Places still available at a Yoga Retreat on Sunday

I just received an email from the Australian School of Meditation & Yoga: Gold Coast announcing they still have spaces available for their mini yoga retreat this Sunday. I did a retreat with the ASMY a few months ago and it was an awesome day - highly relaxing, informative and surrounded by lovely people.

Here's the details below for anyone who may be interested.

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Hi everyone,

The Free Mini-yoga retreat is coming up on Sunday the 17th May, we have some spaces if anyone would like to come. The retreat starts with the normal Sunday yoga program at Burleigh which will be an hour and a half of yoga and relaxation followed by 30 minutes of kirtan (meditation to music), a talk on the timeless wisdom of yoga and how we can apply it in our daily lives. Lunch is served about 1.00 pm and after about 10 minutes of yoga dance we have a massage workshop.

This month the workshop will be Shared Neck and Shoulder Massage.

If you would like to book in for this event please call Andrew: 5554 5440 or email: margaret@asm.org.au

When: 10:15 am for 10:30 am, Sunday 17th May

Where: Fradgley Hall (Above Burleigh Heads Library), Cnr Gold Coast Hwy & Park Ave, Burleigh Heads

Bookings: (07) 5554 5550 or margaret@asm.org.au

Free talk on the Value of Marketing to New Therapists at Q Academy

I'm very excited to be speaking about the Value of Marketing to New Therapists at the Q Academy's (Brisbane Campus) Careers Evening this Thursday from 7.00pm - 7.30pm.

Prospective massage students are welcome to attend this free event. Please contact Q Academy on 1300 20 40 80 for more information about the Careers Evening.

Hope to see you there!

Slumber party!

For any insomnia sufferers, the Sydney Morning Herald ran a great article this week on getting a good night's sleep.

"Poorly manufactured beds and bases, inappropriate lighting, the wrong bedding, bad usage habits and inadequate airflow can all contribute to us getting a dreadful night's sleep."

The article suggests many things, including decluttering your bedroom, to get a better night's sleep.

Did you know that regular massage can also help to relaxed a stressed mind and body, and therefore promote sleep?

Revive launches innovative new marketing workshops for holistic therapists

I'm very excited to announce that Revive Holistic Marketing has launched its marketing workshops and marketing services for holistic therapists.


Revive Holistic Marketing was created in 2009, after it became clear to me that there was a need for further training for massage therapists and other holistic therapies practitioners. Nationally accredited courses such as the Certificate IV in Massage Therapy, Diploma of Remedial Massage and Diploma of Aromatherapy, provide excellent technical training, however therapists often do not receive specific and thorough guidance on how to market their services.

The Expedition to Success – Marketing Your Holistic Therapies Business workshop provides therapists with a solid overview of marketing, and offers practical tools and templates to help them launch or grow their businesses, and attract and retain clients.

Designed for newly qualified and practising massage therapists, aromatherapists, reflexologists, Chinese medicine practitioners, naturopaths, homeopaths, astrologers, numerologists, energy healers and virtually any holistic therapies practitioner, participants require no previous experience in marketing.

Workshops are currently scheduled to run in Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Newcastle and Sydney, with more locations to be added throughout the year. The workshop fee is $385 per person and includes course materials, a complimentary listing on the searchable global therapy directory, Local Therapy, a 50% discount on a custom 6-page website (this offer is valued at $125) and more.

Revive’s workshops can also be customised for, and delivered to, natural therapies colleges, holistic therapies associations and other related organisations throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

I’m passionate about holistic therapies, and my vision is to help holistic therapists grow successful businesses, while raising awareness of the benefits of holistic therapies in the community.

Therapists invest substantial time and money in gaining and maintaining their holistic therapies qualifications. By better understanding how marketing can drive sales and revenue, therapists who attend our workshops will also learn how to convert that investment into profit quicker, while earning continuing professional education points (CPE points).

Feel free to check out the site, or to contact us if you have any queries about the workshops.

Fantastic digital photography workshops in Mt Tamborine

I love photography. I've been tinkering with cameras, both non-digital and digital, for as long as I can remember.

For me, wandering round a park or garden, or out in the bush somewhere, photographing nature, is as relaxing as it is inspiring. It doesn't matter if the pictures are not perfect; it's finding the details, scrutinising the minutae, seeking out unusual shadows and angles.
















