A part of my journey
I wanted to share a little of my back story for you as I get questions on mine and my family’s life choices quite a bit :)
In my mid twenties I left the corporate world and the culture of work hard / party harder to re-educate and train as a holistic nutritionist.
A few years later I began to grow my family and raising them as a fully present mother and creating a safe and loving home was my sole focus. I home birthed my children and almost free-birthed my last baby (he wasn’t waiting around!) and have done my utmost to ensure the most natural start to life that I could offer them free from vaccinations, medications and harmful toxins in our environment. Whilst my husband worked hard to build up his business I spent a decade mostly barefoot and pregnant or breastfeeding :) with a young child/ren by my side.
Fast forward to 8 years ago, when I began to dip back into the world of offering health and wellness support after a long long break in this full mothering mode. I had by then completed my family and was keen to come back to exploring my own purpose beyond being mama to my four children. I took refresher then advanced nutrition exams, completed my first 200hr yoga teacher training, then trained as a health coach, a master transformation coach, a naturopath and am now specialising in herbal medicine. Alongside this, I grew a naturopathic health coaching business, taught in-person yoga classes and held workshops and retreats. Everything was fun and energetic and it felt so good to be helping others with their health goals and feeling like I was making an impact in many women's lives.
And then 2020 happened and everything changed.
Suddenly I had to cease all my in-person offerings as the world went online.
Small businesses folded around us and people were no longer spending money on what they deemed ‘luxuries’ such as yoga classes, wellbeing workshops and health coaching.
I was struggling to make the same level of income and as most people seemed to accept this new way of living in a tech-driven and distanced world, I knew I had to somehow make it make sense and make it work for my family and I.
We felt like outsiders looking in. We were apprehensive about the direction the world was moving in. The introduction of bots and algorithms, the censorship and surveillance, the disinformation of the truth of natural health and healing, the exclusion and threat of having our travel and work rights removed for not complying to mandated vaccines.
To cut a very long story short my husband and I made some big decisions together. We removed our children from school and decided to make plans to eventually remove ourselves from the grid and live an autonomous and honest life inspired by the cycles of Nature with community and sovereign core values at the epicentre.
It was was a stressful time and there are parts of me today that are still in the aftershock of that particular period, but I am starting to feel more peace about why what happened in the world had to happen.
I believe nothing happens by chance. The universe holds the greatest wisdom that far exceeds the human ego.
It’s been a process of exploring and reframing much of my own mindset on wealth, freedom and abundance and I am now creating multiple income streams and stepping into new leadership roles in my business (es).
So maybe it took a global reset for me to make my peace with the way the world is now. But I feel there is more to come. More to destabilise and question our current frameworks. There is talk of financial crashes, power outages, more lockdowns and compromised food chains. I believe this will happen to some extent over the next few years and it is necessary for it to happen to create space for those who want to be active participants in the new world.
I am fully here for it. And the choices we make today are to enable us to be as self-sustained and resourced as possible. This will not only carry us through more turbulent times ahead, but also empower us in our health and financial sovereignty.
The Enduring Wisdom: The Folklore of Herbs and Their Relevance Today
The world of herbs is adorned with captivating stories, traditions, and beliefs that have been passed down through generations. Folklore, the narrative tapestry woven by our ancestors, weaves enchanting tales about the powers and properties of these botanical wonders. Even in our modern era, the folklore of herbs continues to hold significance, offering us a deeper understanding and connection to the natural world.
The Healing Legacy
Herbs have long been recognized for their healing properties, and their folklore reveals the ancient wisdom surrounding their medicinal qualities. Tales of miraculous recoveries and remedies are interwoven with these vibrant plants. Whether it's the soothing properties of chamomile to ease restlessness or the revitalising powers of ginseng to uplift the spirit, folklore guides us towards the hidden potential of herbs.
Even today, as modern medicine advances and technology flourishes, there is a resurgence of interest in herbal remedies. People seek the time-tested wisdom of herbs as an alternative or complementary approach to maintain wellness. The folklore surrounding herbs serves as an invaluable resource, helping us tap into the wealth of knowledge passed down by our ancestors. Traditional remedies that have withstood the test of time remind us that nature has always been our ally in healing.
