Conscious Life Online Magazine April 2018 edition 44

*FREE ONLINE MAG *ISSUE 44 *APRIL 2018

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Conscious Life Magazine

CONTENTS HAVING FAITH & LETTING GO OF THE OUTCOME

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SELF DEVELOPMENT & PERSONAL GROWTH SEASONAL WISDOMW FOR AUTUMN LIVING

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NATURAL HEALTH & WELLNESS THE HEALING POWERS OF HEMP 9 NATURAL WAYS TO TREAT SEASONAL ALLERGY SYMPTOMS

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GREEN LIVING 7 SIMPLE WAYS TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT & MONEY TODAY EASY WAYS TO RECYCLE

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HEALTHY INTAKE HOW TO GROW NASTURTIUMS – FROM SEED TO KITCHEN HONEY & CINNAMON – USING THIS POWERFUL COMBO TO TREAT VARIOUS HEALTH ISSUES HEALING BENEFITS OF ASTRAGULUS WARM AUTUMN SALAD RECIPE GREEN MONDAY’S BREAKFAST QUESADILLA GREEN MONDAY: JODY C’S GET FRESH WRAP

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WORKSHOPS, COURSES & RETREATS ACCESS BARS TRAINING ANTANEEA TECHNIQUE SIVANANDA SCHOOL OF YOGA NOURISH TO FLOURISH: CARE OF SELF RETREAT BEING A PSYCHIC MEDIUM YOGA BUSH RETREAT RETREATS AT DHARMAGIRI SACRED MOUNTAIN RETREAT ANGEL CARD READING WITH MARGI MCALPINE SPIRITUAL TEACHER TRAINING SPECIAL WOMEN’S WORKSHOP & RETREAT WEEKEND THE ART OF SURRENDER, THE JOY OF CRYSTALS

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CONTENTS  CONSCIOUS HEALING IT’S ALL ABOUT BLUE DIVINE ORDER & PERCEPTION

b CONSCIOUS BODY BODY WISDOM: FEELING AT HOME IN YOUR BODY YOGA WORKS EVENTS COMING UP GET READY TO SWEAT WITH LISA RALEIGH

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OUR ANIMALS SENIOR PETS & FEEDING RAW

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GETAWAYS, SHOWS & EVENTS SHOWS, GETAWAYS; AND MORE, INCLUDING SANTANA LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA IN APRIL!

_ REACH OUT REACH OUT & HELP: DESERVING CHARITIES AND CAUSES NEEDING YOUR HELP

Contributing Team & Experts

ABOUT US www.childoftheuniverse.co.za PUBLISHER 2Luni Media EDITOR/OWNER Candida “Cj“ Matticks 087 802 6102 candida@childoftheuniverse.co.za

LISA RALEIGH Fitness & Nutritional Expert

Articles from the late

LOUISE L. HAY Author/Inspirational Speaker

Copy Editor Linda Navon SALES & MARKETING Sales & Marketing Manager Cj Matticks

HANNA KOK BrainGym

DR CHRISTIANE NORTHRUP

Sales Linda Navon CREATIVE TEAM Designer & Creative Director Cj Matticks Content & Layout Assistant Linda Navon

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DR. WAYNE DYER

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Author & Motivator

Digital Manager & Social Media Cj Matticks DISTRIBUTION & ACCOUNTS

Lee Coulter lee@childoftheuniverse.co.za

Articles written by the late

HEATHER PICTON

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Author, founder & director Reiki Academy London

LINDA NAVON

CJ MATTICKS

CONTACT NUMBERS TEL: 087 802 6102 011 026 2643 011 046 8737

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Contributing Team & Experts WHAT WE ARE ABOUT We believe in the ‘FIRST DO NO HARM’ principle and we select our content and advertisers accordingly. Our focus is on conscious lifestyle.

We cover topics around natural health & wellness: body, mind & spirit; conscious living for a cleaner planet, healthy recipes and fitness.

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Angel Connection School

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MICHELLE LESKE

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Medical Medium

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ISSUU APP Conscious Life Magazine is published on ISSUU. Please download the ISSUU app via the Android and Apple App Stores. It is free to use. Please follow us on there. www.issuu.com/2luni-media DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the editor, advertisers or endorsers. While every effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are both accurate and truthful, the publisher and editor accept no responsibility for inaccurate or misleading information that may be contained herein.

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Dearest Conscious Life Friends How are you doing?? I am doing really well. This past month has been a great lesson for me in the power of having faith. I learnt how to set the intention for what I want, and then hand over all worries around achieving that outcome, to the Creator of All That Is, Source energy if you will. I also learnt that it is important to let go of any expectation of how exactly my desired outcome will manifest. It has certainly been a great lesson and has resulted in much fun being had this month in amongst work. I got cast as an actress in an international commercial – such an awesome adventure which will help me pay of some of the debt that has come with owning a business. I also got to go away on a beautiful, cleansing (not least because of the rain), healing Yoga & Meditation retreat at Yoga Flow Festival. I found my zen again and have resumed my practice of daily meditation, and rising early, which is affording me a renewed outlook on life.

True to form, this month’s magazine is bursting at the seams with articles to help you live your best life with intent. So sit back, relax and enjoy. This is your “You-Time” and you deserve it!!

Side Note: My “Must Have” Product for April I am absolutely loving Hemporium’s handmade soap with Hemp Seed Oil and Honeybush. I bought some in January and have been using it ever since. It smells delicious and my skin is loving it too.

Why not give it a try, they have other “flavours” too. Click on the image to find the soap on their website.

I even got to try SUP Yoga, which is practiced on a SUP (Standing Up Paddle) Board on the water – my friend Tanya and I really loved it and will be continuing with it in the summer. I will share more about my experience in next month’s issue once I have all the photos.

I hope that your March was great too. Did you discover anything wonderful? Perhaps take a few moments to reflect on the month, the ups and possible downs. What have they taught you? What did you discover about yourself in relation to the events that unfolded? Do so in a curious manner, the objective being to simply reflect as a mirror does, without any judgment.

An opportunity to learn and grow.

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Article by Wendy Young of Wise Living

“The food body is the most tangible form connecting us to Consciousness.” Maya Tiwari.

Become aware of the changes that are occurring in nature: you can hear the gusts of wind blowing through the trees. You can feel the slight drop in temperature and the increased dryness of the air (in places like Johannesburg). You can see the changing colours of the leaves drying on the trees. You can taste the ripeness of the seasonal fruits and smell the richness of the earth.

Autumn is a time when the air element (vayu) is predominant; there is more lightness, dryness and coolness; and ‘the winds of change’ can blow more erratically. These qualities in nature have a tendency to aggravate vata which is the dosha primarily associated with the nervous system.

Vata also regulates the levels of moisture in the body, how relaxed we feel and how well we digest food. So autumn is a time to balance vata by following practices and lifestyle routines that help reduce symptoms of wind, dryness and indecisive behaviour.

Vata can build up in the lungs, nervous system, brain, large intestine, hair, nails,

bones, skin and hands. This can cause dry skin, constipation, bloating and increased anxiety, which may result in nervousness and insomnia.

The air element relates to emotions, feelings, communication, compassion, sensitivity, empathy, love, the psyche and inspiration.

These experiences and feelings can be enhanced by the natural increase in openness and creativity that the air element can create.

Vata is increased by pungent, astringent and bitter flavours that are found in very hot spices, too much black tea and raw salads; by excessive busyness and rushing; by fear and insecurity; by going to bed after 11pm.

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Suggested Autumn Routine: The focus for autumn living and wellbeing, is to bring balance to apana vayu. Apana vayu is one of the sub-types of vata that is responsible for moving everything downwards. As wind can aggravate the digestive and nervous systems, grounding is very important practice for this time of year.

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Rise early with the sun when the world is still and calm.

Flush your system with a mug of root ginger tea. Grate a ½ inch piece of fresh root ginger and add boiling water.

Hold a little warm sesame oil in your mouth for a few minutes. This is very nourishing to the mouth, strengthens teeth and helps to stop bleeding and receding gums.

Massage yourself with warm sesame oil.

This helps to combat dryness, joint cracking and stiff muscles. Rinse off in a warm shower. Place a drop of oil in your nostrils and ears.

Start your yoga practice with some alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana). The Hathayogapradipika says “By proper practice of pranayama all disease is eradicated. The vayu should be skilfully inhaled, exhaled and retained so

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that perfection is retained.” (HYP 16 and 18). What better time to master the art of breathing than in autumn when there is such high prana in the atmosphere? Nadi shodhana helps to purify the channels of toxins, especially vata toxins, which accumulate from tension. Breathing helps us to relax, and more importantly, it helps to relax the constriction in the subtle channels.

Practice asana that is grounding, opening to the hips, with a relaxing and slow rhythm using steady breathing.

All inverted poses where the head is below the waist helps to move apana vayu downward and all twists help to regulate samana vayu in the colon. Slow sun salutation with deep breathing in each pose and lots of shavasana (corpse pose) helps to soothe and calm the nervous system.

Apply grounding scents such as vetiver or a vata essential oil on the eyebrow centre and throat. (sandalwood, rose, jasmine, camphor, wintergreen, cinnamon) Your autumnal diet can consist of warming foods that are sweet, mildly spicy, sour and salty as these flavours increase moisture and encourage feeling nourished and grounded.

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Breakfast can be a small bowl of porridge: oats, rice or quinoa that can be flavoured with ginger, cinnamon or cardamom and a little maple syrup.

For lunch and supper have more nourishing foods such as steamed vegetables and a grain that is flavoured with turmeric, coriander and cumin, root vegetable soups or kicharee.

Avoid too much raw salad, cold drinks, ice, beans, fermented foods and yeast as they cause gas and may unsettle your digestion and therefore your nervous system.

If you are easily affected by the changes in the autumn season and suffer from vata imbalanced symptoms such as insomnia, erratic digestion, constipation and anxiety then the most famous Ayurvedic herbal remedy is Ashwagandha. It is great for calming and strengthening, as well as boosting energy levels. You can take it morning and evening and it is a wonderful herb to enhance stability and strength in your yoga practice.

Take a teaspoon of organic Chywanaprash in the morning and evening to keep your energy and immunity intact at this time of change. Chywanaprash is a great remedy for reducing vata and maintaining your inner strength. Contact me (details below) if you would like to order these tonic herbs.

At the end of your busy day make yourself a cup of organic raw cow’s milk, rice or almond milk gently boiled with a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom.

Oil your feet and lower belly with warm sesame seed oil and settle in for a blissful night’s sleep!

