Positive Life Spring 2016

MEDITATION

Improves Your Health ELVA CARRI

Staying Happy TANTRA AND BEAUTY

Bliss, Intimacy and Grace 1916 - 2116

A Vision for the Next Century

GOLDIE HAWN

the golden age

spring 2016 priceless

positivelife.ie

Beginning here now…

This is just the beginning...

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~ William Shakespeare

It’s spring and this issue has more pages than usual – more pages, more positivity, more “If you smile else ispast; around, you really it.” ~ Andy Rooney “Nothing haswhen happened the it happened inmean the Nothing will ever good news.

And to topno it one allin the lovely Goldie Hawn and herNow. brilliant MindUP vibe, happen in the future; willwith happen in the Now.” ~ Eckhart Tolle helping children throughitlife mindfulness in schools.

This, and so many people quietly yet persistently away acts of kindness help for each BRAIN. IT’S got meworking thinking.

Inwith oursmall research this issue,and I discovered that other, is where it’s at. whenPRESENT you smileMOMENT. your brainAll releases endorphins: dopamine andit.serotonin, THE the spiritual teachers talk about It’s But this maybe there is no need to label is just an experience that leads and happens whether your smile isEverything real or fake.

ENDORPHINS in turn mentioned in our magazine allanymore. the time.

Thich Nhat Hanh loves it, and usspoke to where we need to go.

We focus on the positive here ‘cause it’s fun to do so, but people make you feel SMILE chemicals.

Feel What better,isand this leads about it good. repeatedly onand hisrelease recent visit to Dublin. so special will tell you all the time that a tough time or a supposedly negative experience brought to another SMILE that releases chemicals, and on it goes.

NICE SEQUENCE. about it? them to a deeper, more beautiful understanding of life. So we let go of positive, we let go of SO smile yourabout way through newyou issue keep smiling 2012. says “What the past?our What areand going to do in theinto future?” negative and we replace it with just showing up to LIFE as authentically as we can. It just is THANKS to Patrick Bridgeman for being a brilliant editor so far my mind.

“Isn’t that juicier?

Come on, man.

Think, imagine, worry, getand what it is – watch, feel, learn and grow. L I F E

welcome Actually, to our new editorI’m Katie Roche. excited.”

Mind, grand.

Thanks for thinking of me though.

Happiness of the our lovely reader.my KEEP This summer I’m season restingto inYOU, the NOW, navigating lifeSMILING. from here, paul congdon, Publisher paul congdon, Publisher centred, balanced, spacious, aware, free of thought. In the present, a different energy flow is available to us - clearer. Try it this Summer.

NOW. What? Next. paul congdon, Publisher

Contentment Contentment

Contentment 4

Spring Vibes Spring into action and have some fun.

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Positively Newsworthy Uplifting stories from local to international.

Publisher PC Media paul@positivelife.ie Editorial Elva Carri editor@positivelife.ie Publisher PC Media Design Simon O’Connor paul@positivelife.ie Publisher PC Media simon@postivelife.ie Editorial PatrickCaroline Bridgeman paul@positivelife.ie Ad Design Hanan Katie caroline.hanan@gmail.com Roche Editorial Patrick Bridgeman katie@positivelife.ie editor@positivelife.ie Advertising Paul Congdon paul@positivelife.ie Design Simon O’Connor 0861579518 simon@postivelife.ie

410 Spirituality Winter Vibes drink and be aware and theEat, City Our readers share their secrets to feeling peaceful.

612 Astrology Positively green and taking strides HoldNewsworthy fast to the dream,Going and listen.

1014 Positive Spirituality andWho’s the City of love Attraction readyTales to start feeling free?

ShuiGet Feng Shui your better CNM fit for winter 41216 Feng Summer Vibes Outway andinto about andshape. in store.

Using focused to improve your health.

Astrology What do themeditation planets say?

61418 Meditation Positively Newsworthy Running, feasting and camping.

Beauty of TheRaw manyFood ofin grace.

1620 Positive The Powers love with juicing 10 Spirituality and thequalities CityFallTurning Points.

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photo: David Kenna; cover photo: john russo

Earthsong Hill talks to founder John Bowker.

Positive Ann Home Secrets of a feng shui goddess

Ad Design Caroline Hanan

Thanks to our advertisers, we Astrology A New Dawn by Andrew Smith. caroline.hanan@gmail.com can give Positive Life magazine to 24 Positive Supplement Master your brain with Mastermind.

Advertising Paul Congdon 14 Rude Health Preview Dance Hidden gems old favourites. you for FREE. If you’re talking to 20 The Law of Attraction with the and universe paul@positivelife.ie them, let them know we sent you 26 Tantra Have a sensual springtime.

0861579518 16 Positive Personality Monk Cheongwol comes to Ireland.

23 Dee Wallace The best performance of your life their way.

28 Goldie Hawn Mindfulness begins in the heart - and the classroom.

19 Confi dence Know that are.

24 Ireland 2012 Be where it’syou happening Thanks to ouruse advertisers, we can Please the information 32 Sam Bishop Creating a vision for Ireland in 2116. give Positive Life magazine to you provided in this publication as a 20 Identity Who arePack you,your really?

27 Positive Power suitcase, we’re moving recommendation onlytotothem, better for FREE. If you’re talking 35 Davie Philip Rate of change for innovation. mental and We 23 Reborn Julia Szvath travells to Costa Rica. let them know wephysical sent youhealth. their way.

2836 CNM Reshape Your Brain Reading this will change Naturopathy students and graduates share their your story.life strongly advise you to consult 24 Breathing SpaceEarly Making Monday mornings magic. regarding provided health Pleaseyour usedoctor the information 3338 Hans Positive Beauty bed,makes early toarise...

Wieland The humbletospud comeback. concerns that you may have. The in this publication as a 27 Feng Shui forInsight Peace and Health The home’s heart. views expressed by contributors 3440 Spring Awareness Explore world inside youmakeover.

Recipes &Baby potatoes get a the spring, salsa verde recommendation only to better and advisors do not necessarily 28 A Thriving Economy A revolution of consciousness. mental and physical health. We 43 Short & Sweet Change Concise advice from theand holistic experts. represent the views of the 36 Embracing Be the arrow not the target strongly advise youstaff. to consult publication’s 30 Good Life 2.0.

Collaborating for the future we want.

58 Elva CarriSaves Usingthe happiness a life compass. your doctor regarding health 39 Yoga Day as Open your mind, body and soul 3360 Positive Gardening the Soul benefits of Ma Nature. that published, you may have.

The and Printed, packaged Personality MeetingThe thenurturing magical Mahasatvaa Ananda Saritaconcerns 40 The Good Life 2.0 Movers and shakers viewsdistributed expressedin byIreland. contributors 3562 Positive To Feel and BeLet Beautiful Positive self-image.

Parenting love heal fear. positivelife.ie and advisors do not necessarily 43 Hans Wieland Bread matters represent the views of the 36 Politics of Partnership Vote ‘Yes’ for Love. publication’s staff.

44 WinterPersonalised Recipes Aduki bean stew and seaweed salad 38 CNM weight loss.

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spring vibes

“IN SpRINgTIMe, LOve IS CARRIed ON THe BReeZe. WATCH OUT FOR FLyINg pASSION OR KISSeS WHIZZINg By yOUR HeAd.”

TRISH WHeLAN

healing help A Healing Mat The Bio Amethyst V-Mat offers a simple treatment for pain relief, from muscle tension to headaches. For thousands of years it was believed that amethyst could amplify energy and was often used by healers. This is combined with today’s knowledge on infra red light, to blend ancient and modern healing techniques to soothe those aches. dublinvitalitycenter.com

Bodywork for Balance Rolfing is not to be confused with ROFLing (rolling on the floor laughing, for those of you not accustomed to textspeak), but it may leave you just as happy.

The practice involves hands on, deeptissue bodywork to release injuries and bring the body back to a state of ease. rolfingireland.ie

Retreat for Peace Time to Unplug, 10-12 June, Westmeath A healthy mind is a vitally important part of a healthy body, and it’s important to

MOONgATe

Bringing Yoga & Hope know how to switch off and power down to peacefulness. Want to Unplug without ditching the phone forever? Check out UnPlug’s next retreat. unplug.ie

Soul Adventures 8 May, Carlow The Vibrate At Your Highest Frequency retreat will run in Kilkenny this May and combines Kundalini Yoga, Gong Meditations, shamanic practices and energy healing to facilitate your reconnection to bliss. Facilitated by Trish Whelan, coming home from Ibiza especially for you. souladventures.co.uk

Lomi Lomi Healing 10-16 & 18-24 June, Leitrim Experience a new paradigm of healing through Lomi Lomi Nui Retreats with Jody Mountain. She gracefully combines Sacred Dance, Ho’oponopono and Transformational Bodywork to awaken our cellular consciousness and improve ability to navigate life.

LineageofLight.com

November, India HOPE is an organisation dedicated to the protection of street children and the most underprivileged in India. In November, they’re hosting a yoga trip to bring mindfulness and yoga practice to the lives of these kids. Get involved or pass on word to someone else who might. hopefoundation.ie

Christian Mindfulness 3-8 June, Donegal Ards Friary offer a variety of retreats to bring spirituality back into your life,

HOpe FOUNdATION

including a Christian Mindfulness Retreat this June, run by Brother Richard Hendrick who has taught contemplative prayer for the past 20 years in prisons, hospitals, schools and universities, both as a chaplain and lecturer. ardsfriary.ie

elevating events Ajeet Kaur Experience 14 & 15 May, Dublin & Cork Ajeet Kaur will visit the Waterways Visitors Centre in Dublin Saturday, 14th May for a Kundalini yoga workshop along with a sacred music concert. If you miss her in Dublin, you can also catch her workshop and concert the following day in Cork’s Metropole Hotel. jaikartarmohan@gmail.com

Liberating Through Sound 7 April, Dublin Healer Githa Ben David joins us at The Buddha Bag Meeting this April. She’ll introduce us to her practice, ‘ The Note from Heaven’, a sacred, simple healing tool for liberating your true voice and reconnecting to your higher Self through sound and resonance.

Positivelife.ie/thebuddhabagmeeting githabendavid.dk/eng

Mother Meera in Ireland 22-23 March, Kildare Mother Meera, believed by many to be an embodiment of the Divine Mother, will return to Ireland this March 22 and 23 to bestow blessings through her Darshan.

The event is free and freeing but make sure to register. mothermeera.ie

treats to try One Small Change Nua Naturals are all about making our personal wellbeing easy, by taking it one small change at a time. Try replacing one of those coffees in your daily routine with a matcha latte. They even have vanilla and cacao flavours!

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AJeeT KAUR

of products and we have to let you know what amazing tonics Zell Oxygen Plus and Immunokomplex are. Get them into your system for a spring boost. info@rossmorehealth.com ORLA pHeLAN

Win a Deluxe Dr.Hauschka Treatment Tara O’Rourke at ‘Saol Beo’ in the Dublin Holistic Centre is offering one of our readers a chance to experience the Dr.Hauschka 90 min Deluxe Treatment, quoted by The Irish Times as one of ‘the year’s best salon treatments’. To enter, simply let them know why you deserve this treat in 20 words or less. hello@saolbeo.ie | saolbeo.ie

Delicious Probiotics I have found that getting more probiotics into my system is brilliant for my health and see the effects really quickly. So it’s lovely to see the increasing ranges of options available in health stores. Instead of knocking back another supplement, give your taste buds the treat of kefi r smoothies and drinks. Going dairy free?

They also stock coconut milk kefi r! Nifty! biotifuldairy.com | rhythmhealth.co.uk

Vegan Soaps

Spring Tonic

We’re about to make your dreams of vegan soaps and natural tooth whitening a reality. Yousaf Soaps are producing the most amazing all-natural soaps alongside incredible products like tooth powder, made from turmeric, bentonite clay, sodium bicarb, clove and peppermint oil to whiten teeth naturally and leave you smiling.

We make it our business to test run lots

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nuanaturals.com

positively newsworthy good news from around the globe

1 Connected & Present

By Elva Carri Our constantly connected digital culture doesn’t have the greatest rep. Great things have happened because of technology but it can draw our attention away from the present moment.

But are retreats where your precious phone is ripped from your tightly clenched fist for three days the best way forward? Or is there a more graceful way to have it all? Chris Flack of UnPlug and London based Vinaya’s CEO Kate Unsworth believe we can.

Vinaya are the creators of Altrius, a smart-jewellery range that notifies you of only the most pressing alerts. Chris Flack who’s a big a fan of the idea gave a lovely example. A husband and wife go out for dinner, they want to spend time together

“Pop on the uber-stylish ring or pendant and forget about Facebook notifications pulling your attention away”

away from the kids and the phones. But if something serious arises back at the nest, of course they want the babysitter to get in touch. According to Chris, even leaving a phone in sight, screen down, impacts the dynamics of a conversation. Altrius is programmed to alert you only to calls from chosen contacts. Pop on the uber-stylish ring or pendant and forget about Facebook notifications pulling your attention away from your partner’s lovely eyes and smile.

