Our summer issue is out now. We chat to Stephen Haines about anxiety and the practical steps we can take to manage it. Dive on in to find out more…
Anxiety
Have you got plans for Thursday? You may do now! Buddha Bag Meeting, Dublin.
Celebration of our Male and Female Connections
With Gillian from Biodanza
Biodanza is a form of personal development that takes us out of our heads and into our bodies, frees us from stress, worry, anxiety and helps bring us back to the present moment, with a backdrop of incredibly beautiful, dynamic music to create a heightened state of emotional well being. There are no steps to learn anyone can do it. Its a fantastic way to meet and connect with people on a real level, make new friends and have fun.
The theme for the evening will be “Celebration of our Male and Female connections”. We will bring balance and harmony of the Masculine (Yang ) and Feminine (Yin ) aspects within ourselves. We need both Yang ( to increase the capacity of realization and action, courage, determination, penetration to activate the dream, security and faith in ourselves and the Yin feminine, the inspiration, the dream, our intuition, receptivity, sensitive, intimacy, nurturer.
As we have more balance of Yin and Yang we come into Harmony within ourselves and our lives and relationships ( The Taoist philosophy of Yang & Yin is, balancing both to bring Supreme Unity consciousness. )Join us for a night of celebration , connection and and harmony.
Tickets 15euro and 10euro concession.
8 Week Mindfulness Programme with Mindfulway.ie
22 January 2014
Sandyford Community Centre, Dublin 18
This is an 8 week programme that uses mindfulness to help people cope better and be more at ease in their life. It is suitable for those new to mindfulness and also to more experienced meditators who would like to learn how to integrate mindfulness into their everyday life more. Live with a calmer, more joyful spirit. The course consists of eight weekly classes and one full day session on a Saturday or Sunday towards end of programme.
What to expect from the course:
- Guidance on mindfulness meditation practices such as body scanning and sitting meditation
- Gentle stretching and mindful movement
- Group discussions around experience of the different mindfulness tools
- Individual instructions aimed at assisting participants integrate mindfulness into everyday life
- Home practice assignments
Course cost is €350 which includes all 8 weekly classes plus one all day session, 4 practice CDs and course handbook.
World-renowned nutritional testing & therapy for mental health disorders
A world-renowned nutrient therapy to treat depression and anxiety is now available for the first time in Ireland. Led by father and son team, Dr. Edmond O’Flaherty and Dr. Andrew O’Flaherty, who both have a special interest in mental health, the treatment is based on a nutrient therapy programme that, in conjunction with conventional medicine, has proven hugely successful in countries such as Australia, Norway, the USA and Canada.
Speaking about the pioneering treatment, Dr. Edmond O’Flaherty said: “My journey to this work started in 1999 when I read an article by Prof. Andrew Stoll of Harvard on fish oil. I had a patient with severe OCD and she had a wonderful response to a high dose of Omega-3, so I started looking for other natural nutrients that might help with mental health issues.”
Chemical Imbalances
The Bio Balance Centre tests for an individual’s biomarkers of depression and anxiety disorders which, in some cases, can be overlooked by mainstream medicine. A detailed consultation is carried out with each individual, followed by blood and urine tests. Once the results are received, the doctor at the Centre will then prescribe an appropriate and targeted supplement-based nutrient therapy programme.
At The Bio Balance Centre, they focus on major imbalances that can cause depression – Zinc/Copper imbalance and methylation disorders being the major ones. They check plasma minerals and determine any deficiency or overload of the elements present.
“Depression” does not describe everyday feelings of low mood that can affect us all from time to time. Feeling sad and fed-up are normal reactions to experiences that are upsetting, stressful or difficult. When we talk about depression, we mean low mood, lack of pleasure or low energy on most days for at least 2 weeks.
There are many contributing factors; there might be underlying biochemical or psychological issues that predispose you to depression, or there could be a trigger such as a stressful event, bereavement, a career setback, or the break-up of a relationship.
