Relief from muscular aches and strains

Last year, I wrote about the Young Living range of massage oils and essential oils. I've been using them ever since, and they feel and smell divine.

As part of my plan to get fit this year, I enlisted the help of a personal torturer, er, I mean, personal trainer.

The trainer has had me doing evil lunges and squats while carrying weights that are slightly heavier than I'd use if I was practicing alone...ain't it always the way! He's also had me boxing, doing push ups, chin ups and all manor of weight and resistance work that is truly shocking my body.

I suspect I overdid it this week, and I woke up after two consecutive days of training sessions with muscular pain right through my arms...the weights and boxing seemed to conspire to contract my biceps which made it nearly impossible to straighten my arms!

Regular warm showers have helped to ease the strain, and Young Living's Ortho Ease massage oil has also really helped to soothe the muscles in my upper arm. It's amazing how much heat this oil containing peppermint, eucalyptus, thyme and clary oils (amongst others) can generate when massaged into the skin. I can actually feel it working into my very overworked muscles.

My next training session is next week...can't wait! This time, I'll be more diligent with pre- and post-training stretching and hopefully won't need the Ortho Ease again. In any case, for me it has been a very effective product in helping to ease muscular strain.

Retreating on the Gold Coast

I knew there would be some fantastic things to see and do at last weekend's Health, Happiness and Soul Show.

I came across the Australian School of Meditation & Yoga's stand, who were promoting their one-day retreats in the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland.

It sounds divine:

"We will give you simple and tasty vegetarian recipes and nutritional tips. This perfect day also includes beautiful chanting of sacred mantras, guided meditation and enlightening talks on the timeless wisdom of the yoga texts and how you can easily add meditation to your daily life. You will leave thinking clearly and feeling great."

All for $60! How good is that!! Mum and I are defitely going to book onto one of the upcoming retreats and check it out.

As well as getting fit, meditating more is one of my resolutions for 2009. I had actually seen the ASM's Brisbane's centre advertised, and have been intending to get along to one of their Sunday afternoon sessions, which sound equally relaxing, even if only for a few hours.

Stay tuned for my review of the ASM's retreat day. I can't wait!

The Health, Happiness & Soul Expo hits the Gold Coast

Yay! The Health, Happiness and Soul Expo hits the Gold Coast this week, from Friday till Sunday.

For the $15 entry free, there's a bunch of free seminars each day about everything from chakras, kinesiology, sacred geometry, spirit whispering, angel guides, intuitive art, crystals, belly dancing, soul psychosematics, spirit flutes, tantric sacred relationships, tarot, nutrition, healing, yoga...and the list goes on.

There's also a series of movies (running free and continuously all day) in the New World Spiritual Cinema, including Louise L. Hay's You Can Heal Your Life, The Secret, What About Me and Peaceful Warrior. I missed Peaceful Warrior when it first came out, and as a huge Dan Millman fan, I'm dying to see this TV adaotation of The Way of The Peacful Warrior - one of my favourite books of all time.

If you're looking for health and happiness in 2009, why not check out the Health, Happiness & Soul Expo.

A business in incubation

Happy new year! Can't believe it's practially mid-January 2009.

My soon-to-be launched business, Revive Holistic Marketing, is bubbling away in the background, while I sort out business stationary, websites, course material and venues for a series of workshops for holistic therapists.

The paperwork - and costs - associated with starting a new business seem to mount at a scary pace... business name registrations, bank accounts, business cards, letterhead, brochures, printer and fax for the home office, filing stuff, deposits here and there... and the list goes on.

It's been a fascinating exercise doing all of this on a shoe string budget. I'm used to working with a substantially bigger marketing budget and simply having the resources of a full working office. Now, when my printer needs new ink, I have to go buy it, install it and ensure that its ready when I need to use it.

I've also been somewhat shocked and amused at the quotes I've received for all manner of services - web and graphic design, corporate identity and branding etc...no wonder so many small businesses fail! We'll cover all of that and more in the workshops.

Stay tuned for the launch of the website and details of workshops around the country!