Have you taken a breath today?

If we take the time to listen we realise that we have an amazing body that gives us messages, either through feeling an emotion, tension or pain. But, it also gives us a solution to soothing ourselves, and the solution is the breath.

How many times in a day do you remember to breathe or take a deep breath? Sometimes I’ll come to the end of my day and realise that I haven’t taken any, instead through our unconscious programming our body has taken control and done it for us. Similarly, we don’t have to remember how to grow our hair, digest our food or learn to sleep, because our body is clever enough to manage these processes for us. However, when we do remember to breathe we empower ourselves to create our own inner peace and tranquility, giving our bodies the opportunity to refresh and reboot, which helps us to feel more balanced, optimistic and aware.

When working as a therapist I help my clients to relax and work through any emotion or physical pain through focusing on their breath and using it to create space whether that is in the mind or focusing on a physical tension that manifests itself somewhere in the body. Just take a moment to think about the last time you were stressed or worried about something and note where you felt it physically. In your tummy or chest perhaps? Do you remember what you did you soothe it?

Realising that we have an inbuilt tool to managing tension, stress or even panic through the breath can change our whole reality and our perception of both what is going on in the world around us and in our our own body. Through taking some time to breathe you can soothe and resolve feelings of discomfort, through focusing on massaging that part of the body with the breath – it really is a wonder.

I notice this power the most when I am running hypnotherapy and EFT sessions in preparation for birth with my pregnant clients. As I begin a calming relaxation with them we always focus on the breath first. I am always struck by the true beauty of pregnancy as I see the mother-to-be just relax into her body as they create their own serenity, their own paradise through slowly melting into a personal peaceful sanctuary. It makes me smile when they tell me how the baby has positively responded to those moments of sheer tranquility; always a reminder of how beautifully connected mother and baby are.

To allow the body to calm, all of our bodies are built with something called the parasympathetic function; this enables us to relax. We can switch this on through taking some deep tummy breaths. This is something you can do relatively privately (no one will ever know!) but in a public space. At work, travelling to and from work on public transport or at home. Breathing is key to our health because it can  overpower our stress response which locks our body into survival mode, shutting down some of our bodies day-to-day functionality so that we focus our energy on surviving. This is ok once in while but if you are regularly activating this it can begin to weaken your immune system as your body begins to feel overwhelmed by the the regular release of stress hormone and lack of sleep.

The key thing to remember is that you will need to take a longer exhale than inhale. So begin with breathing in for four counts and out for seven and see how that rhythm works for you. You can make it shorter or longer, and as you experiment you will soon find your bodies natural rhythm. Through taking the time to breathe it will give your body a soothing break. Make sure that you breathe from your tummy up and place your hand on your stomach to connect with it. Too often we are breathing from our chests and throats and not truly allowing the body to benefit or be fueled by refreshing new oxygen.

I have shared some breathing technniques called 7/11 breathing and HeartMath here.

Like anything this takes time, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the prospect when we are already so busy. Consider focusing on your breathe at some point in your lunch break, on your journey to a from work, at the end of a work out, when you’re cooking your evening meal or perhaps when you take a bath or before bedtime. Even consider using the time that you would intermittently browse the internet or social media to focus on your breath instead. By integrating it into another day-to-day task just makes it feel so much more manageable and possible.

We were all born to breathe and it’s a magically soothing tool that we should all be learning to empower us to manage our own wellness and increase our day to day mindfulness.

Here’s also a little vlog that I made last night, you can have a watch or listen to it as a podcast.

The adventure of ‘unbecoming’ – part 2

 

A month ago, I made the decision to focus on regularly practicing my skills as a hypnotherapist and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner to support others. It was a huge moment for me, and I made the promise to myself through tying a red bracelet on to my wrist which had been a gift from a friend.

I’ve found this bracelet to be a really powerful metaphor for change because it reminds me daily of the the commitment I made. A huge thank you to my friend Amy for sending it to me all those months ago. I don’t think either of us could have ever anticipated the impact it would have. This month, I have learned that once you start listening to your heart and acknowledging what you really want in your life you start to receive. Through focusing your energy on what you desire you put into play the law of attraction.

