Crystal of the month of April – Green Aventurine for Kindness

The Ikley Happiness Centre’s The theme for the month of April is Kindness and once again a crystal is suggested that may be of benefit. For this reason, Green Aventurine has been chosen as the crystal for the month of April.

What exactly is kindness and what makes one person kinder than another? And of course, which crystal is best suited to this theme.

Working with and carrying Green Aventurine opens up the heart chakra and unlocks a natural generous nature as it promotes empathy and compassion in those who wish to embrace its vibration and energy.

If we do not look after ourselves first and foremost we will soon start to feel less able to shower kindness on others, therefore we definitely need to nurture our own mind, body and spirit on a regular basis. When we learn to be kind to ourselves, over time it then becomes so much easier to naturally pass on this behaviour to others.

Kindness is when we give of ourselves without expecting anything in return. Have you ever sat back and thought about what impact your actions and words have on others and how you feel when we have shown someone an act of generosity and kindness? Does it make you feel better in yourself? Have you noticed that you then attract great acts of kindness in return from the ones that are around you in the most unexpected ways.

How could your life change if you were able to be mindful of yourself as well as others on a regular basis?

Carrying a piece of Green Aventurine, will help to open you up to making the sacrifice required to help someone else who is in greater need, highlighting opportunities where you will be able to offer your assistance before it has been requested.

Aventurine is a variety of quartz that can often contains bright particles of mica or hematite and is available in the different colours of peach, red, blue, green and brown.

When used in a healing environment it is particularly beneficial for warding off heart attacks and lowering cholesterol as well as balancing blood pressure. It is a very positive stone and brings about a stable state of mind and stimulates ones perception and creativity.

All crystal collections should include a piece of Green Aventurine as it very gently opens, clears and balances the heart chakra. A selection of pieces are available to purchase from the Centre at an affordable price. Try it and see what happens for you, you could be presently surprised.

If you would like to enjoy the benefits of a personal one to one crystal healing with our wonderful healer then please email Peta on healthful.healing@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 07736929614.

All of Peta’s healings come highly recommended, as they are beneficial, uplifting, rejuvenating and de-stressing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Change for life

As a therapist it’s always uplifting to receive feedback like the two I received recently from a hypnotherapy client who had been nervous about a job interview . The first one read ‘The interview went very well and I was very calm during my presentation , thank you ever so much for your help’ followed shortly by ‘I got offered the job and am very pleased and relieved. Thank you so much for all your help.I wouldn’t hesitate to duse you again’.

Hypnotherapy didn’t get the job for my client. He got it on his own merit. He was skilled,  very experienced, on the ball and had excellent people skills. I would have given him the job! However, his nerves nearly got the better of him. He wasn’t sleeping well in the run up to this important interview and he kept imagining the presentation he had to do going wrong…

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At Home with the Metamorphic Technique

Metamorphic Technique is a valuable easy-to-learn technique for providing an unconditional space in which transformation can occur. One of the things I love about Metamorphic Technique is sharing it within the home.  Parents can do it on their children, partners can use it on each other, children can do it on their parents or even on each other as it really is so simple to do. And let’s not forget pets too, as many animals love this touch! 

In fact when we love something, there is a natural tendency to want to share that enthusiasm with others. So sharing something like Metamorphic Technique, once you’ve experienced it yourself, can be the most natural thing in the world.

When you do Metamorphic Technique you are offering an open, loving space to that person. You are letting go of any expectations and demands of what you consider to be right for them and in doing that you allow that person to find the best in themselves, their most authentic self. By doing MT, stuck dynamics in a family can change. Often children carry unexpressed emotions for the rest of the family and Metamorphic can allow for transformation to happen so everybody can feel lighter and freer. 

One of the most inspiring stories I heard about what MT can do was about a young boy at kindergarten who went home, after having had MT at school and insisted his parents learn how to do it. The family were not getting on very well and home was not an easy place to be. The parents responded to their son’s plea and the whole family learnt how to do it on each other and the whole atmosphere at home changed and became harmonious again. 

