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Slowing Down or Burning Out

December 17, 2013 By Kat

There are messages & lessons to be learned every day. Paying attention & recognising these messages does take skill. Slowing down & listening within, keeping your eyes open & mind present is what is required.

Life has got very busy for me these past few weeks. It’s nearly three months since I went out on my own to start building my Reiki & intuitive healing business. I’m loving it. Every day is different & I’m enjoying the variety. However now my marketing efforts are paying off & my manifestations are becoming a reality my days are filling up fast.

It’s an amazing feeling to actually see my hard work coming alive. The most spiritual path you take is one of action. Successful people didn’t get where they are by sitting around wishing & wanting. They put in the hours & did the work to achieve results. Utilising my background in design to produce my own marketing is awesome. Finally I can use my creativity for my own projects & I am getting results.

The excitement of new client inquiries really fired up my Soul. Especially with first timers I was keen to fit them in ASAP. I love my healing work so much I want to do it at every opportunity. What happened next was a great lesson in sticking to my boundaries, staying slow & not sacrificing my self-love time.

I completely over booked myself. My yoga-teaching schedule was at full capacity & I took on an extra cover. Fitting in healings, tarot reading & Skype sessions took up every spare hour I had. My busyness didn’t affect my energy levels or my sessions. Both were still strong. I was pushing through & enjoying the ride of spending so much time connected to spirit. To ease the pressure I decided to use my day off from yoga for healing too. This day off is supposed to be a ‘day off from everything.’

Big mistake. I needed this day off in the middle of two busy weeks to regroup. Working with energy can be demanding & if you don’t take a break between you can burn out just like any other activity. At the time you don’t realise as your very zen & chilled out from it all. We live a dualistic life, both human & spiritual. There needs to be an even balance. I was so busy letting the spiritual side take over & was neglecting my human side & was risking becoming ungrounded. Just like with weight training it’s a good idea to take time off between sessions to allow the muscles relax & grow.

After ten days straight without a day off I was whacked. I can’t even really remember the afternoon I finally realised I had to stop, it’s a bit fuzzy. My message came to me it was time to slow down in a rather painful way. I got sunburnt.

Having lived in Australia for eight years I am no stranger to the danger of UV rays. My hectic week left me a bit scattered & careless one afternoon. I was attending a teacher’s workshop in an outdoor location. I packed my sunhat and toxic free sunscreen, however I didn’t use the latter. My morning started early & I really was hanging for a coffee. A fellow teacher was also at the studio & she was going to follow me up to the park, as she wasn’t sure where we were meeting. The day was overcast & breezy so I totally dismissed the need for sunscreen. I was also aware I had someone waiting for me. There was just enough time to get coffee & be on time. Busy, busy, rush, rush off I went sans screen big mistake. My saving grace was at least I wore my sun hat!

Needless to say my fair European skin got fried. The breeze of the sea kept things chilly so I didn’t even notice I was burning. Such a rookie mistake. A few hours later I was glowing. I can’t describe how annoyed I was with myself, stupid, stupid mistake.

Of course I needed to look up the metaphysical reasons for a burn. No surprise it is all linked with over committing & pushing too hard. Not knowing when to stop & difficulty saying no. Feeling burned out & tired. Point acknowledged thank you universe for pulling me up. Time to slow down.

It took another two days to honour my appointments then I stopped. Well actually I physically had nothing left so I kind of dropped. My skin was so sore & inflamed it was hard to sleep making it an extra tiring week.

Reflecting back I achieved a lot & grew a great deal in those busy two weeks. However with more stringent planning & time management I could have saved myself hitting exhaustion point. I should never give up my day off either.

Bookings are still rolling in thick & fast but now I just have to tell people they can’t get appointments in the same week. If they value my services they will wait & they are. No more giving away my ‘me’ time. That’s my time to let all my muscles relax & repair.

