It’s a great time to soothe your nervous system, quiet the mind and go within. I am teaming up with Yoga Align Sussex to host an event at Revitalise in Hove on the 19th of November at 5.30pm. Designed to help you realign. Be guided through relaxing, gentle and grounding yoga poses to the sound of healing full moon flower bowls. When the movement part is finished enjoy the union of mind, body and breath being fully connected and lay back and relax while being fully immersed in the sound of healing vibrations. It will be really soothing to the nervous system. Please buy your ticket on the link below and benefit from the early bird price.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/relaxing-yoga-with-soundbath-tickets-453194706567Blog
Flower Super-moon bowls
I am delighted to provide sound baths with one-of-a-kind Super Flower Blood Moon Tibetan singing bowls, handmade in the Kathmandu Valley by fifth and sixth generation singing bowl artists. These incredible 7 chakra singing bowls harness the energy of the Flower Moon to provide extraordinary, long lasting vibrations while promoting healing and encouraging growth and transformation.
Why are these bowls so special? The story begins in when and how they were created.
The Flower moon carries a very meaningful message and an incredibly special energy, it’s a full moon that offers healing and contemplation representing the new growth that springs forward during that month. Blooming flowers are recognised as a symbol of new life, renewal, and new beginnings. A symbolic reminder to release the past and embrace the present. As each bowl is handcrafted under the Flower Moon’s light, it is imbued with an illuminating energy of transformation.
The bowls were handmade directly under the light of the rare Super Blood-Flower Moon in the month of May when an extraordinary combination of 3 lunar events converged; the Moon in its full phase while in orbit comes closest to earth, making it look larger and brighter. Passing through the earth’s shadow, giving viewers a total eclipse and taking on a red tint known as a Blood Moon. Traditionally May’s full moon is referred to as the Flower Moon due to its Spring Month.
The mantra of compassion in Tibetan script is engraved on each bowl invoking the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. Each bowl was hand selected in Nepal for their amazing quality of sound.
Free Tibet Event
I am so delighted to be hosting a sound bath on the 30th of September, at 8:00 pm at About Balance 20-22 Gloucester Place, Brighton, BN1 4AA to raise money for The Free Tibet charity.
Tibetan Buddhism has gifted us with so much here in the West. The continued oppression of the people of Tibet has recently escalated. An issue that is particularly close to my heart is the children being placed in residential schools. As a result, I am raising money for the cause. I’d love it if you could join me. Link to tickets below.
Sound Therapy
Come and relax deeply, let go of what you don’t need and just ‘be’ in stillness and peace for an hour. I have just taken delivery of some really special bowls to create a wonderfully relaxing, nervous-system soothing and restorative sound bath.
Sound therapy has many deep therapeutic benefits for us both mentally and physically.
Sound waves alter our brainwaves, which allows us to find deep states of relaxation. By relaxing consciously and deliberately over time it can create a lot of wonderful things for us both physiologically and mentally.
Sound therapy helps with anxiety, stress and trauma by getting the body out of ‘fight or flight’ mode, where the body reacts to stress by producing the stress hormone cortisol. It puts us into ‘the rest and digest’ stage, invoking the parasympathetic nervous system. It relaxes our breathing and heart rate and reduces blood pressure. It allows your body to finally be able to fully relax into a state where it can do the work of deep healing.
There is a sound bath coming up on the 30th of September at 8.30 with all proceeds going to charity. I also run private sound therapy sessions too. Please call About Balance in central Brighton to book on: 01273 686882
Free Tibet – How you can help
I’m raising money for the Free Tibet charity because it is a charity that is close to my heart. It campaigns and raises awareness to try to defend and protect the centuries old practice of Tibetan buddhism. Working with its monitoring arm Tibet Watch – the charity keeps an eye on what is happening in the country, pressures governments and publishes research so that the world can know about the human rights abuses and the truth cannot be silenced.
