The art of extreme self care ~ recommitting to myself

April 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’ve been reflecting over the weekend about my New Year’s resolution to take better care of myself, and boy have I let myself down. People have been telling me all year that I look tired. And I’ve had consistent hayfever, sinus and I’ve picked up every little virus going around.

Simply, I haven’t been looking after myself. I’ve been running on adrenalin, and frankly I’m now running on empty.

Naughty Michelle, bad, bad, bad!

I decided it was time to turn things around and recommit to myself. So it came as no surprise to me that I found Cheryl Richardson‘s book The Art of Extreme Self Care. The book offers you 12 strategies to transform your life one month at a time, and is designed as a practical, action-oriented program, each chapter challenges you to alter one behavior that keeps getting you in trouble.

Michelle Chant & Cheryl Richardson ~ June 2010

I bought the book ~ and cards ~ on Hay House writers’ cruise in the Caribbean in June of 2010. I was lucky enough to meet Cheryl on that cruise, and this lady really does walk her talk.

So over the Easter break I’ve made some changes. Simple changes that won’t send me into a frenzy.

My first change was to have a relaxing bath every night, with candle light and music setting an ambient scene. After soaking and meditating for at least 20 minutes, I’ve been having a nice cup of herbal tea.

I’ve also looked at my health. I started with Dr Sandra Cabot’s liver check. I filled out the online questionnaire and received a personalised detox plan, including a shopping list. So I went out and restocked my fridge and pantry.

I’ve been taking long walks ~ which Trinity loves ~ and I’m making sure I meditate for at least 20 minutes a day.

So watch this space … and tell me, what are your tips for taking care of yourself?

Filed Under: About Michelle, Getting healthy Tagged With: , , ,

Entering the twilight zone ~ recognising when you are lucid dreaming

April 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever become aware that you are dreaming, while you are in the middle of the dream?

As lucid dreams rarely occur accidentally, the way to boost your chances of experiencing one is through a combination of simple exercises, motivation and persistence. Acknowledging your intention to have such a dream also increases its likelihood. A high level of physical or emotional activity during the day has been found to correlate with lucidity at night, although both factors may not always be easy to control.

The best place to begin is to try remembering your dreams. Keep a dream journal on your bedside table and if possible write down all dreams ( with a title and date) as a morning ritual, no matter how short or fragmented they are. If you can’t remember any concrete details, attempt to convey feelings, shapes, colours or sounds.  some people suggest remaining the the same position for a while after waking in the morning will facilitate recollection of a dream from the night before. Whether or not that is effective, going over dreams in your mind before being distracted by the day’s activities will greatly increase the amount retrieved.

A further question is what do do with dreams that are remembered in the middle of the night. Most of us can’t afford to lose substantial amounts of sleep by writing out long dream accounts int he wee small hours. In this case, the best approach is to write down the dream’s key elements plus all remembered dialogue; such exchangs are very unlikely to be remembered in the morning. To avoid waking a sleeping partner, have a torch handy instead of turning on the light.

Maintaining such a dream journal is likely to increase in both the number of remembered dreams and the level of detail recollected. Developing a greater waking familiarity with your recurring dream themes facilitates a jolt of recognition while dreams are in progress, and reading through the journal at bedtime enhances dream awareness just before sleep.

Despite its seemingly bizarre quality, reality testing is another helpful lucid dreaming aid. This involves asking yourself several times a day the question “Am I dreaming?” and testing the answer through reality tests. If this is done habitually, it will eventually be carried over into your dreams and can provide an effective dream self-awareness trigger. The main challenge is to find a way of remembering to do this when getting sidetracked by other tasks.

Reality checks are also useful as means of identifying false awakenings, occasions when the dreamer intially thinks they have woken up but are actually inside a further dream. Sometimes, disconcertingly, several of these can occur in succession, as if the dreams were arranged in layers like a set of Russian dolls.

In case an initial reality check fails to work, it’s useful to have one or two backup tests, for example:

  • Reading some text, taking note of a few words, looking away, then looking back again to see if they have changed at all. If you are dreaming, they will probably have altered, sometimes into symbols instead of letters. Alternatively, try to make them change while looking at them.
  • Look at a clock, take note of the time and look back again. In a dream the time will have changed.
  • Look at your hands. Do they look fuzzy or strange?
  • Look into a mirror. If you can’t recognise the reflection, or if it looks odd, you are obviously dreaming.

