Relax it's Autumn

Autumn is here, what does it mean to you? crisp mornings where you can see your breath, kicking the fallen leaves and hunting out conkers, log fires, hearty soups and curling up with hot chocolate?

I have always loved autumn, I enjoy gardening and to me it is the beginning of the gardening year not the end.  A time to start planning, wrapping up vulnerable plants, gathering in the harvest, planting bulbs, preparing for winter.

As a therapist I encourage my clients to also look on this as a time to plan, to renew and to start to reflect on how they can look after there mind and body. 

Our bodies need some extra nourishing and nurturing to help us fend of the illnesses and bugs that tend to pop up in autumn.  As well as exercise and healthy eating a regular massage can help you adjust to the seasonal changes.

Some of the benefits of a relaxation massage ;

Relaxation
Reduce Stress
Reduce muscle tension
Improve circulation
Helps you sleep better
Encourages your body to digest food and flush its toxins 

Massage works on both physical and mental levels, healing the body and calming the mind. To make your autumn massage extra special you can try adding hot stones, this is wonderfully warming and promotes deep relaxation . 

So don't look on autumn as the end, look at it as the beginning of a new healthier you, find an exercise you enjoy, look at meditation or tai chi to calm the mind and eat healthy warming foods.

Book regular massage to help keep you relaxed and de-stressed this will help you fight off any illnesses which are common for this time of year.

“Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.”

William Cullen Bryant

Vision Board 2012

At the last meeting of 2011 at a small networking group it was suggested over the Christmas holiday we each created a vision board.  A vision board is where you paste pictures that you have torn out of magazines and form a collage.  I had done similar and created mood boards when I moved into my house 8 years ago showing ideas for how I wanted to decorate each room.
 The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, maybe a change of job, what you want to have, where you want to live, or a place you have always wanted to go, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
When creating a vision board you can go through magazines and tear out pictures and words that appeal to you and then when placing them on your board ask yourself what that picture might mean to you.  Sometimes it may not be clear but if you like the picture and stick it on your board the answer may come much later. However if you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve or desire you can find pictures to match your visions.

I was very clear of I what I wanted for 2012 and set about finding pictures to match my visions.   I had decided I wanted to teach holistic therapies, hold more Mindfulness and meditation workshops, (something I was qualified to teach but was not doing much of it at all) do more art work as I love art and creating and the big one visit the panda’s in China.  My images were glued to a piece of A4 paper and then put inside a plastic wallet to keep it clean.  I placed it by the computer so I saw it every day and later it was moved to beside my bed.

It’s now September and I reviewed my vision board yesterday and I am so pleased with my progress.  After qualifying in March to teach adults I began teaching holistic therapies the very next month.
I joined a stress busting group and had the opportunity to take two workshops, one in mindful eating and one on mindfulness for busy people.
After months of saving and doing extra events I have raised all the money I need to go and spend three weeks in China, working and staying with the Giant Panda’s.
There is still one picture on my board that I have not even begun to do and that is the art work, but the year is not over and I am packing my pencils in my suitcase and intending to do some sketching and mandala drawings while staying a very inspiring country.