The following tips (in alphabetical order) are some of the things I have tried myself, and found to be beneficial.  Different things work for different people.  If you're in any doubt, check with your doctor or therapist before trying these techniques.  Please take responsibility for your own health.

If you're interested in learning more, I teach a workshop in which some of the following techniques are covered, along with pendulum dowsing and an introduction to EFT.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

A very old pranayama (yoga breathing) technique.  This stimulates and balances left and right brain activity, and masculine and feminine energies.

Sit comfortably, either on a chair with both feet flat on the floor, or sitting cross legged on the floor, and your back as straight as possible while remaining comfortable.  Breathe from the diaphragm (always!).

Close your eyes and relax your body.  Take a few deep breaths.  When you're ready, close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in through your left nostril.  Close the left nostril with your right ring-finger and hold the breath for a few moments.  Release your thumb, then breathe out through your right nostril.  Breathe in again through your right nostril, close and hold, then breathe out through the left.  Continue to repeat this pattern for several rounds, or as long as you like.  It's a very calming practise.

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Body Brushing

This is wonderful for improving circulation.

Before your shower or bath, brush your body all over with a dry body brush.  Always work towards the heart, so from the fingers and toes upwards, and from the head downwards.  This encourages correct blood flow, and toxins to be released.

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Breathing

It may sound silly as breathing is something we all do constantly, but it's very important to breathe properly.  Most people in the West breathe from the upper chest.  Breathing deeply from the diaphragm has wonderful effects on health - body mind and spirit.  It brings in more oxygen to feed the body's cells, flushes out more carbon-dioxide which is a waste-product produced by the cells, calms the mind, aids relaxation, increases life-force energy.  Breath is directly connected to our energy levels.

Breathing from the diaphragm isn't just for singers, or people who practise yoga or meditation or similar, we can all benefit from it.

The diaphragm is a horizontal sheet of muscle that separates the heart and lungs from the other organs in your torso.  It works by pulling down when you breathe in, sucking air into your lungs.  The effect is that it pushes the organs below it down, and that causes your abdomen to expand (good for your digestive system - effectively giving your internal organs a massage with each breath!).  This method of breathing is much more natural and efficient than the shallow upper-chest breathing that most of us are used to.

It can take a while to retrain your body to breathe in this way, but persevere whenever you think of it.  Just notice how you're breathing, and if it's shallow, focus on bringing the diaphragm muscle down on the in-breath, causing your abdomen to expand.

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Chakra Balancing

CaduceusI won't go into chakras in great depth here - there are many websites and books that do if you want to know more.  However, I do suggest you get to know your own chakras, and learn techniques to balance them.  These energy centres are what give us life - without them, we would be a soulless mass of flesh and bone.

There are seven major chakras, and numerous minor ones.  The major ones each affect different aspects of the personality, emotions, organs and more.  If they are functioning properly, our health improves. 

There are many ways to balance your chakras.  These include:

  • Meditations: There are various ways to do this.

    One of the simplest is to focus your mind on each chakra in turn, visualising it spinning fast and glowing brightly.  You can visualise it in the colours mentioned below, or just bright white or gold.

    Another popular one is to imagine a flower on each chakra - see the petals opening to represent the chakra opening, allowing energy to flow freely.  Afterwards, close the petals of the crown chakra to keep the energy in.
  • Colours: Each chakra is represented by a different colour.  Focussing on the colour, wearing it, or surrounding yourself with it, will stimulate the relevant chakra.  Normally the colours correspond to the colours of the rainbow, as follows:

    Red = Root chakra at the base of the spine
    Orange = Sacral chakra in the lower abdomen
    Yellow = Solar Plexus chakra just above the navel
    Green (with a pink centre) = Heart chakra in the centre of your chest
    Blue = Throat chakra
    Indigo = 3rd Eye chakra between your eyebrows
    Violet = Crown chakra on top of your head
  • Crystals: There are various crystals that are traditionally used for chakra balancing.  As a general rule of thumb, the colour of the crystal should correspond to the list of colours above to balance that chakra.  Some of the ways you can use them are to wear the crystal as a pendant, have it on your bedside table, or lie down, placing the crystal on the appropriate part of the body for the chakra you're working on.
  • Sound:  Each chakra resonates to a different note.  Tuning forks are available in sets specifically designed to balance the chakras.  You can also use your voice, Himalayan singing bowls, a piano...  Whatever suits you.

