Do you feel like your batteries are running low?  Would you like to have more energy?
 
We think we get our energy from just our food.   However have you noticed how much more energised you feel when you have been walking in nature?   It feels good, doesn't it?
 
The Chinese say that we receive our energy through the following routes:

• enjoying nature (walking, swimming, gardening)
• eating healthy food slowly
• drinking water
• breathing properly
• cultivating our energy through the practice of chi kung

Lets look at each one of these for a few minutes....
 
When I talk about enjoying nature, I mean really enjoying it.   It is no good walking through a park and thinking about your grocery list - you are not really there.    It works when you really participate with and enjoy the nature around you, like a good walk on the beach with a sea breeze and waves crashing on the shore.
 
Did you know that you can increase your energy levels by eating your food slowly?  Paul McKenna says in his book "I Can Make you Thin" place the food in your mouth, put your knife and fork down, taste the food, chew it 20 times, swallow and then take the next piece of food.  You will find that a) you eat less food and b) you will have more energy.  Try it and find out for yourself.
 
Breathing... stop a moment and notice how you are breathing.  Are you breathing in your upper chest, or do you breathe deep breaths right down to your belly?    Oxygen gives us energy.  Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and notice the difference in your energy levels - you will feel more relaxed too.   
 
Opening your energy system through chi kung.   Wikepedia gives this definition of chi kung: "Qigong, qi gong, chi kung, or chi gung is a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used in the belief that it promotes health, spirituality, and martial arts training".   Tai chi is a form of chi kung and so are the martial arts - you remember the Karate Kid movie?    There are many forms and schools of chi kung, so you can choose from something very easy, to a full on exercise programme (although its much more than that!). 

If you are a woman, would you like to experience Restorative Chi Kung with me on Tuesday nights starting the 12th June?  I am running some beginners classes in my home for four weeks.   You can recharge your batteries without a hard workout and learn about your unique energy system.     
Click here for more information.
 
Elayne 

We all have to eat, but these days we are not very conscious about the how we eat, or the reasons why we eat.

Let’s face it, food is delicious and there its everywhere!   Cafes about with delicious treats, supermarkets abound, magazines and books with yummy recipes, and tv shows with inspiring meals.
There is so much information about healthy eating out there… but many people are carrying excess weight.   Why?
Answer:  We don’t eat consciously.

Here’s a question for you:  Do you eat at times dictated by other people/or timetables when you are not really hungry?   Often we eat because everyone else is having a tea break, or we are at the café and cake goes well with coffee.   The question is… are you really hungry or are you just eating?   Before you eat, check in with yourself – am I really hungry or am I just thirsty?    I recently did an experiment with myself and found I was eating between every massage client (every two hours) – I started asking this question and realised that I wasn’t hungry at all!   I stopped having the food and found I could easily go 4 hours between meals.

Here’s the hunger scale….
1    I couldn’t fit another thing in
2    Overstuffed
3    Uncomfortable
4    Full
5    Comfortable and contented
6    Neutral
7    Slightly hungry
8    Hungry
9    The hoover
10  Im going to pass out

Once you have ascertained that you are really hungry, the next step is to eat more slowly.    Why?  Because most of the time we over eat because we eat so fast we bypass the mechanism that tells us that we are full.    Yes, our bodies do have this mechanism but we need time to listen to it.  Slow down.
There main reasons why we don’t pay attention to this mechanism is that we hoover our food down and we are not present with our food because we are mult-tasking… watch TV, on the phone, on the computer, reading, writing, playing games, walking or driving.   Most of us can relate to this.  Food is often a means to an ends and not considered to be an activity to do all by itself.     So its no wonder we don’t know what our body wants to eat, when its hungry or when its full.  So here is the easy way out…

• Eliminate distraction.    Sit down and quietly eat your food.   In other words… Just Eat!
• Take a moment to look at your food and appreciate where it came from
• Smell your food
• Chew it slowly and savour the taste.   At some point you might realise that you have had enough of a certain food and you want more of another food.  Before you know it, you are eating foods that you body really wants
• Enjoy the textures and sensations of food in your mouth.