Flack is also reworking the idea of digital detoxes to offer people something we can use even when we turn back on the phone. “UnPlug teaches you how to manage your technology instead of letting it manage you.” And it must be working because they’re running sellout retreats. Just as we shouldn’t need to rid every shred of negativity from the world before we find happiness within, so must we find a way to become present with or without the phone. unplug.ie

2 The Kindness Trip You’re a cafeteria worker in a University. Every day, you chat to the students, ask them about their classes, see how they’re doing and keep track of them throughout their time at college. It probably makes your job a little nicer and you’re a caring, loving soul, so you enjoy it. The last thing on your mind is probably that these consistent, daily gestures of loveliness are going to end

“Over 100 students showed up to surprise her with news that they had raised enough money to send her on what they knew was her dream holiday” up taking you on your dream holiday, but such was the case for Vicke Davis of Barrett College. In January, over 100 students showed up to surprise her with news that they had raised enough money to send her on what they knew was her dream holiday – a trip to see the Northern Lights – and presented her with a camera too so that she could bring some of the magic back with her. Her response, “See, that’s why I love my babies,” tearing up as she makes her way through the crowd to hug as many of them as she can on her thirty minute break and exclaiming, “I’m gonna bring back a lot of key chains!” goodnewsnetwork.org

3 Kids These Days Once again, kids are showing us adults up for their huge efforts in goodness, kindness, generosity, perseverance and dedication to positivity and helpfulness the world over. What’s lovely is that their ideas are always really simple, and have an instant and direct positive effect. A pair of Australian best friends were named Young Australians of the Year for their laundry for the homeless project. A little under two years ago, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett converted a van into a mobile laundry unit, it had two washers and two dryers and began bringing the van to parks, homeless shelters and anywhere else they thought they could be of use.

Now, the boys oversee five of these vans and at absolutely no charge, have washed over 75 tonnes of clothes.

Across the oceans to Florida, some even younger kids are getting active to help out the homeless. Inspired by a story they’d seen online (proving good news stories in the media have a nice knock-on effect!) , a group of girls from a local church collected over 100 jumpers and coats before an upcoming cold spell in the area.

The girls tied the clothing to lamp posts with messages explaining that it wasn’t a lost coat, but one that could be taken and used to stay warm. goodnewsnetwork.org

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positively newsworthy the little things Brought to you by Niall Mac Giolla Rua.

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of that familiar urge to cheer her up, but now as I looked into her sad eyes all I felt was a respect for her as she was.

I had no need to ‘fix’ her sadness. “An Americano and a scone please,” I replied, much more relaxed with her than before.

As if something deep inside her sensed my change of attitude, her forehead softened, her posture eased and then totally unexpectedly, she began to smile!

Continuing our transaction she spoke much more than usual; her voice was bright and melodic, and she smiled the whole time! I think I smiled more.

Sitting there with my coffee and scone I felt a warm glow of gratitude for having had such a rich lesson in true meeting.

3 Street Ballerina

1 A Master Among Us Not so long ago in Dublin, I witnessed a drunken man on O’Connell Street, trying to punch another man, who was quite elderly. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is the beginning of some shocking or violent incident, but right from the beginning this scene had a certain serenity to it.

The elderly gentleman’s response was unlike anything I’d ever seen (expect maybe in movies). He kept side-stepping and dodging the drunken man’s swipes with the subtlest and easiest of movements. More remarkable was the fact that he smiled the whole time. Not a big smile, but a very real one, the kind of smile that lingers after you see it.

After about a dozen swipes to the air, the drunken man suddenly stopped and dropped his gaze. A moment later he lifted his palms up and said to the elderly man, “I just want to say I love you. Why can’t I just say I love you?” his expression had become genuine and searching.

I didn’t hear the smiling gentleman’s reply but it was clear that all

fight had left that drunken man. In less than a minute, he’d transformed from loud and aggressive to friendly and soft.

I have no idea what that wise old man did, but it was undeniably effective and effortless – this was some kind of martial arts master!

2 Coffee Culture II, A Smile’s Story Recently I visited a cosy little coffee shop I hadn’t been to in years. When I lived nearby I’d go quite a bit. On entering, I recognised the girl behind the counter.

She hadn’t changed – she had the gravest expression I think I’d ever seen. Her voice was sad and serious, even her posture was heavy. I had never seen this girl smile. But it seems I’ve matured since my last time there. Back then I’d always felt a need to cheer her up. Once or twice I’d manage to get a tiny, stiff-lipped smile out of her – but blink and you’d miss it! “Hi, what can I get you?” she asked in a monotone.

Before I answered, I felt a flashback

About six years ago, was one of those enchanted summer’s nights, where the distinction between indoors and out fades. The world is your home. Tee shirts on the midnight streets. Sometimes no shoes. Strangers become like family.

Everyone is as relaxed and uninhibited together as an old couple stretched out on the couch. Songs, laughter and animated banter. The air is alive, new friendships form and romance sparks easily. Driving with all my windows down listening to Tchaikovsky ballet music, the perfect accompaniment to the sweet night air drifting through. Smiling as my car carried me along. Suddenly a ballerina on the street! Dressed in full costume, dancing – leaps and whirls, pirouettes and sautés. A mesmerising performance to Tchaikovsky’s luxurious melodies, delicately lit by the tinted streetlights.

Was this some guerrilla performance art thing? Or maybe just a dance student waiting for a lift after rehearsal? All I know is that the distinction between inside and out melted away on that magical summer’s night.

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spirituality & the city Keeping a calm and peaceful flow.

Johnny Moran HDIP MA in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy My mind needs to receive as much nurture and healthy input as my Body or I suffer. My thoughts and energies determine my behaviour. A few seconds of deep breath from head to toe passing through my heart and all the wisdoms, knowledge, trainings, practices are present in seconds. Nothing else but Breath.

When I eventually stopped ignoring my unavoidable death, the taking of my last breath, I began to truly embrace, respect, value all life, my own life. What I breathe on for others is what I also harvest for my -self. Breaths in gratitude, forgiveness for hurts, in happiness for all beings. To ground myself in seconds I bring my breath to my loyal feet to say hello, I wiggle my toes, press my feet to the ground.

Ignored and isolated on the Dart watching my fellow travellers in deep relationship with their phones and ear plugs, I blow bubbles to them. The truth is I am still too scared so I just imagine blowing bubbles in all directions. And in just that thought deep joy surges all-consuming as it connects me to all wisdom in seconds. openmindscentre.ie

Eva Lennox Lomi Lomi Nui practitioner and massage therapist Most mornings I wake up early to practice yoga and for the past four months I’ve been living in India, practicing at the source. Yoga has been fundamental to much healing in my life; through cultivating a connection to my breath I discovered steadiness in my body and mind, ultimately allowing me to hear the whispers of my Spirit. This journey also led me to train as a Lomi Lomi Nui practitioner both in Ireland and Hawaii. Through Lomi I learned powerful practices of exploring emotion, feeling and sensation through the body that I come back to often. For me taking a workshop is like a pit-stop to refuel and realign myself. Alongside Lomi and yoga, receiving bodywork, dancing (often around the house with my partner!), meditation and deep breathing are all of the ways that I find myself connected and back at the centre of my centre. evalennox.com

Brendan Ringwood In about 1999, I was introduced to Jac O’Keefe, who was my friend’s wife at the time. While in her house she asked me if I had ever heard of RAJ. I hadn’t, so she gave me a set of tapes and off I went to listen to them. RAJ turned out to be a guide that was channelled by Paul Tuttle since 1985. That was my spiritual awakening right there and then. I spent the next two years reading everything that had been channelled. He teaches a process called the ‘Two Step’, whereby you silence your thinking and merely ask the question, What is the truth here? If you’re quiet enough you’ll hear the inner guidance. The question can be asked to God, the holy spirit, your guide, whatever makes you feel good. I practice it every day.. some days better than others and I find that it works best when I am in nature, that’s why I go hiking practically every weekend, to recharge my inner-peace batteries. jac-okeeffe.com | nwffacim.org

Kim Belissimo life coach and energy Worker To be in the frequency of peace, I complete a fourpart EnergyWork at the start of every day. Firstly I set the intention of what I want, i.e. I want to receive opportunities; I want to create supportive relationships. Secondly, I set the frequency of my intention, for example, “I am the vibration of peace” or “I am the vibration of passion.”Then I clear the frequency of what I don’t want, i.e, doubt or anxiety.

I literally visualize flushing it down the loo to let it go! And lastly, I fill up my heart. I visualize myself connecting to a star in the sky and letting my heart fill with its light energy. I then feel myself ground to the earth below, filling and renewing my heart from the planet. By starting each day like this, I set the frequency for a world around me that is in tune and vibrates with the life I’m in agreement to create.

kimbellisimo.com

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Maria Donlon Founder of lifecleanse My daily yoga practice is definitely what keeps me in a calm state and ready to deal with whatever the day has in store. I make some time each morning for breathwork or pranayama practice and/or a moving asana practice. I notice a visible difference in how I deal with stressful situations on the days that I have practiced versus the days that I haven’t. I’ve had times when I thought I was too busy to fit these practices in but taking even 3 minutes to sit with some very simple breathwork can really slow down the rest of the day. Another thing I think helps is the separation from feeling like things happen ‘to us’ and realising that things just happen.

If something isn’t going my way, I try to just take a minute, take a deep breath and try to adapt to the new situation as best I can. lifeCleanse.ie

Stephen McGarry While living in Costa Rica I discovered some ways to stay calm and peaceful in the midst of everyday stress - nature and yoga.

Getting out in nature as much as I can is key to my happiness and well being. I love long walks, gardening and camping. Anytime I am in nature I feel like I’m plugging in, charging my battery!

Living in Dublin we are lucky to have many beautiful parks. The National Botanic Garden is a favourite of mine and lucky for me, it’s right around the corner! Yoga allows me to turn my focus inward, let go and be in the present. Instead of always trying to solve life’s problems I can take that time to be in my body, moving with my breath and focusing on my personal intention. My wife is a Yoga Teacher & Reiki Master and she’s helped me discover techniques for mindfulness and healing that really work for me.

Everyone is different, so I think it’s important to really be open to what works for you. yogalovelight.com

positi v e astrology

love centred

universe Walk the path you believe in.

By Andrew Smith

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One slight after another; your equanimity shaken; an injustice too far, you can feel the incandescent rage building. You feel your soul starting to pull back from your body as the coolness starts to spread out from your heart. You know this place. You have been here before. You can feel His presence as the Herald of Karma and Holy Retribution silently steels near. Spread out before you are an array of weapons. You have purpose.

You have a good reason.

Somewhere within, you hear the voice of the Presence you have been trying to develop a deeper connection to. A question spontaneously arises, creating a moment of doubt and indecision – will your actions create further bondage to the instigator of your pending reaction? Yes, your retribution would be clean, swift and unexpected, but is ‘getting even’ an appropriate pathway?

Torn at this juncture of acceptance/ peace and judgement/conflict, like

a renegade detective in a gritty cop show, you stand with one foot on either side of the law. The question hangs in the balance. Which pathway will you choose? Forgiveness or revenge? Love or destruction? Dharma or Karma? The path less trodden or the path well worn?

Mirroring this cosmic dance – the question that arises this Springtime regards whether you truly walk the path that you believe in, when faced with injustice or in the presence of someone who attempts to impose onto you vastly different social-economic/political/or religious-spiritual convictions? Swirling around you are constant negative images of the Holy War; the promises that can never be honoured within the broken political system; the naysayers that truly believe you are mad to want to make a living from something soulful; and the stark

“If you believe that the universe is ultimately a supportive and abundant place, do you live what you love?”

realisation that leadership cannot come from the top down, but stems from within.

So how do YOU channel your energy in the face of these prejudices, controls and injustices? Moreover, what you truly believe in is another existential question being asked of you as you clearly see evidence of the zealousness of other people’s egoic convictions hidden beneath the veneer of religio-economic doubletalk.

Have your beliefs been moulded and shaped by someone else’s, albeit seductive, opinions or have they been hewn from experience and conscious creative reflection? Do you walk that path or is it merely delicately crafted china that has to be vehemently protected, viewed from behind a Perspex screen, as opposed to loving and carefully used? Do you believe that your body is a temple and are mindful about what you eat, but justify gorging on sugar and alcohol on special occasions, knowing that a three day detox will suffice?! Do you believe that love is the way, yet go on the offensive, seeking to defend yourself, justifying it under the pretext that you are learning to overcome passive aggressive behaviour?

If you believe that the universe is ultimately a supportive and abundant place, do you live what you love?

Furthermore, do you believe that you can make a sustainable living from what you love or do you believe that if you make a living from something you love you will corrupt or ruin it? Do you feel that for something to be pure it needs to be free of money, after all money seems to corrupt a lot of people and destroy or create stress?

Or does it? Is that just another belief system, reinforced by those within another system of belief that cannot see that your creative essence can exist without being drip fed by the current socio-economic system?

Yet there are times wherein you have the chance to review those laws and attitudes that have defined your reality, making necessary adjustments to those attitudes that no longer serve your higher purpose, along with letting go some of the learned beliefs that accompany those beliefs.

Inherently paradoxical March through May juxtaposes differing energetic states within you – the desire to create a positive future and an eagerness to maintain to which you have become accustomed, in a pattern that has not taken place since 15th January 1956 and will not take place again until 22nd September 2075. Will your conservative

Highlights of spring’s Cosmic Activity Mar 6th Mar 9th Mar 16th Mar 23rd Apr 7th Apr 17th Apr 28th May 6th May 22nd May 27th

Freedom of expression as Jupiter quincunx Uranus Piscean New Moon and Solar eclipse Passionate Beliefs as Jupiter trine Pluto Lunar eclipse and Question of Belief as Jupiter squares Saturn Arian New Moon Inner zeal as Mars retrogrades in Sagittarius How solid is your mind as Mercury Retrograde in Taurus Taurean New Moon Mercury Direct in Taurus Free or not? as Jupiter squares Saturn

side attempt to maintain the integrity of your existing lifestyle or will your liberal side increasingly campaign to let go those dimensions of your belief system that are not yours and no longer serve you on your path?

Which side will dominate depends on how much of your life is genuinely of your own creation and how much has been influenced by an external agency or developed as a reaction to circumstances.

