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The first month of our first year in our brand spanking new decade got off to a pretty slow start for the majority of us. One could have whinged that mother nature was forcing us into hibernation. However, now that the snow seems to have melted here are some ideas to finally help you get the new decade off to a good start.

Spring clean and green your finances!

For a lot of us being green starts with basic things like buying organic food, shopping locally, watching our energy consumption etc but there is often one ‘green vote’ that gets overlooked - where we bank and save our money. Green minded friends that I have spoken to on this subject have often said the reason they haven’t changed banks is that there is too much paperwork involved and it’s too much hassle - and they are not alone - statistics show that one is more likely to get a divorce than switch banks.

I have to hang my head in shame and admit that until last year I was one of these reluctant converts until, whilst researching for another article, I stumbled upon a feature about my then bank Barclays being involved in scurrilous investments in Iceland. I had, as many others I know, been banking with Barclays since university when I found out, according to Friends of the Earth, that Barclays is “helping to arrange a $400 million loan to an Icelandic power company to construct the countries biggest hydropower project in the Iceland Central Highlands, the second largest remaining wilderness area in Europe. This is in apparent breach of the banks own green project finance principles and for the primary purpose of providing cheap electricity for a new smelter for aluminum producer Alcoa.”

I was outraged that my money could possibly fund such a project and even more outraged when I looked deeper and discovered research by London NGO ‘War On Want’ in their report 'Banking on Bloodshed: UK high street banks' complicity in the arms trade'. The document details how most major high street banks, including Barclays, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Lloyds or Royal Bank of Scotland are still involved in financing the sale of arms and production of arms across the world.

Perhaps I’ve just named and shamed your bank and you’re as outraged as I was and want to do something about it – well fear not – there are banks out there with ethics… In a list of the most ethical banks a lot of building societies fair very well, and the Cooperative Bank scores very highly. And for those of you in a position to save then you have to seriously consider opening an ISA with trailblazing financial institution Triodos. Triodos can claim to be the world’s most sustainable bank. Not only did the bank just win the Financial Times Sustainable Bank of the Year Award in 2009, it offers a pioneering banking model and the inspiration for a genuinely sustainable financial future. The bank only lends money and invests in organisations that benefit people and the environment to work for positive social, environmental and cultural change. It also states that it is ‘crisis-resistant and genuinely transparent.’ The bank offers a comprehensive range of banking services for social businesses, charities and groups along with a range of savings accounts for individuals.

And having just been through this process of changing banks myself I can assure you that it is not a difficult process, my switch from Barclays to Nationwide was seamless as Nationwide changed all my direct debits and standing orders to my new account without me having to lift a finger. And I am not alone, recently a Which? survey found that 95 per cent of people who switched banks did so with little or no difficulty. So really if you haven’t already changing to a more ethical bank it’s not too late to make a new year’s resolution. At least this, once done, will be easier than most to stick to.

For a list of ethical banks visit?:
www.ethicalconsumer.org

For more information about Triodos bank visit
www.triodos.co.uk

Snuggle up to a film with a difference

New age festivals have often been the butt of many a film director’s joke in the past, but a documentary from British directors Robert Cannan and Corinna McFarlane manages to present a quite objective glimpse into what one really could expect should they sign themselves up to a Swedish camping holiday with a difference. It charts the rites of passage of attendees at Sweden’s No Mind festival filled with chanting, tree hugging, fire walks, energy work and tantric sex…

3 Miles North of Molkom focuses on the ups and downs of a small group of festival goers with the usual characters thrown into the maelstrom, the alpha males, the damaged-goods female, the airy fairy ethereals, and the rugby playing Aussie sceptic who didn’t know what he was signing up to. The film’s craft, allowing the participants to narrate without directorial voiceover, is that is manages to walk the tightrope between a parody and earnest inquiry to leave the viewer with an overview of what it is like to fully immerse oneself in several weeks of communal living out in the wild.