 
When you do this two things happen:
1.  You will notice when you are starting to feel comfortable and contented and approaching the status of full.   When you get to that place ask yourself – do I want this next mouthful or am I full?      If you are not sure, clear that table and wait 15-30 mins.   If you feel hungry again, go eat!   
2.   You start really noticing what you are eating - through taste, smell and texture – you will start becoming aware of what your body really wants.  You will naturally start selecting foods that your body wants and stop eating foods that you don’t want.   

Elayne Lane teaches Weight Loss courses. 
​To join her next class click here.
 

These weekly classes are designed specifically with women in mind.  Benefits are:
They are relaxing
Opens your heart
Make you laugh
Tones the pelvic floor
Improves libido
Gives you inner strength
Healthy menstrual cycles
Gives you extra energy
Improves lymphatic flow in the breast tissue
Balances the emotions
Revitalises you

Exercises include:
Warm up – gentle exercises to get your energy flowing and loosen the joints
Swimming dragon – good for the waist, lower back and the movement massages the organs
Lower abdomen pull up – massaging your lower abdomen for good reproductive health
Toning the perineum – for bladder control and strong pelvic floor
Breast and ovarian massage – healthy breasts, ovaries, womb and hormones
Microcosmic orbit – revitalise yourself
The Inner smile - smile within and your body will smile back at you!
The Six Healing sounds – balancing your emotions and promotes sleep
Energy bath – revitalise your skin, a natural beauty treatment.

When:     Every Thursday night 7th August - 11th September (six weeks)
Where:   Tahunanui Primary School, Main Hall, Muritai Street, Tahunanui, Nelson (map below)
Time:      6.45 - 8.15 p.m.
Cost:      $60 payable on the first night
Bookings essential 
Note:      The course runs subject to numbers (minimum 10 people)
Book here

Testimonials:  
“This amazing wisdom is wonderfully taught by Elayne! When I arrived to class I felt tired and looked like a wilted flower......my energy changed noticeably from the exercises....such a gift! I am learning how to nurture myself! Thank you Elayne for sharing”.   A.M.
 
“Thanks so much for giving us your time last night, I am really enjoying my Thursday nights. You are teaching really cool 
stuff. It should be compulsory for all women”.   D.A.

“For the last four weeks I have been going to  Elayne Lane's Chi Kung classes for women. Thought I would post the changes I 
have noticed in myself over that time, just to give an insight to any reader who might be interested in attending as to how profound this work can be. Benefits I have noticed and be sure there will be things that I have not consciously noticed yet... Sleeping extremely well, less frustration, more calm, improved eyesight, my shoulder blade which was sticking out has moved closer to its natural position, more energy and motivation, hydration has improved and visits to the WC in the night have become less frequent...in just 4 weeks!”.  C.F.

Testimonials:
Thank you for a fantastic weekend Elayne. Just what I needed and in such a beautiful location with fabulous women!



Venue was great for the soul .... beautiful, peaceful and uplifting with great facilities and accommodation.



Great group of woman ... lots of fun and laughter. Learned heaps but enjoyed the light hearted approach. Fantastic food made with lots of love. Massage experience to die for. Venue great for the soul.



The teaching was clear and easy to follow - the circle allowing good viewing for following the moves. 



Thank you for organizing a fabulous weekend- lovely company, great food and a wonderful introduction to women's Qi Gong.



Elayne's Pamper Weekend was relaxing, enjoyable and educational. It was so lovely to be in the company of conscious, fun loving women. I feel like I have a new circle of friends. I had tried learning women's Qi Gong from a book before and it felt very disciplined and difficult to figure out if I was doing the exercises correctly. I find Elayne's teaching style easy to pick up, clear and enjoyable, she adds a delightful joy to learning. I would recommend this retreat to anyone wanting to meet open minded people, refresh and rejuvenate themselves and enjoy good food and good company in a beautiful setting. 



I would thoroughly recommend this amazing woman's pamper weekend.  You will not be disappointed with the richness of the teaching the energy and the knowledge that Elayne shares with kindness, and her joy for life that will touch and inspire you.  I can't wait for the next one! 

Everything was wonderful - communicating with nature, our being,  your essence and all the wonderful energy from other wonderful women.  Running in nature, the bird life,  early morning swims, sauna's and spa's with conversations full of fun and laughter and making new friends xc  Being inspired by JOY!

