This meditation is great if you feel symptoms of an illness coming on and is also helpful if you have an illness.  Simply lay down and close your eyes focusing on your inner body.   Become fully present and aware of your body. Notice your breath and starting at the head become aware of your eyes and your eyelids, your jaw, your face and connect to how those areas of your body are feeling.  Then your arms, hands, legs, torso, feet, abdomen, chest and head.  Feel each body part and be completely present and aware of how those body parts are feeling.  Then let your attention run through your body like a wave a few times up and down from your feet to your head and hold that feeling for a few minutes.   Don't worry if an occasional thought creeps in, just return your focus to your body and the breath.   Then observe your body as if you are looking down on it and stay present viewing it for a few minutes.  Observe the energy flowing through your body and notice what parts of the body you feel more energy.  Then when you feel your body has received enough healing you can either have a little nap or open your eyes just observing your environment for a few minutes.  Let your body restore and rebalance before you get up and do anything.  This is also a really good meditation to do just before you go to sleep.  

A medicine walk is a Shamanic healing process that enables you to connect with nature in a much deeper way.  I often walk with my dog, Ebony who is a beautiful soul which I believe also is a spiritual guide that helps me to learn unconditional love and acceptance of everything in the present moment.  When I walk with her I notice and see things that I normally would not experience.  People often stop and say hello and ask about her or just comment on what a beautiful dog she is.  I know that I would not meet so many wonderful people and experience the joy on my walks than if she wasn't with me.

A medicine walk can be experienced while walking your dog or without.  It is traditionally completed on your own using nature to guide and answer specific questions but you can still do it with your fluffy friend.

Simply set the intent and think of your question that requires guidance.   Once you know your question, ask permission to enter the place you are about to walk.  Wait quietly for your answer, intuiting your response.  It may feel like an inner knowing or you may even hear a "yes" with your inner ear.    Then begin walking purposefully, aware of your question.   Look for four signs.  As you walk let your gaze focus on a specific object which could be a tree, a flower, a rock, animal, the ocean or the sand etc.  Then pause and reflect on its meaning for you.  Don't think about it just allow and ask your question and wait for an answer.    Each element of nature has its own energy field which in the native way would be called its unique medicine.  Flashes of insight then flow in - just notice and continue medicine walking or you may want to sit.  When you have received the guidance you are looking for with the first object, continue walking until another object has grabbed your attention.  Again ask for divine guidance from the object and wait for the answer, continuing to walk until you have received four signs or if you are sitting, notice four signs in your awareness.  When you have received all four signs, give thanks for the insight.  You may wish to make physical notes so that you can return to this message when you need to.

How best to protect yourself, build a strong immune system and what you can do at home to manage the symptoms of the Corona Virus.  By Lloyd Gee

It looks like a large number of people in this country will be exposed to COVID-19. At least 80% of people who catch the virus will only have mild symptoms so for most of us the message is Don’t Panic. Around 20% may have more serious symptoms of which 5% could develop critical symptoms. Those with other conditions that weaken their lungs or immune system will be the most vulnerable. The life threatening risk of COVID-19 is the development of pneumonia or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Anyone who has significant breathing problems or shortness of breath should seek urgent medical attention dialling 000 if necessary. They may urgently need oxygen and possibly will need to be put on a ventilator. COVID-19 appears to present a significantly higher risk of the most serious outcomes than with seasonal ‘flu.

COVID-19 is transmitted mostly by small droplets in the air from an infected person – coughing, sneezing, talking may spread the virus about 2m. It can also remain on hard surfaces for possibly several hours. It is therefore very important to wash your hands and avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes unless your hands are washed. A person can be infectious between 1 day and in a few cases up to 14 days before they show symptoms.

​World Health Authority has regular updates which you can find here.

Prevention is the most important thing you can do and this is what you are likely to be hearing through the media. Sanitation – wash your hands thoroughly and often. Bar soap and hot water is actually very good at killing viruses so you don’t need antibacterial hand wash though a hand sanitiser could be useful when out and about.

Isolation – those who have the virus need to avoid contact with others.

There are some other things you can do: You can make a spray using essential oils such as thyme, pine, tea tree, lavender, peppermint, cinnamon leaf – 5 to 10 drops of each in 100ml spray bottle of water. An essential oil diffuser can also help. This may kill airborne viruses.

Burning Frankincense or Sage yourself and your environment.

Steam inhalations. Herbs like thyme and sage are antiviral on contact with viruses. Therefore if you have been out, have a herbal steam inhalation when you get home. Add a heaped teaspoon of dried thyme or sage to about 4 cups of boiling water in a suitable bowl. Put a towel over your head and breathe in the vapour for 5-7 minutes.

