Positive Life – Winter 2019/20

JAC O’KEEFE

JAC O’KEEFE

Beyond Non Dual

On spiritual maturity

SHAMAN DUREK

SHAMAN DUREK

Bringing light to our life code

The Feminine Is Back

MITEN

Meet the guru of music

COSY LOVE

Tantra For The Season

The Genius of

Ram Dass The Art of Being Nobody WINTER 2019/20 PRICELESS

positivelife.ie

“The most important aspect of love is not in giving or the receiving: it’s in the being. Being in love, rather than giving or taking love, is the only thing that provides stability.”

- Ram Dass Our theme, should you choose to accept it, is LOVE; love for winter, something warm to get you through the cold months. This issue we honour a pioneer of the spiritual field, RAM DASS; top man and all-round contributor of love to humanity through his teachings.

AND this issue is packed with wisdom delivered to you in a love-filled package. Check out Jac O’Keefe, Shaman Durek, Miten, Tantra, Numerology, The Happy Pear and so much more.

Happy season and life to you all for now; see you in 2020. paul congdon, Publisher

Contentment 4 Winter Vibes A heart-warming selection of holistic happenings

6 Positively Newsworthy Stories to keep you smiling 10 Spirituality in the City Our readers talk about love 12 Positive Parenting Open your heart with the power of playtime 14 Judith McAdam Improve your love life by caring for your chakras

COVER PHOTO: JONATHAN PERUGIA PHOTOGRAPHY JP@JPFOTO.COM

PHOTO: DAVID KENNA

16 Amanda Collins Connecting to the love within 18 Sandy Newbigging Come home to love through mantra 21 Judy Satori Discover Mary Magdalene’s teachings 22 Shaman Durek Expressing shamanic wisdom in the modern world 24 Positive Tantra Bring love into your lovemaking 26 Jac O’Keeffe The spiritual pioneer on awakening, integrity and truth 28 Ram Das How to become nobody 32 Pharmanord Boost circulation this winter 34 Davie Philip The connection between love and loss 36 CNM Ciara Roberts on the nutrition course that changed her life 38 Hans Wieland Fall in love with yacon 40 The Happy Pear Relish a creamy spinach and pumpkin masala 43 Short & Sweet Our best and brightest picks from the holistic arena 56 Interview with Miten Let music be your guru 59 Jai Kartar Embrace wisdom in 2020 with the power of numerology 60 Positive Therapy We chat to Maureen Nightingale of Yoga Therapy Ireland 62 Positive Astrology How the planets influence your love life

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

winter vibes “WINTER IS THE TIME FOR COMFORT, FOR GOOD FOOD AND WARMTH, FOR THE TOUCH OF A FRIENDLY HAND AND FOR A TALK BESIDE THE FIRE: IT IS THE TIME FOR HOME.“ EDITH SITWELL

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breathe Peaceful Retreat This winter, we recommend checking out Glendalough Hermitage, Co. Wicklow, for a peaceful getaway. We visited during the autumn and loved every moment of it! It’s a stunning location, with plenty of cool lunch spots, magical scenery and walks. glendaloughhermitage.ie

Space of Freedom The Space Between is a fantastic new yoga studio in Dublin that offers a mixture of yoga- and non-yoga-related events. It aims to be ‘a canvas through which new things may emerge’, and will host talks, make shops, exhibitions, experiences, community initiatives and more. It’s dog-friendly too! thespacebetween.ie

indulge Plant Goodness Vita Plantae offer delicious fruit pots with a Christmas-pudding taste, composed of ingredients such as raisins, raisin Om Nibbles vinegar, carrots, orange peel, blueberries, parsley and lemon juice. They also provide you with an efficient way to get a wide range of probiotics and prebiotics into your gut. vitaplantae.com

Culturing Health Beet Kvass from The Cultured Food Company is a probiotic drink that originated in Russia over two hundred years ago. It is very beneficial for the

Skin Treats

immune and digestive systems. This veggie tonic is also rich in iron, vitamin C and antioxidants. Take it in the morning to give your body the nutritional boost it needs.

Balade en Provence skincare products are an amazing way to give your skin a nourishing treat, while also helping the planet. Their cold-pressed soaps, shave, cleanser and shampoo bars are produced using organic, ethically sourced vegan ingredients. They have a range especially for men too!

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Hempful Presence

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The lovely folks behind The Hemp Company know all there is to know when it comes to hemp and CBD. Drop in to their café on Capel Street, Dublin, for a CBD coffee. Make sure to sample their fresh hemp milk, or check out their many other hemp-derived products.

Revitalise Your Life

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Sadhguru

Taste Sensations Om Nibbles produces scrumptious, all-natural treats, lovingly crafted and wrapped in Dublin, using earth-friendly compostable packaging. They are a perfect guilt-free snack to enjoy at home, in school lunches, at work or on the go. We love the fact that Om Nibbles are enabling people to embrace healthy, vibrant, minimum waste living! omnibbles.com

renew

Mantra Magic

If you’re looking for a movie experience with a difference over the festive season, why not check out ‘Mantra: Sounds into Silence’? This beautiful documentary explores the healing power of sound. We Lisa de Jong screened it during a recent Positive Nights event and enjoyed every moment. The DVD has just been released, so it could also be a great Christmas present! mantramovie.com

Resolve Fresh Want to start the New Year with a bang?

If so, check out the Fresh Resolutions summit on 4th January, 2020: a gathering of pioneering health and wellness leaders that is sure to inspire. This year’s participants include Pat Divilly, Niall Ó Murchú, Jo Hemmings and The Happy Pear. theuniversityoflife.com/freshresolutions

Pending Power The annual Pendulum Summit – which brings together some great minds – is always one to watch. This year’s event, which is taking place on 8th and 9th January 2020, promises to be a

powerhouse experience. Some of the speakers will include Joe Dispenza, Bear Grylls, Kelly Holmes and more. pendulumsummit.com

Releasing Teng-sion Tengu Ireland is a personal training centre which aims to ‘change the concept of fitness’. There, you’ll find a community of people who care about the way they feel physically and mentally, a coach who cares about your pain-free journey to reach your goals, and an amazing facility with innovative methods. Give them a go! tenguireland.com

Limber Up We love the dedicated folks behind The Yoga Room, and we highly recommend their Yoga Teacher Training course: designed to help you create a life where your beliefs, thoughts and actions flow from your core values. These internationally accredited, 200-hour training courses accept students in March, July and September. yoga.ie/training/200-hour

refresh Natural Hygiene Looking for a healthy alternative to mass-produced deodorants? We highly recommend Indeora. This amazing company has created a healthy magnesium deodorant spray which keeps odour at bay for 24 hours, scented with natural coconut and vanilla oils. The deodorant is never tested on animals and is produced in Ireland to the strictest manufacturing standards. indeora.com

Water is life. According to famous teacher Sadhguru, your relationship with water benefits your physical life and enables your spirit to “dance with joy.” Dublin Vitality Centre takes these words to heart by offering FDA approved colonic hydrotherapy, deep body cleansing and gut health treatments. dublinvitalitycentre.com

Master Menstruation If your period is a constant pain, Lisa de Jong can help. Lisa is a menstrual coach and educator, helping women to understand and work with the cyclical nature of their menstrual cycle for physical and emotional wellbeing. Her work is based on supporting the body’s endocrine system and nervous system. yourcyclematters.com

Eco Action ‘How to Save the Planet’ by Luke Eastwood is – as the title suggests – aimed at anyone who wants to preserve our world, offering ten helpful suggestions. It’s printed on recycled paper and 50% of the proceeds go to Greenpeace. It’s available on Amazon, in some bookshops and on: lukeeastwood.com

The Cultured Food Company

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

1 Move from apathy to action BITE-SIZED CHANGES PAVE THE WAY.

by Alison McEvoy keepitgreenecoshop

I’ve been walking by the tent dwellings of the Rebellion Extinction group each day this week in Merrion Square. While the disruption method is not one I favour, I have to admit that they made me rethink the question - just what is the best way to make a difference?

“Support those who offer local solutions...[who] give us choices, opportunities for bite-sized changes, in how we drink our tea or coffee, store food and cleanse our bodies among other things.”

Natalie Isaacs, founder of 1 Million Women has a brilliant response; “In Australia and around the world women make 85% of the consumer decisions that affect the household’s carbon footprint – we can influence through every dollar we spend and every choice we make. The world needs a lifestyle revolution. It’s easy to sign a petition or to put pressure on governments and march on the streets... [but] it’s about bite sized changes – reduce your household energy, buy quality not quantity, cut your meat consumption by half. If millions of us did it, imagine the result.”

So, ladies, where will you put your next euro? Why not support those who offer local solutions? One local woman who thinks along these same lines is Audrey Keegan. Audrey runs a eco-shop stall from St Anne’s market on Saturday mornings in Clontarf. She wants to give us choices, opportunities for

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keepitgreenecoshop

bite-sized changes, in how we drink our tea or coffee, store food and cleanse our bodies among other things. She also displays easy to read signs offering ideas on ways to use less plastic and make lifestyle changes that will benefit our environment.

Our choices, when we unite and decide on a path, are powerful. What we buy, what we use, what we refuse – these are the actions that can move us in the right direction.

Facebook.com/keepitgreenecoshop 1millionwomen.com.au

2 A gift, received and bestowed BIOMAGNETIC THERAPY.

by Laura DeRenzy My name is Laura. I’m 21 years old and I’m a Biomagnetic Therapist. Here’s why my life path looks a little different from others.

Just over a decade ago, I became extremely ill and declined rapidly. No one could give me any answers for the sudden fatigue and pain I was enduring. Specialists were baffled, to say the least.

It seemed as though no one had any solutions for me. Whilst many had good intentions, nothing really helped. This was the most frightening time in my life.

“Through [Applied Biomagnetic Therapy] I regained my life.”

I had to look elsewhere for answers. I tried various alternative therapies and treatments and whilst some did improve me, nothing cured me. This is something I simply would not accept.

Shortly before my eighteenth birthday, in 2016, I was brought to see Raymond Cadwell for Applied Biomagnetic Therapy which I knew nothing about. We worked on rebalancing the foundation of my health – my microbes. Through this I regained my life. It’s now 2019 and I’ve never looked back.

To say I felt I owed Raymond everything would be an understatement. So, when he presented me with an opportunity to study in his course, of course I said yes. I now help others regain their health in the same way I did.

It has been an amazing journey so far and I’m profoundly overjoyed that I get to be the person for others that I needed when I was young. Through adversity I was given the most beautiful gift I always dreamed of – to help others.

lauraderenzy9.wixsite.com/biomagnetictherapy

3P eer-led lanes SWIMMING TO SUCCESS.

by Aisling Cronin When New York City teenager Sylvie Goldner learned that many of her classmates didn’t know how to swim, she took a proactive step and decided to start offering swimming lessons herself. As a competitive swimmer, who recalls loving the water as a baby, she wanted others to experience the joy of connecting with water.

“Sylvie wanted others to experience the joy of connecting with water.”

Earlier this year, she launched an after-school program called First Strokes, renting lane space at a fitness centre near her school and providing free swimming lessons to New York City high school students.

For many of her peers, the idea

of taking swim lessons with little kids is embarrassing. So Sylvie’s classes are exclusively for high school students, and they’re taught by high school students, too. “Because I’m their peer, it’s much less intimidating,” she said. “I go to a super diverse public school and a lot of the kids’ parents are immigrants and they’ve never learned how to swim, so they never teach their kids how to swim, and this fear is passed down. There’s water surrounding

us everywhere and to not have water safety skills is ridiculous, and it’s a real hazard.”

For many of the teens, mastering their fear of water is an enormous achievement. In the same way that many of them will be the first in their families to go to college, they’ll also be the first to learn how to swim. Sylvie has been teaching lessons since March, and she’s seen huge increases in confidence from her students since then.

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positively newsworthy the little things 1T he little things SMALL ACTIONS, BIG EFFECTS.

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 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!

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.

“[thank you] to all those people who...create little ripple effects of goodness and kindness throughout the lives of others.”

2A New View on Plastic ACKNOWLEDGING ITS SACREDNESS.

by Aisling Cronin

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One of my greatest sources of joy recently has been opening up about my belief that we can dematerialise plastic, or reshape it into a more environmentally friendly substance, if we simply commit ourselves to doing the necessary work. Writing about this issue, and making videos on it, felt pretty scary at first … but as time has gone on, and people have begun to respond saying that they feel the same way, my tension has eased. I feel more comfortable with speaking my truth.

I care deeply about the plastic pollution issue. I believe that we can resolve it by firstly facing up to exactly what we’ve done to our planet, and then tuning in to plastic and getting a sense of

exactly what needs from us in order to stop being at odds with the organic world from whence it came. This begins with us fully understanding what plastic actually is.

Plastic is derived from oil. Oil is a deeply sacred substance which carries the resonance of plants, animals and other living beings who roamed this Earth millions of years ago. If we are able to simply acknowledge the journey plastics have taken, over many millennia, and respond to that with reverence, we have reason to be hopeful.

Sinking into that awareness, and allowing my heart to be filled with hope … this has made me more grateful than I have words to express.

“Plastic … carries the resonance of plants, animals and other living beings who roamed this Earth millions of years ago.”

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BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM THIS WINTER!

