 As the end of November sees the shops getting busier, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sadly now a firm part of British culture, sends shoppers into a frenzy, frantic to grab themselves a Christmas bargain. And if we can’t get to the shop? No problem, everything we need is just a click away - we don’t even need to leave our seats!
It is so easy to get swept up in the need to buy. Everywhere we turn we are being told we NEED something - from our TV’s, mobile phones, radio, newspapers, outdoor advertising, the side of the bus - the bus stop! And that doesn’t include the subtle, subconscious, keeping up with the Jones’ ‘if only I had X…’ Quite frankly, it’s exhausting. Stephanie Kaza, Environment Professor and Buddhism practitioner at the University of Vermont , writes in Tricycle, The Buddhist Review, "In a practical sense, consumerism is a belief system and culture that promotes consumption as the path to self and social improvement. As a dominant cultural force, consumerism offers products to address every dissatisfaction.” This certainly helps to explain WHY we feel the need to shop more than ever before - whether we can afford it or not. With our increasingly busy and stressful lifestyles, we think we can buy our way to happiness and contentment, but can consumerism really help us to feel better? Tim Kasser, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Knox College in Galesburg along with his colleagues at the University of Sussex, published a meta-analysis that showed the negative relationship between materialism and well-being was consistent across all kinds of measures of materialism, types of people and cultures. He found that, the more highly people endorsed materialistic values, the more they experienced unpleasant emotions, depression and anxiety, the more they reported physical health problems, such as stomachaches and headaches, and the less they experienced pleasant emotions and felt satisfied with their lives. The most supported explanation for why well-being is lower when materialism is high concerns psychological needs. Specifically, materialistic values are associated with living one’s life in ways that do a relatively poor job of satisfying psychological needs to feel free, competent and connected to other people.* So the answer is, no. Too great a focus on materialism is not good for our mind, body and soul. This Christmas why don’t we focus on quality over quantity, on thoughtfulness over monetary value. This Christmas, why don’t we gift mindfully? "You own twice as much rug if you're twice as aware of the rug." - Allen Ginsberg Here are three ways we can gift mindfully;
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and happy, healthy New Year. Lots of love, Zoë x * Source: apa.org / Tricycle.org / Chopra.com
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 Great work, now you can go play.
Play? What? Why? I’m a grown-up. I don’t play, I do busy, stressful and very important things. ALL THE TIME! I simply do not have time to play! And why on earth would I want to play anyway, I’m an adult?! If YOU are a very busy human, doing very stressful and important things ALL THE TIME, then you too should have a break and go play. Play, it turns out, is also very important. And it’s something us very busy, very important adult humans should be doing more of. But, I’m an adult. How do I play? “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - Bernard Shaw It’s such a strange thing, how the art of play slips aways from us bit by bit over the years, until, before long we find ourselves all serious, hunched over our laptops and phones, our imagination closed. Just like when we are introduced to perspective as children and our drawings are never the same again - we can never truly recapture the innocence of our earlier, free from the rules of physics art we produce as small children. Or, when you realise Father Christmas's handwriting is the same as your mum’s… some things just can’t be recaptured. But! The good news is the ability to play CAN be recaptured AND play can do marvellous things to our bodies and minds such as;
So now we know how beneficial play is for our body and minds, how can we introduce play into our everyday lives? Here are five suggestions;
Wishing you a fabulous November. See you next month. Lots of love, Zoë xx *Source:helpguide.org, thegeniusofplay.org / Photo Credit: Antonio Gabola Unsplash.com  Gratitude. It can be a hard thing to feel sometimes. Being grateful isn’t always easy, harder still when it feels like life is just throwing you lemons. The worst is being TOLD you should be grateful, because sometimes you just don’t feel it. Full stop!