Having said that, the film also contains a shocking scene that definitely left me feeling quite disturbed. A muscular man is teaching the group how to protect themselves by the calling in of energies. The teacher then tells them that they can demonstrate how effective this is by using their energy to deflect him as he charges at them. He first chooses a small and emotionally fraught middle-aged French lady. She is flanked by two of his assistants who are supposed to support her energy deflection. He then runs at her with all the energy of a stampeding buffalo that has just sat on a cactus and failing to deflect his energy she is knocked flying into the ground. Instead of then getting up off the floor and attending to her, he writhes around on the floor like some kind of possessed evangelist. When he finally gets up, instead of attending to the injured woman, he turns to berate the two assistants for not correctly holding the energy. My partner who was also watching turned to me in disbelief and said: “Oh my god! He just assaulted that old lady”. It really was shocking and not very pleasant to watch at all, and shows how some so called therapies can become too extreme.

Having said that, by the end of the film all is forgotten and the participants return to their (relatively) normal lives somewhat enlightened by the whole experience. It’s definitely an eye opener of a film and one to watch and on DVD now…

Readers offer: To claim your £2 off Three Miles North of Molkom DVD order your copy from Moviemail. Visit - www.moviemail-online.co.uk - and use the promotional code: MOLKOM

For Telephone orders call 0844 776 0900 and quote ‘Molkom’

East London gets into the groove

Kingsley Hall Community Centre in Bromley-by-Bow is to host a Mind Body Spirit festival on 6th February to awaken sleepy east Londoners from their winter slumbers. The day kicks off at 2pm with a walk to learn about the history of the area led by local young people.

At 3pm back in the main hall the festival gets underway with a plethora of interesting and enlightening activities. You can get a sensual massage, have your tarot read, visit the eco stalls, listen to inspiring talks, learn how to cook a tasty nourishing meal at the healthy meal demo, boogie on down to the African dance and drumming workshop and bliss out with meditation in Mahatma Gandhi's cell - where he stayed for 12 weeks on his famous visit to London in 1931 - before ending the day with a nutritious meal on offer at low cost.

Cost: £5 - £1 or free to those that can't afford to pay.
Venue: Kingsley Hall Community Centre, Powis Road London E3 3HJ
Contacts: Beatrice Nicholson, 07501 468193

Previous Food for Thought Articles

Ethnobotany short course at Schumacher College

Set in the stunning county of Devon on the rolling hills of the Dartington Estate the Schumacher College is one of the UKs most esteemed environmental academic establishments. As well as offering post graduate courses they also aim to entice the general public to come and learn with a variety of short courses on a plethora of different subjects. The course that I went to sample was a week long residential course in Ethnobotany. For those of you not in the know, Ethnobotany is the study of the scientific relationship that exists between people and plants.

Arriving at the college for the first time I was struck by the stillness and serenity of the building and its grounds and of the warm welcome into the community I received. The course aims to fully integrate you into Schumacher life which means fully immersing yourself in their communal way of living. I occasionally helped to feed hungry students with their inspired chef Wayne’s selection of vegetarian delights. Whilst we prepared vegetables Wayne taught us about radical amazement and waste reduction. We also helped with all manner of tasks from cleaning communal spaces to meditation break outs and weeding in the kitchen gardens, all done to help you fully assimilate into college life.

My fifteen fellow students on the course soon found ourselves engrossed in a number of lectures and practical activities by world renowned teachers Erin Smith, Simon Mills Nancy Turner and James Wong who each gave us their own take and insights into ethnobotany.

I can barely scratch the surface of the course content in these column inches but I assure you I could write essays. Some of the highlights included learning to identify local plants which can be used for medicinal purposes, making our own tinctures, creams, vinegars, decoctions and lotions; learning about how different cultures have embraced plants as healers; herbalist plant uses; learning how to heal using food and wild foraging walks.

In the evenings there were optional lectures or social soirées all of which added greatly to the learning experience and made making friends with the other course attendees a breeze. The friends that I made at the college in both the students, staff and teachers have all remained in touch and after my week I left feeling enlightened and uplifted.

