Living Mindfully

Living mindfully is the act of mentally slowing down and truly being in the moment here and now.

How often do you run around multitasking and constantly thinking about the next job you need to do? Instead of slowing down and just being fully aware of what you are doing at any moment in time. 

Being mindful is something you can do all the time, even when you are doing the washing up, just like meditation! 

Instead of daydreaming or planning your other chores, just be there in the moment being mindful of the task in all its glory, such as the feel and temperature of the water, how your hands move as you glide through each dish and plate, and the pressure that is applied to each item, and how your muscles need to move to perform the task, mentally shut out everything other than your present actions.  Pay full attention to your body and mind as you complete your task.

We lose the power of joy and appreciation when we drift off from living in the moment, always living in the past or the future and denying the present moment is a habit that many of us have taken to doing, but living this way means we miss out on so much peace and the connection to our higher selves. 

Mindfulness can be an excellent way to reduce stress and the pressures of 21^st century living, it can help with our overall health and increase our spiritual vibration.  Just being aware of the potential of each and every moment has to offer us can change your life for the better, especially if you are trying to manifest a better life for yourself, as the law of attraction is always at work!

If you suffer from stress, depression or anxiety, living mindfully can also be a wonderful aid in acknowledging our mind and bodies urges and stressors, making it easier to live through difficult moments in our lives, keeping us calmer and seeing the stressor for what it is in the moment, then letting it go and moving on.  If you are concerned about your spiritual health and you struggle with meditation, try living your life mindfully and pretty soon you will notice and inner calm that can be tapped into whenever you feel the need.

If you find yourself feeling out of control or stressed, just return to the present moment being mindful of what you are doing, how you are feeling and be aware of all of your senses in that moment.  You can be mindful when doing anything, such as walking, driving, eating, cooking, ironing, working, shopping etc.  The human being is a complex organism with many systems working constantly to keep us moving and doing, just think what our mind and body has to do just to walk down the street, the way your muscles move and how your body automatically balances itself with every step.  Living mindfully means that you are aware of these things in the present moment, being in tune and at peace with our mind and body with in turn raise our spiritual connection to ourselves, lowering stress and bringing us closer to our own personal joy.

Adventures in Manifesting Now available!

Fantastic news! Adventures in Manifesting is here!  Health and Happiness & Success and Spirituality are now available for purchase!  These amazing books are now available to buy from Amazon (also available on kindle, and in the itunes iBookstore)  

With more and more people opening up their own awareness of the art of manifestation and the true nature of reality, these books offer a wonderful and inspiring collection of experiences and stories of how others around the world are truly creating the lives they desire using knowledge of the metaphysical universe.  Including many best selling authors such as Dr. Fred Alan Wolf and Dr. Joe Vitale (from 'The Secret'), as well as many other inspiring authors from around the globe and from all walks of life.   Both books offer amazing insights into their individual manifestation journeys enabling you to gain a new perspective into what we as human beings are truly capable of when we are provided with real life examples and inspiring guidance from others. 

Click on the links below or visit the Store & Downloads page of this website to purchase.

Books

For Kindle Versions US & worldwide - click below



If purchasing from the UK (please use links below for kindle versions - £8.02 each)

A free gift will soon be available to those who contact me with a personal book review for 'Adventures in Manifesting'

If you have any problems getting your copies, please email me at wendylouise7@sky.com and I will look into your query personally.

Why should we meditate?

Meditation is a wonderful and truly holistic way of ensuring good health and allows us to expand our awareness and consciousness.  It is a great way to quiet the mind, return to our true nature and take in positive affirmations; reducing stress, negativity and anxiety.  Daily meditation can help improve sleep, reduce blood pressure, ease anxiety and reduce the effect and amount of stress hormones released.
It has been said for centuries that meditation aids in the healing of disease and improves health and well-being, and studies are continually providing more and more evidence proving that meditation does in fact improve physical and mental health, sharpening mental focus, enabling individuals to gain greater awareness and power over their mind, their bodies, their environment, their intuition and emotions.