Beyond their practical uses, herbs also hold symbolic significance within folklore, representing concepts such as love, protection, and purification. Cultures around the world have attributed symbolic qualities to specific herbs, infusing rituals and traditions with meaning. For instance, the delicate lavender is often associated with tranquility and is used to promote relaxation and peace. Resilient rosemary carries connotations of remembrance and is used to honor the departed.
In our fast-paced and digitally-driven lives, where symbolism sometimes takes a backseat, the folklore of herbs reminds us to reconnect with the power of symbols and rituals. The act of brewing a cup of chamomile tea to invite calm or hanging a bundle of dried sage for protection can heighten our awareness and enhance our experiences. Embracing these symbolic gestures encourages mindfulness and invites us to rekindle a deeper connection with nature.
The 12 Universal Laws
You’ve heard of the Law of Attraction.
Well did you know that this Law is one of twelve Universal Laws that are form the basis of understanding the function of all things in this time-space reality.
These are Laws that originate with Source, Nature or a higher entity according to individual religious or spiritual beliefs. As physical laws such as the laws of gravity were invented, the Universal Laws were discovered by humans through their observations and experiences.
Why are they important?
Because they are true whether we are aware of them or not. And awareness of them can enhance our lived experience and create so much more meaning to our lives.
The Law of Divine Oneness
This foundational Law tells us that everything and everyone is connected. Everything is an extension of source energy and this awareness helps bring unity and compassion.
The Law of Vibration
Everything is energy and has its own frequency. All beings and matter are constantly vibrating. This Law identifies how we resonate with others and we can use this in conjunction with the Law of Attraction to manifest what you desire.
The Law of Correspondence
This Law states that your external existence is a reflection of your internal state. If you have toxic thoughts, this show physically. If you operate from a true and integral state, you will vibrate this positivity externally.
The Law of Attraction
This states that ‘what is like, unto itself is drawn’. Have you noticed how those with high stress levels seem to attract more drama into their lives than others? And on the opposite side, when things are good, they often get better. This is energy meeting energy. You will attract energy like the energy you vibrate at. With this understanding we can actively shift our energy to attract the outcome we want. Healy is a wonderful tool for this.
The Law of Inspired Action
This is a Law to remind us of mindfulness, quieting the mind, and creating space for divine guidance to come forward.
When we release our need to control how things will work out and are instead open to all possibilities, it makes room for new opportunities and outcomes we may not have even considered nor thought possible.
The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy
Energy is constantly moving and changing. This Law reminds us to check in with our energy and reminds us that we have the ability to change our energetic vibration, and also the energy of the space around us. Think about a gathering of people and how the energy can change instantly when a new person arrives.
The Law of Cause and Effect
For all cause, there is an effect. In life, our thinking is the cause and our experiences are the effects of our thinking. If we want to change our reality we have to change our thoughts. This means more than just positive thinking. With an understanding of the quantum field we know that we must BE who we want to become rather than just think of what we want to achieve.
The Law of Compensation
This states you get what you give or you reap what you sow. Rather like karma If you offer your highest and best to everyone and everything in life, you will be rewarded with the highest and best back.
The Law of Relativity
This law explains why two people can go through the same situation but have two entirely different experiences. Everything is relative and we therefore experience different realities because we bring our unique energies to a situation.
The Law of Polarity
Everything in life has an opposite. For every problem there is a solution, for every obstacle, exists an opportunity. Every time you experience something you don’t want, this law points out that the thing you do want exists and is just waiting to be manifested into your life.
The Law of Rhythm
The world works along natural rhythms and cycles. We are seasonal creatures which echo the seasons in nature. We can surrender into periods of rest and reflection just like Winter reflects this in nature, as well as enjoy ripeness and play as in Summer.
The Law of Gender
This recognises the Divine masculine and Divine feminine. Like Yin and Yang in Chinese medicine both are important and work in synchronicity. We can honour both energies in all areas in our lives. The divine feminine represents the part of our consciousness that connects us to qualities such as intuition, feeling, emotions, creativity, and spirituality.