When it feels hard it’s usually because we are starting from a position of comparison. When we compare ourselves or our situation to others we are not focussing on the ‘haves’ that exist in that moment, only what we feel our circumstance is lacking in that moment. This is dangerous ground, as there will ALWAYS be someone with perceived ‘more’ or ‘better’ and that is OK! That’s absolutely fine - good for them. Because I can tell you now, you have all that you need, you just need to know how to see it. There is a line in a movie my children loved when they were young called Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, it includes the classic line, ‘if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’ Ferris Bueller wasn’t wrong. But all too often we are heads down, ploughing on trying to ‘get things done’, that we forget that life is happening around us, we forget to stop and smell the roses! So, let’s do that - right now! When you’ve finished reading this blog, close your eyes, take a breath and settle into the moment. Be aware of how you feel, where you are sitting, what you can hear, smell, feel. You have access to technology that helps keep you connected, electricity and money to pay the bills. You are safe, warm, fed, watered - you are alive! Practicing mindfulness can help lead us to gratitude. And this is a good thing. Not just because being grateful can help reframe a negative situation, the act of expressing gratitude can also help us feel better. When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel 'good'. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside.* Here are a few tips to help you find gratitude today:
Wishing you a fabulous October. See you next month. Lots of love, Zoë xx * Source: positiveneurology.com / Photo Credit: Gabrielle Henderson unsplash.com  Albert Einstein told us that ‘reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one.’ But can what we see, feel and hear really be a figment of our imagination? And how can stepping outside of our ‘reality’ actually improve our experience of it?
First of all we need to understand what the ‘world’ is made of and how we fit into it, in other words, quantum physics! The original, unquestioned assumption that the physical world we experience, was indeed physical, led scientists to search for the ‘point particle’ upon which all life was built. This search, and subsequent experiments, revealed that the foundations of the physical world are actually made of energy - everything is made of energy! Our reality is an energetic one - the solar-system image of electors and protons as little solid orbs whizzing around each other we are so familiar with, does not apply, as energy they have no physical size - more ‘events’ than things. It is possible that unless some ‘agency’ interferes, particles remain in a probabilistic energy-wave state and reality as we experience it seems to be the results of human consciousness interacting with the quantium levels of existence that are pure waves of energy.* So if our reality is actually energetic information that the brain receives and translates into an image, then it would follow that we have the opportunity to create our reality! The possibilities are endless - limitless! But where to begin? First we need to find the right frequency. Ideally we want to reach Theta (4-8 hz). Theta brain waves govern the part of our mind that lies between the conscious and the unconscious, which is when we are at our most creative and conducive to visualiation. So let’s start with a lovely, short meditation* to ground and relax us:
You are a ball of white light in the middle of your chest. Your eyes are closed.
My dear friend, Tamara Pitelen is trained in the ThetaHealing Technique®. To learn more about Theta Healing and book a session with Tamara, click here. Lots of love, Zoë xx PS. Don’t forget our new brand The Blend is now live! Our launch range includes a gorgeous pure organic essential oil rollerball trio formulated to help you find balance, calm and better sleep. And a 100% soy wax and pure essential oil blend meditation candle. Both are available to shop today! And to ensure we are part of the drive for change, we will donate a percentage of profits from the sale of our oils to The Menopause Charity. Click here to learn more and shop our launch products today. Following us on Instagram: @theblend_essentialoils * Source: esalq.usp.br / deepermeditation.net / getjupiter.com / Photo Credit: Getty Images  Stop thinking so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.
- Rumi I love this quote. It makes me think anything is possible. And you know what? Anything IS possible. You create your own reality, so why not create something truly fabulous?! As adults we tend to view creativity as something slightly less worthy of our time and energy than more important, serious grown-up things such as answering emails and clearing out the fridge. To indulge oneself in a spot of daydreaming is simply childish! We see ourselves as either creative or not creative, something we have or don’t have. As adults we have created a construct, a set of rules by which we live and where creativity and play are left for children. How sad! Creativity is for ALL of us and all of us have the ability to create. By tuning into this part of ourselves we can make our reality something wonderful. (It is also good for our health - Engaging in creative behaviours, even something simple like colouring, can improve our brain function, mental health and physical health*). Creative Visualisation is a method of using your imagination to help create the future and reality you want. It is a specific way of using your imagination, a cognitive process that consists of forming vivid mental images of the reality you want to create. As you consciously change the images you see in your mind, you change your emotions on the subject of the images. The more you SEE and FEEL the future you want, the more you create that reality. And changing our emotions to a subject is a very important part of the process. The energy we send out we get back, it’s the ‘law of attraction’. If we believe we are not deserving of the life we want, we subconsciously close the door opportunities that come our way and focus only on the negative, which serves only to strengthen long-held misconceptions about ourselves and our capabilities. But