 Stress appears in all shapes and forms in our lives. But do you know what causes stress? It’s the meaning we give to our situation. "Really" you say, well just stay with me for a minute and I'll explain.... If your car breaks down you could choose to judge the situation as “bad” and choose to feel angry and frustrated. Your agitation puts your adrenal glands in ‘fight or flight’ mode, it pumps out cortisol, your digestive system shuts down, you pace the pavement, and you are hyped up. Alternatively, you could choose to withhold judgement, and choose to stay calm, call the breakdown service and meditate while you wait. Things happen in our lives, sometimes as a response to our own actions, or the actions of others, or things happen just because they do! We cannot control what happens, but we can choose how to respond to it. And how we respond affects the outcome. Here is a simple technique which will help you to reframe stress: Take 5 deep slow breaths, filling up your lungs and your belly like a balloon. This calms the autonomic nervous system.
If you feel stressed and anxious and want to feel better, book a relaxation massage or hypnotherapy session with Elayne. The article above was inspired by this video. Beginner's Massage Classes - Option 1: 1/2 September Option 2: 6/7 October Intermediate Massage Classes - 18/19 August Crystal Healing one day workshop - one day workshop 15/9/18 Restorative Chi Kung Classes for Women - 4 weekly classes starting 4/9/18 6.30 - 8 pm Massage special offer until end of August - $60 for a one hour massage (usually $70). Pick one of these: Back, neck and shoulder massage Aromatherapy relaxation massage Pregnancy massage Gift Vouchers Available Book Now
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Take a look at my courses coming up over the next few months....
 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:
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  Stress and anxiety are not pleasant feelings to experience are they? Most people know that long term, they are not good for our health.
Fortunately most forms of anxiety and stress can be turned around and used to make us stronger. Anxiety is a build up of energy, coming up in response to something going on around us. We might feel we are not coping and this brings up fear, shortness of breath, and other physiological responses. I am always interested in the different ways people deal with anxiety and stress, and recently I watched a video by Kerwin Rae which had an interesting take on it. He says: 1. Breathe deeply and slowly. This calms our nervous system and enables oxygen to get to all our organs. It helps us to get back into a calm and even flow. I have noticed when I give massage how often people breathe in their upper chest with shallow breaths, as soon as they start breathing deeply, right down into their bellies, they start to relax. It helps them get back into their bodies. 2. Kerwin says that we need to neutralise what is causing us to be anxious by asking these questions:
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends. Elayne Note: If you have long term anxiety, it doesn't have to be this way. There is lots of professional help out there and most people start by visiting their GP, a Counsellor or Psychologist.  Greg & Heidi with a Feel Good Story of the Day. "The Rescuing Hug Story."
This is an amazing story of twin baby girls. One baby was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought to put them in the same incubator. The stronger baby wrapped her arm around her sister, and her touch allowed the struggling baby's heart to stabilize and her temperature to return to normal. (Copied from 96.1 WSRS facebook page) I had a friend who had had a fall and hurt her arm. She had a wrist support on and I asked to have a look at it. It was swollen and tender to touch, so I asked her if I could rub some Lavender oil into it. As I was massaging her, I felt her relax and she said “that feels so nice”. Caring touch feels good, doesn't it? Touch is a connection between two people in which • Enables our bodies to relax • Releases happy endorphins into the body • Makes a person feel accepted and cared for. Most of us enjoy touch but busy lives, living alone or lack of disposable income makes touch out of reach.... Here's how you can bring it back in. • Giving a hug to greet a friend • Rubbing a sore neck to release tension • Cuddle your child while reading them a story • Set up a date night with your partner and massage each other • Stroking your cat or a pet • Holding a hand when someone is upset Anyone can touch or massage. We instinctively know how to do it. However some basic training can give you some specific effective techniques and also help you to feel more confident when working with another person’s body. Techniques like: • How to cover and uncover the body • Questions to ask to find out what the recipient really likes (otherwise they won’t let you massage them again) • Knowing what oils or waxes to use • Different types of touch, pressure and massage movements • Having safe boundaries. The best way to begin is with a simple hand or foot massage. It is non-invasive and helps build a trusting relationship between you both. Use a little bit of oil or talcum powder and play with different types of touch. Have fun with it, and share how it feels. Give yourself time to get confident and choose a person who enjoys receiving massage to start with. Then is good for both of you, isn't it? Later, you can build up to an arm or a leg, neck and shoulders or head. If you find massage is what you like to do, you could read books on massage or do a course to get some effective techniques. If you want to learn how to massage why not come on a course? Click here for more information and to enroll.  Exciting times are ahead for me! You may have heard by now that I am going to the UK for a few months with my travel buddy, Annie. We leave Nelson on the 4th September and return to New Zealand on the 31st January 2018.