The college run all manner of courses taking in a wide spectrum of topics. Upcoming highlights include baking for a new food culture, the economics of happiness and green design to name but a few. For more information about the Schumacher College and its courses visit www.schumachercollege.org.uk

Five Element Acupuncture

For a number of years the west has looked to eastern esoteric practices for spiritual enlightenment whilst probably secretly holding western medicine as the trump card in the pointlessly egotistical ‘battle for world supremacy’. So it comes as no surprise to learn that when acupuncture was brought to the united kingdom in the early seventies any elements of spirituality were stripped from the structure so that it could be presented as a scientific medical system in its own right without sceptics savaging its benefits on the grounds that no medical treatments should involve matters of the soul. Body was considered one thing, mind another and spirit an altogether and separate matter as far as western doctrine was concerned. However the more enlightened amongst us know that when we are ill, sad or depressed or things generally are not well in our world that we need to treat ourselves on all three levels.

So it was fascinating to be treated by and to talk with Michael Arnold who practices a lesser known form of acupuncture called Five Element Acupuncture. This practice adheres to the same premise as acupuncture to restore the flow of Chi through the body by stimulating precise points along the body’s meridians – the internal pathways that carry chi around the body, but also incorporates the spiritual diagnosis of the five element system.

Michael explains: “"The Five Elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water are the five basic movements of energy that govern all life. In us the elements manifest as physical organs such as the heart and lungs, as mental processes such as decision making, and as spiritual necessities such as hope and inspiration. Five Element Acupuncture works on the principle that we all have a weakness or "causative factor" in one of these Five Elements. The aim of treatment is to find out which element this is for you and then to strengthen it using corresponding acupuncture points. Once the cause of the imbalance is addressed, health and harmony can return to the body, mind and spirit"

The Five Element Acupuncture system was bought to the UK by Prof. J.R. Worsley who along with his wife Judy Worsley founded the Worsley Institute of Classical Five Element Acupuncture over 50 years ago. Michael who was trained by Nora Franglen and then by Judy Worsley, learnt the system taught to Professor Worsley in Taiwan, Singapore and Korea (at the time it was not possible to study in China for political reasons) which is rooted in the ancient wisdom of Five Element Acupuncture.

The institute explains: “They (the elements) do not refer to physical elements alone, but to the flow of life giving energy throughout the creation. The restoration of balance in the flow of this energy within a person can help them overcome disease, even those apparently fixed in disturbances of physical matter. For a system of medicine to utilise the enormous strength of the human spirit, it must operate at a level deeper than physicality alone. Yet it must also influence the physical body in a very positive way. Classical Five-Element Acupuncture addresses the needs of the Body-Mind-Spirit as a whole.”

My treatment with Michael involved both a long consultation to ascertain where I was at emotionally, spiritually and physically as well as the actual acupuncture treatment itself which commenced with a diagnostic test to see how my meridians were flowing and followed with more treatments to restore balance within my system.

I felt an immediate effect of the first treatment both physically in that I felt lighter and full of energy but also on a mental level in that I felt more clarity and focus. I can’t wait to go back for more sessions based on this first experience, as acupuncturists will tell you it is important with acupuncture to have a course of the treatment in order to reap the full benefits and to completely restore harmony and balance to my whole!

Michael Works from his practice in Primrose Hill, North London. For more information visit www.michaelarnoldacupuncture.com Or Call 07930 371 103 or email info@michaelarnoldacupuncture.com

Hypnotherapy with Kate Surgey

“If there was one thing I could change about you that would be it.” Those words spoken by my darling boyfriend, initially got me saddled firmly on my high horse. “Well I wouldn’t change anything about you – I love you just the way you are” was my offended retort. But the more I thought about it the more I realised that actually his habit of biting his nails was pretty irritating and so was his penchant for scattering well worn socks in just about any room in our flat, oh and the wet towels on the floor and the empty bottles back in the cupboard, actually I could go on… But it got me thinking, was it really wrong to try to change an annoying habit in someone? Was he so wrong to want me to change? I decided to embrace it – after all I could see his point that constantly pulling at the skin on my lips was pretty off putting. So when I got in contact with Spiritual Councellor Kate Surgey my initial reaction was to look at how hypnotherapy could help me overcome this lifelong bad habit of lip picking.