This feminine energy is the exact opposite of the divine masculine which connects us to qualities like logic, authority, confidence, objectivity, and action-taking.
Can you see where you may have used the Universal Laws recently or maybe you recognise some recurring patterns in your life where you may have been able to use the Laws with intentions. The Laws are here for us to maximise and support our lives so we can live in true alignment, honouring our selves and living with full awareness of the potential of the energetic space around us.
What is the bioenergetic field?
This is a question that I have been asked quite a bit lately.
As you may know I am integrating working with a frequency device called Healy alongside my coaching and naturopathy. These both fit beautifully with the technology of Healy as it works mostly on the energetic level that calls into the understanding that holistic health works to support and nourish the whole body considering the energetic body as the big area of focus.
In order to understand the bioenergetic field, we must first accept the body as an energy-exchanging system. We are (vastly) mostly energy than physical matter and it is through working with energy where we truly address health and wellbeing.
We have developed some understanding of the physical body through the quantum lens, where we talk about the subatomic particles by which everything on Earth and beyond exist. This is a way at looking at all life and its relevance with the world that has moved beyond looking at the cellular level of all living beings.
This means that everything has an energetic value. People, places, thoughts and beliefs are all energy and are therefore met energetically by everything else that exists.
The space that occupies within and around us is this very energetic potential.
It is also where all our information is stored. Our current health, our stories, our history, our ancestors’ history.
Otherwise known as our bioenergetic field.
Everything affects our bioenergetic field and we find ourselves naturally in resonance with frequencies that fit with our own bioenergetic field.
So negative words and thoughts can have a detrimental effect upon our physical bodies.
Stress, overwhelm, a toxic diet and lifestyle which all are each and of themselves low vibrational energies will eventually lead to a low vibrational state in the body.
This manifests as dis-ease.
It might be useful to remind you that this energetic body is defined and explained in alternative terms depending on who you are talking to and if it’s in a professional capacity, where the practitioners’ area of interest is. It’s also been called the aura, or subtle body and this space is further broken down to the etheric body, the causal body, the astral body, the emotional body, the mental body and the causal body. In quantum physics this space is know as the 5th and 6th dimensions.
But please don’t let all this language overwhelm you. It’s actually very simple.
We are and everything simply is, energy.
And nurturing and protecting our bioenergetic field is an area of healthcare that is gaining huge momentum.
Are you as excited about this as I am?
The future is frequency
Something about the energetics of naturopathy principles has always intrigued me.
Herbs, homeopathy and TCM is deeply underpinned by the understanding that these modalities provide a healing nature due to their energetic connection with the human psyche. It is the same reason I feel people are drawn to crystals, sounds and fragrance - because they each hold a unique energetic frequency that speaks to us on a much deeper level than many of us understand or have been told to understand.
Frequency is not something taught in school science lessons. You’d have to be specialising in advanced science at a more specialist level to be introduced to quantum physics. This is why there is so much mysticism surrounding the quantum field and conversations about energy work are considered pseudo-science.
Quantum theory is considered one of the most exciting and insightful learnings into discovering the source of generating healing and abundance. Essentially, break everything down to its most basic form - everything that exists from humans and animals to physical matter such as buildings and the earth, to thoughts and intentions and beliefs - and we come down to something that we are all made up of: subatomic particles.
These subatomic particles vibrate across the universe in wave form. They are completely neutral and malleable. They have no bias. They can be shaped and brought into our reality through intention, manifestation and vibrating the very frequency of what it is we want to be calling in for ourselves. There is a unique frequency that we can find a resonance with for all thoughts and realities.
And this is where I introduce you to Healy.
Healy arrived in my world in September last year and it has made a radical impact on my life and in my coaching practice too. Last year a blood test revealed I had low thyroid function and conscious not to slip into auto-immunity used Healy to harmonise and nourish my thyroid, in addition to some nutrition and lifestyle tweaks and happily my thyroid is now in optimum health and I feel amazing. And so many other remarkable transformations.
I run resonance scans on myself and my family every morning and send the frequencies remotely. The beauty of bioresonance is that you don’t have to be in proximity to the device. Once the bio-energetic field is read, scans and frequencies can be analysed and sent no matter where in the world someone is.
