Positive Life – Autumn 2019

ALISON CANAVAN

Reclaim Your Inner Peace

MARTIN DUFFY Breathwork and Shamanism

THE HAPPY PEAR

Cosy Autumn Recipes

Brené Brown Be Vulnerable And See Your Power

AUTUMN 2019 PRICELESS

positivelife.ie

How should we treat others? There are no others.

- Ramana Maharshi I speak to a lot of spiritual teachers for interview purposes and I recently attended a silent one-day Satsang event with the teacher Devaji.

The general theme I hear is that there is ‘one self’ that permeates everything: just one being, knowing and sharing itself through every other being on this planet.

It reflects back to itself, talks to itself, learns from itself, and is being itself. That’s all there is. The rest is the play of life. It’s a fascinating concept and one I have long contemplated.

So this magazine was picked up by you and will be read by you. After all, there is only you.

Next stop, winter – we will see YOU then. paul congdon, Publisher

Contentment 4 Autumn Vibes Holistic news and goodies to light up your life

6 Positively Newsworthy Stories to make you smile 10 Spirituality in the City Six readers tell us what inspires their peace 12 Positive Parenting How active listening can create harmony 14 Judith McAdam Cultivate peace with your clear intuition 16 Amanda Collins Shine the light of your presence 18 Sandy Newbigging For peace in the world, find peace in your heart 21 Dusty Staub Own your life with authenticity 22 Martin Duffy Seek peace through shamanic journeying 24 Dawn Cartwright Letting go with grace 26 Positive Retreat The delights of Kerry 28 Brené Brown Wisdom and insights from the vulnerability pioneer 32 Pharmanord The nutrient that can combat the signs of ageing 34 Davie Philip Move through climate grief into resilience COVER PHOTO: MAILE WILSON

PHOTO: DAVID KENNA

36 CNM Fusing modern science with holistic health wisdom 38 Hans Wieland The peace of kitchen gardening 40 Autumn Recipes Mouth-watering delights from The Happy Pear 43 Short & Sweet What’s happening in the holistic world 56 Herbs of Grace How herbs can promote perfect health 59 Alison Canavan Navigate towards authentic peace 60 Positive Therapy Siobhán Guthrie shares the magic of kinesiology 62 Positive Astrology Dissolve your barriers to peace

Publisher PC Media paul@positivelife.ie Co-Editorial Alison McEvoy and Aisling Cronin editor@positivelife.ie Design Conor O’Brien info@conorobrien.ie Ad Design Caroline Hanan caroline.hanan@gmail.com Advertising Paul Congdon paul@positivelife.ie 0861579518 Social media Aisling Cronin editor@positivelife.ie

Thanks to our advertisers, we can give Positive Life magazine to you for FREE. If you’re talking to them, let them know we sent you their way.

Please use the information provided in this publication as a recommendation only to better mental and physical health. We strongly advise you to consult your doctor regarding health concerns that you may have. The views expressed by contributors and advisors do not necessarily represent the views of the publication’s staff.

Printed, published, packaged and distributed in Ireland. positivelife.ie

autumn vibes “EVERY LEAF SPEAKS BLISS TO ME, FLUTTERING FROM THE AUTUMN TREE.“ EMILY BRONTË

4 autumn

eats

Vegan-mania

Get Healthy on Hemp

Every Autumn, Dublin plays host to an inspirational, jam-packed, two day celebration of veganism. Feast your way through a line up of fascinating talks, recipe demos, workshops, performances and more. Check it all out at: dublinvegfest.

com

Kama hemp supplies not only organic hemp juice of the highest quality, but now also hemp juice powder. With more omega than salmon, and more magnesium than spinach, you’ll want to check out this rocket fuel for your body at the Vitality Expo this season.

Vegan Wishes Come True

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Taste of the Tropics

Kale and Coco, an amazing restaurant with a menu brimful of plant based deliciousness, now calls Stoneybatter home. We love it – pure nutrition of the highest order! kaleandcoco.com

The vegan legend that is Natasha, of the Vegan Queen Burger Co., comes to Blessington very soon. From gourmet canapés to vegan junk-food, your wish is the Vegan Queen’s command. facebook.com/ The-Vegan-Kitchen-Ireland-1528226297497145/

Kale and Coco

autumn treats

Massage Heaven Lomi Lomi massage is the perfect autumn pick-me-up as temperatures dip. Don’t put it on your bucket list, just go and do it. And try Louise Kleu, lomieure extraordinaire. Tell her we sent you... alohahouse.ie

Tummy Love You’ll find all things mum and baby at Tummy Love with Melissa. From baby massage to awesome pregnancy yoga classes, Melissa is a gifted teacher, doula and guide along the path to motherhood.

Jiminy Eco Arts, Crafts and Toys

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Herbal Healing A gorgeous skincare range which sprouted from a love of nature, Herbal Earth makes 100% natural, therapeutic and sensitive skincare products such as masks, revitalising serums, deep cleansing oils, natural deodorants and, our favourite, a soothing and therapuetic tension balm made to massage into sore or tired muscles. herbalearth.ie

Enliven the Senses Tantric visionary, sacred writer and world traveller Dawn Cartwright journeys off our pages and onto the stage at October’s Positive Nights session. Feel fully alive this autumn - bring a little tantra to life in your world. positivelife.ie/positivenights

eco-nomise

your autumn

A Healthy Home The Gourmet Pantry is a fab speciality shop in Dun Laoghaire. It’s great if you’ve missed the Sunday market and need to stock up on your wholesome, organic veg. Plus, you’ll also find a great range of healthy cleaning products. Ask for Marcel’s green soap. Oh, and they make the best sourdough sambos we have tasted! facebook.com/The-Gourmet-Pantry Ireland Beeswax wraps

Eco-conscious Play Joint brain-child of two Dublin mammies, Jiminy eco arts, crafts and toys aims to amaze with its array of fantastic playthings. Meet them at the markets around Dublin or shop online – they have everything from new-fangled bouncy balance boards, to good old fashioned puzzles. Your kids will love them! jiminy.ie

Drop the Green Bomb Ireland Beeswax wraps, a gorgeous mix of natural beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil, are breathable and anti-bacterial. A small step on the ladder to zero-waste, these will keep your food fresh for longer than unbreathable and toxic plastics. And try out their wildflower seed bombs - give a little love back to the butterflies and the bees. irelandbeeswaxwraps.ie

Positive Skills The Celtic School of Yoga appeared at the Celtic Woodland Yoga Fest recently and Jack is one of our regular singing guests at Positive Nights. Check our their yoga teacher training for 2020, beginning in January. jackharrison.com

Raising the Vibration Join international energy experts in coming together as a world community to raise the vibration of the planet and its beings. Learn the knowledge and skills required to fulfil your capacity as an energy-being and transform your world. worldenergyconference.com

Plant Knowledge CBD oils are getting better and better as pioneering research and development flowers in the industry. Two years in the devising and making, Irish-owned company ION have release their first highgrade, phyto-active CBD oil. You can check them out online or in-store at the Hemp Company Celtic Fusion hempcompany.ie

Save Your Planet The Viva Green Group are passionate pioneers who have created a range of truly biodegradable, plastic-free and chemicalDzogchen free lunch bags. You’ll even find some Beara innovative bits and bobs like waste tidies and landscaping products. vivagreengroup.com

Nutritional Pioneering Pioneering the natural health revolution, Zija international has come up with a 24 hour CBD Oil patch, sustaining your intake for 24 hours and backed up by clinical trials. Get your CBD on the go! zijainternational.com

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positively newsworthy GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. POSITIVELIFE.IE

1 A Serendipitous Rescue HOW FOUR BROTHERS SAVED A CHILD.

by Aisling Cronin

This summer, four American brothers travelled to Ireland as visitors, but left as heroes. Eoghan, Walter and Declan Butler had travelled to Ireland from Washington D.C. with their brother-inlaw, Alex Thomson, in order to attend their grandfather’s funeral.

As they enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on Portmarnock Beach, they were shocked to see that a six-year-old girl on a flotation device had been swept out to sea by a current. Her father was shouting for help. Eoghan, Declan and Alex immediately sprinted into the ocean to rescue the girl, while Walter stayed on shore in case someone needed CPR.

“It’s kind of like this godly, guardian angel kind of feeling.”

Since the girl had already drifted half a mile away from the shore, the three brothers had to swim for 25 minutes in order to reach her. Once they reached her, they took turns swimming on

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their backs in order to tow the girl’s flotation device back to shore on their chests.

Upon successfully bringing the girl back to dry land, Eoghan and Declan noticed that the girl’s father was still in the water. He had put on a life vest to swim out and help with the rescue mission. The twins plunged back into the water and rescued the struggling father as well.

The boys later realised that their rescue had taken on an extra layer of serendipitous meaning: they had rescued the little girl on the exact same day that the brother of their deceased grandfather had drowned several decades ago.

“It’s kind of like this godly, guardian angel kind of feeling,” Walter remarked, “that the same day he drowned 64 years ago is the day we actually saved the life of a six-year-old girl.”

2 The Final Straw HOW A PHILIPPINES CAFÉ IS REDUCING WASTE.

by Aisling Cronin

where it has since been shared thousands of times by social media users around the globe.

Tiu has also begun to use the coconut leaves as an alternative to plastic takeaway lids, covering cups and containers in lukay.

“We still have a lot to eradicate,” she wrote, “[but] hopefully we can find more alternatives to create less waste.”

A café called Café Editha, located in Surigao del Norte in the Philippines, is motivating thousands of people around the world to replace their plastic straws with a more eco-friendly alternative: rolled-up coconut leaves.

Manager Sarah Tiu, who is the manager of Café Editha, started using the leaves in the restaurant earlier this year as a cheap, biodegradable alternative for plastic straws. She first got the idea to use the leaves for this purpose as she was vacationing with her family on the nearby Corregidor Island of Siargao.

“Tiu published a photo of her completed straws to Café Editha’s Facebook page, where it has since been shared thousands of times.”

Upon ordering some drinks from a local café, Tiu was surprised to receive her beverage with a straw made out of lukay (the local term for coconut leaves). She asked the managers of the business to teach her how to craft lukay straws so she could hand them out in her own café.

Once she had mastered the simple skill, Tiu published a photo of her completed straws to Café Editha’s Facebook page,

3H ope in the Wilderness RAINFOREST SEARCH YIELDS AMAZING BIODIVERSITY.

by Aisling Cronin When a team of scientists and researchers travelled to a ‘lost city’ buried deep within the jungles of Honduras, they were amazed by the sheer level of biodiversity that they found.

The team from Conservation International conducted a three-week research expedition back in 2017, following the discovery of ancient ruins at a site deep within the Mosquitia rainforest, known as the ‘Lost City of the Monkey God’ or the ‘White City’.

The rainforest remains one of the most unexplored areas of Central America, so the scientists were hoping to shine a light on the ecological state of the region.

Conservation International finally published a full report of their findings recently – and it details how the ancient settlement is encompassed by a pristine, thriving ecosystem teeming with rare and unique species, including new, previously undiscovered species and species thought to be extinct.

“The ancient settlement is encompassed by a thriving ecosystem teeming with rare and unique species.”

Some of the more remarkable finds included a tiger beetle – which had only ever been recorded in Nicaragua and was believed to be extinct – and the false tree coral snake, which had not been reported in Honduras since 1965.

“Our team of scientists were shocked at the discovery of tremendously rich biodiversity, including many rare and threatened species,” said Trond Larsen, Director of Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program. “The ‘White City’ is one of the few areas remaining in Central America where ecological and evolutionary processes remain intact.”

It looks like there is hope for the rainforest after all! Conservation International now hopes that their findings will help drive forward additional conservation measures and protect the region from deforestation.

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positively newsworthy the little things 1T he heart of motherhood KEEPING THE FLAME ALIVE.

by Alison McEvoy Being on the cusp of motherhood is a time of immense internal change; priorities shifting, sensitivities deepening and dormant instincts awakening...

At any one moment in the world, somewhere, a woman is moving from the cusp to the heart of motherhood, while her partner is catapulted into fatherhood. As I move through the world these days, across streets, on and off of trains and buses, around the local park, I am experiencing the tremendous goodwill of mothers and fathers who have passed this threshold before; smiles and nods, invitations to sit on busy commuter vehicles and extra large portions from my favourite cafes!

Just recently, a woman who I met for the first time decided that she wanted to give me her whole pram set - a ‘baby thing’ she was finding it hard to let go of. She showed up at my door with two car seats, a pram complete with rain-cover and two sets of

2L eaving the Comfort Zone FINDING STRENGTH IN SELF-EXPRESSION.

by Aisling Cronin These days, I am engaged in a process of more deeply connecting with my inner wisdom – and learning how to actively express it – in a way I have never dared to do before. In July, I took two huge leaps forward in my journey. I released my first poetry anthology, The Light Touch of Liberty,

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snug baby sleeping bags which had been sent from Canada. Not to mention a whirly toy to wrap around the part of the pram where her son had chewed his way into the leather!