I had never been hypnotized before and I was teetering between being totally open and slightly sceptical, maybe it worked on some people but it wouldn’t work on me was my first thought, but I was interested to give it a try. So as I sat there with Kate’s soft voice lulling me to a deep place of relaxation I was sure that I still wasn’t hypnotized. I have to say that it was with both shock and awe that I realised that my subconscious mind was listening. Kate asked for a sign that my subconscious mind could hear her and a bolt of energy rushed down to my little finger on my right hand and almost like a reflex action it flicked up in the air. From that moment on I knew that I was hypnotized which is an odd thing to say as I was both conscious of what was happening and hypnotized at the same time, but apparently that is quite normal.

Kate then established a safe place for me to go in my trance, and we set about getting to the bottom of the lip picking phenomenon. We went back to the moment when my father had left the family when I was a child and how much hurt and upset that had caused me and my subconscious explained that I brought my arm up to my face to cover my heart chakra as I was fearful of being abandoned and hurt. Kate encouraged me to go back to this scene with the perspective of an adult to bring healing and understanding to this moment and I felt that a great weight had lifted from my shoulders and that I had my safe place that I knew I could go back to whenever I needed.

After coming back to consciousness since the session, although I haven’t totally stopped my horrible habit (much to my partners dismay) I am at least now conscious of it – whereas before I could honestly say I didn’t even notice that I was doing it. So it’s a massive step in the right direction and with a couple more sessions I imagine there would be more improvements.

Kate and I shared an instant connection and I felt completely at ease letting her delve deep into the unchartered waters of my subconscious psyche through hypnotism. Kate also offers a myriad of alternative therapies from her serene therapy space in southwest London including past life regression, NLP, life coaching, interventions, energy work and soul contract work to name but a few strings to her bow. I look forward to working with Kate again on both the lip picking issue (so does my long suffering partner!) as well as involving myself in the numerous other elements of her work that fascinate me - and I encourage you to take a look too.

For more information spiritualcounselling.co.uk Or contact Kate Surgey on Mobile: 07779638858 Office tel: 020 8355 0426, or email: katesurgey@hotmail.com

Coaching Green Style

There can’t be a single person out there who doesn’t feel invigorated, calmed and inspired by a walk in the park and for those of us who live in cities these green oases represent the last bastion in the face of the ever encroaching and enlarging concrete jungles around us. One therapist has decided to tap into this green energy to bring a deeper meaning and power to her work through a process entitled Green Space Coaching.

Karen Liebenguth studied linguistics before becoming a master practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) as well as studying hypnosis and generative trance. Karen says of herself that she has a deep connection with nature which led her to develop a strong interesting in Eco therapy, a therapy where one looks at their connection with nature and how they are part of it. Karen explains: “Bringing us back to nature is retuning to our source, to our place of origin, a great place of wisdom, tenderness, passion and creativity. It’s a powerful way to regain new ways of thinking insight and ideas.”

Karen works in various green spaces so to experience the therapy for myself I met Karen in Finsbury Park one delightfully sunny evening. Perhaps it was because I was more attuned to thinking about my feelings I felt that as soon as I entered the park my mood lifted, my chatter slowed and my mind sharpened. Karen explained that this focusing of the mind whilst walking through green space was what she tapped into in order to get the best results when coaching clients. As we walked through dappled shade, the wind tinkling the leaves on the trees overhead we talked about life love and everything. I felt instantly at ease with Karen and she honed in on various issues I spoke about and got me thinking about solutions until I felt I had a route forward with something that had previously seemed a dead end. I left the session feeling quietly positive, that someone had helped ease out the keys to my problems from within in a manner that had been totally painless. Now all I had to do was to put them into practice. Some of the suggestions we arrived at I’ve since implemented and have had a good result so I would definitely say the session was worthwhile. Karen mostly works with clients who feel stuck in their lives or who feel unsettled, restless and anxious and also those who have run out of ideas, inspiration and creativity. I expect my petty skirmishes were pretty paltry compared to some of the issues she aids people with but none the less she helped me find solution to these problems.

Karen works across London’s parks, in private gardens or in the countryside as well as holding group works such as guided mediation walks and creative problem solving workshops. There are two such workshops in August and September: 2 Aug & 5 Sept Guided Meditation Walk, 16 Aug & 27 Sept Creative Problem Solving Workshop. For more information please visit http://www.karenliebenguth.com/ or call Karen on 07815 591279 or email Karen@karenliebenguth.com

Hemp for Victory!