Fitness and Nutrition Awards 2019

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To help fight against colds and flus during the dark months, Dr. Wolz recommends taking Zell Oxygen Immunkomplex.

It helps to heal and strengthen your body at a cellular level. Helps to overcome the symptoms of burnout syndrome and chronic fatigue, also ideal to take when undergoing intense training.

Dr. Wolz Kinderimmun is full of essential ingredients and immune boosting properties for children from 2 upwards.

It contains colostrum, insulin, Vitamins C,D, B complex, zinc, Bifido bacteria’s and more. All with a taste your kids will love.

Also suitable for adults and during pregnancy.

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spirituality & the city ‘WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN TO YOU ?’

Natasha Vavasour Love, to me, is the human spirit: the tiny spark of genuine kindness that lives innately within all of us. It’s the person carrying flowers down the road with a giant smile to give to a lover, the pang in your heart as you hear another’s story, the explosion within when we see a newborn baby’s eyes, or the moment of bliss whilst watching your children sleeping, The joy that’s so heartfelt it results in tears. That tiny seed of truth that resides inside of us. The golden thread that connects us all and makes being human the sweetest experience.

Love is the oneness we all share, beyond the masks and beliefs. That moment we act altruistically without thought or contemplation – it just happens.

We just choose kindness, vulnerability and service, and in turn we feel connection. That’s Love to me!

Cécile Adèle What I found in love is this beautiful inner strength to be independent enough to make the other person simply happy. Love pushes me to be a more consistent person. I try to listen, rather than guess, because I love the other person and it doesn’t matter what I think in the end. We can surf on that vibe of the unknown to include a bigger dimension than ourselves and just be together. It’s so nice to move through that.

Love helps me to overcome my basic self and join something higher that I can’t control. Love has no form: it’s not linear. It brings us back to the essence of what is happening right now … and all is harmony.

Love pushes us to act differently. It’s a bridge, if we want it: a way to elevate our vibration. It’s the best way to reach a new perspective of yourself and life: to be bigger, softer, cooler. It’s an adventure.

Ramon Horca What is love? For me, it’s an elusive undercurrent: fleeting, but ever present.

Unwavering, even when you convince yourself there’s nothing to grasp. I’m talking of self-love. Simple, right? But I can sometimes forget the basics.

Be kind to yourself. Eat well. Sleep well. Be grateful. If I can’t find love for myself first, then how can I fully love those I hold closest? It’s a constant second guess. Some days I feel it, some I don’t, but I know it’s there, waiting to soak its glow into every thread of my day. Let it in. Fill my bucket. Then keep it that way. Fill myself up with love. Every day. A piece of music. A glance of affection. A kiss. My children’s faces. Watch my words. Speak love language.

Remedies for my self-love conundrum. Soon, I’ll be a light when before I couldn’t see the path.

Declan Hammond Love is the reason I’m here on this planet. Love softens me, cracks me open, heals my brokenness and constantly calls me back to myself. It is my invitation to aliveness, to intimacy and my deepest connections.

Looking into my newborn son’s face, I saw the face of God looking back at me and felt myself dissolve into an ocean of unconditional love. As I gazed in wonder, this shining face morphed repeatedly into other faces that I’d loved, back through the mists of time. We named him Eilifúr (Icelandic for ‘eternal one’).

In him, I saw myself mirrored back. His bright spirit shone with an intensity that exposed my shadows and challenged me to let my own love-light shine. His sudden death at 26 broke my heart wide open, to the knowing that love has no beginning or end. There is just love. declanhammond.com

Simone O’Rourke Love, for me, is pure light. It is not limited or reflected by the body or the mind, but the spirit. Love of spirit is unconditional: it is a bliss to love others from your own soul. It is natural and priceless.

There is no greater gift.

I love my little daughter. Her body and mind will change, but my love of all that she is, is unchangeable and eternal.

I love her because she is lovable and part of the creation in all its splendour. I dedicate and declare my love for her every day.

There is no fear in true love, no limit or control. In fact, giving fully is receiving fully.

Don’t contain your love to protect your heart, love is fuel and life.

Marcel Pawlak Love is a spark of light! I believe we should strike sparks of Love whenever we can: when we smile, talk, hug, breathe or pet the dog. By sharing Love sparks, we share Light and Goodness. Love, for me, is a joy which we should share with the others. I am grateful for every minute, finding love in good vibes, interesting discussions, rainy days, old memories. The little Love sparks are in the air we breathe, but we often refuse to notice them. I do believe that Love is like a beautiful and precious butterfly, and I believe when the time is right, it will sit on your arm. Some of the ones you love will stay longer, and some choose to fly away. But even then, we must look for the Love sparks in little things.

I love you, Mom.

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POSITIVE PARENTING

blow on the

embers of love OPENING OUR HEARTS THIS WINTER.

by Anna Cole

In the summer issue, I discussed the wonder of Playlistening: a kind of play that releases the tensions and anxieties that drive off-track behaviour in our children (and ourselves). The two hallmarks of Playlistening are laughter and your child’s sense that she or he is in charge. As harvest season ends, and winter – or what Celtic culture called ‘the darker half of the year’ –begins, we need the warm spark of Playlistening more than ever in our hearts and our homes.

Samhain was traditionally marked by feasting and festivals, and our own traditions will see gatherings around Christmas and the New Year that can often bring over-excited children and over-tired adults together in less than fabulous combinations. So I thought you hardworking parents out there might like some inspiration for tried and tested, fool-proof Playlistening games to try. Each of these games work to address key issues that drive off-track behaviour in children, and are simple and easy to try. These games reduce stress, stop power struggles and will blow on the embers of love in your hearts and homes this winter: • I’ll give you 100 hugs: It’s simple. Tell your child you’ve got 100 hugs for them and start to lumber towards them. Move slowly, open your arms, make warm eye contact if you can, and head towards them.

See how they react and follow their lead. If it looks like they want to stay put for that hug, squeeze them warmly and gently, if they start to run, bumble along behind them: “Oh here I come, with my 100 hugs.”

Follow the laughs. This game addresses any niggling, underlying ‘am I loved?’ feelings that can drive a child to disconnected and annoying behaviours.

• I’m going to catch you (bumbling and slow): This game is simple too: it’s the ‘here I come, I’m going to catch you’ game. This game has lasted throughout my children’s growing up, and still allows us to experience laughter and reconnection.

Maybe you grab a shirt tail as you chase, but somehow your child gets away again.

You keep trying, keep bumbling along behind them (or in the case of young teens, trying your darn hardest to keep up as they screech up the stairs or down the corridor away from you). Keep going.

Keep beaming in your love and attempt to catch them. This is a great game to play to address issues around power and skill. If, for example, your child is starting school, or in a new environment, and doesn’t feel quite as quick or skilled as their siblings or friends, play this game often and let the laughs out.

• Pillow or Paper toss: Another oldie, but a goodie. If your child is struggling to comply with constant limits – say, at school, or a big family gathering where the adults need him or her to ‘behave’ – then turn the tables. Find an empty room if possible, gather cushions or open up an old newspaper and screw it into balls, throw them all over the floor and have a free-forall, with the pillows or paper tossed into the air randomly like hot popcorn. You can add in another element of Playlistening

– letting your child sense they are taking charge – by playing up dumb confusion about how the pillows/paper come to be tossed up all over the place. You can add in the element of another classic Playlistening game: • I want it THIS (silly) way: Where you say you need something to be one particular, ‘just so’ way, e.g. balance one of the cushions on your head and say dolefully, “gee, I hope no one knocks this pillow off my head. I need it to stay right here.’ Wait for your child to gleefully or tentatively knock it off. Listen for the giggles, then rinse and repeat. This is also a great game to address issues around power and powerlessness. Play is our children’s first language. From tiny games of ‘peek a boo’, to the almost constant games of ‘it’ or ‘chasey’ that pre-teen children will try and draw us boring, tired adults into, our children know how to find and follow the laughs. It gets a bit more complicated in the teenage years, but that’s another story, for another time. I’ll share something about that in the spring issue, as the buds appear on the trees and we look to enjoy and support burgeoning life in all its manifestations.

For now, find your funny this darker half of the year.

Anna is a certified Hand in Hand Parenting instructor and educator. handinhandparenting.org

“Each of these games address key issues that drive off-track behaviour in children, and are simple and easy to try.�

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POSITI V E AT TR ACTION

love your chakras BRING THE LOVE IN.

by Judith McAdam You are where the Divine and human meet, but all too often we place copious amounts of focus, intention and attention on the temporal world.

The chakra system in Hindu and Buddhist traditions dates as far back as 500BC, and hones in on a complex network of energy, with seven main centres that run alongside your spine. Each chakra interconnects with certain organs, glands and different emotional states. When your chakras are out of balance, this will affect your whole system: physically, mentally and emotionally.

But how can chakra imbalances affect your love life? When negative energy, traumas, experiences and emotional challenges are held within you they can block your flow of energy. For example, the root chakra at the base of the spine relates to security and limitation. If this chakra is out of balance, you limit yourself and feel insecure and anxious. When you are insecure, you tend not to trust yourself or your partner.

Things can get decidedly worse when you investigate your sacral chakra. This chakra is found above the pubic bone and is responsible for, among other things, passion and sexuality. We are all victims, in varying degrees, of generational and societal conditioning. Sensuality and Eros have been the focus of a lot of negative press throughout the centuries. Fear of intimacy, insatiable sexual desires, or perceived loss of sexual desire can go a long way in causing a lot of relationship problems. This will severely affect your love life.

While a flowing solar plexus chakra brings confidence and vitality, a blockage in this area brings low self-esteem issues. This stands in the way of love. You might even find it hard to accept that anyone can love you – never mind really knowing how to

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love another.

When we look at love, we immediately think of the heart, and there is nothing that will affect your love life more than a clogging of energy in the heart chakra caused by emotional pain. Invariably, you will do one of two things: either express your hurts and fears verbally, building on anger and resentments, or bury your feelings so deeply that they become lodged in your throat chakra.

When your throat and third eye chakras are blocked, it makes it hard for you to communicate the beauty that lies within.

You may not trust your own intuition, which is your internal sat nav. Instead, you might tend to let others lead you. Just as a wobble in your root chakra can cause insecurity, an energy imbalance in your crown chakra leads to feelings of isolation, which can become a wall between everyone and everything.

So, what is the quickest way to bring love into your life? Well, it is much easier than you think. All you have to do is spend a little more time focusing your attention and intention on your internal world, releasing and clearing your energy centres. This is where your ‘energetic

toolbox’ comes in handy. Meditation, visualisation, Reiki, reflexology, massage, walking, music and dancing all contribute to creating a balance. This raises your vibration and creates a much sought-after flow.

Start right now and listen to my free Healing Chakra Meditation or Creating a Lover visualisation on my website. See which visualisation resonates with you, as this will be the one you need. Let me know how you got on…

Much love, Jx

judithmcadam.com

“Meditation, visualisation, Reiki, reflexology, massage, walking, music and dancing … raise your vibration and create a much sought-after flow.”

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POSITIVE HOME

your home is

inside you, beloved PRACTICES FOR HOMECOMING.

by Amanda Collins

When you truly embody the truth that your home is inside of you, you can be anywhere, with anyone, and still feel at home.

I am dedicated to helping each of us create a sacred, loving, and nurturing home -as long as we also realise that our true home is inside of us. When we do this, we feel at home wherever we are in the world.

When you truly know your home is inside of you, you do not run around looking for approval. You have a deep sense of belonging within your own soul, your home, and in the world. Knowing that your

“Knowing that your home is inside of you, you express your true authentic self and do not compare yourself to others.” home is inside of you, you express your true authentic self and do not compare yourself to others.

When we do not truly feel at home inside ourselves we find it challenging to feel centred, grounded and at home anywhere. Instead you may compare yourself to others, need constant validation, feel anxious or project your insecurity on to others. Craving to feel securely at home inside yourself, you may try to achieve that feeling with drugs, alcohol, social media, obsessive shopping, overwork or other addictive behaviours.

You may not listen to the signals from your body that you need rest.

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Benefits When you do accept and love yourself enough to acknowledge that your home is inside you, the benefits are amazing.

You trust your intuition, make good decisions and feel more connected to all that is; to every living person, animal and plant. You feel integrated, rather than scattered. You honour and listen to your body so that you eat nourishing food, exercise when you need to and rest when you need to. Your relationships improve because you are not projecting or looking for someone else to make you feel at home within yourself.

How-to: A Daily Practice Only practice will bring you to the place of self-love and trust that allows you to really own all aspects of yourself - the light and the dark alike.

You might pause each day and listen to your inner voice, commune with your deeper self through meditation or take deep meaningful breaths to connect with your body.

Spending time in nature will help you feel connected to the earth, the home for your body and soul. Feel your feet on the earth, your spine rising toward the sky, and be present with all that is around you people, animals and plants.

Look at yourself in a mirror, try to see not just your beautiful, physical self, but look into your eyes, the window to your soul, and say, “I love you.” Once you have made that connection, always speak to yourself as gently and lovingly as you would to your own child.

