Change of address

Hi
I have changed to word press for all future blog posts. If you would like to continue following me please go to http://heathcoteholistics.wordpress.com/


I hope to see you there.


All the best
Louise x

Relaxation

Relaxation is perhaps the most important key to health and well-being. When we are completely relaxed, our own natural healing mechanism is more active.

The benefits of relaxation include reduced stress levels, strengthened immune system, it helps to over come anxiety and depression and it can also help to lower heart rates and blood pressure.

More and more people are now looking for relaxation to counteract the stress caused by the recession.

Relaxation techniques combine breathing more deeply with relaxing the muscles but don't worry if you find it difficult to relax at first. It's a skill that needs to be learned and practice makes perfect.

Tai chi and yoga are forms of exercise that can help to improve breathing and relaxation.

Good relaxation practice always starts with focusing on your breath.
When you focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your body, it helps to bring you into the present moment and stops your thoughts from going off in different directions.

If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are at peace you are living in the present

Try this short exercise:

Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth slowly. When you breathe in, fill your lungs with air and imagine you are filling up a bottle so that your lungs fill from the bottom. Let your breath escape slowly, counting from one to five. Continue to do this until you feel calm.

Practise this relaxed breathing for three to five minutes, two to three times a day or whenever you feel stressed.

When we are stressed we tend to hold tension in our muscles. This next technique takes around 15 minutes. It consists of stretching different muscles in turn and then relaxing them to release tension from the body and this also calms the mind.

Find a warm, comfortable, quiet place with no distractions. This can be done either sitting or lying down. Close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing as described above.

For each exercise, hold the stretch for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat it a couple of times. It’s useful to keep to the same order as you work through the muscle groups:

Scrunch your eyebrows together, as though frowning, then release.

Gently tilt your head forwards, pushing your chin down onto your chest, then slowly lift again.

Lift your shoulders up towards your ears, hold, then relax them down.

Breathe slowly and deeply into the diaphragm using the whole of the lungs. Then breathe slowly out, allowing your tummy to deflate as all the air is exhaled.

Tense your arms and clench your fists, hold, then relax.

Tense your buttocks, hold, then relax.

Tense the muscles in your legs and point your toes away from the body, then pull them towards body, and relax.

Notice where your body feels the most relaxed and allow this relaxation to fill your whole body.

Spend some time lying quietly after your relaxation with your eyes closed. When you feel ready, stretch and get up slowly.

Play soothing music, light a candle and create a relaxing environment in order to relax.

Spend more time in nature and notice the beauty around you. It's easy to miss the natural serenity around us when we fill our lives with such busyness. Relaxation is free and although it is nice to spend money on a massage, a facial or some new fangled therapy, relaxation is always within us and connecting with this won't cost us a penny. 

Sometimes we are so busy looking after other people that we forget to look after ourselves.

Relaxation is so important for your health and well being and I hope you make time for yourself.

Feeling chilled yet?

Lots of love
Louise x

Busy, busy, busy!

Wow! I have been so busy over the last three months I just realised I have been neglecting my blog posts. I nearly forgot how to log in to my account its been so long.

Time flies when you're having fun and I've been having loads of it over the last few months. Lots of changes have happened within my business, even changing my business name. I am now Heathcote Holistics. I have dropped the beauty side of my business and I am now concentrating on the complementary therapies and techniques that I practice.

I've been on yet another course -TimelineEFT learning more techniques to use with my EFT clients.

I have also been writing and recording another holistic relaxation CD called 'Release your inner healer'. This CD helps you to concentrate on positive thoughts, emotions and images.

Your mind is a powerful tool which you can choose to use for your own well-being whatever your health.

Your thoughts, emotions, beliefs and the images that you form in your mind influence how your body works. If you believe you are going to be ill you will probably be ill and if you believe you are going to be healthy using positive thoughts you will probably be healthy.

Track one takes you on a journey to a secret healing room in your home. It has a comfortable bed and beautiful furniture and your favourite pictures are on the walls. The window has a perfect view and the decoration and colour of this room is just how you like it. In your secret room you will be gently guided to send love and gratitude to the various organs and systems in your body. This helps you to focus on seeing, feeling and experiencing the positive aspects which can lead to dynamic physical changes.

Each track contains subliminal messages of well-being which can just be heard underneath the music. This is intentional for your unconscious mind to absorb.

Listening to this CD is as effective as practising meditation. It helps you to bring your mind and body into a calm relaxed state, releasing endorphins, the body's feel good chemicals. 

I am hoping to get it ready for Christmas.

Next year I aim to install a downloads page from my website for clients to have access to the Holistic Relaxation range of CD's. Watch this space!

I still mange to make time for relaxation and this month I enjoyed an amazing Lava Shell Rescue Massage with my friend Karen Buckland. She works from a log cabin in her back garden in Southam. She is qualified in various therapies and I recommend them all. The Lava Shell Rescue Massage is an ingenuous combination of heat and ice therapy. Check out her webpage here.

