Thoughts on the world, homeopathy, mindfulness and food...
A collection of blog posts - feel free to respond with your thoughts and comments - I love to have feedback - thank you!
September kick starts our 30 day juicing challenge. To add in one juice a day (or more if you like) for a day for a month. It really is that easy.
And if you haven't got a juicer (ask around - lots of people have one then store it in the back of a cupboard somewhere, check out second hand pages - or maybe treat yourself) you could always try out green smoothies for a month. I've some recipes on my site (Nutrition/Recipes/Juices) and there's loads about now online and in books but what I love people to do is gain their confidence in making their own. Start simple - 2 or 3 ingredients and maybe add in a few once you've worked out what you like. We're all different too - what I like may not be what you like. I stopped at a street juicer the other day and asked for my favourite juice (of the moment, at that time... I'm now craving green juices!) - carrot, beetroot and orange. He suggested swapping the carrot for apple as thought it'd be too sharp. Both done loads of juicing, both like different things. Obviously. So don't take my word for any of it, play, adapt and discover for yourself. And come join us in September for a juicy month :) Join the facebook page if you want to take part here. Love and sunshine, Em x
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It fascinates me, doing the work that I do and my involvement on social media, just how much vitriol, negativity and, well, rudeness there is around something I love. And love it I do. I would consider myself to be reasonably well educated, not gullible, not brainwashed, and above all, relatively discerning of the truth in front of me. I'll hold my hand up high and say I don't always get there first time. I still need to audit my practice (everytime I see Miranda Castro's books on my shelf or see her mentioned I think of it) but at a guess I'd say somewhere around 65-70% of people have made a significant improvement of their main complaint by their second follow up. In fact, I consider in order to do my job well I need to be able to judge if a remedy has worked or not. I'm disinterested in someone skipping in to please me - it doesn't. Lay it on, tell me what's better, worse and not changed. It's the only way I can help you to move forwards. So I see and judge the evidence all the time. Yet there is more, far bigger evidence than just little old me in my practice room, seeing clients. And, it may surprise you, there is a reasonable amount of it. Whether that be homeopathy used in depression, as a support for patients going through conventional cancer treatment or large scale epidemic studies in Cuba, 6 year hospital studies involving 6,500 people, there is evidence. Homeopathy can be hard, it can be a journey and it's definitely a challenge at times. But without evidence? Nope that claim just doesn't add up. It seems impossible, implausible and well, just downright not understandable at times. From my simple scientific background (a BSc(Hons) in Psychology and Neuroscience which I loved undertaking) it looked somewhat baffling to me too. And yet, prior to my studying homeopathy, I'd seen it work. On animals, on people. Time and time and time again. What surprises me about myself, even now, is my wonder when it does. My joy when things happen - even though I know they are possible. I try to go into cases with no expectation, only that I will do my best. I don't know the conclusion, I don't know their path, or mine even, onwards from that very moment. To be a part of that journey is an incredible gift. To see homeopathy in action truly is a beautiful thing. To see someone who's suffered for years sit in front of you and tell you they no longer even think about that ailment is incredible. To see someone with no energy, slumped in a chair and 5 weeks later see them radiating wellness, vitality and laughter is a gift indeed. To see a baby having not slept for 10 months start sleeping much longer stretches, become calmer and happier, well, it keeps you believing in the wonder, the gift that is homeopathy. With love, Em x It appeared in my hands following a funny old month with dietary differences rearing their heads again. And that age old question - which is healthier - to be aware of what you're eating, avoid certain foodstuffs that don't fit into that remit; or just eat everything that's put in front of you without question? Sausage rolls and diet coke or green juices and B12 supplements. I mock myself a little there so do take a little pinch of salt please (Himalayan if you wouldn't mind)... My friend has talked to me a while about Isabel Losada and I had the pleasure to be passing on her book Battersea Park Road to Paradise to another friend. Friend number 2 being on holiday it seemed the perfect time to enjoy it myself first! And so I did. A beautifully written book, detailing Isabel's experiences as she got herself out of a hole (her words not my interpretation). Wonderfully funny, brilliantly insightful and descriptively alive, I'd recommend