Friday 9 December 2016

Finding ME


As she lay curled in the foetal position, she murmured the words ‘I cannot do this anymore. I cannot get out of bed. I have nothing left’. Her confused and concerned husband stood there holding the baby, with a toddler clinging to each leg, not knowing what to do or say. And as she turned away from her beloved little family, she sadly wondered what had happened to her.

Who was she?

What had happened to her life?

Where had she gone?

When did she loose herself?

Why had she become so lost?

How did she become this person?

And in her numbness and exhaustion, she grieved the loss of the passionate, spirited, intriguing and inspiring girl that she once was. That she was, before she became a mother.

Was it possible to ever find her again?

That mountain seemed too huge to even contemplate climbing and yet she would move that same mountain for her children if she had too.  So powerful was her love for her children.

She just couldn’t climb it for herself.

Oh, the grief that filled her in that awareness - that there is not enough of me, for them and me.

How can there possibly be enough for both?

For that love, that deep maternal love, that one cannot comprehend until they experience it, compelled her to fill their cup with all that she had, while leaving her own empty. And this was to be to her detriment. And to her children’s.

How had the pure joy and magic of becoming a mother a mere four years previously been replaced by this?

Three babies, a miscarriage, an interstate move with no friends or family close by, a resignation from a once loved job, unexpected acceptance of a full-time ‘stay at home mummy’ gig, a hard working husband, a traumatising home break-in in the middle of the night and the passing of a beloved father, which had not been fully grieved, distracted by little people and their needs.

A lot had happened in those four years. Far too much to experience from a depleted state of being. Far too much to experience with an empty cup.

I AM NOT COPING.

Those life-changing words, simply stated to her GP, became a public declaration of her vulnerability, and were the key to finding herself again. In reclaiming and reconnecting to that passionate, spirited, intriguing and inspiring girl that she had inadvertently lost somewhere along the way. Somewhere in her motherhood journey she had lost the essence of ME, replacing it with her love for others. And while she had convinced herself that that was enough, she finally listened that morning as she laid curled, frightened and empty in bed, that it clearly was not enough.

She realised you cannot be enough to others, if you are not enough within yourself.

You cannot love others fully, if you do not first fully love yourself.

And so began the path back to herself. An extraordinary and exciting journey of discovery of her true SELF. An endless journey, because there is always more to explore, more to grow into, more to become.

I AM THAT GIRL.

And within 2 weeks of speaking those powerful words, Kinesiology had found me. And as I found myself sitting in a classroom only days later, without my babies surrounding me for the first time in years, I breathed and allowed myself to be taken wherever this ‘Kinesiology thing’ took me. This ‘Kinesiology thing’, which I didn’t really have a clue about and had seemingly quite randomly stumbled across and yet I couldn’t shake the deep sense of intrigued and inner knowing that I simply had to study it.

As I sat in my course on that first day, feeling like I had discovered a treasure, I knew it wasn’t really about me. I knew I was learning so I could help other women, who like me had lost themselves. I knew I was learning so that I could help them find their way back to their true self, or ideally teach them how to hold onto their true self as they enter motherhood. For when we hold onto the essence of who we are, there is no need to go searching for what you have lost, instead you can use all that extraordinary energy on expanding who you are into the most magnificent version of your SELF – and that is the greatest gift that you could ever give yourself and your children!

Four years later, almost to the day, since I couldn’t get out of bed, I sit here typing these words, interrupted by morning kisses, cuddles and declarations of love, from my now 8, 6 and 4 year olds. My heart is filled with gratitude for where my moment of despair, my moment of pure vulnerability has taken me. And I am filled with love for myself, for allowing myself to courageously let go and go where this journey of self-discovery has taken me.










Wednesday 17 June 2015

Wholefood Breakfast Workshop



Wow, it's finally happening!
 
After talking about doing a Wholefood Breakfast Workshop for about 2 years now, I am finally doing it!
 
My wonderful friend and amazing Naturopath, Renee Simpson and I are joining forces to run a super fun, relaxed and informative afternoon, where you will not only learn why eating clean is so important for the physical body, the mind and, well the energetic body as a whole, but you will also be INSPIRED to make these changes for not only you, but your whole family!
 