As always, listen to and trust your inner voice of intuition as well as the sensations and messages from your body. This is a very empowering tool to support you in taking responsibility for your health and living with vitality and ease.

Follow your physical needs without letting your mental attractions and aversions get in the way.

A teacher once taught me “graze like a cow and let your spirit soar”, meaning live simply according to the needs of your body and let your consciousness flourish. Simple and true!

For nutritional therapy and wellbeing coaching, or any further information on Yoga and Ayurveda, please contact me on wendy@wise-living.co.za and 072 800 4982.

If you feel called to explore, experience and cultivate deeper aspects of self care, please join me at this upcoming event: Care of Self Retreat: 20th – 22nd April, Thirsty Falls Guest Farm, Magaliesburg An invitation to slow down, rest and reconnect: to open into deep receptivity and listen to how your body, heart and mind are feeling; and to honour what your being needs in each moment to replenish and revitalise. An invitation to return home to embodiment, honesty, wholeness and aliveness. Email wendy@wise-living.co.za for more information and to book.

When our inner attitude softens and changes, the world around us looks and feels different; creating a ripple effect of wellbeing into our families, communities and country.

With love, Wendy facilitating your somatic and psychological process from Open-Hearted Presence Conscious Life Magazine

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Allergic rhinitis is the medical term for hay fever and seasonal allergies that occur not just in the spring, but throughout the summer and into the fall.

While hay fever frequently begins at a young age, it can strike anyone, at any time. Sometimes seasonal allergy symptoms fade over the years, only to reoccur later in life. If you experience seasonal allergy symptoms in one location and move to a new area with different types of flora, your allergies may go away.

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Every tree, flower and weed releases pollen, but not all individuals have heightened sensitivity or allergic reactions to all pollens.

It’s important to pay attention and recognize what triggers your allergy symptoms. For some people, cottonwood trees and ragweed are the problems, while for others it’s grass or ragweed.

Common Allergy Symptoms

Research indicates nearly 75 percent of people in the United States who suffer from seasonal allergies are allergic to ragweed.

Unlike grass, trees and flower that produce pollen in the spring and summer, pollen due to ragweed is often highest during the fall. (2)

Researchers are at odds as to why seasonal allergy symptoms have worsened over the past 30 years but agree that allergies to pollen, mold and some foods are growing exponentially. According to the “Quest Diagnostics Health Trends Allergy Report,” overall rates of allergy sensitivities have increased nearly 6 percent in just four years, and ragweed allergies have grown 15 percent.

(6)

Nearly a third of ragweed allergy sufferers also experience an allergic response to certain foods. These include cucumbers, melons, zucchini, sunflower seeds, bananas and chamomile tea. (3) If you have a ragweed allergy, avoid these foods and others listed below under “Foods to Avoid.”

Left untreated, seasonal allergy symptoms cause miserable symptoms, affect day-to-day activities and can spur asthma attacks.

Approximately 80 percent of people with asthma suffer from seasonal allergies.

Treating hay fever symptoms can reduce asthma–related hospitalizations and emergencies. (4) The same pollen and allergens that trigger seasonal allergy symptoms can cause asthma attacks, resulting in wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. This condition is referred to as allergy-induced asthma or allergic asthma. (5) People with compromised immune systems, COPD and other respiratory conditions need to manage their seasonal allergy symptoms to prevent further complications. Changes in diet, natural supplements, essential oils and lifestyle changes can help.

Allergy symptoms make you feel simply awful.

Congestion, post-nasal drip, itchy eyes and sneezing wear your body down. While the severity of symptoms of allergic rhinitis vary widely from season to season, chances are if you have seasonal allergies, the symptoms impact your day-to-day life.

Many hay fever symptoms are similar to those of a common cold or sinus infection, but colds and sinus infections come and go much more quickly than seasonal allergies.

Allergy symptoms don’t go away until the pollen is dormant.

Someone suffering from seasonal allergies faces the same challenges, season after season. When the allergen is pollen, mold or another airborne substance, the symptoms typically manifest in the lungs, nose and eyes. Food allergies, on the other hand, most commonly affect the mouth, stomach and may cause skin rashes.

Common seasonal allergy symptoms include: • • • • • • • •

Congestion Post-nasal drip Excess mucus production Sneezing Runny nose Itchy, watery eyes Scratchy throat Tickle/irritation in the ears Conscious Life Magazine

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Decreased concentration and focus Decreased decision-making Exhaustion and sleep disorders Mood swings Irritability Low blood pressure Asthma Hives Eczema Middle ear infections

Limiting the time you spend outdoors can help relieve these symptoms of hay fever.

But this isn’t the best solution.

Who wants to spend their spring, summer and fall stuck indoors?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), allergies can’t generally be prevented, but allergic reactions can be.

(7) The treatment goal is to avoid contact with the allergen — however, this is extremely difficult for individuals with seasonal allergies.

Treating your seasonal allergy symptoms requires a multipronged attack, one that addresses your diet, lifestyle and natural treatments.

Underlying Causes Allergy Symptoms

of

Did you know that your risk of suffering from seasonal allergy symptoms increases dramatically if you have certain underlying medical conditions?

Asthma, unmanaged stress, deviated septum, nasal polyps, recent trauma or Conscious Life Magazine

illness, pregnancy, and even food allergies can put you at heightened risk.

These conditions, and others, can adversely affect your immune system functioning.

Allergy symptoms are caused when our bodies release histamine in response to an allergen. (8) A strong immune system is key to fighting seasonal allergies.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, allergies are actually disorders of the immune system. The body over-reacts to harmless substances and produces antibodies to attack the substance. This is what causes the symptoms. (9) You’re particularly susceptible to a weakened immune system after a physical trauma or surgery, underlying illnesses, or during times of emotional and physical stress. A lack of sleep can even make you more prone to allergies; not getting enough sleep weakens your immune system. (10) Stress plays a big part in the immune system, and unmanaged stress can lead to allergy symptoms. According to the British Institute for Allergy & Environmental Therapy, stress makes allergies worse, and once stress is properly managed and relieved, the symptoms of hay fever improve. (11)

Stress plays a big part in the immune system, and unmanaged stress can lead to allergy symptoms.

Women who are pregnant — even those who’ve never suffered from allergies before — are more prone to allergic rhinitis and seasonal allergy symptoms. In fact, 1 in 100 pregnant women suffer from asthma during pregnancy, and many more suffer from seasonal allergies. (12) Safely treating the symptoms during pregnancy can be difficult — most over-the-

counter (OTC) and prescription allergy medications aren’t considered safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Fortunately, there are numerous effective natural remedies that are safe, including for children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Treating Allergy Symptoms Naturally Antihistamines, corticosteroids and decongestants, as well as other OTC allergy medications, counteract the effect of the histamine produced by the body. However, they do have side effects. The most common are: • drowsiness • impaired performance • dryness of the eyes, nose and mouth • restlessness • abdominal distress • unusual bleeding and bruising • heart palpitations • insomnia In children, side effects include: nightmares • over excitability • upset stomach • impaired cognitive function Pharmaceutical allergy medicines simply aren’t for everyone. Remember, they don’t cure the allergies — they just treat the symptoms. (13) In fact, many aren’t recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or those with high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney or liver disease, glaucoma, or with thyroid problems.

Foods to Avoid During Allergy Season: • • • • • • •

Alcohol Caffeine Conventional dairy Chocolate Peanuts Sugar Artificial sweeteners Conscious Life Magazine

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Processed foods Melons Bananas Cucumbers Sunflower seeds Shellfish Bottled citrus juice Echinacea Chamomile Wheat Soy

There are foods that you should avoid during allergy season. Any foods that you are allergic to, or have sensitivity to, should be avoided. If you’re not sure how far-reaching your food sensitivities are, an elimination diet can help identify foods that can make your allergies worse.

Foods that commonly make hay fever symptoms worse include alcohol, caffeine, dairy, chocolate, peanuts, sugar, wheat, citrus and chocolate. In addition, many common food preservatives — including sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium sulfite and artificial sweeteners — can contribute to your allergic rhinitis symptoms.

Avoid dried fruits, bottled citrus juice, shrimp and any highly processed foods. In addition, many people find relief when avoiding foods that cause mucus production — and it isn’t just dairy that contributes to mucus.

Conventional dairy, gluten, sugar, caffeinated beverages, as well as any foods that you have sensitivity for can worsen your allergy symptoms. (14)

If you have a ragweed allergy, it’s important to avoid melons, bananas, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, echinacea and chamomile, as they can an trigger allergic response in your system.

The overall goal of limiting foods that you have sensitivity to is to lighten the overall burden on your immune system and allow it to function more optimally.

Foods to Enjoy During Allergy Season: • • • • • • • • • •

Raw local honey Hot and spicy foods Bone broth Probiotic-rich foods Pineapple Apple cider vinegar Fresh organic vegetables Grass-fed meats Free-range poultry Wild-caught fish

The foods to avoid list may feel overwhelming, but fortunately, there are great tasting foods that will help relieve your symptoms while strengthening your immune system.

Raw local honey is at the top of this list, for good reason. In a randomized controlled study published in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, patients that consumed honey had significantly better control of their allergy symptoms than those on conventional allergy medications. (15) Local honey works to relieve symptoms because it contains local pollen that is causing your allergies. A couple of tablespoons each day can relieve your itchy, watery eyes, congestion and the general symptoms of hay fever.

If you are battling excessive mucus, heat things up by eating hot, spicy foods. Hot spicy foods help to thin the mucus and allow it to be more easily expressed. Try adding garlic, onion, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne pepper to your recipes.

Bone broth, from chicken, beef or lamb, helps to ease respiratory problems and helps to expel excess nasal mucus. It also helps to reduce inflammation in the body and boosts the immune system.

Probiotic-rich foods support a stronger immune system, improve digestion, increase Conscious Life Magazine

energy levels, and so much more.

Probiotic foods to eat during allergy season include: • kefir • sauerkraut or kimchi • kombucha • natto • yogurt • raw cheese If you are experiencing excessive mucus production, consume raw organic dairy products, as the pasteurization process destroys the enzymes our bodies need.

The enzyme bromelain found in pineapple, in addition to high levels of vitamins B, C and other essential nutrients can help to reduce your reaction to seasonal allergies. Be sure to eat the core of fresh ripe pineapples as it has the highest concentration of the essential nutrients you need during allergy season.

Other foods to enjoy during hay fever season including ginger, garlic, horseradish and onions. Ginger can be particularly helpful as it helps to warm the body and break down toxins in your system.

