A time for healing

A time for healing

by | Aug 29, 2020 | Feeling Fantastic, Healing and Happiness

Finding Balance

 THIS SYMBOL REPRESENTS HEALING & HAPPINESS 

 

I recently had so many inquiries about healing-related subjects. So I decided to make  HEALING – TOPIC OF THIS MONTH. As we can all do with an ‘extra dose of healing’ right now. 

Although Living With The Moon is all about practical advice, I have many books and recipes left from my grandmother which deal with healing, mostly for preventative medical care. Of course, physical health is very important. This year showed us more than ever how we take our health for granted and that just a few changes can cause mayhem with our lives.

But I also want to include emotional and mental healing. This is sadly still seen as a bit of a taboo subject. When somebody openly admits that they find their current situation difficult to cope with – it could be because of love problems, a bereavement, work stress (including lack of work), children, menopause, etc. – whatever the reason, it is not taken as seriously as if you fall down and break your leg or have a bruised arm. Because physically harm is visible, emotional harm is not! But the hurt is the same.

The Ancient Chinese tradition saw doctors as ‘keepers of health’ rather than ‘fixers of health’. A respected doctor had happy, healthy clients, not sick ones. The main aspect of the doctor’s work was preventative. When the body started to display minor signs, like feeling unwell, insomnia, tensions, headaches, spots and so on, the doctor cured these early signs with herbal remedies, acupuncture, massages, cupping, meditation and exercise.

Traditional Chinese doctors believed that the body is full of life energy, also called Qi (pronounced chi). If it is in perfect flow, we are happy and healthy. However, if it gets stagnant and is blocked then problems appear. At first, these are subtle. But when not resolved and neglected over time, these can turn into full-blown diseases. This works for the body and mind alike.

Like early Western medicine, the Ancient Chinese medicine connected our bodies to the surrounding energy of the universe – a mantra I keep repeating as it comes up again and again in every civilization that I have studied.

So what can we do to keep our bodies in an energetic balance and to keep happy and healthy?

The answer is simple, but not simplistic!

  • A healthy body (good, nutritious food, enough sleep, a healthy weight, looking after your appearance)
  • A peaceful, calm environment to live in (garden, home, neigbhourhood)
  • A happy relationship, friendships, and harmony within your wider family
  • A career that fulfills you and financial stability
  • A spiritually fulfilled life. A belief (which could be religion, but does not have to be) that is about leaving a legacy and bringing extra harmony/joy/charity/conservation to the world. In short, you want to leave the world in a better place than you found it.

These are the fundamental pillars of a holistic lifestyle and I will soon introduce you to new LWTM lifestyle planning guide I am currently working on.

As my lovely husband always says – Something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to! Make sure that you always have these three in your life!

 An Introduction to LWTM

Please click this link to find out more about LWTM and holistic lifestyle planning and  download our freebies 

 

 

 

The importance of resting

The importance of resting

by | May 26, 2020 | Brain, Eyes and Head, Feeling Fantastic

    The best cure for the body is a quiet mind Napoleon Bonaparte Everybody would accept that after a long run you need to sit down and rest your leg muscles. But when it comes to the brain – the hardest working muscle in the body – we never consider resting. Our poor brains are always ‘on’. Remembering, learning, sorting, controlling all processes of the body. Even during the night, our brain is sorting through experiences of the last waking period, sorting and filing problems and memories away. That is why we often have such weird dreams.  
 

 Lack of sleep  

With all these activities, it is no wonder that on average the brain consumes around a fifth of our daily calorie intake. During sleep, the brain instructs the organs to get rid of toxins that have built up during the day.  However, a lack of sleep means that some toxins will remain trapped in the organs and over time this can cause harm.  If you suffer from sleep deprivation for a few days or even weeks, the body is able to compensate. But if you consistently deprive yourself of well-needed sleep it can come to health problems. Think of the brain as it was a  big computer. Without rest, the brain gets clogged up and static, sometimes it is just time ‘to pull the plug’ and let the brain reset itself. Here is an article of what happens if the brain does not get enough sleep Your body clock is the deciding factor if you are a night owl or an early riser and how much sleep you need. In essence, it does not matter when you get up or go to sleep, as long as you keep to a steady rhythm. Everybody has their own personal sleep target.  When you don’t get enough sleep your brain will find it harder to retain memory and handle information. In severe cases, the brain can even restrict the way the body functions. Over a long time this can lead to illness. Until not so long ago sleep torture was a common way to ‘break spies’ and enemies of the state. But in most cases, a slight sleep deprivation will lead to crankiness, irrational emotional responses (like misinterpreting social situations) and lack of concentration.