As part of Vitality Junctions', Inspiring Health Series, Renee and I will be using our knowledge as Health Professionals AND as Mothers who understand how important it is to nurture our children's bodies, as well as nurturing our own bodies, through beautiful clean, nutrient dense and energetically nourishing wholefoods.
 
So Why Start with Breakfast - Well Why Not?
 
It is arguably the most important meal of the day, and yet we have become conditioned to believing that cereal and toast is a nutritionally adequate meal to fuel the body and mind for the day.
 
Renee and I are excited to debunk these beliefs through providing you with a wealth of information about the benefits of wholefoods and why eating processed breads and cereals, which are often high in preservatives, additives, colouring, refined sugar and gluten, are best avoided!
 
During the workshop, Renee and I will prepare 7 nutritionally rich breakfasts, to demonstrate how simple and time efficient, it can be to step away from the traditional cereal and toast breakfast. Participants will have the opportunity to sample each breakfast, and experience how delicious and varied breakfast can be.
 
                   
All recipes demonstrated and sampled during the workshop will be provided to participants to take home and share with your family. In addition we will discuss how to clean up and restock your pantry, with a ‘Let’s Get Started - Shopping List’ provided as well as information on the best wholefood products and where to buy them.
 

Who Would Benefit From This Workshop?

Anyone who is already considering changing their own diet or their family’s diet, but feeling completely overwhelmed about where to begin.

Because food truly can be medicine, this workshop would also be extremely beneficial to anyone who has:
  • digestive issues (eg. irritable bowel issues, recurrent gastro-intestinal upsets, bloating, reflux
  • autoimmune disease
  • anxiety and/or depression
  • persistent headaches / ‘fogging’ brain
  • constant fatigue / exhaustion
  • children with learning or behavioral challenges (including ADHD & Autism)

Removing foods that create imbalance in the body eg. preservatives, refined sugar, gluten and replacing it with clean wholefoods assists in keeping the body in a balanced state. And when the energetic body is in a state of balance or harmony, it does what it does best, which is to innately heal - the body, the mind and the spirit!
 

 
 
 
 










What You Will Learn
  1. Understand why changing from ‘traditional’ breakfast choices is important for your health
  2. Understand the nutritional benefits of many wholefoods
  3. How to make healthy breakfast recipes for you and your family
  4. How to stock your pantry, fridge and freezer with the best breakfast ingredients
 
What You Get
  1. Nutritional information
  2. 7+ recipes to take home (with alterations for Failsafe Diet)
  3. Cooking demonstration
  4. Samples of all recipes
  5. Shopping list and guidance on best products to buy
PLUS - a delicious Wholefood Afternoon Tea
PLUS+ - the chance to win an initial consultation with either myself or Renee (value $95)
PLUS++ - half price ticket to our next workshop, The Wholefood Lunchbox and Snacks  (value $35)
PLUS+++ - email support from Renee and I after the workshop to help you get started (priceless!)
 
What to Bring
  • An empty stomach and an open mind
  • A willingness and readiness for change
  • Motivation to take the next step....we guarantee to inspire this motivation during the workshop!
  • Notepad and pen


Your Investment
3 hours of your time,
2-5pm on Sat 11th July 2015
 
$70 per person
 
Bookings
Bernadette         0410 664 097
Renee                0435 990 781
Vitality Junction 49691965
 
 

 

 

 
 


 


 


 
 
 

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Belief Balance for Mothers

Now Is The Time....

I am now taking bookings for my exciting new program, Belief Balance for Mothers.

Read on for more information on what's involved!

There are plenty of books on being a mother but really none can actually tell you how to become the mother YOU desire to be. Why?

Because every child is different. Every mother is different. Every mother / child relationship is different.

We are a product of our own life experiences, our DNA holds the experiences of our ancestors and, if you believe in the concept of past lives, our aura carries the experiences of our past life experiences. All this history, this energy, lies within our energetic body and included in that are our beliefs.

The beliefs we have about being a mother. They are not necessarily within our conscious awareness, many sit within the subconscious mind and work on many different levels of our subconscious.

Our beliefs are powerful. They impact on our thoughts, which influence our actions, which create our behaviours. And how we behave with others determines the nature of our relationships, including the relationship between mother and child.

