Blog Update

I came away from sharing Ayurveda, in the recent ‘Ayurvedic Head Massage Workshop,’ with an even deeper appreciation of how relevant and simple, and yet profound, this science really is. It was inspiring to hear feedback from the participants, and seeing the energetic change in people, after just one day of being immersed in Ayurveda, touched my heart.

Somehow it feels like the further I delve into Ayurveda, and the more places in my life where I use the principles with myself and my patients, the more I see its simplicity and practical common sense nature, despite its vast complexity. It’s as if, however we are introduced to the principles of Ayurveda; whether it be a workshop like this one, an Ayurvedic training for yoga teachers or a simple consultation, there are easy ways to bring the benefits into our lives with practical steps. These, often quickly, begin to re-balance our mind and bodies, bringing more harmony. It’s also empowering in that it doesn’t matter whether you have a lot of money or not, you can still bring more balance, and relieve symptoms you may have, by introducing lifestyle changes alone.

I love how, from the simple things like which spices to use in our food to the more complex things like which direction to massage a marma point, Ayurveda is like a journey. Wherever we are right now we start on the journey, and as we see and enjoy the benefits, we become further inspired to continue.

I am delighted to be offering some women’s work again.

The Rose Tent is a saturday afternoon event for women only and will be held on 21st June near Mullumbimby,.

The focus of the Rose Tent is to connect with, nourish and celebrate the unique blessing of our feminine nature. We may do a range of things depending on the feeling of the moment and the group of women that gather. We focus more on being in the body than on talking although there will often be an opportunity to share if something needs to be spoken. We may use dance, sound, breath work and gentle touch. Often we will have a short meditation or guided visualisation, maybe some chanting and some paired and group work. You are never required to do something that does not feel right to you.

The four of us that are offering the tent have journeyed together in our own women’s circle for 8 years. We cherish the nourishment and support that we gain from our group and would now like to share some of the fruits of our time together with a wider community of women.

Please click on the flyer to view it in full size and feel free to share the details with other women who may be interested.

I am looking forward to presenting Ayurvedic Womens Health in a unique way at the upcoming Australian Goddess Conference. My workshop Goddess Health Naturally will be based around the 5 elements which form the basic building blocks of who we are. I am planning to give women a more experiential taste of the dosha’s or intelligences which govern us…rather than just the theory.
The conference is to be held on the Gold Coast (southern Queensland), on the 12th and 13th October.
If you want to check it out have a look at their website

I feel quiet passionately about preconception and fertility awareness as it immediately affects not only us but the future generation. As a health professional for over 25 years I have noticed the definite decline in my patients overall health, wellbeing and fertility. Our modern capitalistic society pushes us, and conditions us in ways that I see undermine and ultimately decrease our happiness, our sense of self, and thus our health and fertility.

The more out of balance with ourselves we are the less fertile we become. The push/ conditioning for us as women, to be slim and model-like seeps into many aspects of how we live. By living on low-fat foods we, over time, deplete our bodies from essential lubrication for our joints, our digestive system, and especially we deplete the healthy medium that our nervous system needs to function well. New research (Nature June 2006) shows that fertility is declining generally. It also shows that a combination of stress, a calorie restricted diet, and over exercise actually magnifies the decline. So especially if you, or your partner (both male and female fertility declines - not just the woman’s), are over 30 and trying to conceive then you need to address your lifestyle as well as your foods. And this is even more the case if you are over 40.

Regular exercise to re-oxygenate, strengthen and reinvigorate the body and mind is important, but over straining and over pushing is actually depleting. In a similar way avoiding junk foods like sugar filled, salt filled, de-nourished, over-processed, and/or deep fried fatty foods is obviously a good idea. Having friendly oils (vitamin E especially, but also Omega 3 and 6 rich foods), and whole foods as unprocessed as possible is important for optimal fertility. The ideal is to eat a balanced diet full of vegetables and fruit, and regular easy-to-digest proteins. A favourite protein for enhancing fertility is quinoa (pronounced kee wah), which is an easily absorbed, alkaline grain that is high in protein and also high in vitamin and minerals. Also for nourishing your tissues to the deepest level, Ayurvedic medicine recommends unhomogenised (this is important as its less allergy causing) organic milk. This is best taken warm with a few spices like cardamom and cinnamon to aid digestion. Try it before bed.

Alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine, reduce your fertility (again for both partners) so eliminate or at least limit these as much as possible. Stress is a major cause of reduced fertility too, so reassessing your lifestyle becomes a priority. Take some time out to nourish yourself more.