Nutrient Therapy
Nutrient therapy is based on the research and practice of Dr. Abram Hoffer, Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and Dr. Bill Walsh, and uses natural nutrients, vitamins and minerals to replenish those that a person may be lacking; or in some cases they may have too much of a specific vitamin or mineral. This style of therapy can complement the conventional medicine prescribed by the patient’s GP or psychiatrist to ensure maximum results are achieved, or the therapy can work independently of conventional medicine.
“I am now late in my career and I was happy to take up the opportunity of working in Grafton St to get the message out about how enormously beneficial Nutrient Therapy can be.” says Edmond. “If it expands, hopefully it will continue to bring joy to many human beings. I saw more than 50 patients last year who had been in-patients in one psychiatric hospital, and I was able to get many of them into a far better state of mental health.
Each person has a very specific biological make-up and a ‘one size fits all’ approach does not work. Every individual needs different nutrients for their bodies and minds to function at their optimum; what suits me won’t suit the next person and that is how our treatment works.”
Looking Forward
Tracy Quinn is a past patient of The Bio Balance Centre who has benefited from the treatment: “I had suffered from depression through my twenties, being on and off medication along the way. I found the negative side effects conventional medication far outweighed the positives. A friend recommended The Bio Balance Centre and to this day I have remained off medication and adhere to my nutrient programme with success.” Tracy is back in college studying Holistic Therapy and is looking forward to the future. “I’m really positive. The nutrient therapy helped me to get my sense of direction back,” she says.
For more information, call 1800288288, email info@biobalance.ie or visit www.biobalance.ie
Sound Matters, Maan Kantar
In 570BC, Pythagoras, a known Greek mathematician, discovered the power of sound.
Legend has it that he was listening to the different sounds made by a blacksmith as he struck his anvil, and he noticed how some combinations made chaotic noise, while others sounded in harmony.
He went on to develop tools, such as the Harp, to create melodies to help heal “passions,” hopelessness and anxiety. He is also said to have prescribed “musical medicine” to cure a youth suffering from drunkenness.
Recent tests conducted at the Stanford Addiction Research Centre, California, showed that certain musical sounds increased endorphins in the body, which produce feelings of well-being.
Because most of our body is made of water, sound will travel to each and every cell, soothing the nervous system and making each cell vibrate to release any blockages. In our modern world, more than ever, we need to create an environment filled with the most harmonious and gentle sounds to help our physical, energetic and spiritual bodies to function properly.
Connecting Within has developed music adapted to these requirements, by using different sound tools to realign the body.
At our Sound Healing Academy, we combine our knowledge of Tibetan Singing Bowls with the practice of advanced emotional, physical and spiritual work. Our system has been successful in helping many people facing a wide range of challenges from soul searching to Depression, Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis amongst others.
www.connectingwithin.info
In today’s fast changing corporate and business world our bodies and our minds are being pushed to their limits at speeds we have never had to deal with before. This is why so many in the corporate world are having exhaustion breakdowns and stress related illness. When we allow our lives to reach this stage of total unbalance we become un-centred. Yoga is one of the many ancient wisdoms and techniques of age-old Indian culture that compliment our modern times issues.
Through my extensive travel of Asia, I began to understand the secrets and magic keys the Indian people naturally embraced, which gave them such grace and balance in living in what looks to a newcomer like an overcrowded, unorganized, chaotic environment, which held many extreme weather challenges.
One of the magic key foundations which holds all of India together is its understanding that our corporate, cultural and spiritual lives are all intertwined and are one. The essential principles of modern day Hinduism and Buddhism arose from ancient texts known as the Vedas. The Vedas explain that how we are with our bodies is how we are with all daily aspects of our lives. Every corporate, cultural, spiritual, personal belief in our daily lives in connected at all times. In India, all you see once you can see through the veils of chaos is pure grace and peace of mind in the people. The word Business means only Busy-ness. This too is done with grace.