“...experiencing the tremendous goodwill of mothers and fathers who have passed this threshold before..”

Passing on the love and support in this way keeps the flame in the heart of young mothers alive and at peace, knowing that the force of good has held strong in the world.

and I started making spiritually-themed videos! To actually be seen! By other people! This has involved pushing myself out of my comfort zone in a big way, but I’m very glad to have done it.

The Light Touch of Liberty celebrates people who dare to dream courageously, ask difficult questions and fearlessly speak their truth. I have met so many people – both in the spiritual community and outside of it – who are dedicated to doing their work, helping others and doing whatever they can to make the world a better place. These people inspire me and it was an honour to pay

tribute to them through my work.

As I’m sure many other people will know, when you move from a space of staying silent – rarely sharing your own views – to actively speaking about topics that are dear to your heart, this affects you profoundly. Putting my work out there in a more direct and public way has given me a sense of inner strength that I never fully knew I had. What a blessing that has been!

“When you move from a staying silent to actively speaking about topics that are dear to your heart, this affects you profoundly.”

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spirituality & the city ‘CAN YOU NAME A PERSON OR PLACE THAT INSPIRES A SENSE OF PEACE IN YOUR LIFE?’ Barbara O’Meara Water is the element I feel most connected to, so being close to the sea is essential for me. Walking silently seaward on massive granite blocks towards Poolbeg Lighthouse, four kilometres out into Dublin Bay and once the longest seawall in the world, I am surrounded on both sides by tidal waters.

Looking back towards the mouth of the River Liffey with both Dublin and Wicklow mountains visible above the coast, this is a beautifully meditative journey, both physically and spiritually.

As an artist, I feel drawn to our island’s coastlines. I consider myself blessed to live by the sea, with a view from my studio window. When I take early morning swims to gain clarity for my creative day ahead, I offer a small chant, a simple ritual, honouring all water as our sacred source of life. I ask for cleansing, healing and protection of our planet’s oceans, lakes and rivers. barbaraomearaartist.com

Brandon Bozarth The beach ... a symphony of sounds that demand your attention. The waves, the wind and the birds all orchestrate a sense of ‘be here now’. I allow myself to let go of any thoughts of the past or the future, and return to the feeling of being home. ‘Home’ is not a place, but rather, a state of being: a state which is actually independent of the beach. And so, to the question, ‘a place that inspires a sense of peace?’ My truest answer is ‘my inner beach’. It is the calm relaxation that accompanies a true sense of presence and peace. The beach invites me into this state, but it is only experienced once I choose to answer the call. The empowering truth of the actual location/destination of peace is then obvious: it is anytime I allow myself to be totally here and now, at home, in the centre of myself.

Maggie McKeever One person who inspires a sense of peace in my life is Uma Dinsmore Tuli. I’m just back from her Circle of Womanhood retreat in West Cork, which inspires peace itself !

It was a sanctuary away from the everyday, where we could gather together, rest, connect with nature and dance by the fire.

Uma has dedicated her life to researching and developing yoga practices that honour the feminine, our cycles and stages of life.

Instead of continuing to operate in a linear ‘doing’ mode, we took time to reflect on where we felt we were at. For example, during a ‘winter’ mood, it makes sense to hibernate and reflect, as opposed to the extroverted social mood of ‘summer’.

Yoga Nidra – a sleep meditation practice which we practiced daily – is a powerful tool for healing and rest. As Uma says, Nidra is an act of radical self care. I encourage everyone to give it a try!

© Niall McAleer Photography

Jonathan Fitzsimons I believe this place has to be inside. In our mind-space. Unless we find peace here, we are going to run into problems down the track.

I believe that all problems are mental, or at least start there. We could be at the most amazing sunset, surrounded by natural beauty and wildlife, and be in hell inside, or we can be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for hours and be blissed out, so it starts inside.

We need to practice creating and nurturing this space of inner peace. As we become more acutely aware of the people, places and environments that lift or elevate our state of being to higher places, we can also see which of these people, places or environments no longer serve us, so we can speed up or accelerate our spiritual journeys to self-mastery.

Feet on the grass whenever you get the chance!

Cathy Pearson When I can see the full dome of the of the sky above, I feel peaceful – even more so if my feet are bare. I have lived for many years between Thailand and Dublin, working as a yoga teacher and transformational healing facilitator. I also work as a filmmaker, where things are often not that peaceful! I spend about five months a year living on a paradise island in Thailand. I feel most at peace there, as the rhythms of nature dictate how my day will unfold. If the moon is full, the waves will be high, so there is no travelling on those days. If the breeze is fresh and the sea is flat, most chores can be accomplished with ease. In city life, the ease at which everything can be attained always surprises me. Compared to living in a wild jungle location, this is pretty relaxing, yet we so easily take it for granted. yogadeep.com

Anthony McDermott Nature brings me into the present moment and fills me with a sense of ease, peace, contentment and personal autonomy. Nature gives me solace and comfort. When I submerge myself into its vast supply of magnificence and goodness, I become naturally happy, especially when I feel heavy in spirit. This sense of happiness I feel is not contrived by artificial means.

Nature encourages me to just stop and listen to her songs and admire her beauty, removing the man-made structures and man-made pressures I sometimes face in my daily life. Sometimes spending too much time dwelling in man-made structures, from house to office buildings, brings a constant reminder of worries, stresses and anxieties, symbolising humanity’s confinement: physically, psychologically, socially and emotionally.

When I break free of the confinement of cities and structures and step into the natural world, this gives me a sense of freedom unparalleled by anything else.

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POSITIVE PARENTING

listen with

laughter IT’S TIME TO PLAY!

by Anna Cole All play nurtures children, but Playlistening – one of the five Hand in Hand Parenting Listening Tools – has a special kind of power. It enhances your child’s confidence and strengthens her connection with you and with others. A child who feels safe and balanced, with a close connection to a parent or primary caregiver, is a child who can think well about limits, and about how to cooperate.

Playlistening is a beautiful way to laugh away any tensions that are getting in the way of your child thinking well about themselves and you! Playlistening is a tool that can help your child recover from frightening or challenging experiences, and face situations that once scared her.

All this while having fun!

Two hallmarks of Playlistening are laughter, and your child’s sense that she or he is in charge. Any time your child is full of unforced giggles and his appetite for fun is big, he’s making emotional gains. During safe, connected play, every laugh – literally every laugh – lets your child release low-level tension. Every laugh moves her closer to freedom from fears and worries. our child will become braver, more cooperative and more willing to try new things, as you find ways to keep the giggles coming – without tickling!

Although many of us adults may want to tickle to get the giggles going, we highly recommend you refrain. Tickling is a mechanical way to get laughter going. For many of us, growing up, the only playful interaction we had with our parents – often our Dads – was when he tickled us.

So the desire to tickle is great, because it seems like a quick, reliable route to get laughter flowing. But with tickling, the balance of power is not with the child, so being tickled won’t build his confidence, or help her release stored tension. She will in fact be laughing while a part of her body is braced against the tickles, so all in all, it’s a mixed message

for your child’s body and emotions.

Experiment with dropping the tickling for now - and try some Playlistening - without a doubt, children love Playlistening! So what does Playlistening look like? What does it mean to give a child the sense that he or she is in charge?

Here’s a simple example that most parents, or those who care for children, can probably relate to: Let’s say your daughter laughs when she climbs on your back and you jiggle her gently. To Playlisten, keep her laughter going with just enough motion to elicit more giggles. Pour affection and interest into your voice to add a connective ‘tone’ to the play. Offer eye contact, laugh along and read her body language for clues about how the play is going. This is the ‘listening’ aspect of Playlistening. Tune in and ‘listen’ with all of yourself: your heart, your mind, your senses, as well as with ears. She might want to climb down, or go and get a soft toy to put on your back, and laugh when you jiggle it off. She might want to hold onto your leg as you attempt to walk around the room, laughing with delight at your ‘confusion’ about this weight you’re carrying. She’ll have good ideas for continuing the laughter and fun.

You get to slow down, tune in and follow her lead and the laughs!

Playlistening gives you an elegant strategy to help your child release some tensions that get in the way of easy connection and co-operation: by initiating play. You don’t and can’t force her – coercion is the antithesis of play – but you can ‘flirt a little’ with a playful idea or direction, mix it with affection and see where it takes you. And because laughter is the best medicine, it will help you release some of the tensions you are carrying too and lighten the load.

Playlistening can work with one child, two children or ten. For instance,

when one child excludes another in a group, you can help them all by offering your warm affection and then taking the less powerful role. ‘Oh I have some hugs for you all! Smooshy hugs! Lots of hugs! Who’s going to get my first hug?’ Then, throwing your arms wide with an expectant grin, you start a slow chase through the house or around the playground or park. You might manage to tug on a sweater here or grab a shirttail there, but you play clumsily, so they all escape. You might play for laughs by giving a big hug to the playground swings by mistake. As you play the warm and goofy ‘chaser’, the children are brought together on the same side. You let them playfully exclude you!

Here’s the wonder of Playlistening: you have taken the issue – in this case, a child being excluded – and taken it into the ‘play zone’.

This is one example of a common issue that can be taken to the ‘playzone’ and turned around into laughter, tension release and Playlistening. Picky eating, potty troubles, sleep issues, one sibling being harsh to another, or any number of everyday parenting challenges can be fruitfully taken into the playzone. This is a tool that can work with children of any age, as long as the adult is relatively free from irritation and wiling to use a bit of imagination. Go on, you know you want to!

Give it a try, follow the laughs, take the less powerful role, and try some Playlistening to spark joy in your heart and your child’s.

This article is indebted to Patty Wiplfer and Tosha Schore’s chapter on Playlistening from their wonderful book ‘Listen. Five Simple Tools to meet your Everyday Parenting Challenges’. Available now from leading online booksellers and from handinhandparenting.org

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“Here’s the wonder of Playlistening: you can take any number of everyday parenting challenges into the playzone”

POSITI V E AT TR ACTION

claim your highest good CONSCIOUSLY CREATING PEACE.

by Judith McAdam Peace always brings with it a time of great challenge and also great transformation.

This is equally true whether it is a worldwide situation or something within the recesses of our own hearts and minds.

Finding peace in conflict always means letting go of what’s bothering us, be it within a relationship with a lover, parent or friend, at work or an outdated mindset that doesn’t serve us anymore. When we have outgrown a situation that is causing a struggle, it signifies we are ready to move forward. We know we have outgrown the situation when we are willing to make a F*ck it, emphatic, positive, clear decision: ‘I’ve had enough’.

“Forgiving yourself or another person, or handing over the outcome of a situation, takes a lot of courage.”

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If, while reading this, you are thinking of a certain aspect in your own life that is bothering you, then you are ready to start clearing your own way forward. There are no coincidences: you are getting an intuition nudging you to let go, so trust this and start acting upon it. The time has come to find inner peace. In doing so, you will start to release anything that is lying heavily on your heart. Remember, you only want what’s for your highest good. Forgiving yourself or another person, or handing over the outcome of a relationship or job that is in turmoil, takes a lot of courage.

New adventures await you, but without inner peace and flow, metaphorically, your river of life runs the risk of either damming up or running dry! Conflict is powerful. However, it

always leads to negative momentum and a negative outcome. Don’t sabotage yourself. Why would you want to hang on to something that is keeping you stuck?

Try this simple exercise, knowing that you are consciously creating some positive momentum around your situation. You will need to practice this often, as you are forming a new ‘loop’ in your subconscious mind and this can take between 28-66 days. However, the results are transformative, leading you to inner peace that will be mirrored in your ‘outer’ world. The aim of this exercise is to consciously direct your subconscious mind and ask for clarity, using the tool of the Inner Child.

Put your hand on your heart, and close your eyes. Let your breath bring you deeply inside yourself to your inner child. Visualise this child sitting on a step: always waiting for you, always ready to do your bidding. Now think of the situation or person that is bothering you, and speak to your inner child with feeling: “I am ready to start stepping my way through this quickly and easily. I am willing to let go of all the conflict around this person, place or thing and I only want what’s for my highest good.” Now ask for clarity.

After you have practiced this for a day or two, you will start to get intuitions around what you want to clear. When you receive these intuitions, act upon them. Keep in mind negative thoughts and actions are only fear and will carry with them a lot of hassle, so always make sure your actions are filled with positive momentum and you can’t go wrong.