Metamorphic Technique is wonderful  to receive during pregnancy.  It can allow a mother the space to move through the transformation of pregnancy and birth with more ease and grace. Mothers have reported easier births and more contented babies and it is something she can continue to offer her child through all the different stages of development.

All that is involved is willingness to give and receive this soft, gentle touch on the feet, hands and head. No equipment is required, no special place or even any extra time as it can be done while chatting, listening to music or watching TV. A short ten minute session at bedtime can open the door to that inner magic we all have inside.

I offer regular workshops in the Metamorphic Technique, as well as personal sessions and family sessions. To learn more or to book call me on 07939118136 or visit: www.metamorphicwings.com.

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We have moved!

Hi there

We have moved our blog to our new website and it can be found by clicking on Go to : http://www.ilkleyhappinesscentre.com/blog

You will find all our articles in a much easier format.

We look forward to seeing your there!

Kimm Fearnley

Founder Ilkley Happiness Centre.

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Herb of the Month

Vervain – The Magical Post Viral Tonic

This winter has brought some particularly nasty viruses leaving many people with the classic post viral symptoms of fatigue and low mood.  I’ve clients who have been “not right” for weeks and one who spoke of the “90 day cough”.

As ever Nature has help for us and most particularly the herb Vervain, Verbena Officinalis.  Know as the wizard’s herb in Welsh, it is a truly magical herb.  it was sacred to the ancient Greeks and central to the beliefs and rituals of celtic druids.  The druids used it for divination, believing its soul could cross between worlds.

It is a perennial with toothed, pointed leaves and tiny purple flowers.  It is now rare in Britain outside herb gardens but it is easy to cultivate.

Medicinally it has anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, antibiotic and anti-viral properties.  It is also protective to the liver.  Herbalists regard it as a nervine which means it is a soothing nourishing tonic to whole nervous system; a mild bitter tonic which means it regulates the digestion and a diaphoretic which means it mobilises our “wei qi” or defensive energy to fight off infections.

Vervain is widely considered to be the best herb for post viral recovery because not only does it improve physical symptoms, it is a great mood enhancer.  For post viral symptoms I often combine it with respiratory herbs like Angelica or Licorice, energy boosters like Siberian Ginseng and Rhodiola and other nervines like St John’s Wort.

The other area where Vervain is so useful is with premenstrual syndrome and peri-menopausal symptoms.  Herbalists believe that it helps to increase progesterone production and balance the effects of estrogen dominance. Its action appears very similar to the famous Chinese Herbal formula Xiao Yan Wan, Free and Easy Wanderer. I could not imagine treating PMS without Vervain.

You can make vervain tea, or take the tincture, but best of all come to see me for a herbal consultation to get a formula tailored to your unique needs.  My herbal supplier, Rutland Biodynamic, make a Vervain tincture with fresh organic plants that is extraordinarily potent.  You can call me 07891579364 or email me integramassage@gmail.com to takethings further.

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Men’s Group at Happiness Centre

Nick Hudis, the Centre’s herbalist and Deep Bodywork therapist writes:

When Robert Bly’s Iron John, a seminal work in the men’s movement, was published in 1990. I was one of the men who scoffed. Men hugging each other in the forest…how corny…I don’t need that.

But over the last few years I have turned my attention increasingly to the needs of men who are seeking natural and holistic ways to care for and develop themselves.

I’ve come to realise that men in the twenty first century face a crisis of physical and emotional wellbeing just as much as they did when Iron John came out. We are caught between the distortions of Ramboesque machismo and the docile feminised “new man.” In the post-feminist age our natural drives and instincts are suppressed and belittled. Testosterone, the blueprint of our maleness is castigated as the cause of all the ills of society. We are the primary victims of so many of today’s chronic diseases. And we are often poorly served by the predominantly feminine ambience of the complementary health and development scene. We have forgotten who we are as men, and how to take care of ourselves. I think its time we took back possession of the strength, vitality and prowess that is our birthright.

