.

What are those outcomes?

Well, they can be whatever your body needs at the time. It could be burning excess fat as energy, it could be growing more lean muscle, or it may just be giving your digestive system time to rest and recover!

Recently there has been some media coverage on the type of fasting that is beneficial to a healthier lifestyle. Personally, I really enjoy the 5:2 ratio of fasting.  This is where you eat from a healthy menu for 5 days of the week, for the remaining 2 days of the week, you fast.

The most recent ratio being written about is 14:10. This is where you fast for 14 hours every day, and eat from a healthy menu for 10 hours.  There have been no available studies that I have found on this ratio, whereas for the 5:2 ratio, there are more available studies highlighting the benefits to your body.

So, the secrets to fasting. 

My 7 TopTtips:

1. Stay busy.  Keeping the mind active doesn't allow you time to dwell on the fact that you're not eating
2. Treat yourself.  Okay, it's not food, but the benefits of a relaxing bubble bath, getting your hair done, getting a manicure, or whatever it is that feels like a treat, allows you to have something other than food to look forward to
3. Keep hydrated.  Drinking plenty of water to assist your body with removing the impurities that have been in your body.  Remember, when you are fasting, this gives your digestive system time to actively remove those impurities that have been stored within your fat cells (or other places in your body), so the body needs a little extra help to flush out.  Drinking 1 litre of water for every 20kg of body weight is ideal.
4. Drink herbal (non-caffeine) teas.  Personally, I love lemon and ginger in the mornings of a fasting day, and over the day I can change this to a peppermint tea.  Both these teas (make sure you obtain the herbal ones, and not the black tea that is flavoured) support your digestive system and don't put an added load onto it, while also supporting your hydration.
5. Try not to snack, but if you need to, try a low-sodium, organic vegetable broth.
6. Try a guided meditation. There is a free guided meditation by Rick Reynolds
7. Gentle exercise. Take a gentle walk, not a full on cardiovascular workout, something gentle in nature is what I love to do. I've also recently started yoga on my fasting days.

Bonus Tips:

1. Write a journal. When you are fasting, there can be a release of emotions, it's great to write these down for reflection.
2. Have an early night. Take a good book to bed and relax into your nightly slumber.
3. Avoid the supermarket or food halls. On your fasting day, do not venture into a supermarket or near any food halls or stalls.  These will put too much temptation in your way and encourage you to fail at your day of fasting!

Remember to always ease into eating again after a period of fasting, with good quality nutrition.  Also, never fast for longer than 48 hours, the studies show that there is no benefit to your body by fasting for longer than this period of time.

I follow a system of fasting that is the simplest way I have ever experienced and my increased energy at the end of a fasting is incredible! 

To contact me to find out more about the system I follow, click here and I will be in contact with you.

What Grains Do You Eat?

In today's society we are often told of the 'new, yet old' grains that we 'need' to be eating for the benefit our our health. To remove our dependence on wheat and subsequently gluten.

Have you considered that it may be better to discover the new/old grains that are produced in your own country rather than those that have fed other societies for many generations?

Check out this interesting article on five different grains to consider, including barley, oats, spelt, buckwheat and rapeseed.  It's a great read.

Secrets to Success

Your life journey takes you down many differing paths, each one has positive and negative success associated with them.  The choices we make along our path results in different outcomes.  How do we know we are travelling well?

One of the secrets to success I have discovered is

POSTURE

I have been listening to various podcasts lately, and they are stating some ideas of similarity - the posture you hold while undertaking a task, whether it's a new one, or one you've repeated many times, will determine a number of different things:

1. Your sense of ability to accomplish the task
2. Your energy that surrounds the outcome of the task
3. Your motivation to complete the task

I first discovered this when I was out running.  It's amazing how a simple thing like running with your chin pointing straight ahead can change

• your pace,
• your sense of lightness in your step and
• your motivation on whether you can make it to the next point in your run

I've been trying out this technique when I'm feeling tired on my runs, and to date, every time, it has changed how I'm feeling about the completion of the run.

Next, I discovered that this very same aspect of posture can change how you see the outcome of a task you're undertaking when working.  Whenever I am feeling like I'm hitting a block in my thoughts, whether it's for writing, researching or speaking to new people, I change my posture.  The difference in my ENERGY, CONFIDENCE & INSPIRATION for the task at hand is amazing.

Try this out at home. 

When you're feeling low about an issue (no matter what it may be) that has troubled you during the day,

1. stand up and,
2. with a smile on your face, and
3. your head held high,
4. talk about what that issue is

Do you notice the change in energy associated with that issue?
Imagine if you do this when you're in the middle of a task that is draining your energy, your motivation or inspiration?
Try practising this in the mirror too - you will definitely notice a change in your posture - the smile helps with that too.
How you hold yourself during the day makes a difference to whether your tasks have successful or non-successful outcomes - mainly because your energy around the task changes, which invariably changes the whole situation and the potential outcome too.

Take the path and journey to success, change your posture, lift your chin, hold your head up high and remember to smile, the energy will definitely change for the better.

Mindfulness and Ageing Well

As I have mentioned, the concept of Mindfulness is everywhere lately.

I listened to a podcast discussing mindful meditation and the research that has been done on this topic.  What caught my attention was a discussion on the effect of mindful meditation on the length of telomeres.