For more specific conditions I often send a micro-current program through the wrist straps or the coil. This is wonderful for chronic pain and clearing blockages from meridians and chakras and addressing imbalances in the aura, hormone balance and bio-energetic field.
If you are interested in owning a Healy yourself and purchase through me, I will invite you into a support group and provide mentorship, community and coaching at no cost. My intention is to help grow this frequency space and support other humans to take charge of their health, empowering them towards their own self-healing.
I truly see frequency medicine as the healing modality of the future.
If something has sparked in you reading this and you’re curious, come and join me in a clarity call here.
And if you’re ready to invest in your higher self and make the most of the amazing promotions running currently, you can find Healy right here .
Winter immunity
We are well in to the cold dark months now, a season that has been marketed as ‘cold and flu season’. For me, ‘cold and flu ‘is not a season – both colds and flu are respiratory illnesses caused by viruses which are present all year long.
What makes us more susceptible to becoming affected by these viruses and overcoming them really lies in how strong our natural defences are. It is absolutely true that we can thrive during the winter months if we take a bit more care in supporting our immune system
1 Good nutrition
Eat seasonal fruit and vegetables, preferable local. Lots of root vegetable at this time of year provide us with fibre and help feed the good bacteria in the gut which goes a long way to supporting our immune system. Rotating our ingredients ensures we get a full spectrum of all the different micronutrients our body needs for optimum function. Eating the same vegetables day in day out mean we risk losing out on some of these essential vitamins and minerals. It’s tempting to eat for comfort at this time of year, just watch out for the high sugar and saturated fatty foods which can burden the immune system and encourage cravings. Instead chose warming soups, organic bone broths, stews and dhals for really warming nourishing meals.
2 Vitamin D
We are likely to be low in our vitamin D stores in the winter months as we have such little daylight, so it’s worth considering supplementation here. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with a higher risk for infection. Food sources include organic mushrooms, oily fish and organic egg yolks. Some vegan products are fortified with vitamin D also so it’s worth checking labels. When the sun is at its brightest during the day, it’s great to get outside and enjoy a big natural dose of sunshine.
3 Sleep
For most people at least 7-8 hours, and the quality of our sleep is crucial when we are looking at supporting our immune system. While we sleep our body is repairing itself – it does this by releasing proteins called cytokines which specifically target infection or inflammation. So by compromising our sleep, we are inhabiting this release of healing proteins and
compromising our body’s ability to self-heal.4 Keep moving
It might not really appeal to go outside for a run or attend a vigorous exercise class, but it’s important to keep active, even if at a slower pace than usual. A brisk walk for 30 minutes in the fresh air, a slower-pace yoga class, a fun outdoor activity with the kids…. These can all keep us active and help lower stress hormones.
5 Water
Not only keeps us hydrated but water carries oxygen in the body to all cells. It helps flush out toxins and foreign invaders through the kidneys. Dehydration can add to fatigue and brain-fog. Try and aim for 1 and a half litres per day depending on your activity levels this could be a little more or less. Herbal teas count in our daily water intake but not coffee nor black tea which are high in caffeine and are dehydrating. If you find water really dull try adding a bit of chopped fruit, ginger or herbs to make it more interesting.
Finally if you usually struggle during the winter months, try to find some joy in this season.
It’s a time for turning inwards, for self-reflection, slowing down, staying cosy and preserving our energies for the spring. Make the most of the long nights, wear your comfiest clothes, light all the candles and hunker down with your family.
Before we know it spring will be here and we can emerge from winter healthy and rested, ready to tackle a new season.
Fussy little eaters?
This is a question that comes up again and again with my clients, who are determined to make changes in their families diets to include more plants, however often their children are not quite so enthusiastic!
So how can we get our children to not only eat more fruit and veggies but to actually develop a passion for them so that they chose whole foods over processed foods?
I’ll share my top tips with you and would love to hear what you do to encourage your children to eat healthier.