Here in the West, especially in wellness, we have benefited so much from practices like meditation, mantra, mindfulness and yoga. Practices that wouldn’t have been possible without Tibetan buddhism – which is central to Tibetan culture. A culture and faith that is being systematically targeted and destroyed by the Chinese government. With prayer wheels and sacred statues being ripped out of monasteries and monks and nuns arrested. The Chinese government has recently been stepping up its campaign to erase all memory of Tibetan buddhism in an area called Drago County. Learning institutions are being shut down and demolished and children are being separated from their parents and forced into residential schools for forced re-education – and we all know how that went for Indigenous children in Canada and the US.
His holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan buddhism, was exiled in the 1959 to India after fears he would be murdered by the Chinese authorities – who saw the religion as a threat to their control of the country. Now the Chinese government is intensifying the oppression of Tibetan culture and their belief in re-incarnation by trying to appoint a leader of Tibetan buddhism themselves. We cannot stand by and watch this happen.
It is not right that our government and royal family cosies up to the Chinese government and it is vital they are held accountable by us and in particular by those who know the issue best -the Free Tibet charity. But they need backing from us.
It is really striking to me that we are free to practice here in whichever way we want and benefit from its teachings, while our Tibetan brothers and sisters cannot. I regularly sing Tibetan mantras and pray for Tibet, but prayers are only part of it. I am also aware we must take action. There is so much going on in society at the moment, it can be hard to know where to start, but there is also so much we can do to make it better. I believe if we all cultivated a mindset like Tibetan buddhists and reduced ego, fear, mindless consumerism, greed and lack and instead increased feelings of loving kindness towards ourselves and others, that problems like climate change, selfishness and war would cease to exist. The world would be a more loving place and a reflection of our inner peace. This is why I consider it a force for peace that is vital to protect.
How you can help?
About Balance has kindly donated a room to me, so I am holding a charity soundbath on the 30th of September at 8pm there. The address of About Balance is 20-22 Gloucester Place , BN1 4AA. It’s in central Brighton. The bowls have been made by Tibetan artists under a full moon and I will be writing about them soon. Please contact About Balance and book a ticket: 01273 686882, or book through the mindbody app under workshops. All proceeds go to the Free Tibet charity.
I would love to see you there and hopefully you can benefit from the bowls and lay there and relax while doing something amazing for Tibet. If you can’t make this, then you can also donate to the charity directly and if you have no money, then you can be amazing and use your voice instead and please sign their petition here…
https://secure.freetibet.org/stop-chinas-war-buddhism
Wishing you love and happiness. x
What is Ayurveda and what do your massages do?
I often get asked this – so thought I had better explain!
Ayurveda means “the science of life”. It’s an ancient Indian medical system that originated more than 5,000 years ago.. It understands the body and world using five elements, which make up three doshas, or biological forces in the body. These are called vata, pitta and kapha.
Vata is air and ether, pitta is fire and a bit of water. Kapha is earth and water. We are all a unique mix of these energies.
These doshas are poetic metaphors responsible for a number of biological functions and processes in the human body. For instance Pitta is fire and translates as ‘that which transforms’ in Sanskrit. It is responsible for digestion and all metabolic processes in the body.
Dosha translates as ‘fault’ in Sanskrit and keeping the balance of these doshas healthy within our bodies is key to preventing ill health and bringing the body back into a state of harmony and good health.
What is a marma point?
Marma points are energetic pressure points identified by ancient Vedic physicians. There are 107 marma points in the physical body and 1 in the mind. These marma points contain all three doshas and are a powerful method for restoring balance and transforming and improving your biochemistry.
Marma points are anatomical locations in the body where a concentration of life-force energy exists, this life energy or prana leaves the energetic body and enters the physical body at these points. Marma point therapy applies pressure to these areas to help maintain a healthy flow of energy though the body to balance mind, body and spirit.
Why is the treatment so beneficial to human health?
When energy flows freely there is good health, but if energy becomes stagnant and flow is disrupted health is negatively affected. Grief, stress, pollution and poor diet can all disturb the flow of prana through these points and knock us out of balance.
Stimulating marma points releases stagnant energy, stimulates the organs, hormones, releases toxins and depending on how severe the illness, or imbalance is, balances the doshas.
