Sometimes we get lent a random book which answers our question, bump into someone on the street who changes our future or an opportunity appears, sent at the perfect time. Synchronicity of events is something that can feel so mystical, magical and sometimes terrifyingly succinct. So, what is it all about? Why does it happen? And...how can we get more of it?
Synchronicity is the link between people and events that occur together in a way which makes them seem strangely connected. It goes a lot deeper than this and there are lots of very clever people who can explain it in a way that loses me rather fast. There are also a lot of scientists who think it is a ridiculous notion, but I usually love things scientists think are silly, which is why my brother and I bang heads sometimes.
What is it?
Some people think that synchronicity is just coincidence, but I like to think that it has more meaning than this. It refers to events that happen together or because of one another that are uncannily linked in a way that makes you think, hmmmmm? Interesting!
I believe that people, for example, come into our lives for a reason and often bring us a lesson or a message that we learn and, hopefully, receive before they leave our life again. In some situations they hang around forever. When you look at life as one big magical journey with lessons to learn and people to connect with, it becomes so much more exciting and interesting.
Occasionally I will find myself in a conversation with a stranger at a shop or at work, or...anywhere knowing me! I often find that something in our lives at this point is interestingly similar, or they have some information on my situation that shifts my perspective on it. Sometimes they actually know someone that may have an opportunity for me, or perhaps I help them in some way. Sometimes small connections like this can have a startling effect on how we approach something we are doing in our life or send it on a new course entirely. This is what I call synchronicity, people and things, messages and thoughts, coming at times that are so wonderfully in line that the results of them are profound and exciting.
Why Does it Happen?
I reckon we all have a path in life, a higgildy piggildy one which changes and turns and leads us in all sorts of directions, furthering ourselves and helping each other. I believe synchronicity exists to give us nudges and winks as to which way to go next. It reminds us that there is possibly something greater at work which is in someway helping us move forward with prompts, reminders and planted ideas.
I like to think that these linked events are beautifully designed in a way that makes us believe that anything is possible and baffles us into believing that miracles can happen. Sometimes events seem to fall into place so impossibly that you sit back and think, wow, you couldn't write this! It is often only when you look back on a year of your life that you realise how small events have created massive changes or strange repetitions have occurred.
How do we get more of it?
I think the best way to allow more positive synchronicity into your life is to open your mind to it and play around with the idea that perhaps there is a wonderfully helpful pattern occurring around us. Sometimes awareness and belief and the hope that something positive and fantastic is at our fingertips is enough to make magic happen in our lives. Sometimes when you think there is no way out of a situation, a book, person or job falls in your path and presents a whole new perspective or option that was not there before.
Of course I can see this all looks a bit mad and new age, but I cannot help but like the idea. It does not feel like blind faith in something that makes life manageable, it feels like accepting the posibility of a link in lifes tapestry. Some people believe in fate, others believe we make our own luck. I think it is a wonderful mixture.
When I was in Bali with my friend Nick we met a man called Fred who was on holiday with his wife Judy. We talked to this unbelievably negative man for some time and he told us repeatedly, that 'Life is a choice of problems'. Sometimes being open to wonderful things happening is all it takes for wonderful things to happen. I do worry about Fred, but mostly about Judy.
Have a think about things that have happened in your life that are linked in a wonderful way. Be open to it happening and pay attention to people and things around you, they might just be the missing link to something new, but only if you let them.
Over and Out.
Josie
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
How to Make Salads Sensational...
Some people think of salad as rabbit food, a hideous combination of lettuce and cucumber that they leave on the side of the plate.
But wait, do not cast it aside too soon, salad can be a truly wonderful taste sensation if you are willing to put in a bit of effort and experiment. Here are my top five tips for making a super salad this summer.
1. Vary the Leaves, including herbs!
So often we reach for a gem lettuce or an iceberg and the plate looks dull already. Try a mixed bag of leaves or even better grow your own. Choosing a combination of colours and textures will not only create a varied taste, but will add to the salad experience. Choosing rocket and peppery leaves with more flavour will instantly lift the salad to the next level. Herbs such as parsley, marjoram, coriander or mint will also give it extra depth.
2. Nuts and Seeds.
This is a great way to add good fat and healthy oil as well as adding texture. Try to choose raw seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin. These are also good sources of zinc and magnesium, which we are often deficient in. Experiment with any seeds and grind them into the dressing if you prefer it without the whole seed.