Being alert to dreamlike events in waking life enhances the skill of  spotting dream signs – anomalous events or objects in a dream that can be used as a springboard to dream awareness – as does mindful awareness of everyday events. Instead of going through life on autopilot, the challenge is to try to become conscious of every action.

Filed Under: Dreams Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Finding my inner-glow ~ discovering my auric field

March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

From a young age, I’ve always been fascinated by auras. I’ve never been able to see them with the naked eye, but I believe they exist.

An aura can either be seen or felt. Often a psychic can tune into these auras so as to allow contact with the higher regions of the self. It can be ‘light’ that you see around somebody’s head or even just feeling and knowing the mood of someone else.

For example, opening up to share your problems with somebody whom you feel would be able to advise you, would show that you can perceive that they give off a caring aura. Another way to think about it would be as the atmosphere around our bodies.

Many years ago, I discovered that there were cameras that could capture a person’s aura – this really excited me, and I had my photo taken. I remember lots of orange and red being in my aura.

More recently though, I’ve been attending psychic and spiritual fairs so I can talk to people about Soul Coaching, Dreaming Circles and Chakradance, and each time I go, Jann Morgan is there with her aura camera.

My aura in October 2011

Last October I had a photo taken of my aura. It was incredible: lots of yellow and gold surrounding me, with a bit of white coming in from my left side (right side of the picture) with a touch of voilet in it. Green was also coming in through the left, and violet was around my throat area.

Now Jann tells me that the colour on my left side represents the future (so that would be the white, magenta and green) and is normally the vibration coming in to my being.

The colour seen over my head is what I experience for myself at that point in time, and it is the colour that best describes me.

The colour on my the right side is traditionally the energy being expressed. The vibrational frequency most likely seen or felt around me.

The colour on my right-hand side is a little muddy, and thinking back to what was going on in my life at that time, I’m not surprised. If you’re curious check out this post.

All the yellow to me is solar plexus chakra energy. The solar plexus has to do with our masculine energy – our sense of self-worth and self-empowerment. The white and magenta  represent my connection to spirit. And the green coming in to me is about healing, love and forgiveness energy.

Very cool.

So earlier this month, I was at the Queanbeyan Spiritual Fair and my stand was right next to Jann. My enthusiasm for the aura photographs was sending curious people to her.

My aura ~ March 2012

Mid-Sunday afternoon, I decided to have my aura taken again. Six months had passed, and I was curious to learn just how much my aura had changed.

Wow! Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!! I am a rainbow: well almost.

Jann interpreted my aura and told me that spiritual evolution is in store for me. The violet is a mix of blue (unlimited knowledge) and red (activity. Therefore spiritual activity is in my aura. The violet brings unlimited knowledge. And I will encounter the rays of guide energies.

The colours over my head indicate a high degree of sensitive intimacy, in short perfect energy for manifesting!

And on my right side, I am expressing my healing energy.

Our Psychic Energy

Our Aura, is an energy field or it could also be called our life force. An aura can actually take two forms:

  1. Cosmic vibratory energy
  2. Specific aura surrounding each human body

This energy is everywhere in the universe, structuring and being a source of sustenance for all things.

Research has shown that the recognition of human aura dates back to decades ago. An example would be photos of Christian saints who are always shown with a golden halo around their head. This is not only rampantly shown in Christian drawings, but it also can be found in drawings inspired by other faiths, such as the Egyptians, Hindus, Buddhist, etc. Photos in the same context can still be found today.

So next time you see a someone taking pictures of auras, take the plunge!

Filed Under: About Michelle, Awareness Tagged With: , , , ,

Five ways to get a better night’s sleep

March 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

Do you need an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning? Does it take 2 cups of coffee to make you really feel awake? Does it take another cup of coffee to keep you going after lunch? Do you look forward to weekends as the days when you can sleep in?  If the answer to any of these questions is, “Yes,” you probably aren’t getting enough sleep.