The body responds to both stress and relaxation in different ways, more specifically through three different systems.  The nervous system, the endocrine system, and  the skeletal (and smooth musculature) system.   


Therefore - 
All areas of the body, mind and spirit are affected by relaxation, so when we meditate we are giving the whole being, the optimum conditions for balance, healing and repair to occur, thus improving holistic balance and wellness.  


Among many methods of meditation, awareness of breathing (Anapana) is the most popular technique. Other meditation methods will also effect breathing at some stage and a slow, shallow breath can change the autonomic system, the endocrine and the musculature systems.
Studies have provided much evidence to support that meditation not only reduces stress, depression and anxiety, but also has definite positive effects on hypertension and heart disease, and that beta endorphin's and other neuropeptides are increased by the technique.  
By opening up to different levels of consciousness and self awareness, we can improve the 'whole' body' s natural healing and regenerating abilities.  Practiced daily it can result a great improvement in your overall health and well being. 
From personal experience, I can truly say that the use of meditation has improved my life on all levels.


It's easy to get confused by all the various methods of meditation, so which to use and where to start?
Firstly try and remember that meditation is a truly individual experience, which improves with practice.

• Start with first choosing a quiet and comfortable place to relax and meditate where you won't be disturbed.  You could set up a comfortable area of your home to act as a regular meditation area, use favourite items and furnishings that put you at ease, or you could simply use an armchair or your bed sitting propped up with pillows, or beneath a tree in the garden. (candles, oils and incense are optional) Lying down on your bed would be best avoided to begin with as you will most probably end up falling asleep.
• Turn off or unplug your phone.
• It can be useful to have a clock to keep track of your sessions (if you so wish) Once you're comfortable with the process you may wish to avoid the issue of time and simply meditate for as long as you feel you need. The choice is yours.  It's a good idea to start with perhaps 10 minutes once or twice a day and build up gradually to about 30 minutes or an hour a day.
• The idea of meditation is to quiet the mind, by tuning out all the unnecessary mind chatter. (not to completely empty the mind - this would be impossible) By being quietly focused, we allow our consciousness to increase and be receptive to aspects of our being which we usually block out with our mind chatter. 
• Close your eyes and begin by taking 3 long deep breaths, in through the nose (as long and deep as you can), then slowly out through the mouth) and continue breathing normally.
• Focus your attention on your breathing for a few moments as you inhale and exhale, feel the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen.
• It often helps to use visualisation - focus on a mental image of a beautiful object such as a leaf, a cloud or flower; and if you feel your attention begin slipping towards random thoughts, just re focus and return your attention to the desired object.  
• Another simple technique is to say affirmations while meditating (positive phrases of your choice) for example ' I am ready and open to receive guidance from my intuition'  or 'I am so happy and grateful to be having this physical and conscious experience'.  The choice of words is yours, as long as you remember to keep you statements or requests in the positive tense.  
• Once you have achieved this state for your desired amount of time, take a few deep breaths, slowly open your eyes, give yourself a moment of adjustment and then return to your day, feeling refreshed.

With regular meditation practice, it's common to begin experiencing inspiring insights, dreams, thoughts and synchronicity in your life as you become more in touch with your sense of  intuition. It's useful to keep a personal notebook of any thoughts, sensations, dreams and insights that may appear or come to you as you go about your life and for immediately following a period of meditation or relaxation., 


For the best audio meditation technology, my personal recommendation would have to be holosync meditation technology, which is a series of audio meditation cd’s.  The difference between this program and others is that it takes no effort whatsoever and has outstanding results! By listening to the specially designed audio tracks, the brain is automatically adjusted to the different wave frequencies needed to create a deep and powerful meditation. 