And men particularly are often isolated. We have been conditioned to disregard our feelings; we have not developed the support networks that women easily form, and our social encounters often act out inappropriate competitive and hierarchical games. Often encounters with other men have an undercurrent of tension just like two stags disputing territory and breeding rights. As I once put it in a poem:

Every Man carries a Sword

With what skill or intention he uses it I do not know.

Most often men seek support through the feminine, only dropping their guard when they are with their beloved. Or we seek it through substitutes for the feminine. Beer, cars, computers, gadgets…. these may all be substitutes for the feminine. This opening to the feminine is a natural and vital part of masculine experience, but it is often mixed with insecurity and we end up giving up our emotional power and initiative to the feminine (or the object we are using to symbolise the feminine).

So I think that we men also have a deep need for the brotherhood of other men. A space in which we can share the unique qualities of being a man. We need other men to show us what it is to be man, to hold up a mirror to our lives and to point the way to fully embracing the joy and power of being man. The feminine cannot do that for us. However if we can do this among ourselves, we can connect with the feminine from our fullness rather than our neediness.

My intention is hold such a space for men at the Happiness Centre about once a month in the evening. My vision is a space where we can talk and learn, listen and support, have fun, go deep within, make a noise, be silent, get in touch with the inner wild man and the inner god. A space where cars, computers, politics, and football are off the agenda. I’m calling this vision Heart of Man, because that is where we want to be.. in our wild, sexy, wise, tender, powerful godlike man’s heart.

To support this space I can draw on 20 years as a therapist. I have a particular interest in sharing what I know of Tantric and Taoist sexual energy work, but the group will create its own agenda as it develops.

So if this resonates with you, we’ll be meeting in the meditation room at the Centre at 8.00 on 27th February and 27th March. This will be an open space to chat and see what emerges.

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Crystal of the month of February – Rose Quartz

February has always been known as the month of Love. This is the time of year when we celebrate St Valentine’s Day, or, the feast of St Valentine, where we traditionally declare our undying love secretly or as in today’s world more openly. Cupid also is very busy during this time as he works along side St Valentine where he shoots his little arrow into the heart of your chosen one and makes the person fall head over heals in love with you.

For this month we have chosen Rose Quartz as our favourite crystal as it is well known as the stone of gentle, unconditional love. It teaches us how to love not only ourselves but all of those around us too. It opens up the heart centre to allow the feelings of true love to flow deep and wide.

But I hear you say, that is fine for those that are in a relationship already but how can Rose Quartz help me to find the love of my life. How can it attract a loving relationship to me???

Well we will let you into a little secret that has been proven to work in the past. Honestly. All you have to do is follow the instructions and believe.

Firstly take your chosen piece of rose quartz and cleanse it under running water and then leave it to recharge over night under the moonlight.

Then take a piece of A4 paper and draw a line down the centre. At the top of the left hand column write the word ‘Want’. At the top of the left hand column write the words ‘Don’t Want’.  Now this is where you can be as creative and imaginative as you want. Write down everything that you are looking for in a partner, and everything you don’t want also. You can list absolutely anything, from the colour of their hair to the type of car they may drive.  When you are happy with your lists, fold the piece of paper into 4 and place it in a safe place with your piece of rose quartz on top of it. And leave it alone. The only word of warning is be careful what you ask for as you may just be in for a shock.

When used in a healing environment it is especially beneficial to the physical heart and circulatory system. It is effective in the treatment of healing emotional wounds as it releases the negative energy that is stored in the heart chakra.

A lovely selection of pieces are available for you to purchase from The Happiness Centre at an affordable price.  Try it and see what happens for you, you could be really surprised.

Why not consider enjoying the benefits of a personal one to one crystal healing with our crystal healer. Please email Peta on healthful.healing@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 07736929614 to book your session

All of Peta’s healings come highly recommended as they are beneficial, uplifting, rejuvenating and de-stressing

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Why Non-Diet Methods Of Weight Loss Are Best

In this article nutritional therapist Becky Davies-Downes and Rachel Swann of Beautiful Swans Weight Loss Hypnotherapy, discuss the psychological and physiological reasons why ‘non-diet’ methods of weight loss are best. 