In addition to avoiding certain foods, and incorporating the foods mentioned above, allergy sufferers can benefit from the addition of high-quality natural supplements. It’s best to start supplements 30–60 days in advance of allergy symptoms for the best results.

Recent research shows that spirulina, butterbur and phototherapy hold promise in treating the symptoms of seasonal allergies.

(16) Spirulina — 1 teaspoon per day: Spirulina is one of the most researched supplements, and the results are promising. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, spirulina stops the release of histamine that causes symptoms. (17)

Apple cider vinegar helps to boost the immune system, helps to break up mucus and supports lymphatic drainage. Three times per day, mix 1 tablespoon of ACV with 1 tablespoon of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and a half-tablespoon of local raw honey and drink.

The consumption of spirulina has been proven to significantly improve symptoms including nasal discharge, sneezing, nasal congestion and itching in a double-blind, placebocontrolled study. (18)

Fresh organic vegetables — including Swiss chard, which is high in quercetin, cabbage, beets, carrots and yams — can help you fight seasonal allergies. Choose vegetables that are dark green, yellow or orange for best nutrient density during allergy season.

Quercetin — 1,000 milligrams per day: Research shows that quercetin, the flavonoid that gives fruits and vegetables their rich color, stops the production and release of histamine. (19) Please note that quercetin may interfere with certain medications, including antibiotics, cyclosporine and other medications changed by the liver. (20)

Clean proteins including wild-caught salmon, free-range poultry and organic grass-fed beef and lamb are important, too. Wild salmon is rich in vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, essential minerals and, of course, protein. If you haven’t yet made the switch to these types of clean proteins, allergy season is the perfect time.

Butterbur — 500 milligrams per day: Butterbur has traditionally been used to treat bronchitis, excess mucus and asthma.

However, in a recent study of hay fever sufferers, it was found to be as effective as some allergic rhinitis medications. (21) However, young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women should not take butterbur.

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Probiotics — 50 billion IU (2–6 capsules) per day: Probiotics modify the intestinal flora in the gut and help boost the immune system, plus they show promise in the treatment and prevention of allergies. (22) While studies in using probiotics are still in the early stages, another study from the European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology support the findings that probiotics can be an effective allergy treatment. (23) Vitamin A — 2,000 micrograms per day: Vitamin A boosts the immune system, fights inflammation and has antihistamine properties.

Bromelain — 1,000 milligrams per day: Bromelain, the enzyme in pineapple, helps to Conscious ConsciousLife LifeMagazine Magazine

reduce swelling in the nose and sinuses, helping to relieve hay fever symptoms.

Zinc — 30 milligrams per day: Zinc helps to heal adrenal fatigue caused by chronic stress.

As mentioned above, stress worsens the symptoms of seasonal allergies and helps to regulate how your body stores histamine.

Stinging Nettle — 300–500 milligrams twice per day: Stinging nettle contains antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce the body’s production of symptom causing histamine. If you are taking lithium, sedatives, blood thinning medications, medication for diabetes or high blood pressure, be aware that stinging nettle can cause adverse interactions with these medications. (24)

Complementary Natural Allergy Treatments Tackling allergies from multiple fronts is vital.

These complementary approaches help to relieve the symptoms and help you feel better when partnered with a healthy diet and supplements.

Neti Pot — Using a Neti pot during allergy season or after exposure to allergens, is a very effective way to relieve nasal congestion and flush out mucus. (25) Once or twice daily, use warm filtered water or distilled water with a touch of salt to flush your nasal passages for relief.

Essential Oils — Diffusing essential oils, including menthol, eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint oil, helps to open up the nasal passages and lungs, improves circulation and relieves stress. Try my Homemade Vapor Rub when you have excess congestion and mucus.

Acupuncture — In a small study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, acupuncture reduced the symptoms associated with seasonal allergies in 26

patients and without side effects. Prior to allergy season, meet with an acupuncturist to determine the best course of action.

Lifestyle Changes for Allergy Season Stay hydrated. Drink eight to ten glasses of fresh water each day. If you get dehydrated, any mucus you have will become much more difficult to expel.

Limit exposure. On high pollen count days, or days that are particularly dusty or windy, limit your exposure. Wear a mask if you cannot limit your time outdoors.

Shower before bed. Pollen and dust left on your skin and in your hair overnight can make your symptoms worse.

Wash clothes and bedding. Freshly laundered bedding and clothes help to reduce incidental exposure to allergens.

Wipe down pets. Pets that spend time outdoors come into the home covered in pollen. Wipe them down with a damp washcloth to limit your exposure to pollen and dust.

Replace carpeted areas with hard-surfaced flooring. Carpet attracts and keeps dust and pollen that is nearly difficult to remove with a vacuum. If you have significant seasonal allergy symptoms, you could benefit from replacing your carpet with an easy to clean surface.

De-clutter. Clutter can increase house dust and allergens, which make your seasonal allergy symptoms worse. Remove clutter, especially from your bedroom, for the best results.

Keep doors and windows closed. When pollen counts are high, or on dusty days, keep your doors and windows closed to limit exposure.

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The planet is in danger of being destroyed by our greatest threat, ourselves!!!! It’s up to all of us to ensure we do not destroy the environment in which we live and the future environment in which our children will live.

Recycling is as simple as separating home waste and educating our children to do the same.

If we all take this step, it will make a huge difference to our environment and ensure that the various recyclables are recycled and disposed of in the correct manner or sent to the correct facilities for re-use. Recycling is a great way to save our natural resources and even generate energy.

At ECOmonkey they are taking the first important step to try and minimise harmful waste left in our environment, by working with communities to clean up our surroundings, namely local parks and streams to create a clean environment and further creating employment opportunities through this initiative.

Earth Probiotic help you to recycle your food waste into food for the soil with their Bokashi Recycling Kits.

Working together, these two companies do a great job in helping to ensure the health of the planet. Let them help you do the same…

WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE… DO YOU???

Let's take the 1st step in creating a cleaner environment & ensuring our children have a brighter, cleaner future...

WE COLLECT YOUR RECYCLING & CREATE EMPLOYMENT: We collect & deliver the materials to various, community recycling projects we support, the materials are sorted & the income goes directly to the community members involved.

WHO DO WE SERVICE? Households, flats, townhouse complexes, estates, office complexes, industrial companies & shopping centres. Ensuring recyclables are processed correctly & don’t end up on unsightly, dirty & negatively impacting land fill sites.

www.ecomonkey.co.za

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Story at-a-glance • • • •

Nasturtiums — colorful flowers that are fast and easy to grow — provide edible blooms known for their peppery tang As their name suggests, you can be “nasty” to nasturtiums because they do well in lean soil and thrive even when somewhat neglected Nasturtiums not only contain beneficial amounts of vitamin C, beta carotene, iron and manganese, but they also boast the highest lutein content of any edible plant Some of the purported medicinal uses for nasturtiums include fighting bacterial and fungal infections, neutralizing free radicals, promoting hair growth, soothing colds and coughs and treating skin conditions

By Dr. Mercola More than just a colorful flower that is easy to grow, nasturtium is valued as a tasty, edible plant known for its peppery tang. As the name suggests, you can be "nasty" to nasturtiums because they do well in lean soil and thrive when somewhat neglected. Whether you are looking for nasturtiums to add color to salads and party trays, act as a trap plant in your garden or cover an arch or trellis, there is certain to be a nasturtium variety suited to your need.

Plus, all parts of the plant can be used medicinally. Because nasturtiums are most often grown from seed, you may have trouble finding them at nurseries. The seeds germinate quickly, however, and since you'll want to raise pesticide-free plants, your best option is to plant your own. Here's everything you need to know to successfully grow nasturtiums.

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Nasturtiums Are a Great Source of Vitamin C, Lutein and More Nasturtium flowers contain about 130 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per 100 grams (g), or 3.5 ounces. Notably, nasturtiums boast the highest lutein content — 45 mg per 100 g serving — found in any edible plant.

The importance of lutein for your eye health was noted by researchers, who said, "As increasing evidence supports the role of lutein and zeaxanthin in reducing the risk of cataract and macular degeneration, food sources of these carotenoids are being sought."3 According to the Urban Cultivator, nasturtiums are more than just a pretty flower; they have well-known medicinal properties:4 "Both the leaves and petals of the nasturtium plant are packed with nutrition, containing high levels of vitamin C. It has the ability to improve the immune system, tackling sore throats, coughs and colds, as well as bacterial and fungal infections. These plants also contain high amounts of manganese, iron, flavonoids and beta carotene."

Further building the case for the nutritional value of nasturtium plants, The Kansas City Star states:5 "In traditional medicine, an ointment is made from nasturtium flowers and used to treat skin conditions, as well as hair loss. The group of phenols in the pigments of orange and red flowers helps [neutralize] the damaging effects of free radicals, thereby helping to protect us from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer."

If taken during early pregnancy, nasturtiums might induce menstruation and cause a miscarriage.6 As such, it's best to avoid eating any part of the nasturtium plant — capers, flowers, leaves and stems — during pregnancy. Additionally, even though nasturtiums were used for kidney and urinary tract problems in ancient times, be sure to consult your physician before using this plant for health purposes.

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Ways to Use Incredible, Edible Nasturtiums

In the short video above, Nancy Baggett of KitchenLane.com presents three ideas on how to use nasturtiums, including adding them to salads, creating nasturtium vinegar and making nasturtium vinaigrette dressing. Using a variety of richly colored nasturtium blooms is the key to her simple recipes. Nasturtiums add a slightly peppery flavor that is similar to the taste of watercress. As always, I recommend you use organic ingredients to avoid unnecessary exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

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Although the flower is most often enjoyed, the entire nasturtium plant is edible. Their vibrant colors and tangy taste make nasturtiums a delicious addition to many dishes. When adding nasturtium flowers and leaves to salads, it is best to harvest them just prior to use. Besides using them in salads, the Micro Gardener suggests the following additional uses for nasturtiums: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Add leaves or blooms to sandwiches, wraps and vegetable juices Decorate cakes, other desserts and party trays with the flowers, or freeze them in ice cube trays to add a splash of color to cold beverages Incorporate chopped leaves and blooms into casseroles, soups, risottos and rice dishes; blend them into grass fed butter Stuff and bake the blooms as you would grape leaves, using a mixture of currants, nuts, rice and savory spices like cinnamon, cloves and mint Use chopped leaves to replace garlic or green onions in soups, stir-fries and other dishes

Beyond the mentioned uses, recipes abound for nasturtium pesto and pickled nasturtium seed pods, which some enjoy as a substitute for capers. Regardless of how you decide to use nasturtiums, these easy-to-grow edible flowers are sure to add a splash of color and health to your life.