Prepare your own immune system.  After prevention your next defence is you own immune system. You want it to be ready for action if it encounters COVID-19 or indeed any other virus. You will find plenty of information that advocates Vitamin C and if you were to take just one supplement this would probably be the most important.

Sleep is incredibly important for the immune system as it stress reduction.

Good nutrition is vital – have plenty of fresh vegetables and some fruit – plenty of colours on the plate.  

It is also very important to keep well hydrated. Dehydration is a big risk factor with viral infections.

Supplements to consider Vitamin C:  1000 – 3000 mg daily, in divided dosages
Vitamin D3: 2000 IUs daily (Start with 5000 IU/day for two weeks, then reduce to 2000 IU
Magnesium: 200-400 mg daily (in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form)
Zinc: 14-20 mg daily
Selenium: 100 mcg (micrograms) daily
Elderberry – has good anti-viral and immune properties. This is useful to boost your immune, but should be stopped if you get infected.

Medicinal Mushrooms – most are great for helping the immune system – Shitake and Maitake are amongst the best. Reishi is also good.

You can also increase foods with these nutrients as they also contain other plant nutrients that work to help the body utilise them. For vitamin C, citrus fruits and dark berries are particularly good, for zinc, have pumpkin seeds and for selenium, Brazil nuts are the best. Also add turmeric to foods or smoothies as this is protective.

Any Vitamin C would do the job, but the normal form of ascorbic acid is very acidic at high doses so I would suggest the ascorbate form – e.g. calcium ascorbate or magnesium ascorbate. A powder form enables you to take high doses more easily and is usually better value for money. More expensive but offering superior absorption is the liposomal vitamin C.

There are many zinc and selenium products. I have listed one that contains both below.
Vitamin C powder
Liposomal Vitamin
Vitamin D3
Bio-Selenium + Zinc
Magnesium
Sambucol – Elderberry with zinc, selenium etc
Shitake
Maitake

If you get the virus.  Increase vitamin C to 5,000mg. You can go up to 10,000 mg. High vitamin C doses may cause diarrhoea.

For home remedies I would particularly recommend raw garlic as you can tell it is reaching the lungs – you get garlic breath.  It must be freshly crushed (less than 3 days old) and raw, but can be added to cold foods, smoothies etc. Most garlic supplements will not work. Ginger root (best fresh) is useful, but not if you have a high fever – it makes a pleasant drink with lemon and honey. Thyme tea is helpful for the lungs. Peppermint and/or Elderflower tea are good where there is a mild fever.

If you have a fever then watch the temperature. Bed rest, drinking water, some herbs and using cool flannels on the skin can help control a fever – some fever is good as the immune system works best at a raised temperature. However if it gets higher than 39.5 C then medication such as paracetamol may be advised to bring it down.

Steam inhalations using plain boiling water or with thyme (as above), Olbas oil, eucalyptus, rosemary or peppermint essential oil.

Keep hydrated with water, herb teas and broth.

With COVID-19 there is a serious risk of an overreaction of the immune system so some immune enhancing herbs can actually make this worse. Therefore stop all such herbs If the infection worsens unless you have professional advice. 

Lloyd Gee

Reiki is a relatively new healing modality in the west that is gaining popularity around the world but for most people it is an unknown concept and certainly not a way of healing the body that would be first considered.  Have you ever wondered if Reiki could be something that you could incorporate into your wellbeing schedule?  Maybe you've been interested in trying it out in the past but were unsure what was involved or what it could offer you.  Perhaps you've even dismissed it as being a bit too "out there" for you.

​I can understand that, as when I first came across Reiki it was very mysterious to me and I didn't really understand how it worked.   Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that brings a person back into balance allowing the body, mind and soul to heal.   So how does this happen?  Well if you can imagine that the body is like a river flowing gently down a mountain.  The river represents the energy that we are a part of and what flows through us at all times.   Sometimes a pebble or even a rock, will fall into that river, making the flow of the water a little more difficult.  These pebbles are human worries, fear, anger and anxieties and each pebble builds on top of the other.  Over time these pebbles allow only a trickle of water to flow through the river.  And so it could be said about the human energy field.  Energy flow can be obstructed so much that it can cause physical or emotional pain.  