In searching for a birthday present for my Dad recently, I came across some photography workshops up at Mt Tamborine run by Bluedog. It looked like the perfect pressie, so I booked us both in.

Hosted by Danielle and Nick Lancaster, the Introductory Workshop kicked off with introductions and a brief description of which of the camera's functions we use the most.

"Er...the automatic function", was the general reply. "After this workshop, we want you to promise that you will never use the auto function again," said a smiling Danielle. "It's a smackable and sackable offence."

We started with a discussion about the three main variables we could control on our cameras, the ISO, shutter speed and aperture - all terms I'd heard of before, but really had no clue how to apply in a practical way.

Our first practical exercise was to test out different shutter speeds. Until then, I had no idea what shutter speed my Canon EOS 400D could go up to - nor what I could do with it at high speed.

Danielle explained that she would start pouring water over her fingers, and our task was to try to get a shot of the water, "frozen" in mid air. We started with our cameras on the slowest shutter speeds, gradually notching it up until indeed, the water started to form funky patterns in our viewfinders.
























We discussed depth of field and looked through a bunch of photographs as a way of talking about composition - how pictures should be constructed. The Rule of Thirds, which I had heard about, came up, and we looked through batches of stunning photos taken by the Lancasters, to see how this rule worked in practice.

During the afternoon, we headed out for a practical session in the stunning Mt Tamborine Botanic Gardens. Danielle and Nick were on hand to advise about settings, composition and all of the stuff we'd talked about.

The gardens up at Mt Tamborine are definitely worth a visit for anyone remotely within the vicinity. They were lush and gorgeous.....so peaceful!

The final hands-on session took place back at the studio. It simulated night work, and let's just say, Nick did some incredible drawing work with a live sparkler. Who'd have thought my camera shutter could stay open for that long!

Bluedog also does retreats, and I'm definitely going to do more of their photography workshops. I learnt heaps on the Introductory Workshop, so I can only imagine what lays ahead in the more advanced courses.

Womenspace

I was out looking at various venues last week, and came across Womenspsace, a little oasis out in the north Brisbane suburb of Kedron.

It's simply a place for women to commune and explore their spirituality. As well as hiring out rooms suitable for workshops and therapists, Womenspace runs a wide array of workshops and discussion groups - click here on all sorts of topics.

Women can drop in, any time from 10am - 4pm on Tuesday to Friday. It's a lovely, peaceful space and worth checking out if you live in Brisbane.

We will remember them

Last May, on a holiday to Turkey, I visited the legendary Gallipoli: a peninsula in the North West of the country.

Perfect, clear skies framed our view. The area was calm, peaceful and spectacularly picturesque - glistening blue sea out to the front of us, dramatic cliffs and bushland to the rear.

However, this idyllic setting belied the hell that it bore witness to some 94 years earlier.

Our coach pulled over to the side of the road nearest the water. There it was: one word in bold, simple letters: A N Z A C.
















Profound emotion took over me - I felt overwhelming sadness and began to sob. I had lost no relatives in the battle that began there at 4.28am on April 25, 1915 - indeed my grandfathers and forebears had not even fought in Turkey nor had they died in any war.

But I cried for the ANZACS - the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who landed on that small beach in the first joint military operation between the two countries. Theirs was part of a broader campaign mounted by the British and French to capture the Ottoman capital of Istanbul and secure a sea route to Russia.

I cried at the futility of the situation the ANZACs faced, many gunned down as they emerged from boats that had taken them to shore, thousands more killed in a bloody battle up and down those towering cliffs.

It is said that this battle forced the birth of consciousness of Australia and New Zealand. It was a place where our young men died; and a place where the ANZAC legend was born.

We departed Anzac Cove and wound our way up the hill to Lone Pine, the Australian memorial and cemetary at the top of the peninsula. The poignant melody of the Last Post started to replay itself in my mind. I tried to imagine what those young soldiers must have seen - or what some of them almost saw. The gravestone of one R.H Stevens said he was killed the very day he arrived on Turkish soil.

