With love, Judith judithmcadam.com

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POSITIVE HOME

shine your light

JOY IS AN INSIDE JOB.

by Amanda Collins We have all had times when we felt that our light was faint, perhaps even that it was extinguished completely. The truth is, your light is always there and always will be, even when life circumstances or your own doubts dim that light.

The world needs you to shine your light. Nothing good comes from you hiding your radiance because of low self-esteem or lack of self-confidence or false humility. In order to grow and expand our inner light, we first must do our inner work, explore our shadow side, and release any limiting and self-sabotaging beliefs.

“Being present in every moment and maintaining balance will keep our radiance glowing.”

Looking deep within and journaling about what we see is one method to begin releasing such beliefs. Daily meditation also invites us to examine our inner landscape, while mindfulness practices can ground and centre us so we do not lose ourselves in the busyness of life.

If we look at the Wheel of the Year, it starts at Samhain / Halloween, when we are invited to go inward first in order

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to emerge and shine. We may need to allow ourselves time to grieve and process whatever comes up, in order to shine even brighter on the other side.

Life offers us many models of this in life: the lotus flowers come up through the mud; the beautiful butterfly develops from a lowly caterpillar through a process called metamorphosis; and similarly, we experience events in our lives that we perceive as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, yet we have the capacity to emerge and shine.

Being present in every moment and maintaining balance will keep our radiance glowing without flickering.

Notice how you feel when you are having fun, laughing, sharing your gifts. In those situations, your light glows naturally.

Allow yourself to feel this natural glow and bring it into all areas of your life.

Self-acceptance is an inside job.

Be true to YOU, for there is no one else in the world like you. There is no need to compare yourself to others. Just be the best version of you.

Allow your body language to express your openness to sharing your light. If you notice yourself walking around with your head low or your shoulders rounded, as if you were hiding, it’s time to stand tall, open your heart and shine your light.

If you haven’t already, seek and find your tribe. You will know them when you

meet them, as they are the beloveds who celebrate your successes with you, cheer you on, and are there for you without judgment or jealousy when things are flowing. Accept praise gracefully, and allow yourself to receive compliments without deflecting or minimising. Speak your truth with love and empowerment.

If you feel called to compliment another, then do so. If you need to say yes, then do so; if you need to say no, then do so.

When your well is dry or your tank is empty, it’s harder for you to illuminate other people and the world around you. To shine your light brightly, it’s important to radiate from a place of being filled up, so take time each day for self-care. Do what you love and what brings you joy: dance, sing, paint, run, drink and be merry.

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is world peace

POSITIVE PE ACE

possible?

WORLD PEACE BEGINS WITH PERSONAL PEACE.

by Sandy Newbigging According to the 2019 Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 163 independent states and territories by their present levels of peacefulness, only ten countries in the world are currently not at war. The economic impact of violence on the global economy in 2018 was 11.2% of the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the equivalent of US$1,853 per year for every person on the planet.

It is easy to look at the world and feel powerless with regard to our ability to make any worthwhile impact. It can all seem way too big a task to undertake, or appear outside our control and in the hands of others. However, if we allow ourselves to remain paralysed by our perceived powerlessness, then the world will end up being governed and shaped by the minority of people to whom we give our power.

If these people aren’t consciously aware enough to bring about positive changes based in love, freedom and the collective good, then the next generation will be left to deal with the ramifications of our reluctance to step up, wake up and bring about a better world.

Be The Peace You Wish To See One truth shared by spiritual teachers is that the ‘outer reflects the inner’ and ‘as above, so below’. The world is a reflection of the individuals who populate it. Greed, unworthiness or lack within the individual will be reflected as debt and poverty in the world. The absence of unconditional love within the individual will be mirrored back by hate in the headlines. If there is division and a sense of separateness within the individual, then countries will need borders and police to patrol them. As long as humanity places God in the sky and ignores the divinity that exists within, there will be wars fought over whose God is

18

most righteous.

This long-standing spiritual truth can be linked to many problems we see on the planet. But let me be clear. The state of the world has nothing to do with blame, guilt or carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. It’s about reclaiming your power to make a difference and, as Mahatma Gandhi once encouraged, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

We need to start making peace a priority, and in doing so, stop exchanging it for mundane matters. I used to get so angry anytime I got a £40 parking ticket. In doing so I was unintentionally valuing my personal peace at 39.99 (or less) because I was willing to exchange it for the price of the parking fine. How silly!

Don’t forget: if peace is possible for even just one person – which it is – then world peace is possible too. Don’t lose faith

in humanity: we are just getting started. If you want to see a peaceful world, it’s up to you to make peace a priority, starting now.

Stop waiting for someone else to do it first.

It’s your time and it’s your turn. As one of the ‘peace pioneers’ you do great service. By treading a new path of peace you make it easier and quicker for the next person, and one day, the entire planet.

Sandy is a monk, meditation teacher, creator of Calmology and a bestselling author of several books including Calm Cure and Mind Detox. Be part of his ‘movement of stillness’ by joining his Calm Clan – sandynewbigging.com

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RECIPE FOR SUCCESS.

by Cliona O’Hanlan & Dusty Staub Business Owners & Entrepreneurs....

Are you running your business or is your business running you?

Are you working in or on your business?

Is your business performing as well as you know it should?

Do you feel you are leaving something important undone?

Do you struggle to find time to address not just critical issues but also the key opportunities to grow your bottom line?

Are you making time to take care of yourself ?

If your answers to any of the questions above are anything less than favourable, please read on.

Entering into the world of entrepreneurship is one of the biggest initiations and voyages of self-discovery imaginable. Deciding to become self-employed, or a business owner, is a bold declaration, your initial step towards leading your own life and the inaugural attempt at custom-designing it consciously on your terms. Complete freedom both financially and timewise being the biggest lure for most entrepreneurs, at least initially.

So why is it that many business owners find themselves trapped in a cycle of imprisonment within their own creation, experiencing high levels of stress leading to many instances of exhaustion and even burnout?

Business demands leadership and

POSITIVE BUSINESS

owning your life leading your business

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“...entrepreneurship is one of the biggest initiations and voyages of self-discovery imaginable.” true leadership creates great freedom, yet few intimately understand the principles of leadership, defaulting to sub-optimal paradigms of the past. True leadership is a voyage of re-engaging the heart so deeply with your life’s desires that it becomes your central navigating compass and the intuitive guide in all that you do and all of who you choose to be. True leadership is an embodied presence and inspirational reflection of who you are at your deepest truth.

Here are some tips to begin creating leadership mastery in your business life: “No one can do it for you, AND you can NOT do it alone.”

- Robert (Dusty) Staub on Leadership 1. Be Strategic: Step back and keep the larger framework in mind in looking at your business, how you are spending your time and where you manage your focus: Are you focusing on your highest and best use? Are you doing something someone else could be doing? Are you planning your work and then working your plan? Do you have a vision and know your purpose?

Reflect on both daily and communicate to your people.

2. Be Accountable and Hold Accountability: Are you good at ‘toughlove’ - being tough on holding people to their agreements, goals, work plans while at the same time being respectful, positive

in tone and encouraging people by using positive attribution to challenge them to ‘live up’ their best selves? Know your core values and create boundaries both for self and business.

3. Be Kind to Yourself: Treat yourself with respect and kindness. Are you making time to recharge your ‘battery’ (nourish mind, body, emotions, soul)? Do you have a ‘self-care plan’ in place? Create Space for more being and less doing and practice presence with who and what you’re with in each moment, eliminate distractions.

4. Be Courageous: Note where you most need courage and address any fears or anxiety directly. Many people fail due to a failure of ‘nerve’ in addressing issues or challenges.

5. Invite the Best from All Around You: How are you sending the critical messages people need to hear and feel in order to perform at their best?

“You matter, you are important.”

“What you do matters, is important.”

“Together, we can create the extraordinary.”

Heartfelt gratitude Love & Light Clíona and Dusty have an upcoming book in early 2020 with Brandon Bozarth entitled: ‘Igniting the Heart of the World: Transformation to Living Significantly & More Joyfully’ staubleadership.com clionaohanlon@me.com

journeying to

wholeness WE INTERVIEW SHAMANIC HEALER MARTIN DUFFY. Interviewer: Paul Congdon

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what type of work you’re exploring right now?

I came from a family of traditional folk healers, and I was brought up with that whole idea of mythology and the other world, the fairies, that magical, enchanted, sense of nature. I went on to train as a psychiatric nurse, but I didn’t like the biomedical model: reducing people to symptoms and diagnosis. So I trained in humanistic psychotherapy, then synchronistically discovered Carl Jung and the study of astrology. I was blown away by Stan Grof’s work, and I trained with him in Holotropic Breathwork. I also trained in shamanism with Mongolian shamans, went to South America and South Africa,

and that led me to what I’m doing now, which is running Dunderry Park, training others in shamanism and Transpersonal Psychology. What really excites me is helping others to journey into their inner realms, whether it be through shamanic journeying, breathwork or sweat lodge.

I wanted to ask you about the role of shamanism in all of this. For people who don’t understand shamanism: what is it?

In indigenous cultures, a shaman was addressed as such by the community because of who they were. They were generally a very sensitive person, who had

a sense of the other world from an early age, could communicate with non-ordinary reality, and had a deep sense of connection to nature. It amuses me when people think you can go off to a weekend workshop and become a shaman. In indigenous cultures, it’s the last thing these people ever wanted. It’s the journey of the wounded healer: you’ve got to go into the depths of the shadows, into the underworld, and

“Our pain often forces us into addressing our woundedness, therefore pushing us into a higher state of consciousness.”

23

confront the very things within yourself that you don’t want to look at. Heal it – or work on healing it – and only then can you come out of that place and help and guide others. You, as the practitioner, don’t do the healing for other people. You facilitate the inner healer within the person.

Can people become re-traumatised by this work?

You have to be careful. I would always suggest to people that they do a certain amount of individual counselling, then move into a practice like mindfulness meditation. After that, you can move into more cathartic work like shamanic journeying or Holotropic Breathwork.

You’re saying, approach it with the right preparation?

Yes, then at the very least you will have some experience of non-ordinary states of awareness: some sense of what it is to meditate, or journey or do breathwork. If you have done some reading on it, you have a map for the territory. The best maps I know are Stan Grof’s maps, because he’s been doing this for sixty to seventy years. There’s also been a revival of ancient medicines: cannabis, for example.

Cannabis was demonised in the 1930s

because DUPont created plastics and hemp was in competition with them. Now cannabis is coming back as a medicine for all sorts of physical ailments. CBD oil is in our health stores, for example. But cannabis is also a shamanic spirit plant medicine which has been on the planet for nine or ten million years. This plant, and other healing plants, have seen the earth evolve through many different millennia and many different disasters. Their wisdom is encoded within the genetic coding of the plant. So when we ingest the medicine, it then works through our bio-circuitry.

There was one other thing you wanted to mention: an idea that the Native Americans call Wetiko.

Wetiko is the idea that part of the problem that we are experiencing in our individual personal lives and on a collective level, is what Paul Levy calls egofrenia (in his book, Dispelling Wetiko). He sees it as a psychic virus that creates a dynamic of greed, narcissism and sociopathy within the individual, that then becomes amplified in society. When I was in the Amazon with the Indians down there, they said that they thought we were mad. They said, “You are the people with the thin lips, we look at you and you are

always hungry for something. Your eyes are always darting around, you’re never satisfied with anything.” But here’s the interesting point: Levy says that embedded within this phenomenon is our salvation.

Our pain often forces us into addressing our woundedness, therefore pushing us into a higher state of consciousness. I just wanted to mention Wetiko, because when I came across the concept, the lights went on. I said, “Wow, that explains a lot of things in terms of what’s going on, on a global scale.” Because I just couldn’t make out why, as a species, we’re chopping down rainforests or polluting our waters. Levy says that it’s a sickness: it spread from the Anglo-Saxons, right through to other groups. We infected the indigenous people when we went to the new world – not only bringing physical diseases like small pox, but also bringing this psychic virus. So in order to tackle this rampant consumerism, the drive towards materialism, we need to reconnect with nature: our own nature and the natural world. shamanismireland.com dunderrypark.org

POSITIVE TANTR A

the beauty of

letting go A PRACTICE FOR AUTUMN LOVERS.

by Dawn Cartwright

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I could stay awake just to hear you breathing, Watch you smile while you are sleeping, While you’re far away and dreaming I could spend my life in this sweet surrender, I could stay lost in this moment forever, Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure -Aerosmith

It is autumn. Night stretches its velvet wings, urging the sun to sleep a little later each morning and every new beginning becomes an ending, at least for a while.