Other practices that can bring you closer to the realisation that home is inside you include: • Allowing yourself to play • Making time for self-care • Keeping clear boundaries • Showing your vulnerability

• Asking for help when you need it • Finding your community or ‘tribe’ • Being yourself in all circumstances • Letting go of socially conditioned beliefs • Forgiving yourself for your imperfections • Learning to love being alone • Integrating your dualities: masculine & feminine; dark & light; yin & yang • Speaking your truth no matter the cost • Standing your ground By steadily concentrating on these practices, you will gradually begin to feel and to embody the truth of the statement: “Your home is inside you, beloved.”

When you do that you will always feel at home, no matter where you find yourself in the world.

AmandaCollins.com InternationalFengShuiSchool.com

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OM is where the

POSITIVE PE ACE

heart is

A POWERFUL MEDITATION FOR RECONNECTING WITH LOVE.

by Sandy Newbigging What if the true home of love has always been your own heart?

The commonly held belief: “I am separate from love,” is the cause of so many issues because it fuels fear, frustration and separation from the source of life, and love.

However, imagine if you knew that love was forever within you. How differently would you engage with daily life?

Would you worry so much about what people think about you? Would you resist what’s happened in your past?

Would you fear the future? Would you spend time with people who didn’t treat you well? Would you hold grudges about not being loved enough by others? Or, would you feel freer to be, do and have what makes your heart happy?

If you want to stop trying so hard to be loveable or loved and, instead, discover that you are love, then try this simple, yet powerful, ‘OM LOVE’ meditation: The Sanskrit work ‘OM’ is known as being ‘the vibration of creation’. OM is said to be the very first movement from stillness, the first sound that comes from silence and the first something that comes from the nothing. Thoughts, on the other hand, are in essence unmanifested potentiality. They are seeds of creation. As a result, consciously intended thoughts can be a powerful tool to bring what you want into creation.

Due to the vibrational nature of Sanskrit, when you align your attention with OM, you align your attention with the infinite power of creation. Furthermore, whatever thoughts you marry OM up with in your mind, you can help bring into creation. So if you want more love, ‘OM LOVE’ is a powerful thought.

Think “Om Love,” with your eyes open, throughout your day. Just think it occasionally whenever you remember to do

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so. Every time you think it you are watering the seeds of your intentions by aligning your attention with the creative force of the universe.

Here’s how to use this OM LOVE meditation with your eyes closed:

“...whatever thoughts you marry OM up with in your mind, you can help bring into creation.”

GET COMFORTABLE Stay Gently Alert: Close your eyes while remaining gently alert. From the here and now, let your attention rest forward and wide as you allow whatever is happening within your mind, now. This takes no effort, no straining or trying. Continue by very easily, comfortably and gently observing whether there are any thoughts

moving through your mind – as though they were distant birds flying through the vast sky. Care less about the content of your mind, and more about watching, allowing and continuing to remain gently alert.

Be Love: Gently think “OM LOVE,” then let the thought go. Just stay gently alert and, if there is any inner stillness or quiet, rest aware of it. After a while you will notice that your mind has become active again, and that you have started thinking. This is natural and a habit, so go easy on yourself.

When you notice that you’ve been thinking about other things, gently rethink “OM LOVE.” For the rest of your time meditating, slowly go between being gently alert and occasionally thinking “OM LOVE.” This enjoyable meditation technique can help you to rediscover that love lives within you.

For more enjoyable meditations by Sandy, join his Calm Clan.

Sandynewbigging.com/calmclan

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transform your life LET GRATITUDE OVERCOME FEAR.

by Judy Satori The energy of GRATITUDE overcomes fear.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to visit La Sainte Baume in Provence. La Sainte Baume literally translates as ‘the sainted cave’, and refers to the grotto where Mary Magdalene is said to have lived for thirty years after fleeing to southern France, following the crucifixion of Jesus.

I stayed in the town of SainteMaximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where Mary’s relics are interred in a crypt under the Basilica de Santa Maria Magdalena. The church was built after the burial place of Mary was discovered by a nephew of the King of France in 1279.

“Truly, the energy of gratitude is like a river of new life for body, mind and spirit.”

I spent nine days walking in the forest of La Sainte Baume, following the pilgrims’

path that leads to a final climb up 150 steps to the cave chapel. I felt the energy of Mary all around me. Her words came quickly and easily into my mind. I wrote a set of teachings: Mary called them transcripts.

One of the transcripts that Mary taught me is about GRATITUDE. She told me that when we consciously speak words of gratitude with the emotion of truly being grateful, we can reverse limitation, lack and negative life situations and circumstances. The energy of gratitude, when consciously held in heart and mind, can also support healing and balance our body. Physical and emotional disease is very often triggered by stress and fear energy vibrating through body and mind, thus creating a lack of harmony and balance in the cells of the body, which actually contributes to making us sick.

If we can find something to be grateful for in every situation that we are presented with in life, we shift the balance

21

between fear and love, and we move into an energy of peace and surrender.

Harmony and peace energy vibrating in the cells of the body brings balance.

Balance leads to health and happiness. We only need to think it, speak it and feel it for this transformation to occur.

Truly, the energy of gratitude is like a river of new life for body, mind and spirit.

Mary Magdalene also taught me that when we speak words of gratitude for having what we want, but currently do not have, that we powerfully draw our desires to us.

Discover more about Mary’s teachings in the free ‘Explore’ section, ascensionlibrary.org The complete three-part Transcripts series is available in the Ascension Library, or available to download without library membership at judysatori.com

22

living voice of

ancient wisdom SHAMANIC TOOLS FOR THE MODERN WORLD.

by Alison McEvoy

Shaman Durek is a third generation shaman. He is also a high profile speaker, author and activist for women’s empowerment. His new book ‘Spirit Hacking: Shamanic Keys to Reclaim Your Personal Power, Transform Yourself, and Light Up the World’ is on sale now.

Shamanic Lineage Shaman Durek’s Ghanian grandmother was, herself, a medicine woman, the daughter and brother of medicine men. She dedicated her life, he says, to understanding the ways of the shaman and to helping women to heal in all myriad of ways. His mother too played a huge role in the development of Shaman Durek’s gift. From four years of age he was confronted with visions of his ancestors who would often come to his room and speak to him. He was, in fact, visited by many different kinds of beings, some good, some not so good. He was afraid, as any child would be, however his mother counselled him wisely. She reassured him that he was normal – this was a gift from his bloodline, shared by many who had come before him - and he was not to let it stop him from being a child.

His childhood, however, was in no way run of the mill. His initial training started at eleven years of age and

consisted primarily in honing the skill of observation; observation of, and sensitivity to, energy and movements of energy; energy forms and subtle energy shifts. It was not an easy time for Shaman Durek and in his teens he decided to attempt to take a break from life as a shaman. He went off to the bright city lights of New York to try his hand at acting and modelling.

Shamanism, however, being woven into the fabric of his being, came with him.

Each day he found himself talking with those behind the scenes, counselling and helping them. There is no unbecoming a Shaman.

Empowering the Feminine Looking at life on this planet, Shamans seek to identify ways to bring about the most harmony – how to evolve the species in the most harmonious of ways. “Gaia will always survive – but will humans?” is the

question he poses.

Shaman Durek clearly identifies the empowerment of the feminine as the way forward.

Specifically, it is the feminine trait of knowing that the value of life comes above all else, and the feminine wisdom which seeks that each action should value life as primary. Each action must serve to preserve and benefit all human beings as well as the life of the planet. This is what he calls the “life code”. It is a code which needs to be awakened within human beings, through the reactivation of the feminine.

The life code needs to be taught by those with the feminine nature still intact, often women and sometimes men, to others. It

states that “the value of life is more important than anything.”

The masculine alone will act in ways which are insensitive to the life code, uncaring of the effects of its actions on others and on the planet. We can see this in many leaders in government and business, clearly acting from a masculine frame of being alone. They chose any means to secure themselves with more power and wealth (considered more valuable than human life and the well-being of the planet), often using the most destructive of methods – violence, war and manipulation aimed at separating people on any grounds that can be mustered – race, religion, skin colour, ethnicity, class, gender, etc.

Surfacing; Darkness into Light Human beings are here in order to bring light to this realm.

Many spiritual leaders have sought to awaken humanity to its own power; to the light and love within each of us. They express regret at the ways in which human beings remain unaware of the presence of their inner spiritual riches and seek to gain love from without. Shaman Durek chimes in with this ancient wisdom, identifying human beings as a power of light and of love: “We have come in order to bring light into the darkness and to do this we have to love beyond fear...beyond pain...beyond labels, beyond everything that humans have created not to love.”

We can love unconditionally, and it is exactly this which is the cure to the darkness that surrounds us. It is vital for human beings to wake up to this realisation: “Most human beings have the belief that they are not loved....they look at love, at ways to get it from someone...or having some validation of some sort. However love is always here....you can just put your hand on your heart and say, ‘I pull in unconditional love into my body’...breathe, inhale and exhale...This is a great technique.”

Techniques such as these are among the tools which Shaman Durek seeks to share with us in order for us to become “lit up”.

This is a challenging time for human beings as we are going through what he terms a “black out”. This is a time in which all of our shadows and darkness, everything that we refuse to acknowledge within us, is surfacing in order to be transmuted into love through self-acceptance and ultimately, self-love.

On Meeting His Guide

“We can love unconditionally, and it is exactly this which is the cure to the darkness that surrounds us.”

“It was just warm and it was just pure love: the best conversation I’ve ever had. The best laugh I’ve ever experienced. I asked my guide some questions. I asked her about the Earth. I asked her about suffering. I asked her about dying. I asked her about sickness. I asked her about war. I asked her about all these things. She told me that all human suffering comes from one thing. I asked her what it was. She said, “malfunction in thinking.” It wasn’t like a debate. My consciousness wasn’t like, “oh, this is the way it is?” My consciousness simply went to “yeah.” That was it. shamandurek.com

POSITIVE TANTR A

stay in the

loop

FOUR WAYS TO PUT MORE LOVE IN YOUR LOVEMAKING.

by Dawn Cartwright Love and lovemaking are a continuous positive loop. The more love we feel, the more amazing our lovemaking becomes.

The more amazing our lovemaking becomes, the more in love we feel. It’s a loop that lights up our world (and the way consciousness expands).

It’s not easy to stay in the loop.

We want to stay in the loop, of course.

Everyone wants to stay in the loop, but the loop, at some point, stops looping. Love becomes more of an idea. Lovemaking more of a memory. So, how do we do it?

How do we stay in the loop?

1. Take Initiative This one practice alone will change your life. Initiative is the ability to assess and initiate things independently. It’s when we sense what our lover needs and give without expectations. It’s one of the most attractive qualities a lover can possess.

First, assess the situation. Is your partner feeling energetic or tired?

Emotional or physical? Initiate an activity that’s a match. Energetic and emotional? A swim in the sea, a cup of tea and some listening might be one way to put more love in your lovemaking. Tired and physical? A hot bath, partner yoga stretches and a massage could be just the thing.

Let go of any goal for sex. Be present to the love that appears. If sex happens naturally, that’s perfect too. Part of taking initiative is being comfortable with intimacy that may or may not lead to sex.

2. Time & Space Open your diary and schedule five minutes each evening for making love. Consistency is key. If you typically go to bed at 11:00 p.m., schedule your lovemaking for 10:55 p.m. every night. Set an alarm. Treat it like the most important part of your day. Once you’ve scheduled it, this time is nonnegotiable. It’s sacred. It’s yours.

Next, decide, what you’d like to do with that five minutes. Write down 365 passionate, loving, affectionate, daring, caring, connecting, enticing, sexy things you’d most like to do that only require five minutes. Then, each night, you and your partner, or you on your own, will treat yourself to one of those things (it’s okay to repeat your favourites).

It might be a five minute make out session, a five minute chat about all the things you feel grateful for in your partner, five minutes of yoga stretches or a five minute ‘quickie’. Love is a muscle: the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.

3. Body & Senses It’s kind of amazing when you think about it: our bodies and senses make it possible for us to experience love. If we made love all night and day, and didn’t have our bodies and our senses, we’d have no way of experiencing it. There would be no way to know love.

Invite your partner to lie down next to you. Be together silently, without touching. Tune in to your partner’s breathing. Melt into the rhythm. Allow

yourself to become mesmerised by it. Then, when you feel ready, put a blindfold over you eyes and begin to explore.

Explore your partner’s body with your hands, arms, fingertips and belly.

Explore with your mouth, nose and ears. Fall in love with the sound of your partner’s heart. The taste of their skin. The feel of their belly. The scent of their neck.

Explore your partner’s body as if it was, as if they were, totally new to you. Relax, take your time and fall in love.

4. Loving Kindness In The Bedroom Loving Kindness Meditations, from the Buddhist tradition, are a powerful way to increase love, compassion and connection. In fact, the meditations are so powerful, they actually change the way we experience ourselves and each other. Loving Kindness is a beautiful way to begin each day. Here’s a meditation for love that is based on Loving Kindness.

Sit silently for a moment. Tune in to your senses. Hear the morning sounds around you. Feel the temperature of the air. Smell the fragrance of your bedroom.

Taste the comfort of your tea. See the colours and the shapes that make up your surroundings.

When you feel ready, read these aloud to yourself.

• May I be safe.

• May I be well.

• May I be happy.

• May I be filled with love.

“It’s amazing when you think about it: our bodies and senses make it possible for us to experience love.”