I would definitely recommend this program, it really does have the ability to change your life in so many ways, for just an hour per day you could be well on your way to better holistic health.  I purchased copies of this audio program for myself and family, and it immediately created improvement and took my meditation experience to a whole new level, effortlessly and from the first time I listened to the tracks.  Click on the picture below for the link to the Centerpoint research institute and the holosync technology information.  There is also a free demo cd available for you to try.

 food glorious food!

I received this in an email some time ago and thought it was interesting enough to post.


We’re such slow learners…


Nature gives us a great clue as to what foods help with what part of our body!

Nature’s Pharmacy!  Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye… And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A  Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red.. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A  Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuro-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak.  These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body..

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs.. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this?  It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.  Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body’s cells. Today’s research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

How to make your own Apple Cider Vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar has so many health benefits and is really easy to make yourself.  

Check out my post on the many wonderful health benefits of apple cider vinegar with 'the mother'. Click HERE  for more info.

Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the mother) can be quite expensive to buy every month, so making your own really makes sense; especially during the autumn months when organic apples are in such abundance.  Apple cider vinegar can be made easily at home at any time of year, however autumn varieties tend to have a higher sugar content which aids the fermentation process and can help produce a stronger more effective end product.

Apple cider vinegar has been used, tried and tested for hundreds of years and is such a wonderful product to have available for your family and has many uses in the home, as well as medicinal properties.  It is naturally anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti viral so can be used as a cheaper, safer, non toxic alternative to chemical cleaning products, it makes a great hair de-tangler and conditioner, and quickly clears up bacterial, fungal, viral and yeast infections very effectively as well as improving the body's cell function. It has the ability to re mineralise the body, and top many useful vitamins and trace elements such as calcium, potassium and magnesium and also can help regulate metabolism, regulate blood pressure and lower cholesterol. 

There are a couple of methods I personally use to make my apple cider vinegar.  Below I have listed instructions for both methods.  One method is to juice/press the apples to make a hard cider from the juice, which will eventually turn into vinegar.  The other method is to use the scraps, cores and peel etc. of the apples to produce vinegar, you could also make some pies while you're at it!  Both methods are really easy and satisfying.

You will need-

• ·         Apples
• ·         Large glass jars
• ·         Cheese cloth
• ·         Water
• ·         Brewers cider yeast (optional)  
• Electric or manual juicer / apple press (optional)

1. Firstly you will need to wash your jars and apples to get rid of any dust, dirt and bugs etc.  You can also cut out any brown bruised spots or damaged areas of the apples.  You will be using a large portion of the apples so there will be hardly any waste. The unusable bruised bits can be put on the compost.  Do not use metal containers for your vinegar, it will corrode metal or aluminium.  Plastic, wood, enamel, or stainless steel containers can be used to make and store vinegar, but I always use and would always recommend glass containers. 
2. Once your apples and equipment are clean, you can begin peeling, chopping and juicing.  If you don't have a juicer you can still make apple cider vinegar from the apple scraps or whole apples if you wish.  I usually use both the juice and scraps.   (you can make pies and save the scraps by placing them in your jars) 
3. If you do have a juicer (or are lucky enough to have access to a press) juice your apples, keeping the peel on.  I like to chop my apples removing the cores and keep the scraps separate.
4. Fill a large jar with the juiced or pressed apple juice and another jar with the scraps.  Fill the scraps jar with enough fresh filtered water to cover the scraps. (it's okay to allow the scraps to turn brown before adding the water)

5. Once your containers are filled - you should have a jar filled with pure apple juice and/or a jar filled with scraps and water.  

6. Using the first method - take your jar of pure apple juice, make sure it is about 3/4 full.  Now is the time to add some cider yeast if you wish. (you can get this from a home brew supply shop) Although this is not absolutely necessary as there will be natural yeast present in the mixture.  Adding cider yeast will just speed up the process.  

7. Do not cover with a solid lid but place a piece of cheesecloth over the top with an elastic band.  This will allow air to pass through aiding the fermentation process.  