Love K xx

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©Seren Holistic Lifestyles Blog 2013
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Guest Post from Organika Farm

December 13, 2013 By Kat

I’m super excited to bring to you the grand finale of Food Focus Week. I feel this themed week has been a HUGE success. Thank you to everyone for reading, liking, following & commenting on the posts this week your support is always received with much gratitude.

To wrap up we have a very special guest post from Anika at Organika Farm. Anika is so passionate about living an outdoor & organic life moved her young family 4000km to the other side of Australia to set up an Organic farm. Thank you Anika for sharing such a personal story.

Guest Post by Anika Wulff from Organika Farm:

The hardest days of my life were watching my Mum die of the aggressive and debilitating illness – Motor Neurone Disease. The day she died I crumbled and the longing to have her come back tore my heart apart. But it also brought me a very powerful lesson. My Mum died at 61 – that’s too young. The harsh lesson learned is, life is short – and now is the time to make life happen.

Zac was brought up on a farm in the Western Australian wheat belt. His life on the farm was also cut short. When Zac was 12 his Dad was diagnosed with cancer and died months later. Zac lost his Dad. And he lost his idol. Those 12 years on the farm are deep in Zac’s roots – he’s a farmer’s son and he was born to farm.

Zac and I were living in Perth living the suburban life. Weekend visits to friend’s homes in the country were our favourite way to spend time. Open space, fresh air, nature – all of these brought the best out in all of us. The most obvious case was our two year old son. Darcy is at peace in open-spaces – where he is free to explore, create and destruct.

My Mum dying was the catalyst, it spurred on every emotion, and brought us to heavily assess our lives – it brought us to the decision – let’s ‘have a crack’ – let’s become Australian Certified Organic farmers. What an amazing opportunity and what a courageous decision. The positive impact it has had on our family’s life is heart-warming and brings a tear to my eye.

Zac wanted to be a farmer. And farming organically was the option for us – due to our shared passion of organic farming and organic food. Our obsession with organic has been a gradual progression – neither of us were brought up eating organically and Zac, well he was brought up in the conventional farming world.

Organic produce provides people with what they need – a quality food that is nutrient dense, full of flavour and free from chemicals.

I have an instinctive aversion to the use of chemicals in farming. The pesticides we use against insects, worms, and microorganisms are poisons – they are designed to kill the pest. This cannot be good for human health. Since moving to a farming area, I have seen crops sprayed regularly, and in some areas there are permanent signs warning of chemical spray use.

Research points the finger at chemicals – highlighting the ill effects – most notably the links between neurological disease and some cancers. We have had workers on our farm comment that they do not go home feeling unwell with headaches and rashes, unlike while working on the local conventional farms. Statistics and research aside, my gut tells me – chemicals on our food are not a good idea. And your gut is like your second brain – so worth listening to.

Choosing to buy organic can be a big step for some. It means overcoming existing stigmas, and really assessing the value and importance of organic food on a personal level. My suggestion is, if you care about your health, then it is time to go organic! Our world is full of toxins – in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. Choosing to eat organic food is a logical way to decrease the toxic load on the body. And it’s highly, highly recommended for pregnant woman, babies and small children.

There is the common notion and therefore deterrent with many people that organic food costs more and is too expensive. Never fear, I am here to tell you – that is not always the case. I have on numerous occasions spotted organic produce for cheaper than the conventional. Some recent examples are – mangoes, olive oil, avocados, chicken wings and milk. And there are many items that sit only marginally higher than the conventional counter-part. Some examples are brown rice, yogurt and oranges. All of these examples I found at Woolworths.

There are ways of keeping your grocery bill down. One of those is to buy direct off the farmer. You can buy whole/ half beasts/ lambs (not the best mental image) for much cheaper. Great option if you have a freezer. Also going direct to the farmer you can buy in bulk. Farmers markets always have cheaper options – and if you are lucky enough you might meet the lovely person who grew your food. Woolworths and Coles are really stepping it up. And if you keep buying organic they will keep increasing their range. Speciality stores like your smaller grocers are really good for one-off buys. I often find a good deal and stock up.