We spend somewhere between a quarter to a third of our lives sleeping for a reason: we need it. If you want to get the most out of your waking life, make it your goal to get the most out of your sleep. These are 5 ways to get a better night’s sleep.

Take Sleep Seriously

Most of us don’t take sleep seriously unless we have insomnia. When you realise how profoundly sleep affects your quality of life, you’ll take it as seriously as you take diet and exercise. Next time you’re tempted to stay up late studying, watching TV or catching up on your emails, resist the temptation and go to bed. You’ll be happier, healthier and more productive the next day and that first step towards better sleeping habits will set the stage for a better life.

Establish a Sleeping Pattern

The human body is brilliantly designed to naturally follow the rhythms of nature. When darkness falls, the brain begins to release restful chemicals. Electric lights, TVs and other modern conveniences short-circuit our natural bio-rhythms. While disconnecting the house from the power grid might be overdoing it, putting yourself on a sleep schedule that corresponds with the time you have to wake up for work or school is a realistic way to tell your body when it’s time to sleep.

Most of us require 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night. If you wake up groggy, it’s probably because you’re falling short of sleep needs. Try going to bed a little earlier. Turn off all the lights or if you need a dim light, place it near the ground. This acts like a signal to your body that the sun is setting, while an overhead light, even if dim, tells your body it’s daytime.

Exercise

Regular exercise is important for a variety of reasons, one of them being that exercise raises endorphins’ levels. The “feel good” hormones, endorphins relieve stress and induce relaxation. However, heavy exercise also releases adrenaline, so instead of going to the gym at night, get your exercise in the afternoon. Morning exercise does little to improve sleep, so if a better night’s sleep is your goal, get your exercise in the afternoon or early evening.

Exercises like yoga and pilates are ideal, so find a school near you that holds classes in the afternoon or early evening. Once you’ve learned the techniques, you can set your own schedule and enjoy group classes on weekends.

Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine and Smoking

Most of us know that a cup of coffee is the last thing you should drink before bedtime, but did you know that the caffeine continues to work for up to six hours after you drink a cup of coffee? If you drink an afternoon cuppa at 4pm, it will still be affecting you at 10pm and can make getting to sleep difficult. Alcohol does make you drowsy, but it prevents restful sleep, causing “sleep fragmentation,” a condition in which your brainwave patterns “bounce” from deep sleep to the waking or near waking state repeatedly. Nicotine is a stimulant and that “relaxing last cigarette before bed” habit is just the addiction speaking.

The best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Contact a herbalist near you and find out which herbal tea blends are best for relaxation before bed.

Unwind Before Bedtime

Our lives are so busy, we find it hard to keep up with all the things we have to do. If you spend your evenings catching up on your bills, worrying about something that you put in the back of your mind at work or even watching a suspenseful or violent movie on TV, you’re creating stress at just the time you should be putting the day’s stresses behind you. Make evening a time of relaxation by reading a good book, listening to music, meditating or doing something else that you enjoy. There’s plenty of time tomorrow to face the world and if you wake up refreshed, you’ll see everything in a brighter light and be more productive, too.

Meditation in particular has been shown to be a great way to bring greater balance into life. As little as 20 minutes twice a day is enough to increase endorphin and other “happy” hormone levels.

Filed Under: Getting healthy Tagged With: , , ,

Laughter is the best medicine

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I think I’m perhaps one of the luckiest people in the world. I have a wonderful friend who makes me laugh every time I see her. We used to work together, and not a day would go by in which at some point we would have tears running down our cheeks, and curious faces would be popping their heads over the petitions to see what on earth was going on.

So when was the last time you had a really good laugh?

If you’re havig trouble remembering, close your eyes and think of something funny that happened to you recently or that you might have witnessed.

What happened? You might have even noticed some or even all of the following:

  • your face broke out into a gentle smile
  • your eyes crinkled up as they do when you smile
  • you may have had a warm feeling in your body
  • you may have taken a deep breath at the same time

Check now how you’re feeling … you may actualy be feeling happier!

