Friday ramblings

Just a short and obscure blog this week.

Initially I thought about discussing aesthetics; specifically those relating to human beauty.  You see, sometimes I am guilty of not noticing when someone has a new hair style or has lost a few pounds.  I don’t believe I’m being ignorant but I notice people as a whole – not just their body and image but their soul.

For example, as a child I had a crush on a high school teacher.  This teacher certainly didn’t fill the category of what most teenagers called attractive but his personality shone through.  I saw the teacher holistically. 

In TV programmes, I tend to admire, respect and am attracted to those characters who appear wise, kind, humorous and caring.  My home-made pin-up calendar at work (don’t ask why!!) raised a few eyebrows.  Not because of their body or good looks, entirely the opposite. 

Perhaps this is why I enjoy holistic therapies.  I look at the person as a whole; not just the physical but the spiritual and emotional.

Any guilty crushes you’d like to admit?

As always, thank you for reading this blog.  If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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"Client Testimonial"

Something slightly different this week.  I was delighted to receive an amazing testimonial from one of my clients and would like to share it with you.  I hope this gives you a personal insight into the therapies I offer, with the aim of helping you feel great. 

"I have known Heather initially as a work colleague and then as a friend since 1998.  She is an unassuming, upbeat person who always has a smile on her face.  Whilst she works in I.T., Heather is in tune with her spiritual side and always displays a positive outlook on life and it was probably this, her strength of mind and determination that helped her beat breast cancer 9 years ago.  She fully researched a healthy lifestyle which included Reiki amongst other things and it was at this stage that she found her niche in life and now helps other cancer patients through Coping with Cancer. 

My first treatment with Heather was a Reiki session and whilst I wouldn’t say I’m a sceptic, I was unaware what to expect and what the health benefits were.  I can only say that the session changed everything for me.  It gives me a chance to escape from the stresses and strains of every day life and I’m often known to fall asleep during the treatment!  I have also experienced some unique sensations which I won’t detail as they can be different from person to person (and not always experienced) but are nonetheless quite amazing.

Having been bitten by the bug I then booked in for an Indian head massage. I had had these before at beauty parlours and felt as if I’d just been slapped around the head. But Heather’s treatment is so much more and includes face and neck massage but for me, the best bit is the relieving of knots in my back and shoulder muscles – bliss!  

As Heather is always looking to continually expand her knowledge, she has also added organic facials and full body massage to her many talents (all self funded).  What can I say on both counts?  Superb!  I hate it when the facial comes to an end and whilst I cannot usually stand having my feet touched, this wasn’t a problem at all during the full body massage - I loved it as Heather was gentle but not to the point where my feet felt tickled.

Heather always greets you with a warm welcome and is very thorough at the beginning of all sessions to assess your current health and any problems since previous treatments.  I cannot decide which is my favourite treatment as they are all fab and choose them depending on how I feel – if I am particularly stressed, I will have Reiki; if I have a big night out coming up I will opt for the organic facial.  Treatment usually ends with a glass of water and I always leave with a feeling of euphoria and looking forward to next time.  I can highly recommend Heather and any of her treatments – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

My new crystal

I was drawn to a new crystal whilst away. It's beautiful creamy colour reminded me of dream clouds and intrigued I purchased the crystal (which I now know to be Selenite) and researched it's attributes.

Selenite is named after Selene, Greek goddess of the Moon because of its moon-like glow.  It is a crystallized form of gypsum and linked to the astrological sign of Taurus.

The Book of Stones describes Selenite as a spiritual activation crystal with links to the crown chakra. The Power of Crystals book suggests Selenite is an excellent tool for meditation; "simply rub while in a meditative state and take note of any visual images or symbols that may appear".  However, The Crystal Healer book suggests the healing qualities of longevity, helps with wrinkles, age spots and skin problems.

I prefer to use my own intuition when using a new crystal. Therefore, I have decided to meditate with this new crystal and ask what attributes or properties this crystal holds for me.  I must admit I felt superbly relaxed and peaceful (more than usual) whilst meditating with this crystal.  I also had ‘visions’ of delicate, white glittery wings which belonged to an angel.  I’ve also been carrying this crystal around with for the last couple of days and my (ever present) temper seems to have been soothed and I’ve purposely put myself first.  After all, if I’m not at my peak, I cannot support my family, friends and clients.  I’m really loving this crystal and I envisage I will be using this crystal rather a lot in the future.

Please be aware that Selenite is a 'soft' crystal and should not be cleansed using water or used in a direct method for creating an elixir.

As always, thanks for reading and any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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Quick disclaimer; I am not a medical practitioner so therefore I’m not prescribing.  All of my blog posts are based on complementary therapies and not as a replacement for conventional medicine. 