Chanuk Bair, New Zealand's ANZAC memorial and cemetary at Gallipoli, and the Turkish cemetary were equally moving. Those headstones represented way too many lives cut short, wherever they had come from.

Our young Turkish guide and coach driver showed so much compassion and respect for the few Australians and New Zealanders on the tour that day; indeed Ceylan and Burhan, both beautiful, warm souls, had hosted us in their beautiful country for the previous two weeks. It made me cry all the more to think that our countries had once been at war.

The battle to retain control of the Gelibolu peninsula and the Straits of the Dardanelles was also one of the defining moments in Turkish history. I believe that because Turkey, Australia and New Zealand share such a history; we also share a future in always remembering what that history means.

The bond between the ordinary soldiers and sailors who fought at Gallipoli was expressed this way by the President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1934, on a large stone monument at Anzac Cove:

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives...

You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.

Therefore, rest in peace.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours...

You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears,

Your sons are now lying in our bosom, and are in peace,

After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well"

My visit to Gallipoli had a profound impact on me. I had heard much about the ANZAC spirit and the legendary Gallipoli from my early childhood, but had never really personally connected with it. On that day, I felt as intensely proud to be Australian as I felt homesick, sad, humble and grateful. I longed to be back home with my family under blue skies and amongst the gum trees - but I now knew deeply why I would personally never forget those who fought for my country's freedom.

I went to my first Anzac Day Dawn Service last Saturday and was inspired by how many people of all ages packed into Brisbane's Anzac Square at such an early hour.

As the old diggers marched solemnly up to the Shrine of Rembrance to the drumbeat of the military band, I thought very fondly of my time in Turkey. Tears unashamedly rolled down my face as a buggler sounded the Last Post, before the two-minute silence. The mood was solemn, reflective. The silence was palpable.

I feel some regret that it took it nearly 37 years for me to really "get" Anzac Day and all that it represents; but, better late than never I suppose.

I will certainly watch future Anzac Day services with a different perspective, just as I will feel a bit more appreciation each time I walk past Anzac Square or see an Australian soldier. But I think it's the deeply ingrained Gallipoli experience - memories of my day there and of the even more extraordinary events that took place in 1915, that will remind me why we must always remember them.

Therapists Unite for the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal

The Australian spirit has never been more amplified than in the wake of the tragic bush fire disaster in Victoria. It feels like everyone is trying to do their bit to help the Victorians who lost their homes and loved ones, and the massage therapy industry is no different.



















I received an email this week via the Australian Association of Massage Therapists, announcing a national fund raising event whereby massage therapists offer massages to the public, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal.

Endeavour College, in conjunction with ANTA, ATMS, RAoA, AAMT, AACMA and IFA has organised a fundraising event to take place in the following locations (more locations are being confirmed):

• BRISBANE Queen Street Mall – confirmed 8am to 4pm Friday February 27, 2009
• MELBOURNE City Square – confirmed 8am to 7:30pm Friday February 27,2009
• PERTH Murray St Mall - to be confirmed

If you do happen to see the armies of massage therapists and reflexologists out at these venues, pop in for a treatment and help support a really worthy cause.

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!

A night of pampering with All Pampering

I met Nathalie Panic-Vaucher by chance a few weeks ago and we got chatting about what we did. She said she runs pampering events for women, with her business partner Kym Morris, via their company, All Pampering.

She suggested I come along to their next Ladies Escape, held last night in one of the function rooms at Fitzy's, Logonholme.

Nathalie and Kym are full-time mums and business women, who believe that every woman deserves to be pampered. They run regular pampering events designed for women to take time for themselves. They are the Queens of "Me Time"!

The room was dotted with "stations" which we would later move around, and a range of products were on display. It was like a mini Mind Body Spirit expo, with candles, skin products, massage products and the like. The atmosphere was really relaxed and calm, a little sanctuary away from the madness of the week.

Nathalie opened the evening, taking us through a brief guided visualisation to help us calm our minds and centre ourselves.

We were invited to try some polynesian dancing, demonstrated first by the lovely Ruby. It was hilarious. Whether or not any of us will make professional polynesian dancers is another story, but we had a bit of a boogie and a big giggle.