​Reiki is the energy of everything and is neither a religion nor is it intrusive.  Everything that you see and feel is made up of energy in which there is an unlimited amount.  The energy may appear to some to be invisible or non-existent but as Einstein told us that,

"Everything is energy and that's all there is to it.  Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality.  It can be no other way.  This is not philosophy, this is physics." Albert Einstein

So during a Reiki treatment  the universal or pure energy is realigned with the body, washing down, clearing obstructions and strengthening the flow of energy within a person's being.  This helps us feel physically, emotionally and spiritually better and allows us to feel grounded, deepening your connection to your life's purpose.  Reiki in Japanese means spiritual energy.   So, in essence, Reiki can represent a healing system and is also part of a spiritual path of happiness and wellbeing.

​You don't have to believe in Reiki for it to work.  Think of it as an energy cleansing system like you would have a shower in the morning to clean your physical body.  With the stress and "busyness" of the modern western life, we give little time to ourselves, generally, to restore, rebalance ourselves and relax.

​So what happens in a Reiki treatment?

​Typically a Reiki session involves the recipient either lying on a massage table or sitting in a chair, whilst remaining fully clothed.  Treatments normally last between 60 to 90 minutes during which time the Reiki practitioner will place their hands gently on the recipient's body, or just above the body.  The practitioner will change the positioning of their hands several times as the treatment progresses.  All the recipient has to do is relax.

​A Reiki treatment is different for everyone depending on what is going on for the recipient.  People often report feeling deeply relaxed during treatments, can fall asleep, feel heat or coolness or tingling where the practitioner has placed their hands.  Others feel their body gently moving, as if it were naturally re-adjusting itself.   Everyone is different and every treatment is different but the most important thing is to pay attention to how you feel as those pebbles or rocks will surface and you can easily release them.

​You might realise that you are free from pain for the first time in years or feeling like a huge emotional weight has finally been lifted off your shoulders.  Or it might be something quite simple like getting a great night's sleep.  Such observations are the pebbles and rocks shifting and being released from your energy system, or the river of energy that flows through you, making you a clear channel once again.

​Where is it used, and what are the reported benefits?

​Reiki is used in over 800 hospitals in America, it is used in the home, in the operating room, in palliative care, in the military, in clinics and wellbeing centres and spas around the world.  This is the wonderful thing about Reiki and can be done anywhere, anytime but to gain the most benefit from Reiki is when you receive a treatment from a trained practitioner.   There is a growing number of studies into the efficacy and benefits of Reiki in which you can access through The Centre of Reiki Research (http://www.centerforreikiresearch.org/)​.  William Lee Rand has conducted and facilitated many studies on the benefits of Reiki.  For example, Reiki treatments can reduce pain an anxiety for both cancer and HIV/AIDS patients.  Another study using Reiki treatment for heart attack patients has shown an increase in heart rate variability following the heart attack, an important indicator of healing and increased resilience.

​Once you have experienced Reiki and its benefits through receiving treatments, you may also feel the pull to learn Reiki yourself.  Nikki Staley teaches Reiki Levels I, II and III in a classroom situation or one on one.   You may wish to learn to practise Reiki on yourself for your own wellbeing or open your own Reiki clinic and share with others.  Reiki is a practice that can be a powerful tool for self care and personal transformation.

​For more information about upcoming Reiki classes or receiving treatments simply go to www.staleyhealth.com or you can contact Nikki Staley on 0400 497 024 anytime.   Will Reiki become part of your self care regime?

​

Children often experience anxiety when doing a new activity such as going to school or kindergarten, playgroup or birthday party and if you're wanting to teach your children to be present during a new activity, I have some tips on how you can implement this.  In fact, with enough repetition, you can completely remove the anxiety altogether.

You can also apply these techniques, if you are wanting your child to consistently do an activity or behaviour, such as tidy their room, eating their vegetables etc.  It's about using praise or rewards to shape your child's behaviour, meaning, focusing on the good things your child is doing that you like and want to see more of.  It is also a great tool for communicating to your child the values and actions that you feel are important.

Here are a couple of techniques that you can use at home to shape your child's behaviour:

1. The Magic Bubble
The magic bubble is a way to allow the child to be in the present moment and removes anxiety when going to a new school, kindergarten, playgroup or any new activities.  This can be used for a child at any age but most suitable for toddlers, preschoolers and primary schoolers.  

Sit or bend down to the child's level, or they can sit on your knee.  Ask your child to close their eyes.  Then ask them to listen to the sounds around them.  Notice what sounds they are and ask them to focus on their breath.  Feel it as it goes through their nostrils and as it goes out.  You can do it with your child so you can not only get a sense of what they are feeling, but remove any anxiety that you are also carrying.  Then ask them to imagine a big purple bubble surrounding their whole body, and this magical purple bubble will take away all their worries, fears and anxieties.  Allow the bubble to stay with them for 30 seconds.  Ask your child how it feels in the bubble - happy? relaxed? safe? and protected?  Then let them know this purple bubble will appear whenever they feel scared, nervous or anxious.  All they need do is just close their eyes and imagine it around them.  Get them to listen to the sounds around them again and then slowly together you can open your eyes.

