Take Action - any Action

I learned a lesson today that we all need to learn regularly. I seem to at least.
A wise person once said "If you do nothing, nothing will happen". It seems obvious and innocuous but there's truth and sadness in those wise words.
You see, we are all hesitant about taking steps into the unknown. We fear rejection so we don't make that important call. We think people will laugh at us or think we are stupid so we don't agree to do that talk for the community group. We think we are better off doing nothing - you can't get burnt if you don't play with fire.
But life can pass us by and opportunities can be missed or lost due to our inaction.
I made some long-dreaded phone calls this morning and I didn't get any negative feedback - a few voice mails but the rest were really polite and one may lead to a new opportunity to expand my business.
It's amazing how much my mood improved from those simple phone conversations - most of that due to a boost in my self-confidence.
Yesterday I went and did some volunteer treatments for a charity and got some lovely positive feedback from some very deserving people. I met some fellow therapists and had some interesting conversations as well as getting some great ideas - women gain wisdom from interacting with others and I need all the wisdom I can get.
I think we all do and we all need to move forward in life or we risk being left alone and forgotten. So call that friend and invite her to meet you for coffee or make that job call or hair appointment. You will be surprised at how much better a bit of pro-active behaviour makes you feel.
There is another old saying that says "no effort is wasted". Even if the action you take seems to be fruitless at the time, it may pay off in the long run. That person you spent the time talking to may mention your name to someone else who can offer you what you want. That casual phone call may give you a piece of information that later helps you in some other endeavour. You may simply help someone else to feel better about themselves and that is always worthwhile. We live in a community and we need to make sure we include ourselves in it whenever we can - it what keeps us sane and makes us human.

The Water Cure

I have added Dr Batmanghelidj's website - The Water Cure - to my list of favourite sites. I recomend you check them all out as they have a wealth of information about health and nutrition.
Dr B. - who unfortunately has passed away from old age was an inspired doctor who questioned the traditional medical teachings as he had discovered that most illness and pain in the body is directly caused by dehydration. His most famous book is called "Your Body's Many Cries for Water".
During a lifetime of dedicated research, Dr B. found that most illness and pain could be easily cured by drinking adequate amounts of pure water. It seems so simple, yet many of us spend a fortune medicating ourselves with drugs that will actually cause more harm than good over our lifetime. If we simply drank 2 litres of water each day - more if we sweat a lot through exercise or hot weather, we would feel so much healthier and require no further medication.
Of course, this assumes that we will also adopt a healthy diet and exercise routine. It also assumes that our pain is not caused by some trauma such as an accident or some genetic factor. Even these causes of pain will benefit from an adequate water intake - everyone can benefit - that is Dr B's message.

February 2011 Newsletter

Welcome clients to my February 2011 newsletter.
If you don't want to receive these newsletters, please send me an email and I'll take you off my list.

Feel free to forward this email on to friends and family that you think may find it interesting.


I HOPE THE NEW YEAR STARTED OUT WELL FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES

Our country has certainly been battered, flooded and burnt in the last month. We have friends in Brisbane who suffered in the recent floods and are now struggling to start the slow rebuild.
We can all help in some way and I'm sure you all have done what you can. Supporting each other in times of need is part of the Australian spirit that we are all proud of and it's in times like these that we really appreciate it.
Another interesting point that has come out of all this natural tragedy is that people feel better about themselves when they are helping others. The stories that touched me most were of complete strangers lending a hand to
people they didn't know and getting more out of it than they felt they were giving.



TIP OF THE MONTH - TAKING THE TIME TO BE GROUNDED BEFORE TAKING ON A CHALLENGE HELPS YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL

I recently attended an introductory day on "Healing Touch". We learned some lovely meditations to help us "ground" ourselves before treating a client.
If you visit my blog (link below), I have written one of them out (to the best of my memory) that I have found to be most useful in calming and helping to clear the mind - great when you are trying to get to sleep too!
I also learnt a couple of "healing touch" techniques which I have already used successfully on several clients.

Healing Touch is a very gentle energy-based modality originally started by nurses.
Many nurses use it throughout the world to help with the healing of their patients and many other practitioners have also learnt the benefits of energy work in their practices.
My favorite healing touch is the mind clearing moves - so soothing and they really do help to clear your mind and help you reach a state of peace and harmony.


BOOK REVIEW - GREAT EXPECTATIONS

My book of the month is "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens.
I know this isn't a health book but bear with me on this - I think it has some important messages that can be applied to your health and wellbeing.