The law of attraction is about creating a number of positive opportunities for yourself, believe in yourself, listen to your intuition and the universe will believe in you too. All of a sudden things begin to come together in the same way you dreamed and you start to attract people in to your world who can help you. Through focusing your mind and energy on what you want you begin to create your reality.

I’ve noticed that because I love what I am doing I have more energy than I’ve ever had before. I work full-time yet I have still found the time to write my blog, to create new recipes, to prepare for my client sessions and to commit one day of the weekend to them. The most rewarding thing of all has been supporting my clients and watching them work through old problems and issues that have been holding them back, enabling them to find a sense of freedom and peace. Every time I see it, it feels like I’m witnessing a little miracle, it’s really quite incredible.

I’m grateful for all the support I’ve received. Complete strangers giving my blog posts the thumbs up, the joy I have felt from old friends getting in touch, new friends telling me that what I have written has really resonated with them, the “likes” on my new lifestyle page on Facebook, friends making my smoothies for their children, being given the opportunity to see my clients in a beautiful, calm studio in the center of Brighton, NutriBullet UK promoting my Halloween Pumpkin Pie smoothie on their Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook page & Twitter feed – it’s been bonkers, has set my heart-racing and most importantly affirmed to me that what I am doing is completely right.

Yesterday in between clients I made this vlog – it’s 8 minutes long so probably best to get a cuppa beforehand! I reflected on what I’ve experienced, the changes I’ve seen, why creativity is important & why you should take note of what is making you feel really happy.

The original blog post is here.

Big love,

Hx

The rise of PTSD in the military and how we can combat it with the power of the rewind technique

It’s been documented that by the end of World War One there had been over 80,000 cases of shell-shock – the name given to soldiers suffering from extreme anxiety and psychological problems due to war. The problem continued in World War Two, the Vietnam War, The Falklands and now in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. In August 2014 the Telegraph reported that the number of cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the British Military had risen by a fifth in one year. The Ministry of Defence also reported that the number of cases of depression and anxiety reported had risen by 12%.

The adventure of ‘unbecoming’

Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.

What is it that makes you feel totally at ease? What is it that makes you forget about everything else? What is it that you can speak about for hours on end? What is it that enables your sentences to flow so eloquently, the pace so smooth, so confident and reassured?

Your truth – what it is you were meant to do. The one thing that allows you to access your flow state and the part of you that truly lives in the present.

For me it’s healing, taking on the role as a therapist; using hypnotherapy and emotional freedom technique to help people find a solution, to clear the negative emotions that are trapped in their body, to change their lives, to make a positive change. When I take on this role, when I let this part of me lead, I become the wisest version of myself.

Now I feel it’s time to let this part of me flourish, to simply be.

I didn’t know for 27 years that this was supposed to be my role. I found it through listening to my intuition, through nurturing my curiosity of whatever grabbed my attention – of what felt right. Discovering hypnotherapy sent a wild energy flowing through my body, which powered me through my training. Since then I have simply fallen in love with hypno, energy, emotional freedom technique, holistic nutrition and yoga and the benefits they bring both physically and emotionally.

Today just felt like the right time….

The moment I decided that this was the right thing to do I received a message from someone out of the blue asking if I could help them. My decision had changed what was going on in my energetic field which in turn influenced that person to get in touch – we are all connected energetically. It was a sign for me that it is time to be be brave and be proactive with developing my practice.

How do you know you’re “unbecoming”? It’s simply a feeling of ‘purity’ and of total peace – that you are totally accepting of the pathway that you know was meant for you. It’s discovering the rawest version of yourself, the being you were born to be, the thing that fuels your light to shine at its brightest.

I hadn’t put on the bracelet until now because I didn’t feel worthy, I wasn’t sure of what it was I needed to do. Now that I know I was able to make my wish.