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Then, read these to your partner. If your partner isn’t available, visualise them.

• May you be safe.

• May you be well.

• May you be happy.

• May you be filled with love.

Do you feel the subtle effects of the words?

How does your body feel? Your emotions?

Practices like these make us more present and aware. When we are present,

aware and tuned in to what’s important to us, our bodies respond by becoming more awake, alive and aroused. The loop starts looping again. Consciousness expands.

Our whole world lights up.

All four ways to put more love in your lovemaking are perfect for singles too.

Simply place yourself in the role of lover and beloved and give all the love and the lovemaking to you!

Dawn Cartwright is a NeoTantra visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in NeoTantra fusion. In 2020 she’s bringing her Fragrance of the Lotus Year-Long Advanced Study and Teacher Certification Course to Ireland. It’s going to be a year unlike any other. Complete your application at: dawncartwright.com

POSITIVE RE TRE AT

rebel with

authenticity WE TALK TO JAC O’KEEFFE.

by Aisling Cronin

Jac O’Keeffe is a spiritual teacher with a refreshingly down-to-earth approach.

She was raised in rural Ireland, and studied theology and music in an attempt to understand God. After graduating in the 1980s, however, her studies left her disillusioned and a non-believer of organised religion and monotheism.

Turning her focus to issues of social inequality, she studied adult and community education, and began a successful career interweaving community development with the arts, eventually holding strategic, leadership positions at the national headquarters of the Arts Council of Ireland and Macra na Feirme. In 1997, however – when Jac was working as a freelance arts consultant – her sixth sense awakened, which dramatically changed her life. A busy practice in healing work developed within a short time, during which Jac offered private sessions and residential retreats.

We were thrilled to spend a morning with her recently, where she shared her amazing story and insights.

and so far away from what I believed was acceptable, to really make me see that there was a lot more to life. It taught me to be less emphatic about what is true and what is not true. I opened up to a different vista of the world as something enormously complex.

I heard that you became something of a ghostbuster – is that true?

Yes, it is! I tend to be a full-on person – I’m either fully in or fully out – and I honour that, because that’s the only way to be. Certain things you can change in your personality, and certain things you can’t.

I decided, “If I’m going to really embrace this new reality, heck – I’ve got to embrace it 24/7.” I used to go into people’s houses and clear them of spooks, as I could see them. Sometimes, though, we can imagine things – we’re fabulously imaginative creatures – and we can manifest certain things that aren’t necessarily spooks at all.

We love stories!

Can you take us through what led to a spiritual shift in your life?

You had a powerful spiritual awakening experience in India. How did that change your understanding of life?

Well, the first incident happened when I was an arts consultant, and I went away with my husband at the time, and another couple, for a weekend in Donegal.

On the Sunday afternoon, I saw dead people hanging from the ceiling, and I thought, “I must be tripping, someone must have given me something!” I wasn’t impressed at all. But of course, they hadn’t.

At the time, I was a strong atheist. I think life had to show me something so dramatic

I had an experience in an ashram in India, using the continual mantra, “I am the supreme consciousness.”

For a long time, I didn’t have enough spiritual maturity to hold both supreme consciousness and Jac in the same space. It was an either/or thing. Spiritual maturity is being able to hold the widest view, while supporting and honouring what your human self needs, and loving it. It’s about not letting your human personality hijack

your deeper wisdom, nature, life force, or knowing.

Can you discuss non-duality?

I know you became a non-dual teacher for many years.

Non-duality is that place of knowing what your true nature is, and who you really are. It is that stillness that knows something: Knowing with a capital K. It’s the awakened state. So that’s what the nonduality world is about. It’s full of jargon – like anything specialised is –but that is essentially what it’s about. However, even within that non-duality world, there can be a sense of attachment: to the Self with a capital S, to certain ideas and concepts.

One thing you often talk about is radical acceptance of where we’re at.

I think that’s very powerful, because you often hear of spiritual teachers trying to transcend something – even transcend their own humanity.

Self-honesty is key. When you hear people who’ve had really beautiful spiritual experiences, for me, the best thing about hearing those stories is that it breaks the limits of what is possible. I think, ‘wow, there’s another perspective’ … but no part of me wants to have what they’ve experienced. I’ve consciously worked on dropping that sense of wanting an external thing. I had to work at that. What I feel now is that whatever is happening here is the only gig in town. I will always do my best to support and honour that with integrity, without railroading others.

“I tend to be a full-on person – I’m either fully in or fully out – and I honour that, because that’s the only way to be. Certain things you can change in your personality, and certain things you can’t.”

In my new book How to Be a Spiritual Rebel, I talk about being a rebel in that way – pushing against how we ‘should’ behave.

If somebody is immature, they might interpret that as a licence to be an asshole.

But actually, it comes from a much deeper place than that. It’s about asking yourself, “what do I have to do here? What’s the inner movement here? How can I do this in a gentler way?” Sometimes you can’t avoid falling flat on your face – you can’t avoid your own bullshit – but you still aim to radically accept that!

This was a process that brought me to spiritual maturity in a big way: a process that is still ongoing.

Our full interview with Jac is available on SoundCloud – just search for ‘Positive Life Magazine’ to find us.

We highly recommend Jac’s new book: ‘How to Be a Spiritual Rebel: A Dogma-Free

Guide to Breaking All the Rules and Finding Fearless Freedom.’ This book draws on spiritual practices and recent findings in neuroscience, helping you examine the psychological barriers that block your spiritual growth and keep you from embracing true liberation. jac-okeeffe.com

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paying homage to

Ram Dass

SHAPER OF SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS.

by Alison McEvoy

‘Becoming Nobody; Everybody’s Busy Becoming Somebody’ stars Ram Dass in interview with director Jamie Catto and is produced

by Raghu Markus. Released this year, the film is a homage to Ram Dass’ past and present, mingling historic clips amidst a humorous and deeply engaging conversation held by Jamie and Ram Dass from his home on Maui Island, Hawai’i.

The making of this movie brings together a stellar behind-the-scenes cast from the spiritual stage. Jamie Catto is creator, producer/director of the multi-award winning global 1 Giant Leap films and albums. Raghu Markus has produced transformational media projects featuring Ram Dass and Deepak Chopra. He is the executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation.

RICHARD BECOMES RAM DASS Ram Dass was told his spiritual name on his first visit to India in 1967. Prior to his fateful encounter with his guru Neem Karoli Baba he was Dr. Richard Alpert, esteemed Harvard psychologist. His passion was in delving into explorations of

human consciousness using psychedelics such as LSD. From 1968 onwards, Ram Dass spent time, along with Krishna Das, in the company of his guru and pursued an eclectic array of spiritual methods and practices. These initiated him on a mystical journey, deeper into the realms of consciousness and the very source of consciousness itself. Ram Dass’ dedication to spiritual service (seva) led him to open up his learnings and teachings to millions of others and, in the process, he has helped to shape the spiritual perspective of three generations.

‘BE HERE NOW’ The aphorism ‘be here now’ is perhaps the most memorable which Ram Dass has given to the spiritual community – the community of those seeking beyond the material world for meaning, joy and inner abundance. In honour of Ram Dass I invite you to be here now with me, as we celebrate and recall the many spiritual promptings which Ram Dass offers as a spiritual guide.

We begin with ego, as it is indeed our beginning when we start down the spiritual path. It is the ‘matrix of thoughts, feelings and sensations’ which we have gathered and solidified since our birth, until such time comes when the ‘protection’ it offers us through judgements, classifications, likes and dislikes, becomes more limiting and cumbersome than helpful, and we begin to seek freedom from its reigns. Ram Dass

“We’re being trained through our incarnations--trained to seek love, trained to seek light, trained to see the grace in suffering.” continually speaks to our higher self – a voice beyond what the ego is telling us to think, to feel and to do. Led by the ego, our actions become more and more separate: separate from others, from the world and from our true selves. People like Ram Dass offer a voice that can help us find our way home.

ON EGO “The ego tells us what leads to what, what to avoid, how to satisfy our desires, and what to do in each situation. It does this by labelling everything we sense or think.

These labels put order in our world and give us a sense of security and well-being...

The ego has convinced us that we need it – not only that we need it, but that we are it. I am my body. I am my personality. I am my neuroses. I am angry. I am depressed.

I’m a good person. I’m sincere. I seek truth.

I’m a lazy slob. Definition after definition...

Like a dictator, it offers us paternalistic security at the expense of our freedom.

PHOTO: JONATHAN PERUGIA PHOTOGRAPHY JP@JPFOTO.COM

“Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we’re so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act.”

“Just because you are seeing divine light, experiencing waves of bliss, or conversing with Gods and Goddesses is no reason to not know your zip code.”

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“When you go out into the woods... you see all these different trees... some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever... You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way.

And you don’t get all emotional about it. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that...

That judgment mind comes in.

And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”

Meditation raises the question: Who are we really? But as long as the ego calls the shots, we can never become other than what it says.”

don’t even know. If they’re feeding the unitive space behind the dualism, they’re feeding the quality of love, and when they’re together, they touch it.”

ON FINDING THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

ON TRUMP

“A lot of people were so gung-ho in their spiritual practices early on that you’d find them five years later at the local bars drinking beer and watching television, and talking about how they used to do spiritual practices and how they fell off the path.

Now, it isn’t really falling off the path, it’s just another part of the path. But part of that violent reaction was because of the impurities with which they did it in the first place. So my usual guidance is to go slow, to not get too gung-ho. Don’t figure you’re going to get enlightened yesterday, relax. Just start to tune yourself...

Now, the other thing is when you say, ‘I’ve found my practice.’ You can’t assume that the practice you’ve found is the practice that’s going to last you for the rest of your life...So you’ve got to keep staying open. Gurdjieff said an interesting thing... he said that an alarm clock that will wake you up one moment, then you can sleep right through it later on. And he said that you need to keep finding new alarm clocks to awaken you.”

ON LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS “When you say, ‘I’m in love with you’. what you’re really saying is that you are the key stimulus that is opening me to the place in myself where I am love, which I can’t get to except through you.

You get into ‘You love me, I love you, here we are’ and it’s incredible because through this dynamic you have opened to a place that’s like a triangle; the two people together are feeding something that they

“We’ve got to keep our quietness inside. We’ve got to keep our love. Our compassion. We’ve got to keep our wisdom during this time. In this political scene, I don’t think we all should sit back and say, ‘It’s just perfect’. But I want to say you should not do social action with frustration and anger but with love. I put Trump on my puja table. And it’s good work for me. He’s good inner work for everybody. The fear, the anger, and all those things, that’s the work. Is that inside you? Love it. Those things are thoughts, and those thoughts are not productive.”

ON WAKING UP “A soul takes human birth in order to have a series of experiences through which it will awaken out of its illusion of separateness, in each moment.

The physical experience of being incarnated is the curriculum, and the purpose of the course is to awaken us from the illusion that we are the incarnation.

Spiritual practices are tools to help us accomplish these goals...

We are on an inevitable course of awakening. If you understand that message deeply, it allows you to enter into your spiritual practices from a different perspective, one of patience and timelessness. You do your practices not out of a sense of duty or because you think you should, but because you know in your soul there really is nothing else you would rather do...

Ours is a journey toward simplicity, toward quietness, toward a kind of joy that is not in time.”

POSITIVE LIFE PAYS HOMAGE Becoming Nobody will be shown Thursday Jan 16th , 730 pm, followed by a Q and A with the director Jamie Catto.

Venue: Chapel of ease, Irishtown, Dublin.

Tickets: positivelife.ie

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Find out more at: becomingnobody.com ramdass.org

For info on Jamies upcoming Dublin workshop: jamiecatto.com

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the powers of

good circulation RESTORING THE FLOW. Improved mental skills and warmer hands and feet are some of the benefits that follow in the wake of improving your circulation with ginkgo biloba.

As the aging process sets in, you will discover how it affects you in many different ways. With help from a plant extract called ginkgo biloba, you may be able to slow down this process and perhaps even restore functions that are not working properly. The key to the amazing potential of this remedy, which has become one of the most widely used supplements among the elderly, is its two active components that dilate blood vessels and make blood more fluid. The result is better circulation and a substantially better supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.

Can you imagine what that means for your health?

A boost to the brain

32

Your brain accounts for 20-25% of your entire oxygen consumption. That is quite a lot, considering the relative size of the brain. Cognitive skills like memory and concentration require a good supply of blood, which is directed to the brain via the two carotid arteries that are situated on sides of the neck. As we age, these arteries tend to clog up, slowing down our ability to recollect, read, concentrate and reason, but ginkgo biloba can improve the skills notably. Some studies have even shown that ginkgo biloba can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Warm hands and feet Your hands and feet – also known as ‘extremities’ because of their remote location – most certainly depend on a good blood supply to function properly and stay warm under most conditions. People with poor circulation (this is often the case with elderly individuals) experience problems with cold fingers and toes but taking ginkgo biloba can increase the temperature in hands and feet within a

very short time and is therefore an ideal treatment.

Goodbye to leg pain Some people suffer from what is known as intermittent claudication. In common terms this is known as walking-induced leg pain and can be rather unpleasant.

Researchers have demonstrated how taking ginkgo biloba can reduce such leg pain. Again, it is the improved blood supply that is accountable for the positive effect.

“Gingko bilboa [brings]...a substantially better supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.”