When we begin to balance and learn the techniques and keys of thriving with grace then we are in the flow of balance. It is just like doing our daily yoga. Once we place our minds to that area of our body and balance our heart-beat with the rhythm of our breath, we have created thriving with grace through our yoga practice.
We do not have to stop that flow and grace once we have left the yoga mat. We can, like most Asians, continue the essence of thriving with grace into the rest of our daily lives. Like yoga, it is the practice of the one position for some time which brings us to the feeling of ease and effortlessness in that position.
It is the same for our corporate environments. We can practice the new thriving with grace approach and watch how, once we move into the ease and effortlessness, we bring a new force with immense clarity others will slowly follow. We do not need to achieve or approach our goals in the business world with a “divide, conquer, grab, pillage and plunder” attitude. This is only short-term achievement.
“As does the dolphin with fun and grace out manoeuvre the shark so too we do this with Thriving with Grace in the corporate world with ease and effortlessness”. Bernice M Paolozzi –Inner Coach
Once we decide, like in yoga when moving from one position to another, to transcend through and above to a further point of stretching and reaching, we can achieve our corporate business goals with grace. We receive the feeling of rejuvenation and regeneration, balanced with clarity through to the next part of our journey in the world of financial freedom and respect through valuing our worth.
Like in yoga, our body we respect as a temple, our beliefs and views of the practice to thrive with grace in the corporate business world and become the pioneers to bring our yoga bodies and mind into every aspect and moment of our lives, is the foundation of the secret and golden keys of India and its people.
Ó2008 Bernice Maria Paolozzi
Let’s Get Moving Together!!
Bernice Maria Paolozzi
info@bernicepaolozzi.eu
www.bernicepaolozzi.eu
Tel: +353 87 23 42 859
Yoga – Health Benefits for Stress, Anxiety, Posture & Even Weight Loss
Unfortunately, too many of us discover Yoga after we have experienced some form of suffering, either physical or mental. Stress and anxiety, problems with posture and our weight all stem from bad habits and unsuitable surroundings.
From minor discomforts grow more serious ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, depression or cancer. Many of us feel the way we are living our lives needs to change, that we need to be able to overcome worries or unhappiness. Yoga can be the path to a better life.
Yoga has moved on from its image of hippies in baggy pants drinking herbal tea. Yoga and Yoga classes are becoming more and more accessible to everyone with many schools and community centres running their own Yoga classes. Dedicated Yoga venues are opening up in many towns and every good gym now offers Yoga classes to their clients.
Yoga is an ancient method for keeping the body and mind toned and it is perfectly compatible with modern life as we live it in the western world. It provides us with a tool to help us cope with stressful times and shows us a way to act in these moments with freedom and serenity.
Yoga is not a miracle cure, but by combining physical, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves it can change the way we think and act. Yoga can also teach us to understand and explore areas of tension and imbalances which allows us to counteract aches and pains and to relax. The whole body will be more toned and flexible while your mind will be calmer and more at ease.
Yoga teaches us how to hold the body whilst moving or still. It also reminds us of the importance of breath and guides us back towards our own lost ability of breathing freely. Yoga can be an eye opener, helping to reconnect the body, mind and soul. It is necessary that each Yoga teacher provides the support, knowledge and confidence needed during the class. At times Yoga can be difficult but with the right modifications for each student’s safety and wellbeing it is possible for everyone to experience a wonderful Yoga practice.
The Yoga Therapy and Training Centre – YTTC is an internationally recognised school of Yoga founded to meet the demands for professional Yoga training in Ireland and abroad. The YTTC runs Yoga Teaching Diploma Courses for different levels of Yoga. These provide the training and experience which will deepen the trainee’s knowledge and make it possible for them to pursue a career as a professional Yoga teacher. For more information please visit us at www.yogaireland.com
by Sarah Bird
How Tapas Acupressure Technique is making huge strides in the battle against panic attacks.
