And it’s a story that Elizabeth Hughes knows only too well having suffered a chronic neck condition that opened her up to a journey that altered her perspective forever, encouraging her to move half way across the world in the process. “It was 1994, I was living in the UK, and I was enduring constant neck pain. However, no matter where I went for treatment, nothing helped,” explains Elizabeth. “After seeing various physical therapists and undergoing massage and manipulation without effect, I finally decided to see a kinesiologist. This involved monitoring my muscle responses to ascertain whether my energy was in balance or not. “It was during this session, that my mind was cracked open. I was told that while my neck hurt, there was in fact nothing physically wrong with it, but that the pain I was experiencing was emotional in origin. I was given a flower essence to help my body heal, and within one hour, my neck pain was gone. I couldn’t believe it! I refused to leave the kinesiologist’s office until she had told me how she had known this, and I then enrolled on a diploma in kinesiology! It marked the beginning of a whole new chapter in my life and was a massive awakening for me.” Having taken a very science-based approach to health up until this point having achieved an honours degree in psychology and education, something shifted in Elizabeth that was never to shift back. Elizabeth’s world, as she had known it, had turned on its axis, and suddenly life looked different. Amazed at her experience, she couldn’t wait to help others in a similar manner. “I wanted to educate and empower people to listen to their bodies and to trust themselves more so that they could take responsibility for their own health in a way that I had been shown,” explains Elizabeth. Setting to work, Elizabeth wasted no time completing her diploma, ultimately going on to attain further qualifications in reflexology, nutrition, cranio-sacral therapy, aromatic medicine and biotyping, becoming an Advanced Australian Bush Flower Practitioner, in addition. As the go-to professional for natural healing, Elizabeth surged forward on her quest to bring kinesiology into mainstream consciousness, but it wasn’t long before she found herself craving a louder voice and a better place to help spread the kinesiology word even further. “As a family, we had been on holiday to Noosa, and had fallen in love with the laid back community, the blue skies and the perfect sand. It was clear the area attracted healers and artists from all over the world, so when we realised we were eligible to have visas to live here, we jumped at the opportunity to relocate. “At roughly the same time, I also came to realise
that I could only do so much working one-to-one in clinic. I was receiving phone calls from people asking if I could do kinesiology workshops in their area, and demand was high. And so my first book evolved, ‘Your Body Has The Answer – A Guide to Self-Testing with Kinesiology’. This was my way of helping as many people as possible find the answers they had been looking for.” Enjoying a hugely successful response to her book, Elizabeth was heartened that her message was finally out there in the wider public domain, but what happened next was something of a surprise. “From the success of the book, I started receiving emails asking whether the techniques contained within it could be applied to children. It was then that I realised that my writing was in fact unfinished, and that another book to help families understand and utilise natural healing methods was necessary. As a result, the idea for ‘Your Child’s Body Has The Answer – A Guide to Testing Your Child with Kinesiology’ was born, finally being released this month.” As author, accredited teacher (Elizabeth currently teaches the diploma in kinesiology through the registered training organisation, Aminya Academy of Natural Therapies), and director of her own thriving Coastal practice (with clients based all over Australia), Elizabeth has certainly embraced her mission to educate and heal, and credits Noosa with providing her and her family with the ability to do this. “Moving to Noosa from London helped me achieve my goals as the people here are so much more open-minded and aligned with my philosophies. Everyone loves an outdoor lifestyle and values their health, so I fit in perfectly! “As a family, we enjoy good health, amazing food, great education and wonderful opportunities in one of the most beautiful places on the planet! Some days, I go from presenting on stage to ironing school shirts (for teenage sons Harry and Stanley), but I wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s a juggle being a working mum – we have to be chefs, teachers, nurses, chauffeurs AND also meet our work commitments – but my husband and I work together as a team in order to make it happen. Understanding that each new day is filled with unlimited potential and new possibility gets me out of bed each morning. The early death of my mother taught me that.”
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And Elizabeth’s message to others? “Live abundantly on all levels and listen to your body and trust it. Every symptom you have is a message from your body. Know that it is communicating with you, and if you can understand the message, you can help yourself heal.”
Health tip: SO WHAT IS KINESIOLOGY? “Kinesiology involves monitoring muscle responses to ascertain whether energy is in balance,” explains Elizabeth.“It is based on the principles that muscles and organs are connected to meridian energy lines, and to stay healthy this energy must be able to flow freely through those channels. It is like a combination of traditional Chinese medicine and chiropractic muscle testing techniques. It is also one of the only modalities that can be called ‘holistic’ as it takes into account the mental, emotional, physical, chemical and energetic parts of us. With kinesiology, every treatment is unique as it gets to the root cause of a symptom. Kinesiology reveals the cause of the symptom and the best possible treatment for it.”
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