if we start to believe that we ARE worthy, we will open ourselves up to all the possibilities the universe has to offer - how exciting! So, let us put aside our version of reality for a moment - forget the desk, computer, table, the body in which you sit and just take a minute to breathe … You are made of energy, like Rumi said you’re YOU are the universe. Albert Einstein said ‘Everything in life is a vibration’, imagine you are part of this universal energy. Now, what do you want to create? Make it real in your mind - include all the little details of how you want this vision to be in reality - the colours, the textures, the tastes and smells - SEE it and FEEL it, make it REAL in your mind. And keep this vision alive! LIVE this vision every day. To set you on your way, here is a beautiful meditation exercise from Shakti Gawain’s inspirational book ‘Creative Visualisation: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life’. Now, go create! “The universe is unfolding perfectly. I don’t have to hang on. I can relax and let go. I can go with the flow. I trust my own process. I always have everything I need. I have all the love I need within my own heart. I am a lovable and loving person. I am whole in myself. Divine love is guiding me and I am always taken care of. The universe always provides.” - Shakti Gawain Lots of love, Zoë xx PS. Don’t forget our new brand The Blend is now live! Our launch range includes a gorgeous pure organic essential oil rollerball trio formulated to help you find balance, calm and better sleep. And a 100% soy wax and pure essential oil blend meditation candle. Both are available to shop today! And to ensure we are part of the drive for change, we will donate a percentage of profits from the sale of our oils to The Menopause Charity. Click here to learn more and shop our launch products today. Following us on Instagram: @theblend_essentialoils * Source: Forbes.com | Photo credit: Greg Rakozy @ unsplsh.com  13 Million women are going through the menopause right now. Symptoms of peri-menopause can start up to 10 years before menopause, so this is something that affects a lot of women on a daily basis and yet so many women are left uneducated, ill-informed and suffering through symptoms without support, which I find terrible. Why does the stigma around menopause still exist in this day and age and what can we do to help break it down?
Perimenopause is the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, and menopause is when a woman stops having periods. This is a natural process which happens as part of existing as female human beings, much like menstruation. And yet, although conversation and education around menstruation, in the western world at least, has improved considerably over the decades,* the menopause is still seen by many as shameful and simply not to be discussed. But why? Why? Well, to put it simply, we are obsessed with youth. Rather than accept the transition from one stage of life to the next as a beautiful part of the design, we say ‘Old’ and shut the door. Well not on my watch! I would like to quote the brilliant and absolutely stunning Selma Hayek (54) ‘People have the wrong assumption that the menopause is when a woman stops being sexy.’’For so long the concept of beauty in a woman was leaning completely to youth, and I think “F*** that Shit!” And I couldn’t agree more. The impact this wall of silence has on women's health, both mentally and physically, and to the economy is shocking. A recent Bloomberg article stated that the findings of a 2019 survey found that around 900,000 in the UK women quit their jobs due to menopause, 900,000 women. And a new report by the Government Equalities Office warns that ‘menopausal employees feel at risk of ridicule and gendered ageism, causing some female employees in their early 50s to call in sick for fear of experiencing symptoms at work. The report estimates that this is costing the economy £7.3m a year in absence-related costs!’ A separate study commissioned for ITV’s Tonight programme found that ‘1 in 4 menopausal women consider quitting their jobs due to their experiences.’ So, what’s being done to help make real change? Naturally Andrew Baily, Governor of the Bank of England ears pricked up when he heard these statistics, and in April this year said that menopause can no longer be ignored. And thankfully, more smart, forward thinking humans are beginning to take a stand against this injustice - The Menopause Charity, of which a number of high-profile women are ambassadors, has called for better education for GPs. The fabulous Labour lawmaker Carolyn Harris has called for a “menopause revolution” with an all-party parliamentary group set up to overhaul “menopause rights, entitlements and education.” Go Carolyn! And the team at Angel Oil Ltd HQ also want to be part of this ‘menopause revolution’ too! We have created a new brand called The Blend, which will focus on the development of pure essential oil products designed to help relieve symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Made by women, for women, our launch product is a gorgeous rollerball trio formulated to help you find balance, calm and better sleep. And we will give a percentage of profits from the sale of our products each month to The Menopause Charity. We aim to launch mid-July, so watch this space! You can also follow us on Instagram to keep up to date on how the launch is coming along @theblend_essentialoils We are very excited about this new brand and hope you’ll support us and be part of the revolution! Wishing you a wonderful day and thank you. Lots of love, Zoë xx *The wonderful Emma Barnett has launched a new book ‘It’s About Bloody Time Period’ where she makes a `...bracing common sense case for full and frank honesty.’ Source: peoplemanagment.co.uk | Bloomberg.com | Style Magazine Photo credit: Ian Schneider @unsplash.com  'As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.’ John F. Kennedy If this sounds a little easier said than done, I completely understand, we are but human after all. It can be very hard to feel thankful or grateful, especially when the chips are down, and a negative narrative becomes your default, ‘Well, of course it was going to go wrong…’ we are all guilty of doing it. But what if flipping this narrative could actually have a positive impact on our health and happiness?