Before dealing with treating panic attacks, why do some people panic and not others? It’s unlikely to be a matter of genetic makeup and, equally, it’s highly unlikely that any of us have been born with a phobia or a predisposition to panic already in place.
Instead, most of our irrational fears stem from experiencing some event that has then become a negative, self-sabotaging belief. What makes these fears doubly harmful is that they are often concealed deep within our subconscious. And because we’re unaware of them, there’s little we can do to combat their harmful effects.
Negative beliefs can stem from real or imagined remarks – usually from someone in authority. This could be anything from a parent or some other relative, a teacher, priest, or perhaps an employer who is looked up to.
Beliefs have the power to create or destroy us as healthy, balanced individuals. If you were told as a child that you were “stupid”, “no good”, it can stick with you indefinitely and you identify with this thought. It’s frozen into your energy system and is held firmly in place until it’s eventually resolved.
Whatever thought was going through your mind at the time of a trauma is similarly locked into your energy system, along with the circumstances associated with it. It could be the screaming of brakes in a car accident, for example, which then causes you to panic whenever you hear that sound and which could potentially lead to a phobia of motor travel.
When we have this experience, it causes a chemical reaction in the brain and creates a neuron pathway linked to that experience. Whenever we encounter that same situation, we immediately travel down this pathway, which then sends out the chemical response and we panic again. When this happens more than once, it is validated and can then become even more of a problem
The net effect can be an irrational fear (or phobia), brought about by the initial shock to your system and the resulting block in your energy field. We do not have to consciously understand how this happened, but it is nevertheless filed away in our subconscious mind, ready to surface as panic.
Phobias become a really major problem when they start to restrict our lifestyle, our personal development or our sense of happiness. A fear of flying, for example, could hold you back in your professional career, or stop you sharing those wonderful sun-filled foreign holidays with friends or loved ones.
Thankfully, however, help is at hand for even the most deep-rooted and restrictive of phobias, in the form of a technique called TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique). TAT is based on the acupuncture techniques of traditional Chinese medicine and helps remove the blocks to our energy system that cause conditions such as phobia, post-traumatic stress, panic – and even allergies.
Sarah Bird is a leading practitioner of TAT in Ireland and an International Trainer. She explained to Positive Life how this relatively new mind-body technique is fast emerging as one of the leaders within the so-called energy psychology field.
“TAT is one of the most important and significant healing tools of our age, and it has rightly been described as a “portal of grace”, providing a doorway to the lives we truly want to lead.”
Sarah explains that the technique involves holding areas around the brain’s vision centres and consciously focusing on your problem while you do so. The energy charge that has been held in place is removed from the past event, allowing integration of that thought, and creating harmony, peace, unity and connectedness.
Using TAT, you can profoundly improve any aspect of your life, whether it’s attacking panic or phobias, dissolving stress, releasing past trauma, reducing pain or reversing the sort of negative beliefs that hold you back in life.
By way of proving the effectiveness of the technique, Sarah points to her recent experience in the U.S., working with soldiers, veterans and their families who were suffering from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Working in association with Tapas Fleming, the founder of TAT, in some cases forty years of combat trauma was cleared within a matter of days.
Sarah has also worked in post-earthquake Pakistan, teaching the technique to medical personnel, teachers, psychologists and aid workers, to minimise the trauma they experienced as a result of daily exposure to pain, suffering and death. She also helped many hundreds of survivors – including children – to bring about release from the trauma of the earthquake.
Sarah Bird is a leading practitioner of Energy Psychology and practices both in Ireland and internationally. She can be contacted either on 087-2193343 or at info@sarah121.com
A Case Study
Tom was a successful manager in a construction company, clocking up huge mileage each year, visiting building sites throughout the country. Long hours and a high level of professional stress eventually took their toll and he suffered his first panic attack – while driving his car. When the episode passed, he found himself with a phobia around driving, which put him out of work as his job depended on being mobile. Following a number of TAT sessions spread out over a month, which worked with the memory of the attack and the pressures that led up to it, Tom was back driving – and back at work – completely free of panic.