Is rest and sleep the same?

No, there is a difference – rest means being idle, but not asleep. If you had a bad night, small periods of resting can help to compensate for some sleep deficit, but effectively rest and sleep are like apples and pears- you can’t substitute one with the other. Sleep is vital to reset the body – like clean out toxins and build memory. Rest is also vital, but more complementary. Over time the right amount of rest can provide ample health benefits like helping with hypertension, relaxing muscle tension and increased creativity.

How did people rest in the past?

Only 100 years ago one of the most commonly prescribed ‘medicine’ was bed rest. We don’t hear of this prescription anymore,  but sometimes this is exactly what the patient would need. But with every employee being squeezed for more and more productivity, the world has become faster and faster and often it would be unthinkable that an employee just rests for a few days. But the increasing amount of ‘sick day’ shows that people still need this rest. But why prescribe rest – that surely is what the holidays are for! But are we really resting in the few weeks of holiday or free time most of us have? And if you are free-lance – when do you rest then? I would argue not many people really rest these days,  – at least not in the old-fashioned sense of the word. Usually, during our holidays we go on a  foreign trip with lots of added stress, or a staycation with kids off from school and don’t forget what are you doing in your downtime, holiday or not. Self-checkout at the supermarket, self-service in the restaurant, booking your flight online and wasting hours doing so, etc. This does not count as rest!  This is stress! In earlier centuries a successful person was somebody who had ample time to ponder about life, art, and philosophy.  The poor had no such luxury as they had to work all day, often seven days per week. The only exception was Sunday prayer. These days the trend almost seems to have reversed. Being busy has become a badge of honor. Just look at modern-day celebrities. They attend every event going, have perfect children and a perfect house. And of course, have highflying careers on top of all that, not to mention the work for charity, teach/partake in a course/TV show, run a marathon and the list goes on and on. Social media promotes an ever-acute sense of permanently missing out. I am not anti-social media, it has its uses. But we must accept that we can’t be superhuman and have to make choices. Therefore we should put quality way above quantity. I know, easier said than done.
In 2016 the university of Durham, UK, did a survey about ‘resting’ – guess what the top 5 resting activities are – I list them here.
  • Reading (58 per cent)
  • Being in the natural environment (53.1 per cent)
  • Being on their own (52.1 per cent)
  • Listening to music (40.6 per cent)
  • Doing nothing in particular (40 per cent)
What all these resting activities show is that people crave occasionally solitude. We need to get away from the world around us. No interactions with others, no stress, no communication, not thinking about others’ problems, wants and needs – just being in and enjoying the moment, daydreaming and no care in the world. This is rest – without guilt! The good news is that ‘resting’ can be learned. There is no use of spending days in bed without any conscious benefits – that is not resting, this is lazying around.  Resting only works when you are otherwise busy. The main objectives are to ease muscle tension and to lower your heart rate. Take a deep breath, exhale and think calming, pleasant thoughts and relax. 

How do you successfully ‘rest’?

People who have mastered the art form of ‘resting’  can do this in ‘micro resting breaks’. Here is an example. You are driving through town, it is a stressful morning, everybody is in a rush, beeping horns, etc. At the next red traffic lights, relax your hands holding the steering wheel.  Roll your shoulders back a few times and take a few really deep breaths and exhale long and hard.  Make sure you pay attention to relax all the muscles in your body and release all angry thoughts from your brain. These are all little exercises, but over a day they can have a big impact –  as they get rid of rising tensions as it happens. So there is never a big build-up and you will stay in a good mood (at least most days!) Whenever you have the chance to a 5minute ‘shut-down phase’ please take it! Sit still with your eyes closed and banish every thought. You can call it meditation, mindfulness or else.  There are now many apps available to guide you. But you could just close your eyes and simply have a rest. Think Hercule Poirot before he solves another complex case – he rests and lets his mind unfold. With all these benefits I would not be surprised if employers finally see the light and offer resting booths for hard pushed employees – to offer small power windows to boost their health, happiness and ultimately their productivity with much less sick days!
The LWTM moon diet

The LWTM moon diet

by | Oct 28, 2019 | Feeling Fantastic

A few years ago I started a trial called ‘The LWTM moon diet’. It was based on a book and some research I found in a library. The roots of it all go far back to Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine who lived in Ancient Greece around 500 B.C.