January is a big month for the diet industry. Christmas over indulgence brings panic over waistlines, a rush to start new diets, gym subscriptions and a ‘New Start’. By the beginning of February most of us have lapsed at the gym and have fallen off our diet wagons leaving us feeling unhealthy and despondent once more.  Dieting to achieve sustained weight loss often fails even before you start – whatever plan you intend to follow. Why? In part, because diets fail to take into account the many and different individual and specific physiological reasons why you put on weight.

• psychological factors such as depression, anxiety & eating disorders
• behavioural factors such as poor portion control, fast food consumption & learnt eating habits from childhood
• endocrine disorders including hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, Cushing’s Syndrome
• stress
• factors affecting leptin synthesis, a hormone that appears to tell your body how much fat you have stored, thus regulating hunger
• poor glucose handling

Instead of looking for the physiological reasons behind an increasing waistline the easiest answer is to turn to a number of familiar generic ‘truisms’ about weight loss. Consequently, you end up tackling the symptom, the weight gain, not the cause. In some lucky cases, this is sufficient. Unfortunately, for most people, it isn’t. 

One of the best known weight loss methods is calorie counting; used not only on it’s own but also as the basis of many commercial diet plans. The belief that ‘calories in versus calories out’ is the magic equation to answer all your problems, sadly, is not true.

• it’s time consuming
• you need to keep a track of where you are at
• cut your calories and your body can start to store fat – evidence now clearly demonstrates that the body gets “stingier” in its use of calories after each fad diet
• low calorie foods may be less satisfying, leaving you feeling hungry more quickly

My biggest problem with calorie counting, however, is that it is entirely possible to cut your calorie intake yet still be eating all the wrong types of food and still gaining weight.

Eat more calories than your body knows what to do with and you will eventually gain weight. Fair point. But does cutting your calories mean you are getting a balanced diet with the variety of nutrients that will set you on the path to optimum health, wellbeing and your ideal weight? Not necessarily. Take the example of a can of diet cola versus an avocado. One has no calories whilst the other has a high calorific value. Which one has the greater range of nutrients and is ultimately healthier? You guessed it, the avocado. With calorie counting, it’s all too easy to ignore the nutritional value of foods.

Another of my favourite dieting myths is that all fat is bad for you. Not so, well not all fat anyway. Some fat is essential. Take Omega 3 for example, an essential fatty acid (the word essential should really give us a clue here). This is thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease, promote healthy skin and when used along with diet and exercise to help lower levels of certain blood fat and to raise levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL). Not the credentials of something that is bad for you. Yet myth and relentless advertising has us all tripping over ourselves to eat low fat this and that. Have you ever stopped to consider if they take the fat out, what they replace it with? Again, it’s all too easy to ignore true nutritional value.

Primarily, dieting brings out the worst in us as humans.  From a psychological perspective we are not designed to restrict ourselves.  We are best reinforced by pleasure; things that make us feel good can make us want to repeat the action over and over again.

Eating is about pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction. Different foods provide this at different times.  But if you eat something you don’t really want you will continue to look for that satisfaction.  

Diets do not provide you with the leeway to eat what you want, when you want it; they label foods as forbidden or restricted and  that just makes them all the more attractive to us.  The minute you start feeling like you can’t have something you start to want it. For successful eight loss, you need to realise how your relationship with food works and not overly restrict yourself. 

The idea of a diet is a short term fix.  We use language like ‘going on a diet’ rather than changing our diet. We talk about ‘treat night’ where we reward ourselves with forbidden foods for having done so well depriving ourselves and losing weight that week. When it comes to high days and holidays we talk about ‘forgetting the diet’.  The changes are severe, making them unsustainable for long periods of time.

Unlike giving up any other unhealthy habit, you can’t go cold turkey when attempting to change your relationship with food. Everyone has to eat so you have to re-establish your relationship and approach to food. After years of bad habits, this can be hard to achieve. 