By George Esser
Imagine that you are camping and when you open your tent flap, you are confronted with a wild animal. Your heart starts to race, your body pumps adrenaline into every cell, your heart beats faster, you tense up, your breathing changes and you are ready for some kind of action. This is called stress.
Your body is doing what it was designed to do. In dangerous situations, your body goes into a “fight or flight” state. The problem is that your body doesn’t know the difference between a car careening towards you, a looming job loss, or thoughts of the busy season ahead. Your body responds to all of these types of situations with its internal stress response.
The holiday season with all its extra festivities will soon be upon us. Though in many ways it is a wonderful time of year in which we get to spend time with friends and family, it is often also a very stressful time. Much of society runs on stress a large percent of the time, not just during the holiday season. The problem with the stress response is that the more it is activated, the harder it is to shut off, so that over time our stress hormones, our heart rates, and our blood pressure remain elevated, even after a particular crisis may have passed. This is why managing stress is very important for our health.
Here are some tips to help you reduce stress:
- Give yourself extra time. When we are pressed for time, our subconscious puts our body into stress mode. Give yourself 10 extra minutes and you will be less stressed.
- Do as much as you can before hand. Start your purchasing of gifts well in advance, as well as baking, decorating, and extra cleaning.
- When travelling, leave 10-15 minutes earlier and drive a little slower. While it will take you a few minutes longer to get to where you need to go, you will arrive much more relaxed. Use your travel time as ‘down time’, not as something that leaves you more stressed out.
- Learn to enjoy the moment. When you are feeling negative emotions about a situation, ask yourself if what is happening is really going to make a difference a year from now. Most ‘mini-disasters’ make a memory. For example, a few years ago my family decided to have our first fondue. It wasn’t the best experience, especially when the table cloth caught on fire due to a little carelessness on my part. But the house is still standing and we still laugh about this when we reminisce.
- Make sure you are building enough “down time” into the holiday season. You need some quiet time to rejuvenate and you also need to ensure that you get adequate sleep.
- Go for a brisk walk or workout.
- Make sure that you are getting adequate magnesium in your diet. Most of us need supplementation due to the fact that it is almost impossible because of today’s farming techniques to get enough from the food we eat. Stress actually depletes the magnesium levels in our bodies. We need to understand that there are two key minerals — calcium and magnesium— whose roles are like two opposite sides of a coin. Calcium excites our nerves and makes our muscles contract, while magnesium is necessary for our muscles to relax. Magnesium also keeps our blood flowing while calcium helps it clot. Our cells are normally in a relaxed state when they contain magnesium. But when we are under stress, they go through a change. Calcium, which is normally outside of our cells, rushes into our cells. This in turn forces the magnesium out. If you are deficient in magnesium, then there is a physical reason why you can’t relax or sleep at night. Just a few symptoms of magnesium deficiency include insomnia, migraine headaches, muscle aches, PMS, and heart palpitations. Because magnesium is necessary for more than 350 bodily functions, this list is just the beginning of all the symptoms that are a result of magnesium deficiency. One important thing to realize is that not all magnesium is the same. Most laxatives use magnesium as their main ingredient in the form of magnesium oxide. Because the body has a hard time digesting it, it puts it into the colon, causing it to hydrate and work as a laxative. The best form of magnesium is liquid magnesium, but that is also the most expensive. The best cost-effective magnesium is a citrate powder. You simply add hot water to the powder which converts it into a liquid. For most people, the best time to take this is about ½ hour before bed time. Many people find that it really makes a difference in their ability to sleep, giving them a peaceful, restful sleep. Magnesium citrate is a good choice because it is a mineral in a citric acid form that is much more bio-available to the body. Tablets and capsules generally are not as absorbable as the liquid form.
Challenge yourself this holiday season. You really can make it the most relaxing one you’ve had in a long time by making a few small changes along the way. Don’t forget to take your soothing magnesium supplement to help your body along.