The LWTM moon diet

The trial gave some really good insights and I still thank the participants who were so generous with their time, interest and feedback. Most of the people who participated did so for health reasons and out of curiosity and only a few actively tried to lose a lot of weight with this program. However, all found an increased level of energy and small weight loss. I did not have the time or resources to extend it to a full-blown trial with properly measured results.

Before I go more into what it is – here are some of the testimonials I received after the 2 months trial run was completed:

‘ I feel better and my digestions works a lot better. I am really enjoying it and will continue after the trial run”

‘ I really enjoyed the fast days and as an added bonus my period, who was a bit hit and miss became regular again – it now always comes around the Full Moon”

‘ I liked the variety of foods I could eat and I find the concept very interesting. I am not a natural cook and initially, I had to spend a bit more time dedicated to cooking, but once I got into the swing of it, that has now decreased and I learned a lot about healthy eating on the way’

‘ The part I enjoyed the most was the variety of herbal teas and what they were good for. I will definitely keep doing it’

‘ Only since I took part in the trial run I realized that indeed I crave different foods at different times’

Naturally, you will be asking – so what is this moon diet? I will give you a few pointers and tips here that you can start trying on yourself. But the whole process is of course far too complex for a short blog post.

If you have read most of my previous material about Biodynamics, you will know that days are not all equal as they all have individual day qualities. This goes from planting/harvesting right through to eating.

When you look at the calendar you will see each day has a moon phase and element attached. In essence, the moon phase tells us about the way we should eat and the element tells us what kind of food we should eat.

I believe the real strength of this way of eating lies in the combination of timing and food variety. So instead of just eating whatever is around, you will make a conscious decision of what to eat and what to avoid.

In principle, there are 3 states or modes
1. Elimination/fasting phase
2 Changing weight phase (either gaining or losing weight)
3. Keeping your current weight (within the range of an up to 3 kilograms or 6 pounds).

During the Waxing Moon, you want to eat food that is very nutritious and stock up on vitamins and minerals. Additional you choose exercise programs like yoga, pilates, stretching, swimming, weight lifting anything that makes your body more flexible and strengthens/builds muscle tissue.
During the Full Moon – you either have a rest day or a fast day (depending on your current phase)
During the Waning Moon, you lose weight and step up the cardiovascular program, like running, cycling, hiking, everything that strengthens the heart and circulation.
The time of the New Moon is the fasting time, irrespective of weight. It is the time to cleanse and reset your digestion. This should go hand in hand with a relaxing walk or some stretching/relaxation exercises. Long runs and other strenuous exercises such as spinning class should be off the table. It is time to give your digestion and body a good rest.

During the program, it is important to follow a varied diet. Food is rotated in accordance with the elements, but the exact method is beyond the scope of this article.

Below is a recipe for the New Moon fast day. Just a few simple tricks can make a big difference.

Secret Detox Drink Recipe (A Natural Detox Drink Recipe)

Understand your body clock

Understand your body clock

by | Apr 30, 2019 | Brain, Eyes and Head, Feeling Fantastic

25% of the population are early risers and 25% of the population are night owls, the rest lie somewhere in-between.

Section Brain, Eyes and Head

We are all different and we all have our unique body clocks. Some of us function better in the morning, others peak late at night. That in itself is no problem. It only becomes one if we are out of sync with what society tells us to do or if our partners have different sleep patterns which means waking each other up.

What happens during a normal day?

The typicial day

How does the body clock work?