According to the wisdom of nature, the seasons reflect the birth of life, reflecting the cyclical way the world appears, then dissolves, every instant. Love and the intimacy we share is that very same pulse, a heartbeat between everything and one.

Love, like the seasons, is a wheel.

At the edges, it’s filled with spaciousness and diversity. Fully expressed, it appears everywhere. In every wave on the ocean, every cascade of laughter, every blade of grass. It’s the world we experience with our senses, it’s feeling and emotion, the body and the heart. It is the touch of your lover’s kiss, the sound of your lover’s voice, the attraction and repulsion you feel. It is everything.

At the centre of the wheel, love has merged so completely there is nothing but love. It has let go into togetherness. It’s the world we experience when the senses are absorbed and the expanse we once accessed outside us appears within. It’s the stillness at the core of us both. It is one.

This is the pulse of love, of pleasure, of surrender. To experience love we must be willing to be open, dynamic, awake.

Love is in the pulse, it is the beauty of letting go.

THE BEAUTY OF LETTING GO A Practice for Autumn Lovers • Space ~ Create a space by the fire together with a friend, a lover, or with the lover within you. Gather pillows, blankets, candles, essential oils, music and autumn fruit. Be sure to include items to awaken all the senses and fresh spring water to drink.

• Boundaries & Desires ~ Share your boundaries and desires for your practice.

Would you like to practice for one hour or two? Do you feel most comfortable fully clothed or naked? Where do you wish to be touched? Where do you prefer not to give or receive touch? What do you need to feel

open and relaxed? Take time to listen and share.

• Bow to One Another ~ Place your finger tips on the floor next to your hips. Feel the strength of your body as you gently press your fingers into the earth. Close your eyes, go inside. Bring your hands into prayer pose. Bow to one another.

“To experience love we must be willing to be open, dynamic, awake...it is the beauty of letting go.”

• Open the Gates of Ecstasy ~ Sit facing one another, each with your knees open and the soles of your feet together. Place pillows under your knees for support.

Close your eyes and let your hips and knees melt toward the earth. Peel the soles of your feet apart, like the pages of a book.

Relax, breathe and let go for 3-5 minutes.

• Receive ~ When both of you feel ready, open your eyes. Allow your partner to fall into your eyes like sunlight through windows. Open your chest, soften your face. Notice your breathing. Allow your breathing to slowly expand, opening your body and mind. Feel the pulse of your open heart, the feeling of being available with no distractions.

• Embrace ~After 3-5 minutes, the taller partner will sit with legs crossed. The less tall partner will gently climb into their lap, facing the taller partner. Embrace in a warm hug. Allow the bodies to melt together. Notice that your bodies are in perfect alignment. Place one hand on your partner’s sacrum, the other hand behind your partner’s heart. They’ll do the same with you. Feel the subtle pulse of the sacrum and the heart, yours and your partner’s.

• Breathe ~ Once you’ve both settled in, synchronise your breathing. Breathe in

together, then exhale together. Don’t worry about the rhythms matching perfectly, as long as the flow is harmonious. Breathe in from the earth, breathe out from the heart. Continue for 10-15 minutes. Take a break or rest if you need to. Together you are gradually becoming more aware of the pulsation that exists between inhale and exhale, the earth and the heart, everything and one.

• Caress ~ Place your hands on the crown of your partner’s head. Caress your partner’s body from crown to sacrum, nine times. Then upward, from sacrum to crown, nine times. Your caress is sensual, warm, connected and slow. When you receive, feel the pulsation between the sensations of touch and the spaciousness inside your body. Experience the beauty of letting go. Continue 10-15 minutes, then change roles.

• Silence ~ When you are complete, slide gently apart. Lie down next to one another in silence. Melt into the feelings inside.

Dawn Cartwright is a NeoTantra visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in NeoTantra fusion. You’re invited to join her for Love and The Land, October 11th - 13th, at Dunderry Park in County Meath and the Fragrance of the Lotus Year-Long Advanced Study and Teacher Certification Course, beginning April 17th, 2020, at Mucklagh in County Wicklow.

dawncartwright.com

POSITIVE RE TRE AT

home is where

kerry is

by Paul Congdon

“This is a love letter to Kerry... sweet views...with the colours always changing and Dingle bay opening up before you.”

26

Peace is the theme of this issue – a beautiful feeling available to all humans, yet one we tend to feel heightened when we are in a conducive environment like on a retreat, a walk in nature, meditating or swimming in the sea. It’s nice if you can generate peace on the inside, so that it’s available to you no matter where you are, but, for now, I take a break and head away.

If staying in Ireland, Kerry is my place of harmony. This is a love letter to Kerry and begins in March of this year when the lovely people at Stay YNA invited me to stay in one of their luxury houses in the wilds of Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry.

I arrived to one of the most luxurious houses I’ve ever seen, furnished with all- natural materials, boasting a stunning view and a welcome pack of homemade bread and brownies. The living room had a wood-burning stove for those rainy hours when you just want to kick back, read a book and while away your holiday in peace. Each bedroom had its own unique style and more sweet views.

There is something about this area...no wonder the Stars Wars people felt that the force was here with its wonderful beaches such as Beal Ban, Wine strand, Ventry (check out the view from Quinn’s pub) and Coumeenole where Ryan’s Daughter was made.

When you feel like a bit of a buzz, head into the lovely hum of Dingle. A spin in is about 10 minutes by car. The scenery everywhere you go is breathtaking and the drive into Dingle has a different feel each time you look, with the colours always changing and the bay opening up before

you. With great restaurants and pubs, the vibe in the town is so special. One pub that stood out is Kennedy’s, an entirely candlelit pub. The live music in the area is so eclectic too - check out singer Muireann and the fiddle player Jeremy Spencer, to name but two. A shout out to some cool veggie /vegan spots in the town; Boy Blue, The Pantri, and the lovely Thyme Out Cafe which is connected to the health store Re Nua. Top class food and service from all and such a welcoming vibe. Back home to the house for a bit of stove-action with my book, followed by some yoga and I felt suitably recharged.

My mum and dad popped down from Dublin on the free train and we ended up in a lovely pub in Ballyferriter where the

locals all speak as Gaeilge and they regaled us with some stories about the filming of Star Wars and Ryan’s Daughter.

Swimming in the sea, lunching in Dingle, meditating, reading and the odd glass of something when the mood took me...after a few days I had that peace both outside and inside and as you all know it feels so good.

If you feel a retreat coming on, we have it here on our home soil and no better place than Kerry. The chaps in Stay YNA will look after you. Tell them we sent you.

Paul stayed in Ballyferriter courtesy of www.stayyna.com They offer luxurious holiday homes in Dingle, Spain and France.

the courage to be

vulnerable

WE PROFILE THE AMAZING BRENÉ BROWN.

by Aisling Cronin Brené Brown is an author, educator and research professor at the University of Houston, Texas, who has become renowned for her work on promoting vulnerability as a means of embracing our authentic selves. She has spent over two decades studying courage, shame and empathy, and is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including Daring Greatly, Rising Strong and Dare to Lead.

“Your story is a privilege. You share Her work began to gain widespread it with people who’ve earned the traction in 2010, after she delivered an right to hear it.” inspirational Ted talk called ‘The Power of Vulnerability.’ It has now become the mostOne of Brené’s strongest beliefs is watched Ted talk of all time, with over 39 that having courage does not necessarily million views. As a self-professed introvert, mean sharing every single detail of our she had to embrace her own courage in lives with people who may not appreciate order to step onto a stage and inspire the magnitude of that gift. She is keen to others to embrace vulnerability as the true emphasise that vulnerability is not defined gift that it is. However, the risk she took by the amount of information we disclose, has paid off in an amazing way. but by the quality of that information, and Brené’s work has inspired thousands the degree of trust we place in the person of people over the world to ‘lean in’ to their involved. uncomfortable feelings, accepting whatever Vulnerability does not mean having a arises for them and presenting themselves total lack of boundaries in your life. As she with integrity. Her bottom line is: “I believe phrases it – with her trademark humour that you have to walk through vulnerability – “Live tweeting your bikini wax isn’t to get to courage, therefore … embrace the vulnerability!” suck. I try to be grateful every day and my motto right now is courage over comfort.”

Brené on the relationship between Dare to Lead is Brené’s most recent trust and vulnerability: book: the culmination of a seven-year study on the future of leadership, and how we can “This is a hard one. Do I trust you, and embrace our own leadership qualities. She then I’m vulnerable with you? Or am I also has a powerful documentary, The Call vulnerable with you and then I learn to to Courage, currently streaming on Netflix. trust you? The answer is ‘yes, and.’ It’s a In this documentary, she elaborates on her slow stacking over time of vulnerability motto, ‘courage over comfort’ and explains and trust. I don’t go out there with the big just what a revolutionary act it is. guns and say, ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Brené, Brené strongly believes that a here’s my darkest secret. Can I trust you willingness to embrace discomfort forever?’ We start with little things and we and vulnerability is the key to societal build over time: the more I share with you, transformation. Here at Positive Life, we and the more you honour that sharing.” have long been inspired by her brave message. With that in mind, we wanted In one of her books, Gifts Of to pay tribute to this vulnerability pioneer Imperfection, she writes, “Wholehearted and share some of her brightest nuggets of living is about engaging in our lives from wisdom. a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up in the morning and think, no

matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.”

The things we may regard as our greatest failures or weaknesses can become our greatest gifts, if we are willing to treat ourselves with honour, compassion and love. The world is in need of more people who are willing to step forward and be brave.

“People who love you, not despite your imperfection and vulnerability, but because of your imperfection and vulnerability: their feedback matters.”

“The older I get, the more I realise that time is the big, precious nonrenewable resource.”

Devoting our time and energy to projects and people who truly uplift us is a major theme of Brené’s work, and she is open about the fact that she had to learn this lesson the hard way. When her Ted talk video initially went viral in 2010, she was amazed by the amount of support and positive commentary she received … but the negativity that appeared in the comments section took its toll on her too.

29

“Vulnerability transcends ‘winning’ and ‘losing’: it is, instead, about having the courage to show up and do your best in situations where you can’t control the outcome.”

“You can study shame, but you are never prepared for the terrible stuff online,” she admits candidly in The Call to Courage.

“It’s the cesspool of humanity. The best way to describe shame is, it’s the feeling you would get if you walked out of a room that was filled with people who know you, and they start saying such hurtful things about you that you don’t know if you could ever walk back in and face them again in your life. For me, the fear of criticism and the fear of shame had been so great in my life up until that point, that I engineered smallness in my life. I did not take chances.

I did not put myself out there – I just didn’t.

It wasn’t worth it for me to step into my power and play big because I didn’t know if I could literally, physically withstand the criticism.”

She laughingly reveals that at one point, she coped with the negative commentary by eating peanut butter and watching Downton Abbey! Her journey of healing was accelerated by a famous saying attributed to former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt: “It’s not the critic who counts.

It’s not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done it different. The credit belongs to the person who’s actually in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes up short again and again and again, and who in the end, while he may know the triumph of high achievement, at least when he fails, he does

so daring greatly.”

The final two words of Teddy Roosevelt’s statement inspired the title behind Brené’s book … and from there, the rest was history.

She divides her life into two segments: before reading that quote, and after reading that quote. Three things became very clear to her from that moment onwards. First of all, she vowed to herself that she would always ‘live in the arena’ and have the courage to take chances.

Secondly, she understood that vulnerability transcends ‘winning’ and ‘losing’: that it is, instead, about having the courage to show up and do your best in situations where you can’t control the outcome. The third thing that became extremely clear to her was: “if you are not in the arena with me, getting your ass kicked and being brave, I am not interested in or open to your feedback about my work.”

“I believe that you have to walk through vulnerability to get to courage, therefore … embrace the suck.”

Humans are, by nature, social animals. We are neurobiologically hardwired to seek out connection with others, and to care about what they think of us. Brené believes that we should accept that, rather than shutting everyone out to avoid dealing

with the hurt of rejection or negative criticism. “The deal is that you have to be very specific about the people whose opinions of you matter,” she explains.

“Solicit feedback from people who give you good feedback. You know who makes that list? People who love you, not despite your imperfection and vulnerability, but because of your imperfection and vulnerability. Their feedback matters.”

Having the courage to be vulnerable has the potential to change the world. In the midst of deeply significant political and social movements that are changing the way we relate to one another, we need to learn how to embrace uncomfortable conversations. Brené says, “giving feedback, receiving feedback, solving problems, ethical decision-making … these are all born of vulnerability. Brave leaders are never silent about hard things. Our job is to excavate the unsaid.”

If we can find the courage to step up, be accountable and wholeheartedly embrace ourselves – flaws and all – we have the potential to be powerful agents of change in a world that sorely needs it.