It was then time for the first pampering session - a back and shoulder massage. We paired up and were given a Joya Massage Roller. I had seen massage rollers before, but nothing like the Joya version, which used a solid gemstone as the roller ball. The Joya comes with about 20 different crystal/gemstone roller balls. Each stone has different properties - I think we were using an aventurine stone, a green stone linked to the heart chakra, which helps to promote self-determination and individuality.

We were instructed how to use them, and then invited to give our pamper pal a back and shoulder massage. It was great - having been to the gym the day before, I was in dire need of a massage! The Joya was excellent as you could use the stone roller ball side to get into tight muscles up and down the back and around the shoulders, and the smooth birch wood side provided a firm surface to finish off with long, flowing effleurage strokes.

There were nibblies and music throughout the evening, and we had brief talks by the ladies who were displaying their products.

Loraine, a PartyLite consultant, talked about the range of PartyLite candles, essential oils and all other things smelly and burny. The room smelt delicious! Loraine runs candle parties - another discovery for me from tghe evening. Candle parties - like Tupperware parties! What a great thing to do with a bunch of girlfriends over a few chardies.

More pampering followed, and we teamed up with our pamper pals again to give each other a hand and foot massage. All Pampering supplied the creams, balms, towels and everything we needed. They used all-natural products from the Diva range.

It was interesting to observe the 16 or so women at the event, many of whom at the beginning of the evening were total strangers, and by the end were nattering away like we'd known each other for years. Some had kids, some didn't. Some worked full time, some were full time Mums. Yet we were all happy to be chatting, and doing and receiving a bit of pampering. You get that with women!

The evening finished at about 10.00pm and we said our goodbyes, smiles on our dials and armed with all sort of goodies and brochures related to pampering. It was a really nice way to spend a Friday night.

The next All Pampering Ladies escape is on Friday 13th Feb, and then there's an All Albout Me Expo on 22nd Feb. See the All Pampering events calendar for more details.

Perfect Potion's delicious essential oils

I found the most delicious shop in Brisbane's CBD this week - Perfect Potion.

The shop smells divine - it was the wonderful aromas that lured me in. Perfect Potion sells a huge range of organic, (animal) cruelty-free essential oils, massage oils, oil burners, body and skin products, herbal teas, and also offers aromatherapy treatments in some of its shops.

They had a fairly large range of blended essential oils, but the set that really caught my attention was the box of 7 chakra blends.

According to Perfect Potion's website; The root chakra connects us with our physical body and surroundings and promotes feelings of stability and security. Balance Chakra Blend is a blend of black pepper, vetiver, sweet orange, patchouli, lavender and Atlas cedarwood pure essential oils.

The sacral chakra represents our creative energy and is associated with the functions of our reproductive organs and sexual energy. Allure Chakra Blend is a blend of jasmine absolute, mandarin, sandalwood, cardamom, ylang ylang and patchouli pure essential oils.

The solar plexus chakra relates to our connection with others. Harmony Chakra Blend is a blend of vetiver, juniper, lemon, frankincense Roman chamomile and star anise pure essential oils.

The heart chakra is concerned with forgiveness and compassion – unconditional love through which we accept another for doing their best. Compassion Chakra Blend is a blend of rose absolute, ylang ylang, lavender, may chang, neroli, and bergamot pure essential oils.

The throat chakra is associated with communication and self expression. Expressive Chakra Blend is a blend of German chamomile, sandalwood, basil, and sweet orange pure essential oils.

Divine within and without, the third eye chakra enables us to follow our intuition as we open up to new ideas and our imagination. Insight Chakra Blend is a blend of clary sage, myrtle, lavender, rosemary and bergamot pure essential oils.

The crown chakra represents enlightenment and self-realisation. Cosmic Chakra Blend is a blend of lavender, frankincense, East Indian sandalwood and cold pressed lime pure essential oils.

This box set would make a gorgeous gift for anyone who loves essential oils or is interested in chakras. It comes with a thorough little booklet that explains the chakras and how to use the oils to assist in re-balancing them. I've been burning the Base chakra blend since I arrived home, and it's lovely spicy aromas are filling my apartment.

Perfect Potion has shops in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne - definitely worth checking out if you're still looking for Christmas gifts, or if you simply want to lose yourself in the wonderful world of essential oils and all things aromatic.