Improvement for tinnitus sufferers Some people with poor circulation experience tinnitus, which can be either a high-pitched or low-frequent noise in one or both ears. It can be most frustrating and in many cases sufferers of this condition find that it reduces their quality of life.

Ginkgo biloba can help by improving the flow of blood to the brain.

Dizziness and headaches A poor blood supply to the brain may also cause problems such as dizziness and headaches. Again, taking ginkgo biloba may offer help and much needed relief. pharmanord.ie *Advertorial

Speed up your blood flow Ginkgo biloba is a traditional herbal medicinal product used to alleviate the symptoms of poor blood flow in conditions such as cold hands and feet. It is essential that you choose a preparation with a documented content of active compounds.

Warm hands and feet again One of the most convincing tests of ginkgo biloba’s ability to improve circulation in the hands is conducted with a thermographic camera. After the test person had taken ginkgo biloba, his hands became significantly warmer in the minutes right after they had been cooled down in very cold water.

Your bloodstream carries oxygen and nutrients to every single part of your body – from head to toe – to ensure that all your body functions work properly.

However, the flow of blood through the smallest capillaries can decrease for various reasons, and that may cause problems like cold fingers and toes.

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Cold hands and feet?

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Supports your blood circulation It stands to reason that ginkgo biloba is so popular among older people. The active compounds in the extract dilate your blood vessels, helping your blood to flow more easily through them.

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What is ginkgo biloba?

Ginkgo biloba is a plant extract made from the leaves of ginkgo biloba, an ancient temple tree that is also known as maidenhair tree. The extract contains a variety of biologically active compounds.

Two specific compounds – ginkgoflavone glycosides and terpene lactones – are particularly well-documented and have been shown to support good blood circulation and good cognitive function. Today,

thanks to scientific research that has delved into the underlying mechanisms of these active ingredients, it is possible to manufacture high-quality extracts that deliver the exact same amount of active compound with each tablet. Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord represents this new generation of pharmaceutical-standard ginkgo biloba products that have become increasingly popular, namely among the elderly.

Ginkgo-Biloba Pharma Nord has a high content of active compounds: The high content of active compounds makes it possible to obtain the desired effect with 1 tablet twice a day.

Traditional herbal medicinal product used to alleviate the symptoms of poor blood flow in conditions such as cold hands and feet, exclusively based upon long-standing use.

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GOOD LIFE 2.0

reflecting on love and loss

COLLABORATIVELY FACING THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE.

by Davie Philip

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” Marcus Aurelius

Stoicism has influenced world leaders and informed modern psychology and psychotherapy, especially methods like cognitive behavioural therapy. It recommends zooming out and seeing your troubles from a higher vantage point where your worries are put into perspective. Although the Stoics saw life as a gift, they were pioneers of the practice of ‘Memento Mori’ - a Latin phrase Stoicism, a philosophy of action meaning ‘remember you must die’. By keeping from ancient Greece and Rome, can help. If in mind our own mortality, we don’t forget how you’re struggling with your mental health, precious our time on earth is. or suffering from eco-anxiety, then a good On the loss of a friend, the Stoics dose of Stoic philosophy could help navigate advised sitting with the pain, praising and through life’s challenges. sharing memories of the person you’ve lost, Although understood today as enduring and nurturing acceptance by remembering hardship or suppressing emotion, Stoicism that death is a part of life. I found this helpful was actually a very pragmatic way to face and wonder if it could help in finding the challenges and process emotions. Its central inner strength to deal with the continued loss message is that we don’t control what of species, ecosystems and the trauma of happens to us; we control how we respond. collapse? Creating spaces to deeply share Responding requires being mindful, aware our grief, our fears, our outrage and bearing and in control, rather than being led by your witness to the loss could be a start. Stoics say emotions. They believed the ultimate aim that removing our expectations and our sense of life was to live well and that living well of having been wronged will free us to act. requires the day-to-day practice of four The Stoics were not detached virtues; courage, justice, self-control and from society, they engaged deeply seeing wisdom. themselves as ‘cosmopolitans’ - world citizens. They saw all human beings, regardless of race, religion or political orientation as part of one universal

Recently, a friend passed away suddenly and it was a big shock. Coping with a death, or losing something you love, is one of life’s biggest challenges and something we all have to face. The loss of nature and the death of the living world is especially difficult to deal with. Practices giving us the strength and courage to handle life’s trials and tribulations are urgently needed.

34 “If you’re struggling with your mental health, or suffering from eco-anxiety, then a good dose of Stoic philosophy could help navigate through life’s challenges.”

community. They believed that people have a natural affinity for one another that begins as love of the self and grows to encompass family, our wider community and, ultimately, the love of humanity as a whole. The outcome is that all our actions consider the needs of others as equal to our own.

The Stoic view of humanity is one of compassion and concern. They treated each day as a gift while practicing ‘Amor Fati’ - the love of everything that happens. As Stoicism is a series of reminders, tips and tools for living a good life, I think it is a timely practice that can help strengthen our resilience to cope in these uncertain times, together.

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.

cultivate.ie

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POSITIVE MEDICINE

Photo© Aisling Roberts

revolutionary

healing

THE COURSE THAT SANG OUT TO ME.

by Ciara Roberts, CNM Naturopathic Nutrition Graduate and author

CNM is a combination of hopeful endeavour and academic excellence, which makes it a very worthwhile experience.

I loved my three years of training in Naturopathic Nutrition. I loved the lecturers – whose calibre was excellent – and meeting new, like-minded people, some of whom became very good friends.

The content of the course and feeling fully equipped to practice after graduation, was a very helpful antidote to my very busy, stressful banking career. I came to really enjoy studying at the weekends.

I was already aware of nutrition, having been raised by a mother very interested in natural health, and having worked with a South African doctor

36

who planted powerful seeds of healthy living within me. I considered retraining in medicine, but felt that I would not be able to handle medical bureaucracy.

I then considered a Master’s degree in Nutrition. It was through that process that I ‘happened’ upon the CNM course, and it immediately sang out to me. I literally felt like the course had been designed just for me.

I suffered from strep throat at age four – unusually localised to my kidneys – precipitating a rare form of glomerular nephritis. At the age of 14, I went into renal failure, and from the ages of 14 to 21, I had to rely on thrice weekly hospital dialysis treatments. At the age of 21, I had the gift

of a kidney transplant, but when I was 39, the transplant kidney function failed. I am currently listed for a second kidney, and I do peritoneal dialysis at home.

As a child, I was seen in Dublin by a paediatric nephrologist. This was during the early 1980s in Dublin, where no nutritional or lifestyle advice was available.

We were referred by a Dublin hospital to an amazing doctor in South Africa.

He advised whole foods, good hydration and limited sugars. Because of this, I flourished. I was a very healthy child, in spite of my diagnosis.

I was working full-time in private banking credit risk in Canary Wharf when I started at CNM. However, I knew in my

CNM

MEDICINE

heart that there was so much more I had to offer in this lifetime. I resigned from banking in 2013, having been supported by an amazing Global Head to reduce my work to part-time for a year prior to my resignation – highly unusual in my type of role. When you believe you are supported, this becomes the reality.

dialysis, having lost my transplant kidney function three years ago. That was a big spiritual awakening for me, as I nearly died. Dialysis comes with all kinds of potential complications, but I see this as a part of my self-care routine. I have the intuition, knowledge, strength and selflove to look after myself very well.

I have personally experienced how healing happens in many forms. We don’t need to ‘become’ a diagnosis. We can heal deeply on an emotional and mental level to support the physical. We can create the life we love, despite our challenges, and share ourselves from that place of quiet joy.

The CNM course enriched my knowledge and, most importantly, helped me to understand more deeply the intricate nature of therapeutic rapport, and how it is key to build trust and confidence with your clients. By working through my frustration with the very linear medical system, and turning that frustration around, I can use my resulting wisdom to help. Together, we can make a change: this is what an

Training Successful Practitioners

CHANGE CAREER “Together, we can make a change: this is what an integrated health system is.”

Train to become a…

I also qualified as a yoga teacher and set up my own business, Wholly Aligned, in 2012. Wholly Aligned draws upon the wisdom of nutrition and yoga to help people reconnect with their minds, bodies and souls, ultimately awakening their inner physician.

I currently support my health with both conventional medicine and natural treatments. I undergo nightly 8-hour

E E R F tA tend a g n i n e v E n e p O

integrated health system is.

I am engaged with social prescribing, and work with King’s Hospital and local GP practices. I have been featured in The Mail on Sunday, Yoga Magazine, Journal of Kidney Care, Top Santé, OM Yoga and Elephant Journal. I love helping people to make links between their habits and their health and understand where they might be limiting themselves.

My first book ‘Wholly Aligned, Wholly Alive’ – launched in June 2019 – details my journey and discusses the tools of nutrition and yoga, and how they have helped me.

CNM has a superb 22-year record of training successful practitioners in natural therapies, in class and 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. naturopathy.ie 01 878 8060

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POSITIVELY ORGANIC

for the love

of yacon

DISCOVER THIS PERUVIAN DELIGHT.

by Hans Wieland

I have fallen in love with Yacon, because of Jicama. Here is the short version: The Slanted Door in San Francisco was the perfect venue for our very belated honeymoon, recommended by friends, who’d had their wedding dinner there.

Chef Charles Phan’s menu is Vietnamese street food, upscaled with ingredients from Californian farmers’ markets, with beautiful renditions of Vietnamese classics! Tasting the Jicama and Grapefruit Salad, all we wanted to do on our return was to grow Jicama! Well, we tried and failed and finally adapted the recipe using Yacon instead!

What is Yacon?

I came across Yacon as early as 2001, because my colleague Klaus Laitenberger – then head gardener at The Organic Centre – grew the tuber successfully in one of the polytunnels. It grew without problems, was very prolific, and tasted great eaten raw, but at the time, we didn’t really know what to do with it. Yacon – also known as Peruvian ground apple – originates in the Andes and was one of the Inca vegetables.

Inspired by our culinary experiences in California, we now grow them in our polytunnel in Cliffoney as huge plants, nearly 1.5m high. We give each plant a square metre of space.

How to grow?

Yacon plants are quite sensitive to temperature and, based on our experience, grow best in a polytunnel or glasshouse.

They are grown from a knobbly tuber (see source below) clustering around the stalk producing large, smooth tubers away from the knobbly centre. These are the edible tubers. We usually harvest between seven

and twelve of them from one plant between 15 and 25cm in length. They grow best in fertile and free-draining soil, and we give them plenty of compost when replanting the knobbly tubers early in the year.

We store them after harvesting around Christmas in a bucket of sand. While growing, they don’t need anything except regular watering.

Harvesting tip: Yacon tubers develop into autumn and winter. We leave them in the ground until frosty weather approaches and the leaves are withered by the cold.

Most years, we harvest a week before Christmas.

Yacon is a superfood I am aware that the word superfood is often used in an inflationary way, yet Yacon root fibre is a prebiotic that aids digestion and promotes the growth of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut, while inhibiting toxic bacteria. It can help in treating certain types of colitis. It’s creating quite a buzz among nutritionists

because of the unusual way it stores its carbohydrates as inulin rather than starch, making it an ideal food for diabetics.

Yacon is best eaten raw ‘Yacon’ means ‘watery root’ in the Inca language, and is refreshingly juicy, with a lemony taste and a texture similar to an apple. Try it thinly sliced with lemon juice and honey. Yacon can also be stir-fried, roasted, baked or made into pies and healthy chips, but we like it best in a raw salad.

“Yacon – also known as Peruvian ground apple – originates in the Andes and was one of the Inca vegetables.”

RECIPE: Yacon, Red Cabbage and Grapefruit Salad This recipe is based on a recipe by Charles Phan of The Slanted Door, who uses Jicama, adapted by Gaby Wieland for Yacon.

Makes 4 servings as a side salad • 2 cups shredded red cabbage • 1 tsp sea salt • 2 tbsp tamari sauce (wheat-free soy sauce) • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar • 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1 small chili pepper, minced, or dried red pepper flakes, to taste • 1 lime, freshly juiced • 1 cup shredded yacon root, peeled • 1/2 cup shredded carrot (optional) • 2 teaspoons olive or toasted sesame oil • Salt and pepper, to taste • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves • 1/4 cup chopped candied pecans or walnuts (optional) • 2 grapefruits, segmented, tough membranes removed

Place cabbage in a bowl and cover with salted water. Set aside. Combine tamari sauce, vinegar, honey or agave syrup, garlic, chili, and lime juice. Add more lime juice to taste.

In a large bowl, combine shredded yacon, carrots and oil. Drain cabbage and massage it with your hands or pound in bowl with wooden stomper. Toss cabbage with yacon mixture, then with soy dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide among 4 plates and top with mint, nuts and grapefruit.

Enjoy!

Source of Yacon tubers for planting: fruithillfarm.com 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

39

POSITIVE FOOD

nourish yourself this season RELISH THIS CREAMY PUMPKIN AND SPINACH MASALA.

by David and Stephen Flynn of The Happy Pear

As the nights reach their longest point and temperatures plummet, we’re all looking for a bit of extra love and nourishment for our bodies and souls. It’s the ideal time for comfort food. This pumpkin and spinach masala makes the perfect wholesome and warming winter meal – like a warm fire on a cold damp evening! The spices add warmth and the pumpkin gives a wonderful earthy, grounding flavour. Serve with your favourite starch of choice, such as rice, quinoa or millet.