The Call to Courage is now streaming on netflix.com, while Brené’s latest book, Dare to Lead’, is available on her website, as are all of her previous books.

brenebrown.com

Photo by Jose Tutiven

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FRAGRANCE LOTUS OF THE

MODULE 1 MODULE 2 MODULE 3 MODULE 4

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POSITIVE SUPPLEMENT

exploring keys to

anti-aging UNIQUELY FORMULATED Q10.

Italian scientists have observed that levels of the vitamin-like compound, co-enzyme Q10, decrease as we grow older.

Science has always been obsessed with trying to explain how and why the body ages. There are many factors involved in the process but one thing that has caught the attention of Italian researchers is that levels of a natural compound called co-enzyme Q10 – or simply Q10 – appear to decrease as we grow older.

Q10 and human health The team of researchers reviewed scientific data from 80 studies, the majority of which were clinical trials of Q10 supplementation and human health. The scientists point to therapeutic benefits from Q10 supplementation in connection with neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease, but the nutrient may also be useful in several age-related clinical conditions such as heart disease.

54% percent lower death rate In fact, one of the studies that the scientists had particular focus on was the KiSel-10 study, which is carried out on 443 elderly men and women in Sweden, and which has made headlines worldwide ever since its publication in 2013. The subjects were randomly assigned to a regimen of 200mg of high-quality Q10 (Bio-Quinone Q10 from Pharma Nord) and a selenium yeast supplement, or matching placebo. After four years of supplementation, the Swedish scientists observed that the cardiovascular death rate had decreased by 54% in the supplemented group, and participants also showed clear signs of improved functioning of the cardiac muscle.

Helped heart failure patients

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Similar results were seen in another study (Q-Symbio) in which daily supplementation with 300mg of Q10, as a helping hand for conventional heart drugs, lowered the

mortality rate by 43% in a study of 420 heart failure patients. Half the patients got Q10, the other half got a placebo. Besides a lower mortality rate, the Q10-supplemented group obtained significant improvements of the heart muscle performance.

“Q10 peaks in our early twenties and continues to decrease from that point onward.”

Do we need supplements?

We all get a small amount of Q10 from the food we eat, but we produce most of the substance ourselves. Q10 is synthesized in the liver, and science has discovered that the endogenous production of Q10 peaks in our early twenties and continues to decrease from that point onward. So, the million dollar question is: does it make sense to start taking a supplement of the compound, when we reach a certain age?

The Italian science team thinks so and actually recommends it. However, the researchers point to the fact that the poor bio-availability of Q10 is a limiting factor.

In other words, it is difficult for the body to absorb Q10 from supplements, unless the preparations are manufactured in a way that makes them more assimilable to the digestive system.

Unique Q10 formula With a unique formula that involves mixing Q10 with special oils, and subjecting the mixture to a heating process, the result is a highly bio-available Q10 formula with free and unattached Q10 molecules that can easily reach the blood and cells. It was this specific formulation that was used in the above-mentioned KiSel-10 study. pharmanord.ie

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GOOD LIFE 2.0

turn apathy into action GRIEF, GRATITUDE AND GREATER RESILIENCE.

by Davie Philip “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

The Lorax, Dr. Seuss ‘Climate anxiety’ is the fear, panic and sadness we feel as we learn how dire the implications of a warming planet actually are. Experts say we only have ten years to radically change our ways before things become irreversible, and new reports suggest there is a ‘high likelihood’ of a civilisation collapse by 2050.

Most of us know that the crisis is real, but probably haven’t really faced it emotionally. This takes a toll on our mental health, especially amongst younger people who are understandably losing hope for their future. Although an emergency has been declared, and we are now witnessing climate shocks, we still don’t seem to care enough to change.

So why aren’t we accepting the situation and taking urgent action? It might have something to do with the five stages of grief, a model identified

by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross to explain how people deal with shocking news. Her stages begin with denial, moving to anger, followed by bargaining, then depression, and finally, acceptance. We will not be able to change anything if we get stuck on the journey to acceptance.

Grief is a natural response to the loss of something cherished.

Processing it ensures we don’t get paralysed by denial, anger or depression.

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“We need to face the future together rather than going it alone.”

Expressing gratitude also helps. Cicero called gratitude ‘the mother of all virtues’, and scientific studies have now linked it with reduced stress and increased empathy and motivation.

However, gratitude doesn’t come easy. Today we tend to be more focused on the obstacles holding us back instead of the resources enabling us to flourish. In this consumerist culture, our attention is on what we lack, whereas gratitude is an appreciation for what we already have and care about. Resilience and gratitude are closely aligned. We strengthen our ability to cope when we work through our grief,

accept the prognosis, and appreciate what we have.

We can’t do any of this by ourselves.

Talking about how we feel and processing our grief with others is a more powerful force for transformation. For greater resilience, we need to strengthen relationships with those around us, and the living world we depend on.

Community resilience is the ability of a locality to utilise available assets and skills to respond to, withstand, and recover from adversity.

It is important that we do not suppress our ‘climate anxiety’. It is far more effective, and a lot healthier, to translate our despair and anger into action and connection. We need to face the future together rather than going it alone. With a collective approach and a practice that fosters optimism, we can face the mess we’re in and play a role in the transition we are on towards a life-sustaining society. So lean into your ‘climate anxiety’ and find the others, because that is what leads to action.

Davie Philip is a community catalyst and facilitator at Cultivate, the sustainability cooperative based in Cloughjordan Ecovillage, and a network weaver with ECOLISE, the European network for communityled initiatives on climate change and sustainability.

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COMBINING A SCIENTIFIC CAREER WITH NATURAL MEDICINE.

by Dr Suraya Diaz

Dr Suraya Diaz, CNM graduate in Nutrition, Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine, recounts her hugely successful fusion of scientific research and natural medicine.

I graduated from CNM with diplomas in Nutrition, Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine. CNM was my college of choice because it provided a comprehensive academic programme with a holistic approach in nutrition, naturopathy and herbal medicine, along with practical hands-on clinic experience in the various therapies. Additionally, CNM offers part-time study, which was very important to me, as I was working full-time as a postdoctoral researcher. Their courses are also recognised and accredited internationally.

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As a scientist, I have always been fascinated by nature, science and technology: in particular, the interplay between cellular and molecular pathways, and the mechanisms involved in health and disease. I dedicated my education and academic career to microbiology, biochemistry and biomedical sciences, with a main focus on molecular biology and protein biochemistry. I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Biochemistry, a Master’s in Clinical Microbiology and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular

Biology, and did research in some of the world’s most prestigious research institutions, such as the Francis Crick Institute in the UK. During my years in medical research, I realised that good health and wellbeing are influenced by diet, lifestyle and environment. Therefore, I decided to combine my scientific career with natural medicine by becoming a certified nutritionist, naturopath and medical herbalist. My career path has been complemented by the skills and knowledge that I acquired through my CNM courses in Naturopathy, Nutrition and Herbal Medicine.

CNM

MEDICINE

My studies were enlightening, holistic and ground-breaking, giving me a multi-faceted approach to nutrition, naturopathy and herbal medicine. My eyes were opened to a totally different approach to health. I appreciated the fact that I was able to complete all these courses while I was working full-time. I also had the opportunity to make life-long friends.

CNM changed my life in many ways.

It gave me the expertise and skills to help friends and family, while providing me with the knowledge to improve my own diet and lifestyle. It provided me with the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle to go ahead and found my own company, ‘Dr Suraya Diaz, Committed to Health’.

This fusion of mainstream and traditional medicine placed me in the ideal position to design and tailor premium quality products, combined with consultancy. The company manufactures the first and largest Irish range of organic certified products, complemented by full consultancy services in nutrition, naturopathy and herbal medicine. The

range includes herbal glycerates, tinctures, teas and supplements, as well as a unique probiotic drink. With an additional cosmetic organic certification, I am currently in preparation for the launch of a supreme line of organic certified cosmetics range.

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I think that CNM is an excellent platform for all health-minded individuals, whether you want to acquire invaluable skills and knowledge to improve your own health and the health of your loved ones or, indeed, if you want to follow a similar path to mine and start your own business.

CNM has a superb 20-year record of training successful practitioners in a range of natural therapies In-class or Online. Speak to a helpful Course Consultant or book to attend CNM’s next free Open Event to find out about training in Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Natural Chef.

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POSITIVELY ORGANIC

planet haven ACHIEVING PEACE IN A KITCHEN GARDEN.

by Hans Wieland

A ‘garden’ – as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary – is an “enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables”. Cultivating a piece of land was always a dream of mine and I am still realising my dream, together with Gaby, at Neantog near Cliffony in North Sligo.

Cultivating land involves interfering with nature. Even if you eat your weeds, a garden left alone will eventually become a small native woodland and in the course of time, be swallowed up by a forest.

In a garden, the gardener decides what should grow. In the wild, nature has a free run. I believe the growing popularity of foraging in recent years has come about because it reconnects us with our forgotten hunter-gatherer instincts. Collecting wild foods and bringing them into our kitchens bridges the gap between the wild and the home, the uncontrollable and the safe environment.

A GARDENER’S RESPONSIBILITY Settling on a piece of land, however, and growing food on it, means wrestling that piece away from the wild. With that comes great responsibility as guardians of the soil.

A fellow German, Friedrich Albert Fallou, wrote in 1862: “There is nothing in the whole world of nature which is more important than, or deserves as much attention as, the soil. Truly, it is the soil that makes the world a friendly environment for mankind. It is the soil which nourishes and provides for the

whole of nature; the whole of creation depends upon the soil which is the ultimate foundation of our existence.”

To keep soil fertile, we have always gardened organically. Organic gardening is growing in peace with nature, but it is probably more correct to say that it is a peaceful coexistence between cultivation and wilderness. The idea that organic gardening means caring for the soil and nurturing plants was at the heart of a very successful European funded cross-border project.

WHAT A GARDEN CAN TEACH US – BUILDING PEACE THROUGH OUR SHARED ENVIRONMENT – A LITTLE SIDE STORY. When I worked at The Organic Centre, one of the most memorable and ground breaking projects I organised was Building Peace Through Our Shared Environment. Between 2005 and 2007 The Organic Centre in Leitrim, together with Devenish Partnership in Fermanagh, engaged around 200 participants in community gardening projects and more than 800 pupils from six primary schools across the border in a schools garden programme.

The basic idea was that working together in a garden, sowing seeds, growing food and eating together will lead to accepting differences, to mutual respect and finally to building friendships across the social, religious and political divide. I strongly believe that this project has sown seeds of change. One of the

most impressive outcomes is that, to my knowledge, all these gardens dotted around Leitrim, Fermanagh, Sligo and Donegal are still tended to, are productive and are, in some way, small monuments of peace.

It is also interesting to note that many community gardens now are at the centre of integrating immigrants to this Island. I volunteer every so often at the garden and polytunnel at Globe House in Sligo, where many asylum seekers from different countries and religious backgrounds grow food together.

FIVE PIECES OF ADVICE TO GARDEN IN PEACE Many gardeners know and talk about the healing and calming effects of gardening.

“Hold on a minute”, I hear you say.

“What about the battle with slugs, the problem with weeds and the stress of the unpredictable Irish weather?”

• “Don’t dig,” I could say, “and all the above mentioned problems will fade into the background.” No joking! The fast growing ‘Don’t Dig’ community, guided by the fabulous and energetic Charles Dowding, is proof that this natural approach to achieving a high level of soil fertility successfully deals with all the above mentioned problems.

• Cut your problems in half. Your garden might simply be too big. It might be wise to give some parts back to nature or create a low maintenance herb garden or a mini-orchard.

“Many gardeners know and talk about the healing and calming effects of gardening.”

• Transform your lawn into a wildflower meadow, only keeping a play area or small football pitch for your children and grandchildren. The time gain will be immense!

• Garden naturally and avoid chemicals.

It might take a while to achieve a balance, but there are lots of options available to deal with pests and diseases organically.

Strengthening the natural defence mechanisms of your plants with compost and homemade plant feeds will lead to healthy plants, good yields and less stress.

• Accept failure. Although we want to be in control of what grows in our garden, we cannot control the weather and the many influences it has on growing food.

What works one year might not work next year. Only in trying to understand the microclimate in our garden will we gain the knowledge and skills to deal with problems and accept that often, we are not in control.