Your beliefs about being a mother have a significant impact on the relationship you have with your child / children.

If your relationship with your child / children is not what you wish it to be, then changing your beliefs about motherhood will in turn change your relationship with your child. Not just on a surface level, but on a deep level - a soul level.

So I ask you to consider the following questions, and if you answer yes to any, if not all these questions, then my Belief Balance for Mothers program may be right for you!

Are you the Mother you desire to be?

Are you happy with your relationship with your child / children?

Are you ready to commit to creating the Mother you desire to be?

Are you willing to release the BELIEFS that are holding you back from being the mother you desire to be?

Are you ready to change?

Do you deserve to take the time to change?

Do you deserve to take time for you?

If you answered yes to any of these, then read on!

Your Body Kinesiology - Belief Balance for Mothers

This program is designed to help women - mothers or nurturers - to become the mother they want to be.

What's Involved:
Through the process of manifestation you will create a statement reflecting your vision of yourself as a mother. We will then identify and balance any fundamental beliefs around being a mother, that are blocking you from aligning to this vision. This process will be achieved through a combination of Kinesiology and Theta Healing.

The final stage of the program is identifying through muscle testing the integration techniques required for you to complete at home to further integrate the changes that have been made. This is an extremely important part of the program and what it involves will vary for every person, as every persons energetic needs are different. Some people will integrate these changes in beliefs quickly and some will take longer.

What You Get:
Firstly your get 90 minutes time out for YOU - you deserve this!

We start with a 30 min foot soak in magnesium salt to CLEANSE your energetic field before we complete the Belief Balance. Pink rose petals will be added to the foot bath to gently start opening your heart chakra and opening you to UNCONDITIONAL LOVE- a key to becoming the mother you desire to be!

While you soak your feet you will sip on a specially formulated herbal tea, designed to open your third eye chakra, assisting you to clearly 'see' the vision of the mother you desire to be.

You will use this time, to jot down your desired mother vision and create a MANIFESTATION Statement around your vision eg. I am a patient, calm, open, loving mother who....etc. We will then align you to this statement during the balance.

Following the foot soak, my own rose quartz infused oil, which I have created especially for this program, will be applied to the base of your feet to further open you to 'stepping forward' into unconditional love.

The next step is completing the actual Belief Balance, utilising both Kinesiology and Theta Healing techniques. This involves identifying which fundamental beliefs about being a mother you are aligned too and those that you are not. We then clear from your energetic body those beliefs which you are holding that are preventing you from aligning to your vision of the mother you desire to be. We will then bring your energy into alignment with your manifestation statement.

Finally through muscle testing we will check your alignment to your manifestation statement, and clear any further blocks that may be present, as well as identifying your specific INTEGRATION program to be completed after the session.

The integration process involves using a key belief statement as an affirmation for a specific number of times per day for a specific number of days or weeks. This will vary for each person and your individual program will be identified through muscle testing. Your integration strategy will be supported with a Bach Flower Essence, identified specifically for this program, to assist in the release of old beliefs, patterns and behaviours. The Rock Water Bach Flower remedy simply allows you to unbend, so you are kinder to yourself and not so dismissive of life's softer more joyful simple pleasures. It is a remedy for mothers who deny themselves many of the joys and pleasures of life because they consider it might interfere with their work as a mother.

Any additional integration strategies to support the integration of new beliefs and alignment to your manifestation statement will also be identified through muscle testing.

Your Commitment:

(i) 90 minutes of your time

(ii) A desire to release the old and step forward into a new version of you as a mother

(iii) Completion of your personalised integration program at home following completion of your session

Your Investment:

$130

Early Bird Special:

Because I am very excited to launch this program, I have decided to gift the first 12 women who book a session with a bottle of my beautiful rose quartz infused oil!

It is such a beautiful oil to use on yourself to open your heart chakra to unconditional love or to even use on your child / children, to also open them to giving and receiving unconditional love!

If my program speaks to you, it is because I have created it for you! I know you. I know your struggle. I know your desire to change!

So, if you know you are ready to commit to changing the mother you are, into the mother you desire to be, then book your session with me NOW!

Book your appointment today to change your tomorrow! x

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Vulnerability.....