Most people have probably heard the slogan embraced by the US government during the Second World War “Hemp for Victory” but few of us have probably considered what relevance that slogan has for us in this current day and age. Both myself and a company championing hemp within the UK believe that hemp contains the seeds of our salvation for the future of planet earth.

Amaru is a green, ethical business that has a new vision for hemp as a community-based resource whose main focus is to support communities and local farmers with growing hempseed, processing and manufacturing. It also has its own brand of hemp food products which are distributed locally and regionally, which hemp growers can contribute to which massively reduces the carbon costs and creates an income for farmers.

Amaru’s Managing Director, Rebekah Bloom explains: “Because there is no infrastructure, or corporation controlling hemp we are in the unique position to utilize the benefits that have a direct positive impact environmentally, socially and economically directly back into the local community. We are creating local manufacture and distribution system for hemp products, that is a net absorber of carbon, and empowers communities to become self-sufficient. As the movement grows there will be enough investment to research using hemp for paper, bio-ethanol and plastics.” To understand why this is such an important crop that should be embraced we need to look at the facts. Hemp only has a three month cycle, between May and September in the Northern Hemisphere, growing 12-15 feet tall making it one of the fastest natural carbon absorbers. Its short growing time also enables farmers to grow food during the rest of the year. The roots of hemp sink deep into the soil, sucking nutrients up from below, enriching depleted soils, and binding and protecting against soil erosion and nutrient run-off. It needs no pesticides or herbicides, uses minimal water compared to other crops, such as cotton, and only requires nitrogen fertilizer, which can be sourced naturally. The heath benefits of hemp are also astounding. It is the most complete and balanced single source of nutrition found in nature - with every known Essential Fatty Acid, Amino Acid, and Omega Oil, including Omega’s 3,6 and 9 in the ideal ratios for human dietary requirements. Hemp seed is also high in easily digestible globular proteins, known to help maintain a healthy immune system, GLA, and a range of key vitamins and minerals.

The fibre of hemp is also infinitely versatile and can be used to make cloth and rope as well as being used as a fibre for the animal bedding, automobile and construction industries.

If the world is to become a greener place then surely one of the keys to our future is taking a closer look at the materials that we use whenever we consume or purchase anything and hemp seems to have a lot of the answers, if only it could be embraced by the UK industries. Hopefully Amaru’s work will give hemp a helping hand and help it on its way to victory for the planet once more.

To find out more, or if you want to get involved please contact Managing Director: Rebekah Bloom - rebekah@amaru.com

Meeting without Masks

Are you searching for that special someone in your life but haven’t found the right person yet. Well how about Naked Dating ? Now before you baulk at the idea, no you don’t have to take your clothes off, the nakedness comes from within!

Jan Day’s ‘Meeting without masks’ dating day is all about being able to be yourself and meet like minded people in a safe environment that also aims to teach people the vital tools to create meaningful relationships in their lives whether you meet your soul mate there or not. Jan explains: “You’ll get the chance to meet a lot of different people in guided experiences, followed by the opportunity to chat over gorgeous food, there will be dancing, there will be laughing and tenderness, there will be aliveness and a lot of fun”.

The day has equal amount of men and women attending so no one will be outnumbered or left out and the whole day is set up to make you feel relaxed and open.

The day is for singles only, however if you are already in a relationship and want to experience richer relationships and deeper intimacy you could attend Jan’s other workshop ‘Living Tantra’. This course is also open to singles and is a seven day residential workshop which includes guided meditations, explorations in small groups and sharing circles. You will also be introduced to ritual and ceremony as well as breath work and tapping into the body’s natural sources of energy. Jan explains: “The workshop will focus on the way that we love, relate and express our sexuality as man or woman. It aims to open participants to a deeper yes to all that they are.”

For more information on either courses visit www.janday.com or call 020 8123 9831

The Nia Technique

Somewhere between five rhythms, martial arts and modern dance nestles the Nia Technique and my introduction with Dorit Noble and Evi Patsia this month left me skipping with ecstatic energy.