Grow your own. Sounds so simple doesn’t it? yet allowing children the responsibility of choosing, planting then caring for their very own veggies in the garden really does make a big difference. Easy growers are tomatoes, beetroots, lettuces, cucumbers, courgettes, peas, all types of herbs and strawberries which can all be grown in pots or little individual planters in the garden. This year we have grown edible flowers, partly for me to use as decoration for my salads and cakes but my children have been really curious about each one and have enjoyed tasting them. Easy to grow are violas, calendulas, marigolds and borage. They look so pretty and inviting – most children would find them irresistible.
As well as growing your own, do talk to your children about the nutritional benefit of each plant they are growing. Don’t overwhelm them with hundreds of facts but simple things that they can remember such as “carrots are important for healthy eye sight’, ‘cucumbers are great for thirsty bodies in the summer’ and ‘dandelion leaves give our livers a good clean out.’
Choose new recipes together, read through recipe books and look online letting your children read and look at the pictures and see what inspires them. Allow them to prepare the food as much as you’re happy to, supervising of course and encouraging them to prepare, wash, peel and cut up the veggies. I have some great kid-friendly knives that are effective in cutting up all veggies without any risk of accidents in the kitchen. You can find similar knives on amazon.
Children + kitchens = mess! accept it and embrace it. Mess can always get cleared up, yet they are gaining so much from just being there with you, getting creative and developing a real love for food. Let them taste, smell and touch all the ingredients, even tastes that you think they may not like such as mustard or chilli. Young palates are incredibly curious. If they want to try something, let them. The worse thing a parent can say to a child is ‘you won’t like it’. This really instills in to young brains that food isn’t worth exploring and dampens down their curiosity about food.
Introduce foods in unexpected ways. For example try serving a fresh crunchy salad with sweet berries on top, or crudités with a chocolate flavoured cream cheese dip. And a favourite of mine is to slice up lots of root vegetables and bake in the oven till crispy and serve with a dip such as hummus or guac.
Be sneaky and hide vegetables in their favourites dishes for those really adverse to easily identifiable veggies. For example blend lots of veggies and add to tomato sauces, making a big batch to use on several dishes throughout the week, such as over rice or pasta, as a base to stews, soups, smothered over pizza bases or in tortilla wraps adding cheese and olives for easy pizzas and quesadillas. Explore recipes that use vegetables in cake recipes, such as courgettes, beetroot and classic carrot cake.
Another sneaky tip is to add lots of greens in to a smoothie. Spinach or kale is really tasteless once blended with a couple of dates, cacao powder, banana and coconut water or plant milk. Healthy chocolate milkshakes!
In the summer blend fruit with coconut milk add lemon or lime zest and freeze in to lolly moulds for a refreshing zingy not-to-mention antioxidant-rich treat.
Together talk about what’s in season and look out for what is growing in nature throughout the year. This instills a love of the natural world and gets them curious and excited when they find seasonal plants, you could all go foraging together. For example spotting and smelling wild garlic in the woods in February and blackberry picking at the end of the summer.
And finally try and relax. If they try something, and don’t like like, try not to be disheartened and don’t give up – young palates change and develop and you will often find children acquiring a taste for foods they disliked initially. Keep offering a variety of foods and try not to make a big deal if they refuse. Similarly and equally, try not to make a big deal if they like something new. A ‘well done’ is enough rather than a huge outpouring of praise. Food is life and is a continuing adventure. It is every child’s right to explore foods free from the judgement of adults.
Why are we drawn to certain yoga poses?
As I furthered my studies on yoga philosophy, one of my favourite subjects to explore was the stories and myths surrounding each particular pose. Why they were named ‘Warrior’ or ‘Monkey’ or ‘Cow face’.
The yoga classes where I’d felt most connected with me were the ones where the teacher would use Sanskrit, and secondly would feed little stories into the sequence on some of the poses, how they came to be named, as well as why some poses felt more needed at certain times.
I was fortunate enough to attend a weekend of workshops with Sianna Sherman and Masood Ali Khan in February. The way Sianna teaches is like nothing I’ve experienced in yoga before. She incorporates mandalas and interweaves her sequences with the most beautiful story telling on the myths surrounding the asanas. The entire practice came to life and offered me way more meaning to yoga than I had experienced or indeed understood before.