The centre of our body clock lies deep inside our brains, in the hypothalamus to be precise. This is a small region located near the base of the brain and crucial for releasing hormones and regulating our body’s temperature. It is here that a release of hormones make us wake up and go to sleep.
In controlled experiments, where contestants were kept in a darkened room with no fluctuation in temperature, the body would make up its own rhythmic clock which follows a roughly 24 hour day. But as we live in an environment that is regulated by day and night, our body clock resets each day to stay in sync with the path of the sun and the moon.

Our eyes filter the intensity of the surrounding sunlight and tell the brain if it is day or night. Bright blue light mimics daylight and orange/yellow candlelight sends us to sleep.

What happens on a daily basis?

A gene called ‘period’ is responsible for our waking and sleeping process. Inside the nucleus copies of this gene’s protein are made and transported to the outer cell. There they swivel around and we are awake. Later in the day a second protein is produced which has the sole function to bring the first protein back into the cell again. Once the concentration of the 2nd protein has reached a certain level it shuts down the copying process of the first protein. As a consequence, we start to feel tired and both proteins break fully down.

Then we go sleep and the next morning it happens all over again. As mentioned before this copying and breaking down process keeps roughly to a 24-hour rhythm.

But nobody is the same. It all depends on the individual’s efficiency of this copying and breaking down process. This means some people need more sleep than others. Also, the timing of these ‘protein clocks’ are not the same but vary from person to person.

When it comes to optimum concentration, reaction and physical peak times, we all act as individuals. It actually does not matter when your peak performance is, as long as you keep to a steady rhythm. The problem arises when you keep on shifting your circadian rhythm (as your inner body clock is better known).

Latest scientific tests have shown that shift workers who permanently change their sleep pattern have an increased risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

Sometimes you can’t help these changes, for example when the clocks go forward or backward or you travel to another time-zone.

However, there are tips that you can employ to improve your health should you be forced to change your rhythm on an occasional basis.

Social jet lag:

This usually affects night owls. They go later to bed than the rest of the population, but due to work commitments, they have to rise much earlier than their body clock is ready for.
It gets worse when their partner is a normal sleeper or even an early-riser, as both spouses will naturally disrupt each other’s sleep pattern.

If this happens to you, here are some solutions:
1) Separate bedrooms
2) Ear plugs and eye masks for each person, so that sleep is not interrupted by the other person’s sleep pattern. Additionally, each person should change to a job that suits their own personal rhythm. Like free-lance work or even evening work for night owls, early shifts for early-risers.
3) Change your sleep pattern. If you are a night owl, expose yourself to a lot of daylight during the morning and stay off tablets and phones (blue light) during the evening. If you still need to work on the computer or use your tablet/phone make sure you have a ‘night mode’ option switched on.
If you are an early riser, seek more daylight during the afternoon and working on the computer in the evening won’t be a problem for you, in fact, it would keep you awake longer.

Travelling:

Here are some tips to combat jetlag.
If you travel east expose yourself to more sunlight in the morning that will shift your body clock to the earlier timezone.
Go west and do the opposite. If you only go on a short business trip try to stay as much as you can within your ‘own time zone’.

Night shifts:

If you need to work shifts then try to opt for work that keeps to a similar pattern. If you work continually nights, then try to keep to that pattern and crucially do not change the habit when you are off work. If you come home and it is already daylight, wear special glasses that mimic evening light to block out the blue daylight and when you go to sleep wearing an eye mask that blocks out the blue daylight.

I hope that in the not too distant future employers will be made aware of how damaging varying shift patterns are for their workforce and once fully understood will change work arrangements to suit individuals rhythm. This would make for a more productive and happy workforce.

The benefits of body brushing

The benefits of body brushing

by | Apr 27, 2019 | Body brushing and exfoliating, Feeling Fantastic, Looking Good, Uncategorized


Body brush

The organs that eliminate toxins and waste products from the body are the bladder, the liver, the kidneys, the colon and of course the skin. In fact the skin, as the largest and most visible organ, is also the first to show any signs of imbalance or deficiencies. These signs include spots, lines or rings under your eyes. When the body is too overwhelmed with food, toxins, etc. it needs to find a quick way of ‘storing it all’.  The skin is such a place and we sooner or later see the built up of all this and call it ‘cellulite’.