The key factors to remember are that understanding the cause of your weight gain and tackling these, are much more successful long term than tackling the immediate symptoms. If you want to lose weight permanently then a short term diet will not work.

Rachel and Becky are working together running workshops to support women in West and North Yorkshire to lose weight with a non-dieting approach.  If you would like to find out more about these workshops visit http://ilkleynutrition.beautifulswans.com 

 

 

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Crystal of the month of January – Blue Lace Agate

BLUE MONDAY

At the start of January we are usually full of beans and raring to race head long into the coming year. Then, as the month slowly trundles on the weather gets colder and the nights seem longer and darker. The bills arrive showing  any debt built up during the Christmas spending spree. We have usually abandoned our New Years resolution and lost our motivation to continue but still have a feeling that we need to take action. All of this leads to what the experts call Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year and in 2013 it falls on Monday 21^st January.

So, for this reason Blue Lace Agate has been chosen as our favourite crystal of the month as it brings in a cooling peace of mind and helps us to freely express our thoughts and feelings.  January is a hard month to get through for many as the lack of sunshine and warmth reduces our energy levels and this is where this crystal comes into its own. It is a deeply nurturing and supportive stone that works by evenly balancing out the physical, emotional and intellectual energies.

Blue Lace Agate is an amazing stone that works especially well on the throat, neck, shoulder and chest area. Opening up the throat chakra to allow free self-expression and new modes of communication which can be highly beneficial when one is starting to feel down and out of sorts with themselves.

This is a variegated form of Chalcedony that displays differing pretty shades of blue and white often found in a lace pattern effect when the stone is polished and tumbled.

When used in a healing environment it is especially beneficial to arthritic and rheumatoid conditions, which can be worsened during the cold damp winter months. It is known for strengthening the skeletal system as a whole and cleanses the lymphatic system.

Wearing a piece of Blue Lace Agate will enhance your mental function, increase your concentration levels and analytical abilities. This is exactly what is required to overcome the depressive feelings that can be sensed on Blue Monday.

A selection of pieces are available for you to purchase from The Happiness Centre at an affordable price.  Try it and see what happens for you, you could be presently surprised

If depression is something that does affect your life, why not consider enjoying the benefits of a personal one to one crystal healing with our extraordinary healer. Please email Peta on healthful.healing@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 07736929614 to book your session

All of Peta’s healings come highly recommended as they are beneficial, uplifting, rejuvenating and de-stressing

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Crystal of the month of November – Mookite

The month of November reminds us that another year is nearly over as we start to think towards the coming year and all it is going to bring for us. This is a good month to reflect on what have been both the highlights and low lights of 2012 for us. To seriously think about what we would like to achieve for ourselves over the next 12 months and to allow our desire for new experiences to be reawakened.

This time Mookite has been chosen as our favourite crystal of the month as it has a wonderfully calming energy to carry with you during your daily life. One of its specialities is that is helps one to move forward in life with ease and gives the confidence to believe in your decision making process. It openly encourages balanced thoughts and allows you to remain flexible and honest with any new ideas you may have.

Mookite is an astonishing stone for those who feel they are alone or just lonely. It is also a great stone that is available to help those who are often kind to all others and forget about themselves and it reminds them to start to think of themselves in a kind and loving manner too.

Mookite is a variety of jasper and is often referred to as Australian Jasper. It is available in a blend of colours ranging from mustard yellow to deep burgundy red.

When used in a healing environment it is beneficial to the immune system and for purifying the blood.

Wearing a piece of Mookite will allow you to be versatile in your daily life as well as pointing out all of the opportunities that are available to you at that time and assists in choosing the right path to follow.

A selection of pieces are available for you to purchase from The Happiness Centre at an affordable price.  Try it and see what happens for you, you could be presently surprised

If you would like to enjoy the benefits of a personal one to one crystal healing with our extraordinary healer then please email Peta on healthful.healing@yahoo.co.uk or telephone 07736929614.

All of Peta’s healings come highly recommended as they are beneficial, uplifting, rejuvenating and de-stressing

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