3. Get the dressing right.
It is better not to use thick creamy sauces made with cream or mayonnaise that you often get in jars. Experiment with olive oil or cold pressed flax seed oil, apple cider vinegar, raw garlic, crushed seeds, chopped herbs... I tend to do all sorts of combinations and some work and some don't. It really depends on the texture and taste you prefer. My favourite at the moment is a crushed clove of raw garlic, a spoonful of apple cider vinegar and a spoon of cold pressed olive oil. Simple but great.
4. Chop, chop, chop away.
If you chop a salad finely, it not only gets more flavour per mouthful, but you can eat more of it. It is more dense, more textured and more full of yummy tastes. Simply chop it all really finely and cube all bits you put on the top and give it a good shake, coating the whole salad with the dressing. It makes all the difference.
5. Colour!
Choose as many different colours of vegetables, leaves and fruit you like. The more colour, the more phytonutrients. You want to get as much variety as possible to get a full spectrum of wonderful nutrients which actually work to help each other absorb and get utilised by the body. Sprout your own seeds and add these to the mix for a really crunchy colourful array.
You really cannot eat enough salad, it is so wonderful for you. You can add goats cheese, organic meats, or plenty of extra sprouts if you are a veggie.
I must encourage you to go as organic as possible with salad, unfortunately as they are high in water content they are prone to storing chemicals if grown with them. Wash any salad that is not organic really really well.
Post any recipes you recommend here.
Happy chewing.
Josie
But wait, do not cast it aside too soon, salad can be a truly wonderful taste sensation if you are willing to put in a bit of effort and experiment. Here are my top five tips for making a super salad this summer.
1. Vary the Leaves, including herbs!
So often we reach for a gem lettuce or an iceberg and the plate looks dull already. Try a mixed bag of leaves or even better grow your own. Choosing a combination of colours and textures will not only create a varied taste, but will add to the salad experience. Choosing rocket and peppery leaves with more flavour will instantly lift the salad to the next level. Herbs such as parsley, marjoram, coriander or mint will also give it extra depth.
2. Nuts and Seeds.
This is a great way to add good fat and healthy oil as well as adding texture. Try to choose raw seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin. These are also good sources of zinc and magnesium, which we are often deficient in. Experiment with any seeds and grind them into the dressing if you prefer it without the whole seed.
3. Get the dressing right.
It is better not to use thick creamy sauces made with cream or mayonnaise that you often get in jars. Experiment with olive oil or cold pressed flax seed oil, apple cider vinegar, raw garlic, crushed seeds, chopped herbs... I tend to do all sorts of combinations and some work and some don't. It really depends on the texture and taste you prefer. My favourite at the moment is a crushed clove of raw garlic, a spoonful of apple cider vinegar and a spoon of cold pressed olive oil. Simple but great.
4. Chop, chop, chop away.
If you chop a salad finely, it not only gets more flavour per mouthful, but you can eat more of it. It is more dense, more textured and more full of yummy tastes. Simply chop it all really finely and cube all bits you put on the top and give it a good shake, coating the whole salad with the dressing. It makes all the difference.
5. Colour!
Choose as many different colours of vegetables, leaves and fruit you like. The more colour, the more phytonutrients. You want to get as much variety as possible to get a full spectrum of wonderful nutrients which actually work to help each other absorb and get utilised by the body. Sprout your own seeds and add these to the mix for a really crunchy colourful array.
You really cannot eat enough salad, it is so wonderful for you. You can add goats cheese, organic meats, or plenty of extra sprouts if you are a veggie.
I must encourage you to go as organic as possible with salad, unfortunately as they are high in water content they are prone to storing chemicals if grown with them. Wash any salad that is not organic really really well.
Post any recipes you recommend here.
Happy chewing.
Josie
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Amazing Menstrual Cycle...
Oh god, here I go again, talking about things that you would rather not hear about.
Periods Yes, really.
Rather than talking about 'periods' as a time of the month where a woman menstruates, I am talking about the whole cycle of change a woman experiences each month. I am not suggesting all women experience, or are aware of, extreme changes in their mood. I just wish to highlight the cyclic nature a women has available to her, if she wishes to discover it.
I used to think that women who made a fuss about their periods were silly and it was an excuse to be grumpy and miserable. However, over the years as I have observed my own nature and that of the women around me I have developed a deeper respect for the profound changes a woman experiences in the month. I realise that at different times in her life and her year, she will experience shifts in her cycle and its effects on her will also
change. Diet, climate and stress levels will all have a profound effect on hormones and therefore on a woman's experience of life each month.