Nia, according to the foundations website is a “movement-medicine for the body and soul”. It blends nine movement forms, three from martial arts; including T’ai Chi, Tae Kwon Do and Aikido, three from dance arts; Jazz Dance, Modern Dance and Duncan Dance and finally three movement forms from healing arts of Yoga, Alexander Technique and the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais.

That sounds like a lot to take in but in reality the class is a lot less daunting. My earlier description of Nia as being similar to the Five Rhythms class is apt in the sense that both techniques aim to bring the body, mind emotions and spirit together through the use of movement and music. Parts of the class are choreographed so you follow the teachers movement but pupils are encouraged to find their own rhythm and there is no need to strictly adhere to the moves, you are coaxed to find your own rhythm through listening to the voice of your body.

Each class is given a focus and the week that I arrived the focus was with the shoulder blades as they bring freedom to your arms and power to your hands. There was a lot of dance that involved movements coming from this often overlooked area. I journeyed dancing through classical music, tribal drums, electronic dance and psychedelic funk and at certain stages I certainly felt lost in the rhythm and the music – something that is pretty hard to find outside of a nightclub and I for one have put my raving days behind me now.

What I loved about the class is it revived in me that kind of excitement and ecstasy that I used to get standing inches from the base spin and dancing as if my life depended on it. Little did I know the same feeling is achievable through Nia and has the added benefit of coming without the tinnitus ringing in my ears for days and the corresponding hangover!

Nia welcomes any fitness level, from stiff beginners to highly fit athletes. It also has the added benefit of being a great cardiovascular workout, is whole-body conditioning and helps people to create a loving relationship with the body.

Regular courses run at Jacksons Lane in Highgate on Wednesday evenings 8-9pm and Dragons in Muswell Hill on Friday mornings 11.15-12.15. For more information contact Dorit Noble visit www.niadorit.co.uk or call 0208 2483919 Or visit www.nialondon.com

Decoding your dreams

An upcoming course in July promises to help people to decode the hidden meaning in their dreams. I spoke with course facilitator John Kent to find out more.

Initially when one thinks of analysing your dreams the works of Jung and Freud come to mind or perhaps you have had an experience (as I have) of owning a dreaming dictionary which helps analyse your dreams but often leaves you confused about their sometimes prophetic meaning. John was quick to point out to me that this course was not about subjecting rational dissection of dreams but to understand them at a much deeper level.

The direction of this dream course is based in the study of the principle of the “Psychology of Selves”. John explained this theory: “Your psyche is made up of many different parts or selves. You can recognise this in such expressions as ‘A part of me feels quite disturbed by the dream I had last night, but another part of me thinks I’m stupid for letting it bother me.’

‘As you grow up you are encouraged to embrace the selves that align with the norms of your particular family and culture. These are called Primary Selves. For example there is the self that might have you work hard to please your parents and teachers - a Pusher; or the self that has you be logical and reasonable - the Rational Mind. To identify with them you have to hide away the opposite selves - in this case the Easy Going and Emotional selves. These are called Disowned Selves.”

John believes that when we sleep these selves turn up in dreams: “All the characters and objects, the landscapes and actions that feature in your dreams represent different parts of your psyche - both Primary and Disowned. Understanding what they have to tell you can greatly impact your waking lives - helping you deal with issues and showing you a way forward in your personal development.”

Through the use of voice dialogue techniques the course facilitators are able to speak directly to these different dream selves and hear out their concerns and help you to understand the deeper meaning which they attempt to convey and what these dream voices want and need from you. The results are always profoundly different to the way our rational minds attempt to analyse dreams.

The course also aims to teach aspects of how to work with your dreams and how to remember them better. For more details see Green Events Upcoming Events or visit www.apartofme.co.uk

Spiritual Business Advice

A retreat for business owners and professionals is being organised by spiritual business advisor Angela Bear. Trained in NLP, Hypnosis & energetic healing techniques Angela works to bring business people back into a natural balance and health.