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Honey and Cinnamon How to Use This Powerful Combination to Treat Various Health Issues Honey and cinnamon form a miracle combination that works wonders for your health if you know how to use!

Health experts worldwide are bewildered due to the unlimited health benefits this magical mix has on offer.

You can also be one amongst many who may have benefited or are being benefited due to the combination of cinnamon and honey if you know the right applications of this mix and the ways to use the same.

The ways to get the most of out of this miracle mix.

1. Cholesterol – This mix would bring down the bad cholesterol and boost up the good cholesterol levels. A study has revealed that having 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon daily have reduced the cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Both honey and cinnamon have cholesterol reducing properties, but the combination would almost double the benefits.

Usage Tips – Take 3/4th teaspoon cinnamon powder with 1 tablespoon honey. Take it thrice a day for cholesterol reduction. Mixing honey and cinnamon with hot water or green tea would also accelerate the benefits.

2. Fights Common Cold – As the name suggests, a common cold is quite a common health condition experienced by people of all age groups. The anti-viral and antibacterial properties of honey and cinnamon would fight it effectively. You may start taking this mix as a preventive measure or when you first experience the symptoms to knock out cold and flu.

Usage Tips – Mix 1 teaspoon honey into lukewarm water. Add a pinch of cinnamon powder and your flu-fighting mix is ready. Sip this two to three times a day for faster results.

3. Heart Health – The regular consumption of honey and cinnamon would not only reduce the cholesterol levels but would also clear the clogged arteries. The open arteries would reduce the risk of heart attack due to even blood circulation.

Usage Tips – Apply the mix of honey and cinnamon on bread instead of using jam. Have this for breakfast and it will gradually help remove blockages from your blood vessels.

4. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels – Studies carried out on subjects suffering from Type 2 Diabetes have brought forward the benefits of cinnamon in regulating blood sugar levels. This spice has always shown promising results in Type 2 Diabetes, but now the health experts have also endorsed this combination for the same. Even the sweetness of honey was found to have positive results in fighting this disease.

Usage Tips – Add this sweet and spicy mix to your tea or bowl of cereal and start your day with the healthy mix.

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5. Aids Digestion – Good digestion is the indication of good health. The regular consumption of this mix before meals would prevent conditions like acidity and gas. It aids faster digestion.

Usage Tips – Have honey and cinnamon paste daily before meals. You can also add lukewarm water. Take it on an empty stomach for best results.

6. Reduces Joint Pain and Arthritis – The main trouble of arthritis is chronic joint pain that just won’t go! The miracle mix has been found to relieve this condition too. It can control the symptoms of arthritis like inflammation of joints and stiffness efficiently.

Usage Tips – Take the mixture of 2 teaspoons honey and 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed in 1 cup hot water twice daily, preferably in the morning and in the evening.

7. Weight Loss – Yes, believe it or not, but this wonder remedy would bring down the number on the weighing scale. Honey melts the stubborn fat deposited on various parts of your body. When combined with cinnamon, it will remove excess fat and also enhance the metabolism.

Usage Tips – Put 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a cup and pour boiling water over it. Let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes before adding 1 tablespoon honey. Opt for the organic honey to get the maximum benefits.

8. Clear Skin – Cinnamon and honey, both are anti-fungal and antibacterial. Getting the pimple-free skin is easy with this mix as it will prevent any sort of bacterial or fungal infection from developing further.

Usage Tips – This time, you don’t have to take this mix orally. You have to apply the paste made from cinnamon and honey on pimples or affected area. Apply it overnight and then wash it off in the morning to get the clear skin. You will need frequent applications for chronic infections.

9. Fights Bad Breath – No need to stay away from the crowd because of bad breath. Gargle with this mix before you head towards the social gathering, and it will help solve the problem of bad breath.

Usage Tips – Mix 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon cinnamon with lukewarm water.

Gargle twice with this mix to avoid an embarrassing situation.

10. Say No to Hair Loss – Once you start losing your hair, the condition is difficult to reverse.

The combination of cinnamon and honey will help you with that.

Usage Tips – Prepare the mixture of warm olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Apply on the scalp and let is stay for 15 minutes before washing. Results will be commendable.

All our problems can be cured or prevented if we know the miracle solutions nature has to offer. Use the above-described remedies to get rid of most of the chronic health problems naturally and easily.

By Valerie S. Valerie is a multiinterested law student who is fond of reading and writing about numerous topics.

Conscious Life Magazine

healing benefits of astragalus Astragalus is an essential herb for your immune system and is well known to help fight viral & bacteria infections, inflammation, and even cancer. It quickly and effectively strengthens the immune system and increases white blood count which makes it highly beneficial for warding off and reducing the effects of colds, flu, respiratory ailments, herpes, shingles, and immune system disorders.

Astragalus is also excellent at promoting circulation and helping to reduce chest pains, lower high blood pressure, and prevent cardiovascular problems such as arrhythmia and heart disease. Astragalus is great for managing diabetes and helping to lower blood sugar. It is highly beneficial for the liver and kidneys and has been shown to help those suffering from hepatitis, chronic nephritis, jaundice, and renal disease.

It can also help to lower stomach acidity which helps those suffering from ulcers and indigestion. It helps to prevent fats from being absorbed from the intestines which promotes healthy waste elimination. Astragalus has also been found to help boost metabolism and increase energy and endurance levels which ultimately can lead to substantial weight loss.

Astragalus works well with conventional treatments and has even shown to be an effective complement to those undergoing chemotherapy and HIV/AIDS treatments. It has long been used as an anti-aging and longevity tonic that enhances all the systems of the body and promotes overall health and balance. Astragalus is commonly found online or at your local health food store in tincture, extract, capsule, or tea form.

Learn more about which foods can heal and restore your body in my new book, click here http://bit.ly/MM-book www.medicalmedium.com Conscious Life Magazine

Warm Autumn Salad Recipe Serves 2-4

Image Courtesy of Gourmet Mum

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

1 sm. Butternut Squash 2 Apples, chopped 1/2 Red Onion, chopped 1 cup Brussel Sprouts, Chopped 2 Tbsp. coconut oil 1/4 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese 1/4 Tsp. Cardamom Chopped Parsley as Garnish Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

• Place on a baking sheet and Roast for 45-50 Mins tossing every 15 mins • Remove and let cool for 5 mins.

• Serve on plate and top with Goat Cheese and Parsley garnish.

This Warm Autumn Salad recipe is delicious!

It’s creamy, refreshing and loaded with flavor!

It’s easy to make and a great snack or side!

Directions: • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F • Mix in bowl, Squash, Apples, Brussel Sprouts, Onions, Oil, Cardamom, Salt and Pepper

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Green Monday’s Breakfast Quesadilla Serves 6

Ingredients: • 12 Flour wraps defrosted • ½ kg tomatoes, sliced For the cheese sauce • 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed • 23 grams Nutritional Yeast • 240ml coconut oil (or olive oil blend) • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon paprika • 30ml lemon juice • For the refried beans • 1 ½ kg baked beans • ½ kg onions, chopped • 360 grams red pepper, chopped • 10 grams paprika • 3 grams cayenne pepper • 7 grams oregano

Directions: To make cheese sauce • Cook potatoes until soft in boiling water.

• Place the boiled potatoes (must use them while they are still hot, otherwise it will result in a lumpy cheese sauce rather than a creamy smooth one), nutritional yeast, oil, lemon juice and salt in the processor and mix until smooth.

• If the cheese becomes a dough and makes a ball in the processor, add just a bit more oil (about 15m (a tablespoon) at a time) To make the refried beans • Heat oil in a pan on low-medium heat and fry onions and red pepper for a minute.

• Now add cayenne, oregano, paprika and salt and continue to fry for about 2 minutes.

• Once the red pepper is soft, add the baked beans and mix together.

• Mash the baked beans a bit using a potato masher or fork so that the mixture is mashed but still a bit chunky.

• Now place about 4 full tablespoons of refried beans onto one half side of the wrap and spread evenly, enough to cover the half, add 3 or 4 slices of tomato, followed by a dollop of cheese sauce to cover the mixture completely. Fold over the wrap to make a half moon.

• Place the half-moon filled wrap on a lightly oiled pan on medium heat and fry until it becomes golden brown, then flip over and fry until the other side is golden brown and crispy too. This should take about a minute on each side.

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Green Monday: Jody C’s Get Fresh Wrap Best shared with loved ones

Ingredients: • 1 medium beetroot grated • 1 large carrot grated • ½ cup mix sprouts • 3 large spring onion chopped • ½ cup diced cucumber • 2 Tsp Fresh coriander chopped • Wholemeal wraps • Fresh Vegan Hummus

Directions: • Mix all the fresh ingredients together (excluding hummus) in a large salad bowl.

• Heat the wraps up on a non stick pan until they start to change colour towards a golden brown.

• Spread 1x tablespoon hummus over the wrap.

• Pack in at much FRESH salad as you can, fold in half and enjoy!

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Click on arrow below to watch video on the Antaneea process

The Sivananda School of Yoga was founded in 1956 by a small group in Johannesburg who were inspired by one of the greatest yogis of the twentieth century, Swami Sivananda of Muni Ki Reti, Himalayas. The School's voting members are the trustees of its property, the committee, and currently serving teachers, who serve without remuneration. Shunning all the hybrid inventions, adaptations, and variously named "yogas" which have appeared in recent decades, our teachers are faithful to authentic Yoga in the Hindu tradition: the only Yoga the Sivananda School recognises as such.

Yoga Classes Hatha Yoga Morning Classes: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 09h00 - 10h30 Saturday and Sunday 08h30 - 10h00 Hatha Yoga Evening Classes: Monday to Friday 17h30 to 19h00 The monthly subscription (see yoga fees) gives unlimited attendance to all classes of every kind.

New students do not need to book for Hatha (yoga exercise sessions); just arrive five minutes early.

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Nourish to Flourish Care of Self Retreat: self care for body, heart, mind and soul “Taking care of myself doesn’t mean me first, it means me too!”

Join Wendy Young from Wise Living www.wise-living.co.za for a weekend immersion into self care, like hearted community and the healing beauty of autumn in the Magaliesberg.