As my little girl walked away from me this morning, into the playground of her third school in two years, I felt her uncertainty, I felt her insecurity, I felt her fear, I felt her vulnerability. And oh, how my heart ached and how I wanted to save her from it. I didn't want her to feel like that - nobody likes to feel like that!
 
But deep inside I knew that this was a gift to her, and I knew that her amazing inquisitive Spirit, would take this offering and use it, to grow her life experience, to evolve just a little bit more......
 
I knew that her uncertainty of what lay ahead, was to teach her that it is OK to let go of control and just trust that it will all work out......oh what a freedom to KNOW this at such a young age.
 
I knew that her insecurity of herself in that moment (mistakenly wearing the school uniform on sports day when everyone else was in sports uniform certainly helped with this one!), was to teach her that she is completely perfect in her imperfection - that she is enough exactly as she is and that this knowing would instil a greater sense of peace than any sense of security could ever bring.
 
I knew that her fear as she walked away from me, was to teach her that it is in living life, moving forward and being your authentic self DESPITE the fear, is how you in fact overcome fear and live your life with a blissful sense of freedom.
 
I knew that experiencing vulnerability, was to teach her that being courageous and taking risks and making changes in life, without knowing what lies ahead is what life is about. It was to teach her, that exposing yourself to the judgement and potential criticism of others, builds confidence and resilience and a desire to do it again and again and again.
 
To take risks is to LEARN.
 
          To take risks is to GROW.
 
                    To take risks is to LIVE.
 
To take risks is what this whole thing is about - to experience life - the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the easy and the tough, the love and the fear, the peace and the anxiety, the knowing and the uncertainty. For without one we cannot truly appreciate the other.
 
If I do not know hurt, how can I appreciate joy?
 
If I do not know anger, how can I appreciate calm?
 
If I do not know rejection, how can I appreciate acceptance?
 
If I do not know sorrow, how can I appreciate happiness?
 
If I do not know vulnerability, how can I appreciate security?
 
If I do not know how to live my life fully, how can I appreciate my life?
 
And so today, as my little girl walked away from me, I knew she would come back to me changed, having learnt, having grown and having evolved for all the experiences that she had today - whatever those experiences were to be.
 
And I knew, that whatever those experiences were to be, that I would be there - to guide her, nurture her and love her through them - because she Chose Me to be her mum in this life, and I owe her that!
 
BTW - she shone today, like the little light she is.......I always knew she was going to! xxx

 





Monday 17 November 2014

39 Reasons Why I Feel Grateful

On the eve of my 39th Birthday, I am feeling grateful and as a gift to myself I want to express my gratitude and share it with others, for maybe something in my gratitude will be a gift for someone else.
                


So here, in no particular order, I offer 39 reasons why I feel grateful at this moment (by the way I have no idea what is about to come out and I am going to press publish regardless!)

I am grateful for:
1. Choosing to live this life
2. Each day being more consciously aware, more of the time
3. My mum and her lesson of acceptance and resilience - regardless of what life delivers!
4. Living in a country that allows me the freedom to be me
5. Learning to accept my gifts and embrace them
6. My sisters and brother, their strength of character, their love and our shared childhood experiences
7. Feeling pure love just watching my girls swimming this afternoon
8. The sweet snuggly cuddles my little man gives me every morning
9. My childhood best friend who has grown with me through so much
10. Finally really noticing the beauty of nature every day - the clouds, the butterflies, the colour of the leaves on the trees, the smell of roses in my garden
11. My inner wisdom that spoke so strongly one day as I sat in the car at traffic light and said 'you and Luke'.....it was the most obvious thing in the world at that moment - just one I had failed to see for the previous 8 years.
12. My amazing body - its strength, its miracle in keeping me alive for 39 years
13. My imperfections for teaching me love and acceptance of myself
14. Learning to be calm and at peace even in the midst of daily chaos
15. My dad for showing me how to laugh and enjoy life
16. My husband for going to work and working so hard every day, allowing me to live my purpose without financial pressure
17. The softness my Lucia teaches me through her gentle nurturing of others
18. My mum giving of herself and her home to us for the last 18 months
19. The fun and freedom of my Uni days and that I survived unscathed!
20. The extraordinary friendships I made while I was at Uni and curiously exploring life for the first time
21. Dr Bielby, Integrated Doctor, who possibly saved my life last year
22. My courage to be who I am, even if it is different!
23. Listening to, and acting on my intuition in deciding to study Kinesiology, even though I didn't really know what it was
24. Finding a boyfriend in bed with another girl, which taught me self-respect, confidence and integrity
25. My Koko choosing me to be her mother, and allowing me to make so many mistakes as her mother and yet still loving and accepting me for who I am
26. The honour of helping deliver my best friends baby boy and experiencing the magic of birth
27. Those who have trusted me to help them heal, learn and grow in this life
28. The friendships I have nurtured and those that I have let go over the years
29. Being given the opportunity to be educated and the freedom to discern what information I choose to accept and reject
30. Our dream home slowly becoming a reality - and accepting that it will be finished, when it is suppose to be finished
31. Learning to let go of control and allowing myself to be vulnerable
32.Allowing myself to be OK with not knowing what is happening next and being excited by that
33.Sharing in other people's grief in loosing children so that I can learn, through them, acceptance and gratitude for all that is in this moment
34. My daily coffee
35. The amazing healing ability of my body
36. My dad passing away so that I could learn so many important and fundamental spiritual lessons
37. My mum and dad instilling in me a strength of character and courage, which I rely on every day of my life
38. Sharing my life and nurturing my children, with my best friend and my rock
39. Consciously choosing to learn the lessons, that I sought to learn in this life, with ease and grace