There are many aphrodisiacs on the market these days, as well as products pushed as “all you need in one pill for health” sort of products. My advice is to see a good naturopath and/or Ayurvedic practitioner and work out together what your deficiencies are and where your lifestyle could be more balanced. Then use the inspiration of a healthy baby to inspire you to take the needed steps.

Common deficiencies which play a role in reduced fertility are as follows;

· Vitamin E
· Essential Fatty Acids
· Calcium
· Magnesium
· Iron
· Zinc
· Protein

For many couples their fertility enhancement needs to begin by cleansing out old toxins first. A program could therefore begin with cleansing and eliminating junk and then move on to more nourishing.
Some wonderful herbs I have used with great success over the years are:

· Triphala - this gently cleanses and heals digestion and absorption.

And for nourishment:

· Shatavari
· Withania
· Chaste Tree
· False unicorn root
· Red Clover
· Nettle
· Raspberry Leaf

These herbs are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals and they also re-balance hormone functioning. Often an organic herb is easier to absorb than a synthetic vitamin pill.

Ayurveda/ Natural Health Care teaches us that our state during conception and pregnancy will influence both the mind and body of our child. Traditionally a woman was cared for and nourished in mind and in spirit, emotionally and physically. Emphasis was given to her emotional happiness and spiritual contentment as this was considered the greatest influence on the developing baby. These days we may not be able to live the ideal but we can make conscious choices and take steps, on all levels, to live a more balanced and harmonious life. Educating yourselves and taking steps towards balance before conceiving will obviously benefit you, your partner, and your family. It will also encourage others to live more balanced lives and will therefore ultimately benefit us all.

I’m excited to be offering the first residential ‘Living Ayurveda’ weekend workshop in early July. Our herb gardens look fantastic at the moment and the house is newly renovated and ready to welcome the group. It feels very special to be coming together with Leanne and presenting Ayurveda in a very practical, accessible and fun way.

I have been teaching Ayurveda recently as part of a Yoga teacher training happening here in Byron Bay and appreciating more and more the relevance of Ayurveda to us here in Australia. I am finding a way to offer the concepts of this rich science in a simple way that we can use in our daily lives. As a busy mum myself I love how practical and user-friendly it is. You don’t need to know the complicated Indian words to apply and benefit from Ayurveda.

The workshop runs from 6th - 8th July. Please see the Workshop Brochure or contact me for more information.

Good health starts with whole, pesticide free, nourishing foods, which are easily digested by our bodies. Paying attention to improving digestion generally, is a step for most of us towards better health. More than 90% of our clients at Mullumbimby Herbals have some degree of lowered absorption and/or digestion. This is the root cause of many diseases.

What to do?
Sipping a little fresh ginger or fennel seed tea before or after meals is a simple home digestive aid. Or try the wonderful herb, Meadowsweet, ten minutes before meals.

It is also our approach and attitude to food which often needs addressing. Sitting and relaxing (centering), having a circle or saying some meaningful blessing on the meal, brings more respect and reverence to the food and actually enhances digestion and absorption. Our food can then nourish us on many levels. This can also be a daily way of bringing the family together. In our rushed modern lives, these little rituals which bring us closer are easily lost, and yet simple daily habits like these can add to the intimacies and rhythms of family life and are therefore, in their own way, prevention against childhood diseases.

Recently at mullumherbals.com we have been creating a special series of articles on childhood diseases. Here I wanted to talk about wholistic attitudes to these common, and in my view, important stepping stones in childrens healthy development.
Generally, allopathic medicine has treated the common childhood diseases as a meaningless invasion of germs requiring elimination at all costs. A more wholistic approach understands that these diseases are necessary for the healthy development of the immune system and act as a stimulus for the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical, growth of the child. As such these diseases become transitional markers in a childs development.

If however your child shows signs of immune weakness, like constant colds, sore throats and tummy upsets, and if she doesnt bounce back to health quickly then it would be wise to focus on your childs immunity and general health - so when the common childhood diseases strike there are resources within the body to make best use of the challenge and return it to good health.

Many parents worry when their child has a fever. Fever is the bodies protective mechanism of burning up and eliminating toxins. These toxins can be a result of unhealthful living or a direct symptom of a virus or bacteria. Always watch fevers, especially in young children, as high fevers can cause damage. Take your child’s temperature and try to keep it below 38.5 C. Use cooling cloths, herbs or homeopathics. If you bring the fever down quickly with a tepid bath ensure that your child does not become chilled.

If your child’s symptoms are severe then always seek professional help.