Ayurvedic treatments are designed to cure (where possible) and prevent disease. Many processes linked to ageing like fatigue, stiffness, fragile bones, memory loss and sensitive digestion are regarded in Ayurveda as being caused by the progressive devitalisation of the body as a result of impaired pranic flow.
Marma point therapy is an effective therapy to clear stagnation in vital energy points increasing vitality, while flushing toxins from the physical body. Its ability to facilitate physical, mental, emotional and spiritual healing is immense. Flushing energy within the marma points is said to activate the body’s inner pharmacy, changing its biochemistry, causing transformative, healing, alchemical shifts to unfold.
Regular ayurvedic massages are recommended in cases where there has been a more complex, or long-standing imbalance.
You can reach me on: 07974309972, or info@balanceandbloom.co.uk with any questions.
I have an ayurvedic clinic on Sundays at About Balance , 20-22 Gloucester Place in Brighton, BN1 4AA from 2-4pm. Please visit their website www.aboutbalancebrighton.com, or call 01273 686882 to book.
Om Namo Narayanaya, Emma x
Soundbath, mantra and breathwork
Come and join a lovely meditation, breathwork and mantra event in St Ann’s Wells Gardens in Hove at 11am on Saturday the 30th of July. I’ll be creating good vibrations with Tibetan bowls and singing mantras. Bring a yoga mat to lay down on. Book your spot here.
You Are Enough
I wanted to share some uplifting words of wisdom and love with you today from spiritual counsellor and Tai Chi expert Graeme Waterfield.
He had the seemingly perfect life in his early twenties, a nice car, a well-paid job, a relationship and a house. But he says…..
“I felt deeply depressed and was feeling an emptiness to it all. Going to a yoga class to help my bad back, receiving reiki from a family member who was a healer and visiting India was the catalyst for the beginning of my journey, blasting open the doors of a nearly 30 year spiritual odyssey.”
I found his teaching below beautiful and profound – so I thought that I would share it with you…..
Be The Light Today.
So here we are, another day given to us on this beautiful planet.
Another day to celebrate our own divinity, to remember who we are, to recognise our own light.
Your light isn’t limited to your social or relationship status, or your income bracket, however as it starts to shine it also shines its beauty into those areas too, exposing and healing our self-imposed limitations.
To experience a life of light and beauty, become a person of light and beauty.
We are that which we are seeking, here on a mission to slowly undo the lie, the illusion (Maya) that we have been programmed to believe by a mainly unconscious society.
One that says; you are not good enough, holy enough, adored enough to be worthy of magnificence.
But magnificence gets drawn to those who accept and know that they are already divine, already a perfect creation, already loved completely and unconditionally, to those who choose just for today to be filled with beauty, light and open to all possibility.
You are God as you are, but many of us stay asleep to this simple realisation, as our conditioned mindset and the mind of others insists on fearfully keeping us small and extinguishing our light.”
….So keep burning bright and remember how awesome you are! x
SOS – Save our shops! (small shops)
Our beloved Brighton is famous for its independent shops. It is what differentiates it from being like any other city in the UK – which are becoming full of industrial shopping retail outlets and global chains. There has never been a better time to support sustainable and small local businesses. It is better for democracy. It is better for the environment. Independent shops and buying local creates a sustainable, local economy that is better for the planet.
But this is under threat in Seven Dials from a large supermarket chain who wants to extend into shops nearby and has bought their leases and told them to leave. It not only creates the loss of two historic shops, but it also destroys the dreams of the shop owners who have built their businesses up from scratch.
The lady who owns The Latina Cafe Deli on Dyke Road is so, so lovely and hearing about this makes me feel really upset for her. She makes the food there with so much love and as a result it is delicious. The owners next door seem like really lovely people too.
But we can act. We must stop this and do something to help them. As we emerge from the pandemic it is clear we need to give each other a helping hand to move on and forwards with our lives. Taking care of each other and the environment is key.
Here’s what you can do:
Be in the know with what’s happening. Read this quick article:
Tell the Co-op what you think by voting with your feet and also comment on the planning application here:
https://planningapps.brighton-hove.gov.uk/online-applications/
The Application no is BH2021/03856 – which must be quoted in any correspondence. There’s a tab called “Make A Comment” – so log in and make a comment.