I am a strong believer that all I experience contributes to my spiritual growth if I allow it, and therefore for all I have experienced in this life, I am grateful.

Friday 1 August 2014

Four Years On....What I Have Learnt From My Dad Since He Passed Away


Today it is four years since my dad passed away.

I can't believe he has been gone for so long. For anyone who has lost a loved one, you will understand that feeling of incomprehension that they are no longer physically with you. In those early days, it is something you cannot allow yourself to comprehend, let alone accept as real, as final.

 But since my dad has been gone, he has taught me so much. I know that sounds strange, and for a while, I didn't acknowledge it, but now I know and courageously share, that in my dad's passing from this life, he has taught me so many powerful lessons.

On the morning my dad passed away, I was surrounded by a strange sense of calm and an inner peace that I had not experienced before. In the days leading up to dads passing I had been anything but calm. Three nights before, someone had broken into our house at 3am and stolen the car keys, wallet and phone and we awoke to hear the car being driven out the driveway. Having my sense of safety and security eroded in one moment, I did not slept more than a couple of hours for the next 3 days.

However, the night before dad passed away, I finally allowed myself to sleep and awoke feeling so much calmer. I was also battling a persistent throat infection that had been hanging around for 3 weeks. It was so unlike me to get unwell and I had taken antibiotics (yuk) and yet it would not go away (not surprisingly!). These days I would know my throat chakra was out of balance and quickly identify what was causing it to be out of balance and correct it, thereby allowing it to start healing itself. I would ask 'what was I not saying that I needed to say?'. That is the question I now always ask when someone complains of throat issues as the throat chakra relates to communication. However, back then, I was in a very different place in awareness of my physical body and the powerful link between emotion and physical health.

In retrospect, I have considered all the things that I may have needed to say to my dad that I had not said, as my throat infection cleared within 2 days of dads passing. Yet I have resolved that I had said all I needed to say to my dad before he passed. I saw him for the last time, 6 days before he passed away. We were heading to the airport to go back home to Brisbane after a visit to celebrate my baby girls 1st birthday. I remember I took my big girl, who had not long turned 3, into dad’s bedroom to say goodbye. He was lying down having a rest after being to our next door neighbour’s funeral. As my daughter leaned over and kissed her Pa goodbye I said to her 'when you love someone you tell them, ' and she said 'love you Pa' as she kissed him. I leaned over and kissed my dad goodbye and said 'Love you Blue (my affectionate name for him)'. They were my last words to him.

On that morning four years ago, despite the throat infection and the break-in, I was strangely calm. And while my hubby played golf, I calmly got my girls and I ready for the day and I walked them in the double pram up to the church in the village where we were living. My baby girl fell asleep in the pram and slept the whole way through Mass while I cuddled my big girl and felt nothing but a deep love and a sense of inner peace. We left church and I felt so chilled and relaxed and at ease with life, I even let my big girl run ahead instead of sitting in the pram - which I never normally did!