If you are living a lifestyle that is not completely honouring the potential that you have, then while this may, on occasion, be a frustrating time as you meet challenges that provoke in you a need to adjust and make alterations to your daily routine. Some fears, anxieties and vulnerabilities harboured deep within your soul may become agitated and therefore more conscious enabling you to process, review and possibly letting them go. If you are living in accordance to your inner beliefs, not seeking to impose them, but patiently honouring the infinite abundance that exists within your heart, then this Spring will be a time of confirmation and sustained growth, as you are able to further expand and structure your lifestyle in accordance with your truth, your love, your music, your passion.

After all, you live in an infinitely abundant and love centred universe. Don’t you?

Andrew’s private practice is in Blackrock, South Dublin. Email him on dastroc@gmail.com for further information on consultations.

positi v e attraction

When I go into an audition, I have to have the confidence within me that I can deliver a good read. I have to have confidence in my healing that I can make a difference in someone’s life by the information that comes through. I have to have confidence before I even sit down to write this article.

The one common principle in all these adventures: I have learned to trust my channel. Always and without question.

That is, of course, quite the opposite of what we have been taught. The definition of confidence is: full trust. And yet, our what it is and how to get it! society has educated us in the belief that Bycan Deenever Wallace we trust our own judgment, and God forbid we really trust anyone outside of ourselves; and it is actually impossible to trust ALL energy. Quite a conundrum, don’t you agree? If creation takes confidence, and confidence is trust, and we are taught we can’t trust, then we can never be theIS confident vibration that What, exactly, freedom?

Webster’s creates.

Ergo,defines the more you go state into your Dictionary it as “the of being mental mind to reason, figure and stay safe, at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.” But many of us recognise that the physical is created from the mental equivalent. Some of the most moving human testaments to freedom were from people who were confined, who had their L_summer_12_d1.indd 19 physical liberties taken away, only to learn that their real freedom could never be taken. Nelson Mandela changed the world with that message. Freedom, is the belief and the perspective that

the less confidence you experience in the creation process. And then the pattern of limited creation begins again.

I mean, I couldn’t walk into Mr. Speilberg’s office without any confidence and book E.T. You can’t even have successful love making without confidence. And yet, we ask the Universe to deliver to us when we aren’t confident in the trust within ourselves to create it, or to handle the creation when we do. So, the Universe, being the very wise director it is, must experience your confidence to manifest your desire.

So, how does one create confidence?

meet in harmony, and create the child, a.k.a. the creation. The divine idea/ instinct/guidance must be taken out into the world with power by the masculine to successfully create. When that happens, confidence is truly in place.

So, ask yourself: do I have a lot of great, inspired ideas that I never do anything with? If the answer is yes, know that you need to balance the masculine so you have more power to deliver your ideas to the world. Or do you push and work and strive doing ANYthing, just to try and create, without a lot of success? Stop and take time to nurture your feminine.

Allow your channel to open and receive divine guidance, and then use the power that is in place to radiate that out. Then the creation is automatically in place, and confidence is reinforced.

Confidence is not something you get. Confidence is the vibration of knowing that you are. Be the knowing of the Creative Force that is you, and confidence is a no-brainer. Literally.

freedom ‘I mean, I couldn’t walk into Mr. Speilberg’s office without any confidence and book E.T.’

Some people without money feel the same, because they have a faith to support them, less need for the material, or no experience of having a lot in the first place.

Then there are those on both sides that live in an experience of lack. The freedom doesn’t come from the money, but from the belief and perception we hold about it, tied to happy or unhappy experiences that created brain synapses that support this belief. Our powers of belief/perception also allow us to choose to create the experience of freedom, and security.

“We create new perspectives and belief systems. We create new lives.”

we are always at choice to choose. It is unconditional love for ourselves: that no matter what the condition we are being challenged with, we are, in every moment, free to choose our inner freedom. It isn’t really something you “get”, but a state of mind, a perception that then creates a three dimensional experience.

Some people with a lot of money feel free. They know they are secure, taken care of and supported in the world because money represents that to them.

These synapses are genetic.

However, the new definition for genetic could be, “a belief we have all agreed to share.” For example, someone says “high blood pressure runs in the family,” and we agree to believe that. That belief must be created in our reality, and thus takes our freedom of good health from us.

These synapses are usually created through experiences before the age of seven. If a child witnesses his parents struggling to make ends meet, that

14 19

Dee Wallace has worked as an author, teacher, dancer and actress in film, television and the stage for over 30 years (E.T., Cujo, The Howling). Her book, Bright Light, tells that tale and shares the spiritual lessons she has learned fromhas a life in acting. experience been modeled, so he

www.iamdeewallace.com might easily create the belief, “I have to struggle to live/survive/thrive.” Even if he finds a way out of poverty, struggle will likely will be attached in some way to his creation of success. Why do we think so many successful men and women are dealing with stress and disease?

Stress is just another word for struggle, 05/06/2012 a perception formed from a belief. The freedom comes from the conscious realisation of this false, limiting perspective. Once changed, the same amount of work can become fun and easy and replace laborious struggle.

Through changing our perception, we stoke the fires of reality, and that is the greatest freedom of all: the choice to choose freedom. To be the experience of free within ourselves so that we may create the synapses and perceptions that create more freedom for ourselves, and for the world. It all begins with us. We are the masters of our fates, and the captains of our souls, and there is no higher definition of freedom than that!

Dee Wallace has worked as an author, teacher, dancer and actress in film, television and the stage for over 30 years. (E.T., Cujo, The Howling). Her book, Bright Light, tells that tale and shares the spiritual lessons she has learned from a life in acting. iamdeewallace.com

12:17

positive home

feng shui to

get in shape and not just from moving furniture!

By Amanda Collins

16 Your home can be arranged in ways that either block or support you to be the best version of yourself. A supportive home nurtures, inspires and becomes a sacred space in which to live and thrive.

Start at the start - the first thing you see when you enter your home defines how you perceive it. People who see the bedroom as soon as they step in may feel tired. If you see the dining room your guests will eat and run. If you see your kitchen first, your first thought will be to eat or go back and forth to the fridge even if you already know what’s in it. Place a plant or hang a curtain to divert attention from the kitchen. Create a different focal point with a beautiful artwork on the opposite wall to invite your energy in the other direction. Place a mirror at eye level on the fridge to look yourself in the eye, the window to the soul, and ask yourself if you are really hungry and really need this? Also add a mirror above your stove to place yourself in a powerful position when you are cooking.

“Display images of vibrant health, including a picture of yourself exercising and enjoying it!”

Is your fridge covered in magnets? Avoid this magnetic pull and instead, keep only one magnet with an affirmation: “I love my body and feed it natural healthy foods.” Bring in nature and healthy choices by growing fresh herbs and greenery in your kitchen window and create a clutter-free

kitchen with a sense of freshness and lightness. Clean out the fridge, pantry and cupboards - I recommend taking everything out, and then, piece by piece, putting back only what you use.

When it comes to colours, reds, oranges or bright yellow on the walls, plates or placemats in the kitchen or dining room will stimulate your appetite so choose earthy colours such as cream, tans, blues and greens to relax the nervous system. A bowl of fresh fruit on the table also suggests healthy choices, and makes an accessible snack. Keep the energy flowing by allowing only what you use out on the counter and place sharp knives in a drawer out of sight.

Make eating a sacred ritual by decorating the table with fresh flowers and using good china for meals. Bless your food and show gratitude for it. Try not to eat dinner sitting down watching television, give yourself the gift of time and chew your food 12 times per bite!

Calming crystals and minerals such as blue lace agate or sodalite can also help quiet your appetite and slow down the pace of your meal. The slower you eat, the less likely you are to overeat.

In your closet, get rid of old clothes you have been saving for “when I lose weight.” Holding onto clothes that don’t fit symbolises holding on to old behaviour patterns. Keep only clothes that honour you and that help you accept and love yourself, as you are right now.

Display images of vibrant health, including a picture of yourself exercising and enjoying it! When working out, keep a bit of the fiery gemstone garnet in your pocket to enhance your strength and endurance. Finally, uplift your mood at home with citrus scents by adding a few drops of lemon oil to spring water in a diffuser. Then play some dance music to get your chi energy up and your feet moving! amandacollins.com

Feng Shui Master Certification With Amanda Collins July 18th - 23rd , 2016 | Gorey, Wexford | Investment: 999 €

Start a new fullfilling career you will love and change the lives of others Earning up to 200 € an hour www.InternationalFengShuiSchool.com | www.AmandaCollins.com Amanda Collins, Founder & Director of one of the world’s top Gold Level Feng Shui Schools through the IFSG.

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“I have found the body to be a brilliant barometer for what is in and out of harmony within your mind, emotions and spiritual Self.�

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symptoms the curiosity to look deeper.

By Sandy Newbigging

Why is my body not working as it should?

Not knowing can be incredibly confusing, concerning and frustrating. Although there tends to be a lot of research available on what your physical condition is, what its called and what’s not working properly, it’s often harder to find information about why it’s happening in the first place.

Medical professionals, taught by classical institutions, are often trained to view and treat the body as separate from the mind and the soul. This isn’t necessarily the most calming approach when you come fact to face with a health issue, and certainly in that situation, it’s more important than ever to feel relaxed, at ease and stress free; considering the negative impacts we know these things can have on our health. In meditation, we look at how our practice can affect not just our spiritual well being, but also how it can have positive impacts on our physical health too.

I’ve worked on developing meditation techniques that can help us explore, understand and ease some of the difficulties when health issues arise and possibly even help deal with their root causes. Giving your body the best chance at healing, means approaching it in a holistic way - that is, looking after the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of the problem.

That all sounds well and good in theory, but how can you put it into practice?

You’re gaining weight because your thyroid isn’t working properly. You’re feeling ill because you have a bacterial infection. You’ve got pain in your joints because you have arthritis. You have irritable bowel syndrome because you have a food allergy. But let’s become curious about these problems.

Why is my thyroid not functioning as it should? Why is there a build up of bacteria? Why are the joints swelling and why has the body become allergic to certain food types?

Is it wear and tear, because it “just happens sometimes” or simply bad

luck? Exploring the why can bring us to new understandings about the emotion, mental or spiritual issues that may be related to the physical problem.

There is much that can be learnt from the body for those who are willing and able to understand its many meaningful messages.

I have found the body to be a brilliant barometer for what is in and out of harmony within your mind, emotions and spiritual Self. As a natural consequence, I view physical conditions more as a red flag to draw our attention to where any disharmony is being highlighted.

Highly symbolic, the body tends to present physical symptoms in the areas of your body that serve particular purposes, with these functions reflecting what’s happening in your life. As a result, I invite you to be more interested in the functions of the body parts, organs, systems and senses and how the experience of the physical condition feels like to you.

With my Embodying Calm approach, we make a distinction between the condition LABEL, the associated SYMPTOMS and the FEELING of what it is like, within you, to experience the condition. All too often I find people get distracted by the labels and caught up in treating the symptoms. In doing so, they miss a major element that offers vital information on why the condition has happened.

In the case of migraines for example, the label would be ‘migraines’, with the symptoms usually being headaches, nausea etc. When faced with such an issue, most people reach for a pill or potion to get rid of the symptoms. However, to understand the mind-body-soul connection reason(s) for the condition, you need to become more curious and look deeper to explore how the migraines feel to experience.

When I’ve asked migraine sufferers what it feels like, Ive had answers like “I feel under attack.” With this recognition,

the next thing to explore is ‘Where has the feeling of being under attack been showing up in your life? Amazingly, time after time, we discover that the feeling will have been going on in a persons life before the condition and symptoms showed up.

Heres another example to help you understand the healing power of calm. I recently worked with a lady who had terrible knee pain, to the point of not being able to walk. I asked her, ‘What does it feel like to experience the knee condition? Her response was insightful: ‘I can’t support myself, I feel weak and fear that I’m getting old. I then asked – ‘Where has that experience of not being able to support yourself, feeling weak and fearing getting old been showing up in your life? To which she said, ‘Oh my God, it’s how I’ve been feeling since before my knee pain started!”

We used the Embodying work to help her get peace with the way that she’d been feeling and the knee pain disappeared to the point she was able to walk up and down stairs for the first time in ages.

The Embodying work is also great for problematic life circumstances that keep showing up too. For life stuff, again, you want to explore what the circumstance feels like to experience and then use the Embodying Exercise (found in my Body Calm book) to help it transform.

When you can interpret the meaningful messages coming from your body, you’re able to tell a massive amount about your mental, emotional and spiritual health and use that information to help your holistic healing journey.

Sandy is running an Embodying Calm weekend course in Dublin 11-12 June and his Body Calm book is out now. Visit www.sandynewbigging.com for details.

Quote ‘Positive Life Magazine’ in the booking form to be entered into a competition to win coaching sessions with Sandy. Winner will be announced at the June event.

positi v e meditation

see beyond

positive be aut y

grace the beauty of

20

how sweet the sound.

By Mary Berkery

Understanding Grace Consider the word grace, what does it mean and does it have any relevance in your life? In the dictionary, grace can be defined as a seemingly effortless beauty or charm of movement and form, a pleasing characteristic of refinement, a sense of propriety and a disposition to be generous, helpful, and to have goodwill.

“They were said to bestow the world with goodwill, beauty, kindness and precious moments.”

In Greek mythology, Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia, daughters of Zeus, were known as The Three Graces.

The sister goddesses represented qualities of charm, beauty, and joy, beautifully expressed in Antonio Canova’s neoclassical, marble statue. They were said to bestow the world with goodwill, beauty, kindness and precious moments.

From a theological aspect, grace refers to being freely given unmerited favour and blessings. Grace is also the influence of a spiritual dimension operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them. Being in a state of grace is being in a condition of high consciousness and loving-kindness.