A point to bear in mind - it is best to balance all seven chakras.  You can work on one at a time if you wish, particularly if you have a problem with one of them, but do them all for complete balance and harmony.

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Crystals

CrystalsI used to think crystals were just pretty, but didn't believe in their healing power.  However, since learning Quantum-Touch, I have found that I can feel the energy from crystals, and have used them many times to help myself and clients.

They each have their own individual energies, and are multi-tasking.  Some people programme them, but I prefer to leave them natural.  There are many ways of using them.  For example, you can wear them as a pendant, necklace or bracelet; keep them by your bed, or other place in your room (some are great for reducing the negative energies given off by computers/TVs etc); lie down and place the crystals on the area of your body you wish to work on; use them as a meditation aid - holding or looking at one; use them to balance your chakras.

When choosing crystals, it's best to go for the one(s) that you feel drawn to, whether energetically, or because you like the look of it.  It will be the one that you need at that time.  Look it up - it should make sense!

There are lots of websites and books describing ways of using and caring for your crystals.  I recommend Judy Hall's Crystal Bible which I find to be one of the most comprehensive and easy to read.

Take care when using crystals - some are very powerful and can cause side effects in the same way as other complementary therapies.

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Drink Water

Water TapI know we all hear this regularly now - 2 litres a day isn't it, we're supposed to drink?  Well, I believe the actual amount you need is going to depend on various factors, such as temperature - in a heat wave you're going to need more than in cold weather, or exercise - if you build up a sweat, you will need more than if you spend all day sitting in front of the TV or computer.

However, that doesn't mean that if you're just watching TV in winter, you don't need to drink water!  You do.  We all do.

Water makes up about 70-80% of our bodies - the amount decreases as we get older (in other words, we gradually dehydrate as we age, turning from a fresh juicy grape into a raisin!).  Staying properly hydrated is a great way of staying younger - it keeps muscles, joints and skin more supple, flushes out toxins, renews our blood which cleans our organs and cells of the body, and much more.

Water is also a conductor of energy.  This helps us on different levels.  On a purely physical level, our brain and nervous system work basically through electrical impulses passing along our nerves.  Water is what enables this process to happen.  If you're dehydrated, your brain tends to slow down, you're likely to get headaches, and may feel very tired, you might notice you become more clumsy.  Dehydration also causes digestive problems, such as constipation.  This in turn can cause backache.  Keeping hydrated allows your body to function properly, reducing all those unpleasant symptoms.

On a more etheric or energetic level, our chakras and aura are energy.  Our bodies are made up of vibrating particles of energy.  Water allows these energy particles, the chakras and aura to vibrate at a healthier frequency.

People often ask "does it have to be water?", "isn't tea just as good?", "what about herbal teas?".  Well, those are good for you too, but water is what our bodies are made of, it's the purest drink we can have, and doesn't stimulate our digestive system as other drinks do, so is purely hydrating and cleansing.  What could be better?

All in all, there are many reasons to drink water - it will help your mind, body and spirit.

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Eat Local Honey

HoneyThis is a great tip for hay fever sufferers, particularly if flower pollen is the cause.  Eating local honey is effectively like having a homeopathic treatment for whatever is causing your hay fever.  The pollen that causes the reaction when airborne, will also be in the honey.  Eating it allows your body to build up a tolerance to the pollen, so you don't get such a strong reaction next hay fever season.

I don't mean eating enormous quantities - just eat it as you normally would, perhaps on toast for breakfast, or in your herbal tea instead of sugar.  If you don't normally eat honey, try just having a teaspoonful occasionally when you're in the mood for a sweet treat. 