It really got me intrigued on this wonderful world of mythicism and what we had been introduced to as yoga teacher training students.
I’ve wondered why I’m drawn to certain poses. How some days I feel I need to breathe in to a pose longer then I might other days, and conversely why some days some poses which I practice regularly are not on my radar at all.
Today I’m exploring Balasana or Child’s Pose. To be fair I don’t think I’ve met one person that does not enjoy this blissful cocooning pose. And maybe here’s why. Excerpt taken from Myths of the Asanas by Alanna Kaivalya and Arjuna van Der Kooil.
Transcending the Ego through Surrender
‘Often children are the best teachers. It is said that Yoga is actually very easy and very difficult at the same time. It is simple because the only thing we need to do is stop clinging to our ego. But that is also the hardest things we can do, given the subtle workings of the ego, which we continually reinforce. According to both the Yoga Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita, the ultimate goal of yoga lies in our surrender to a higher power. Yoga is often regarded as a practice that liberates us from the ego, but at the same time it binds us to the Divine through love. And this is what the child’s pose symbolises. It is the childlike surrender too the Divine that opens up the pathways of grace. And all past, present and future sages of yoga will testify that grace is what we need, as we are all dependent on something that is greater than ourselves. We often do not realise this enough, and take many things for granted – the ground we stand on, the air we breathe. But it may all be taken away from us at any moment in time. And then surrender is all that is left to us. In surrender we truly open ourselves up to receive, and also to give. Balasana invites us to cultivate this childlike quality. ‘
Have you ever explored why you’re draw to certain poses? x
A home birth story
Today is my youngest son’s 6th birthday. The boys love hearing their birth stories, setting the scene and all the details and funny little anecdotes behind their arrival earth-side.
And amongst the excitement of a day full of celebrations, pressies and cake, a child’s birthday is a beautiful reminder of what is really a miraculous and awe-inspiring moment full of the wonders of the human body and our place in the natural world.
I was fortunate to have 4 healthy and low risk pregnancies and was encouraged to birth at home by my midwives. I have never felt pregnancy and birth to be a medical condition and as long as the babies and I were both well and happy preferred to stay home rather than take up a hospital bed.
My first 2 babies were NHS births in London supported by lovely home birth midwives and my youngest 2 babies were born here in our home in Berkshire and I was supported by the same wonderful private midwife for both. These births were so special for many reasons not least that I felt my births were my own and no one else’s. I decided and was supported to not have any internal monitoring at any stage, the touch I felt during my labours were that of my husband and other children who were in the kitchen eating their breakfast and giving me a cuddle every now and again. I went into my own little birthing bubble, bobbing around in my birthing pool and literally going with the flow.
My last baby’s was the quickest, in fact he was almost free-birthed, with my midwife arriving just a few minutes before he was born.
It was quick and beautiful and unexpected in that he was born in his caul so in effect had a second birth once I’d ruptured the bag of membranes. Then he opened his eyes and looked at me as if to say, ‘ah hi, I know you’ and it was love all over again.
With my previous 3 births I’d had a few days feeling bluesy and exhausted after birth. I’d discussed with my midwife the benefits of placenta encapsulation or consuming after birth and researched and read these amazing stories of women who had eaten their placenta after birth feeling energised and vibrantly healthy afterwards. Animals eat their placentas and our ancestral sisters did too. The official term is placentophagia and is a little controversial today in that there have been very little scientific studies to prove its benefit. Hmmm once more why ignore ancient wisdom and mother’s instinct over ‘modern science’ , ie mostly men who decide they are the authority over women’s bodies…..?
Ok so back to my placenta. You can probably guess what I did …. yes I ate it. Well I blended tiny chunks of it in a morning smoothie. My midwife prepared it later on in the day and cut it up into cubes and we stored it in the freezer. Blended with plenty of berries you couldn’t taste it at all.
And I felt AMAZING. My milk came in the following day, I had no blues at all. I was actually buoyant. So different to my previous immediate postpartum days and weeks.