it to anyone. I was intrigued to read Anthony Robbins' (If you've not met him through books, CDs or in person I recommend him too - many brilliant tips and thoughts on life, living, love and living life with love - and more) take on food. For those of you who don't at least know of him, he's one of the most high energy speakers I'm aware of. If you were looking through a catalogue for increased energy and his dynamic force was an option it'd be silly not to look twice. So... To his thoughts: No meat. If you must eat fish check the pollution level and eat smaller fish due to the mercury levels in larger fish such as tuna. (Since the book was written and author attended the seminar the radiation levels in the oceans have increased and personally I'd be leaving all fish. Up to you - at least with awareness you can make an educated choice.) No milk or milk products. No 'whites' - white rice, pizza, sugar, potatoes. No vinegar (his rationale being the acetic acid affects the liver similarly to alcohol). No sugar and no coffee. No drugs. What DOES he recommend? Drinking water, wheatgrass juice and an alkaline diet. Eating loads of greens, taking digestive enzymes, acidophilus and a good multivitamin. A dietary cleanse (often called a 'detox') at least twice a year. And exercise - do exercise that's enjoyable to you, doesn't cause you pain and gets you out there. As Isabel points out about not exercising 'decreased energy levels, insomnia and a diminished sex drive - well, those three things should be enough to get anyone out of the door really.' So, having followed Tony Robbins' wisdom for a while on other areas, I'm back on board. Studying with some wonderful people and nightly hot tubs, a fabulous festival and fun times with friends has meant a little lapse on alcohol for me - back off that for a while now. Once I return from holiday I'm going to get started on the wheatgrass juice for a week or two. And I'm also running a 30 day Juicing Challenge. More about that later. You're welcome to join in if you like. So where's that filtered water and lemon... And my trainers. With love, light and passion for life, Em xx I've just finished a brilliant book and am reclining in the candlelight feeling so incredibly blessed to have people on my journey with me. Beautiful, like minded souls ready to direct, point me on a path, share - and just be. The last few nights I've been indulgently lazy. By my standards anyway. I've put Isla to bed, had a bath, got into bed, lit candles, read and slept. It's been refreshing, recharging and I want more. More simplicity, more of less. More ease. Friends invited for dinner on the spur of the moment yesterday. Cooking together, eating together. Tidying, sorting. Together. With ease. It took me back to WOMAD where one lunch there were five girls doing the work. Well, I say girls, we ranged in age from 18 to 40s. Girls works for me. We prepared food together, ate and washed up and the 6 children played happily. Collectively. Co-operativly. So here's to less. Less TV, gadgets, high pressure stuff, stress and worry. And more love, laughter, hugs, connections, cooperation - and candles. And picnics. Especially for breakfast. With love and gratitude for being a part of my journey. In whatever way you are xx It's funny how it starts so young. You hear 'They're winding me up'; 'they made me do it' and lots more. What I find even funnier though is how it carries on for so long. 'You're making me feel (insert word of choice)' isn't an uncommon phrase to hear. And yet how can 'they', 'it', 'he', 'she' or 'them' really, really honest make us feel any which way? The situation may more often lend itself to a certain way of behaving but we do have the ability to choose our response within that.
Nelson Mandela famously demonstrated this and is summed up in the simple quote “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” I believe we can choose prison or freedom daily. And it makes a big difference to the joy I feel. Or don't. My choice. Listening to Byron Katie talking in London helped to affirm this for me. She responded to one question with the example that even whilst falling, we could enjoy the momentary flight through the air, we don't know if it's going to hurt or not until we find out. So why anticipate it, tense against it and lose the ability to enjoy the moment? Why decide something is good or bad if we don't really, can't really know? Maybe it's a very human trait, to pre-judge. I think on some levels it's vital for survival, and yet often it no longer serves us in many ways. So my challenge this week is not to pre-judge. To give myself up to not knowing until I know. To discovering. To turning to face situations with love and wonder. I wish you a very happy week of discoveries and love, em x |
AuthorI'm a Homeopath working in the Skipton (North Yorkshire) area. I am also able to offer food intolerance testing using Kinesiology and advice around diet and lifestyle. |
07734 861297
[email protected] Em Colley Homeopath Practitioner of Classical Homeopathy BSc(Hons) Psychology and Neuroscience Laughter Yoga Leader Focussed Mindfulness Practitioner |