Women are cyclic in nature, like the rhythm of the moon their bodies change and adapt throughout the month. With these hormonal changes come disruptions in their mood, changes in their opinions, style and massive shifts in their sexual needs and desires. How could anyone keep up when she can't keep up with herself?
It is a shame that associations of the cycle always focus on the troubled stage before menstruation, although it is often the stage other people notice. It is important for women to be more gentle with themselves at this stage and not to push themselves into social situations or heavy work schedules that could end in tears, however at other times in the month she is radiant and powerful and ready for anything.
I often feel sorry for men as they try to decipher the complexities of a woman's mood and needs without realising what she wants today is not what she will want next week, or maybe the next hour!
I am not just talking about bad moods and tantrums here, I am talking about creative energy, abundant physical energy, insightful thoughts, empathy, compassion and inspiration. There are times of the month when all of these wonderful attributes will be greater and stronger and with an understanding of when these times will be, she can harness them and put them to good use.
At work yesterday a female staff member began to cry all of a sudden at something seemingly small, the confused male waiter said to me angrily, 'I don't think a man is any different to a woman, we must keep our emotions quiet at work and get on with our jobs. It is not my job to understand why she is crying.' Oh dear I thought, that is either a very confused or lonely life you are embarking on good sir, for women are going to keep surprising you like this. You must at least try to understand if you want to remain intact.
I am not suggesting here that all women cry each month, far from it, we live in feminist times and of course we are all( hopefully) more equal in work and play. However, our essential differences can get lost in these forced equalities. I like to think that our differences are complimentary and equality in found in these differences.
I have recently started studying to be a 'Red Moon Trainer' and will be ready to give workshops and individual sessions with women, helping them harness their energies each month and understand themselves and each other more fully. It is not about changing your life to suit your cycle, but being aware of how you interact with your life at difference stages of the cycle. Miranda Gray has written books on this topic including 'Red Mood' and is currently training Red Mood Facilitators across the world (http://www.mirandagray.co.uk/redmoon/red-moon.html.)
If you are a woman interested in charting your cycle email me and I will send you a moon dial. I promise you will be fascinated at how you change. If you are a man, I hope this was interesting and if you want to suggest it to your friend or partner, make sure it is not at the wrong time! ;) In miranda's book 'Optimised woman' she has a chapter for men on how to work around your lady's cycle and be aware of how it might and effect her and therefore...you!
Women who suffer from serious PMT (pre menstrual tension) can make massive changes by addressing their diet. I will post on this topic at a later date.
Opinions very welcome!
Over and Out.
Josie
Periods Yes, really.
Rather than talking about 'periods' as a time of the month where a woman menstruates, I am talking about the whole cycle of change a woman experiences each month. I am not suggesting all women experience, or are aware of, extreme changes in their mood. I just wish to highlight the cyclic nature a women has available to her, if she wishes to discover it.
I used to think that women who made a fuss about their periods were silly and it was an excuse to be grumpy and miserable. However, over the years as I have observed my own nature and that of the women around me I have developed a deeper respect for the profound changes a woman experiences in the month. I realise that at different times in her life and her year, she will experience shifts in her cycle and its effects on her will also
change. Diet, climate and stress levels will all have a profound effect on hormones and therefore on a woman's experience of life each month.
Women are cyclic in nature, like the rhythm of the moon their bodies change and adapt throughout the month. With these hormonal changes come disruptions in their mood, changes in their opinions, style and massive shifts in their sexual needs and desires. How could anyone keep up when she can't keep up with herself?
It is a shame that associations of the cycle always focus on the troubled stage before menstruation, although it is often the stage other people notice. It is important for women to be more gentle with themselves at this stage and not to push themselves into social situations or heavy work schedules that could end in tears, however at other times in the month she is radiant and powerful and ready for anything.
I often feel sorry for men as they try to decipher the complexities of a woman's mood and needs without realising what she wants today is not what she will want next week, or maybe the next hour!
I am not just talking about bad moods and tantrums here, I am talking about creative energy, abundant physical energy, insightful thoughts, empathy, compassion and inspiration. There are times of the month when all of these wonderful attributes will be greater and stronger and with an understanding of when these times will be, she can harness them and put them to good use.