Developing Your Personal Grace Grace has many levels of meaning for me.

My life has been graced with wonderful encounters and events. I think of times when I operated in a graceful way in my dealings with others, being thoughtful in my words and responses. I consider how I dress with care and move physically with ease and confidence. Who in your life would you consider to be graceful and where or how do you wish to embody it in your life? For some it may refer to poise and elegance, for others it could mean generosity, goodwill and blessings.

Here are some areas you can bring in more grace, and ways that might help you to do so.

Grace in Thought »» Consciously take attention away from self-criticism or judgments of ourselves

and others. »» Embody thoughts of beauty, goodwill and kindness. »» Instead of reacting immediately in a tense or challenging situation, prioritise elegance in thought, as opposed to speed in reaction. Give yourself a moment to find grace in your thoughts, and allow this quality to inform your words or actions.

Grace in Actions »» Trust that life will bring you through difficult situations. »» Allow yourself time to soften into transitions and changes in life. »» Can you bring qualities of joy, beauty, charm and generosity into your actions?

Choose a quality related to grace and see if you can bring it into your day to day life.

Grace in Body »» Develop awareness of your body as a beautiful temple. »» Care for it with deep respect, nutrition and alignment exercises. »» Choose quality clothing to enhance your form and beauty.

maryberkery.com­

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serenaded by JOHN BOWKER SHARES HIS STORY.

By Ann Hill

This year sees the tenth season of the remarkable phenomenon that is Earthsong Camps.

Ann Hill meets founder John Bowker to hear about its origins and the vision that inspired the Camps.

You really need to fasten your seatbelt if you’re going to have a lengthy conversation with John Bowker. The force behind the legendary Tribal Spirit Drumming workshops and Earthsong Camps, Bowker is an eclectic thinker who constantly pulls inspiration from all corners of the planet and beyond.

Born in England, Bowker spent his early years immersed in the heady world of the Manchester rock scene of the 70s and 80s.

Pubs and clubs might seem a world away from the idyllic atmosphere of Earthsong, but the rock world actually contained the seed of the no drug/no alcohol events Bowker is known for today.

“We would spend the winter gigging and spend the summer at the Free Festivals happening around the UK at the time,” John explains. The Free Festivals was a musical movement that emerged in the 70s, organised by groups of libertarian free-thinkers. As one flyer put it at the time, “Free festivals are practical demonstrations of what society could be like all the time: miniature utopias of joy and communal awareness rising for a few days.”

Alongside the festivals a sister movement of camps was emerging across Britain. “These differed from the Festivals

in that there were no bands. The people themselves were the event, everyone came together to make a magical space that allowed creativity and connection to flourish. All the entertainment was provided by the campers themselves and many were very clear about the need to keep drugs and alcohol out to allow that safe, transformational space to develop,” John says.

This model of user-participation hugely influenced the type of work Bowker does today. “We knew we were following a need that had existed in communities since human society began.

Every culture has the tradition of these types of fairs or gatherings where tribes would come together for a few days to connect. Most often it was at the high points of the solar calendar such as Lunasa or Beltane, such as the horse fair at Spancil Hill which has been held in Co. Clare every Midsummer for the past 300 years. These were magical times of possibility – people would meet and fall in love, healings occurred, soothsayers came and gave guidance for the year ahead.

There was trade, music and storytelling – all the functions of a healthy society could happen here, before people went back to their everyday lives.”

nature 23 “These were magical times of possibility…”

An essential ingredient to the fairs and camps was that they took place outdoors, immersed in nature.

For Bowker, this is one of the most vital aspects to creating a powerful space that allows deep healing and transformation to occur. “Any form of ritual works so much more deeply if it is done in nature.

I think this is because we are ourselves elementally a part of the natural world, even though we forget it. When we strip away our modern toys, what we are left with is our pure selves. We are wild, mad, wonderful, creative intelligent animals.

We are going back to something ancient when we rediscover this.”

In England, things took a darker turn with Margaret Thatcher’s infamous crackdown on the Free Festivals and other expressions of the subculture of the era. In 1985, 1,500 troops were sent to destroy the anti-nuclear campaign camp at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire,

the largest military movement in Britain since World War 2. Much of the energy of the festivals was broken up but the positive energy of the camps began to flourish, with the emergence of Oak Dragon and later the Unicorn Camps.

Like many people from the alternative scene at the time, Bowker moved to Ireland in search of a more heart-centred way of living. He quickly earned a reputation as a dynamic and inclusive drum teacher, with his Tribal Spirit Drum classes encapsulating the teachings that had evolved from the camps. Before long Tribal Spirit was running residential events and in 2007 Bowker was ready to launch his first 500-person camp in Ireland. With a core group of experienced facilitators and visionaries, Earthsong Camps was born and has run sell-out Camps every year since.

Over the years this ancient spirit

of sacred gatherings has continued to evolve. “We know that even tribes we think of as being very connected to the Earth, such as the Navajo and the Baka, still regularly use ritual to enhance their experience of life. It is a window of opportunity in which you can be reminded of the beautiful existence all around you, to raise your consciousness and notice things about life that you hadn’t seen before.”

This year five separate camps will run, in beautiful venues in Co. Tipperary and Co. Clare, each with a varied program of workshops and events for all ages, from healing arts to music, creative workshops and more. Finally I asked John what people could expect to notice?

“Often people notice just how kind other human beings are, and how beautiful they are themselves. They might see how people are generally just trying to do their best. It is like the scales fall from our eyes and our senses wake up. We see how beautiful the land is, how lovable we are and, really, that this is just one big magnificent planet.”

More information of Earthsong Camps is available on earthsong.ie

pOSITIve SUppLeMeNT

brain food MASTeRMINd OveR MATTeR.

By Aisling O’Toole

Much like everything else in our lives, our brain could do with a helping hand to reach its optimum ability. While hashtags such as #eatclean and #fitfam are clogging up our social media feeds, the notion of supporting and feeding our second largest organ is still a relatively new one. We take supplements to support everything from gut health to skin radiance yet leave our brains to their own devices. Mastermind, a new supplement from the people behind Revive Active, is set to change how we think about brain health.

The idea is a simple one. The 24/7 nature of modern living is putting our

24

brains under continued stress, yet we’re still expected to perform to the best of our ability with no extra resources. There are of course certain aids that promote brain health, but none to a level that can improve memory, increase cognitive function, sharpen our focus and soothe our nervous system. Which is exactly what Mastermind promises to do through its natural formulation.

Which for Dr Daniel Jones, head of R&D at Revive Active, is a necessity if we’re to live life at our fullest potential.

“People are living longer than ever before, which is incredible, but our bodies are still catching up with modern medicine. We are living in a different time and dealing with factors that have never been dealt with before, such as economic fluctuations, and those stressors influence how our brains work.

Mastermind helps our brains keep up with the times and work to the best of its ability despite external stress.”

To truly understand how Mastermind works, we need to look towards the people and research that’s come out of both Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Northumbria University.

Research at MIT has shown that in order for our brain to make memories it needs to form synapses (connections), and this requires constant fuel. While there are individual supplements on the

market, all of which promise to support this process, it’s the quality of the ingredients and their synergy with each other that marks Mastermind out. At Northumbria, Revive Active picked the brains of their elite teams of scientists through dozens of clinical trials that subsequently informed Mastermind’s unique formula, as well as the efficacy of its ingredients.

How can we be sure we’re choosing the best supplement on the market?

“There’s a misconception that all forms of vitamins are the same,” explained Dr Jones, “that is not the case. We strive to

“Who doesn’t want a better brain?” find the purest form of each ingredient in the most natural and organic way.

Take DHA for example which is one of Mastermind’s key ingredients, the easiest way to find DHA in the quantity we require is through fish oils, but we found a company that create a vegetarian form by extracting DHA from algae, it’s more expensive but it’s a better quality so better for Mastermind. It’s our multi-faceted approach and the synergy between our ingredients that sees people notice acute results on their mental focus and mood within a few weeks.”

While the effect Mastermind has on improving memory in seniors is remarkable, Dr Jones is keen to point out that the supplement is also ideal for professionals and students, in fact, the supplement is perfect for anyone who wants to live a better live. As Dr Jones says: “Who doesn’t want a better brain?” reviveactive.com

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Positive tantra

tantra moments Open up to intimacy.

By Dawn Cartwright

If you’re new to Tantric ideas and practices, these simple, beautiful moments of Tantra are perfect to open you to the extraordinary depths of experience and connection that Tantra has to offer, a connection to yourself, the world, and to others.

But whether you’re just beginning, or you’ve been exploring Tantra for many years, you’ll find these moments can bring intimacy in ways you might never have imagined. You’ll cultivate a steady sense of who you are, you’ll align with what is meaningful to you and you’ll experience a freedom to be and express as the person you truly are. Through the practice, you’ll experience a natural way of being that is sensual and blissful.

This series of Tantra Moments are techniques you can practise here and now, and I will continue to bring you more throughout the year.

No partner is needed. No special abilities are required. Only you, just as you are.

A Place For Intimacy Intimacy is possible when we have space inside us, it’s spaciousness that invites another closer. We’ve all had the experience of being in a conversation with someone who was uptight or so caught up in their own thoughts there was no space to get a word in. This is happening more often than we realise, on a subtle level, in all our relationships. If we are uptight or distracted in any way, we limit the depth intimacy can reach.

1 Begin standing. Allow your arms to hang loosely at your sides, relax your belly, soften your knees.

Notice what you feel inside. Begin to make a transition from thinking to feeling.

27 2 When you feel grounded and centred in yourself, begin to slowly turn from side to side. Only your upper body is twisting side to side. Let your arms move with your torso, sweeping through the air side to side as you turn.

“You’ll experience a natural way of being that is sensual and blissful.”

3 Relax your jaw, breathe through the mouth, focus on letting go each time you exhale. The movements can be playful, sinking down as you turn, rising up as you reach. What you’re doing, is opening the centre of your body, you are releasing tension and distraction, and creating space for intimacy.

nose, purse your lips, make sounds, feel that you are opening both physically and emotionally. Our bodies tend to hold onto past experiences as tension, there are times when the tension is so much a part of us, it goes unnoticed until it’s so severe we become ill. In this practice you are not only opening to intimacy with others – you are opening to you.

4 Relax your neck and shoulders, let your head follow the turning and twisting happening in your body. Make faces, scrunch up your eyes and your

5 After 10-15 minutes. Stop. Lie down on the floor and relax completely. Feel the space inside, welcome the place and space for intimacy you’ve created.

Dawn Cartwright is a Tantric visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in bio-energetic Tantra fusion. This spring, Dawn has a variety of retreats coming up in Ireland, inlcuding ‘The Red Tent - Sacred Sexuality for Women,’ 14-15 April, Wicklow, ‘Sacred Sexuality - How We Love, 2 Nights of Tantric Bliss’, 15-17 April, Wicklow, and a ‘Deluxe Couples Tantra Weekend’ 21-24 April, Sligo dawncartwright.com.

golden the

age

goldie Hawn’s quiet revolution.

By Elva Carri

Adults today for the most part would probably agree, that we weren’t entirely prepared to deal with the kind of world we find ourselves in. I say this because there seems to be, ironically, an almost panicked frenzy to figure out how to live a balanced life, find calm, find peace and be able to sleep again at night. We have access to and share a lot of information and it’s fast and there are so many sources.

In many ways, this has had amazing benefits. The digital era has enabled us to help people on the other side of the world in very direct ways. People in remote areas educate themselves online and can even video-chat with a class leaving them feeling less isolated than they would have 100 years ago. Overall though, it’s pretty hard to switch off or focus, isn’t it?

We don’t need science to tell us that we are happier, perform better and are nicer to people around us when we are relaxed and focussed. We know that about

ourselves but an increasing number of scientific studies back it up too.

So what would the world look like, if instead of focusing purely on academic achievements in school, we had learned how to relax, be calm, develop our levels of empathy? This is where Goldie Hawn’s vision for a better world emerges, in the classroom. Through the Hawn Foundation, along with neuroscientists, psychologists and educators, she’s developed the MindUP™ curriculum which has now run with over 650,000 children. The data collected, along with big smiles and many moving stories, has already proven its value.

In her early twenties, Hawn rose to fame almost overnight and faced the challenges that come with that, including anxiety. In interviews, she’s spoken about how she just wanted a “normal” life. She had danced from the age of three, and her dream was to open a dance school back

home, have a white picket fence and start a family. People asking for her autograph didn’t fit with the life she envisioned.

To deal with it, Hawn began using meditation, something certainly underprescribed in Hollywood at the time, went to a psychologist and began to explore her mind.

So why focus on children? In an interview with Queen Latifah, Hawn explained that physically, our brains aren’t fully developed until the age of 24. Yet so many of us are expected to behave like a mature adult from 18, in many cases even younger. When 9/11 happened, she said like she felt the world was going to change, and foresaw a silent distress in children. She might not have been wrong. Figures from the Hawn Foundation state that when MindUP was introduced to schools, 13% of teenagers were suffering from depression and 50% per cent of students in urban centres were dropping out before graduation.

Less of them would graduate than their parents. When we hope the world is advancing and education improving, that’s a jarring statistic.

Principle Harriet-Turman from Terry Lane Elementary School also notes the importance of the programme in today’s world. “For 21st century learners, it is imperative that they are optimistic. It is imperative that they understand that if they’re going to compete with a global community, they must be resilient.”