So here are some tips to bring more laughter into your life:

  • Find other positive, outgoing, happy people to spend your time with
  • Practise smiling ! even when you fake a smile or laugh, your body will automatically feel better
  • Practise smiling at others
  • Yawn and stretch your jaw muscles ~ laughter is a great antidote to grinding your teeth
  • Compile your own personal library of humorous material that always makes you laugh ~ this could include DVDs, books, tapes and even good inspirational cards ~ it will help you change your perspective
  • Join or start a local laughter club
  • Spend time playing with your pets and/or children ~ play is a great way to bring on laughter
  • Discover what makes you happy and keep doing it

 

Filed Under: Awareness Tagged With: , ,

Finding your inner-warrior ~ facing conflict in the workplace

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Many of us are unprepared for managing conflict. It can hurt us personally and diminish our effectiveness at work. It takes courage to handle difficult scenarios.

But it’s not simply about having the courage to speak up or face opposition. Even more challenging is the confrontation it brings with our own selves; we have to confront our own weaknesses as we do so.

This is the true art of the warrior: know know yourself as well as you know the enemy and to have internal strength, not just external power.

Last year, Karen* came to see me because she was suffering anxiety attacks. She was exhausted from dealing with the treatment she was receiving from her new manager at work. This manager’s brief was to cull as many positions as possible, while keeping the organisation running. The manger treated people rudely and coerced them into working long hours under the threat of retrenchment.

I worked with Karen through the Soul Coaching® as she developed the courage to insist on being treated decently. She managed to find a dignity and self-respect, even in the face of outright bullying, as well as earn the respect and admiration of her co-workers. They watched her grow in spiritual stature as she dealt with this manager who, despite having organisational clout, seemed rather small and tawdry in comparison.

Regardless of how well we manage ourselves, other people can still become aggressive or even abusive towards us at times. After an angry encounter of any kind of conflict, it’s important to have some sort of debriefing so we can let go of any debilitating energy we may be holding on to.

Often in an angry encounter, it’s not appropriate to say what we really feel. This might be because we’re talking to a superior or because we’re so angry it would actually be abusive to speak it. Nevertheless, the energy is there and it needs a safe outlet. Depending on what suits you, try the following options to clear the anger from your system. You may need more than one go if it was a particularly difficult encounter:

  1. Write an uncensored letter to the person (that you don’t send!). It takes the form of, “What I really wanted to say to you was … ” Be as rude and offensive as you want. Really go for it. Write until it’s all out. Keep the letter and re-read it a few times until its sting is gone, then destroy it. Burning it can be particularly satisfying.
  2. Get the energy of the anger out be some physical exertion. I know people who go for mammoth jogs, others who use a punching bag and some who hit mattresses and cusions. Make sure it feels physically satisfying. This is not about violence; it’s about the safe expression of strong emotion. It has to have an outlet. It’s best to do it in a way that’s safe for yourself and others.
  3. Use your voice to shout or scream your frustration. This can be a challenge in an urban environment where walls are close together and not particularly soundproof, so try doing it in your car on the freeway. There, no one can hear you scream!

If you’re feeling disheartened, remember we all go through times when our goals seem too difficult or overwhelming. This is when we need to take a break.

Refresh yourself … pace yourself. Inspire yourself by remembering mentors or role models who have gone before. Then go back to the bigger picture. Remind ourself why you’re doing it in the first place.

It takes courage to stay strong. It takes commitment, endurance and robustness to stay working for a difficult cause. yet your own self benefits as you develop such capacities within. You can enjoy cultivating the dignity of your warrior self.