40

CREAMY PUMPKIN AND SPINACH MASALA Serves 4 people, takes 25 minutes to make

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of oil 2 red onions 2 cloves of garlic A thumb-sized piece of ginger ½ a red chilli 500g pumpkin 1.5 tablespoons of oil 1 x 400g tin of black beans or similar beans 50g baby spinach 1 red pepper Juice of ½ a lime

Paste: 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon turmeric 1 tablespoon curry powder ½ teaspoon smoked paprika 1.5 teaspoons of salt ½ teaspoon of black pepper 1 x 400ml coconut milk 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce To serve: 2 tablespoons of a yoghurt of your choice (we love coconut) Almond flakes Chilli flakes

INSTRUCTIONS: 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2 Chop the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces, leaving the

skin on (provided the skin is edible) and ensuring that you remove the seeds. Dice the red onion and chop the pepper into bite-sized pieces.

3 Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Finely

chop the chilli (if you don’t like it hot, remove its seeds and white membrane to make it less spicy).

Drain and rinse the black beans.

4 O n a baking tray, coat the pumpkin in one tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt, then roast on a baking tray for 20 minutes at 200°C. eat a large non-stick frying pan until hot. Add 5 H one tablespoon of oil, add the onions, pepper, garlic, chilli, cumin seeds and ginger, then fry, stirring regularly until the onions start to brown (approximately four minutes).

6 A dd the remaining spices to the pan (turmeric, smoked paprika, black pepper, curry powder and salt) and heat for one minute. ext, add the black beans to the pan, along with the 7 N can of coconut milk. Remove the pumpkin from the oven (ensure it is soft and fully cooked) and add it to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and add the baby spinach.

8 S queeze in the lime juice, then taste and season with more salt, black pepper and maybe even some chilli flakes, if you think the dish needs it. emove from the heat and serve with yoghurt and 9 R toasted almond flakes on top.!

thehappypear.ie

“This makes the perfect wholesome and warming winter meal – like a warm fire on a cold damp evening!”

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short & sweet “CBD’s potential can best be utilised when it works in synergy with other nutrients of the hemp plant.”

43 Unlocking Goodness SPREADING LOVE FOR CBD.

by Aisling Cronin Love CBD is a small family-run business based in Suffolk, England. The company was established in late 2014. It was a passion project from the very beginning, as I learned when I spoke with Dan, co-founder of the company. ‘For us, making the very best product we possibly can has always been our number-one priority,’ he explains, ‘and the trust of our customers is very valuable to us.’

When Love CBD was founded, most CBD oils on the UK market were made from industrial hemp waste. Love CBD were determined to do better. They began hunting for suppliers around Europe

who could produce CBD oil made from hemp flowers and grown with the specific intention of becoming CBD oil, rather than leftover hemp fibre.

Love CBD’s products come in oil spray, capsules and moisturising balm form.

Dan feels that CBD’s healing potential can best be utilised when it works in synergy with other nutrients of the hemp plant: ‘If you take CBD in isolation, you’re not necessarily going to get the full benefit of it. A whole-plant approach is best, and we’ve spent over four years developing and refining our recipe

to ensure that it is of the highest standard possible.’

Terpenes are compounds in the cannabis plant that cause the famous cannabis aroma, but they also work in unison with CBD, to unlock its healthenhancing power. For this reason, Love CBD utilises terpenes in their products, as well as CBD, to ensure that customers receive the maximum benefit. We love their integrated approach! lovecbd.org

SHORT AND SWEE T

Alignment in Co. Wicklow HELP ON THE ROAD TO HEALING.

by Aisling Cronin Ria Cusack is a kinesiologist, postural alignment specialist and fitness practitioner, based in Greystones, Co. Wicklow. She is passionate about helping people to achieve a sense of ease and balance in their bodies and in their lives. Taking an individual approach with each client is key to her success, as she explained to me.

“My work is strongly focused on helping people to become the best version of themselves they can possibly be.”

“My work is strongly focused on helping people to get themselves out of a state of pain, and helping them become the best version of themselves they can possibly be. This often involves assigning homework! If clients ask me for help with their fitness, they’ll get fifteen minutes of homework per day, if they want to have their posture corrected, they’ll be given an eCise Menu to do every day, and if they come to me for a kinesiology consultation … guess what? Yep, homework again!”

This piece of homework might be a mindful exercise to tone down your stress levels, or adding something healthful to your diet. It might involve removing something to which you are sensitive, doing simple exercises to rebalance your left-right brain connections, or rubbing a few specific Chapman’s neurolymphatic points to help speed up your recovery. The sky is the limit!

In addition to taking on individual clients, Ria runs weekly postural alignment and fitness classes of no more than four people, to ensure that each participant receives plenty of individual attention. She considers herself ‘the luckiest woman alive’ to be in a position to empower people and assist them with their health.

087 799 0772 riacusack.com

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Enter into the Creative Flow UNCONVENTIONAL CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS.

by Alison McEvoy “My writing workshops are different. They are not think tanks of criticism and competition, but crucibles of creativity where great ideas could, and have been born. I aim to awaken creativity in people.” (Siofra O’Donovan) Speaking with Siofra, author, writing coach, creative writing and meditation workshop facilitator and more, you start to feel something. She is so in tune with the deeper aspects of being human; the source of creativity, the great unconscious reservoir of our dreams and the stories we carry inside, awaiting birth. Just speaking with her I felt an inner stirring of my own stories still untold. This is the inner soil which Siofra helps people to dig beneath and excavate during her writing workshops, which are meditative and often therapeutic;

“... dream again, through words.”

“I passionately love storytelling through writing and I love teaching this art to others in creative writing workshops.

Giving others the opportunity to dream again, through words.”

In a safe, relaxed and encouraging environment, Siofra has nurtured people through the powerful process of unearthing their authentic voices through writing, revealing powerful stories and even material from which some have created successful stories, plays and screenplays.

For 8-10 weeks you can join Siofra and get your writing muscle going, or take on the heroine’s journey in one of her more specialised workshops. This is a circular journey which can take both men and women deeper into the feminine experience using myth, meditation and creative writing. Themes of this journey include the exploration of the separation from the feminine, the healing of the mother/ daughter split and the healing of the wounded masculine.

For more about Siofra see: Siofraodonovan.com

Presents

POSITIVE NIGHTS

Interviews, Talks, Mini Workshops & Movies Tantra, holistic dating , healing and much more.

HOLISTIC EVENTS POP UP VENUES AROUND DUBLIN Bewleys, Grafton st, Dublin 2

For Schedule and to join our Mailing List see:

positivelife.ie/positivenights

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Yoga Rooted in the Land CELTIC SCHOOL OF YOGA TEACHER TRAINING.

by Benita Wolfe

46 The Gift of Love A CHALLENGE AND A BLESSING.

by April Danann What if love – real love, true love, higher love – is also a narrative?

When we look up the origins of these words, we find other references to the words ‘story’, ‘history’ and to fairy tales. So, is this why love is the stuff of ancient tales?

But then when we examine this simple word, LOVE, we find it traces its origins to the deeper relationship with ‘to care’.

And that is where our story begins!

“Love is all about the ways in which you choose, each day, to honour the person you wish to become.”

Once you find it within yourself to care about who you are, where you are going and the way you fill your thoughts or time or energy, only then does your body get to experience this relationship with a specific positive state of mind.

To care, and to link this feeling to compassion for oneself, just might be the highest form of love! Love isn’t what you think it is. It isn’t about being kind or good or even nice to each other.

Love is this indescribable sense of knowing: knowing when to do, to give, to stop, to run or to let go.

Love is all about the ways in which you choose, each day, to honour the person you wish to become. It is the energy and type of feeling you use to go about your work or your chores or your most difficult tasks.

And the best part is? You got this. We all have love inside of us. One drop of love in an ocean of life, can make all the difference. aprildanann.com

In February 2020, Jack Harrison and Benita Wolfe (BJ Galvan), both certified Anusara teacher trainers, will host the third Celtic School of Yoga Teacher Training in Kinvara in Co Galway.

Rooted in Jack’s three passions - Yoga, Music and Mythology - and Benita’s expertise leading thousands of hours of alignmentbased teacher trainings globally, this course brings together over fifty years of experience of practice, living and teaching a yoga wisdom anchored in the rhythms of the earth.

As a folklorist and archaeologist, Jack has unearthed an astounding number of parallels between Indian and Celtic traditions. He writes: “(in Ireland)...we have an enduring...essence of yoga in the Celtic world.”

“...delve into yoga, breath, story, poetry, song, Indian and Celtic comparative philosophy, myth, alignment technique, anatomy, meditation ...”

New students are invited to join the adventure for the 2020 programme. Through a series of six modules, you will delve into yoga, breath, story, poetry, song, Indian and Celtic comparative philosophy, myth, alignment technique, anatomy, meditation and adventures out on the land to some of the great sacred sites of Ireland.

All the practices and ideas shared through the Celtic School of Yoga immersions and teacher training inspire healing in body, mind and heart through an experiential recognition that the source of all wellness, joy and love is within and we are intricately woven within the matrix of all existence.

If you want to deepen your yoga practice, become a yoga teacher or refine your yoga teaching skills, Jack and Benita invite you to join them on this wheel of transformation and emerge an inspiring, skilled and confident yoga teacher. celticschoolofyoga.com

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Vegan Season for Cornucopia PLANT-BASED DELICIOUSNESS.

by Alison McEvoy I remember the days when my daily lunch in Cornucopia consisted of sitting around a long table in their one-roomed restaurant, squeezing into kind company for a steaming bowl of soup and sumptuous salads. Since then they have grown outwards, into the adjoining property, and upwards, upstairs, then up again. The sky is the limit it seems for this innovative and ahead-of-its-time health-food hub.

Cornucopia has been going through another transformation recently, becoming an almost fully vegan restaurant. Speaking with Aoife Carrigy, co-author of their newest plant-based cookbook, she explained that head chef, and co-author, Tony Keogh “oversees an almost exclusively plant-based kitchen today,” reflected in this newest output “which hopefully has something in it for every kind of cook, no matter if they are meat eaters who want to increase their weekly plant-based meals, vegetarians who are looking at shifting towards a more vegan approach or vegans looking to learn more great recipes.”

When I asked Aoife to sneak us a peak at some of the top recipes in the book, she didn’t know where to start; “There are so many great main course recipes, some perfect for a quick supper like the courgette linguine with basil

“Cornucopia has been going through another transformation...becoming an almost fully vegan restaurant.” cashew cream, semi-dried tomatoes and rocket, or the noodle tofu stir-fry. Others are real showstoppers like the aubergine timbale with romesco sauce, or sweetheart cabbage timbales with celeriac and beet sauce Liadan’s Banoffee Pie is a great example of how a rich dairybased dessert can be produced with plant-based ingredients.”

With Christmas a light on the near horizon, this is the perfect gift to self or others, inviting you to join forces with the vegan movement for greater individual health and the health of the planet. cornucopia.ie

April Danann

Food Scientist/Naturopathic Nutritionist/ Medical Intuitive/Family Herbalist Apple Cider Vinegar - with the Mother, barrel fermented in West Cork

CLINIC - Internationally known Medical Intuitive & Naturopathic Nutritionist KOMBUCHA - made only from herbs - raw & unfiltered NATUROPATHIC NUTRITION - advice on how to maximise your bodys full potential

THE CELTIC SCHOOL OF YOGA TEACHER TRAINING February to December 2020 Kinvara Co Galway

Alignment Based Yoga Celtic Philosophy • Music Poetry • Myth • Sacred Sites Retreats • Workshops

Jack Harrison & Benita Wolfe Senior Certified Teacher Trainers

www.thecelticschoolofyoga.com

WORKSHOPS - Wild Fermentation, Healing with Herbs, Gut Health and Well-Being

For more information contact April on 087 236 1616 aprildanann.com

Up to 50 times Stronger than Cranberry Cranberries and food supplements formulated with Cranberry extract contain relatively small amounts of D-Mannose HealthReach D-Mannose is supplied in capsules providing 500mg of pure D-Mannose per capsule

An Ashram Experience in Ireland

Visiting an Ashram in India has become popular in recent times. More and more people are looking for meaning in life, in work and in relationships and for a way of slowing down and finding simplicity and peace in their lives.

An Ashram is a place where people of any faith, gender or nationality can stay, practice meditation, mindfulness and yoga, and take an inward journey under guidance, so as to reconnect with themselves and their spirituality. Spending time at an Ashram offers solitude, peace, and time out in community, to reflect while also benefiting from various spiritual teachings in a setting that is close to nature.

Facilitator: Fr Korko Moses S.J. Fr Korko Moses S.J. has being coming to Ireland to make an Ashram Experience available to people here. Korko lives in India where he founded, Dhyanavanam, an Ashram inspired by Christian & Eastern spiritual traditions.