How MindUP Works MindUP functions as a really welldesigned, interactive programme. Kids aren’t forced to just sit quietly with their eyes closed for an hour and it takes four main pillars into account.

photo: john russo

MindUP, an interactive mindfulness programme for children initiated by Goldie Hawn has been taught to over 650,000 students around the world. Like so many movements encompassing kindness, mindfulness and empathy, it’s been quietly changing the world from the grass roots up for over a decade. It’s helping to move society from the surprise and shock of the digital era, to what Tony Robbins refers to as the ‘attention era’ – a time where we now consciously choose where to put our attention. Goldie Hawn believes this shift needs to start in the classroom.

29

JoYFuL FactS aBout goLdie haWn • She laughs easily and fully. Watch any interview with her. It’s heartfelt and infectiously joyful.

• She’s been with her partner Kurt Russell for over 30 years. They’ve never married and she says that each day she wakes up and makes the decision to be there.

• She also credits Kurt as a wonderful father, says they parent as a team, share the same values and “love and live with our family.”

• From age eleven, when people asked Hawn what she wanted to be when she grows up, she would say, happy. Speaking at an event run by The Aspen Institute, she said, “They looked at me like I was crazy. They didn’t ask me what I wanted to do, and those were two different things. What do I want to do, well I want to be a dancer, and then I want to sing. But what I wanted to be really mattered to me.”

Statistics From The Mindup Programme Figures were collected in studies carried out by the University of British Colombia, and the Momentos Institute.

30

•

82% of children reported having a more positive outlook

•

81% of children learned to make themselves happy

•

58% of children tried to help others more often

•

100% of teachers reported that it positively influenced classroom culture and students were significantly more attentive.

•

15% of students improved their math achievement scores

•

73% of 3rd graders showed improved planning and organizational skills

•

56% of all students and 92% of all 3 year olds reported greater peer acceptance

•

64% of all 4th and 5th graders demonstrated increased empathy

“From age eleven, when people asked Hawn what she wanted to be when she grows up, she would say, happy.”

Nueroscience Kids learn about the science of the brain.

It’s incredibly interesting and brings a practical, physical, and visual element to what they’re learning. Our ‘reptilian’ brain is an ancient part of our biology that runs well when we are in a state of alert. The down side is that it’s not great for considering things, its role is to react quickly to make sure we’re safe if something is going to attack. In a conversation with a classmate or a teacher, it’s not necessarily the part of your brain you want in control of the situation. The children learn that through mindfulness and brain breaks, their prefrontal cortex can step in and take over.

This part of our brain functions less-well in a state of alert so it’s important to be able to find calm. Rather than ‘reacting’, the pre-frontal cortex allows us to weigh things up, process and take a bit more time to reflect before making a decision or action.

Quiet Mind The students also learn to quiet their mind by taking brain breaks – and they love them so much that they request them, they’ve even requested them specifically to help others in their classroom. In an interview with Deepak Chopra, she tells of a time an autistic child was having trouble in a classroom.

He was getting agitated and shaking because of a test they were about to take.

A fellow classmate walked up to the teacher and asked if they could do their brain break and their breathing exercises now as it might help him. The whole class got into a circle and did their breathing practice. His shaking stopped and he felt ready to take his test. Imagine knowing that this was how a group and teacher were going to react to your child if they were having a difficulty in school?

Mindful Senses They also practice using their senses to become mindful and I’ve seen this recommended to adults too. It’s a lovely one to try no matter where you are.

Become aware of your senses one at a time. What can you see? Name something.

What can you hear? What can you smell? Continue through each sense, focus on each individually and allow other thoughts to float away. Much like breathing exercises, this can help you gain calm and focus.

Our Place in the World Lastly, the children look at their place in the world. They learn to savour happiness and they keep gratitude journals. It doesn’t stop with just them either. In one of MindUP’s videos, two children shared their stories of teaching the practices

to family members. One young boy taught his parents. When they fight, he asks them to do breathing exercises and says that afterwards, they’re not angry.

Kimberly Schoenrt-Reichi, Phd. from the Department of Education Psychology Unity of British Columbia backs up the importance of the optimism created too, “Children who are less stressed are more happy, and happier children not only do better in school, they have higher academics as well as more motivation.

They also are more caring and empathic individuals.”

This is only the beginning. MindUP is growing and may even come to Ireland in the near future. Many others are finding ways to bring mindfulness to children too, in schools and books and toys all designed to give our children tools we now recognise the need for.

Seeing even small stories of incredible kindness and empathy that grows from that new culture for our children is only the beginning of a changing world.

Hawn refers to the number of students in MindUP as a drop in the bucket. “Every child needs a chance to thrive, to feel that they have a special gift. If we don’t give them that respect, we’re not doing our job in educating the leaders of tomorrow.” thehawnfoundation.org

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rising up eat, drink and be visionaries.

By Samuel Bishop

100 years since the Easter Rising, how are you approaching the centenary commemorations and celebrations?

It’s not easy to make sense of it all and to understand how to get involved.

What does it all mean? While one can appreciate and admire the visionary writing of the proclamation and commemorate the bravery of a few in seizing their destinies for the many, it’s not so easy to celebrate an armed rising.

It was a tragic time for Ireland, evenmore-so across the continent.

Perhaps it’s easiest to dissect the Proclamation and relate it to our own values. Many of the passages of the proclamation are inspiring; declaring a vision for an equal nation, a nation that would be able to define its own future. Calling for equal rights and equal opportunities, religious and civil liberties, inclusion and equality are fairly common values, and are surely causes that we’d all campaign for!

So at Street Feast, we figured these commemorations should be used to strengthen people’s dedication to a better, more inclusive Ireland. It’s a time to be reminded of, and strive to work towards the revolutionary’s visions of inclusion, empowerment, equality and social justice.

It’s certainly an opportunity to write new proclamations and indeed students

are doing this in every school across the country on Proclamation Day, this March 15th. This is a chance to envision what values will be important for Ireland over the coming 100 years.

A healthy nation and healthy citizens rely on healthy, inclusive communities. Healthy democracies rely on strong communities. A nation is built of communities, and there is no better example of that than here in Ireland. It’s why I was so pleased that Street Feast was invited to be an official celebration of the 1916 centenary, as it helps to ensure that community is at the heart of the legacy of this centenary.

So, this June we are hosting a Centenary Street Feast; a nationwide day of community gatherings, picnics, parties and barbecues all across Ireland, with the simple aim to improve community spirit and reduce isolation.

While we’ve run Street Feast for the past six years with great success (last June almost 20,000 people took part) this year we are inviting participants to ask themselves what their vision for their community is. It’s time to take this conversation to the streets! It’s important that we ask ourselves what our own vision

33 is for where we live. On the centenary of the rising, let’s dream of a better future.

We’ve found that Street Feasts are very often the catalyst that will inspire new forms of positive activism and provide the impetus to kick-start new local projects. You’ll find that once you’ve brought people together, the desire to do more in the community is infectious! A community garden, Coder-Dojo space or Men’s Shed might be the next small step. This is how resilient communities are built. It’s our hope that Street Feast will be the first of many steps towards reclaiming our visionary heritage. Let this be the legacy of this centenary.

On Sunday 12th June we invite you to gather your neighbours and take to the street, your front garden, a footpath, a field or a park to share lunch together as you celebrate your community and create a vision for your neighbourhood.

For us it’s not the armed rising of a few, it’s the raising of a glass by many to embrace a future of inclusiveness and belonging.

You never know, it may just be the start of something special.

Street Feast takes place on Sunday 12th June in communities across Ireland. Register for your free Street Feast pack at streetfeast.ie. Samuel Bishop is co-founder and coordinator of Street Feast.

Connect with him on Twitter at @Samue1

“This is a chance to envision what values will be important for Ireland over the coming 100 years.”

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In this retreat the ancient roots of the mindfulness practise will be explored as a key to Christian contemplative prayer.

Some of the areas looked at will include: Mindfulness what it is, how to practice it and its relationship to monastic prayer. .

The teachings of the Desert Fathers, Mothers and the Fathers of the Church on Meditation. Lectio Divina and the Rosary as Mindfulness Prayer Practices.

The “Practice of the Presence of God” & “The Jesus Prayer.”

Sitting and walking forms of meditative prayer will be taught.

Brother Richard is a Capuchin Priest-Friar who has taught contemplative prayer for the past 20 years. During this time he has worked in prisons, hospitals, schools and universities as a chaplain and lecturer.

Cost: €375 Residential (Full Retreat), €170 (Weekend Residential), €45 per day non-residential.

Contact: Ards Friary, Creeslough, Co.Donegal Tel: 074 9138909 Email: info@ardsfriary.ie

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transformation sustainable solutions.

By Davie Philip

“In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.” ~ Eric Hoffer Innovation is a buzzword that is overused and increasingly misused. If we are to adapt to the challenges we face today we have to nurture a culture of innovation that is about more than developing a new app or just staying ahead of the competition. To have real impact in addressing the environmental, social or

“The learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.” economic vulnerabilities confronting us, we need an approach to innovation that is collaborative, holistic, and has the potential for transformation.

Over the next thirty years, as we make a rapid transition to a low carbon society, we are likely to see more change and disturbance than at any other period in recorded human history. As the business educator Peter Drucker stressed, “the greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence – it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” In many ways it is our thinking and the way we learn as well as the environments, practices and processes that foster cooperation and creativity, that we have to innovate if we are to be resilient with the capacity to adapt to change.

System change and innovation at

the scale required needs a mindset change.

As George Bernard Shaw said, “progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Recently Pope Francis has called for a “global ecological conversion”, emphasising that it is not enough for us to go through the motions of change – we need a cultural overhaul and a spiritual revolution. Dr. Otto Scharmer, a senior lecturer at MIT, believes that we need a monumental shift of consciousness, a transition from an outdated “ego-system” way of thinking, focused on self interest, to an “eco-system” awareness that focuses on the wellbeing of the whole.

There is incredible untapped energy in our communities waiting to be harnessed. I live in Cloughjordan ecovillage, a sustainability project that is an emerging example of what Scharmer calls, “a living ecosystem of innovation”.

With Cultivate I’m based in WeCreate, the ecovillage’s green enterprise centre, which is part of a growing movement of innovation ‘hubs’ that are emerging globally. These physical spaces nurture a culture of mutual support that enable

collaboration among different change makers and initiatives. The creative space along with the processes utilised to facilitate collaboration, self-organising and adaptation is what makes these ‘hubs’ really powerful transformational environments.

This year our focus at Cultivate is to host events and offer courses that accelerate community-led innovation that will serve society and the planet. Some examples of this include communitysupported agriculture, communityowned energy, car-sharing schemes, co-housing projects, and online platforms to enable peer-to-peer sharing. What is central to these initiatives is that they are citizen-led, and help us develop more resilient, social-ecological systems that allow us and our communities to flourish.

Davie Philip is a group facilitator and trainer who manages the Community Resilience programme at Cultivate. Davie is collecting stories of transformational community-led projects; if you are involved in something in your area send him an e-mail. davie@cultivate.ie

good life 2.0

innovation for

natural medicine

inspired by

nature careers in naturopathic medicine.

36

bag of prescription medications with them. After years in the industry, their pile of pill bottles was confusing even for me. I decided there had to be a better way.

I was seeing an amazing acupuncturist so I began to ask him questions. Turns out, he was an instructor at an acupuncture college and he loved his career. I signed up. Three years later I was in private practice. I now specialise in fertility acupuncture and have never looked back! The first call I received from a patient telling me she was pregnant at the age of 41, after years of trying, well, it doesn’t get any better than that. Acupuncture gives me passion and has brought me more joy than I could have hoped. The memory of that waiting room still makes me sad but it will always be a reminder that there is a better way, and I found it!

Alex Cusack, CNM Student

As more people are enjoying the benefits of natural medicine, the industry is seeing an influx of new students signing up to learn how they too can make a difference. Hear how students and staff members of the College of Naturopathic Medicine found their paths into these exciting careers.

Candice Behan, Acupuncturist and CNM Staff Member My mom always healed my sister and I with “home remedies”. Fresh aloe for sunburn, bicarbonate soda paste for a bee sting... it was what we knew. It seemed only natural I would choose a career in natural medicine, right?

Fast forward a few years and I had landed a career as a medical sales representative. This was big! I went to university for Business and Marketing and medical sales had the reputation as being hard to break into but well worth the effort. I was soon making a high-salary income and also found the work quite easy. But there was always something missing. One afternoon while waiting to speak to a physician, I found myself looking around at the patients waiting to get in. They were sitting there, looking less than healthy, toting their

As a sports-mad kid growing up in Australia, nutrition was more of an afterthought. I thought, “If you’re active, you’re healthy.” In 2007, I moved to Ireland and began playing cricket for the Irish team. It was then that my attitude towards nutrition began to change. By 2008, the Irish team had become mostly professional players, and the importance of nutrition and hydration gained a much greater role in our preparations for games.

In 2013, I was struck down with

painful sciatica and a bulging disc. I was given numerous steroid injections that had little effect. I did some research and realised how bad my diet was and that I needed a change. I knew I wanted to heal myself naturally. I switched to a vegetarian diet, cut out all processed foods and took up Bikram yoga. After the first week I could feel the benefits of the fresh vegetables, fruits and whole foods. And thanks to my new diet and exercise routine, I had avoided surgery and was able to and digestion and so I casually started return to cricket within four months. removing it from my diet. To my surprise, One year later I decided to start the I found another benefit as well. My state naturopathic nutrition course at CNM of mind had improved. In addition to my Dublin. I already knew first-hand the digestive issues, I suffered from frequent effects eating fresh, whole foods can have ‘lows’. Once wheat-free, I noticed just one on your body and wanted to learn more. slip up would change my mood the next I’m enjoying the course immensely and day and therefore affected my level of am starting to gather sound knowledge. I productivity. have also influenced my three young kids I had previously taken Ritalin for and other family members to improve concentration, but the manic highs I felt their diets and overall lifestyles. My goal seemed far from natural and I wanted to after graduating is to help others achieve find a way to improve my mind without their optimal health and wellbeing as I pharmaceuticals. After cutting out wheat have, and I’m really looking forward to it! and gluten for good, I began monitoring how other foods affected my mental Adi St George, CNM Student state. I discovered that when I removed sugar as well, my focus and concentration I realised some time ago that wheat sharpened. Now I cringe at the thought didn’t agree with my general comfort

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“I found another benefit as well.