2. Help from the Fairies
Encourage your child to clean up when they are finished playing by offering praise when it happens.  Rewards need to occur as close to the action as possible to have the greatest impact. 

As you see them start to pick up the toys let them know that the fairies are also helping (in their minds eye) if they are struggling a bit.   The fairies can come at anytime to help them do an activity and they will make it easier and more fun for them.  First tell them to close their eyes and imagine the fairies in their minds eye.  Then ask the child how many fairies there are.  Then when the child opens their eyes they can start to put their toys away.  Whilst doing this praise their efforts and when complete you can offer a gold star or a hug for a job well done.

3. Breath Focus and Praise
The breath focus and praise is a way to stop the nagging when you want the child to do an activity such as brushing their teeth, cleaning their room, eating their vegetables or getting ready for school.  You don't want to reinforce the struggle because then you are reinforcing struggle itself.  You want to start noticing and praise the steps leading up to the activity so that the whole process is easier.  For example, alert your child that it is time to brush their teeth, and as she/he starts moving toward the bathroom, praise them for starting the process.  Then give them a hug or gold star when they have completed the process.  Also it is important to make eye contact when praising them.  If you are not present with them during the process, then they will not learn how to be present doing an activity.

Mother's Day is a very special day which is celebrated throughout the world to honour the one that gave us life!  It is a chance to say thank you, and that you love and appreciate all that's she has done for you!  Did you know that more phone calls are made on Mother's Day than any other day of the year?  These holiday chats with mothers worldwide often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent.

To celebrate this auspicious day Staley Health are offering a two for the price of one Reiki special.  Simply book your Reiki for your Mum (or grandmother) or even someone that has been "like a Mum" to you and you get ONE FREE!  You must book before Sunday 14th May, 2017 to take advantage of this amazing offer.  To book simply click here or call Nikki on 0400 497 024.

It's also interesting to note that Mother's Day was created in America by Anna Jarvis in 1908, and became an official US holiday in 1914.   Anna Jarvis of West Virginia organised "Mother's Day Work Clubs" to assist local women on how to care for their children.  Later, these clubs became a unifying force during the time of the Civil War.  She also organised "Mother's Friendship Day" which promoted reconciliation between former Union and Confederate soldiers with other mothers.

Staley Health is excited to introduce to you this amazing new retreat which will allow you to strengthen your commitment to conscious living through the Chakras.  Learn meditation techniques and how to use your Chakras to improve your health, personal power and expand your spiritual awareness.  The seven chakras create an amazing formula for wholeness that integrates mind, body and spirit liberating our souls to manifesting our dreams.  Chakras are the wheels that carry us through life.  To learn more click here and experience freedom.

The facilitator,  Nikki has her Doctorate Degree in Philosophy, specialising in Metaphysical Science, is an accredited Holistic Counsellor, Reiki Master and teacher who was born in Melbourne, Australia.  She is a member of the Australian Holistic Healers & Counsellors Association (AHHCA) and the Australian Reiki Connection (ARC).  She also has completed her Nationally Accredited Certificate II - First Aid Training and has a Working with Children card.  Nikki has appeared on many radio shows and was even offered her own TV Show.  She loves sharing her knowledge through her classes and speaking appearances on holistic health and wellbeing. 

Reiki is a powerful healing tool that allows the mind, body and soul to rebalance and heal.  With such busy lives, it is important to give yourself some space to restore from the constant challenges of living a Western lifestyle.  Give yourself or your partner the gift of inner peace and healing this Valentines Day!  Book a Reiki before Valentines Day and get one FREE!  Two Reiki's for the price of one.  Valued at $200.00.  To book go to www.staleyhealth.com.

The Power of Reiki never ceases to amaze me.  Each time I work with clients using Reiki, I am constantly impressed by the powerful way in which it allows people to heal their physical and emotional states.

Reiki allows you to practise relaxation and inner peace and release any pain or trauma that is held within the physical body.  When we are younger, and if we experience any trauma or pain, part of the healing process is to forget, block or repress what happened.  All humans do this.  There are so many people living their lives in a hypnotic "sleep" state unaware of the pain they are caring around.  We need to do this in order to survive the painful experience, but it can be the cause also of much suffering, illness and blocks to creating an abundant and happy life.  It is very important that we release and heal and Reiki provides the mind, body and spirit to do this. 