I used to suffer with hay fever quite badly, with sore itchy eyes, sensitivity to light, runny nose and stuffy, swollen sinuses.  I switched from standard honey that usually comes from other countries, to a local honey, and barely experienced hay fever at all the following year.  Now it's very unusual for me to have any symptoms at all.

Honey is also a great soother for sore-throats, and has many other health benefits.

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Give Yourself a Hug

Get into a comfortable, relaxed state, perhaps using one of the techniques mentioned here.  Then close your eyes and see yourself as a child at a time when you were unhappy, scared, or lonely.  Give the child a hug and tell them everything is going to be OK, they are loved and safe.

This can be quite a powerful thing to do, triggering wonderful release and deep healing to take place.  It's a good idea to have a box of tissues handy, just in case!

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Grounding

Grounding is basically connecting to the ground.  When we are ungrounded, our energy rises, causing us to feel light-headed and unfocussed.  It can also cause us to feel tired, emotional, irritable, forgetful or clumsy.

Grounding is also about being in the moment, being in your body.  We spend so much of our time physically being in one place while our mind is elsewhere, thinking about what happened earlier, what we're planning for later etc.  Having your body and mind working together is a much healthier and more rewarding way of living.

Some ways of grounding yourself are:

  • Tree root meditation - imagining you have tree roots growing out of the soles of your feet, connecting you to the earth.  Stand (or sit) with your feet flat on the floor.  Feel a thick root growing from each heel, deep into the earth, towards the core.  Then feel another thick root growing from the ball of each foot, then a third from the centre of each foot.  All growing deep into the earth.  From each of these three thick tap roots, feel smaller roots growing out horizontally, and more even smaller growing from those, all spreading through the earth, connecting you to the ground and preventing you from floating upwards;
  • Walking outdoors - the fresh air and exercise are grounding, especially if you pay attention to the sensations of the air (is it warm or cold, still or windy?), and the solidity of the ground under your feet (is it concrete, gravel, grass?,,,  What does it feel like?);
  • Make some noise - stamping, clapping, laughing, playing percussion instruments are all effective grounding techniques;
  • Drink cold water, have something to eat - focus on the textures and temperatures - that will help bring your awareness into the body;
  • Look around you, focus on your immediate surroundings, the architecture, furniture, textures, shapes and colours - be in your body, wherever you are;
  • Hug a tree - they're wonderfully grounding (it doesn't have to be a hug, leaning your back against the trunk will work too!)
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Magic Eye Pictures

Remember the fad from the 90s?  Those odd looking pictures that apparently have a hidden picture in them if you squint at them hard enough?  Well, they are still around, and good exercise for your eyes.  If you use a computer a lot, you're staring at the same space, the same distance away for probably hours at a time.  This can cause eye strain, tiredness and headaches.  Looking out of the window, or at any other distant objects helps a lot.  However, using magic eye pictures, or stereograms, actively causes your eyes to re focus, exercising their muscles and keeping them healthier. 

These pictures are available in books, but for computer use, there are many available online for free.  Google Images has a huge selection, and there are millions of websites with them on.  One of the free ones I recommend is www.magiceye.com - they have a new image every week, and you can click on the image to see what it is if you're having trouble making it out.

The technique to see the image has been described in various ways.  For me, it's like the difference between looking through a window to the distance, or looking at the glass.  You just refocus your eyes to look beyond the surface.  Look at your window or net curtain, then look beyond to the scene outside, then back again to the window or net curtain.  It's the same effect.  With practise, you should be able to see the hidden images in the pictures almost as easily.  No squinting required!

For other eye exercises, you may like to look into a technique called the Bates Method.  I've got a book called "Improve your Eyesight" by Jonathan Barnes which I recommend.  It's full of exercises specifically designed to improve your vision and reduce eye strain.  I practised the exercises in it for a few weeks and did feel that there was an improvement (I wear glasses or contact lenses).  However, I haven't kept it up as I got distracted with higher priorities.  As with all types of exercise, if you want lasting benefit, you have to actually do it!