Available in your local health food store www.healthreach.ie

Date: Friday June 26th 2020 – Sunday, 26th July 2020

An Tobar Retreat & Spirituality Centre Ardbraccan Navan County Meath Ireland Phone: 046 907 8973 Email: bookings@antobar.ie Facebook: An Tobar Community

For information on events please visit:

www.antobar.ie

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Creacon Magic WEXFORD WELLNESS WITH HEART

by Aisling Cronin

If you’re looking for a winter break that will revive your spirits, ease your mind and leave your whole body feeling deeply nourished, we can highly recommend the wonderful Creacon Wellness Retreat, located in New Ross, Co. Wexford.

The retreat centre was originally a historic inn, and was transformed into the wellness haven it is today by founder Derek O’Neill and his late wife Linda. Its beautiful grounds and stunning accommodation – including rooms with king, double and twin bed options – as well as its art studio, gym and other amenities, have earned Creacon a well-deserved place in the hearts of health aficionados in Ireland and across the globe.

Creacon has become renowned

for its regular workshops on subjects such as meditation, yoga, movement and sustainable living. Some of the subjects they cover in their workshops include Five Tibetan Vitality Yoga, Tibetan Bowls Sound Healing, Living Free and Heartfelt Meditation. These workshops are offered all year round under the guidance of experienced teachers.

Another stand-out feature of a stay at Creacon is its amazing food. Their in-house chef, Gaetano Pernagallo, creates mouth-watering gourmet meals and desserts, always incorporating seasonal ingredients that will benefit your body, improve your energy and balance your system. Many ingredients are grown within Creacon’s own gardens!

A Sugar to the Rescue?

The friendly, open and helpful nature of Creacon’s staff members is another part of the experience that draws visitors back, time and time again. Make sure to visit the lovely team this winter – and let them know we sent you! creaconwellnessretreat.com

“The friendly, open and helpful nature of Creacon’s staff draws visitors back, time and time again.”

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SUGAR THAT FIGHTS BACTERIA

by Alison McEvoy

Most women already know how debilitating a UTI (urinary tract infection) can be. Then, there is always the risk that it can travel up to the kidneys and become a full blown kidney infection if not treated properly, or on time. I ended up in one such situation many years ago. Luckily enough, there has never been a reappearance. At the time, however, I remember doctors saying that it is very usual for such infections to keep recurring throughout a woman’s life.

I was horrified to hear this and was happily surprised recently to find out about D-mannose, which has been shown to be useful for some women in preventing UTIs that keep returning.

D-mannose is a type of sugar found in certain fruits such as cranberries, black and red currants, and peaches. Unique to this substance is its ability to inhibit the bacteria that causes UTIs, to stick to the walls of the urinary tract. So with this bacteria forced to free float, nothing to

hang on to, it can be easily flushed out.

Cranberry extracts are already regularly used in the treatment of UTIs, however in relatively small amounts. D-mannose supplements provide a much more concentrated version.

Many people already know about using cranberry juice as an alternative treatment or supportive treatment for UTIs. There are other sugars present in the juice, however, that may actually feed the bacteria. What a specific D-mannose supplement does is isolate the sugar which prevents the bacteria from latching on to the urinary tract.

If you’re suffering from UTIs do check it out. It might do the trick for you.

“D-mannose supplement... isolate[s] the sugar which prevents the bacteria from latching on to the urinary tract.”

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Healthful Hemp JUICES WITH POWER.

by Aisling Cronin Kate Mullaney is the co-founder of Kama Hemp, a company that produces the only organic hemp juice grown in Europe. Kama Hemp juice is a pure green drink with amazing health benefits: a glass of the juice contains more omega oils than salmon, more potassium than a banana, more magnesium than spinach and more calcium than a glass of milk! It is the only food available that contains naturally occurring CBD (cannabidiol). “We always place great emphasis on the bioavailability of the CBD in our juices,” Kate explained during a recent conversation we had, “which means that the nutrient is easily absorbed by the body. This is a key distinction we make, as there are other CBD products out there in which the nutrient isn’t readily available.”

“They harvest and juice their crop at the very peak of its growing season, to ensure that its nutrition is at its peak.”

Kama’s hemp is grown organically, under the sun, wind and rain, on the Mullaney family farm in Co. Monaghan. They harvest and juice their crop at the very peak of its growing season,

14th - 16th February, 2020 Venue: Slí na Bandé, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Price: €333 for the weekend Registration fee includes accommodation and four meals Times: 7 - 9 pm Valentines Introduction 14th Feb (optional) 10 am – 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday For bookings go to: www.anaiyasophia.com

Sacred Body Awakening Slí na Bandé, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

to ensure that its nutrition is at its peak. Kama Hemp’s juice and powders are defined as ‘functional’ foods: that is, foods that have a potentially positive effect on health, beyond basic nutrition.

Functional foods promote optimal health and reduce the risk of disease.

Kama Hemp is a passionate promoter of improving health by nutritional means. “I love hearing the stories of people whose health has noticeably improved after using our products,” Kate shared with me, “though of course, a solid foundation of good diet and exercise is necessary too.” kamahemp.com

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Top Tips for the Winter ‘Cold’ STAY EVER-HEALTHY WITH EVERGREEN.

by Alison McEvoy

Evergreen Health food stores have been on the go since 1992. Starting with just one store, today you will find seven of their stores dotted around the Galway location.

Evergreen has a big online presence, which means you can shop from anywhere. A huge plus is that if you place your order before 10 am, your products could be delivered the next working day. I spoke with Aideen, co-owner of the store, to find out about their top tips for avoiding the insidious winter cold.

Probiotics are now recognised as being beneficial against the common cold, given that many of our immune cells are located in our gut. Echinacea is an old favourite, along with good quality zinc supplements, and both will bolster you against the cold bugs.

“Elderberry syrup is a great option, especially for kids.”

If you find yourself already down and out with a cold, sniffling is not a good option.

Blow your nose and wash your hands immediately after, or, use a good quality hand sanitising liquid. Take plenty of liquids, get enough sleep, cut your sugar intake and eat as many vegetables as you can. Then, get online or send out a loved one for the following supports. Elderberry syrup is a great option, especially for kids.

Bee propolis is also a potent formula which will aid you, along with a good quality vitamin C.

If you’re uncertain of what to choose, Evergreen staff are always on hand to answer your questions, and have the distinction of being the best trained staff in the UK and Ireland. The staff attend continuous training every week and all staff are put forward for the Health Food Institute Certificates and Diplomas, ensuring your questions are in safe hands!

Visit them in store, or get online and check out evergreen.ie

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Wellness with a Difference AN ECO-CONSCIOUS IRISH BRAND.

One Nutrition is renowned for its premium, ethically sourced ingredients and recyclable packaging. Recently the brand has brought the packaging into line with its ingredients, making it both environmentally conscious and suitable for many dietary and lifestyle needs. All products come in glass jars protected by a cardboard sleeve, with convenient symbols signifying whether it is vegan, gluten-, dairy- or soy-free. This heightens One Nutrition’s appeal among eco-conscious consumers.

We caught up with founders Darragh Hammond and Dominic Galvin to uncover the passion behind their brand.

“The concept came out of a discussion we were having around food supplements we take, and whether we could improve upon what is currently

available,” explains Darragh. “Dominic and I have a combined industry experience of over 40 years, so we’ve gained a lot of knowledge around ingredient sourcing and quality control.”

“One Nutrition’s dedication has paid off, as their products have been lauded by some of Ireland’s leading athletes.”

“For example, we only use wheat and barley grass juice powders in our green products, rather than ground leaf powder,”

Calling in Change UPROOTING AND RE-ROOTING INTO A CONNECTED LIFE.

by Helen Gatenby-Holt What is the one thing you would do if it could change the course of your life in 2020, the next decade or beyond?

People open up to their deepest yearnings and will tell you what they are seeking when they let go of the daily routines that take up nearly all of their productive and analytical minds.

After years hosting, leading and co-creating retreats, we have discovered that what most people want is: • To feel Alive (alive as in really wanting to get out of bed in the morning).

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• To feel Loved (get regular hugs/touch/ affection and be vulnerable and real with) • To Belong (have a community of support that has our back, loves and protects us).

When life goes awry, we have dived unconsciously or unwillingly into the underbelly. Perhaps we lose our security, our home, our job, our partner or something comes crashing around us.

It is inevitable that these circumstances provoke pain, insurmountable grief or heartache or longer-lasting trauma.

Dominic adds. “It costs a lot more for the raw material, but the benefits are so worth it, as all the nutrients are readily available and we are not trying to extract them from grass, which our bodies were not designed to do.”

One Nutrition’s products have been lauded by some of Ireland’s leading athletes, including coach and speaker Pat Divilly, race walker Rob Heffernan, and award-winning canoeist Jennifer Egan.

Jennifer says, “My training regime is intense, placing high demands on my body.

Since taking One Nutrition Power Greens, I have found that my energy levels have improved. This has allowed me to increase the intensity of my training sessions.”

onenutrition.ie

“[we are] looking for what lights us up, refills our cup..”

As a society, we are waking up and uprooting ourselves from the daily grind of seeking purely monetary success and immediate but transient gratification, to looking for what lights us up, refills our cup and gives us a sense of long-lasting accomplishment.

When the opening comes, which it always does, the transformation potential offers itself to all of us. Then we go there, with pure intention and an inquisitive, open heart.

There is no inherent knowing what your ‘calling’ is.

There are mistakes to be made and adventures to take.

Come on a journey of discovery, through Helen’s new book, ‘Connecting the Dots’, released in 2020, or join one of the many offerings at her retreat centre in Wicklow. avondaleretreat.com

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YOGA TEACHER TRAINING Commencing:

September 2019

Venue: Root to Light, Tullamore, Co. Offaly This Qualification is recognised by the EUROPEAN UNION of YOGA, Blank 1/8 opportunity offering you the unique to also teach abroad.

For further information please contact:

Interested in furthering your knowledge & skill in Yoga?

Then this course may be for you!

Joan McGreevy 087 4130191 Or see our website www.iya.ie

Four-Year, Part-time Course include: Asana, Pranayama, Personal Development, Meditation, Anatomy & Physiology, relaxation, Philosophy, Group Dynamic, Teaching Skills

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Herbals Skin-Solutions SOOTHE YOUR SKIN THIS WINTER.

by Alison McEvoy Originally from New Mexico, Nancy O’Reilly now calls Co. Mayo home. She relocated from San Francisco in 1995, where she met her Irish husband. She has created what she calls the ‘core wardrobe’ of skincare for sensitive skin. Nancy is the owner, founder and formulator of Herbal Earth Skincare.

When Nancy’s mum died abruptly four years ago,she put a tattoo of her mum’s favourite bird, the hummingbird, on her arm. She then decided to put her medical herbalism training to use and create a salve,the Re-leaf Salve, to help it heal. It was a huge success and she went on to make a Natural Deodorant, Talc-Free Powder and a Tension Balm.

After receiving a diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation, she launched her natural skincare range in May. Formulated for sensitive skin, she choose not to include essential oils or potential

“...a unique range... both highly potent and honestly gentle.” irritants such as nut oils and extracts that may contain wheat products. She aims for potency and purity, using generous amounts of prized ingredients such as raw Frankincense and Myrrh resins.

Hers is a unique range in that she makes everything in small batches and it has the qualities of being both highly potent and honestly gentle. Nancy has had early success with both the Re-leaf Salve and her morning serum, Sunrise Antioxidant Serum, being shortlisted for a Europeanwide competition, the FreeFrom Skincare Awards.

Finding Comfort NATURAL RELIEF FOR SKIN.

by Alison McEvoy Natalie Balmond, founder of natural skincare company Balmonds, says that her journey began when her daughter Lula was diagnosed with eczema. “She suffered terribly with it: we went to doctors, we tried cream after cream to help alleviate it, and nothing worked. So I started making my own formula at home, in my kitchen, to help her skin. This involved combining different oils and herbs – just to see what worked – and when it made a noticeable difference to Lula’s skin, I was so relieved.”

Balmonds’ moisturisers are mild, intensively hydrating, non-steroidal and free of preservatives, fragrances and other known irritants. Their key ingredients – beeswax and hemp seed oil – aim to equip the skin with the nutrients it requires to heal itself.

“We hear some heartbreaking stories from people who’ve suffered eczema or other painful conditions for years and years before they found Balmonds – with limited relief – and it can be very traumatising,” Natalie shares. “So we hope

that if more awareness exists around our brand and what we offer, fewer people will suffer in that way.”

While Balmonds’ products hold a massive appeal for customers with skin conditions, they are also a great option for those who simply want a more healthy, natural alternative to many of the mainstream skincare products on the market. We’re huge fans of their Skin Salvation formula, in particular – it’s beautifully moisturising, and deeply nourishes the skin.

Balmonds is available in Down to Earth and Hopsack in Dublin, Nature’s Gold in Greystones, Co. Wicklow and Evergreen in Galway.

You can find her online or at the gorgeous Strandhill People’s Market in Sligo most Sundays. Also, watch out for the introduction of her Patch Test Kit for her skincare products, ingeniously allowing you to test before you buy, or give as a gift to someone to test out first.

herbalearth.ie Facebook: herbal.earth28 Instagram: herbal_earth

“I started making my own formula at home, in my kitchen, to help Lula’s skin … and when it made a noticeable difference, I was so relieved.”

balmonds.co.uk

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music is

the guru

WE TALK TO MITEN.

by Alison McEvoy I spoke to Miten recently from his and Deva’s hotel room in Tallinn, Estonia ahead of their evening concert.

