For those of you that know, I am a certified Louise Hay Practitioner. Louise started "You can HEAL your LIFE" and so much more. She is world renown and I would say the GURU of Self Affirmation and linking emotions to illness.

Affirmations help us overcome fears, change thinking habits and change the beliefs we have that limit us in our endeavours. These can be small or big. I used affirmations all day long when our Architect walked off our construction site almost three years ago, leaving us with nowhere to live, rain and snow coming into our house and a construction site riddled with errors. 

One of the 3 principles of a Sophrology practice is to explore things with curiosity and wonder. Some exercises have us focus the curiosity on our body, experiencing our body for the first time. Other exercises have us explore and experience gravity for the first time, or our emotions. 

The practice of curiosity, when we are in a meditative state, enables us to go deeper into our understanding of who we are and how we interact within our own mind; our bodies and how we relate these to the outside world. It also gives our mind and nervous system a REST from the stress of always being switched on - the opportunity for us to explore in a safe environment.

When I took this photograph along the Coogee to Bondi walk in Sydney Australia I was curious as to why someone put this sticker on this rail, at the particular place that it was. I was in a curiose mode as I observed the surfers out at sea along this particular coastline. Curious as to why someone would surf where sharks are known to frequent. We tried surfing a week earlier and when we were finished our lesson the shark sighting sign went up on the beach! That was likely the last time I will surf on Manly beach! So why are all these people out there, surfing in these waters? Is it the adrenal rush, do they think about the sharks? Or are the waves too perfect and the risk seemingly small? I then thought about what risks that I take in my life in order to enjoy the outdoors and engage my body - mind - spirit in challenging physical ventures.

I had the pleasure to join some women last week on what I call a “back-to-rhythm” hike. It was a group of moms that I know through various friends and it was a quick little jaunt up and down La Dôle. A morning out to signal to our mind and body that the school year had begun again and it was time for us moms to get back to more of a rhythm.

This group was of course a group of expat women, some have been here for a long time, others not so long. We managed to cover many topics, and several in depth, as one does when you live this sort of transient life. We were quick to get to the good stuff in a conversation rather than stay on the surface. In this lifestyle we are never certain how long our friends will be living in the area so we make the most of every conversation.




GIVING BACK TO MY COMMUNITY
trulyBalance supports ESCA at the 2014 Dragon Boat Races

 

A few weekends ago I took part in the Arc`teryx Chamonix experience. I signed up for Introduction to Glacier safety and hiking on day one. I did not realize at the time that I was going to have to climb down a succession of rather long ladders (250m worth to be exact) that are bolted to a shear rock face. 

You must also move from one ladder to the next on a rocky lip that is not as wide as a boot, or barely. There are rails to clip to as you move along to the next ladder. Going down I seemed quite fine, even though being a past sufferer of vertigo. I did belay the first two ladders but then felt fine and went the rest of way ropeless. On our return, after a day on the glacier and trying out various techniques for scaling ice walls above a glacial river, we had to ascend these ladders. This is when my mind went a little wobbly. 

 

Last week we had world “Happiness” day, which coincided with the first day of Spring. Spring is a time of new beginnings and it would be a new beginning if the world was truly happy. In my Reiki training I have experienced Shamanism, as my Reiki teacher is also a Shaman. In Shamanism they believe that the energy from out thoughts impacts a web of energy that surrounds earth (I am really simplifying this). The belief is that we all impact the state of world happiness and peace.

So what makes people happy? There are several list floating around on what makes people happy. I think this is personal for most of us. Over the next few blogs I will touch on as many of these “happiness lists” that I can. I will start with my personal favorites. These are attitudes and actions that have helped me be able to keep a positive spin on most experiences that have come my way.