Working with Reiki allows me to tap into any pains or traumas stored in the physical body, and help the client to release the pain.   People that experience anxiety, depression, tight muscles or any physical illness, can be a symptom of the pain or trauma that is remembered by the physical body.   What I can do is assist the client in remembering the trauma (if necessary), that is causing the pain or illness and allow the body to heal and rebalance itself, giving the client a deep sense of peace and wellbeing.    This is why sometimes during a Reiki you may experience release through tears, smells, laughing, pain disappearing or receiving visions and a feeling of deep peace then comes over you during the Reiki experience. 

When I begin the Reiki I start to receive information regarding the trauma on an intuitive level from the physical body.  This allows me to assist the client in the releasing process.   Sometimes when a client books in for a Reiki I receive information during the booking and this is the beginning of the healing process for the client.  I continue to work with the client using Reiki to allow the body to heal and rebalance itself.  This is what it is designed to do but sometimes if we do not give our physical body the care that it needs, you will experience the pain on a physical and psychological level.  So many people are simply unaware of pain that is being carried within their body. 

A Reiki session typically lasts for about 1 to 1.5 hours. 

Stress and anxiety are common problems in relationships.  In my Couples Counselling Sessions, this is one of the major areas that couples require assistance, as stress can cause breakdowns in communication skills and trigger negative behaviour.  If there already problems within the relationship, busy lives can amplify the unresolved and suppressed needs.  Very often when couples are stressed they can default into one of four categories.  Passive, passive aggressive or aggressive.  When all issues have been resolved you are able to be assertive which means communicate calmly and effectively with your partner without underlying fear, resentment or anger.  This is a learned behaviour and unless we are lucky enough to have parents that are whole or self actualised, we all have unresolved issues and negative behavioural patterns as soon as we enter into a relationship and have children.

Here are my top 5 ways of reducing stress and anxiety in relationships naturally:

1.  Attend to your Physical Health 
When our bodies are in optimal health, we have stronger mental capacity to cope with stress, solve problems and control or let go of any worries.   Health experts say that just 1/2 hour of brisk walking or exercise a day can add 7 years to your life.   Sanjay Sharma, professor of inherited cardiac diseases in sports cardiology at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in South London, said for the average person in their 50s and 60s, moderate exercise reduced the risk of dying from a heart attack by half.  When you feel good physically you will also relate to your partner in a more positive way.

2.  Find out the Cause of Your Stress and Anxiety
When we are anxious or stressed it is usually about something that might happen in the future or you are trying to achieve something in a short amount of time.  This causes the mind to go into a stress-state or an anxious state.  For example, you maybe trying to get the kids to bed and then get ready to go out with your partner in an unrealistic time frame.   Make sure you plan ahead so you can get time to put the kids to bed calmly, have a chat with the babysitter and then be looking fabulous for your date night with your partner or spouse.  If you feel yourself becoming stressed or anxious, take time to reflect at the end of the day what caused this feeling and remember to breath and focus on this moment to remove the stress or anxiety.

3.   Break Down Your Relationship Worries
Worrying about our relationship and our partners can create a huge amount of fear and anxiety in our minds and eventually, can have a negative affect on our health and wellbeing.   Taking time at the end of each day to reflect and discuss any concerns that you have about your relationship with your partner using "I" language will assist in removing any relationship woes.  Avoid the need to say "you make me feel" or criticise your partner.  This will only trigger negative feelings within your partner.  Share your feelings using "I" so your communication is clear and non-blaming.  For instance, "I felt very upset when you interrupted me while I was speaking to my father the other day.  I felt disrespected".  Allow your partner time to respond listening with empathy, mirroring and validating.

4.  Reduce Anxiety by Seeing Things in their Proper Context
Anxiety is caused by magnifying and worrying about small things constantly making them more important than they really are.  Ask yourself, is that really that important and discuss any issues with your partner in a calm and honest way.  Your partner can assist you in putting any worries into their proper context and reduce their intensity.

5.  Make A Plan
Your partner is your best friend, your lover and source of love and support.  Plan events and daily routines that will assist your life together to be more harmonious.  Make a financial plan, social plan and plans around the children's routines and daily chores.  That way you can work as a team and see each other as a source of support, love and safety rather than resorting to the unconscious way of relating which is the power struggle.  When you are in the power struggle you will argue, leave issues unresolved, blame your partner for your problems, criticise our partner and try to be "better" than them.  Love is a decision and when we love our partners, we transcend our self interest and direct our life energy toward the total welfare of our partner.

Staley Health offer a 12 Week Couples Counselling Intensive for any couples in crisis or requiring guidance on mastering their relationship.  For more information go to www.staleyhealth.com.