From the company of a folk/rock band to now, the company of his beautiful, mantra singing partner Deva Premal, Miten’s musical path has been a long and winding one. He recently took another curve on this road by re-entering the ‘solo spotlight’ with his new album of transcendental music entitled ‘Devotee’.

Devotee, says Miten, is “a word used for the mysterious – and often misunderstood – relationship between guru and disciple.”

He still speaks passionately about Osho, the guru who led him to a more fulfilling relationship with his ever-living guru – Music: “I see music itself as an alive, living breathing guru, that teaches, challenges, elevates and encourages me to move with gratitude through these final years of my life. The great spirit of Music has been ever-present ever since the dawn of time, and there will be the music of the spheres long after humanity has wiped itself off the face of the earth. Music is the Guru.”

Just last year, Miten had open heart surgery. I could feel how he had become acutely aware of being in the harvest stage of his life; a time to look back, ponder, reflect and be grateful for the life he has

lived, knowing that he is now closer to the end than the beginning. As such, Miten was in reflective mood during our chat. He reminisced about his earlier musical life which he had become disillusioned with, his experience of deep, inner cleansing upon entering Osho’s ashram in Pune where he also met Deva, their early musical wanderings around the world giving small, meditative concerts, to the large audiences they now regularly join with in song and praise.

Miten’s new album has as its touchstone these same monumental, reflective themes such as life and death, love and loss; “The vision was to create a deeper sense of peace through music. Deva and I know that many people use our music to accompany such moments as giving birth to their children or for saying goodbye to loved ones as they take their last breath – this was very much in my mind during the recording of Devotee. So my direction for the musicians: Could you die to this music?”

The album itself has a wandering spirit, roaming in a variety of directions, from the upbeat sounds of reggae, to sensual, tantric sounds. The tracks themselves encourage reflection, surrender, healing and transformation.

“...so my direction for the musicians: Could you die to this music?”

As always, Miten’s music takes us into the vulnerable, defenceless spaces in ourselves - the places where there is the greatest potential for healing and blossoming. This is indeed what devotees are blessed with in the presence of a guru; “The guru is not there to create a fan club, but to help devotees to move beyond their boundaries and into their full potential.”

Music allowed Miten to live into his fullest potential and this is the gift he aims to share with all listeners. You cannot help but feel encompassed by the circle of life on listening to his music. It seems to take you to the centre of yourself, which is at unity with all of life. This is transcendental music, taking us beyond boundaries, home to ourselves and making us feel more at home in the world and lives we live.

For more on Miten see: devapremalmiten.com

New Album

available on DevaPremalMiten.com

“Miten has a vibe like he’s played some of the same local dives as Leonard Cohen and Kris Kristofferson, but he’s also a troubadour who has seen the light.”

[DailyOM]

pos-life-advert01.pdf 1 26/11/2019 17:07:53

Dominican Retreat Centre Retreat space for hire in County Dublin: quiet, peaceful, calm; 18th-century walled garden, and lime garden with labyrinth; free parking; free wi-fi.

Available for residential groups up to 32 bedrooms; packages available; available for individual overnight stays.

Tel: 01-4048189 and 4048123 Eircode D24 KA40 Email: dominicanretreats@gmail.com Websites: www.domrc.com; www.goodnews.ie; www.facebook.com/DominicanRetreatCentre

Orientation January 25 th , 2020 with monthly weekend modules C O U R S E I N F O R M AT I O N

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Yoga Classes open to all levels.

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in numbers STEP INTO TRUTH IN 2020.

POSITIVE NUMBERS

wisdom

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by Jai Kartar Kaur Mohan

The beginning of a new year is a time for re-evaluation and goal setting. It’s a good time to take stock of how you are using your energy. What transformation do you require to get from where you are to the most authentic version of who you are?

To get a clearer picture, let’s contemplate what the years 2019 and 2020 have to offer from a tantric numerology perspective.

The energy of the numbers three and ten have been the dominating energies in 2019. These numbers relate to the Positive Mind and the Radiant Body. The Positive Mind is what we need to overcome obstacles, and to have the willingness and enthusiasm that’s required to step into the unknown. The Radiant Body reflects the radiance of your soul. It lets you use the light of your soul to illuminate yourself and the world around you. The Positive Mind and the Radiant Body, when combined, foster self-belief, self-trust and entitlement. 2019 provided a platform to learn the lessons of courage, positivity and empowerment, in one way or another.

The numbers two and four will dominate in 2020. Both of these numbers relate to aspects of the mind. We needed to harness the Positive Mind in 2019. We need to address the other two aspects of the mind, the Negative and Neutral Minds, in 2020. When all three aspects of the mind are unified, we have the capacity to fully develop thought processes, thereby evolving both individual and collective consciousness.

“Take your place as a human rights advocate, a conscientious consumer or a guardian of this planet. It is time to engage in long term thinking.”

The Negative Mind plays the role of a supporting actor in 2020. It encourages you to be analytical, discerning and cautious. The shadow side of the Negative Mind dwells in fear and indecision.

Alternatively, you can use the light of its discriminating nature to make informed decisions that compel you to take action.

The Negative Mind indicates the need to overcome the inertia and indecision in order to step up to the challenge.

The featured player of 2020 is the number four, relating to the Neutral Mind.

It is aware of the long-term effects of your decisions and takes the repercussions of your actions, or lack of action, into consideration. The Neutral Mind clears karma by understanding the cycles of cause and effect. Its omnipresent nature encourages the expanded consciousness of

‘we’, rather than the limited consciousness of ‘me’.

The Neutral Mind fosters what is known in ancient yogic texts as ‘man’.

Man is the experience of the mind, heart and soul, joined together to create higher consciousness. When the forces of our mightiest tools are united, with the intelligence of the mind, the compassion of the heart and the truth of the soul, we are able to overcome the perils of time and space.

It is time for humankind to take responsibility. We tend defer to authority figures and existing structures to handle the complexities of economic, sociological, and political circumstances. It is time for us to take individual responsibility for our actions. We must consider the effect before we cause it to happen. Take your place as a human rights advocate, a conscientious consumer or a guardian of this planet. It is time to engage in long term thinking, rather than revelling in the distraction of immediate gratification.

2019 has encouraged you step into your personal power and truth. 2020 is all about exercising it for the greater good.

Jai Kartar Kaur Mohan is a Kundalini yoga teacher, Kundalini yoga teacher trainer, yogic numerologist and Naad yoga specialist.

wellwithin.ie

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POSITIVE THER APY

yoga

is harmony WE TALK TO MAUREEN NIGHTINGALE OF YTI.

by Aisling Cronin

The ancient practice of yoga has gained immense popularity in Ireland in recent years, as more and more people are flocking to this modality to improve their wellness and state of mind. Maureen Nightingale, founding member of Yoga Therapy Ireland (YTI), has welcomed this surge of interest. As a practising yoga teacher for over twenty years, she is passionate about yoga’s therapeutic and spiritual benefits.

“To me, yoga has always been about deepening the mind-body-spirit connection,” she explained during a conversation I had with her. “There has been a lot of buzz in the health community in recent years about the mind-body connection, and the influence that emotions such as stress can have on our physical bodies. Where I think yoga excels is in the fact that it brings all three things together. It soothes the body, it calms the mind … then there is a very strong spiritual aspect to it as well. Yoga, ultimately, is a practice that brings about a sense of balance between all aspects of yourself.”

This ethos of promoting physical, mental and spiritual harmony has always been at the heart of YTI’s work.

The organisation will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary on February 1st, 2020. Since its inception, Maureen says the biggest change she has noticed is

60

the prevailing public perception of yoga.

“Yoga, for me, is a practice that lies beyond religion and human dogma, though it did arise from the spiritual traditions of India,” she says. “Yoga is a practice that – when carried out regularly – has the potential to align us with the most authentic versions of who we are, regardless of your own personal religious faith, or indeed, lack thereof.”

“Yoga, ultimately, is a practice that brings about a sense of balance between all aspects of yourself.”

Yoga Therapy Ireland (YTI) provides specialist yoga courses that offer flexible training models, as well as an excellent Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for graduates. One of Maureen’s greatest joys during her time with YTI has been witnessing the personal and professional transformations that students and graduates have experienced through their training.

The extensive range of programmes on offer includes: a 6 month Foundation Course, 2 Year Teacher Training Diploma Course, Advanced Teaching Skills and Therapeutic Yoga, Yoga for Pregnancy,

Post Natal/Mum and Baby Yoga training, Yoga for Children, Yoga for Teens, Yoga for Special Needs, Yoga for Sports and Restorative Yoga training.

In addition to their 500-hour yoga teacher training qualification – which is internationally recognised by the Yoga Alliance (YA) – YTI also offers a postgraduate course with a focus on the therapeutic aspects of yoga.

YTI also takes part in the Irish celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21st each year. This date was set aside to honour yoga’s contribution to modern society by the UN in 2015, and it has been marked every year since then. “It’s a wonderful way to recognise the positive, powerful impact that yoga has had on so many people’s lives,” Maureen remarks, “and the fact that it has become an international celebration feels wonderful to me. YTI representatives have had the great honour of being invited to Áras an Uachtaráin to mark this amazing day.”

Over the years, YTI has remained committed to its central goal of furthering awareness of the therapeutic benefits of yoga, and its ability to serve as a powerful tool for furthering personal and spiritual growth.

yogatherapyireland.com (01) 235 2120

MACHA YOGA

I Am Victory!!!

with Alice Vignoles

Align yourself with your frequency of Success

Feb 22nd and 23rd @ the Marino Institute Dublin The quality of success has a certain rhythmic pulsation. When this pattern is present in the electromagnetic field (Aura) you will be aligned to the frequency of success. Success will flow freely as you find yourself in balance and flow with the cycles of opportunity and good fortune.

Join us for this rare opportunity to practice with Guru Dharam Singh in Ireland. Guru Dharam studied yoga under the guidance of Yogi Bhajan, the master of kundalini yoga and has been teaching since 1980. He has a wealth of knowledge and a quality of teaching that’s really worth experiencing.

Following the event Siri Akal will celebrate the launch of her 2nd album with a live concert @ 6pm. You can avail of a special discount when booking both. Full details on

www.thekundalinirevolution.com

Yoga, Lifestyle & Natural Health Alignment In this transformative women's health series, let us help you maximise your natural wellbeing, happiness and creativity by working with the natural cycles and needs of your body and mind.

Join online any time at machayoga.com/full-circle Or in person at Macha Yoga Studio, Bray, Co. Wicklow from January 2020 contact@machayoga.com

POSITI V E A STROLOGY

62

what does your

venus say about you?

ON LOVE, ROMANCE AND BEAUTY.

by Calodagh McCumiskey

Each planet has a different role and rules various aspects of our lives in Vedic Astrology.

The moon governs your emotions and inner world. Mercury rules communications, and Mars represents our base chakra and basic instincts, including sexual impulses. Venus is in charge when it comes to love, marriage and romance and rules the zodiac signs of Taurus and Libra.

Astrologically, Venus shows us what we want from our partners so we can feel loved. It also shows us how we like to spend our money and what we enjoy in terms of comfort, food and the arts. Ultimately, the position of Venus in your chart shows what you value, find beautiful, and take pleasure from, as well as your sense of aesthetics.

Venus, a benefic planet, is the brightest planet in the sky and is visible throughout most of the year. The Romans named the planet Venus after their Goddess of love, beauty, and money.

Indeed, Venus isn’t always practical. It shows us our ideal of love and beauty.

Venus wants us to enjoy excitement and romance – but as it doesn’t always distinguish between what we need and what we desire. It doesn’t necessarily steer us towards what is workable in real life. Rather, because Venus loves to be adored and the centre of attention it may push us to pursue pleasures that are not sustainable.

The placement of Venus in the various houses and signs gives us deeper insights.

The house Venus is placed in shows the areas of life we seek to balance and take pleasure from. If Venus is placed in the 9th house in your birth chart, it means you will love to study and travel. Venus in the 4th house indicates you will derive pleasure from looking after your home.

As well as the house Venus is in, the sign in which it is placed and the other planets it connects with through aspects or conjunction, also give insights into what Venus wants and what we love.

“The position of Venus in your chart shows what you value, find beautiful, and take pleasure from.”

Venus in the signs Venus in the competitive sign of Aries loves the chase in romance. Venus in Taurus wants to satisfy all five senses.

Venus in Gemini loves to talk and connect. Venus in Cancer is looking for trust, loyalty and security from their relationship. Venus in Leo makes for a true romantic and loves to cherish

their partner. Virgo Venus loves to be thoughtful and serve.

Libra Venus loves balance, style and likes things to look good! Scorpio Venus likes mystery and an element of danger.

Sagittarius Venus loves adventure, travel and laughter. Capricorn Venus thrives on power dynamics and role play. Aquarius Venus loves a rebel and free spirit. Venus is at its happiest in Pisces and is deeply romantic, spiritual and mystical.

Ultimately, Venus is trying to show us that we deserve love and enjoyment. It is important, however, for us to balance this with other practical considerations, that we can understand through the other planets, so we can live a life that brings worldly enjoyment. A life that is sustainable whilst enabling us to fulfil other responsibilities and realise our potential.

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

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