I hope you are finding time relax, especially this time of the year with the Christmas season nearly upon us. It is so important to take time out and chill out but if you find this difficult, then perhaps  listening to a relaxation CD is just what you need. Check out the CD's on my webpage here.

Till the next time........
Louise x

 

 

What is NLP?

Earlier this year I qualified as a Certified Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and I am now able to work as an NLP Coach.

Some of my regular clients have asked me, “What is NLP all about?”

I have struggled to answer this question because it is not easy to explain in a nutshell. I usually end up leaving people very confused.

As I explain NLP, I see people glaze over and switch off, looking at me as if I’m away with the fairies and I know I’ve done it again.

How do I explain NLP? Well, here goes……….in a nutshell.

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming and it was created by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s. It helps you to explore how you think (neuro) and how you communicate (linguistic) and how this has an affect on your behaviour (the programming). Once you have a deeper awareness and understanding about this you can transform the way you are, to be more effective in every area of your life.


NLP is about self-discovery and it encourages you to be open minded and curious. It explores individual personalities, strengths, weaknesses, thought processes, beliefs, emotions, and other features that make you who you are. 

Once you begin to fully understand yourself, making changes become easy. Self discovery not only helps you understand yourself better but it also helps you understand how others perceive you too.

The relationship with yourself is the most important one you will ever have so to have a greater understanding or awareness of how you work and your place in the world will help you to live your life to your full potential. 

NLP is about personal, self development and learning NLP helps you to understand the world around you and your place in it. It helps you to develop a heightened awareness of what is really going on and to see the bigger picture. It teaches you how to observe and understand other people and how to get into rapport on a deeper level. It also teaches you strategies and techniques to deal with the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Whatever your situation in life, NLP can support your personal transformation.

If you would like to find out more about NLP, check out this website http://www.opt2xl.co.uk/

Space Clearing

Space clearing is a ceremony that can be done to clear and refresh the energies that become imprinted over time in the buildings we occupy.

The vibration of whatever happens in a room or home is absorbed into the furniture, the floors, the walls, the ceiling, objects, animals, plants and people in that space and the energy of this vibration sticks around. Repetitive patterns, moods and atmospheres all get deeply imprinted and this can have an on-going influence whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

My treatment room is constantly being energetically cleansed with essential oils, incense, crystals and sometimes I give it another boost with my own room spray called ‘Space Clearing - Aura Mist’.  I also regularly cleanse the rest of my home energetically to keep the energy fresh.

 

 
It is very important to have a good flow of clear, high vibrational energy in your home and work place for your own health and well-being.

Have you ever walked into a room after there has been an argument? Your expanded senses can feel and measure the residual energies where the air is so thick you could "cut it with a knife". This energy is easy to pick up because it so heavy but there are other more subtle energies around that are more difficult to pick up.

 If the previous occupants of a building or your home had financial problems, illness, divorce or other traumas, or a company or business experienced difficulties, heavy energies will remain stuck in the fabric of the place. 

Benefits of space clearing your home/business/car/garden/treatment room/clinic etc.

 

·        Raises the vibration and creates an atmosphere of calm.
·        Your space will feel bigger, brighter and a place that truly feels your own.
·        Creates a space to make a new start or clean slate.
·        Improves sleep and general well-being.
·        Clears emotional residue.
 

When to do space clearing?

 ·        When moving into a new home or work space to clear out any predecessor’s energy. (Your home or place of work may have energetic remains from all the previous people that were there and depending on the age of the place, this could be from decades or even centuries)

·        When selling your house so it welcomes a new buyer (also renting).
·        After illness to create a healthy environment.
·        After negative visitors (especially energy vampires!).
·        After an argument or any emotional upset.
·        Before the birth of a child to create a welcoming space.
·        After a major negative life changing event.

 How to do a space clearing ceremony.

(Ideally do this when you are on your own and at a time when you will not be disturbed)

1.     Before starting any energetic space clearing you need to de-clutter and physically clean the area first.

2.     Open all the windows and doorways.

3.     Set your intention to cleanse and energise the area to create a high vibrational atmosphere. You could write down your positive intentions or say them out loud.

4.     Ask the angels, guides or other high vibrational beings to help you, if this feels right for you.

5.     Light a white tea candle in each area you are working in.

6.     Using incense, walk into each area and allow the incense smoke to drift into every corner and doorway. Visualise a bright light in each area as you go.

7.     If you invited angels, guides or other high vibrational beings in to help, thank them for their help when you have finished space clearing and send them your love.

Do this full space clearing ceremony at least once a year or sooner if you experience a major life changing event.

If you prefer to not use incense you can use bells, ting sha’s, cymbals, drums and singing bowls for space clearing. If you use these instruments it is important to sound them especially in the corners, doorways and the centre of the area. The vibration of the sound will resonate out like ripples on a pond and transmute any heavy energy into high vibrational energy.