Some of the information provided in this post has been taken from :-
The Power of Crystals by Denise Whitchello Brown ISBN 1-85605-637-6

The Crystal Healer by Philip Permutt ISN 978-1-904991-62-5

The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian ISBN 978-0-9621910-3-9

Heeding my own advice

I want to talk about how I'm currently mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally flat. I’ve not been heeding my own advice and have been working with very little rest and recuperation. I’ve been literally juggling far too many proverbial balls! However, next week I have booked a week off work. I am looking forward to spending more time with my boys and taking in plenty of fresh air. Spending time out in nature, meditating and recharging my battery. Divine intervention knew I was just reaching overload capacity as luckily I have not been too busy this week.

Just to prompt me further, I received a beautiful vlog email entitled taking a Spiritual vacation. Having watched this You Tube vlog, I’m heeding Gabrielle's advice. This also reminded me of a programme as I was drawn to a while back on BBC2. It was entitled the Big Silence and I was captivated by the programme and ordered the booklet to follow the ideas through. However, my spiritual practice had been waning recently so last night, I found the booklet and had a quick revision session. The boys were in bed, candles were lit and I just spent some time in silent meditation. Needless to say, I slept much better last night and feel much perkier this morning.

Have a great Easter everyone, as always, please post your comments below.

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How holistics can help with stress

Aromatherapy, Reiki, Indian Head Massage and hot stone massage are some of the range of treatments which can be classed as Holistic therapies. Holistic therapy treats the person as a whole, no matter what the complaint. You may start your treatment because of back ache, insomnia or even acne and the holistic therapy can help treat issues you don’t even realise are there.

Holistic therapies are often based on ancient therapies, where wisdom realised there is not just your physical health but also your mental health to balance and care for. Any imbalance between your physical, mental, spiritual or emotional can surface as an illness or physical issue. Modern medicine is beginning to realise the link between stress and illness. It then follows if you can reduce your levels of stress, hopefully your health with improve.

Spending as little as 30 minutes being pampered sends a message to your subconscious that you are worthy of only the best and deserve this special time to relax and unwind. To quote the L'Oréal adverts “because I’m worth it”.

What holistic therapies have you tried? What holistic therapies would you like to try? I’d love to try a hot stone massage . . .

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What is Reiki?

Last week I discussed why I was initially drawn to Reiki but what is Reiki (pronounced Ray-kee)?

The word Reiki translates from the original Japanese meaning spiritual/Universal energy. Eastern medicine has always recognised and worked with this energy, which flows through all living things and is vital to well-being. Known as ‘ki’ in Japan, ‘chi’ in China and ‘prana’ in India and the practices of Acupuncture, T’ai chi and Yoga are also based on the free-flow of this energy in a person. The system of Reiki was developed by a gentleman called Mikao Usui in the early 1900’s. I think Reiki can sound confusing and very hippy and this can put people off just trying Reiki.

In basic terms, a Reiki practitioner asks the recipient to sit or lie somewhere comfortably. The Reiki practitioner then places their hands on or just above various areas of the recipient’s body. Reiki is activated by intention and addresses physical, emotional, spiritual and mental imbalances. The recipient’s physical, emotional and spiritual systems responds by moving toward balance. This response is typically experienced as relaxation. Whilst in this state of relaxation, your body starts to heal and balance itself. The Reiki Practitioner is not the healer; your body uses the Reiki Practitioner as a channel to this spiritual/universal energy.

There are 5 reiki precepts which everyone could bring into their daily life and the five I like to work with daily are:-

Just for today do not worry
Just for today do not anger
Respect every living thing
Honour your parents, teachers and elders
Earn your living honestly

I meditate on these 5 precepts twice daily and they are in the front of my Filofax as a constant reminder.

Do you have any questions about Reiki? Ask me below and I will try and answer them for you.

Why not give Reiki a try? What have you got to loose?

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Winter review

OK so I know we are all busy in the run up to Christmas but my next blow post isn’t due until Friday 30th December (I try and publish a blog post every Friday) and I wanted to give you all something to think about between Christmas and New Year.

Now is an ideal time to look back and review.

According to some calendars, yesterday (21st December) was the Winter Solstice. However technically, the shortest day this year falls on the 22nd December. See here for some further details:- http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-solstice-on-december-21 I found this fascinating and enlightening. For me, I can now start to celebrate the start of longer, lighter days. It is also a reminder for me to spend some time in the sun, even 10 minutes during my lunch break and I feel much happier.

I have a routine where I look at my tasks, to-do’s which have been written in my Filofax. This happens weekly, monthly and yearly and I carry forward what hasn’t been completed, what needs to be updated and what no longer applies.

Also remember to look back and review the last year on how you have grown emotionally and spiritually. Reviews also include what didn’t work, how can this be improved?

How about keeping a notepad around during the excitement of Christmas of present wrapping on Christmas morning and writing down who received what present so you can write thank you notes. Did you receive any thank you notes last year and if so, how did they make you feel. I love receiving thank you notes (especially hand written ones) so I hope the recipients of my notes get that same feeling.

Thank you for reading my blog. Wishing you all a wonderful and peaceful Christmas.

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