My state of mind had improved.” of the number of people prescribed pharmaceuticals, especially children, without first making simple dietary changes.

My personal victories, along with the desire to help others find a natural approach to health, lead me to study with CNM. I have learned the physiology behind illnesses and a gained a much deeper understanding of modern day medicine. With so much conflicting information out there, I am now able to understand the logic and science behind the opinions. I’m thrilled that in just one year I’ll be helping people get closer to their health goals as my full-time job!

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38

the wonder of therapeutic horticulture

bon a-potato

By Hans Wieland

positive food

and independent living skills. The project garden includes a polytunnel and is grant Gardening is aided in 2012 by the National Lottery with a wonderfully flexible medium the specific purpose of ‘improving physical and mental health.’ that can The Senses Garden at The Organic transform lives, Centre has become a well-copied feature, and, working in The Organic Centre, I have more thanseen a bitfirston the side. and Helen McCauley - who works as a ‘garden hand how gardening can help everyone, Hans Wieland reports on the revival of the humble spud. therapist’ in Cregg House - got many ideas from there. “The use of regardless of age or disability. and Irish Farmers’ Association andbeds in Orla and Casablanca and more using blight WellWe I am all not only bi-lingual, I ampeople also raised helps our gardeners have heard say, conjunction with the Potato Council in resistant varieties like Bionica, Setanta bi-spudial, meaning I enjoy waxy and wheelchairs toandfully participate in the “Gardening is therapeutic,” HSEthe UK, have received EU funding for a the Sarpo family of Mira, Axona and floury potatoes.

Having left Germany but the three year potato promotion campaign Blue Danube. Last year a display of 140 behind in 1985 in the knowledge that I garden project.

Our sensory beds and funded Community Food Project (CFP) launched officially last October sporting varieties of potato won gold at the Chelsea would probably never again eat Sieglinde, the tagline: “Potatoes: More than a gardens bit on Garden Show. beauty of growing yourall the potato I grewfrom up with 2004 and Bamberger flower offer a The restful place for I coordinated to 2011 proves the side.” own potatoes lies in the versatility from Hörnchen, the potato I came to love most, our other service users through thatone with following figures: since growing in lazy to bedsenjoy and raised beds to of thethe first horticultural activities I Potatoes are super healthy container growing, from growing under got involved in in Ireland was growing a vision, smell,mulch taste, touch and sound,” starting with the CFP, participants have vegetables, there is no question: They of straw and even black plastic field of potatoes with two neighbours. We than to two crops of Earlies in polytunnels. grew Roosters Golden Wonder. she says. reported 67%and better health, 91%contain morefive times less calories rice or pasta and have twice as much Potatoes are eminently suitable for No-dig active, 78%inimproved fitness 81%asless Potatoes space, on rooftops and and protein wheat. They supply us with gardening! as part of a healthy diet important minerals like Magnesium, Iron stressed.

One of the other findings was Potatoes are national culinary and Phosphorus and they are higher in The Irish government has reported that delights!

Potassium than bananas.

Their starch there has been a 25 percent fall in the that gardening together provided ‘mental what is therapeutic horticulture? content is very filling, so potatoes can amount of potatoes sold in Ireland over The Potato is one of the main ingredients health gains forAnd those with prevent overeating and are highly suited the past ten years. while NASA andspecific in many national signature dishes Social and Therapeutic Horticulture is the to a healthy and balanced diet.

Did you the Peru-based International Potato around the world: Gnocchi in Italy, difficulties.’

(J.P. Burke: Growingknow inthat floury potatoes are higher in Centre will start cultivating potatoes in Tortillas in Spain, Moussaka in Greece, formal name given to the use of plants starch than waxy potatoes?

Mars-like conditions Earth, with the Report) Baked Potatoes in USA, Kartoffelsalat in Confidence, 2007onEvaluation and gardening to promote personalin France, hope of eventually building a controlled Germany, Gratin Dauphinoise Researchers Bristol Potatoesand are part of a worldwide dome on Mars capable ofat farming the University Roesti in Switzerland, development, healing, health Alu andPakora in culinary heritage ancient crop, blue potatoes are now India and in Ireland in Stew, Boxty and University of London conducted research wellbeing. being grown on the roof of JFK airport in Colcannon.

In Germany, the potato is a king of foods Newsuggests York. Back down to earth Bord Bia, bacteria Wedges are a great secret weapon and in the region I come from, Franconia, which that friendly which along with the Irish Potato Federation to get children to eat more big, old-style the knobbly, horn-shaped potato, ‘das It can be part of a person’s rehabilitation are common in fertile soil cause brain potatoes. At home we roast them on a Bamberger Hörnchen’ is a precious to enable them to recover from a difficult really high heat. They cook in the same ingredient that has survived because of cells to produce the beneficial chemical time it such takes toas cook frozen oven chips. the region’s grow-your-own time culturein and their lives drug addiction, serotonin. It also highlights the importance However, don’t fall for washed baby now commercial growers have pledged to bereavementpotatoes! or physical injury.

Farmers have to plant twice as the ‘Hörnchen’ on a bigger scale.

“NASA organically and the withoutgrow of gardening using much seed potato, and their crop can be In Ireland, with 540 growers, the It can help clients to learn and rejected if the “skinnew finishskills, is not right”. bulk of the potato crop is grown by about Peru-based chemicals and toxic sprays.

It is easy to cook with potatoes 200 and only 15 produce salad potatoes. I has been shown to slow down the progress International The CFP has also been working every day of the year without using the believe with the downward spiral of potato aand degenerative illness. new same recipe twice.Acquiring They can be combined consumption is coming to aof halt Potato Centre the Occupational Therapy Department of with nearly all herbs and spices, Nutmeg according to Kantar, a retail-analysis skills can also improve the chances of being the classic, and can accompany firm,The once every 0.6 seconds someone the Mental Health Services in Sligo. will start finding meat and fish or be stand alone vegetarian buys potatoes in Ireland. And weren’t employment. gardening project, as part of a needs-based highlights. there crisp sandwich cafes popping up in cultivating Belfast and Dublin?

Other benefits include increased physical therapeutic programme in the hospital, potatoes in MarsSomething I see in my work at The Celebrate Potato Day at The Organic Centre activity, opportunities Organic Centre is the renewed interest social thisinteraction, March. theorganiccentre.ie has supported a wide range of individual like conditions on in different varieties and a trend in for voluntary work and social inclusion. goals, e.g. relaxation, exercise, socialising, gardeners growing more Earlies like Earth” (Thrive 2011) motor skills development, motivation

positive food

spring

recipes spring simplicity.

By James DeBurca, chef at Cornucopia Dublin.

Salsa verde translates as ‘green sauce’, a very literal and descriptive name and a hugely popular Italian sauce that has many uses and adaptations. Even more variations of green sauce can be found in the cuisines of Europe and Latin America. The ingredients that I believe all Italian style salsa verdes have in common are the ones included in the recipe below. The green herbs provide fragrance, the capers and garlic the pungency and wine vinegar or lemon the sharp tang, all brought together with a little olive or rapeseed oil. In this recipe I’m using it to dress a chilled potato salad, but let your imagination inspire you to use it wherever you deem perfect!

The baby vegetables in the photo were grown on Iona Fruit Farm in North County Dublin. While they’re a lot more expensive than ‘regular vegetables’, they have an added charm in that they are grown here in Ireland and have allowed independent growers to diversify. Donnacha Donnelly from Iona Fruit Farm explained to me that it was becoming very difficult to supply vegetables to exact specifications. The specifications required by major retailers are often to the detriment of the farmer. Donnacha now

grows a lot of baby vegetables and has noted the benefits, as they can be harvested to less specific shapes and sizes, have a shorter growing time and lessen the workers’ exposure to the winter

“The green herbs provide fragrance, the capers and garlic the pungency and wine vinegar or lemon the sharp tang” elements. The downsides are the extra time spent packing the vegetables and that is often where cost can creep up. The benefit to us is that we get to buy locally grown vegetables and eat more in tune with our environment.

Baby Potatoes and Purple sprouting Broccoli Salad dressed in salsa Verde with steamed baby Beetroot and Carrot, Makes 4 Ingredients for the salad: 1kg (6 cups) baby potatoes 500g (2 bunches) purple sprouting broccoli Ingredients for the Salsa Verde 120g to 140g (2 cups) soft green herbs such as parsley, tarragon, mint and basil 20g (2 cloves) peeled garlic 100g (½ cup) capers, drained 90ml (6 tablespoons) white wine vinegar or lemon juice 1.5g (¼ teaspoon) sea salt 180ml (¾ cup) cold pressed olive or rapeseed oil

the sauce until all the ingredients are combined, and set aside until needed.

Ingredients for the steamed baby vegetables: 250g (12) baby carrots 320g (8) baby beetroots 1 Wash the beetroots and carrots well then leave them whole for steaming. The beetroots take 20-25 minutes to steam, the carrots need only 7-10 minutes. As the beetroots and carrots are best served warm, you can time the cooking so they are ready as you serve the potato and broccoli salad.

To assemble the salad: 1 Place the cooked potatoes and broccoli into a bowl and pour in

the salsa verde. Mix gently so the vegetables are fully coated in the green sauce.

Divide the salad onto 4 plates and assemble the steamed baby vegetables around it to serve. cornucopia.ie

Photo: emma loughran

1 Prepare the baby potatoes by chopping them into bite-size pieces.

Steam or boil for 20-25 minutes, until tender, then set aside to cool for a few minutes. As the potatoes are cooking, you can use the time to prepare the baby vegetables, broccoli and the salsa verde.

2 Remove and discard the thicker stems from the broccoli and retain the florets and thinnest stems for the salad. The broccoli will only need to be steamed or blanched for 2-3 minutes then set aside to cool down. It’s best not to overcook the broccoli!

3 To make the salsa verde it is easiest to use a food processor or stick blender. Place the herbs, garlic, capers, vinegar/lemon juice, and sea salt into your food processor and blend the mixture to a smooth, bright green puree.

4 Slowly pour in the olive or rapeseed oil and continue to puree

41

UNLOCK

THE MYSTERIES 3-14 JULY 2016 IRELAND 'ENLIGHTENMENT IS NOT JUST A STATE OF MIND; IT IS A STATE OF BEING’. ~ ALEXIS CARTWRIGHT

‘All power to Alexis for opening the doors and guiding us with grace and clarity in a time of chaos and fear. She takes us on a majestic journey that empowers our personal soul and enriches our collective spirit’. ~ Adyar Bookshop

Internationally renowned author, channeller and teacher, Alexis Cartwright, is facilitating Transference Healing trainings in Cork County. For the first time since 2008, Alexis is returning to Ireland to share her teachings on alchemical transformation.

At our events you will work with frequency, light, elements and matter to maintain wellness, awaken consciousness and manifest a new reality.

Unlock the mysteries of your body and world for profound personal and spiritual empowerment.

FIND OUT MORE VISIT

TRANSFERENCEHEALING.COM

short & sweet 43

Cornucopia 1986-2016 A dReAM COMe TRUe.

By Deirdre McCafferty Cornucopia began as a dream and an adventure for Neil McCafferty, my late husband, and I about 35 years ago while living in Boston. The dream involved returning to create a life for ourselves in this beautiful country. In Boston we met raw and vegan enthusiasts at Hippocrates Institute who led us to understand that what you eat is political and spiritual. At that time we were active in movements for social justice and human rights, and raw vegan food opened up a new awareness for us. This is now taking root in a more widespread way and it gives me great joy that in Cornucopia we are well established

to cater to this ever increasing demand for conscious eating.

We like to think of ourselves as a fully fledged ‘healing centre’, in the form of a restaurant. ‘Healing’ happens one meal at a time, giving anyone who enters the opportunity to eat wholefood that tastes great and enhances health. The atmosphere is supportive, with a thriving sense of community, a place where people sometimes work for years, developing themselves and spring boarding into their career of choice. Customers often eat two meals a day with us. Tourists return again and again, some remarking that

they’re relieved we survived two economic recessions and one boom! Locals grew up on our hazelnut and garlicky potato salad and romances began across our shared tables. Our customers lent us money through a crowd funding initiative to build our new service counter.

Running a restaurant is challenging from time to time for all involved, but we have learned to face each day with a litre of bravery, a pound of enthusiasm and a bottomless glass of desire to improve. cornucopia.ie

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Simplicity, Quality & Vision Dr. Bronner’s natural product pioneers.

By Jane Smith

Smrt Cookie Fuelling Success.

By Deirdre Cunningham, Nutritionist While studying to be a nutritionist one of the biggest lessons that I learned is that if we don’t recognise the ingredients on a packet, it’s likely that our bodies won’t either and it’s important to be aware of how much our health is affected by what we consume - for worse and for better.

Being a mum of five kids, chauffeuring them from basketball to rugby to hockey, I was often in a position of conflict, refusing treats and not being able to find a healthy alternative that felt like a treat. So I started making my own with simple, real ingredients that give us a sustained energy release. Then I decided to add one of Ireland’s wonder foods - seaweed. It enhanced the flavours as well as adding 97 extra nutrients. Each Smrt Bar contains our recommended daily allowance of iodine, a vital mineral for health that is nearly impossible to get from our diet today. Iodine is essential for cognitive development andl thyroid function and metabolism.