As we strolled down the hill into the village to our favourite café, I wondered what time my hubby would be finished golf and perhaps he could meet us. I knew he was playing on the other side of Brisbane, but thought it would be lovely to share this special morning with him. As I grabbed my phone from my bag, I saw I had numerous missed calls from my hubby and my brother in law. It was in that moment that my life froze and was never to be the same again. I grabbed hold of the handrail beside me and rang my husband.

He answered and said 'Where are you?' I answered 'It's Blue isn't it?' He didn't answer and just said 'Where are you?'

 He didn't need to answer, I knew. It was the phone call I had always known was coming, was always expecting - and yet the reality of it was beyond shocking. I was in shock.

I now look back at that morning and that moment and know I was being protected by something or someone - call it a Guardian Angel or a Guide, I just know it all happened the way it did for a reason. My husband was literally 100m around the corner when I rang him and by the time the realisation of what was going on had hit me, I could see him in the car. In a blur I made my way to him, making sure my baby girls were safe and then I fell to the ground in pain and in disbelief and shock. If my darling husband had not been there at that moment, then I simply don't know what I would have done. But he was there, in the same way that  I was surrounded by calm and infused with inner peace on that morning. I was protected by something greater than me. And I needed to be, because in that moment, all surface stuff, all ego, all conscious self is abandoned and all you have is pure and raw - raw emotion, exposed and vulnerable. Nothing else matters. A stolen car, a sore throat, a messy house, sleepless nights, unfolded washing, dirty floors....nothing matters but the emotions you are feeling more intensely than ever before, or ever again.

Maybe that was the beginning of the first lesson that my dad taught me since passing away. I learnt that I am, at all times, being guided and protected, by something that I cannot see, cannot touch, cannot hear, yet know, deep within, is always there. And when I needed it, whatever 'it' is, it was and will be there for me. I guess I also felt for the first time an awareness of my 'self'. With all the ego stripped away and nothing but rawness there, I felt for the first time in the longest of times, a deep awareness of myself and connection to my spirit.

They say that sometimes it takes a traumatic event to trigger a spiritual awakening. I now believe, that my dad’s passing was the trigger for my awakening.

It’s been huge. It’s been fast. It’s been overwhelming. It’s been amazing. It’s been scary. It’s been comforting. It’s been challenging. It’s been exciting. It’s been completely life changing.

Am I the person I was four years ago when my dad physically left me?

No Way!

And much of that is because of my dad.

Two weeks after dad passed away, I fell pregnant with my baby boy. He wasn't planned. He wasn't meant to come while we were in Brisbane with no family around. He wasn't meant to come when I was so emotionally raw and barely coping with life. And yet, he decided it was time to come.

He was my blessing. He is my Xavier and he was my Saviour. My pregnancy was a welcome distraction from my grief. I was sick and exhausted but at least it took my mind off my sadness. And then when he arrived, I had 3 children under 3. I didn't have time to grieve! I didn't have time to do anything bar survive the days and nights.

I did that for about 8 months and then I fell in a heap. I didn't and couldn't get out of bed one morning. I simply couldn't keep going on. Like many women, I guess it all caught up with me, the exhaustion, the repressed emotions, the trying to keep it all together like superwoman. I pulled myself together that day and battled through. Two days later I had made an appointment with a GP, I didn't feel I needed to go - as I had 'got over' it. My wise husband encouraged me to go. I went and it was life changing.

I walked into the GP's room, she asked me how she could help and I took a breath and simply said the words 'I'm not coping'. That was all I needed - no counselling, no medication. That was the start of my healing. In saying those words I allowed myself to be vulnerable and in doing so, I opened the door to growing and changing in the most amazing of ways!

In my vulnerability, I allowed myself to see that there was something missing within me. I had lost 'me' somewhere along the way. At the time I thought it was in having children and loosing time to focus on myself. I now look back and realise I had lost 'me' long before I had my children. I'm not too sure when I lost my connection to my 'self'.

I know that it was there as a child. I know because I didn't fit in when I was a child. I had no friends at school. I was incredibly shy. Yet I never felt alone despite not having anyone to play with or connect with at school. I think now that was because I still had a deep connection to my 'self' which gave me comfort and security. Somewhere after that I lost it, somewhere my ego self, became more powerful and smothered that beautiful soul connection I had.