There is a lot I can say on organic food and farming. It is my passion. But the take home message is, if you are keen on improving your health and are looking for an easy and effective way to decrease the toxic load on the body – then start implementing organic food today. And like I always say, you can make changes and you can improve your health – one step at a time.

Check out Anika’s blog Organika Farm & please share the love by liking the Organika FB page too xx

No Excuses Organic

December 12, 2013 By Kat

Over the past year supermarkets in Australia have really started to get on board with the Organic food movement. I feel Australia has been so far behind other Western countries like the USA in this area for too long. Finally it is becoming so much easier to eat organic without having to go searching too far a field.

What is all the fuss about Organic produce anyway? Organic certified products have been produced without the use of any chemicals. These chemicals are not only harmful to our bodies but also to the environment. The wash off from fields doused in chemicals runs off into rivers that supply our drinking water leading to other problems. Organic products are farmed using sustainable farming methods as well. Many reasons to get with Organic.

Eating from the earth with minimal use of mass produced packaged food is the ideal & best way to eat. Personally I try the best I can to eat this way. Let’s be realistic though & I’m a realistic person. Sometimes I am so dog-tired, time starved & hungry I find that I do need to grab something quick & easy to eat. Take away food is just not an option for me even if I did live near such outlets. I’m very lucky to own a Thermomix that can whip up a quick meal from scratch with a few basic ingredients. There are days though when I’m down to scouring the pantry when the fridge is looking sparse & seeing what I can throw into Thermy. This usually involves pasta, tofu or quinoa.

Packaged & canned food has a lot of down points in being high processed. However they do save us time when needed & I feel there is still a need for such food products. This is where Organic ranges come in. If you have to buy packaged & processed then we should at least go Organic to minimise some of the downsides. Buying organic means there won’t be any hidden nasties or chemicals used in their production.

Woolworths supermarkets have so many certified Organic products on their shelves now. Just six months ago there were a few things in the ‘Marco’ section. Now their own brand Organic can be found on every shelf right by the regular products. Pasta, sauces, flour, butter, yoghurt, maple syrup, jam, rice, nuts, cheese, tofu, canned veg, coconut oil & water the list goes on. Pretty much everything I would eat from a packet (which isn’t that much) I can now buy Organic.

The Woolworths Organic branding is pretty simple & easily recognised. Just look for the purple band. There are other Organic brands too. Make sure you look for the Organic stamp of approval either from Australian ACO, the USDA or your own countries Organic authority.

What about the price though? Yes Organic products in the past have been more on the expensive side agreed. However in Woolworths they aren’t that much more expensive, less than a dollar more. It’s all about keeping an eye out for specials, just like I would with regular products. Eating in season is a must for fresh vegetables & fruit. The other day Organic Kale was cheaper than regular Kale. If non-perishables like canned Organic chickpeas are on offer or rice I stock up & buy in bulk. Personally I prefer to cut back on other things in life to allow a few extra dollars to eat fresh & organic. It just takes planning. Think how much you can spend on a takeaway. A lot more than say an Organic bag of pasta & sauce.

You can easily whip up something quick & easy from the Woolworths Organic range. No excuses. Keep an eye out when you next shop to see what is on offer.

Love K xx

Eating Light

December 10, 2013 By Kat

Food Focus week kicked off yesterday. Those who follow my blog regularly will know I like to delve into the metaphysical realm. Just because I’m focusing on food this week doesn’t mean it can’t be spiritual as well!

I’m a huge advocate for keeping balance through all four of our bodies: physical, mental, emotional & spiritual. If one is out of whack it will have a knock on effect to the other bodies. Food & nutrition can play a part here & throw our bodies into imbalance.

Everything in our universe is made up of energy. This energy can be measure in vibrational frequency. High vibration energy feels good; it flows & it is happy. That is why people on a conscious living path strive to raise their vibration because it brings us closer to the divine state – love & happiness.