At work yesterday a female staff member began to cry all of a sudden at something seemingly small, the confused male waiter said to me angrily, 'I don't think a man is any different to a woman, we must keep our emotions quiet at work and get on with our jobs. It is not my job to understand why she is crying.' Oh dear I thought, that is either a very confused or lonely life you are embarking on good sir, for women are going to keep surprising you like this. You must at least try to understand if you want to remain intact.
I am not suggesting here that all women cry each month, far from it, we live in feminist times and of course we are all( hopefully) more equal in work and play. However, our essential differences can get lost in these forced equalities. I like to think that our differences are complimentary and equality in found in these differences.
I have recently started studying to be a 'Red Moon Trainer' and will be ready to give workshops and individual sessions with women, helping them harness their energies each month and understand themselves and each other more fully. It is not about changing your life to suit your cycle, but being aware of how you interact with your life at difference stages of the cycle. Miranda Gray has written books on this topic including 'Red Mood' and is currently training Red Mood Facilitators across the world (http://www.mirandagray.co.uk/redmoon/red-moon.html.)
If you are a woman interested in charting your cycle email me and I will send you a moon dial. I promise you will be fascinated at how you change. If you are a man, I hope this was interesting and if you want to suggest it to your friend or partner, make sure it is not at the wrong time! ;) In miranda's book 'Optimised woman' she has a chapter for men on how to work around your lady's cycle and be aware of how it might and effect her and therefore...you!
Women who suffer from serious PMT (pre menstrual tension) can make massive changes by addressing their diet. I will post on this topic at a later date.
Opinions very welcome!
Over and Out.
Josie
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Digestive System: Our Health Epicentre.
Digestive wellness is a topic which makes most people withdraw from conversation.
However eating out, cooking food and celebrating how much we enjoy it is a regular discussion. So why is it, as soon as we consider how it travels through the body and (dare I say it) "how it comes out", we avoid the matter all together? It is understandably horrible to talk about poo I suppose, so I will try not to do that too much in this post.
However eating out, cooking food and celebrating how much we enjoy it is a regular discussion. So why is it, as soon as we consider how it travels through the body and (dare I say it) "how it comes out", we avoid the matter all together? It is understandably horrible to talk about poo I suppose, so I will try not to do that too much in this post.
Our digestive tract is the centre of our energy system, it is where we process all the nutrients we consume and it is from here they get transported around the body. How well these nutrients are absorbed and converted is all dependent on the health of our digestive tract and it's functionality is dependant mostly on the food we eat and the manner in which we eat it.
If our digestive health is askew, we will find it impossible to absorb nutrients, convert them and utilise them efficiently. This will create a complete breakdown in the chemical communication and complex synchronisation that occurs in our body's cells.
Digestive function is therefore a huge factor in improving ill health and often the primary cause of many diseases. Believe it or not, malnutrition is a huge problem in the West. It is ironic that when we have so much access to food, we still manage to get it wrong. It is of course, not because we don't eat enough food, but because we eat too much of the wrong food.
Digestive function is therefore a huge factor in improving ill health and often the primary cause of many diseases. Believe it or not, malnutrition is a huge problem in the West. It is ironic that when we have so much access to food, we still manage to get it wrong. It is of course, not because we don't eat enough food, but because we eat too much of the wrong food.
Wrong food/Portion/stress = Digestive Problems = Low absorbtion = Malnutrition = Disease
So, how do you know if your digestive system is on good form?
Most people think that if they go to the toilet once a day then things are looking good. However, optimal digestion would mean going to the toilet two or even three times a day. These bowel movements should feel easy, fast and complete. Your ...POO...should be...ok I won't go there...but if it is black and sinks then that is not entirely cool. I am not going to do a Gillian-get-my-gloves-ready McKeith on you. But light and floaty is better. Oh dear, I know.
If you suffer from bloating, belching, over fullness, fatigue or dis-ease after eating it is likely you are putting too much load on your system or are eating the wrong things for your body. Your digestive system is struggling and has developed an imbalance which needs addressing.
Ten Tips to get your digestive system healthy again.
1. Drink plenty of water and have a good amount of fibre in your diet.
2. Start eating more raw foods
3. Avoid processed refined foods
4. Take psyllium husk with water if you suffer from constipation
5. Start the day with a cup of warm water with lemon juice
6. Chew slowly and properly
7. Stop eating when you are full
9. Consider pro-biotics or digestive enzymes
10. Drink a Green Smoothie everyday!
Good Luck getting back in balance and feel free to email me any questions.
Good Luck getting back in balance and feel free to email me any questions.
Josie :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)