The placenta is an absolute powerhouse of healing for the mother. It is rich in its own unique hormones that has nurtured mother and baby throughout pregnancy, haemoglobin, antibodies, vitamin B6, E and Iron. For me it was a beautiful experience that enhanced my bond with my baby and I healed quickly and smoothly from birth. With the rest of the placenta we made a tincture which I gave to J when he was teething and today if he is distressed about something. I have a bottle for myself that I am keeping for when I go though menopause. It is the most perfect balancing remedy for me because it has come from me!
Of course every woman must do her own research and make up her own mind.
Happy birthday little J x
The power of coaching
It all begins with an idea.
I was delighted to attend the 2022 UKHCA conference recently and watched the keynote speakers deliver some powerful talks on why coaching matters in today’s world.
Coaching is non-prescriptive. We are not the ones diagnosing nor prescribing.
In my view, we hold so much more potential for transformation than simply telling our clients what needs to happen.
You see, most of us know what we need to do to enjoy better health.
We know we need to eat and exercise better. We know we need to manage our stress levels, get more restorative sleep and aim to live a life of purpose and deep joy.
We know these factors not only greatly enhance our health and longevity – they also influence our potential for healing in the event of being diagnosed with a health condition.
This is true preventative medicine.
But where many people get stuck, is that they know the WHAT but need support with the HOW.
Health coaching is powerful, because the HOW is where we facilitate the transformation potential.
Contact me if you’re intrigued because I can’t wait to show you the HOW 🙂
1:1 Empowered health Programme
It all begins with an idea.
As I was completing my health coaching course towards the end of the summer, I knew I wanted to start offering packages to my clients which combined my passions for whole plant-based foods and yoga and that nutrition and mindful movement represented to me the pillars of whole body health – and how the way we nourish our body and mind influences the way we move, breathe and live our lives.
A programme that is a perfect balance of practical and functional health guidance and coaching along with a healthy sprinkling of the spiritual!
Committing to a 12 week programme offers you an empowering and transformative experience where you grow your awareness and confidence to truly become the expert in your own health. We work at addressing and overcoming negative self talk and limiting beliefs. This is done through mindset and behaviour change coaching which is a big passion of mine and has played a significant role in my coaching studies to date and my current training as an NLP and Hypnosis Practitioner. I work with many women, some who are experiencing chronic health issues, extreme stress, gut and hormone problems and others who may be searching for their balance in today’s new world.
Health coaching is a collaborative experience. I never direct any eating plan nor specific movement nor exercise schedules. It’s about working with what suits you the best and I know that only you know that, even if you don’t fully realise that yet – it is my goal to guide you towards this ownership. So maybe what works for you best is yoga or daily walks or running; it may be lifting heavy weights or training in a gym; it may be 5 small meals in a day or it may be intermittent fasting. Each one of us knows intrinsically what suits us best and a big element of my coaching is to empower clients to tap in to that inner wisdom, to work with it, nurture it and honour it for your best possible health outcomes.
During our time together and after an initial 90 minute strategy session where we go though your health goals and objectives, full health and family history, we co-create a plan. A plan that is sustainable to you so it does not overwhelm you, where we include self-care practices and mindful rituals as well as weekly mini-goals to keep you on track of your health objectives and working towards your whole health transformation. We meet weekly either in person or through remote contact to track and monitor your progress and we stay in touch by messaging in between sessions too so I can offer you support, accountability and guidance.
Whilst we are working together and to enhance your health transformation journey I invite you to join yoga classes and live meditations at no extra cost (according to my teaching schedule) and am available for additional bespoke yoga and meditations which can be arranged separately. You can expect new and creative plant-based recipes, supportive guides and resources, access to my private Facebook group and Pinterest boards for additional motivation and community support.
After 12 weeks you have the option of renewing your package or we can discuss prolonging our time together to continue your journey. Full details and cost on my health coaching page.
I’m excited to work together on your health transformation!
Yoga trapeze for back pain
It all begins with an idea.
Following a back injury 3 years ago, I decided to train in a style of yoga that would support my spinal health - not only for myself, but also so I could offer this support to others suffering with back issues in my yoga classes.