20th – 22nd April 2018

An Invitation to:     

slow down, rest and reconnect open into deep receptivity listen to how your body, heart and mind are feeling honour what your being needs in each moment to replenish and revitalise return home to embodiment, aliveness and True Self

The Retreat Will Include:     

morning and sunset movement and meditation practices circle time with facilitated process, group discussion and sharing empowering tools and skills to support self care in daily life labyrinth and nature walks self enquiry and solitude

A Weekend Immersion:    

the beauty and healing energy of nature like-hearted community spiritual practice stillness and aliveness

Dates: 20th – 22nd April 2018  

the retreat starts with supper on Friday at 7pm and finishes after lunch on Sunday at 3pm you are welcome to arrive from 3pm on Friday

Venue: Thirsty Falls Guest Farm, Magaliesberg www.thirstyfalls.com Cost: R2 300 

all inclusive of twin shared en-suite accommodation, 3 vegetarian meals per day, drinks and snacks as well as all the facilitation.



single room supplement of R300 a non-refundable deposit of R1 300 secures your place



To book: Please email jenny@thirstyfalls.com to confirm your place

Reconnect with Spirit

Rediscover your Life Force Restore Balance

PSYCHIC MEDIUM As a Psychic Medium, I am able to connect with spirit guides, where I receive messages about a clients past, present and future. These messages may be beneficial to help bring clarity

on their lives and where be leading.

Many of the messages have received for my have been healing on levels.

it may that I clients many

REIKI A quantity that is almost impossible to define! Energy can never be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. Among the familiar forms are heat energy, energy of motion, electrical energy, and sound energy.

Reiki is a form of energy healing. This form of healing helps to maintain balance within, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Reiki is a form or spiritual or energy healing. It helps open up and remove blockages

within the system. Each system within our bodies is intimately connected to the seven major charkas.

Reiki will help remove these blockages and restore balance.

Contact Damian Wood Email: damian@woodswellness.co.za Mobile: 082 863 8842 www.woodswellness.co.za Conscious Life Magazine

Being a Psychic Medium

By Damian Wood It was a few years ago and I was sitting in the TV room at my mom and dad’s house. All of a sudden my son, who was two years old at that stage, stood up and walked to other side of the TV room and started staring at the ceiling, with a big smile on his face.

I asked him what he was smiling at, and all that he said was, “the man”.

About 3 months ago, I took my daughter, who is two years old, to her room to change her nappy.

I placed her on top of the compactum. My daughter looked at the curtains and started to giggle. I asked her what she found so amusing.

She said: “The Angel”.

“Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of reality you want and you cannot help get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.”

Albert Einstein

I have been consulting as a Psychic Medium for over nine years. It all really started when I was working in a pharmacy and working as a nutrition consultant. I was giving people advice on nutrition programs for whatever problems they had, from arthritis to menopause. But as time went by, I started to feel and see that there were reasons why people were feeling the way they were. I also started to see relatives that were in the spirit world around these people.

I must admit, I thought there was a chance that I was losing my mind. I discussed this “problem” that I had with my Dad. My Dad then suggested that I learn Reiki, which is exactly what I did. I then started doing Reiki on my friends and family to get the experience I needed before I went out and did Reiki on the public. The images came through a lot clearer.

It was really awesome to combine Reiki with Mediumship. I felt so strongly about the fact that the two go hand in hand. Messages from the spirit world can be so healing and helpful for so many different reasons. Messages about the past have helped people realise why they may have the issues that they are dealing with in the present.

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Messages about the present may be able to help put into perspective why people are where they are. The beauty about Reiki, is that it is a tool to help the body restore balance and promote relaxation. The body needs to rest in order to heal.

I always start my readings with Reiki. People store their emotions and feelings in the body. Doing Reiki on my clients, enables me to pick up what emotions people are going through and what ailments they may be battling with. I also get information from their spirit guides as to why people are feeling the way they are. The spirit guides are also awesome in sharing general information about a client’s life.

Albert Einstein has become a fantastic motivator for me and what I do. I believe, because Albert Einstein says so, that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

That everything that you see, smell, touch, taste, hear, is energy. Even your thoughts are energy. In other words, everything is vibrating at a specific frequency.

When the soul leaves the body, is it not then vibrating at a specific frequency? Why then, is it not possible to communicate with the spirit world? The soul is still there, it’s just vibrating at a different frequency.

Everyone has the ability to communicate with the spirit world, ask Albert Einstein and my kids.

NOTE FROM LINDA NAVON – Deputy Editor: I am by nature a complete skeptic, I have to see or feel something to believe it, or buy into it. Being a Reiki practitioner myself, I believe in what I have experienced whilst working with ‘Spirit’.

Whilst doing my usual research I came across Damian and have had many chats with him and invited him to write for us. I want people to understand that having the ability to be in contact with ‘the other side’ (call it whatever makes you comfortable), is not in any way a ‘woo-woo’ practice. I have had various experiences with people who have passed on and completely believe in communicating on various frequencies.

My own grand daughter passed us messages from her Dada, my late son, at the age of two.

Conscious Life Magazine

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Conscious Life Magazine

Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat is dedicated to wellbeing and the transformation of our individual and collective consciousness through insight meditation, mindfulness, and healing modalities.

At Dharmagiri, we hold a dream that healing and liberation is the birth right of all. Our focus is to catalyze this potential through contemplative practices that reconnect with the core of who we are, beyond the masks we wear, at the timeless level of our being.

The power of Mvuleni-Bamboo Mountain where Dharmagiri is nestled, and Dharmagiri’s legacy of Buddhist inspired wisdom teachings, enables a process of awakening from personal and collective wounding. As dysfunctional conditioning is released, our innate, intuitive intelligence is activated, guiding our way home so we remember that we are loving and compassionate, and as unique and authentic selves, belong together within the inter-connected web of life.

Dharmagiri is on the border of South Africa and Lesotho near Underberg, KZN. It was founded in 2000 by Kittisaro and Thanissara, who trained in the Thai Forest monastic Tradition, and is guided by them, Chandasara, who also trained in the same tradition, a board of directors, and members of Sacred Mountain Sangha, an affiliated community of South African and International Dharma practitioners.

We offer guided silent meditation retreats, self-retreats, and a range of shorter retreats that promote physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Within an ethos of open inquiry and self-empowerment, we share teachings and practices that encourage the cultivation of mindfulness, insight meditation (vipassana), compassion, integrity and wisdom. We believe changing the world for better grows from each person’s ability to access peace, clarity, and their positive creative potential.

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RETREATS Date: April 26 - May 2, 2018 Title: Understanding our True Connection with Nature: An African/Buddhist Dialogue Teachers: Mandaza Kandemwa & Chandasara Everything is teaching us – Ajahn Chah Our real home is inner peace – Ajahn Chah Be like the ocean that refuses no river – Mandaza Kandemwa The focus of this retreat will be on understanding our true connection with Nature and rediscovering how to live in balance and harmony with natural processes, both inner and outer.

Can this reawakening of our intuitive sensitivity support the restoration of peace in our own hearts and minds as well as the healing of the social divisions that divide us?

The retreat will include dialogues about African and Buddhist understandings of our true relationship with Nature, sessions and meditations outside in Nature, ceremonies honouring Nature, as well as opportunities for private individual readings with Mandaza.

Chandasara

Mandaza Kandemwa - is a spirit-medium and medicine-man from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He was initiated through the tradition of the njuzu, the water spirits. As a vessel of the Spirits, Mandaza receives visions and dreams, makes offerings, performs healing rituals, and serves as a messenger for the Ancient Ones. Mandaza carries with him in his heart the African spiritual tradition of healing and peacemaking. He is known internationally for his loving presence and for his preservation of the old ways. He stands for Truth, Love, Justice and Peace in this world. Like the water spirits he carries, Mandaza flows between the worlds, moving easily between the worlds of Christianity, the secular, the traditional, the modern, the industrial and the earth ways, all that is sacred and profane. Currently, Mandaza travels internationally offering teachings and healing counsel in churches, schools, prisons and hospitals.

You can listen to a talk by Mandaza on the Mind and Life website www.BotswanaUbuntuConference2017livestream

Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat Underberg, Southern Drakensberg KZN www.dharmagiri.org office@dharmagiri.org Cost: From R450 – R550 a night, full board, vegetarian food. + Dana (free-will offering.)

Scholarships available.

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Divine Magic – “Extra magical energy surround your situation right now.

Expect miracles!”

Interpretation Angel Card Reading: Interpretation by Margi of Magical Mermaids and Dolphins Cards by Doreen Virtue

So often you lose the “magic “in your life! You become caught up in the realities of life and all the demands that are put on you and your limited time. Today the Angels are telling you that you have been given a gift of “magic” to assist you with a challenging situation that you are facing. This is their way of assisting and supporting you through this difficult time. No matter how enormous the challenge is, they are telling you that it has been enfolded in love and light which will dissolve all negative aspects of it and bring about the perfect solution which will work for everyone who is involved, by bringing in what is for their highest good. Understand that the resolution of these situations will not just be sorting things out but will be absolutely miraculous! This means that things will happen in a most powerful and amazing way and in ways that you have never expected or imagined. Have faith and trust and hand it all over to the Angels so that they can bring “magic” into your life today and sprinkle a bit of “magic” dust over you and all that is happening in your life! Your life will never be the same again!!

Angel light and blessings Margi (Angel Connection) Conscious Life Magazine

Welcome To The Angel Connection School of Africa The Angel Connection School of Africa, established as a non-profit organisation, for the highest good of all, will incorporate all forms of Spirituality continuing with the basic teachings of Angels, Ascension, Atlantis etc. which we all know to be Universal.

The teachings of various modalities will however, be enhanced by adding the specific requirements of our culture and ethnicity, whilst retaining flexibility.

The mission statement of the school is:“To Light up Africa so that Africa can Light up the World”

A Letter From The School Principal – Margi McAlpine

Angel Connection Day

Meditations

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SPIRITUAL TEACHER TRAINING COURSE - SOUTH AFRICA 2018 Are you ready to change your life forever and in the process assist others by enlightening and empowering them? Do you feel that this is your Divine Life Path, helping to spread the light to others and accelerating your own personal growth?

If this is the case then this life changing Teacher Training course is for you!

I am delighted to announce that the next Teacher Training course is from 2nd to 15th March 2018 at The Angel Warehouse, Spirit of Amberfield, Rheenendal (near Knysna). http://angels.za.com/venue/ This course is for those that are passionate, motivated and committed to working with the Angels and Ascension and wanting to pass their knowledge and passion onto others so that they too are empowered and enlightened. You do not have to be very experienced in your Spiritual abilities, but must be working from the heart with enthusiasm and integrity. Academic qualifications are not important. Your own personal self-development and the desire and passion to pass this onto others, is what counts.