It is not unusual - sadly it happens all the time. It is part of the reason why I work with children. I want them to nourish the connection that they have to their true self, their soul. I don't want them to lose it, because when you have that connection, life flows - there is more joy and less struggle, there is more peace and less anxiety, there is more love and less fear. It is what life should be!

It took me to this point in my life, 36 years old & 3 children, to realise I had lost my soul connection, and yet by allowing that awareness I opened myself to finding it again. I suppose I went looking consciously and subconsciously for what I needed to do for me. I'm not too sure how it happened but within weeks I could not stop researching kinesiology, I just kept coming back to it or maybe it just kept coming back to me. And within a matter of days of discovering the course that was to change my life, I was enrolled and sitting in class. My life changed in the craziest and astounding way that weekend. I discovered my passion, my purpose and in doing so rediscovered my connection to my true self.

I continue to learn on my spiritual journey. I have learnt about the journey of the spirit through this experience called life. That our spirit comes into life to have a human experience that teaches, if we allow it, important lessons, that allows our spirit to expand through our life. I have learnt about the after-life experience. And it offers comfort in understanding death and that it is simply the end of a spirits physical life experience. I believe that the spirit lives on in a non-physical form, and that our connection to our loved ones remains, if we allow it. That is my belief. That is what I have come to learn from my experiences over the last four years. That is what resonates deeply with me.

By far the greatest gift my dad has given to me in his passing, is in helping me to rediscover my gift of healing. I believe it is something that was always a part of me, it had just not found the avenue to work most effectively. Kinesiology was that avenue for me. It has allowed me to work with hundreds of clients over the past 3 years, and my personal spiritual growth over this time allows me to work with my clients in the way that I do. I know that I am changing people’s lives. I know that as I continue to learn and grow more, which is what life is all about, that I will continue to attract the clients that I am supposed to work with, so that my lessons, my learning's can help them in their lessons, in their learning's.

And that is the greatest gift of all for me - what a blessing!

Thanks Blue for all you have taught me over the last four years! Do I miss you - yeah, I miss your physical presence so much and would love nothing more than to sit and have a beer and the craic with you (not that I drink beer anymore - but you get the picture), but I feel you around most days and I'm grateful for that. x

Sunday 27 July 2014

Bone Broth

I mentioned on my FB page that last weekend we, myself and my little man in particular, were doing a lot of healing. I posted a photo of my staples for the weekend, which included chicken bone broth.
 
My Healing Staples
                  
I have had quite a few people ask me this week about bone broth, its healing benefits and how I make it. Given we are in the middle of winter and there are so many yuk bugs hanging around and hitting families hard, I thought it might be helpful to share my knowledge of bone broth.
 
I'll start by saying that bone broth is nothing new, and definitely nothing fancy! It is just another of those great nutritional traditions that were part of our grandparents everyday diet, that has simply got lost along the way.
 
What Is Bone Broth?
 
Well essentially it is stock. But somewhere along the way we stopped making our own stock and started buying it in cartons or cubes, along with a whole heap of unwanted preservatives, additives and colouring! It is all the nutritional goodness from bones (beef, chicken, lamb, fish) extracted through a slow and gently cooking process.
 
Why Drink Bone Broth?
 
Although I have indicated that it is great to drink bone broth when unwell as it helps to boost the bodies natural healing abilities. It is also extremely beneficial to the body to drink bone broth even when well. The reason is that bone broth is so nutritionally rich and healing that it will enhance vitality when well and be helping the body to heal (which is occurring at all times - not just when we feel sick!).
 
So to put it as simply as possible, the reason bone broth is so good for our bodies, is because the bones, the marrow and the cartilage attached to the bones are all made from collagen, which is a protein molecule that contains the amino acids, Proline and Glycine.  Proline and Glycine are essential for connective tissue function, which is the biological glue that holds our bodies together. Without them we would literally fall apart. These two amino acids are essential for healing microscopic wounds throughout the body and they also suppress inflammatory activity. This is especially important for individuals with chronic inflammation or auto-immune conditions.
 