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Massage

Self massage can be wonderfully relaxing and healing.  Massaging your hands, feet or ears is particularly effective as these all contain reflex and pressure points for the whole body.

Be gentle, and pay careful attention to any sore areas.  They probably coincide with areas of the body that are in need of extra healing.

Don't overdo it.  Even if you're working on yourself, you can still trigger a strong healing reaction, and experience side-effects.

There are books and websites that show how to do self massage.  You may also find a class local to you where you can learn it in a supervised setting.

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Meditation

MeditatingThere are many ways of meditating.  It can involve sitting in a lotus position and saying Om if you wish, but most of the time it doesn't!

It can be as simple as spending quiet time outdoors, not thinking about anything in particular, just allowing thoughts and images to pass through you and enjoying the scenery.

Examples of some simple meditation or relaxation techniques are:

  • Sit or lie comfortably and focus on your breath, just noticing the rhythm, not doing anything to change it.  After a while, start breathing deeply from the diaphragm, taking long, slow breaths.  Feel your body relaxing more and more with each breath.  When you feel fully relaxed, go back to breathing normally and just observe the breath.
  • Sit or lie comfortably.  Take a few deep breaths, calming your mind.  When you're ready, focus your mind on your feet, tense the muscles, then allow them to relax fully.  Move up to your ankles and lower leg, again tensing the muscles, then feeling them relax.  Continue working your way up the body, tensing and relaxing each area in turn.  Work from the hands up to the shoulders.  Finish by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your face.  Feel the last of the tension melting away.  Remain in this relaxed state, breathing deeply for as long as you like.
  • Chakra balancing meditations are wonderfully healing.

There are many different types of meditation - experiment and find ones that feel good to you.  There are books, websites, CDs, courses, meditation circles (where you will sit with a group and be guided through a meditation)...

After any meditation, take care when getting up as you may feel a little light headed.  Ensure that you're properly grounded before going back to your normal daily activities.

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Squatting

For anyone who experiences irregular bowel movements, or constipation, squatting is amazingly simple and effective.

I had IBS and constipation for several years.  It was quite normal for me to have only one bowel movement every few days.  I read about squatting in a couple of different sources and decided to try it.  I have heard that you're supposed to squat whilst actually on the toilet - I imagine that's easier said than done!

I often sit on the floor in the evenings while watching TV or reading, and tried squatting for 3-5 minutes then, after my dinner.  After a couple of days, I started having a bowel movement every morning, sometimes more later in the day.  Now that's normal for me, and I feel much healthier as a result.  Squatting has become part of my normal evening routine.

A word of warning though - to begin with, if you stay in the same position for too long, you may get pins & needles in your feet.  It's taken a while for my body to get used to it, but it does become comfortable with practise.

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Trees

ForestTrees are an integral part of our existence.  They absorb our unwanted carbon dioxide and provide oxygen for us.  They feed on waste products, and produce fruit.  They also have wonderful energies which can be enormously beneficial to us.  They can absorb our old energies, rather like fertiliser, and give us positive energy in exchange.  Some feel strong and supportive, others may feel more uplifting, or expanding.  All are grounding.

You don't have to hug the tree to benefit (although you can if you wish, and don't mind being stared at!) - just sitting or standing under a tree for a few minutes can be enough to cause an energy shift.  It can be gentle, or quite profound.  I always find it pleasurable.  I have several local trees that I visit from time to time, each with different qualities to their energies.  I like to lean my back against the trunk, or place the palms of my hands on it.  Find the ones that you enjoy being around.

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Use Words Mindfully

Speak kindly to yourself and others.  Words are powerful and go into our subconscious.  Even if we are joking, part of us believes what's being said.  Use words with care - consider what the words actually mean, and what your intention really is.  Speak from a place of love, and love will come to you.

I recommend reading one of Masaru Emoto's books, The Hidden Messages in Water, or The True Power of Water.  These are largely about the powerful effect that words, music, images and thought have on water.  Bearing in mind our bodies are made up of 70-80% water, his studies demonstrate that words can have a powerful effect on our health and wellbeing.

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