“To practice the therapy techniques I have learned to help others uncover their star, to empower them to take control of their healing and support them to find solutions that will bring the change that their truest self desires”

Touch

No other form of communication is as universally understood as touch. The compassionate touch of a hand or a reassuring hug can take away our fears, soothe our anxieties, and fill the emptiness of feeling lonely. 

Randi G Fine

The power of touch – enabling you to feel connected to something greater than yourself

Touch is hugely powerful. Have a hug, it makes you feel better, hold hands and feel a connection, stroke your cat under the chin, they purr yet somehow you feel happier. All of these things are gorgeously comforting which have the power to lift our spirits and let us relax.

We are genetically made to respond positively to touch. Newborns and babies who are affectionately touched and gently massaged release serotonin in their brains which is a happy chemical, this calms the baby and balances their breathing. We grow up to always need this kind of affection in our lives.

We are programmed to ‘touch’ giving us an instant boost because our skin has in the region of 5 million touch receptors. When these are activated our brains release immune boosting endorphins and oxytocin, known as the ‘love’ hormone which naturally make us feel happy.

But there is one more element of ‘touch’ that I really value – it’s power to heal us emotionally and physically.

Through this part of my blog I want to share with you the benefits of touch, partner stretch and my journey as an energy therapist – ultimately I want to share the tips and tricks I am learning to help you feel lighter, optimistic and happier.

Studying the body’s energy system to make the most of “tapping”

Having trained as a solution-focused hypnotherapist and psychotherapist I decided to take my practice further by training as an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner. EFT is built upon the principle that our body is an energy system and that through everyday life ’emotional blockages’ can become trapped within our body. EFT releases this blocked energy through tapping on a series of points which are based on the body’s energetic meridian system. Anyone can tap on themselves, or as a therapist I can help a person work through releasing the energy by tapping on them while they focus on what it is they need to release.

So rather then using acupuncture needles in poignant energy points within meridians EFT practitioners release the energy through touch; a skill which is known as “tapping”.

By moving the blocked energy from the body, we allow ourselves to feel a lot more balanced and it also enables us to remove negative emotions which can actually affect our behaviours, habits and the way we perceive the world – our truth. The amazing thing about this therapy is that it is fast because it goes directly to the root of the cause and manages the problem out.

Through tapping we can also challenge our “truths” about ourselves that are preventing us and our bodies from doing amazing things. I’d like to share a little story that I think highlights the power of EFT and it’s instant benefit.

Our bodies are energy, our genes aren’t fixed contrary to belief – they are blueprints of possibility and can be changed based on our perceptions, beliefs and consciousness.

On the final day of my level two training we did some positive tapping, focusing on positive affirmations and developing optimistic thoughts about our futures. Having sat in a training room for three days I decided to test out EFT with something which I thought was ‘impossible’; I wanted to get my noes on my knees. To be clear when I went into forward fold I was at least 6 inches away.

I tapped through my beliefs and made positive statements about my body’s capability to do this, while also visualising out loud how it would feel when my nose and my knees met for the first time.I did this for around  fifteen minutes over three five minute intervals. Every time I paused I realised I was getting closer, so what was happening? I have a number of thoughts on this.

First up, the tapping was clearing out some of the old beliefs I held in my body about my body’s lack of flexibility. Secondly the positive affirmations and statements were acting as some kind of placebo.

The positive impact of tapping to improve flexibility in the body

Within 15 minutes my nose was on my knees! I felt incredible and my whole body was buzzing with happiness. Even if I had completed ninety minutes of hot yoga I would never have been able to get my nose on my knees in forward fold – this development was really quite astounding.

To test it out again I ask my friend Laura if I could try it out with her the following day. Again, after 15 minutes she made awe-inspiring progress – not quite nose on knees as she had further to go but just about.

Here is a super quick video of me getting my nose on my knees the following day.

Wonderful proof that flexibility can be enhanced through the power of touch, stimulating the body’s energy points and self-belief.