Around the same time I started doing triathlons. I fuelled on Smrt Bars and found them perfect for training and when we launched last year, we had huge interest from athletes. Due to the ever-increasing demand we couldn’t keep up with supply so we outsourced the manufacturing and concentrated on product development. Smrt bars will be back on the Irish market mid-March with salted caramel being the first new flavour, followed by orange cocoa and cashew cocoa. smrt.ie

Dr Bronner’s is synonymous with Old World quality and time-honoured simplicity, traced back through five generations and over 150 years of soapmaking excellence. Emanuel Bronner was the third generation certified as a master soapmaker and brought his formulas to America, starting Dr Bronner’s in its current form in 1948.

The soaps enjoyed a small, loyal following in the early years but sales exploded in the 60s due to the ecological quality combined with Bronner’s urgent message to realise our inherent unity across religious and ethnic divides. Wordof-mouth soon made Dr Bronner’s the iconic soap of that era, winning over fans from all walks of life on the way to becoming the number-one-selling brand of natural soaps in North America.

The fourth and fifth generations of the Bronner family who run the company today continue to produce with care and integrity and continue the mission and commitment to building an engine for promoting and advancing positive social change. From pioneering USDA certified organic personal care products, to creating Fair Trade projects across the world that ensure fair and just treatment of farmers and workers, to creating a socially responsible workplace in the U.S., they strive to honour their heritage with progressive business practices, while devoting profits to worthwhile causes and charities worldwide.

Life’s Great are the appointed sole distributors of the full Dr Bronner range in Ireland, with products stocked in healthfood stores and selected pharmacies nationwide. lifesgreat.ie

45

Surfer’s Ear Getting back to the waves.

By Jai Tuohy Jai Tuohy is a nineteen year old Irish surfer and swimmer and recounts his experience of Biomagnetism for a common problem for those involved in watersports.

I am a competitive swimmer and surfer and suffered with chronic ear pain

and infections, also known as ‘Surfer’s ear’. The prognosis I was looking at was continued pain, water retention and in the long run an operation to treat the fibroid-like growth causing the pain.

In the summer of 2014, after three antibiotic prescriptions in as many

months and being told the need to come out of the water was becoming inevitable, the Institute of Biomagnetic therapy was suggested to me as an alternative form of treatment.

After two sessions I saw an immediate impact on my ears. It’s now over a year and a half later and I haven’t suffered from any ear infections or water retention and have continued, if not increased, the amount of time I spend in the water! biomagnetism.ie

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Keep Calm and Carry on mood food.

By Debbie Paddington, DipION

even beneficial to worry sometimes, excessive anxiety can become disabling. However, food can help you to stay calm and keep the flight or fight reactions for when they’re really needed. The following recommendations help to support healthy blood sugar levels and provide nutrients that support the nervous system.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

46 Anxiety is a natural human reaction and actually serves an important survival function. It’s activated whenever a person perceives danger or threat. So while it is completely normal and

Eat little and often rather than eating three large meals a day.

Increase wholegrains like oats, brown rice, wholemeal bread and pasta as they help to balance blood sugar levels and are a good source of B vitamins, which are good for our nervous system.

Try to eat good quality protein with every meal, such as fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, seeds, lentils and beans.

Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Green, leafy ones are an especially good source of magnesium.

Increase foods rich in omega 3, such as salmon, mackerel, herring, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds.

Avoid or minimise your intake of caffeine and alcohol, sugar and sugary foods - including refined.

You can also try a supplement to give you an extra helping hand, such as Balance for Nerves, a great combination of Theanine, Taurine, B vitamins, passion flower and lemon balm. In terms of lifestyle, get some daily exercise and take up relaxation techniques to give you the final element you need to stay calm and happy. highernature.com

Ireland’s Men Get Active Dave Kearney on men’s health.

By Mary Rose Devereux Irish men could do worse than listen to professional rugby player Dave Kearney. “I’m really lucky that I have qualified nutritionists and coaches advising me how to exercise and eat to help me stay fit and healthy. The average guy doesn’t have that luxury so it is important that they educate themselves, listen to their body and eat a healthy diet.”

A Brand Ambassador for Cleanmarine® Krill Oil for Men, Kearney believes all men want to be fit, energetic and healthy into old age. The fleet of foot 26 yearold looks forward to being able to dash for a bus in his 60s and walk The Camino comfortably in his 70s but says he will have to stick to a healthy diet, regular exercise regime and take certain supplements to fulfil his dreams. “Whilst I love the occasional pizza, I know I have to eat fish, lean meat, brown pasta and fruit and veg regularly. Nuts and seeds are important too as are specific supplements. The Krill Oil for Men capsule I take is a blend of vitamins, Q10 and omega 3 ‘good’ fats. I feel noticeably less drained now after hard workouts since I have added it to my diet.”

Kearney was glad to see The Healthy Ireland Report recently revealed 4 out of 10 men regard themselves as ‘highly active’. “I read recently that 30 minutes of moderate exercise combined with a healthy diet can enhance your sex life, sharpen your wit, improve your sleep, protect your mobility and ward off depression. It sounds good to me.” naturalife.ie

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CHALLENGED SKIN?

Mother Meera to visit Ireland March 2016

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I have no special path, but come to give grace and power to those on all paths. Mother Meera Mother Meera is one of the most widely revered and loved of the Avatars of the Divine Mother. Mother Meera offers a direct transmission of light that dissolves all barriers and changes the entire being. She asks no special allegiance and offers her transformative powers to all.

Thousands of people from all over the world come to receive her Darshan, her silent bestowal of grace and light through her gaze and touch.

Advice line and information call Proderma on 045 445715 To enjoy a 20% discount on any purchase use coupon code: POSITIVE

22nd-23rd March, 2016 - Moyvalley Hotel, Balyna Estate, Moyvalley, Co. Kildare.

Further information and to register for Darshan go to www.mothermeera.ie

A Veda Visit restoring balance with ayurveda.

By Emma Brereton On a cold November day we travelled to the Westport Coast Hotel, just outside Westport town and located on the Quayside with views of Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay. I heard of Ayurveda treatments while visiting India a few years ago. I was delighted to hear that Spa Veda was relaunching as I had never availed of the treatments in India!

Over 6,000 years old, Ayurveda is an ancient system of preventative health care. The treatments can be catered towards specific ailments, general health and wellness. After going through an intense workload, I was looking forward to focusing on relaxation and hopefully restoring my work/life balance.

Before your treatment you can enjoy the Thermal Suite, which includes their rock sauna, salt grotto, ice fountain, tropical experience showers and pool. I headed to the relaxation suite to unwind. Furnished in the style of Indian opulence with luxurious soft furnishings it was a perfect start to the experience. I was greeted by my therapist, a gentle, soft Indian lady. I chose the Padaghta massage, a traditional Indian massage, performed by the practitioner with her feet. I was placed on a low lying bed where she poured aromatic oils onto my body, then transferred her weight onto me using an overhead suspended rope for balance. The rhythmic massage was blissful, creating firm pressure with her feet and was such a change from regular massage. Overall a wonderful experience and I left feeling rejuvenated, relaxed and ready to take on the world. westportcoasthotel.ie/spa

Bring Back the Love

49

When sacred prostitutes ruled the world.

By Anaiya Sophia Once upon a time sexual women ruled the world. They were independent, empowered and embodied love. Their energy flowed through every crevice of the earth with the capacity to heal and restore. These women were Sacred Prostitutes. In ancient times in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece there were Temples of the Sacred Prostitutes inhabited by holy women who embodied love, owned their sexuality, and held the highest spiritual authority.

A common practice that took place in the Temple was called “Taking the War out of Man”. Upon returning from war, men were invited to pass through the Temple. The Priestess would expand her magnetic field to absorb all of his wounded energy, literally drawing the effects of war from his system. Through the power of her energy, and purity of her femininity, she would gently and tenderly love him back to wholeness. The Priestess, with her power, purity, and love enabled man to reconnect with both himself and higher forces through pleasure and prayer.

The Biblical Patriarchs saw the practices as immoral and Priests replaced Priestesses as intermediaries between men and

‘God’. Reawaken the Sacred Prostitute in you by taking these small steps to work towards an existence where female sexuality is again central to humanity’s physical and spiritual well-being.

1. Make a decision to consciously celebrate the sacredness of self and 2. Embark on a sexual healing journey that includes attention to relational intimacy.

Anaiya will host a Sacred Sexual Union weekend in Co. Wicklow this May Bank Holiday 2016. anaiyasophia.com

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Our programme will help you to understand either your eating disorder or your unhealthy relationship with food.

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It’s Good to Laugh Let your inner child play.

By Laura Rinnankoski I consider myself very lucky as I have found an amazing partner and relationship that is full of love, laughter, light, understanding and joy.

Many times people ask us what the secret behind our relationship is.

We look at each other and laugh, but I truly believe that is actually one of our secret ingredients - laughter.

We were at a party when a friend commented that we always look like we’re having so much fun, and I explained that our inner children are truly happy and well taken care of! It’s so important to cherish and nourish our inner children with laughter and fun. When I was going through a difficult stage, I would force myself to go to laughter yoga classes where I laughed for an hour and always felt better, those endorphins can give you a welcome boost in hard times.

I’m a Life Coach and specialise in Relationship Coaching. Many times clients have told me that they would like to find a person who is fun, and then I often see that there is very little fun and joy in their own lives. If you want to meet a fun and joyful person, you need to become fun and joyful. As Deepak Chopra says, become the person that you want to be with.

Laura Rinnankoski is an International Holistic Life & Relationship Coach, NLP Practitioner, Radio Presenter & Motivational Speaker. lauracoaching@gmail.com

Grief Rituals When life invites us to look deeper.

51

By Terri Daniel, CT

Most of us go through our lives living with a set of assumptions about our sense of safety in the world. But when we face a profound personal loss or trauma, those assumptions can no longer sustain us, and our grief invites us to look for deeper meaning to help us understand our experience. Grief can shake us loose from our spiritual lethargy by asking us to look at our wounds as openings to higher awareness. One of the most effective ways to process this shift in perception is through sacred ritual.

Ritual gives form to the formless by helping us move from the attachments of the ego-body toward a more spacious, soul-level awareness, and grief rituals are simple to create. For example, set up a small altar that contains a picture or written message representing your loss, along with a candle and a personal sacred

object. Light the candle, and as the smoke rises, ask that your pain rise along with it, symbolically moving from where it is lodged inside your body toward the vast universe, where it can be transmuted into light.

Grieving, and suffering of any kind, without a mystical connection can deprive us of the lessons pain can offer.

If we grieve only within the confines of our three-dimensional understanding of human experience, we risk missing out on true spiritual healing and growth. Our

pain should not be denied, dismissed or defeated. It must be lovingly cared for and honoured as a sacred messenger.

Terry will speak in Ireland this June. See seminars.ie for more info. consciousgrieving.org

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52 Shake & Shoot Juicy facts on The Little Pharma.

In March 2014, Darren and Amanda opened The Hydro Club, initially as a hydroponic/horticultural supply store, but this quickly developed towards production of fresh Barley and Wheat Grass. Using natural remedies in their own lives, they began to educate themselves further on the subject and

found Wheat Grass and Barley Grass juice to be two of the most all-round, naturally beneficial foods. As it was difficult to find a consistent supply, they started growing their own. “Delving further into this area we found that a lot of consumers couldn’t source a consistent supply and most wanted a more convenient product than

having to juice the grasses themselves.”

This sparked the idea to produce The Little Pharma product range.

Their grasses are grown from organically certified Wheat Grass seed and from untreated Barley Grass seed, in their own hydroponic systems. These use only water, no soil, thereby avoiding any soil based pathogens or moulds. “Our seeds are also GMO free, all natural, free from artificial colours, preservatives, flavours and certified at five weeks shelf life, due to the innovative HPP, or High Pressure Pasteurisation technique.” This is a process of applying pressure to liquids to improve their safety and quality without affecting the live enzymes or nutritional content - this is where juice gets the edge on other tablet, powdered or freeze dried forms of the grasses. “Each shot holds the required daily intake of vitamins, minerals and the 17 amino acids which are the building blocks for protein. A quick shake and the shot is ready to be consumed.” thelittlepharma.ie

Stargazing How astrology transformed my life.

By Calodagh McCumiskey

From a young age, I loved looking at the moon and stars. But astrology?

Nah! I was never one to read the sun-sign horoscopes in newspapers and magazines. Not even for amusement. I’m a natural sceptic. I want the evidence.

In 2004 I was working in emergency response and international development and was posted to India. There, I had a consultation with a Vedic astrologer and was blown away, not just by what he could tell me, but how, and I began studying with him.

For nearly four years, I spent most of my free time learning astrology. I’ve met many great astrologers who, by reading my birth chart, could tell me many things about my past, present and future.

They also explained the science behind their amazing insights. Astrology shaped the second part of my career. Several times a year, I travel to India to deepen my learning, and I’m now a senior research scholar with the Astrologers Trust of India.

My first career focused on helping people to find the external resources they needed. Now I focus on giving people the inner resources they need to live happy fulfilled lives. Astrology is the tool I use to help people do this.

I work with clients from all walks of life, in many countries. Astrology transformed my life for the better, and now, by means of astrology, I seek to help other people do the same for themselves. hellenisticvedicastrology.com

The Six Healing Sounds The Six Healing Sounds, developed by Taoist Masters, are exercises that use the power of Qi Gong and Sound to activate, detoxify and regenerate the organ systems to which the sounds correspond.