Hans Wieland has worked and taught at The Organic Centre for over 20 years. He has now ‘retired’ to Neantog Kitchen Garden School in Cliffoney, joining his wife Gaby Wieland, herbalist and naturopath. The couple offer a range of courses and workshops in food growing, foraging, cheese-making, healthy cooking and baking.

neantog.com

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culinary

POSITIVE FOOD

comfort

RECIPES TO BRING WARMTH TO YOUR HEART.

by David and Stephen Flynn of The Happy Pear

As colder days draw in, we’re all looking for a spot of comfort food to bring some peace to our hearts. This chickpea and mushroom curry from the lovely folks at The Happy Pear ought to do the trick … followed by a scrumptious sticky toffee pudding for dessert!

CHICKPEA CURRY

INSTRUCTIONS:

(low FODMAP, as part of The Happy Pear’s ‘Happy Gut’ online course)

1 Peel and finely chop the ginger. Remove the end off the chilli (and if you don’t like it spicy, remove the seeds too) and finely chop.

Serves 4/takes around 15 minutes to make

2 Finely chop the aubergine into small pieces (we like using a serrated knife as it chops aubergine easiest). Finely chop the oyster mushrooms.

Ingredients: a thumb-size piece of ginger, 15g ½ a red chilli 1 aubergine 1.5 tbsp oil 3 tbsp tamari 5 tbsp water 400g tin of chickpeas 250g oyster mushrooms 2 tbsp curry powder a small bunch of fresh coriander/basil/chives 160ml tin of coconut milk 400g tin of chopped tomatoes juice of ½ lemon 1 tsp black pepper

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3 Put a large saucepan on a high heat and add the oil and leave it to heat up for a minute. Add the chilli and the ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the oyster mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.

4 Add the aubergines and cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly.

Add the tamari and cook for a further 2 minutes, continuing to stir well, so that all the aubergine and mushrooms get infused with the lovely tamari flavour. Now add the 5 tablespoons of water and stir regularly until the aubergine becomes soft and cooked.

5 In the meantime, drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.

Roughly chop the coriander/basil/chives and set aside.

6 Then add all the remaining ingredients into the pan and cook for 5 minutes, reducing to a simmer when it boils.

7 Remove from the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning to your palate. Garnish each serving with some chopped coriander/basil/ chives and if you like it spicy, additional chilli flakes go great as a topping too. Then enjoy!

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING Serves 4-6 people/takes approx 1 hour to make, including cooling time This is a lovely, easy take on the classic steamed date pudding. The coconut toffee is delicious and adds a wonderful earthy sweetness. It has its own treacle-like flavour that is typical of this cake and compliments the pudding in a lovely way.

Best served warm with your favourite vanilla ice cream of choice, with lots of the toffee drizzled over the top

Pudding:

1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 50 ml of rice milk or plant-based milk of choice

200g pitted dates, chopped 150ml of boiling water 75g sunflower oil 2 tbsp molasses or treacle 1 tsp vanilla extract 50g coconut sugar 2 tbsp ground flax seeds 6 tbsp water 150g white flour

Method: 1 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2 Chop the dates into small pieces, ensuring there are no hidden

stones in the middle.

3 In a bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates and leave to sit.

4 Make 2 flax eggs by mixing together the ground flax seeds and

the water in a mug: mix well and leave to sit for 5 mins.

5 In another bowl, add the sunflower oil, vanilla extract, milk

and molasses and mix until homogenous.

6 Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder in a large

bowl.

7 In a food processor, blend the dates and water till you reach a

smooth, caramel-like texture.

8 Make a well in the middle and mix in the flax eggs, the date

mixture and the sunflower and molasses. Mix until well combined.

9 Line a baking tray approx 34cm (13 inches) x 34cm (13 inches)

with baking parchment and pour in the cake batter.

Toffee: 250g coconut sugar 1 full fat can of coconut milk

While the cake is baking, you will have time to make the coconut toffee!

1 Place the coconut sugar into a large bottomed pot on high

heat, and using a whisk, stir continuously to avoid any of the sugar catching to the bottom and burning.

2 After approx 3-4 minutes, the sugar should start to clump

together and then dissolve.

3 Once it has started to dissolve, gently add the coconut cream

from the top of the can of coconut. Be careful not to add any of the water – just the cream from the top of the can.

4 Continue to heat and stir until the mixture has become lovely

and smooth. Once smooth, turn off the heat and leave to one side.

Take the cake out of the oven and leave it to cool. Once it has cooled, add 1/4 of the toffee mixture on top of the cake to give it a glaze, and keep the remaining 3/4 to serve on top of the ice cream with the pudding.

10 Level out and put in the oven to bake at 180 for 30 mins.

Cut into brownie-shaped pieces and serve with dairy-free vanilla ice cream, with hot toffee poured on top. Enjoy!

“The coconut toffee is delicious and adds a wonderful earthy sweetness”

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short & sweet “Guests value the unique surroundings: their farm, their garden and orchard, the tranquil country lanes, woodland space, bogland and the local community of Terryglass.”

43 Fuchsia Flourishes A RETREAT EXPERIENCE WITH HEART.

by Aisling Cronin Fuchsia Lane Farm – located near the town of Terryglass in Co. Tipperary – offers an amazing eco-friendly holiday experience, boasting an array of spacious self-catering cottages. Niall Heenan, co-founder of Fuchsia Lane Farm, explains that many of its returning and new guests value the wealth and uniqueness of the cottages’ surroundings: their farm, their garden and orchard, the tranquil country lanes, woodland space, bogland and the local community of Terryglass. Children love the freedom of the on-site play area, and adults enjoy being close to nature. Pets are

also welcome.

“We offer plenty of activities for our guests to do, because it is important for us to give them as rich an experience as possible,” Niall says. “We have walks, we have a meditation area in the garden, we have bicycles … we try to cater to a wide range of people.”

The business’s commitment has certainly paid off ! Fuchsia Lane Farm’s cottages have been listed in the Irish Times Weekend Magazine as one of the Top 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland.

The cottages have also been selected by

the Sunday Times newspaper as one of the Top 20 Farmstays in the World and by the Guardian newspaper as one of the Top 10 Eco Escapes in Ireland. They have also been awarded a Gold Medal in the Irish Responsible Tourism Awards in recognition of their commitment to Sustainable Rural Tourism. The village of Terryglass itself won Ireland’s Best Kept Village award in 2016. fuchsialanefarm.com

SHORT AND SWEE T

Earthing Potential THE HEALTH STORE WITH STAMINA.

by Aisling Cronin One of my favourite spots to visit when I’m in Dublin City Centre is the health food store Down to Earth, located on Dublin’s South Great George’s Street. As soon as I step in the door, I feel free to relax and enjoy the friendly, helpful atmosphere within.

“Since Down to Earth’s inception, it has acquired a loyal customer base, drawn by the business’s positive reputation.”

Down to Earth has demonstrated remarkable stamina and ingenuity over its four decades in business. The store was founded in 1978 in Malahide, Co. Dublin, by Jack Irwin – who still plays an active role in the business – and is now managed by his daughter Jane.

The secret of Down to Earth’s success lies in its customerfocused business model and its willingness to learn, grow and improve its product range as times have changed. The store has acquired a reputation for its excellence in providing homeopathic remedies. They also supply a comprehensive range of health food supplements, natural skincare, eco-friendly household products, vitamins, organic foods, aromatherapy oils, CBD oils and more.

Down to Earth’s remarkable longevity can be attributed to its commitment to serving the people who support them. Since the store’s inception, it has acquired a loyal customer base, and it continues to attract new customers on a consistent basis, drawn by the business’s positive reputation.

Down to Earth also offers the services of an in-house nutritional therapist who can provide expert advice to customers on nutritional treatments that can work for them, without interfering with any medication they may be taking.

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Float Into Bliss EXPERIENCE FLOATATION THERAPY.

by Aisling Cronin Floatation therapy is a unique and powerful tool for healing that involves floating in a tank of water that has been enriched with Epsom Salts for an hour or two. Multiple studies have shown that this innovative therapy is highly effective at combating chronic stress and its associated conditions. The first floatation tank was developed in 1954 by the American neurophysiologist Professor Dr. John C. Lilly while working at the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) in Maryland.

USA.

“This innovative therapy is highly effective at combating chronic stress and its associated conditions.”

Pat Finlay of Slí Beatha Float House – a dedicated floatation therapy centre in Naas, Co. Kildare – also drew our attention to the groundbreaking research that Dr. Justin Feinstein has done in this area. ‘People’s awareness of floatation therapy has grown over the years,’ Pat says, ‘and I find now that when people come in for a session, they find it highly enjoyable and relaxing. Word of mouth has been our primary tool for growing the business!’

Some of the reasons people have for seeking out floatation therapy include sports recovery, improving sleep quality and the relief of fatigue. This therapy is also beneficial for problem solving, meditation, and the reduction of stress and anxiety. Some people have reported that it helps prevent burnout and increases their sense of wellbeing.

Floating combines the sensation of weightlessness with an experience known technically as Restricted Environment Stimulation Therapy (REST). Over 1,000 pounds of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) are dissolved into a pool with water that is maintained at human skin temperature. This super-saturated Epsom Salt solution creates a hyper buoyant environment where users naturally float on the surface without any effort.

This frees the user from the effects of gravity, facilitating a deep relaxation of the body and a state of meditative calm within the mind. floathouse.ie Instagram: @floathouse_ireland Slí Beatha Float House

Floatation Therapy The Ultimate Relaxation Experience Unwind - Relax - Rejuvenate Slí Beatha Float House

A fantastic Float Centre specialising in Floatation Therapy, based in Naas Town Centre (3 Float tanks) and our second location at Dublin 24 (1 Tank).

Floating combines the sensation of weightlessness with an experience known technically as Restricted Environment Stimulation Therapy (REST).

Over 1,000 pounds of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) are dissolved into a pool with water that is maintained at human skin temperature.

This super-saturated Epsom Salt solution creates a hyper buoyant environment where users naturally float on the surface without any effort.

The effortless floatation frees the user from the effects of gravity, facilitating a deep relaxation of the body and a state of meditative calm within the mind.

Sessions are one hour long. To book in visit our website or call us.

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Everything your family needs to stay healthy!

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Co-creating Bliss A SLICE OF HEAVEN IN NAAS.

by Aisling Cronin

46 Flourishing Health GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR GUT.

by Laura Thompson The health of your gut can affect not only your physical health, but also your mental health.

Gut health has been linked to anxiety, depression and even dementia. Did you know that the make up of your gut bacteria may also play a role in determining whether you will be lean or obese? Bearing this in mind, it is vital that we nourish and nurture the bacteria.

“The brain talks to the gut and the gut talks to the brain.”

Our brain and our gut are in constant communication with each other: hence the reference to the gut as the ‘second brain’.

When we experience ‘butterflies in our stomach’ before taking an exam or giving a presentation, this is a brain-gut interaction. The brain talks to the gut and the gut talks to the brain! It’s often hard to know what came first: poor gut function or anxiety. When we get anxious, our body goes into fight-or-flight mode, making our mouths dry and our stomach more acidic. This can lead to heartburn, stomach upset and diarrhoea.

The gut can also relieve anxiety, as this is where serotonin – our feel-good hormone – is made.

Over the years, I have put together a plan which is designed to replenish all of our necessary microbes, in an easy and enjoyable way. I don’t consider my plan to be a diet – more a way of getting back to nature. Many of my clients tell me that they are enjoying the real taste of food again while experiencing weight loss, more energy and less pain. laurathompsonhealth.com

Naas Holistic Centre is a beautiful, quiet, secluded space in the heart of Naas town, Co. Kildare. The sense of tranquillity can be felt as soon as you walk through the door, with a wide range of holistic therapists working together to co-create an atmosphere of perfect relaxation and bliss for their clients. The list of classes, treatments and therapists available there is extensive, including massage, Solfeggio Sound Healing, psychotherapy, kinesiology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Reiki and many more. The therapies available aim to cover a wide spectrum of emotional, physical and psychological health issues.

“Co-creation could very much be described as our ‘mission statement’! It’s always been very important to us.”

Co-founder Yvonne Skelly explains that this ethos of co-creation is central to what Naas Holistic Centre is all about. ‘It was established early on that an attitude of working in harmony with people who use the space – both practitioners and clients – would be the best way for us to bring wellness to as many people as possible. Co-creation could very much be described as our ‘mission statement’, in a way! It’s always been very important to us.’

The Centre’s dedication to offering customers a peaceful environment has undoubtedly paid off, as its work has become deeply valued by the holistic community of Naas and beyond.

Yvonne hopes that the Centre can continue offering its clients convenient access to cutting-edge therapies well into the future. naasholisticcentre.com

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Open to Health THE STORE WITH A TOUCH OF MAGIC. Open Sesame Healthstore opened its doors on Parnell Street, Ennis, Co. Clare, in August 1988. The shop was put together on a shoestring budget, with shelves made from sawmill off-cuts, on a street prone to flooding! Dried goods were initially hand packed and labelled in-store, often by the young children of the store owners, Sally and Hugo.