Enter the yoga trapeze! And here’s why I think it is so marvellous…
Modern life has contributed to most of us experiencing back pain at some point in our lives – poor working postures, spending lots of time sitting and bent over screens and phones, as well as incorrect alignment in yoga classes, particularly fast flowing types of yoga which ask us to move and flex and twist our bodies with little awareness of posture and safety of our joints, over-zealous lifting in the gym, sedentary lifestyles etc.
Yoga trapeze offers both a therapeutic approach plus a functional practice which targets the health of the spine in feeling relief from compression, plus building flexibility, mobility and strength in the posterior chain for prevention of injuries and building stability.
Traction pose is the pose which draws students to trapeze initially. This pose is taught in all of my classes. It might look tricky to achieve but I promise everyone gets there in the first class even after a few attempts. Here the spine is relaxed, spaces between the vertebra are opened, and intervertebral discs as a result decompress. It really is an amazing pose and most students will experience a blissful relief immediately. I keep students here for at least a minute, encouraging them to close their eyes and completely relax their upper body, either clasping opposite elbows or allowing their arms to dangle freely, fingers lightly grazing the floor. The first time being upside down like this can feel strange and often students squeeze their legs together for fear of falling out, however the more we can relax the legs and hips, the more the spine can relax and that blissful feeling of decompression is enjoyed.
Why home-education
It all begins with an idea.
If you’ve been following me for a while you will know my family made the decision to remove our children from school at the start of 2020. It was not a spontaneous decision, in fact it had been in our minds for a good few years before the pandemic, however this was the nudge we needed to receive that a life out of the school system was for us.
Our days are different nowadays and we truly live a life of flow. We are all growing, learning and discovering stuff about ourselves and the world and we are all doing this together.
I feel it important that children learn when they are ready. I hate the concept of testing and grading and structuring according to ability. This is so myopic and really feeds into children’s insecurities at such a vulnerable age. My eldest at 18 - who is fit and active and loves to be moving his body - still feels sports are not for him. We both feel this is a trauma response from setting children into sets for team sports at a really young age - team sports!!!
There are a million other reasons why we are here today too. A big one for me was that I could not align with the online learning which the children were expected to follow during the lockdowns. Attempting it in the beginning simply crushed us all as many families will understand. The youngest boys were 5 and 9. How can we expect young children to sit before a screen in a virtual classroom and expect them to truly understand and learn, let alone be inspired? My boys wanted to be outside, playing with their parents and animals. Lockdown was a strange and confusing time - there were so many messages of fear and paranoia everywhere. They needed to be held and supported by their big people and encouraged to immerse themselves in the things they loved, rather than be made to ‘school’ in such a strange non-human way, hearing the same monotonous message - ‘stay home, protect your grandparents, there is a killer virus out there’ etc. I can’t bear to imagine the damage this messaging has done to our young people. Something I feel will sadly become more apparent in the years ahead.
So, we had meltdowns. Big meltdowns. We went through deep searching of our souls and intentions and puzzled over the practicalities of what home-education really could look like. We are both small business-owners. Could it work, us all at home?
We explored our own school-conditioning and reflected on how the school paradigm has shaped us. I have carried negative beliefs through my life that still sabotage my growth today. Knowing this, should we do something about it?
So de-registration letters were sent. We were implored to reconsider. We were told it would be a mistake. We were told our children would not grow to be sociable, educated people.
But we listened to our hearts, because it was too big a risk to take to keep them in a system we both felt increasingly alienated from.
Today life is so very different to all those years of uniforms, Sunday-evening angst, packed lunches, forgotten home-work diaries.
Expectations. Compliance. Regimentation. Conditioning. These are big concepts that the schooling conditioning feeds into.
Our days are filled with colour and music and energy. We have friends in and out of our house, we craft and bake and travel and read and explore. And the marvellous, truly marvellous thing is that we are all doing this together.
I feel I am healing from my own school-based trauma through this time home-educating my children. There is a lot of trust and a process of surrendering when facilitating the education of your children. They teach me so much, about life, about them and about myself.
Nothing is in detachment, and we are are all happy and content this way.
As a family should be.