Over the years Annie and I have completed a number of road trips in New Zealand and the UK. Travel is a fresh source of inspiration for us both, a time of learning, gathering new energies and adventure. I have to say it is quite a passion for us both! On this particular trip we are heading to the States first and exploring Maryland which is near New York for two weeks. Then we fly to Manchester and will be staying with my Uncle in Yorkshire for a while. He also works in Natural Therapies so we have lots in common. Once we have brought a car, we shall be off tripping around the country - just following our intuition, staying with friends/family or in youth hostels. We may also do some house-sitting and work if it appears. We are both quite open to whatever the universe holds for us! If you would like to follow us around I will be writing a travel blog and posting it every 1-2 weeks. Click here to join the mailing list. Thanks to all my superb helpers/movers, I packed up my lovely house in Tasman Street a couple of weeks ago. My furniture is now in storage and I am now house sitting/working at 9 Crown Terrace, Britannia Heights, Nelson. Its a beautiful modern house with stunning views of Nelson - open and spacious. I have a wonderful room to do my massage work in which even has its own private ensuite! Lucky me. I am still giving massages and healing up to the end of August - times are 3.30, 6.15 or 7.30 p.m. Spaces are going fast - there is only one space left next week - but there are plenty more available in the weeks after that. My special offer of $55 for a one hour session will continue through the month of August. So click here to go on line and make your booking, or txt me on 0212211949 (once they are gone, they are gone). I will be sending through a final email before I leave New Zealand to say goodbye and Ill give you some names of other excellent massage therapists too. Elayne  Its natural to eat when we are hungry and stop when we feel satisfied. And its not rocket science to know that if we take in more calories than we need each day, we will gain weight. However, we still go against our body's natural signals in the following ways….
1. Many of us have been trained to eat everything on our plates – even if we are full 2. We eat in a hurry so we can get back to work 3. Our internal thermostat, which lets us know we are full, is overridden and eventually gets de-sensitised 4. We stand at the kitchen sink and eat 5. We multi-task when we eat and when we have distractions (tv, internet) we don't notice what we eat, or how much we are eating 6. We have forgotten what “full” feels like. Being full means “I am satisfied – that’s enough food for now”. Our stomach can tell us when we are full and we can respond to its signals. The way to do this is to remove all distractions, clear the table, sit down, slow down and focus on eating our meal. When we are full there is a gentle, clear, satisfied sensation in the solar plexus area. It tells us to stop eating now! You will notice that once you are full, each subsequent bite is a little less enjoyable than the one before. Pay attention and it becomes obvious. This is why conscious slow eating is so important. Slow down. Your solar plexus area gets more and more uncomfortable once you are full - put your food to one side and wait 15-30 minutes. If still you feel hungry then, eat again. Here’s the food 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 I am going to pass out If we listen, the body can tell us what to eat and how much - its natural after all! By paying attention, we can easily recognise when we are full and stop eating. Elayne teaches Weight Loss classes. Her next course on the 6th May Click here. 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…
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.  Come and join me on my beginner's massage course.
This two day massage course is for complete beginners. Come on your own or bring a friend. You will learn how to massage in easy steps. Course content: * How to set up your massage area * Questions to ask your client before you start the massage * Draping techniques * Basic massage strokes and how to listen to the body * How to massage the back, legs, arms, neck and shoulders Venue: Nelson Date: Weekend course 29/30 April 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: $300 (discounted to $250 if paid 7 days prior to course start date) Bring: Your lunch and comfortable clothes Bookings essential - 6 people per course click here  Its not what we eat… its why we eat.
Did you know that when we have an emotion we don’t want to feel, if we eat food it can make this feeling temporarily go away? Two things happen when we feel lonely, trapped, overwhelmed, ashamed, resentful or bored. 1. We feel these uncomfortable feelings in our solar plexus area which is right beside our stomach. When we overeat the stomach expands and puts pressure on this area – temporarily blocking these feelings. 2. When hoover our food up (eat a lot of food fast) we get a chemical “high” which makes us feel better. Unfortunately this chemical high doesn’t last long so we need to eat more to keep the uncomfortable feeling away. The good news is that there are lots of amazing techniques for uncovering those difficult to be with feelings and changing them into a motivating force in your life. One of those techniques comes from Paul McKenna’s book “I can make you Thin” and it's called The 5 Questions. Im going to quote from his book: "I am sitting in a café and a bus stops outside. The engine keeps running and it’s loud. I feel annoyed. I ask the five questions: 1. What is the trigger? The emotion is a response to the noise. 2. What is the belief or judgement? I believe the noise is unpleasant. 3. What is my need? I have a need for a level of quietness to concentrate on my writing. 4. What is the positive intention behind this emotion? The positive intention of the annoyance is to re-establish the level of quietness I desire. 5. What is the first practical action I can take? I can move to another café – or I could ask the bus driver to turn off his engine." Through the five questions you can unfold what the emotion is trying to tell you and find some solutions that bring you back to a place of equilibrium again. To learn how to work with your feelings so that they don't control your eating - why not come to my Weight Loss Course on the 6th May? Click here. |
AuthorElayne Lane is an instructor of the Universal Healing Tao. She has been teaching and doing bodywork in excess of 14 years. Categories
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Elayne Lane is a qualified Aromatherapist, bodyworker, healer, reiki practitioner and trained teacher. She is training as a hypnotherapist.
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Elayne Lane
17 Fifeshire Crescent Stepneyville Nelson New Zealand Cellphone: 0212211949 Sign up for Elayne's Healing Newsletter or contact Elayne. |