If you are a woman, dealing with moods are part of your life.   

Our hormonal cycle, health of our organs, stress levels, past experiences and
state of mind all have an impact upon our moods. Being  able to experience the highs and lows of life can be quite a ride. Emotions are  part of being human and make up the tapestry of life.   There are times when it is appropriate to be angry, it moves us towards making positive change in our lives.   Other times its okay to be sad - grief is a natural process of letting go.  But sometimes we get stuck, and this "stuckness" can stay with us for years.  Unresolved issues of the past
takes away our enjoyment of the present moment.   
 
Prolonged moods, such as depression, anxiety, fear or anger can affect the chemistry of our body.  Once our chemistry is out of balance it then feeds into accentuating our moods.  Likewise, if our chemistry is out of balance through poor diet, alcohol and drug use, then our emotions will be affected.

What helps our moods:-

Firstly we need to balance the chemistry in our bodies.   A healthy diet  (avoid alcohol), along with herbs which calm our emotions, tone the organs and balance the hormones.  Very often if we experience prolonged stress our adrenal glands become exhausted.   Licorice tea acts as an adrenal gland tonic (not to be used with high blood pressure).Calm the mind.    This could be through meditating, using visualisations, deep breathing practice, or doing an ascetic activity that requires your concentration i.e. gardening, painting, sewing or dancing.

Deal with the issues.     If you have problems or work, suffer from long term grief or anxiety, feel constant fear - get help.    Sometimes all we need is a trained listening ear to unravel how we feel and some new skills for dealing with feelings when they
arise.

Learn Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).   We are always going to have issues and feelings coming up.  So why not learn a tool which you can use whenever you want to deal with them? This is a marvellous skill which can shift negative feelings very quickly.  
Love yourself.    Often our health and well-being is out of balance just because we beat ourselves up with our words and thoughts!    Imagine if you were an employee doing the best job you could and your employer said you were no good.  How would you feel?    Crushed...Deflated....Discouraged.      Now imagine if that employer said you were "awesome".   Would you feel Excited...Enthusiastic...Keen....Proud?  In chi kung we use a practice called The Inner Smile where we send loving thoughts to our inner self and develop self love.  Its simple and easy to do.

Learn how to breathe.    Put a hand on your chest and one on your tummy and take a breath.   How do you breathe?  In the upper chest or tummy?  Do you breathe shallow or deep?   Rapid shallow upper chest breathing causes anxiety.  Slow deep tummy breathing causes relaxation.  Our breath is related to our nervous system.

Transform your emotions.     There is an ancient practice I use called The Six Healing Sounds.    It uses movement, sound and colour to transform negative emotions into positive ones.  Let us say our body is like a garden in which plants grow.  The
weeds are like negative emotions and the vegetables are like the positive ones (virtues).    Like weeds, negative emotions contain energy and nutrients, and if we compost them in the garden, then the energy and nutrients from the weeds can be used to enable the vegetables to grow.     Likewise when we use the Six Healing Sounds, a composting of emotions happens and good feelings/virtues are able to  develop.

If you want to transform your moods, why not try my Women's Chi Kung class starting this Thursday? 

I want to extend a very big Thank You to all the Women who attended the Women's Chi Kung Introductory night at Fairfield House with my teacher Gabrielle Euteneuer recently.   Many women asked if they could join weekly my class and I am pleased to say that I have now booked a venue large enough to hold a group this size.   

Briefly these classes are designed for Women's Health.   I run them weekly on Thursday nights at the Tahunanui Primary School Assembly Hall, Muritai Street, Tahunanui, Nelson, starting at 6.45 p.m. starting on the 1st August.  The cost is $50 for ten weeks or $7.00 casual.    The first class is FREE! 



 The benefits of these classes are:

• They are relaxing
• Opens your heart
• Make you laugh
• Tones the pelvic floor
• Improves libido
• Gives you inner strength
• Healthy menstrual cycles
• Gives you extra energy
• Improves lymphatic flow in the breast tissue
• Balances the emotions
• Revitalises you

Click here for full details, testimonials and to book on the course