Proline and Glycine have been found to be extremely beneficial in healing the lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (stomach, small intestine and large intestine). The integrity of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract is vital for a healthy body. If the gastrointestinal tract lining is damaged then the balance of good and bad bacteria within the GI system becomes compromised, which significantly impacts on the immune system and its ability to function optimally.
 
Bone broth is filled with nutrients so not only are you getting your gut repaired, you are increasing your nutrition intake in a very absorbable form.  Bone broth is nutrient rich with valuable nutrients including collagen, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, glycosamino glycans, proline, glycine, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. These all help with the development of healthy joints, bones, ligaments and tendons as well as hair and skin. These nutrients are considered beauty foods because they help the body with proper structural alignment and beautiful skin and hair. Rather than buying expensive skin care and hair products and mineral supplements to help with aching joints, just make bone broth and a part of your regular diet - it's an awful lot cheaper and completely natural!

Therefore, the healing ability of bone broth on the lining of the GI tract is of vital importance to the overall ability of the immune system to function and therefore the body to heal from any illness or ill-health. Bone broth nutritionally helps to calm an overactive immune system while also supplying the body with raw materials to rebuild stronger and healthier cells. This is why it is such a great healing food to have when the body is encountering stress from bacterial or viral infections as well as digestive disorders and leaky gut syndrome.
The gut is readily able to absorb the amazing nutrients found within bone broth. Even the most damaged gut will be able to absorb the nutrients and so this is a very important food for children, people suffering from impaired gut function after illness, surgery, chemo, radiation, the elderly and anyone suffering from a digestive upset.  
 
It is so important to have these nutrients going into our bodies regularly.
 
So..... How Do You Make It?
 
You can make broth / stock with chicken, beef, lamb, fish - whatever bones really. I tend to stick with chicken stock as its flavour is more subtle and to be honest I can't stand the smell of beef bones boiling!
 
Because we are drawing nutrients out of the bones of these animals - it is highly recommended that you use organic bones. We are doing this process to put amazing nutrients into our bodies - not heavy metals and other toxins that have been absorbed by the animal whose bones we are using.
 
Organic = $$$'s I hear you cry!
 
Yep, I get it, buying organic can be expensive, but I've found that's not the case when making bone broth. Yeah sure an organic chicken is going to set you back $20-$30, however I have found a number of organic produce retailers are selling whole organic chicken carcases for around $3 each. While there is only a scrapping of meat on them, its not the meat we are after - its great quality nutritionally rich, toxin free bones and that's what you are going to get!
 
Chicken Stock
I put one or two carcasses in my slow cooker and pour just enough filtered water to cover them. I then put in about 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar as it helps to breakdown the bone and extract the nutrients more quickly.
 
Chicken Bones
Next, I place a few chopped up veggies into the slow cooker with the carcase - maybe a carrot, some celery, an onion, a pinch of sea salt. If you want to add extra flavour add some herbs egs. parsley, bay leaf, thyme.
 
I put the slow cooker on low and let it cook for 12-24 hours. The longer you leave it to cook the more gelatinous your stock will be as more nutrients will be extracted.
 
Simply strain the broth into a glass jar and store in the fridge (for up to a week). 
The Finished Product!
 
Typically the broth will end up with a rich layer of fat on top of it - don't discard this. It is also extremely nutritious and is a good sign that its good quality stock / broth!
 
It Doesn't Look So Pretty....But That Layer of Fat Is Full of Healing Goodness!
 
 
You can then use your bone broth as stock in soups, risotto, casseroles etc. Or, as we do, simply heat it up (not in a microwave - you will kill all those lovely nutrients with radiation) and drink it by the cupful.
 
If you haven't used broth before as a healing remedy, I recommend you start by drinking only small amounts as it is very nutritionally rich and healing. If there is an imbalance in the bacteria in your gut, it will start to restore balance by 'killing off'  the bad bacteria - this isn't always pretty and may include diahorrea and stomach aches - but rest assured it is your bodies way of restoring balance and healing your gut! Short term pain for the longer term gain!
 
* I typically keep my broth in the fridge for up to a week - I tend to have used it all by then anyway! You can also freeze it and keep it in the freezer for months.
 
I hope you are keen to give it a go. I would love to hear how you go!