Finally you need perspective. You will lose many battles, but there are lots of battles and lots of fronts to work on. The Eastern teaching of the Tao is relevant here. The Tao  is like water. Water is strong enough to wear away rocks but doesn’t do it by aggressive encounter. It goes under, around and over. Wearing down resistance, making new paths, it gets to the ocean in the end.

~~~~~

* names have been changed
Michelle Chant sees clients from her healing studio in Canberra, Australia or works with clients via Skype

Filed Under: Client stories, Soul Coaching® Tagged With: , , , ,

What will it take to de-clutter your life?

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Just for a moment, take a look around your space.

Do you see piles of newspapers, magazines, files or even bills crying out for your attention?

Are you thoughts full of mental clutter, a running dialogue of things to do?

Rather than start, do you just leave it for another day, another time?

The longer you leave it, the more the piles amass and then the task becomes all too big and arduous – until something happens in your life that triggers a change. De-cluttering your life is one of the most positive and affirming things you can do, so why not do it now?

Sometimes it takes an event to trigger a change. some events can be stressful, even traumatic, such as a death in the family. Other catalysts for change include starting your own business, having a baby, downsizing, moving, or children moving away from home. At other times it gets to the point where you just have to do something about it.

A few years ago, Rachel* underwent a stressful year – her long term relationship ended. Initially Rachel decided to chose to stay in the four bedroom home her and her partner had purchased together. Her main focus was to create an environment of stability for her 10-year old daughter.

Three years later, Rachel came went through the Soul Coaching® program. She said that life had become harder, she had a sense of darkness and heaviness around her. She felt as though something was weighing her down.

Now, you’ll find clutter clearing intrinsically woven into the fabric of the  Soul Coaching® program. We find that by removing the physical clutter from lives, it aids in lessening the mental and emotional clutter in our lives.

Rachel took to this aspect of Soul Coaching® with gusto, and as she began to shift the physical clutter in her life, her internal clutter began to shift as well.

Soul Coaching®  helped Rachel realise she was struggling with the up-keep of such a huge home, so the working single mum decided to downsize.

The benefit was that downsizing would enable her to buy a smaller home, free of a mortgage. This even would signal a new direction for Rachel. The only problem was how to condense the possessions she’d accumulated over a lifetime to fit into a brand-new contemporary two-bedroom apartment.

“Initially, it was really hard, because I’m so sentimental,” recalls Rebecca. “There were so many memories and issues surrounding these things. Also, I couldn’t stop thinking aout all the things people had given to me. The choice was difficult. Which one do I take? Which one do I leave behind? When I was going through this process, I realised I had to make a decision and just do it.

“What helped me get through was coming to the decision that if I had to give thins away, I would give them to people who really needed them. Even though I had this sentimental attachment to things, I do believe in recycling.”

Letting go of possession collected over many years can be difficult, so it’s important to acknowledge a sense of loss when you start to let go. Rachel believed her tendency to hoard things came from being the daughter of parents who had been through the depression.

“My parents never threw anything out,” says Rachel. “They’d say, ‘You might need it or you might be able to use this for something else later.’ But once I started getting ri of the first few items, even though it was really slow and hard and emotional, towards the end it was like, gone!

“Being able to break away from these entrenched values was very liberating.”

After selling her old home and moving into her new space, Rachel felt as though she’d created a new chapter in her life – more time than ever to spend with her daughter and friends.

“When I think back to my old home, the felling I get is that life was harder. I get a sense of darkness and heaviness, as the house needed so much work. I’d . I’d look at my surroundings and my thoughts were constantly filled with ‘things need to be done’.

“Now, I’ve done a complete turnaround. I feel as though I’ve cleansed my mind and body. It was lovely to have a sense of starting afresh: it was like starting out on an adventure. I forced myself to change. By choosing a smaller apartment, I could never, ever go back to clutter. I’ve learnt that I live perfectly wellwith a few things, so why do I need all these other things? All my friends can’t believe I’m now a minimalist.”

Rachel found that once she was able to let go of the things she’d held onto for so long, a new way of life opened up: a simpler, but far more fulfilling life. She began to think lessabout the things that had to be done and more about spending the time to enjoy her new life.

Are there areas in your life worth freeing up? You may find that once you free up space in your life, this may lead to areas you’ve been waiting to explore. Perhaps it could mean taking the trip of a lifetime, writing a new book, starting a new career, or even embarking on a new relationship.

~~~~~

* Names have been changed

Michelle Chant sees clients from her healing studio in Canberra, Australia or works with clients via Skype

Filed Under: Client stories Tagged With: , , ,

Romance and burlesque at the Irish Club, oh my!

February 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Magnifiscense Romance Pack ~ $29.95 ~ Pack contains Romance Mist, Romance Rose Petal Soap 3 Pack & Red Rose Petals

The lovely Ms. Jennine of Avalon Essences and I will be sharing a stall at the Burlesque Bazaar this Sunday at the Irish Club in Weston from 11am.