SPEAKER: Taoist Master Jeffrey C. Yuen Master Jeffrey Yuen is an 88th generation Taoist Priest of the Jade Purity tradition of Taoism.

He is recognised worldwide as a renowned scholar, teacher and practitioner of Taoism and Classical Chinese Medicine.

Venue: Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Date: Friday 29th April 2016 from 7pm-9pm Cost: â‚Ź30 Book at: www.accm.ie or pay at the door.

Paul McCarthy Phone: 01- 2801950 Email: paulmccarthyaccm@gmail.com

World Renowned Healer & Yogi Guru Dev Singh Returns to Dublin

He will lead a two day workshop guiding us to a deep state of silence.

In the vastness of this consciousness profound healing occurs.

Date: 24th & 25th September 2016 A new training in the Healing Art of Sat Nam Rasayan will begin in Dublin on 2nd April 2016. An introduction workshop to this meditative healing practice will be held on 5th March 11 am-1pm For more information call 086-3722653 or email HarKiratKaur0013@gmail.com

Naturally Intimate KeepINg LAdIeS COMFORTABLe.

By Ingrid Hume When synthetic materials are in constant contact with intimate areas of our body, they can cause irritations, discomfort and even allergic reactions. Really the last thing you want in a very important part of your body and during that week of the month where things are hard enough already.

A conventional sanitary pad is mainly made from rayon, a chemically treated synthetic fibre that is bleached using chlorine bleach and made to look and feel like cotton. Rayon is highly absorbent, but not only absorbs our menstrual blood but also vaginal secretions that are actual quite important. One sanitary pad can also contain the equivalent of four plastic bags too. As synthetic materials aren’t breathable, they restrict air flow, trapping heat and dampness which can result in yeast and bacteria growth.

However, there are alternatives that might suit your body better. Organyc specialise in natural sanitary wear. All products are made from only 100% organic cotton to give comfort, freshness and protect our intimate area. As organic cotton is a natural fibre, it is breathable, kind to even sensitive skin and an all-round healthy choice.

Divine Focus

organyc.uk

FINdINg eASe IN dIFFICULTy.

55

By Ger Lyons In the darkest times of life there is always the impending surprise of light around the corner just waiting to shine. If we can keep this in mind and remember that «this too shall pass» we can fi ll ourselves with hope, and inspiration to reach higher and search deeper for solutions, no matter what the situation, difficulty or challenge is. This hope breeds a strong pulse of energy that spills out into the field of consciousness and starts to generate what we need. I.e. healing, change,a difference, etc.

The field of consciousness is like a clean school blackboard, with our subconscious constantly creating ‘chalk drawings’ that become our reality. Often we see that what we focus becomes reality in time. Each one of us has the power to turn a difficult experience of life into a positive healing potential, what’s more it can take place easily and effortlessly.

Firstly, we just choose where to place our focus.

Secondly, combined with an ancient living mystic invocation, ie: true potent prayer or, if you like, communication with the intelligence of life, and thirdly, by working consciously with the field of creation or ‘God’s Playground’, we can deconstruct and reconstruct our reality in a way that gives us freedom and release from the prisons of our minds that start to become the physical, biochemical, and sub-molecular subtle reality and where we can be manifesting physical problems and ill-health.

If we are aware of what we think, and become conscious of how we focus and communicate directly with the Divine, anything is possible. ger will speak at Animystics this May. animystics-ireland.com

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Empowered Living

56

IN THe BUSINeSS OF JOy.

By Oliver Florian Empowered Living is all about listening to your heartfelt inner wisdom and embracing the synchronistic events that inevitably follow. It’s about feeling the fear but doing it anyway. It’s about trusting your inner knowledge and acting on it, even when it doesn’t seem like the most logical route!

If you feel disconnected, lost or like you are just missing out on something, It may be time for living a life that is more authentic and true to you. You might need to give time to connect to a divine expression of your unique soul gifts to bring more fulfi llment, joy and happiness into your life.

At Naas Holistic Centre, Yvonne and I have really embraced this ‘heart’ based guidance as a life and business compass. We relied on this to create a genuine healing and workshop space. It was also the perfect route to realising we wanted to add a large sprinkling of fun and adventure too. Every day, continuing in this way, we discover more about how to make Naas Holistic Centre a space where clients and customers can blossom, step into their own empowered life and nurture their potential.

Does it mean that we never face challenges? Not at all! But it gives us the inner strength to face challenges head on. Challenges, and even the tragedies we face, are always opportunities to learn, grow and ultimately to become our most authentic self. naasholisticcentre.com

Feel the Relief... Get out and Get Moving!

figuring out your THe HAppIeST deCISIONS.

By Elva Carri

dream job the precise proportions of ingredients just right – maybe you’re a bit of a scientist/mathematician about it? Maybe you’re excited because you’re learning something new? Try to pick out the parts of it that are really making you grin.

58 I decided what I wanted to be when I was eleven. Staring blankly at a carton of juice one morning, I realised one corner of the orange in the photograph was darker than the rest. This was my personal eureka.

I already loved art, but I’ll never forget the moment I figured out how to make my drawings look more 3D. I was beyond delighted with myself and it set me on a path that took me from age eleven to 25 with one goal – become the greatest artist of my time.

After 25, I began to change direction, but I navigated each crossroads mostly with ease, and I think that’s because I can still recognise the exciting feeling of, “Oh my gosh, I’ve figured out how to do shading!” Now that excitement arises about other things, but it’s such a joy to live life recognising what causes my happiness, and to make decisions based on that. This is my best attempt at explaining the process!

1 Notice Happiness. When were the last few times you felt really excited or really

pleased with yourself ? Exclude moments of praise, as external validation doesn’t count or matter if it’s true happiness.

Maybe it was after listening to a friend.

Maybe you crushed that weird problem in work that no one else knew how to solve but wasn’t really part of your job description either. Maybe you were at home cooking a ten course meal for one.

If you can’t remember the last time you felt delighted with yourself, start trying out new things and new approaches until you see what sparks it, and make efforts to notice when you’re happiest.

2 Uncover the Skill. Being blissfully happy cooking a ten course meal for one is abnormal – wonderful, but definitely not the norm, so something like that might be a nice clear indicator that your dream job is a chef. Unfortunately, most skills aren’t that obvious. What’s making you feel excited and happy in that moment could be overcoming the challenge of having a number of dishes on the go at one time – a management skill? It may be getting

3 Add Passion. Here’s where it starts to get really boring. When you figure out what the skill is, it’s probably transferrable to hundred of careers, so you’ve got a lot of narrowing down to do. Things you’re passionate about may help you see where you personally, would love to use this skill. Let’s say your skill is management, you’ve delegated all the cooking in your family but you love to be around food. Food is the passion, management is the skill. Start exploring areas where you get to use your super skill, and spend time amidst your passion.

4 Quality Check. Look at what qualities, values or principles are most important to you. These might be things like truth, justice, kindness, generosity or excellence. They might encompass areas you feel the world has lots of room for improvement for, like climate change, or eradication of poverty. We aren’t all going to work for an NGO but most jobs still contribute positively to the world at large or to people directly. Seeing where these principles or values lie within your role or your business, and working to bring those qualities into how you work will help you build, maintain and sustain, a beautiful, long term relationship with your amazing new job. elva Carri is the editor of positive Life and CeO of female friendship community ‘girlCrew’. girlcrew.rocks

positive personality

60

“Moving as if her whole body was gliding in the ether, Sarita entered the room”

mahasatvaa ma ananda

sarita

By Masha Duna

When I first heard of Sarita, I knew I had to meet this Goddess of a woman. Inspired by encouraging stories from people who had the pleasure of meeting her already, I set out on a journey to experience her transmission for myself.

Moving as if her whole body was gliding in the ether, Sarita entered the room, smiling at everyone who came to exchange with hearty hugs. Here was a woman who left home at 12 and at 16 hitchhiked her way from Europe to India ending up in Indian mystic Osho’s community for the next 26 years.

Not Questioning the Flow Sarita’s serendipitous journey, which led her to meet Osho in 1973 when she was just 16 had many ‘coincidences’ as signposts.

“At age 13, I met a world-renowned artist who said, ‘Out of all my varied life experiences, I can offer you this one piece of wisdom; go with the flow. Don’t question it, just follow it and go with it.’ Following his advice, I hitchhiked overland to India.”

Tantric Transmissions: Cleaning as Devotion, from Poison to Love One evening in Mumbai, Sarita heard of

a talk on Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, which Osho was giving. The following morning after her first Dynamic meditation she received her Shaktipat from Osho. “This involved bringing the ego to consolidated awareness, pouring it onto a flower and offering it to Osho’s feet. Then pouring all suffering into Osho while looking into his eyes. I was initially scared by Osho’s power but could see that it was coming from love.” Then she received the benediction of his divine energy – a tantric transmission – with Osho absorbing poisons and transforming them into love.

For the next 26 years, young Sarita remained in his community receiving much personal guidance from Osho about meditation, Tantra, love and relationships.

Her lesson of devotion started with her humbling journey as Osho’s house cleaner for 8 years. “It is the most fantastic transmission I got. Cleaning is basically disappearing as a self, devotion.”

Now an author of two books, “Divine Sexuality” and “Tantric Love: Journey into sexual and spiritual ecstasy”, Sarita travels and teaches around the world. “My work weaves together sexuality, love and spirituality and includes Osho, Kashmiri and the Baul

Mystic approach to Tantra.. as a path to spiritual awakening, which includes all that we are as human beings, from sex to spirit.”

Sarita at Conscious Concert 2016 “My ancestors are from Ireland, so I’m really looking forward to grounding myself into that ancestral energy. There’s a legend of St. Patrick drawing out snakes from Ireland...meaning he drew out a Kundalini energy from Ireland.” Tantra can return the pre-Christian or pagan roots of the man and bring healing to communities who have been negatively affected by Christianity’s abuse of power.

At Conscious Concert, Sarita will be offering a two hour meditation inspired by Tantra Shamanic practices from Mongolia.

It is called the Universal Heart Meditation and awakens Kundalini flow through trance dance, followed by opening the chakra system through breath. Originally, this six hour meditation would guide the participants into expanding their consciousness into personal aura and out until everyone melts and merges with the universal heart. consciousconcert.ie/line-up

Celebrate our th

30 birthday with

Cornucopia’s Sunday Special

â‚Ź30 for 2 people (Main Meal served with 2 salads and a choice between a glass of organic wine or cold-pressed bottled Cornucopia Juices!) www.cornucopia.ie (01) 6777583

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(Offer valid March / April / May 2016)

Reiki Level 1 Learn Reiki for yourself 2 days that will change your life Would you like to sleep better?

Reduce stress and anxiety Boost your immune system Increase energy levels Have peace of mind Saturday 19th & sunday 20th March 2016 Venue: Monkstown Therapy Centre, 26 Longford Terrace, Monkstown Mairead Flynn Reiki Master & Life Coach Member of the Reiki Federation of Ireland T. 087 9966123 E. maireadflynn45@gmail.com W. www.reikisouthdublin

30 years

pOSITIve pAReNTINg

love and limits for

little ones TIMe ANd WARMTH IN pAReNTINg.

By Anna Cole

Reading the daily news it can seem like violence and aggression are on the increase, but for those of us who are parents we know it’s not all unicorns and rainbows at home either. If you’ve ever found yourself wincing with embarrassment at the local playgroup after your child has grabbed another’s hair, or found your frustration skyrocketing when your sweet daughter shoves her little brother - again - you are not alone! You’re not a bad parent when your child acts up. Nor are they bad kids.

In my family we’ve learnt that an aggressive child is a frightened child.

Patty Wipfler, founder and programme director of Hand in Hand Parenting, says, “A child can’t tell you ‘I feel afraid for my life just like when I got stuck in the birth canal for three hours.’ She will simply show panic or outrage whenever another child crowds too close to her. She won’t say ‘I feel scared, the same way I did when I cut my head badly last year.’ But when you try to help her with a simple scraped knee, she’ll kick you and demand that you leave her alone. Often the fears that make a child act out in ‘fight’ mode got stuck in their limbic brain, the seat of long term memory, some time ago and didn’t get processed. That same strong impulse can flare up again when the implicit memory gets triggered.”

So as a parent, how can you address such behaviour positively?

1 First, start with yourself. When our children are aggressive it triggers a whirlwind of emotions in us. Take time out to talk to another adult who can listen to your feelings for a time without advice or judgement. This will allow you to act on the next few suggestions rather than simply react towards your child.

2 Observe your child. When does aggressive behaviour tend to happen?

With a sibling in another room? When a parent has been away at meetings or

62

“Parents each hold the future of our world in our hands”

travelling? Allow yourself a few days to observe your child so you can begin to put together a picture of what the triggers are for them.

3 Do a ‘friendly patrol’. Stay close by when something might happen. For example, your child is at playgroup and it’s usually a struggle over toys that leads to aggression. When the expected behaviour begins, move in quickly and calmly, physically preventing the fist to land, or the teeth from biting.

4 Reach out and connect. Let your child know, through tone of voice, warm eye contact and gentle but clear limits, that it is safe enough for all those big feelings to now come out. Remember, they can’t reason with you right now, they are flooded by their limbic brain, but you might want to let them know you are fully there for them: “I know you don’t feel good,” “I’m right here and I’ll keep things safe for you,” “It looks like things are hard right now.”

Above all, avoid fighting fi re with fi re. Parents each hold the future of our world in our hands and together, by responding with warmth, humour and loving limits we can change the world piece by peace.

Anna Cole, phd is a certified Hand in Hand parenting Instructor. She is a writer, researcher and parent educator. She runs classes both in-person and on-line, gives talks and workshops. handinhandparenting.org

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