Keeping Mind, Body & Spirit together in times of extremes
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February 08, 2009 |
How many of you in the Southern Hemisphere e.g. Australia are struggling with the exceptionally hot weather we have been experienceing. Conversely in the Northern Hemisphere. London and southern England have experienced their highest snow falls for twenty years.
These picture were taken by an unknown photographer and circulated via email after Adelaide's 5 days of temperatures around 45C. The Koala first of all stuck it's paw into check the temperature then took a drink and then decided to go the whole way. For those of you who are unaware Koalas rarely drink  water as they get moisture from the eucalyptus leaves they eat. Perhaps we could take a lead from Australia's national icon to cope with the hot weather. I can see a demand for new products on the horizon - waterproof laptops so that you can sit in a cold bath and work in the hot weather or a hot bath to keep warm in the cold weather.
Labels: body and spirit, Koala, mind, Temperature extremes |
posted by Akaelah @ 12:13 PM   |
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Healthy Maintenance of the Soul
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January 02, 2009 |
Just as the physical body requires exercise, nourishment and nurturing it is arguably even more important to take good care of the soul.
What nurtures your soul?
Without doubt developing a regular (at least daily & preferably twice daily) practice of meditation is a foundation to attending to the needs of the soul. Spending 20 to 30 minutes morning and night in meditation brings both physical and spiritual benefits. Proven physical benefits include general relaxation, lower blood pressure and better quality sleep. Spiritual benefits include greater clarity, joy, a sense of peace, inspiration, greater awareness of self and others and development of intuition.
Enhancing spiritual knowledge through self reflection, reading, meditation and prayer also supports the soul. Uplifting music such as relaxation & meditation music, the classics, songs & hymns with positive and uplifting messages and drumming are great ways to nurture the soul. A particular favourite of mine is "You raise me up".
A healthy and balanced lfestyle not only supports the physical body but also the soul and vice versa. Healthy eating, regular exercise in the fresh air and time out in nature all nurture the soul as well as the physical body.
Some traditions see summer as being represented by the Archetype of the Healer. Perhaps now is the time to set the intention to nurture the soul at the same time as healing the physical body.Labels: Healing, lifestyle, meditation, Soul Care, spiritual |
| posted by Akaelah @ 12:22 PM |
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Beautiful Location to nurture your soul
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November 19, 2008 |
Modelled on the English country estate homes, Satori Springs, at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands of NSW offers a beautiful location for exploring the Southern Highlands or to settle back and allow Julie & Grant, their dogs Billy & Misha and their staff to offer unobtrusive loving hospitality.
The newly completed luxury home is situated at the highest point on the property and is watched over by the Angel Satori, sculpted by a local artist, Jenny.
Julie & Grant run four retreats per year, offering a choice of therapies including massage, auric healing and reflexology, readings and workshops and lots of free time to read, go for a walk or swim in the indoor pool. There is a well equipped art studio where you can release your creative talents. During a recent retreat, Jenny nurtured budding artists to create a mandala. The group work is pictured to the right.
There was the opportunity to start the day with yoga & meditation, try out our singing voices or dancing skills. The weekend ended with a fun and energising drum workshop with Julie leading us to explore our untapped musical abilities.
The retreat was fully catered, with delicious home cooked vegetarian meals. Satori Springs also offers "hotel" style accommodation, cabins and bunkhouses and can accommodate up to 32 people.
For more information visit www.satorisprings.com.au  Labels: luxury accommodation, meditation, Retreat centre, Southern Highlands, yoga |
| posted by Akaelah @ 2:55 PM |
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The duality of time
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November 03, 2008 |
Like many languages, the ancient Greeks had two names for time which reflect and describe the dual nature of time.
Chronos is the time under which we operate in the modern world consisting of deadlines, Blackberries, clocks and watches, diaries, planners, calendars and schedules. Chronos is often about rush, busyness, and hurried snatched moments with family and friends. It is about cramming as much into ever moment of our day.
Kairos on the other hand is about being present in the moment. It is the moments of joy, connection to our inner selves and spirit, stillness, and living in tune with our soul. Kairos reflects the sacred, transcendence and infinity. We experience Kairos when we are totally absorbed in what we are doing to the point of being the experience:- listeninng to classical music; meditating or praying; delight at the butterfly exploring the flowers in your garden; reflecting on your life while being in nature. Our soul longs for Kairos as that is when we experience the moment of connection with our divine spark within. Kairos requires us to slow down so that we can experience the moment fully and move from Chronos (doing) to Kairos (being)
Reference: "Simple Abundance - A Day book of Comfort & Joy", Sarah Ban Breatnach, 1995.