The knee bone's connected to the shin bone....learning anatomy and physiology online!

Having studied anatomy and physiology over a period of 9 months for my massage studies, I can tell you that having a great teacher makes all the difference to the way you perceive the subject.

The body's amazing systems are complicated and you have to learn an entire new vocabulary! Distinguishing between veins and lymph vessels can be overwhelming when you're up to your eyeballs in massage practice and the ITEC exam is looming.

I'm loving that Essentials for Health has made their A&P course available online via a virtual classroom. Even better, Jane Johnson is teaching the course.

Jane is one of the UK's leading Anatomy and Physiology teachers and is a practicing physiotherapist. She taught most of the A&P days when I did my studies at Essentials for Health last year, and it was Jane's passion about the human body that really made learning about it enjoyable. I've never seen someone get so excited about a debate over the pisiform bone, or the prospect of organising a field trip to a dissection lab!

The course covers all the body's systems:

• Skeletal
• Muscular
• Cardiovascular
• Respiratory
• Endocrine
• Skin
• Cells
• Reproductive
• Urinary
• Neurological
• Digestive
• Lymphatic

If you need to do Anatomy and Physiology as part of your holistic therapies studies, this virtual classroom sounds like a really viable way of doing it from the comfort of your own home. Click on the Essentials for Health image below for details.

Making time for YOU know who

I'm having the most relaxed weekend I've had in months - no commitments, no deadlines, no need to be anywhere or do anything. What luxury!

Ironically, one of the things I chose to do this weekend was to finish unpacking the last of my boxes (I've recently renovated my flat and still seem to be sorting things out!). I just really wanted to get rid of the pile of clutter that I walked past every time I went up my hallway.

And in one of the boxes was a stack of magazines I'd not yet read, together with the latest copy of WellBeing Magazine, which I had subscribed to a couple of months. "I'll get to that soon", I remember thinking at the time.

One of the first articles that caught my attention was called Acts of Love by Lara Phegan. It lists 10 relatively quick and easy ways that you can love yourself each day. How often do we think about giving ourselves the time to do this, when the pressures of every day life pull us in a mullion different directions?

First on her list, was move your body - and was about how beneficial it is for your mind, body and spirit when you physically move. Even a 15-minute walk can diffuse tension or help you to see things in a different way.

One of the other suggestions was to lighten up and laugh - how good does it feel to have a good laugh? Whether you watch a funny movie or hang out with great friends, there's nothing like a good chuckle. Earlier this morning, I decided I wanted to test my new oven, and had bought a muffin mix (I know, that's cheating). I thought I had a muffin tray, but it turns out I didn't -it must have got lost somewhere in the move. I was still really keen to make the muffins, and dumped the mixture into a rectangular tin that was probably more suitable for bread or a loaf cake of some sort. I could have chucked a huff about not having the right tin, but I figured it would all taste the same. Quite spontaneously, I started laughing - almost hysterically, because the thought of a large rectangular muffin tickled my fancy. Maybe you had to be there to appreciate the silliness of it, but it felt great to have a chuckle.

I also liked the tip about enhancing your environment. We spend a lot of time in our homes and offices, and feeling good in the places you spend a lot of time, suggests Lara's article, is a great way to love yourself.

Whether you enhance your space with photos of loved ones, plants or fresh flowers, or scented candles, the simple ritual of doing it can really improve your mood. I diffuse delicious essential oils from Young Living throughout my home virtually every day. Blends called Peace and Calming, Joy and Purification really make the place smell great. In fact my neighbour has commented a couple of times about the lovely aromas that waft from my place past her window!

One of the key tips was to spend time with yourself. This doesn't mean just being by yourself. I live by myself, but I don't necessarily spend a lot of time quietening my mind and truly being alone with myself. The article suggests activities like meditation, breathing or relaxagtion exercises, being present when you go for a walk, drive home from work or make dinner. The key, Lara suggests, is to slow down, pay attention and listen to the truth inside you.

All sage advice I reckon. I'm going to put a reminder of Lara's suggestions on my fridge, because I know this lovely relaxing weekend will soon end, and the madness of everyday life resume.

Check out extracts from the latest edition of WellBeing Magazine at http://www.wellbeing.com.au/.