I know, the first thing you're asking right now is: What is a telomere??

Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes.  They break down over the years as we age and our chromosomes replicate as part of our natural body function.  They appear to have a connection to how we age.

Summary: telomeres are considered to be linked to how quickly we age - improve the length, slow down your ageing!

There is research going on that looks at the telomeres and the role they (and the corresponding enzymes, telomerase) play in the role of health and ageing.  It appears that the telomeres reduce in length when the body is stressed, so mindful meditation can reduce the stress, see this review

/study. Though, as with much research, more research is required.

There is a great TEDx talk on mindful meditation by Diana Winston, if you wish to learn more about this type of meditation

And, of course, there are free guided meditations available here.

So, why did that catch my attention?

Well, mainly because I use a product that is to aid the telomerase and consequently reduce the shortening of my telomeres.  Since I've been using this proprietary herb blend, it has been commented upon that I am looking younger.

Am I really? I'm not sure myself, but then it's not my opinion that counts, but that of those having to look at me regularly! I'm certainly feeling a lot less stressed, my health is great (in my humble opinion) and I'm looking amazing (again, my humble opinion!) - check out the selfie from last month!!

Another way to address the stress your body is put under and to assist in reducing this oxidative stress and the resultant ageing process, is to address your nutritonal status.

Did you know that putting your body through a high stress load on a continual basis increases the oxidative stress on your body's cells?  This increased stress can result in a faster ageing process.

Looking at keeping your nutrition, meditation and stress within a healthy Life Journey plan is the way to go!

Ask me more about your nutrition and stress levels now

More Mindfulness

A couple of days ago I mentioned that Mindfulness Meditation was talked about a lot.  Well, it's been upfront and personal again today.
If I didn't know any better, I'd think the Universe was stalking me about meditation!!

I was listening to a wonderful podcast by The Wellness Guys this morning and the discussion was about mindful mediation, their guest was Dr Elise Bialylew.  Dr Elise runs a campaign in May every year (this year I heard about it too late to join), called Mindful in May.  Essentially people register to do mindful meditation every day for a month (and are given a course to follow, instructions on 'how to' and a journal to record your meditations), in doing so, they also undertake to fundraise for Charity Water.

Did you know it only takes $30 to provide clean water for one person?  Did you know that 1 in 9 people in the world do not  have access to clean water?

If you're interested in joining, it appears that the registration date has been extended. It costs you $25 to register, and for that you receive an online course in mindful meditation.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is talked about a lot in today's online blogs.

In this particular blog, I really enjoyed how Ian Gawler speaks about ensuring you are truly relaxed first, meditation without relaxation is not so useful :) http://ow.ly/wdKXn

Do you mediate? If so, do you ensure you relax fully first, or, like most things we attempt in today's society, do you rush into it, try the quick 5 minute version, then state it doesn't work?

My Life: Energy Experiment 3

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged about the Energy Experiments.  I am still reading the book, and doing the experiments!

Borrowed from: www.thekickasslife.com

The third experiment involves one I've done quite a few times, and it always blows my mind when I do it - it's worth doing it once a year, just as a reminder that we all have immense energy that flows from us and we can change it so very easily!

This experiment Pam calls The Alby Einstein Principle

Essentially, we all have an energy field and it's very easy to detect, and we can also very easily see how our emotions affect this energy field.

To do this experiment you need:

1. Metal coat hangers
2. A plastic drinking straw, cut in half

That's it!

Now, the steps to show that you are energy and that your thoughts and feelings create energy too.

1. Untwist the neck of each of the coat hangers, so now you have two straight wires. Shape each of them into the shape of an L (the long part to be about a foot, the short part about 5 inches)
2. Slide the cut 1/2 straw onto each of the 'handles' (the shorter part of the wires), bend the bottom of the wire to hold the straw onto the 'handle'
3. Now, pretending you are a gunslinger from the olden days, hold the two wands out in front of you, around chest high, each hand in line with their respective shoulder. It may take a while for the swinging wands to settle
4. Once the wands have settled, stand with your eyes straight ahead and think of an unpleasant event from your past. If the emotion is weak, the wands will stay straight ahead, if it is really strong, then they will begin to turn inwards, tip to tip.  Your energy field will contract with negative thoughts and turn inward, so the wands are following that.
5. Now, turn your thoughts to a joyous, loving event in your past, or even of someone you love deeply. Watch as the wands now turn outwards as your energy field expands on the positive, loving thoughts.
6. As a final turn, for some more fun and learning about your thoughts, focus your eyes straight ahead, but focus your thoughts on something in the far right or far left of your vision - watch what happens to the wands  now.
7. A further experiment you can do with your wands involves a partner.  You stand 5 feet away from each other, one holds the wands and the other recalls a negative experience.  The person with the wands walks slowly towards the person thinking of the experience, how close do you get before the wands turn outwards? Repeat this with the person recalling a positive, loving experience, how far towards the person do you get now? In fact, in some cases, you have to step backwards to get the wands to stay straight in front of you!  This is great fun to do with friends who are skeptical about the energy our thoughts create and allow to ebb and flow.

This experiement I first undertook, and forgot about, about 13 years ago - it was in a classroom environment and it certainly made a lot of non-skeptics sit up and take notice.

Have fun with this simple experiment and let me know how you go - it's great fun to do.