This course emphasises your own self-development which is so very important. I take pride in inviting you into our sacred and very special space where you will be nurtured and supported whilst you grow and learn. This beautiful country venue offers a special and safe place to focus your attention and listen to the longing of your own soul allowing you to grow and do your own self-development. This experience is unique and a special gift that you give yourself whilst you are preparing to go out and spread the light.

The Angel Connection School of Africa is delighted to announce that there will be a bursary available for those who would like to do the course but are unable to afford it. Please contact me for more information and application forms. Closing date for applications is the 15th January 2018. Terms and conditions apply.

Please call me on 082-563-7422 margi@angelconnection.co.za www.angels.za.com

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Conscious Life Magazine

SPECIAL WOMEN’S WORKSHOP AND RETREAT WEEKEND – KNYSNA 25th May to 27th May 2018 The most fabulous gift to give the woman in your life for Mothers Day! The perfect way for all women to have some “me “time and spoiling in 2018!!

Margi of Angel Connection is delighted to be facilitating another weekend retreat in Knysna.

This will be a weekend of healing, strengthening, pampering, nurturing and unconditional love especially for women. So many women always do this for others but never for themselves!

The retreat will be held at the Angel Warehouse, Spirit of Amberfield, Rheenendal Road, Knysna.

The weekend will commence on Friday 25th May 2018 at 8am and finish at noon on Sunday 27th May 2018 During this very special weekend we will learn about and experience The Goddess Energy Working with the Mighty Archangel Chamuel Who and what am I? Unconditional Love and understanding of self.

Releasing of old patterns and blockages Have quiet time for introspection Ceremony (Including Fire Ceremony weather permitting) Chakra exercises Meditations (also on the beach weather permitting) Labyrinth walks FACILITATOR: Margi McAlpine DATE: 25th, 26th and 27th May 2018 TIME: Commencing at 8am on 25th May 2018 VENUE: The Angel Warehouse, Spirit of Amberfield, Rheenendal Rd, Knysna INVESTMENT: R2700 per person.

Wonderful vegetarian food will be served. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, teas, coffees and notes are included.

There is limited accommodation at Spirit of Amberfield on a first come first served basis.

Alternatively a list of places where accommodation is available in the area will be given to you with your enquiry.

If transport from George Airport to the recommended accommodation is required, I will put you in touch with a company that does airport transfers.

BOOKINGS: Please contact Margi on margi@angelconnection.co.za or 082-563-7422 Other courses will be held at "Spirit of Amberfield" during 2018 including self-development courses and retreats. Email margi@angelconnection.co.za for more details or contact her on 082-563-7422.

MAKE ANGELS PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE!!

Conscious Life Magazine

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre, where people of all religions, and none, come to experience peace and tranquility.

How to Retreat The Buddhist Retreat Centre offers various types of retreats, ranging from those investigating Buddhist thought and philosophy, through to practice retreats where the emphasis is on meditation; as well as retreats featuring bird watching, cookery, drumming, pottery and photography. At first glance the latter might appear to be unrelated to Buddhism but even these retreats will contain some element of meditation, of mindful awareness, refracting the chosen subject matter through a Buddhist lens.

People from all walks of life come to these retreats with a variety of motivations and expectations. Perhaps they want to deepen their meditation practice, to take some time out from a hectic working life; to reflect on a tense domestic situation; to consider the trajectory of their lives; to make a decision about a way forward. Maybe they just want to learn how to take a good photograph. Each person will have a different reason for going on a retreat. Different paths will have led them to this place.

We all need to make an appointment with ourselves from time to time. To re-connect with who we are; to maintain balance; to recharge exhausted batteries. To make time to go on a retreat is a necessary and healthy step for anyone.

General Information The Centre has been established on an exquisite 125-hectare country estate near the village of Ixopo, KwaZuluNatal 90 kilometers south of Pietermaritzburg, one and a half hours’ drive from Durban.

Set in hilly grasslands amongst dams, indigenous bush and forests, it overlooks one of the great valleys in the Umkomaas river system. CNN featured the BRC as one of the ten finest retreat centres in the world. It was awarded Natural Heritage status by President Nelson Mandela in recognition of its success in establishing indigenous vegetation on the property and providing habitats for wildlife to return, including the endangered Blue Swallow. It is a birder’s paradise with more 160 species recorded.

Walks lead to many interesting sites and viewpoints on the property, including evidence that Bushman lived there and Voortrekkers and Settlers passed through. In 2000, the BRC facilitated the founding of Woza Moya, the community-based NGO, located in Ufafa valley. It continues to support the organisation in a variety of ways.

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Accommodation Fifty retreatants can be accommodated in single and twin-bedded rooms, en-suite cottages and thatched chalets overlooking the secluded valleys on the property – a short distance away from the dining room, office, library, studio and meditation hall.

The Centre is justly famous for its fine lacto-ovo vegetarian cuisine which is featured in its own bestselling recipe books, Quiet Food, The Cake the Buddha Ate and Plentiful: The Big Book Of Buddha Food. The BRC menu includes organically grown vegetables and farm-baked bread.

Observances The Retreat Centre offers a tranquil environment for the study and practice of philosophy, psychology, meditation and the arts associated with Buddhist culture. The Centre therefore encourages adherence to traditional Buddhist moral principles during retreats, such as respect for all forms of life and abstinence from alcoholic drinks and hallucinogenic drugs. Noble Silence is maintained from the last meditation at night until the first session after breakfast in the morning.

During some retreats, Noble Silence is maintained throughout. Pets are not allowed at the Centre. Only some retreats are suitable for children: please check with the Administrator.

Forthcoming Retreats: For full details of each retreat please go to the website page: http://www.brcixopo.co.za/retreats/detailed-list-ofretreats.html

Email: brcixopo@futurenet.co.za Tel: +27(0)39 834 1863 or 0878091687 Mobile: 082 579 3037 www.brcixopo.co.za

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Conscious Life Magazine

By Penni du Plessis

There is a reason why we call the clusters of small, delicate blue summer flowers “Forget-Me-Nots”. It’s because blue is the colour of trust, honesty and loyalty. It makes us feel safe, calm and truthful.

As a colour that creates both a sense of calm and relaxation and enables orderly thinking, blue supports us in times of contemplation. It inspires devotion to causes important to us, making it a very supportive colour in religious study.

As it inspires wisdom and honesty, blue encourages us to value the past and use it as a tool to understand our present. It is the most universally liked colour of all, as we consider it neutral and non-threatening. It makes us feel safe and in control, as it brings out our conservative side.

people to have their say. Additionally, anyone in the family who has something difficult to get off their chest will be supported in speaking honestly.

While it may seem that blue would be good for a dining room where we entertain guests and hope to chat and steer clear of awkward silences, it is not actually advisable. This is because blue has been shown to slow the metabolism – which is of course not

Decorating With Shades Of Blue Excellent in a bedroom as it brings calmness and helps you to sleep.

Blue is a great colour to use in your home wherever you want to encourage conversation. It is especially known to support truthful verbal communication. In the context of a home, any room where the family congregates would benefit from the encouragement of blue – it will support shy Conscious Life Magazine

advantageous when attempting to digest a meal. It is also not ideal for cold rooms (south-facing, in South Africa) due to its association with cool weather. But if you just love blue and can’t resist, consider a single feature wall of azure. This is a colour that inspires achievement, as well as true contentment.

Blue is not a suitable colour for an area where physical activity or play will take place due to its calming nature. This means that blue should not be used in your home gym or where you use exercise equipment. Children’s playrooms should also steer clear of blue, as those are areas where you would wish to stimulate activity and energy.

Making A Fashion Statement With Blue If you find yourself in a situation where you need to command authority, consider wearing predominately dark blue – the darker, the better. Psychologically, blue triggers feelings of reliability and responsibility. This is handy if you’ve just been promoted to a managerial position at work and wish to make it very clear to your colleagues that you are ready and able to take charge. Likewise, if you have spent lots of time on an important project at work and you need to personally present it, wear dark blue to give you an edge. You will come across as dependable and knowledgeable.

Paler blues are known to promote a sense of freedom. Just think of looking up at our daytime sky, and how vast it is. The seemingly infinite pale blue space above us is the playground of birds in flight – and we all know the saying “as free as a bird”! When you are entering a creative space, this association makes pale blue an ideal colour to wear. It will enhance your ability to express yourself freely.

usually the kind of people to take their responsibilities seriously. You may also be very sentimental, and find yourself crying rather easily.

If Blues Doesn’t Inspire You… You may be feeling a lack of stimulation and excitement in your life, and wishing to break free from being the “responsible one”. Some people find blue to be overly relaxing, and it leaves these people feeling sad or depressed.

Healing With Colour Blue is very helpful to those of us who struggle to express how we are feeling.

The Blue Light Matrix Oil can be rubbed around the neck to support us in peaceful communication. A few pumps of this oil in a child’s bath will calm them and ready them for bedtime.

Adults too will find relief from insomnia when using the oil in their baths at night.

If you need help with mental acuity, the

If Blue Is Your Best Colour…

Lovers of blue are genuine, sincere and are

Blue spray will bring you calm and enable you to focus and find mental order. It is known as Conscious Life Magazine

The Flame of Divine Protection, as it clears negative energy and stabilises an environment, making you feel safe.

If you’d like to know more about the colour blue and all it has to offer, do consider visiting my webpage on the Blue Path by clicking here. From there you can explore the whole website, and learn much more about blue.

By Penni du Plessis www.divinespace.co.za

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Divine Order means that everything will happen exactly as it is meant to happen in exactly the right time frame and in exactly the right circumstances. Humans so often have their own ideas of how things should be or how things should work and often do not understand the concept of Divine Order and timing.

Man tries to impose his will on the Universe and by doing so makes life so difficult and complicated and often brings in and manifests negative energies and circumstances which are really not necessary.

The truth is that you will never be able to bend things to your will and that part of your lesson here is taking a step back and accepting that what is happening is exactly as it should be and for your highest good.

The ego takes over and the perception is that you are powerful enough to change things by imposing your will on what is written in stone. This is part of your Divine Life Blue Print and these incidents actually have to occur to enable you to learn and teach lessons in various circumstances and instances.

The moment you do that it removes the blockages and allows things to flow exactly as they should. It is then that you realise that by just accepting and dealing with what the Universe is giving you in gratitude and love things are really not that bad and you find that actually they are working extremely well.

This is to allow you to finish and complete your life lessons so that you are able to move forward on your Ascension path. Have you ever stopped to think that by putting up resistance the Universe is trying to tell you something or perhaps point you in a different direction?

Develop mental strength as a strong unfaltering mind will allow you to deal with any difficult challenges you may face in life and allow you to make choices without fear.