A Transformational Life Coach can help you find the balance between Chronos & Kairos in your life. For more information: http://www.akaelah.com/ChangeManagement.htmLabels: being, Chronos, doing, Duality Of Time, here and now, in the moment, Kairos |
| posted by Akaelah @ 9:36 PM |
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Self Destructive Beliefs
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November 02, 2008 |
Each of us has our own set of attitudes, beliefs & thoughts that have evolved from our own personal journey. Some of these originate from our childhood and as adults may no longer serve us. They may at a minimum be unhelpful and some may actually be self-destructive.
On our journey of self-discovery and self-awareness it is useful to reexamine our attitudes, beliefs and thoughts to ensure they are not sabotaging our ability to achieve our goals and dreams. David & Kathy Geldard in "Basic Counselling" refer to two categories of self-destructive beliefs:
- 'should', 'must', 'ought & 'have to' beliefs
- irrational beliefs.
We often use words such as "I must", "I have to, "I should" and so forth. At times when we use these words we may have chosen to do something and our body language and tone of voice reflects that we are enthusiastic about it. However, at other times they are clearly learned responses, behaviours, attitudes & beliefs and if we do not follow through on these "shoulds" we feel as though we have let someone down & feel guilty.
Irrational beliefs may include should, ought to, must & have to words but this is not always the case. Some examples of irrational beliefs include:
- He/she makes me angry
- Alternative:- I make myself angry by how I respond to an others actions
- I must live up to other people's expectations
- Alternative:- I am OK even if I do not live up to other people's expectations
- My happiness depends on other people's behaviour & attitudes
- Alternative:- I am responsible for my own happiness
A Transformational Life Coach supports you, the client, to explore thoughts, attitudes & beliefs that no longer serve you and may be preventing you from achieving your goals and dreams. By gently challenging these destructive beliefs the coach can support you to choose new beliefs that are more closely aligned to your current situation. However, as always, it is your choice to let go of self-destructive beliefs and your coach will respect your choices.
Reference: "Basic Personal Counselling - a training manual for counsellors.", David & Kathryn Geldard, 4th Edition, 2001, p 158-165
Transformational Life Coaching http://www.akaelah.com/ChangeManagement.htmLabels: Change Management, Coaching, Irrational beliefs, Self Destructive Beliefs, Transformational Coaching |
| posted by Akaelah @ 12:44 PM |
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The Power of Meditation
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October 07, 2008 |
Meditation has been practised in some form for around 5000 years, often as a part of religious practice. In more recent times meditation has been adopted by many as part of a spiritual practice outside of its traditional religious framework.
Tai chi is considered to be a moving meditation. The effects of meditation, particularly Transcendental Meditation, have been well researched. Even its simplest form of sitting quietly with eyes closed, focusing on the in breath and the out breath has been proven to have significant beneficial effects.
These benefits include: deep relaxation, a decrease in blood pressure, greater self-awareness, connection to one's own inner wisdom, better problem solving skills, increased patience and tolerance and a range of physiological and metabolic effects as outlined in the literature survey by Alberto Perez-De-Albeniz and Jeremy Holmes in their article titled, "Meditation: concepts, effects and uses in therapy"published in the International Journal of Psychotherapy, Mar2000, Vol. 5 Issue 1, p49, 10p. There is a lengthy article on the Wikipedia website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation
My favourite and often very deep meditations have taken place out in nature. There seems to be an added dimension when I have fresh air to breathe and the sounds of nature as my background "music". Meditation can be practised anywhere, even while you are walking. The main objective is to remain in the here and now, bringing the focus back to your breath each time your mind wanders into a runaway train of thoughts.
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| posted by Akaelah @ 8:06 PM |
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Affirmations - Words of inspiration
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October 06, 2008 |
Affirmations are short positively framed statements that can help us to reprogramme our subconcious mind to create a paradigm shift in our thinking and ultimately our life.
Some of my favourite affirmations are :
" Being in nature gives me fresh energy"
"Spirit provides me with every blessing in abundance"
"Financial freedom is my destiny"
A couple of great sources of affirmations include:
"You can heal your life" by Loiuse Hay
and some of the books written by Dr John F. Demartini including:
"How to make one Hell of a Profit and still go to Heaven"Labels: Affirmations, Inspiration, meditation |
| posted by Akaelah @ 7:54 PM |
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