“The shop was put together on a shoe-string budget, with shelves made from sawmill off-cuts, on a street prone to flooding!”

Having spent years keeping goats and hens, foraging for food, baking homemade bread and growing vegetables, staying connected to the land was very important to Sally and Hugo.

The store’s very first supplies included local raw goats’ milk, eggs, home-made sour dough and locally grown vegetables.

Thirty-one years on, that hasn’t changed – fresh, local produce still holds pride of place in the store.

The second branch of Open Sesame opened in Gort, Co. Galway, in 2001. Sally’s son Leroy took on a bigger role over the last decade, adeptly using the new technologies available. The

Holistic Therapies Workshops Classes Training International Guest Therapists Rooms/Studio to rent

general manager, Rhys, was born the year the Ennis store opened.

His innovation and enthusiasm are a breath of fresh air. Open Sesame’s young staff share a fountain of knowledge of the health food industry, paired with a passion for fitness and healthy living.

After all these years, Open Sesame’s message is the same – eat well and local, reuse, don’t waste, live well and keep moving.

They have recently reintroduced their popular organic fair trade cotton bags – perfect for eco-friendly shoppers! Make sure you check them out if you’re ever in Ennis or Gort. opensesame.ie

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Achieve Perfect Balance WHAT IS SHIATSU? Joanne Faulkner, Chairperson of the Shiatsu Society of Ireland, explains it as a unique form of Japanese body therapy.

It uses the diagnostic area of the Hara around the diaphragm – in addition to Acupressure points and Meridians found in Traditional Chinese Medicine – to treat clients individually for their specific health needs.

Shiatsu is administered fully clothed on a soft futon with no oils or lotions.

Shiatsu uses thumb and hand pressure, together with manipulation and stretches, to move and balance your Chi (energy) in the body, relieving: • Muscle tension • Back problems • Inflammation • Neck and shoulder pain • Headaches and migraine • IBS • Menopausal symptoms and menstrual cramps

Feeling balanced and well improves every area of our lives: the choices we make, the work we create and the relationships we engage in.

Shiatsu is special. A Shiatsu practitioner must have completed at least 500 hours of training over three years with an approved Shiatsu school. As a member of the Shiatsu Society of Ireland, they must have received their training from an approved school, be fully insured and up-to-date in their continuous professional development.

“The Shiatsu Society is an independent regulating body for Shiatsu in Ireland. Whenever you see that a Shiatsu practitioner is a member of the Society, you can be assured of a professional level of excellence and safe practice,” Joanne assures us. shiatsusocietyireland.org

From maiden - to motherhood “ANY TIME I FIND MEDICINE THAT’S HELPFUL, I SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE I KNOW.”-Clarissa Pinkola Estes

by Alison McEvoy I’ve been told how well I’m doing.

Personally I wouldn’t know, never having done it before, this get-on-and-can’t-getoff ride from Maiden- to motherhood. I’m the kind of person who avoids even the mildly terrifying rides at the funfairs, but here I am, bump strapped on and no exit sign in sight!

So, what’s left for me to do but to embrace it? Yes, I’m going with the flow but with the awareness that there is no other true choice. To put my fears and the neuroses of my mind first, would be to potentially endanger another human’s well-being - one that is closer to me than any other, my own child. In fact, I’m realising, I would do well to continue in this vein for as long as I can, even without the hormonal help of pregnancy stirring into my blood a delicious mix of feel-good feelings that make it that bit easier for me to be the person I would like to be...

For now, the slowed-down pace of

life, the stillness aplenty which I take as I need, is giving me so much. It’s as if it has taken me to a plateau and I can look back along the path of my life so far. I can see that there was no wastage; no frown, tear or smile...each and every bump, twist and oasis along the road had its place in taking me to this point.

So, pregnant or not, it’s helpful to embrace ‘it’, whatever it is. Watch how your embrace waters the gardens of your life and the lives of those you love. It’s also helpful to ‘slow-down’ and check out whatever vistas make themselves known to you!

“...bump strapped on and no exit sign in sight! So, what’s left for me to do but to embrace it?”

“Feeling balanced and well improves every area of our lives: the choices we make, the work we create and the relationships we engage in.”

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Health Food Stores Kieran Street, Kilkenny City & Callan, Co Kilkenny Homeopathy Systematic Kinesiology, Aura-Soma Personal Development, De-Stress Clinic Phone: 056 7725777 or 056 7761689 Food for Life www.wellnesscentre.ie

Conscious Living & Working Conference Friday 20th September 2019

Tools to help in caring for ourselves, the environment and the people we serve with our businesses.

Monthly Female Creative Entrepreneur Groups ongoing Great opportunity to get support and insights to grow your business vision.

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In Your Element DISCOVER FOOD’S ENERGETIC PROPERTIES.

by Joanne Faulkner I first tasted Miso and Kudzu soup in 1999, in the kitchen of Lois Dana Retreat Centre. As one of my first Shiatsu teachers, Josephine Lynch, explained the energetic properties of this salty paste, I felt my kidneys relax. My spine softened. The muscles across my chest eased. My whole nervous system was calmer than it had been for weeks. At that moment, I understood that food was more than just fuel, it was medicine.

“I was now having a relationship with food. I knew its season, its colour, its flavour.”

Using the five-element system of Shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine, I began to deepen my knowledge of the energetics of food. I was now having a relationship with food. I knew its season, its colour, its flavour. I knew which body part, which emotion and sensory organ it affected. It made perfect sense that the liver would need sour food to cut through fatty, sluggish congestion. I found it obvious that the immune system, housed in the large intestine, would be improved with pungent food such as ginger and garlic. When I thought of the colour orange, I could taste sweet on my tongue, my saliva increased,

Visionaries Converge MERGING SPIRITUALITY, BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. Many people are awakening to who they really are, the strengths they hold, and how they can make a difference. This autumn’s first Annual Conscious Living and Working Conference, organised by Monica Haughey, is about bringing together people and organisations who wish to ensure a sustainable future for all of us.

Speakers will be addressing themes of spirituality and wellness, and how they impact on entrepreneurship, business and our environment. Monica’s firm belief is that there is now less separation between our spirituality and our work, our businesses and the environment.

“Our work in the world of healing, wellbeing and spirituality are vital in terms of creating our new future and adapting to climate change,” she explains, “and likewise, those in the business world are

and therefore, I knew that the spleen was responsible for the regulation of blood sugars.

The hundreds of clients I’ve had in my practice over the years find that the five-element system offers works for them too. All treatments include hara diagnosis plus dietary recommendations to support your system and treat specific conditions. You can also deepen your understanding of your body’s symptoms at the Shiatsu & Conscious Cooking Retreats. joannefaulkner@live.ie

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“Our work in the world of healing, wellbeing and spirituality are vital in terms of creating our new future.”

now seeing the need to address issues of wellbeing and spirituality, incorporating these aspects to make a viable and sustainable business.”

Aside from organising the conference, Monica’s work as a psychotherapist is about helping people ‘come in to their own’ and realise what they can do to effect both inner and outer change in their lives.

She also runs monthly creative entrepreneurs’ groups. These groups aim to support people in developing networks and achieving their visions and dreams, while gently releasing blocks that may be holding them back. monicahaughey.ie

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Moments of Peace CHOOSING SERENITY.

by April Danann

Whenever I think of the word ‘peace’, I stumble, perhaps because it has always sounded so unattainable to me: one of those really big words that carry great weight. Peace is not something we throw around easily.

While pondering this powerful word, I decided to follow my mind a little deeper and think about it in terms of how we live our lives – of how frequently we might have thoughts that drift towards the harshness of our daily commute to work or the clash of cultures within our own modern friends and families, played out on social media.

There are days when just getting out of bed can be difficult. We struggle into and out of our clothes, we rush headlong into work, meetings, lunch and life and we fight with ourselves inside of our heads,

never fully deciding what kind of a day we are having.

It’s no wonder thoughts of calm or stillness are far away from our reality. They are elusive inside as well as outside.

So, perhaps there is a small thing that just might create a shift of perception and alter the outcome of our day. What if we decided to begin our morning choosing just one peaceful word and letting it slip inside our minds to work its magic?

It might just allow us to squeeze in a few moments of….

Contentment . Tranquillity . Calmness .

Stillness . Quiet . Harmony. aprildanann.com

The Celtic Wheel RADIAL WISDOM FOR CONTEMPORARY WISDOM. Mari Kennedy The Celtic Wheel is a year-long online course I designed for women who want to weave ancient wisdom into their contemporary lives and live from a deeper, more soulful place.

The Wheel came into my life as my dad was dying, nine years ago. I feel it was his passing gift to me. At first, it helped me to make sense of a number of losses I had

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“What if we began our morning choosing just one peaceful word and letting it work its magic?”

experienced around that time. As I dived deeper into Celtic consciousness with my teacher Dolores Whelan, it became a map and model of how to integrate my soft, intuitive, wise feminine with my clear, competent, kickass masculine.

The Celtic Wheel is the calendar handed down to us from the pre-Celtic and Celtic tradition, which charts the eight

“The ancestors of this land were rooted in the rhythms of nature and the cosmos.”

Celtic festivals and seasons in the year.

The ancestors of this land were rooted in the rhythms of nature and the cosmos. In today’s strive-and-drive linear culture, we, their descendants, are living disconnected from these natural rhythms. This can leave us fragmented, tired, wired and exiled from our soul.

Last Samhain, I launched my first year-long course. My intention was to gather a web of women from around the world to journey through the year, celebrating the festivals together with rituals and practices. These women would inspire, support and embolden each other as wisdom holders.

Over the last eight months, 66 women from all corners in the world have been journeying together. It has blown my mind and my heart open to see the power and impact of this indigenous wisdom. marikennedy.com thecelticwheel.com

April Danann

Food Scientist/Naturopathic Nutritionist/ Medical Intuitive/Family Herbalist

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www.thecelticwheel.com “The Celtic Wheel has been an incredibly insightful and liberating journey. It has gifted me a stronger connection to those around me, mother nature, and our Celtic traditions that I know will only continue to grow. Mari has created something incredibly special. I could not recommend it highly enough!” - Fran, Dublin

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Find Calm in Kilkenny COMBINING FOOD AND WELLNESS.

by Aisling Cronin

Looking for a pick-me-up in Co. Kilkenny?

We recommend the Food for Life Wellness Centre and Food For Life health store located in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, and are owned and run by husband and wife Carmel Rose and Abbas Ghadimi.

The health food store offers a wide variety of natural, organic food and supplements. The Wellness Centre – which is run just above the health food store – offers blissful alternative and complementary treatments: homeopathy, Colour Therapy, the Aura-Soma colour care system and systematic kinesiology.

Abbas is a registered homeopath whose patients hail from all over Ireland and abroad. Carmel, meanwhile, is a colour practitioner who has intensively studied Aura-Soma in Ireland and the UK. She also practices systematic kinesiology.

Carmel and Abbas believe that prevention

“Carmel and Abbas place great emphasis on taking care of both our minds and bodies.” is better than cure, and they place great emphasis on taking care of both our minds and bodies. They offer treatments for stress and anxiety on a donation basis.

“Improving people’s mental health is a topic I feel very strongly about,” Carmel shares, “and we know that people who are going through difficult times may not always be able to afford treatment, so offering this service on a donation basis is

wellnesscentre.ie facebook.com/foodforlifecallan

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Nano Nano THE FOURTH STATE OF MATTER.

by Paul Congdon What I love about my job as publisher of this sweet mag is that I get to sample amazing products and speak to innovators and off-grid people. Recently I received a phone call from one such person named Dave Savage, who lives in the Wicklow Mountains. He loves free energy: more specifically, trapping natural vibrating nano-matter and then densifying the electromagnetic gravitational energy field, vibrating at natural frequencies.

This process releases negative ions, ionising the air and the moisture in the air.

Dave has some great stories about how this energy has helped some of his friends and he has made some healing bands, which he may stock soon in a planned café and shop.

As our DNA is frequency-based and has its own bio-language, Dave feels that it can be harmonised with the frequency of health and harmony. All manmade frequencies – cell phones, microwaves – can have a negative effect on our DNA.

very important to us.”

Carmel and Abbas take a positive view towards health, advising that a few small adjustments are usually all that we need to start making a big difference in our lives.

“As our DNA is frequency-based, Dave feels that it can be harmonised with the frequency of health and harmony.”