You have been given the precious gift of free will so make your choices based on the foundation of love in your heart and not the perceptions of the ego.

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By accepting Divine Order into your life you are able to integrate your Spiritual Knowledge into your everyday life. It allows your Higher Knowledge to filter down into your emotional, mental and physical bodies and you start to understand and accept that you are an Amazing Divine Being.

This means that you are actually living and practising your Spirituality and not just thinking or talking about it.

That is when the opportunities for growth and expansion are limitless and you have unlimited power to create and manifest all that the Universe holds for you.

The perception of whom and what you actually are is then able to come to the fore. You are then able to become a “self-realised� Being which means that you have now understood and realised your true potential which is truly limitless, all-encompassing and inherent within you.

By keeping your faith and trust intact you are liberated from all negative energies and are able to move full steam ahead to your divinely planned destination with no regrets or compromises.

Always be open to change knowing that this allows you to learn and grow and know that uncertainties are just part of this process of growth and development.

You and God are then truly one and the concept of total oneness with all becomes a true reality.

Angel light and blessings Margi (Angel Connection)

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Conscious Life Magazine

Article by Wendy Young of Wise Living Awareness of our body and its wisdom is an empowering ability that we are all born with. However, as we grow into adulthood, we tend to lose connection with its messages. This innate ability becomes blocked by childhood conditioning, limiting beliefs and self-perceptions, and the residue of past traumas.

When we learn how to deepen our connection with our body, which is a powerful form of intuition, we access clarity and inner knowing quickly and easily in stressful situations.

Tapping into our full body presence is how we awaken our creative potential; and how we cultivate greater ease and joy as we navigate our inner and outer worlds.

Listening to the spontaneous signals that our body sends throughout the day – gut feelings, tugs at our heart, tense neck and shoulders – sounds like a simple practice. As a species, we’ve been doing it for millennia. Early humans depended on this full `body wisdom in an instinctual way.

However, most of us are cut off from our body

wisdom. We shut out physical and emotional sensations - all feeling - due to past traumas.

Limiting beliefs about ourselves and our bodies colour our perceptions about what our body is trying to tell us. We are also distracted by our environment — the fast pace of life, our digital gadgets and the unsettling state of the world.

Our reactions to body sensations can be overly vigilant because our mind may be thinking that what is happening now is similar to a past traumatic event. This locks us out of the current moment and leaves us vulnerable because we can’t accurately sense what the rest of our body is telling us. Unfortunately, if we can’t feel present-moment sensations, we are relating through old patterns of fear, shame or doubt.

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Learning how to feel and listen to the full range of body sensations nurtures our relationship with our self and with others.

This deeper sense of connection flows over into our connection with all of Life — heightening our sense of belonging and growing a trust in our self and others.

Listening more closely to what our body needs, physical and mental/emotional healing happens.

When we return home to feeling our body again and again, we access the nourishing flow of life force energy within and around us.

We open more expansively to all of Life and our unique gifts flow through and from us into the world. Accessing our most valuable resource – our body – cultivates trust, presence and freedom.

How do you feel and sense your body right now? What is the relationship like that you have with your body? Can you hear your body wisdom?

If you feel called to deepen in your body wisdom, I offer 1-1 transpersonal somatic counselling sessions to explore past traumas, conditioned beliefs and present life challenges. It is a therapy that makes the connection between mind, body and the interconnectedness of Life. I work directly with your nervous system to facilitate a process of healing and awakening from personal and collective wounding. Email wendy@wise-living.co.za for more information of Wise Living services and to book a session.

Remember to return home to your body, feeling it in the chair and on the ground, feeling any sensations and receiving its messages.

With love, Wendy facilitating your somatic and psychological process from Open-Hearted Presence Conscious Life Magazine

13 Apr 2018 - 5-8pm * Apartment 5101, Ponte Towers, Lily Avenue, Berea * 350 ZAR Take your yoga to the next level with a sunset session on the 51nd floor of one of the highest buildings in Africa!

This event will start with a 1hr yoga session by Steven Heyman from Yoga Works - with just the right mix of fun, challenge and relaxation. After that Dlala Nje will take us on a tour of the magnificent Ponte building. We will end off with sundowners and snacks on the 51nd floor with one of the best views of Joburg.

7 Apr 2018 - 9.00-10am * Emmarentia Botanical Gardens *100 ZAR (includes entrance to the market) Join us for a special Yoga in the Park session as part of the Autumn edition of The Linden Market (Market in the Park) at the Botanical Gardens in Emmarentia.

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YOGA AND HIKING RETREAT DRAKENSBERG

18-20th May 2018 Wits End, Monks Cowl area, Drakensberg 3200 ZAR pp sharing Join us for a weekend away in the majestic Drakensberg mountains - with hiking, yoga and some well deserved rest and relaxation.

We will stay at the stunning Wits End resort in the Monks Cowl area with views of the mountains all around us. On Saturday, we will set off on a day hike, passing mountain streams, indigenous forests and eventually reaching the contour path at around 2100 meters of altitude. We will have a well deserved lunch break with the best view imaginable. You will literally feel like you are on top of the whole world Conscious Life Magazine

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Senior Pets & Feeding Raw A little extra love and care is crucial during the senior years!

Gentle & regular exercise Be sure to keep exercising your older pets.

But lean towards regular, short & gentle walks, rather than an occasional lengthy adventure which could leave your pet overextended and sore.

Unnecessary weight can cause joint problems Should you notice your pet gaining weight as they get older, it may be time to start monitoring calorie intake. Here’s a basic calorie chart: • • •

FAT = 9 calories/gram PROTEIN = 4 calories/gram CARBOHYDRATES = 4 calories/gram Conscious Life Magazine

If you’re unsure about the right amount of calories per day for your pet, have a look at these handy tables for cats and dogs provided by the Global Nutrition Committee – bear in mind that these figures are based on ideal body condition. While you may want to use this guideline, do monitor your pet’s condition and if you don’t notice an improvement, get advice from a nutritionist.

It’s better to gradually serve smaller portions for overweight pets, as ‘starving’ them is not an effective nor sustainable weight loss method.

These antioxidants may reduce cancer risks and aid with arthritis and weak immune systems. But take note , dry food usually has a long shelf life – so how unspoiled and effective can the important nutrients be?

Science also tells us that molecules contained in vitamins and minerals are sensitive to heat, so why not just supplement your senior dog the natural way?

• •

Weight loss & muscle waste It’s important that your pet gets adequate protein. If not, the body breaks down muscle tissue for nourishment which, of course, leads to muscle waste – and other problems.

Don’t automatically feed an underweight pet more carbohydrates – If their diet is already high in protein, try adding more fat. Fat has the added bonus of making food more palatable which is particularly handy if your pet lacks appetite. If you must add grains, be sure to include healthy options such as rolled oats or wild/brown rice.

Support Digestion As we get older, everything slows down including our digestive systems. The same is true for our pets. You may want to, from time to time, offer lightly cooked / steamed food instead of 100% raw to older dogs if they seem to be having difficulty eating or digesting their meals.

Antioxidants & Supplements

• • • •

Fresh fruits and veg contain betacarotene and important vitamins such as C, E, A. Fish is packed with Omega 3 which is excellent for skin and joints.

Raw meat contains ‘pure’ protein unaffected by heat processes.

Raw meat with collagen (raw bones, trachea & muscle meat) is rich in organic sulfur and a great antioxidant MSN – organic sulfur (READ MORE here) Kefir – probiotic organisms (READ MORE here)

Want your senior pet to thrive?

Offer some relief and support their general health, it’s never too late to make the switch! Remember, the benefits of feeding your pets a species appropriate RAW diet is particularly evident during their twilight years.

Find more health tips and follow our weekly #rawlovehealthtip campaign on Facebook & Instagram With Love, The Raw Love Team

Many commercial pet food brands claim to add extra oxidants to their products, which are meant to counteract damage caused by free radicals over a long period of time. (Free radicals are reactive molecules found all around us known to cause damage to our healthy cells over time.)

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TAP DOGS

Coming to Cape Town and Johannesburg in August 2018 – Presented by 947, CapeTalk and Channel 24

“TAP DOGS” SET TO ELECTRIFY THE WORLD WITH A 2018-19 INTERNATIONAL TOUR South Africa, 26th March 2018: Australia’s most successful theatrical export, Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS, is coming to South Africa for a strictly limited season starting in Cape Town on 22nd August at the Grand Arena, GrandWest followed by Johannesburg on 29th August at Montecasino.

Tickets available from www.bigconcerts.co.za and Computicket from 9am on Monday 26th March 2018.

The global dance sensation has appeared in over 330 cities, and 37 countries and 12 million people have now been dazzled by the energy and imagination of these unique performers.

Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS continues to take the world by storm and it set to tap, beat and dance its way through 2018 and 2019. Now it’s South Africa’s turn to experience the award-winning show that has been described as "Part theatre, part dance, part rock concert and part construction site!” BBC UK. Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS features high-energy dance, theatrical performance and live music performed by a cast of six dancers and two musicians who will bring the steel works to life in a fast paced, unstoppable spectacular that is the perfect show for anyone from 8-80.

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The winner of over 15 international awards including an Olivier Award (UK), an Obie Award (New York) and a Pegasus Award (Spoleto Festival in Italy), Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS is a 75-minute show combining the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing.

Whether they are in water, upside-down or jumping through scaffolding, the “Tap Dogs” have been performing to the beat of their own drum since their world premiere at the Sydney Theatre Festival in January 1995. Success quickly followed with seasons in London, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin and many other cities. A worldwide television audience of over 3.4 billion saw 1,000 Tap Dogs performing in the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Produced by Broadway Entertainment Group, created by Oliver Award-winning choreographer Dein Perry, Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS was originally directed and designed by Nigel Triffitt, with music by Andrew Wilkie and lighting by Gavin Norris.

Dein Perry’s TAP DOGS will play at: Cape Town Venue: Grand Arena, GrandWest From 22nd August 2018 Price: R215 – R360 *Up to 50% off all off-peak performances.

Johannesburg Venue: Montecasino From 29th August 2018 Price: R310 – R410 *Up to 50% off all off-peak performances.

Media enquiries, please contact: Dionne Domyan (Johannesburg, and National publicity) +27 (0) 833261776, prwork@iafrica.com Gwen Ironsi (Cape Town Publicity) +27 (0) 72 656 1906 gwen@pamberi-communications.co.za For more information please visit www.tapdogs.co.uk

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The Antbear Drakensberg Lodge is a thatched, whitewashed lodge built high on a natural platform overlooking the Bushman's River and Giants Castle.