Make your voice heard. Write to the council planning department. Write to your MP.
Sign the petition:
Please take action to stand up for your local community. Visitors are also an important part of the fabric and economy of the city so we would really, really appreciate your help/ideas too. Thanks for listening!
Do we sometimes just need to tell more people to F off ?!?!
Caveat! – I am pretty sure none of the great spiritual sages have ever said anything like that, but I came across something on the Internet the other day. It really resonated…
So I wanted to share it for anyone reading this who wants to become healthier or make a positive change in their lives to help themselves, or the planet.
I saw a post by a lovely lady on Instagram the other day called Beth, who runs a plastic-free shop.
She started it as a concerned citizen, worried about the impact of all the tiny bits of broken-down plastic in our oceans and in the food chain. She tries to live her life without single-use plastic. Admirable right! She explained something I’ve experienced many times on my own quest to be healthier – being derided and challenged for your efforts to do something positive.
She regularly gets asked things like “Is the dashboard of your van plastic-free!?!?” I can imagine the smug glint in the person’s eyes while asking it. But apart from the fact that the plastic dashboard isn’t single-use plastic and will be reused many times – they are also completely missing the most important point! The point being that….. It is better to do as much as you possibly can, even if that is imperfectly, as opposed to doing nothing at all!
It’s might sound surprising, but all too often, when you try and do something healthy- instead of getting the loving support you expect – the truth is other people can hate it! This is because it can challenge their way of living – it’s as though you are an inadvertent mirror, unknowingly reflecting back to them the ways they are unhealthy, or damaging the planet that they might not want to reflect on.
This can feel uncomfortable – so sometimes people start to project that you are judging them ( really they are the only ones judging themselves!) Instead of celebrating your success in it, they start questioning you and looking for ways that you aren’t doing it 100% perfectly – which is of course is much easier to focus on than having to do anything themselves.
It’s a common human tendency to start trying to analyse an issue in someone else-instead of looking at the real place – within. I had this when I stopped smoking and decided to take up an Ayurvedic lifestyle many years ago. I just wanted to change old habits that were no longer serving me and be more healthy, but I was surprised at the backlash I got. One former friend told me “you were more fun when you used to come out and drink.” or “stop being an Ayurveda bore!” It felt annoying as I never judge others for the way they live.
As Beth so wonderfully sums it up, ‘when you tell someone something about your life that’s positive ( going veggie, vegan, plastic free e.t.c) a lot of the time it makes them instantly look inwards at themselves and feel the need to justify or catch you out to make you not think badly of them; when the reality is we are not [judging] at all.”
The Lesson?
…So what’s the answer when trying to do something good, but frankly getting beef for it – Do we need to just tell more people to eff off?!?!… well if they are actively negatively affecting our wellbeing – then yes…
But I find that most of the time people don’t do this from a place of malice, but rather because they aren’t aware. They are learning too. And they might just need reminding to be respectful of your choices, even though they are different to theirs. I found there is a lesson in the annoyance it created for me…. Boundaries!!!!!!! Or put simply the acceptance of another spirit as is and the ability to carry on with what you are doing regardless. Now I have come to look at this situation with love – and that is really thanks to them. So the learning opportunity interactions like these bring works both ways….
It all boils down to accepting someone wherever they are on their ladder of consciousness. It’s not wrong. It’s just different, it’s basically just the stage where they, or you are at in your particular learning journey at that moment. Remember everyone in life is just doing the best they can with the info that they have at that particular moment.
I’m putting my hands up here! I have said and done all of the above things before- I’m 100 % sure and that’s the beauty of this experience. The chance to grow.
Now when these comments happen I just send a little bit of love and reiki their way. I’ve found that people that make fun of you to begin with, then usually start making positive changes themselves a little later down the road. It’s always a win-win for both in the end. So don’t be put off by any snarky comments. Keep on with whatever it is that is inspiring you and making you feel good. Just hold your course and keep your centre. Carry on ‘doing you’ while minding your own business. You might be inspiring more people than you know- without even realising it.