Through structured water, either taken internally or worn as a band, we can effect a healing response on our bodies. I’m a fan of structured water and have been drinking it lately. For more on this new frontier of discovery, chat to Dave: 086 353 6457

health

through herbs EMBODY YOUR CONNECTION WITH NATURE.

by Bernard Harris We have held a number of talks, workshops, foraging and retreats so far around the country this year with amazing interest. Making people aware of nature has always been a central theme in what we do, along with how our bodies react both physically, emotionally and spiritually when this connection is truly embodied.

Herbal or Plant medicine was used by our ancestors for healing ailments and was a way of living in balance with Nature, what we today call ‘preventative living’.

It is still as powerful as ever. Forgetting or drifting away from nature for a period of time does not mean that it’s too late; in fact, it’s never too late to reconnect.

We need it, with our busy lifestyles, the abundance of stressors we impose upon ourselves, the finely tuned processed foods we ingest and the chemical compounds in them that make us crave them. All this, coupled with the enormous growing industry of bottled water and the majority of our food and herbs being imported, we have to ask ourselves the simple question as to how we are coping from a physical, mental, spiritual and emotional perspective.

With spiralling heath conditions and a congested health care system, through our events and consultations we are finding that bringing people back

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to natural living (sourcing natural and local organic foods), being conscious about what they put into their bodies and why, the links between GUT health and immunity, coupled with our mental health status, has enormous benefit. How we can use our native plants and so called weeds to assist our bodies to a place of balance (homeostasis) is becoming a core subject, as people want to take responsibility for their health back.

Our ancients believed in the power of community and in the gathering of likeminded people we form plant medicine circles. I have witnessed that this lost ritual and tradition of sharing thoughts, information, emotions and foods is as powerful as any medicine on this planet.

It’s a wonderful message to receive when someone says that they “now see so much in a simple hedgerow” or understand the power of a leaf, flower head or root when making a real herbal tea.

We are not just bringing this craft forward from a perspective of traditional use or scientific fact to people. Whether it takes the form of a consultation, a walk, a chat or retreat, what I have observed is that we are broadening each other’s consciousness by becoming aware of what is around us. In this, the pace of life slows down enough for us to see, smell and

touch.

Through our events we show the essence of sensation through a herbal tasting and tracking it in the body after ingesting it, or sitting with a plant and engulfing how it feels, smells and looks beyond words. It can be said that it is a bond that is being created or recreated but for sure, it is something unforgettable.

Experiencing this is one of the many ways

“I have witnessed that this lost ritual and tradition of [plant medicine circles]...is as powerful as any medicine on this planet.” we demonstrate how a herb has an affinity to an organ or system in the body.

This knowledge-like consciousness belongs to us all and should be experienced by everyone. It’s a gift we should give to ourselves and to each other. herbsofgrace.ie

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Need to find the root cause of your physical/emotional problems?

Systematic Kinesiology brings the body back to its natural state of well-being Successfully treating problems such as: Anxiety/Depression Back Pain Food Sensitivities Learning Difficulties Chronic Fatigue Based in Douglas, Cork.

Phone No. 0872718098, Email: liamdalysk@gmail.com

For all your Kinesiology requirements contact MARGARET LEAHY Tournafulla, Co. Limerick

For more information and booking details call 087 2890992 Truebalance@balancedzone Email balancedzone@gmail.com

Want to know what supplements to take?

Wondering what foods you are intolerant to and if they are related to your health issues?

Finding underlying cause = Long term results Client Testimonials ‘Couldn’t lose weight, was always tired, gave kinesiology a go and haven’t looked back since’ ~ Elaine ‘Suffered with migraines for 25 years, now cleared’ ~ Dolores ‘Had irritable bowel for years, pain, bloating ,constipation, I am finally free!’~ Denise

POSITIVELY ME TAPHYSICAL

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navigating towards

inner peace

JOURNEY WITHIN ON THE BOAT OF COMPASSION.

by Alison Canavan

Peace is an inner state that is held in your vibrational field. Many of us scramble to fix things outside of ourselves thinking, if only the government did X or Y differently, then we would have peace. However, the path to peace begins in each home, with each individual working on their own inner world. When you work on your own personal energy and vibration you help to shift the overall consciousness of the universe. Each one of us are a critical energy source at this time of ascension.

Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘mind your own business’? Now, the time has come to mind your own energy. This is a full-time job.

Peace is not something you buy or travel to but rather an inner state of being. This inner state is available to each and every individual, willing and ready to open their hearts to unconditional love. Unconditional love is not the love we have been taught. The love we have been taught is conditional. If you behave a certain way or achieve certain things in life, then you will receive the level of love that corresponds. This type of love keeps us trapped and in fear. This is the opposite of what we are trying to achieve when you delve inwards for deep inner peace.

“When you open your heart you naturally soften towards yourself and compassion emerges.”

Daily meditation is a beautiful way to connect to your inner world each day.

Being willing to sit with yourself no matter what is happening is the aim of the game.

Acceptance is the place where miracles occur because it opens your heart to seeing all of you. When you open your heart you naturally soften towards yourself and compassion emerges. When we meet who we truly are, and any difficulties that may arise, with compassion, we switch on our internal superpowers. From this state we can work on our energetic field and keep our vibration high.

Your energy field is your emotional field. Emotions are energy in motion.

Keeping your vibration high entails being in a state of awareness as you move through your day. Starting your day with

intention, meditation, gratitude and connecting to the divine within (or your higher self/god or whatever you are more comfortable calling it) ensures you have the best chance of continuing in this energy for the day. Whenever you slip, look at it as a temporary disconnection almost like going through an area with a bad phone signal. Soon you will get to know which areas of your own life affect your internal signaling system and you can catch them before they catch you.

This takes time, practice and patience but before you know it you will have longer periods of peace and contentment.

Peace begins with the individual but relies on the collective for change. Each individual that sustains their vibration joins others in this energetic state and then a wave of peace can flow through humanity.

Shift your programming from without to within. Reclaim your power and you will reclaim your peace.

alisoncanavan.com

59

practical health

POSITIVE THER APY

transformation THE SYSTEMATIC ART OF KINESIOLOGY.

by Aisling Cronin Kinesiology is a healing modality that makes use of muscle testing to bring about swift, effective relief for a patient’s mental, emotional and physical health issues. The word kinesiology comes from the Greek word kineses, meaning ‘movement.’ Systematic Kinesiology – as utilised by Dublin-based practitioner and teacher, Siobhán Guthrie – is a powerful system for treating the body holistically, taking into account each person’s unique circumstances.

Siobhán tells me that Dr. George Goodheart was the first to formulate a recognised therapy around this practice during the late 1960s. He named this system ‘Applied Kinesiology.’ Kinesiology was first introduced to Europe through the pioneering work of Brian Butler, who set up The Academy of Systematic Kinesiology in the UK in 1982, before going on to teach a course in Ireland in 1995. Siobhán was a student of that first Irish kinesiology course (run by Siobhán Barnes), and she then went on to set up

60

The Academy of Systematic Kinesiology (TASK) in Ireland in 2000. There are now twelve Kinesiology Zone centres around Ireland.

By making use of muscle testing methodologies (muscular responses form the body’s own innate biofeedback tool), the practitioner can identify what is stressing the body. The skilled practitioner then can interpret their patient’s muscle responses and assess which corrections are needed to bring the person back into balance. ’I found that there was something about kinesiology that just drew me to it,’ Siobhán explains, ‘and this is a commonly reported phenomenon among students I’ve worked with over the years. We use several procedures of muscle testing to identify imbalances. These imbalances may be nutritional, structural, emotional, or be rooted in our energy pathways.

Therefore, the assessment may focus on more than one realm and more than likely treatment will be a combination of all.’

Because Systematic Kinesiology looks at health from a whole-person perspective, patients often find themselves entering treatment for one specific health issue (such as a physical problem), but discovering that the key element of their healing process lies in altering another area of their lives, such as their emotional or nutritional habits.

Having spent over two decades working in the holistic health field and discovering the power of the body’s ability to heal itself, Siobhán is now passionate about sharing her knowledge. Through

her Kinesiology Zones, she has dedicated herself to teaching Systematic Kinesiology, empowering her students and clients through simple, common-sense, practical holistic health principles. ‘One thing I love about kinesiology is that it’s very simple and logical, but – as any practitioner will soon find out – there is a certain art to it as well,’ she shares. ‘It uses both your left brain and right brain qualities!’

Her vision is to create a global community of healing through the tool and approach of Systematic Kinesiology, bringing the power and simplicity of Systematic Kinesiology to the English speaking world, and connecting people who are committed to improving their health and wellbeing.

siobhanguthrie.com kinesiologyzone.com

“A skilled practitioner can interpret their patient’s muscle responses and assess which corrections are needed to bring the person back into balance.”

Systematic Kinesiology changed my life!

My sleep is better, my energy levels improved, my emotional health is 100% better! These are some of the comments from clients and sturdents alike after they have expereienced Kinesiology.

3 reasons to attend a SK Balanced Health Course 1.

2.

3.

Help yourself and your family improved their health and well being.

Create a new profession for yourself Learn in a safe and comfortable enviroment Courses take place twice yearly in Donegal Town.

For more information call 0749722656 or log on to

www.kinesiologyzone.com/training Mella Britton. C.Th.A. Dip. A.S.K.

Association of Systematic Kinesiology The Association was established in Ireland in 2000.

Members abide by a code of ethics and aim to work with clients using the whole person holistic approach.

Our Professional Practitioners undergo extensive, thorough training through the Association’s approved Systematic Kinesiology schools.

ELEMENTAL HEALTH Irene McCabe Clinics located at Lisaderg, Cootehill, Co. Cavan & The Holistic Gardens, Glasleck, Shercock, Co.Cavan.

Mobile: 087 0942472 Email: irenemccabe16@yahoo.com www.elementalhealth.ie

For more information on Systematic Kinesiology and where to find a practitioner check out our webpage and Facebook page

www.kinesiology.ie

Remember the symptom is not the problem. Symptoms are merely "messengers", the body communicating that there are imbalances present.

DipAK Kinesiology BSc.(Hons) Environmental Health H.Cert in Arts (Health Promotion) ITEC Dip Anatomy & Physiology Certificate in Indian Head Massage Certificate in Hopi Ear Candling Shamanic Medicine Wheel

POSITI V E A STROLOGY

62

flow with

the stars UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS TO PEACE.

by Calodagh McCumiskey The online power thesaurus has 579 antonyms or words that are the ‘opposite of peace’ in it. This covers war, conflict, agitation, pain, anger and over 570 other feelings.

As human beings, we allow many things to disturb our peace. There are four key emotions: fear, happiness, sadness or anger. Anything that activates your sadness, anger or fear has the potential to disturb your peace.

Understanding the interplay of our planets, and the signs and houses they occupy, gives us insights into how we can find peace and remove the barriers to attaining it. Peace is our natural state. Think of a baby: happy as long as they have love and connection, and their physical needs are met.

As we grow and accumulate baggage, things can become more complicated. Mars represents our base chakra. The placement of, and influences on, Mars in our chart gives key insights into what we allow disturb our peace on a daily basis. The moon rules the subconscious mind and our emotions. This is the garden of our mindset. When we plant thoughts of the 570 feelings that are opposite to peace, we strengthen what disturbs us.

When the moon is with the sun in

a chart, it makes a person prone to depression. Those born on a full moon, when sun and moon are 180 degrees opposite one another, are more sensitive to the ups and downs of life.

At the recent Krishna Das Concert organised by Positive Life, KD spoke about how mantra meditation helps him alleviate the dark corners of his mind. Those dark corners come from the moon. The moon represents our mind, heart chakra and emotions. An understanding of the influences on the moon gives insights into what prevents peace in these areas of our life.

“Peace is our natural state. Think of a baby: happy as long as they have love and connection.”

An understanding of the placement of the sun in your chart shows you your soul’s journey, your purpose and what will bring you fulfilment and self-realisation in this life. The sun signifies what you aspire to be at the deepest level and the essence of who you truly are. Living according to what we value deepens our peace.

Our fifth house is our mind. Understanding the influences in and on the fifth house gives us major insights into what unsettles us mentally, whilst showing us how we can change this. Similarly, influences on the third house, which represents our body, the fourth house – our emotions – and the seventh house – our daily life and partnerships – show us what potentially disturbs these areas and how we can overcome them.

Mercury represents our Central Nervous system. Understanding the placement of Mercury in your chart gives insights into what makes you anxious, and points to solutions. An overactive Mercury will keep you in your head and logical mind. The placement of Jupiter brings in our ethics.

We all have a mind, body, heart and soul. To feel peace, they and our planets need to work in balance. Our birth chart holds much wisdom for our growth and self-discovery.

Calodagh McCumiskey is the director of Spiritual Earth in Rocklands Co. Wexford. hellenisticvedicastrology.com calodaghmccumiskey@gmail.com

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