Food is no exception. Different foods have varying vibrations. Higher vibrational foods come straight from the earth. Organic fresh produce is really the highest & best vibrational food you can eat. This is because to be certified organic no harmful, artificial chemicals can be used in its production. Food is our fuel it is also our medicine. The well known saying “we are what we eat” could not be more true.

We can heal our bodies from some pretty serious disease through balanced nutrition. Of course these programs are predominantly plant based. Eating straight from the earth means foods can retain it’s vibrational value. We are literally ingesting a part of mother earth. If fresh produce is put through processing & packaging methods the vibration is lowered. For packaged foods to have a longer shelf life some sort of preservatives have to be added. Again this will cause a vibrational decrease. The closest a food is to it’s natural form = high vibration.

It’s a no brainer to mention foods packed with processed sugar & alcohol are toxic to our systems. Anything that can dramatically alter our mind state, think sugar highs, does not say ‘balance’ to me. When a sugar craving kicks in there is an emotional reason there & it also means your low on the vital universal life force energy. If you eat high vibrational food, exercise & drink lots of water you will go through your day feeling balanced. There won’t be a need for quick pick me up’s as you’ll always be topped up on the right foods. I’m talking 100% from my own experience here. Feeling tired? Have a green smoothie!

I choose to eat a vegetarian diet as it suits my body & my lifestyle. I first gave up eating meat in my late teens. I will admit I was a bit of a rubbish vegetarian back then. The supermarkets in the UK stock a wide variety of processed vegetarian foods. It was far too easy to eat out of a packet with no fresh produce in sight.

When I first moved to Australia I did return to being an omnivore for a few years. Looking back now I was always bloated, my weight yo-yoed & my digestive system never seemed to be happy. Going back to being a vego I’ve experienced none of the above. Being older, wiser & more educated 🙂 I’ve got vegetarian cooking down pat now. Why buy packaged veggie lasagne when you can make your own straight from the garden.

My decision to return back to vegetarianism was also for energetic reasons. I believe when an animal is slaughtered for human consumption, no matter how humanly, it will still experience pain. This pain will then be held in the animals flesh on an energetic level. When we eat an animal product we ingest this pain into our systems. This can dull our vibration as our bodies take on this pain. Some people might not care too much about this. For my line of work I do. To be the clearest channel I can be for my healing clients I owe it to them & more importantly myself to have a clean energy field.

Another tip I’d like to share with you that may well be totally ‘woo woo’ to some so feel free to skip to the end is energy can be exchanged through the preparation of food too. How good does a home cooked meal taste that has been made with love? Good hey? The food has been infused with love & pure intentions that results in a lovely, tasty meal. We then eat the food, it tastes good & we feel good, as we’ve been passed on love through the food.

What is the person preparing the food is not happy, feeling down, angry & not in a good place? The opposite will occur. Their negative energy will be all over that plate of food & who ever eats it will take that on. This I feel may happen when you eat out at places where you don’t know who is in the kitchen. Is food poisoning to blame for upset stomachs? Probably but if two people have the same dish & only one gets sick what then? My take is the person who got sick may well be more sensitive to the dense energies that were in the food. Just something to think about…. (Warned you I would get woo woo!)

Don’t fret there is action you can take here & it’s really easy. By simply holding your hands over the plate of food (or drinks) you can charge it up using your own energy. I say a mantra as well when I do this I call upon my guides ‘to cleanse & bless this food with white light, please allow it to nourish me inside & out, thank you.’ It’s all in the intention to clear any dense energy away. You don’t have to use your hands, use your eyes or simply hold the intention in your mind before you hoe in.

I’ll leave you there with some energetic food for thought. Drink lots of clean, fresh water. Eat straight from the ground if possible. Most importantly enjoy your food, look after your bodies & be the best you can be.

Love K xx

p.s. For more information on this subject I highly recommend this book: Eating in the Light by Doreen Virtue.

Photo courtesy of Ash’s veggie garden 🙂

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