Come along to 5 hours of burlesque themed market stalls, performances, hour raffles, hair, pin-up photo booth, and make-up demonstrations.  Entry is $5 which gives you 5 Kitka Dollars to redeem at any stall when you spend over $20 in one transaction.

I’ll be showcasing the new range of Magnifiscense Mists, and something a little special for Valentines Day.

Romance is given a head start when you and your loved one are in the moment together leaving the world behind. This luscious blend is the perfect recipe for love and passion. Scatter the rose petals on your bed, generously mist the room and indulge yourselves in a rose petal bath and allow romance to lead the way.

So pop by and say hello to us.

Filed Under: Catch up with Michelle

Chakradance … My Journey ~ by guest blogger Jennine Hubber

January 31, 2012 By 1 Comment

Jennine Hubber of Avalon Essences Wellness

Knowing my love of movement and passion of dance Michelle invited me to her Chakradance workshop. Her invitation was quite intriguing …

“Come JJ we are in a darkened room, lit only by candle-light, we move with our eyes closed, and our attention turned inwards, Chakradance is about making a connection with our inner world – the world of our imagination, feelings, intuition and senses”.

WOW OK when and where I will be there. … I didn’t think it about for a little while and then Michelle reminded me the week of the first workshop so my curiosity started to build, although I love to dance I was a little nervous and quite excited as to what the experience might bring.

It was Magikal –

Truly Mystical and Magikal !!

Yes it was a ‘moving’ experience BUT it also became MY time to completely let go of all my fears and be free.

For me each week was very different and over the weeks I felt like I started to grow from the deep tribal feeling of the Base Chakra dance right through to the Spiritual almost trance like state of the Crown Chakra.  It became a journey, My Journey, I felt like I had wings and that a huge weight had been lifted.

Michelle is very supportive and extremely caring; her passion for this system beams from her and with her energy and Love I am sure you will also find Chakradance a most rewarding journey.

~~~~~~~~~

About Jennine

Jennine is a modern day alchemist. She is the creatrix of Avalon Essences, a range of hand-blended aromatherapy skin care products and perfumes. All of her products are derived from plants, antioxidants, herbs, fragranced oils and essential oils for their therapeutic values; and do not contain harmful ingredients, animal derivatives, harsh detergents or petroleum by-products.

Her own healing journey has also inspired Jennine to help others. Now an UltraLite detox and weight loss practitioner, Jennine works with her clients to assist them in their journey to become healthy.

This modern-day goddess really walks her talk.

Visit Jennine’s websites:

Filed Under: Chakradance, Client stories Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Tap into your intuition

January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

According to experts, everyone has intuition. It’s just that few of us know how to tap into it.

Imagine the power of intuitively knowing you have chosen the right time to buy a new home, or knowing that you need to pick up the phone and call someone you love.

Your intuition is a powerful force, playing an important role in the decisions you make, whether you are conscious of them or not. Whether it’s making new friends, playing sport, understanding your work colleagues, taking care of your children or even driving your car, your intuition can offer profound guidance.

Take these simple steps to tap into your intuition:

Find a place of inner serenity

Practice learning how to still your mind. Remove distractions. Play calming music to lift your spirits. Find a place of inner calm. Learn to let go of your need to think logically and to analyse all situations and events.

Learn to breath deeply

Young children instinctively know how to breathe deeply from their diaphragm. But, as we get older, many people breathe from the chest and their breathing becomes shallow and very rapid. Breathing deeply and exhaling slowly is relaxing and calming. It soothes he psyche.

Trust in yourself

Your inner ruth will come to the fore when you need it most. Be open to the power of the universe and the strength of your intuitive foice. You may feel your intuition as a recurring thought, a picture that flashes before your eyes, a dream, or an innate sense of knowing.

Be creative

Learn to get into your intuitive zone by exploring your creativity. Whether you enjoy singing, dancing, sketching or painting, find your passion. Do what you enjoy and get into that timeless space of inner focus where your creative juices and intuition can flow freely.

Discover your truth

Be aware of each of your senses. Tune into your moods. Practise using your intuition each and every day. Write down your first thoughts on waking. Ask a question of your inner self and wait for the answer to come to you.

Filed Under: Awareness
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