With gratitude, we acknowledge the goodness in our lives. gratitude can help people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals, whether to other people, nature, or a higher power. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships*. Sounds good to me! So what small changes can we introduce to our daily routine to help make gratitude part of our everyday lives? Here are my top 5 tips to help you get into the right frame of mind.
I’ll end this thought with a lovely, short meditation of gratitude to start you on your way!
Wishing you a wonderful day and thank you. Lots of love, Zoë xx * Source: Positive Psychology | Harvard Health | ggia.berkeley.edu via get Jupiter Photo credit: Gabrielle Henderson @ unsplash  Home isn’t always a place is it?
This is a question the boy ponders on the penultimate page of Charlie Mackesy’s stunningly beautiful book, The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. And it’s a very good question! This year has seen us all spend a great deal more time ‘at home’. Yet for many this hasn’t led to a feeling of comfort as one would imagine is should?! If one is to look up the definition of the word ‘Home’ in a dictionary, they would find it is ‘the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.’ However, as unique human beings, with our variety of cultures, needs and emotions, our quirks and foibles, we may find that our definition of ‘home’ is not quite so easily defined. This is because what is technically a ‘home’ and what feels like home may be two very different places – indeed it may not be a place at all! Home is familiar. It’s where you feel protected and comforted - it could be a space, a place, a culture, a community, a group of friends, a journey, your old house, new house, or a completely different country! It’s where feels right in your gut - it’s where the heart is. And, of course, no matter where your home may be there is always one thing that remains unchanged, and that thing is YOU! Home is what resonates inside of you - it’s the connection you have with your environment and the people in it. No matter where you are YOU have the ability to find that comfort and protection and ‘home’ within. i dive into the well of my body and end up in another world everything i need already exists in me there’s no need to look anywhere else – home The brilliant Rupi Kaur, from her book, Home Body To help you find your home within and feel comforted and content, I’d like to share with you this beautiful meditation which will help you connect to the earth, feel grounded and at peace with yourself.
Lots of love, Zoë xx Source: https://rupikaur.com/ | https://mindfulnessexercises.com Photo credit: Mohammad Alizade @unplash Follow me and my fabulous Essential Oil Band, Angel Oil on Social Media: Zoe Henderson, Facebook Click here Angel Oil, Facebook Click here Angel Oil, Instagram Click here PS I am offering guidance and healing sessions over Skype/Zoom/Facetime/BOTIM/Facebook Messenger etc. get in touch if you'd like to book an appointment! Just click here or email me at zoehenderson@hotmail.com. For Dubai clients, I've found that Teamviewer and ToTok also work very well.  Slowly, bring attention to your breath. Breathe in through your nose, pause and out through your nose. Let your shoulders lower. Unclench your jaw. Slowly continue this breathing for a few more breaths. Feel yourself beginning to relax. How do you feel now? A little more relaxed, I hope!