Two factors require special attention when making vinegar - the oxygen supply and the temperature.  

Oxygen is spread throughout the mixture by stirring daily and by allowing air to reach the mixture through the cheesecloth top.  The temperature of the fermenting cider should be ideally kept between 60 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lower temperatures don't always produce use-able vinegar and higher temperatures interfere with the formation of 'the mother' of the vinegar.  Place your jars in a warm dark place out of direct sunlight- an airing cupboard is ideal, where it is warm and dark.

Within 3-4 weeks (remembering to stir the juice/cider mixture daily) the fermentation process should be complete. The mixture can be left for longer to produce a stronger more effective vinegar.  Do not filter the vinegar when it's ready - instead stir the mother well into the mixture before bottling, this ensures that a good quantity of 'the mother' will be present in each stored bottle of vinegar.  It is 'the mother' of the vinegar that contains many live enzymes and give the vinegar it's amazing health benefits.

Like apple juice the best apple cider vinegar's are organic, unfiltered, and raw (unpasteurized)

If you are using the scraps method - you should have a jar filled with scraps covered with filtered water.  Cover the top with a piece of cheesecloth secured with an elastic band.  Place the jar in a warm, dark place such as the airing cupboard (as with the first method) and allow to ferment for at least a month, no stirring necessary.  After a few days you'll notice the contents start to thicken and a grey-ish scum and bubbles will form on the top. Don't worry this is normal.  After about a month you will notice the contents will smell like vinegar, you can now strain out the scraps and bottle the vinegar -  ensuring that you keep as much of 'the mother' sediment off the bottom as you can. 

Above is a picture of my own vinegar mixtures fermenting in my airing cupboard.  These containers should produce around 12 litres of good quality apple cider vinegar.  As a family we use between 1-2 litres a month (cooking, cleaning, medicinal and cosmetic uses) so this first batch of the season will provide us with much of our yearly supply at very little cost. (good quality ACV costs around £10-£13 per litre to buy!) 

To produce this amount of cider vinegar I used about 4 carrier bags of apples from my garden, my neighbours garden and other donated organic apples from friends gardens.  So no pesticides, preservatives or other nasties! 

Enjoy your vinegar making! 

Adventures in Manifesting

What are you Manifesting?

Fantastic news! I am extremely excited and happy to announce that my new book is coming out!  The official release date is 1st November 2011. 
Its called Adventures in Manifesting: Health and Happiness.


Are you living the life you really want? Are you among the many who have discovered the fantastic art of manifesting your desires in life? Are you inspired by hearing how others have managed to create abundance, health and happiness in their own lives?


Co-authored with many amazing and inspiring best selling authors including Joe Vitale (who was featured in 'the secret') as well as Loral Langemeier, Marilyn Joyce, and Andreas Moritz.


If you are looking to create and inspire a powerful change in your own life, this book will provide over 30 inspirational stories that demonstrate the art of manifesting health and happiness.
Transcending all possible limitations, this book shares wisdom, insight and teachings of how to achieve your greatest goals and desires.


Wait! there's more - This fantastic book is only one in a two book series!
The other book in the series is called Adventures in Manifesting: Success and Spirituality.  This book also includes 30 wonderfully inspirational stories and teachings in the art of manifesting success and spirituality.

These compelling works have been created with much love and commitment by Sarah Prout and Sean Patrick Simpson, a truly  amazing couple and founders of  Älska  Publishing.
(pronounced Elsh-ka! - meaning 'Love') 


You can learn more about their work at www.whatareyoumanifesting.com and don't forget to sign up to the mailing list for updates, with inspirational and manifesting content.


When Sean first approached me with the goal of creating this wonderful series I was overjoyed at the prospect of being a part of such a wonderful project with so many amazing people, I never dreamed that this experience would be so wonderfully uplifting.  I'll be posting more details soon with links for purchasing the books by November 1st.