Antbear Drakensberg Lodge offers various Drakensberg accommodation options in en suite double rooms, luxury suites, family units and also boasts a luxury cave too.

Antbear Drakensberg Lodge is one of those smaller intimate kind places which has been lovingly put together. The natural setting of the accommodation is stunning and we have managed to encase all this beauty with an atmosphere of comfort and ease.

The cottages are smartly appointed and individually designed and the fact that we are a small place makes for an intimate and personal accommodation experience. Each of the accommodation units are different and are decorated with uniquely eccentric and artistic wooden furniture.

It is a bit off the beaten track and is more of an insider tip than just another bed and breakfast. We cater for small intimate groups and never have more than 45 guests at a time. It's a laid back, lovingly cared for kind of place where you feel a sense of happiness and peace. Honeymoon stays turn into anniversary commemorations just as guests become friends. Even foreign tourists return for a second and third taste.

Attractions Drakensburg Hiking Trails Bushman Rock Art Giant’s Castle Kamberg Weenen Game Reserve Royal Natal National Park Drakensburg Boys Choir

Horse Trails Injasuti Nature Reserve Monks Cowl Natal Midlands Tugela Falls Sani Pass Fly Fishing

Retreats The Antbear Drakensberg Lodge is the ideal retreat venue where we can provide all the services and accommodation for your retreat. Situated 4 hours from Johannesburg and 2 hours from Durban with easy access from the N3 Antbear Lodge is easy to get to but has the feeling of being far from the madding crowd. This wonderful place for group retreats offers spectacular views, vast spaces, wild winds, rain, sunshine, clouds and rainbows and in all of this – silence and peace.

Retreat groups can book the whole lodge for their exclusive use.

The Lodge can accommodate 44 persons in 15 separate accommodation units Antbear Drakensberg Lodge has a spacious dining room with a wood-burning fireplace, a comfortable lounge with a fireplace and spectacular views, a breakaway meeting room, a large veranda and a large meeting room for retreat, team building or training activities. We provide excellent meals and will fit our menu to your expectations.

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Because food is an important part of your stay Meals are part of the real surprises that the Antbear Lodge has to offer where home grown cooking is part of the deal. We like to use our own home grown organic vegetables and if we haven’t got, then we lean heavily on those local providers with similar attitudes to our own. Conny and Andrew both like cooking and are up to changing just about anything to suit tastes or philosophies. Our cooking experience is in part a journal, a record of events and memories expressed in recipes. In the course of our travels we have filed away many recipes and with them images of people and places and their lives. How food tastes has much to do with the associations we make and if you would like to hear the tales of our meals we would love to tell them.

Sustainable & responsible tourism is our social responsibility and what we do to give something back to our community and environment We believe in sustainable tourism and social responsibility. We live is a spectacularly beautiful place called the Drakensberg and our standard of living here is exceptional.

But around us lie contrasts of poverty and lack of development. If we are to keep our way of life then it surely follows that we must do everything in our power to contribute to the upliftment and prosperity of this rural area. We believe that the future of South Africa is linked to the prosperity of the people, and that upliftment is linked to education. And as such we have chosen to support our local primary school called Vulakani Primary School.

Pet friendly accommodation Drakensberg One of the few pet-friendly places in the Drakensberg. Beautiful, vast views of the Drakensberg with plenty of ground for my dogs to roam. Walk for hours.

Your dogs will be happy with lots of dams to swim in and horses to discover. One of the accommodation units at Antbear Lodge is fenced in so its really easy to leave your dog behind if you would like to explore some of the sights where pets are not that welcome. If country life is for you and you would love to take your pet with you then Antbear Lodge is a great accommodation choice. Your hosts will advise you on all the activities available. Antbear Lodge prides itself on being both family-friendly and petfriendly.

CONTACT Mobile 076 441 2362 Email: reservations@antbear.co.za Web: www.antbear.co.za

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FIND & BOOK ECO-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION IN SOUTH AFRICA lovetostay.co.za is your green heart guide to eco-friendly accommodation throughout beautiful South Africa. We partner with all kinds of accommodation establishments that operate in an eco-friendly, sustainable and responsible way. So whether you opt for a luxury boutique hotel or rustic tree house, you can feel good knowing your holiday supports a place that serves the environment and community in a positive way. To help you make these good choices, we are committed to growing a wonderful selection of urban and country, luxury and rustic green accommodation options where you will love to stay!

Search for your next green getaway on www.lovetostay.co.za by location or type; the Check Availability & Book Online green button will enable you to check real-time availability, make a booking & secure online payment through the Nightsbridge booking system at no extra charge.

WHAT IS ECO-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION? Eco-friendly accommodation is defined as a lodging establishment with structural features that minimize the impact and footprint on the environment; as well as well as those that follow green living, sustainability and eco-friendly practices.

WHAT ARE GREEN HEARTS? Look out for the Green Hearts Seal of each establishment. We are proud to showcase all of our members and love to highlight their specific efforts to protect and conserve the environment. Seals display between 1-5 Green Hearts as awarded to them for their positive Green Acts. Here`s more info!

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EVERY HOME NEEDS A LOVING PET! THERE ARE SO MANY BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS WAITING TO BE ADOPTED – PLEASE REACH OUT! WE ALSO ENCOCURAGE YOU TO REACH INTO YOUR HEARTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE AND REALLY NEED OUR HELP.

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Help us Fight the Dog Meat Trade URGENT: Our Animal Rescue Team has identified a dog meat farm in South Korea where more than 170 dogs are in desperate need of help. Please make an urgent donation to help us rescue these dogs and save them from a brutal death.

Stolen from the streets, shoved into trucks, locked in cages. Then slaughtered and sold to be eaten. This is the horrifying fate of the millions of dogs caught up in Asia’s dog meat trade.

Please join the fight to shut down this brutal industry for good. With your help, we’ll shut down farms in South Korea, assist farmers as they transition to more humane livelihoods, support our local Chinese partners in intercepting dog meat traders’ trucks, fund the care of confiscated and rescued animals and lobby for better laws throughout Asia.

You can help stop this cruelty. Please give today.

Act Now Please fill out the form (link) to add your name to the petition calling for vital legal protection for cats and dogs in South Korea.

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Help us bring hope to girls without and choices to those with none.

Founded in 2000 by Khanyisile Motsa, and run under her diligent care ever, Home of Hope for Girls is an autonomous, self-started initiative to provide real care for exploited, trafficked and abused children in the city of Johannesburg.

It is more than just a residential shelter; it is a loving home where dignity is restored, the past is healed and the girls are given the tools to take control of their futures. Home of Hope also reaches out to the community offering the most vulnerable members support, practical help and a lifeline.

The Background to Home of Hope An estimated 10,000 children are prostitutes in Johannesburg and this figure is increasing.

When Khanyisile Motsa relocated to Hillbrow she was shocked to observe girls as young as nine working as prostitutes and selling drugs on the streets at night. The truth about these forgotten children is: • • • • • •

Child Prostitute. Photo by Tseliso Monaheng

Criminals pay agents to recruit children They usually target often orphans or/and those from very disadvantaged rural communities Victims are trafficked or seduced to leave with lies about a life in the city Their IDs are frequently taken from them to make escape and identification difficult Their IDs are often sold on the black market ‘Owned’ by their exploiters they are prostituted, abused, made to sell drugs

Email: info@hopehome.org.za Mam Khanyi: 073 250 2086 Telephone: 011 614 0861 Conscious Life Magazine

PAWS R US (SA) is looking for INVESTORS – help us BUILD THE DREAM of our “HAPPY PLACE”!

After 6 years in animal welfare/rescue, PAWS R US (SA) has moved into the LINBER KENNELS facility out in the Tarlton area, JHB. It is time to spread our wings, create a permanent home, and contribute more effectively to both the cause and effects linked to animal welfare/rescue in SA. Our dream is to build the LINBER KENNELS facility into a top-notch rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming haven for rescue dogs. We also want to establish a home-base for our EDUCATION campaigns, so that we can work with the youth in returning to the core value of COMPASSION and RESPECT for Self and All Life.

To make this dream a reality, we need to BUY the LINBER KENNELS site. And to get that done, we need to find INVESTORS and PARTNERS who want to contribute to something greater than themselves, and help make a real, immediate and practical difference in a world that has lost its way.

The PAWS R US (SA) TRUST has been created as a legal entity – and we now look to spread the net open wide and “go on the hunt” for kindred spirits who want to help build something GOOD. We need INVESTORS of the HEART and MIND – those who want to protect the vulnerable, educate the youth of tomorrow, and know that their investment has directly uplifted lives and communities.

CONTACT: For all enquiries and details related to this search for INVESTORS, and the implications for each INVESTOR within the Trust, please email us on woof@pawsrus.co.za

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Call 012 430 7775 Lines open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In South Africa and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

We need your help to ensure that no child is left behind.

In a tough funding environment, we have ensured we have multiple avenues of funding and are proud to have 11,000 generous individual donors contributing monthly. We will continue to be innovative in securing funding to enable us to reach more children and will work on increasing unrestricted and consistent funding streams.

You can help us make a difference. Even just by becoming aware of our work by reading our annual report.

To download and read the full annual report, click here.

Help us do whatever it takes to save the children.

Thank You Gugulethu Ndebele CEO

www.savethechildren.org.za Conscious Life Magazine

Education The quality of education in the foundation years has a lasting impact and we are working hard to ensure that every child receives quality basic education.

Child Protection South Africa is marked by high levels of violence and exploitation of children in places where they should be safe. All children should thrive in a safe environment.

Health & Nutrition No child under the age of 5 should die from preventable disease and all our children deserve long-term good health.

Children’s Rights Insufficient recources prevent children from achieving their rights as enshrined in the South African Constitution. We are campaigning for a strengthened childrights system

One in Every Four Children Being Robbed of Their Childhood One in every four children being robbed of their childhood, new report from Save the Children finds One quarter of the world's children are being denied a childhood, a new report from Save the Children has revealed.

The report includes a global index ranking the places where childhood is most and least threatened.

Launched to coincide with International Children's Day, the Stolen Childhoods report has found that at least 700 million children—and possibly hundreds of millions more—have had the promise of a full childhood brought to an early end.

The reasons vary from extreme violence and conflict, often driving families from their homes; early marriage and pregnancy; child labour, poor health and not being able to go to school.

In South Africa, the high levels of child homicide and extreme violence against children is the most concerning indicator.

Read: Save the Children to the rescue to take street kids under its wing Conscious Life Magazine

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With much appreciation to our advertisers, contributors, endorsers and of course, our readers Namaste

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