To help keep this space cleared you can use crystals. Amethyst crystal is an extremely powerful and protective crystal prized for its beauty, healing and spiritual properties but there are many different crystals you may choose to suit your own individual needs. You can leave them out like ornaments or create a grid effect.

Burning essential oils is a very natural and enjoyable way of filling your space with a beautiful aroma. Pure essential oils have the highest frequency of any measured natural substance and the essence of this will help your space stay fresher for longer.

 

Place lavender plants outside by your front and back doors. Lavender is a plant spirit medicine that exudes the qualities of love, peace and calm. It is a very protective and nurturing plant which will infuse your space with the essence of its qualities.

Regular cleanses help to protect your environment and this can be done using Aura Mist Space Clearing room spray. It is a quick and easy way to energetically cleanse any space, objects, crystals, animals and people.

For more information or to purchase Space Clearing Aura Mist click here.

Dowsing

Dowsing is also known as divining and it can be used to get yes or no answers to questions (pendulums or rods are commonly used).

Dowsing is also used to locate ground water,  gemstones, oil, gravesites, buried metals and many other objects and materials, as well as ley lines. I've used dowsing to help me find my car keys in the past and I always use my clear quartz pendulum when doing crystal therapy.

We all have the ability to access our intuitive capabilities through dowsing. It requires time, determination, trust and persistent practise but given these, success is guaranteed.

Dowsing works on the theory that every object, animate or inanimate, give off vibrations, and our expanded senses can feel and measure these energies. The subconscious, intuitive, or super-conscious mind is the recipient of this information which is always present around us. When we use a dowsing tool and connect to our subconscious, intuitive, or super-conscious mind, the muscles in our body affect the motion of the dowsing tool.

How to Dowse?

If using a pendulum, slightly arch your wrist with the chain clasped between the forefinger and thumb.

Swing the pendulum slightly before asking the pendulum “what’s my yes?” Allow the natural force to take over the motion and wait to see which way the pendulum swings. The pendulum may swing forwards, backwards, left or right or it may go round in circles clockwise or anti-clockwise.

When you feel confident that you have a definite movement, ask the pendulum “what’s my no?” The pendulum should swing in one direction for ‘yes’ and another for ‘no’.

Everyone is different and each persons pendulum may swing differently.

The pendulum itself does not give you the answers. It is the extension of your subconscious, intuitive, or super-conscious mind that affects the muscles in your body which in turn affect the way the pendulum swings.

If you choose to use dowsing rods, hold them gently, level with your elbows and walk around. If what you are looking for is in the immediate area the rods will cross over or swing outwards.

Again, it is not your rods giving you the answer. The rods become an extension of your subconscious, intuitive, or super-conscious mind which in turn affect the muscles in your body influencing how the rods behave.

With any dowsing it is important to start with simple questions about situations or conditions in which you are not emotionally attached to. Keeping yourself objective and detached to the outcome is one of the keys to your success.

 

Dowsing is great fun although when you first start it can feel quite wierd. I remember being quite spooked about it when I first started but there is nothing scary about dowsing.

 

It is a good idea to programme your dowsing tool and you can do this by holding it in you hands and closing your eyes. Tune into your dowsing tool and sit quietly for a while allowing your vibration to absorb into it. You can meditate while holding it or just put your intention into it with a few words such as ...

 

"I work with my highest intention when dowsing with my pendulum or rods".

 

I sell crystal dowsing pendulums for £6 which include a protective velvet pouch and an information sheet explaining how to use them.

 

I choose not to sell them on-line as I think it important to try pendulums out first and usually your pendulum chooses you. These pendulums can be viewed in my treatment room.

 

Why not try dowsing for yourself?

 

Ring me to arrange a convenient time for a free demo.

 

Till the next time...lots of love.....

Louise x

 

 

 

Pay it forward

Pay it forward is a book written by Catherine Ryan Hyde which was then made into a film.  What began as a work of fiction has now become a real-life, worldwide, social movement.

 
It begins with doing a favour for someone without any expectation of being paid back. The recipient of that favour then does a good turn for someone else: ideally for three other people. The unconditional favours can be large or small. It doesn't have to be a big thing. It can just seem that way, depending who you do it for.

One of the most important things to remember about Paying it Forward is that it is done with a selfless spirit. This means you help another person (even a stranger) without expecting payment or good deeds in return. As far as the receiver of the money, gift, or good deed is concerned, he or she is only told to - Pay it forward.

Spread the love. The world can seem like an unfriendly, threatening place sometimes but we can all make a positive difference in the world. One way is to practice Paying it Forward.

One act of kindness can radiate out into the world and create a wave of love and kindness.

Start a revolution - it begins with you! When someone does you a favour - don’t pay it back – Pay it forward.

Happy days :)
Louise x