A frequent ‘body brushing’ routine can’t magically brush all these toxins away, but it can improve the flood flow to the area and together with drinking enough water and using body oils, such as birch oil, it can help to eliminate them in a more efficient way.

What are the benefits of body brushing ?

It is simply the best and easiest way to remove dead cells from your body,  making your skin feel and look wonderfully smooth. But this is not all. It also

  • Stimulates the blood circulation and makes your skin look like it is glowing
  • Reduces the appearance of cellulite
  • Stimulates and cleanses the lymphatic system
  • Tones the underlying muscle tissue,
  • It leaves you feeling more energized
  • Stimulate the hormone and oil-producing glands.
  • A regular ‘body brushing’ routine tightens the skin and helps with premature aging
  • Due to the improved blood circulation, you are less likely to suffer from cold hands and feet

The skin renews roughly every 28 days, the same time as the moon cycle.

When to use  ‘body brushing’?

The best results do not come from a one-off body brushing session, but from a regular routine. It is important to always brush BEFORE having a shower or a bath, as dry skin cells are much easier removed than wet ones. I advise you to do  a quick daily body brushing session by using a body brush or exfoliating gloves (please follow instructions below).  It does not have to take long, a minute or two is sufficient and well worth it, as it will wake you up and help to increase your circulation.

Additionally, two to three times per week I recommend extending the body brushing session to about 5 to 8 minutes and concentrate on areas such as thighs, bottom, underarms, and finally the digestive tract (see detailed instructions below). Then have a shower or bath as usual.  Once you have dried your body, apply a good body lotion or anti-cellulite body oil (I recommend the Weleda birch oil and I can say from my own experience that my skin feels great and much firmer).

Body BrushingI usually try to step up my body brushing regime during the Waning and the New Moon, when the body naturally aims to detoxify. Here is the symbol on the LWTM lifestyle calendar. 

 

How do you use the ‘body brushing’?
Body brushing mapWhen you are ready, take a body brush or loofah and sit down in a chair or on the edge of your bath. Start with brushing the soles of your feet, beginning at the toes and brush backwards towards your heels and up to the ankles. Then move up each leg towards your hips, brush your legs front, side and back, but always brush UPWARDS towards your heart.

From time to time shake your brush into the sink or shower tray to remove any dead skin cells.
Then brush your belly, sides and back – again start at the thighs and brush upwards until you have reached the chest area sparing out your breasts. Then begin to brush your arms, again starting at your fingertips and working upwards until you have reached your armpits. At last brush down from your neck towards your chest area (again leaving out the breasts). Ask your partner to brush your back area or change over to a brush with a longer handle.

Digestive boost: Right at the end I brush my belly, following the digestive flow ( this helps to move the waste forward). It is important to start at the bottom right and brush up towards your right breast. Then go across to the left and finally down on your left-hand side, at the bottom go across to the right until you have come full-circle. Repeat this a few times. This is especially important when you have a sluggish digestion and for all those who want to lose weight. This gentle, digestive massage/brushing together with an increased intake of liquid and fibre, can do wonders for your digestive system.

Remember: Always start at the bottom of your feet, hands, etc and brush upwards. Repeat this action again and again, always starting at the bottom with upwards strokes, directed towards your heart. Once you have reached the height of your heart, reverse the direction and brush down towards your heart.

Once you are satisfied that you have brushed your whole body, jump in the bath or a shower. Once you are dry again, apply a good body moisturiser or body oil.

See more how others have used body brushing to remove toxins and help with their cellulite.

One last word of advice: Never brush more than a few minutes at a time. Brushing more won’t improve your circulation any further, but may make your skin feel sore. A few minutes on a regular basis are much more sensible and effective than a one-off session that lasts 30 minutes or more and leaving you feeling sore.

If you are prone to oily skin or shed a lot of skin, combine body brushing with the application of a body scrub. First do a light ‘body brushing’ routine, followed by the application of a body peeling mask or body scrub. Leave it on for a few minutes until the peeling mask becomes uncomfortable and then rinse off in a shower or bath. Apply body lotion/oil as usual.

