Acceptance and Focus

It was one of those days where I couldn’t seem to get going with my work but I knew coffee & cake on the sunny patio would help! I was reading ‘The Fulcrum’, the professional magazine for craniosacral therapists, and there was an article about future government regulation & how it might affect our work. The author was unhappy about attempts to bring holistic therapies in line with NHS standards, when the practise and philosophy is so different. A view I had shared for a long time.

When I’d finished the article, I realised how much my view had changed. I suddenly saw how positive the steps are in setting National Occupational Standards for complementary therapies. Inspired, I went to my office and got stuck in again, to the application to have my own training course recognised. A stressed out week later, I sent the forms and cheque off and…………….

ACCEPTANCE! After years of wrangling with this issue, the Pathway Balancing Professional Diploma has been accepted as an Associate Training with the Institute of Complementary & Natural Medicines. Now I need to FOCUS on the work needed to upgrade it next year to an Affiliated Training.

The next Foundation Course starts on Sunday 7th March 2010 and is open for bookings now – a £60 (non-refundable) deposit will secure your place. http://www.pathwaybalancing.co.uk/html/training.htm

Look forward to seeing you! Corrina.

But when IS it enough?

In conversation over lunch, one friend was concerned about his wife’s declining health as she worked increasingly long hours in her new business. He said that she needs to do enough to get the business to be secure and stable. “The trouble is, when do you know you’ve done enough?” he said. “Her pattern is to do all that she possibly can, but there is always more that she COULD do. She ends up running herself into exhaustion and collapses or gets ill”.

Myself and another self-employed friend nodded in knowing agreement, recognising the same pattern in ourselves. I decided to slow down over August, as it was quiet anyway, and really relax to build up my own energy and health. Fine – until yesterday. OK, so now it’s September, how do I grow my business to be stable and secure, without burning myself out in either panic or blissed out enthusiasm?

The answer came to me yesterday – love. I caught a programme on TV about ‘Love – the way the wealth’. I followed it up by watching my recording of ‘Success Power’ by Sam Adeyeme, then listened to my hypnotherapy CD by Paul McKenna ‘I can make you rich’. I took my Nature’s Sunshine NutriCalm and some Valerian and actually slept well last night.

Do everything from a motive of love. I love my work, my home, my friends and the people I work with. But what about receiving love? Ah, yes, well….

This is where it has to start -with you, with me. If we can accept love, initially from ourselves, we won’t drive ourself into exhaustion. Love is caring, so it’s OK to rest, reach out for help, feel vulnerable sometimes, take action to be financially safer or more prosperous.

Love trusts in a higher power that has proven to be nurturing and protective in the past. As a child, this would be our parents. Today it might be God or nature. Moving away from any sense of lack that was endured in the past can only succeed by moving closer to loving provision in the present. ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ starts with yourself and only accepting loving, caring environments, activities and relationships. Love yourself enough and lets see what happens.

In love & hope, Corrina.

The ‘Marie Celeste’ Way of Thinking

Today’s title is inspired by Andrew Parrs’ excellent CD series ‘True Success’. http://www.truesuccess.co.uk If you saw a ship with it’s sails torn & rudder jammed, going round in circles, you may wonder what the crew are doing. Imagine they spring into life, with the captain writing even more in his Captains’ Log & the crew scrubbing the decks & polishing the ships bell even more vigorously. But why aren’t they repairing the sails or fixing the rudder?

To help people get their life on course again, I need to address this issue with them. The biggest obstacle to moving on successfully is often emotional discomfort.

In last Sundays Pathway Balancing training, we explored the issue of slowing down to avoid burn-out. Fear often drives us on relentlessly. By slowing down we are less likely to miss something relevant, we can think more clearly and we can build up the energy needed to deal with daily life productively. With more focused energy, we can deal with the highest priority as it presents itself. Both kinesiology and craniosacral therapy support the change to a healthier rhythm for living.

http://www.pathwaybalancing.co.uk/html/craniosacral.htm

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Cut the cords of the wicked

The title of todays post comes from Psalm 129 and is a good description of the healing technque that I taught to the advanced students last month. We all form invisible, but real, bonds with the people we relate to through out life. Some of these bonds are no longer healthy for us and can even hold us back from achieving our hearts desire. In Pathway Balancing, these old bonds, or cords, are cleared away so that we are free to sense and form much healthier and more appropriate relationships – a natural progression in the healing and personal development journey. Soon after these subtle energy cords are removed, the tangible manifestation can begin – perhaps with more stuff in boxes being thrown out. Then the new, more beautiful, symbols of a life renewed can appear - like my new ‘freedom ring’! Freedom from the past allows the joy of being a fully empowered adult to come through – and you know the journey has all been worth it after all. Corrina.

Making Space for Change

Having strengthened my support networks in March and April, it became apparent that I needed to detoxify and declutter, both my body & my home.