Most of you are probably already familiar with the story of Pip - an orphan who is "brought up by hand" by his nasty sister and her simple husband Joe.
A chance meeting with a convict changes Pip's future "expectations" from those of a poor blacksmith to those of a gentleman with property.
Of course, Pip doesn't find out who his benefactor is until well into the story by which time his expectations take a turn for the worse.
Pip then realises how badly he has treated poor Joe - who really loved him and only ever wanted the best for him.
Pip learns that he has to be the master of his destiny - not rely on others to do it for him.

We are all born with "great expectations". Our parents want the best for us and hope that we will lead a long, happy and healthy life.
But along the way, life has a habit of changing things. We don't always have people guiding us with the best of intentions.
Illness and accidents can impact our health and we can be subject to financial and relationship pressures that all effect us in some way.

How we cope with all these unforeseen events is up to us. We can look at life from a "glass half empty" or "glass half full" point of view.
We all have to learn that our destiny is really up to us and the decisions we make can change our "expectations" from bad to good or vice versa.

From a health perspective there is a lot we can do to improve our health "expectations".
Many people wait for illness to strike then allow others to take charge of their health.
They take pills and agree to treatments without questioning alternatives. Often traditional medicine focuses on the "quick fix" and neglects the cause of an illness.
Holistic medicine (of which Bowen therapy is a part) always considers the whole body and looks for causes for illness.
It also requires patients to take a proactive part in their own health and wellbeing.

So what can we do to give us the best health "expectations"?
The foods we choose to eat, what exercise we choose to do and whether we smoke or drink - it's all up to us.
None of us can change what's happened in the past but the future is really up to us and making the most of life is what it's all about.


REGULAR TREATMENTS CAN HELP YOU COPE WITH LIFE'S CHALLENGES

We all need a helping hand from time to time and regular treatments are important to not only maintain balance and health but to help you cope with life's challenges.


MORE INFORMATION ON MY WEBSITE AND BLOG SITE

Prior newsletters are available and you can also check out updates and detailed articles on my blog site at http://bowentherapytips.blogspot.com/

If you would like to see more information about Bowen Therapy, you might like to check out my web page on the
Natural Therapy Pages at http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/therapist/25736


Best wishes to you and your families,

Carolyn.

Harnessing Energy

I went to an interesting seminar day last Saturday which was run by the lovely people who run "Healing Touch" courses.
Healing Touch teaches carers how to harness universal energy to help clients balance their energy systems, thus helping them to heal.
It is a holistic therapy that began in the nursing profession but is now available for anyone to learn.
During the introductory day we learned about the course and also learned a couple of techniques that anyone could use for themselves or to help others.
I learnt some lovely "mind-clearing" moves which I have already used to help clients relax and de-stress.
What I want to share with you is a lovely meditation which I will try to recount. You can use this at any time when you need to de-stress or to "ground" yourself before you meet some challange in life or simply to clear your mind so that you can sleep at night.
I like to do it before treating a client so that I am "in the moment" and my mind is totally focussed on my client's needs instead of tonight's dinner or the chores waiting to be done.
If you like this meditation, read it to friends and family so they can use its calming energy too.

Meditation: You are standing on a hill with your feet planted shoulder-width apart. There is a gentle breeze bringing fresh, clean air and the sun is warm on your skin.
Focus on your feet - feel their weight pressing into the soft, cool grass.
Your shoulders and brow are relaxed and you are breathing easily. With every out-breath release any tension and pain you have. With every in-breath absorb positive energy and love from the universe.
Breath in positivity and love, breath out negativity and pain.
As you stand there, you notice seven steps heading down the hill.
You walk down the steps, counting from one to seven as you go.
At the bottom of the steps is a sandy path.
You walk along the path - the sand is white and soft under your feet.
You come to a wooden gate and open it to reveal the most beautiful garden you have ever seen.
As you enter the garden you look around and see flowers of every type and colour. Humming birds hover around flowers, bees buz lazily and birds chirp in nearby trees.
Butterflies flutter about seeking nectar from the sweet-smelling flowers and herbs.
In the centre of the garden is a soft grassy lawn with a bench seat.
You sit on the bench and drink in the pleasure of the garden surrounding you.
This is your special garden and you will always feel safe and happy here.
You can visit it any time you like and it will always welcome you.
When you have finished being in your garden, you leave via the gate knowing that your garden is always waiting for you to return.
You walk back along the sandy path and up the seven steps, counting back from seven to one as you climb the hill.
At the top of the hill you breath easily, calm now and ready to face your day.