Or you can join the LWTM community

 An Introduction to LWTM

Please click this link to find out more about LWTM and holistic lifestyle planning and  download our freebies 

 

The benefits of indigo and purple crystals

The benefits of indigo and purple crystals

by | Nov 30, 2018 | Feeling Fantastic, The benefits of crystals

This post is all about the benefits of indigo and purple crystals. They are connected to the Brow or Third Eye Chakra. Indigo, a mixture of purple and blue is a deeply spiritual colour.

This chakra is all about imagination, creativity, healing powers, and vision. It is the domain of healers and spiritual leaders, but also that of artists and social visionaries.

The physical aspect of this chakra deals with headaches, migraines, phobias, sinusitis, hyperactive lifestyle, and insomnia. It is connected to the ears (all hearing, music and sound in general), sight (painters, photographers and anybody working the visual medium), and the sinuses.

When this chakra is in balance the person is able to grasp the bigger picture and has a highly evolved intuition. People with a strong brow chakra are visionary creatives, often far ahead of their time. Or they may be highly spiritual people and motivational speakers.  Others seek them out for good advice.

When this chakra is not in balance, people find it hard to accept reality and dream their life away. They somehow do not fit into the wider society and are often unable to cope with all the pressures of modern life. In this case, a  life in a natural environment with less stress would be the most suitable option. A busy city life that overstimulates these already strained senses could lead to overwhelming experiences and in severe cases even nervous breakdown.  An ideal job here would be conservation work,  working with animals or the land.

Sometimes the boundary can be quite fluid and it is not uncommon that people swing between the two sides, a so-called bi-polar disposition.  They produce exceptional, highly inspirational work followed by a spell of a total block and void.  Sometimes this could simply mean that the brain is compensating for the previous overstimulation and asks for a period of rest. But prolonged ‘creative droughts’ can be problematic.

Sadly ‘this down phase is driving many creative minds into drug abuse and depression, chasing these elusive creative highs. But over time this is a downward cycle. If you experience this, please stay clear of any kind of artificial drugs and accept ‘this draught’ as a short spell of convalescence.  The best thing you can do is to really ‘unwind’ your mind with music, meditation, and prolonged immersion into nature (walks, gardening, swimming). These will give help you gather strength and soon enough new inspirations will come your way.

This chakra is also connected with burn-out.  The same advice as above applies. React early and take short breaks to rebuild extra energy rather than soldier on until a mental breakdown occurs.

Here are the crystals associated with this chakra:

Amethyst: This purple-tinged crystal takes its name from ‘amethystos’ which in Ancient Greek meant ‘ not intoxicated’. It is a stone of strength and helps people to beat an addiction. It is further helpful for all suffering from migraines and insomnia. People were instructed to hold this crystal under running water and then rub it against the forehead in an anti-clockwise motion to take away the stress and guard against headaches. The same method helps children to sleep, especially if they are afraid of the dark and calm them down during nightmares.

Purple Spinel: This dark purple stone is made of magnesium aluminum oxide. This stone is an all-body healer, inspires confidence and protects you from ill-wishers and jealousy. Wear it as a piece of jewelry to keep your overall health. It used to be given to people suffering from epilepsy and circulatory problems, particularly in the lower body half.

Lapis Lazuli: One of the first crystals worn as jewelry.  Egyptian Pharaohs particularly liked this stone and it symbolized eternal life, friendship, career progression and promotion.

Sodalite: this deep indigo stone is very helpful for aging women who suffer from symptoms related to the menopause. It stabilizes manic depressions, regulates high blood pressure and helps with insomnia and night sweats. Put a sodalite crystal near your bed or under the pillow to help with sleep deprivation.

Lilac Kunzite: very similar to the sodalite above and useful if you have any gynecological procedures such as hysterectomy or reduced libido.

Violan: This beautiful stone is stress-reducing and ideal for the modern world. It gives strength and provides harmony in the home. Hold it in your hand whilst do a 5 minute a-day meditation to unburden your mind and make you cope more with endless daily demands. Place it near your computer to be inspired and shield against radiation.

If you found this section interesting and want to find out more about Living With The Moon, you may benefit from downloading extra free resources. 

HERE is the next installment – when we look at crystals that balance the crown chakra. 

 

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