Has this exercise just made you realise that you’ve been holding your breath for the past 12 months? You are not alone! We are a quarter of the way into a new year and a full year into a global pandemic, predominantly spent in lockdown so it’s natural if you have found these past few months stressful and a little challenging. Fortunately, we have an incredible, inbuilt way of being able to self regulate and calming our central nervous system, it’s called breathing! Breathing deeply, with a slow and steady inhalation and exhalation, signals our parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body down. Long, deep breaths can also manage our stress responses to help decrease anxiety, fear, racing thoughts, a rapid heartbeat and shallow chest breathing*, which can leave us feeling dizzy. And yet so often we find we do not take advantage of this incredible resource. When the breath is unsteady, all is unsteady; when the breath is still; all is still. Control the breath carefully. Inhalation gives strength and a controlled body; retention gives steadiness of mind and longevity; exhalation purifies body and spirit. Goraksha Shataka, an early Hatha yoga text, written in around the 10th century in the tantra tradition. Someone else who knows all about the amazing benefits of good breath work is the fabulous Aimee Hartley. Aimee has devoted her career to sharing and educating children and adults on the amazing power of breath and good breathing technique. Click here to try one of Aimee’s wonderful exercises. Or, to learn more about your breathing ‘style’ and the various exercises you can include in your day to day life to help keep you in balance, Aimee’s book Breath Well is available to purchase online from Amazon. And for some inspirational posts, lovely, quick breathing exercise videos, why not follow Aimee’s Instagram @breathe.well Why not introduce aromatherapy into your breath-work and your day. Inhaling essential oils stimulates the olfactory system, the part of the brain connected to smell. Molecules that enter the nose or mouth pass to the lungs, and from there, to other parts of the body. In this way, essential oils can have a subtle, yet holistic effect on the whole body. Formulated using four pure essential oils chosen for their anti-inflammatory and restorative qualities, and created with the intent for healing, Our Angel Oil, Original Blend is a wonderful allrounder. Simply dab a few drops on your pulse points as needed. Or massage all over before a hot bath for a wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating experience. And to help reduce your stress levels even more, don’t forget to join me for a FREE Healing Meditation on Wednesday 14th April at 4pm GMT, 5pm EU and 8pm UAE. Registration is free, and easy, simply click here and fill in a few details. You will then receive a confirmation email containing a Zoom link to the meditation session. Lots of love, Zoë xx Follow me and my fabulous Essential Oil Band, Angel Oil on Social Media: Zoe Henderson, Facebook Click here Angel Oil, Facebook Click here Angel Oil, Instagram Click here PS I am offering guidance and healing sessions over Skype/Zoom/Facetime/BOTIM/Facebook Messenger etc. get in touch if you'd like to book an appointment! Just click here or email me at zoehenderson@hotmail.com. For Dubai clients, I've found that Teamviewer and ToTok also work very well. Source: www.cbc.ca | Photo credit Max van den Oetelaar  How nature can help raise our frequency and restore balance I am always telling my clients to get outside and into nature! My daily walk is a must to help create balance and focus my mind. Many cultures have long recognized the importance of the connecting to the natural world as a way to improve our physiological and psychological health. During the 1980s the Japanese government conducted an exercise called shinrin-yoku, translated as “forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere” to see how a spending time in nature, away from tech, pollution and the stresses and sensory overload of the modern world could help improve the health of its population – and guess what?! It worked! Results of Japanese studies have shown forest bathing improves both physical and mental well-being such as; sleep quality, mood, ability to focus, and stress levels. Even Japanese doctors prescribe forest bathing! ‘Everything in life is a vibration’ Albert Einstein But what is it about being in nature and amongst the trees that helps makes us feel better? Humans and the universe and inextricably linked – everything is made up of molecules vibrating at different speeds - faster, slower, higher and lower. Being in nature, your body more easily tunes into the Earth’s natural frequency, which is around 7.83 hertz, and can restore, revitalise, and heal itself more effectively. Interestingly, 7.83 hertz is also the human brain’s average alpha frequency. Alpha waves, induce relaxation but not quite meditation. So, we know it’s good for us, but how do we practice of Forest Bathing? Forest Bathing can be as simple as walking in any natural environment and consciously connecting with what’s around you. This sensory experience can provide a great alternative for people who struggle with meditation. Forest Bathing How To: Sit or stand if you want to. Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings and listen to the sounds around you: twittering birds, rustling brush, trickling streams. Breathe in clean, fragrant air and soak in the sights of the textured ground and the shapes of the leaves in the sky. Touch the soft, green moss carpeting the shaded stones, or the rough bark on the trees. Let the stillness around you influence your state of mind and make you forget the constant motion of day to day life. Mother Nature is so clever, get outdoors today, tune into Earth’s frequency and connect with the universe. Lots of love, Zoë xx PS I am offering guidance and healing sessions over Skype/Zoom/Facetime/BOTIM/Facebook Messenger etc. - get in touch if you'd like to book an appointment! Just click here or email me at zoehenderson@hotmail.com. For Dubai clients, I've found that Teamviewer and ToTok also work very well. PPS Follow me on my Facebook page here www.facebook.com/zoehendersonhealer or on my Angel Oil Facebook page at www.facebook.com/zoehendersonangeloil Source: Japan Travel | National Geographic / Brain World Magazine |
Zoe HendersonAromatherapist, founder of Angel Oil, intuitive energy healer, and animal communicator. Archives
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