I began using nutritional supplements to clean up my circulation, as well as switching to a more alkaline-forming diet. I then decided to clear out old stuff from my home. I looked at things that reminded me of negative times or people and started to pack them up and take things to the local charity shop. The emotional impact was huge! It was much tougher and more exhausting than I could have imagined!

Now I have more space than I know what to do with! I feel clean, refreshed, relaxed and excited at the new possibilites ahead of me. I wonder what good things will come into my life, now that I have the space, time and energy to meet and nurture those things.     Corrina.

Networking

After five months absence from my blog, it’s a relief to be back! I left my ‘day job’ as a part-time admin clerk on Wednesday 18th March and am now full time in my own business. I’ve had a lovely morning meeting three other self-employed women for coffee and came away sharply aware of my need for contact with people. The buzz word for this is networking and seems to be the way forward in life and business today. My clients and students come via direct contact, client referrals or the internet – all forms of networking. So does this work for you too? I would be interested to learn about other peoples experiences of networking, whether for business or pleasure.

First TFH Assessment Day

We had our first Touch For Health Assessment Day at Pathway Balancing on Sunday 19th October 2008. All four students passed their written and practical examinations and have signed up for the Advanced Training Course starting on Sunday 26th November 2008. We had five visitors on the day, plus the assessor. Four of our guests were given a free Touch For Health balance as part of the student’s exams. Although I was a nervous wreck for alot of the time, I really enjoyed the day. There was a great atmosphere! Our next TFH Assessment  Day is planned for Sunday 4th October 2009.

Connections and Disconnections

In August, I mailed out my bi-annual newsletter to my current client base. It included an article about the importance of developing supportive relationships – both having and giving support.

One of my favourite TV programmes at the moment is ‘The Secret Millionaire’ on Channel 4. Recently one of the under-cover millionaires volunteered to work with homeless people in London. He wanted to know what had happened to them to make them homeless. He discovered that their experiences weren’t that different from anyone elses – getting divorced, losing a job, having an arguement with their parents, getting into debt etc. The millionaire concluded that the only difference between those that became homeless and those that came through more successfully, was having a support network of familly, friends or organisation, such as a church. A powerfull testimony to the importance of creating and maintaining connections with other people, in mutually caring relationships.

The other side of this coin is the matter of ending or minimising contact with people who are not caring or supportive. The subject of letting go is often a popular one in therapeutic or spiritual circles. Christians advise “let go and let God”. Buddhists advise letting go of the illusion of the material world. Letting go can be very tough, especially if you don’t have much to hold onto in the first place.

One of my clients was reflecting on the people she knew who would not do anything to help themselves to have a better life. They seemed to plod along in a mediocre life, fearfull and mistrustful of anything new, hard for them to understand or costing them money. As a therapist I find this paticularly sad, knowing there are so many opportunities for help in our world today. One of the hardest things to do is to stand back and let someone be as they are, when you see them going down into deeper debt, ill health or damaging relationships.

Connections and disconnections are an essential part of growth and development. I believe we are destined to move from our familly of origin into our spiritual familly, as we mature into the fullness of who we were created to be. At this gibbous moon phase, it is the time of overcoming the shadow of that which prevents us coming to fullness of potential. Letting go of relationships that are perhaps disrespectful, manipulative, bullying, draining or belittleing, can be much easier if you have new ones that are respectful, open, valueing, empowering and appreciative. Seek out genuine good friends, a warm hearted therapist, a spirit filled church or an encourageing group with a similar interest. Sometimes we need to overcome the shadow of past relationships, in the light of newer and healthier ones.

Corrina

Regular self nurturing

The theme that emerged at Pathway Balancing this month was the need for regular self care and nurturing. One of the kinesiology students practised Touch For Health on her friend, every day for three days. The transformation of her friend was stunning! I’d forgotten how amazing this therapy can be. 

Transformation is the theme of the Channel 4 program ‘10 Years Younger’. A team of professionals give someone a drastic make-over in order to reduce their appearance by at least 10 years. To me it’s not so much the age of the person that’s relevant as their state of neglect! Some women look 70+ while still only in their 40’s. Many are smokers who never exercise or watch their diet. Most don’t use suncreams, moisturisers or have a professional haircut. Holistic health isn’t even mentioned.

The effects of a few months of pampering and professional care and advice, show just what can be achieved if we look after ourselves. The program always reassures me it’s worth our time, money and effort to take care of our health and appearance throughout life.

Seeing these programmes, and watching the effects of energy balancing on clients and students, has inspired me to increase the amount of treatments I have for myself. I wondered initially if I was spending too much money on therapy, but then I saw a new client who had suffered drastic health problems as a result of stress and self-neglect. It reminded me that in some cases, the results of poor health choices can be irreversible. For me, I cannot afford to neglect regular self nurturing. Good professional care and advice, plus the best quality products, are now a high priority.

Corrina