The course aims to help business people who “are success oriented and who have had some level of success and achievement in their lives but have hit roadblocks that they can’t seem to find their way around and beyond.” Angela explains: “All of the things that these people have done and the tools they have implemented in the past to be successful are not working and they are now wanting to try something that is totally different and out of the box.” Angela has developed a set of tools which any person or business owner can use to harness the same energetic transformation techniques which are used to heal bodies into transforming how business success can be created. Those interested in spiritual business techniques would do well to start with Angela’s 5 step program on her website. This includes information and interviews with her on how to meditate, guided meditations, the importance of grounding, what is dreaming and how to dream big and energy tools and techniques that can be applied in every situation. You can also find details of upcoming weekend retreats.

Visit www.AngelaBearClub.com for more details.

Sweet Sensations

Food for thought aficionados will know that our last edition saw me throw down the gauntlet to refined sugar in an attempt to banish it from my life all together as part of my new years resolution and what a fine sticky, sickly syrupy mess I’ve been in since ... luckily Liz Bygrave’s workshop last month helped to get me back on the straight and narrow, and with a bit of practice, I think I’m on my way to sweet success.

Liz has been teaching her Sweet Sensations course for the past few years to enlighten on how to make delicious sugar free, dairy free, wheat free, and soy free treats and it was into her capable hands I was delivered on a cold February night to learn the skills of her trade.

We’d been given a list of chocolate treats, truffles and deserts prior to arriving and asked which we liked the sound of making the most, so the two of us journalists invited there for this one off evening decided that we liked the sound of the truffles and the tiramisu the most.

The first thing I really appreciated about the course was Liz’s hands on approach to teaching the course, there is nothing worse than having to sit through hours of someone making such sweet treats in front of you whilst you sit there salivating wishing to god you could just stick your fingers in that sweet gooey mess for one quick little taster. With everything now coated in chocolate, including my face, I realise that I’ve reached stage one in our first lesson of truffle making and I’m actually feeling pretty chuffed with the results, so much so that I decide I’m ready for a bit of flavour experimentation. So with my truffle mixture divided in three I add a rather liberal pinch of cayenne powder to one and a shake of lavender essential oil to the other... hmmm I thought tasting each of these – best save some for the boys to try later.

We moved onto the second pudding of tiramisu but by this stage I was feeling pretty high from all the raw the chocolate so I’m not sure I took all of the instructions in, so I was quite thankful when I managed to turn out a perfectly formed tiramisu that totally looked the part complete with nut cream and raw chocolate topping, I was even more thankful to be going home with the recipe for this one.

I was absolutely astounded at the amazing treats we produced without sugar, dairy or wheat they really were a taste to behold, so I was beaming with pride as I swung open the door to my flat and shouted excitedly for my flatmate and boyfriend to “come and get your treats boys”. I did issue a small health warning that I had been experimenting with the flavours, and that there were both plain, lavender and chilli flavours mixed up together, but the truffles were eagerly gobbled down. Daryl my flatmate was first to cough “I think I’ve got the chilli one”, his face turning red and sweat beads appearing across his brow, “its erm, a really interesting flavour Eleanor”, he managed to say before disappearing for a glass of water. David, the love of my lifes comments about the lavender truffles and him ending up smelling like an “old ladies handbag” for a week will stay firmly between us and how I escaped unscathed from this game of chocolate Russian roulette only myself and the very slightly ovally rolled plain truffles will ever know.

For up coming course information and divine chocolate inspiration visit www.sweetsensations.uk.com

Healing from a Distance

I recently received an email from a lady called Seema asking me if I would be interested in writing an article about healing with the Barbara Brennan School, my first inclination was to ask what kind of healing was on offer and after some discussion Seema and I decided that together we would explore the world of distance healing, something I was not at all familiar with and I have to say a little sceptical of, and totally ignorant of I soon realised when I tried to explain the hypothesis behind the technique to a colleague and could not even fumble my way through a sentence that made even slight logical sense.

So I was relieved as Seema explained via email that “The way distant healing works is that I call your energy field (aura) to me from wherever you are and work through so as would effect your physical body.  The reason distant healing works is that there is a template of every body part in our energy field so whatever change is made in the energy field effects the physical level.”

Before we started the energy work Seema and I had an in depth and very personal conversation surrounding current issues effecting my life so that she could assess what areas needed work, I was then instructed to lie down in the quiet and relax whilst the half an hour or so of healing work commenced. I must admit that after a long day it wasn’t long before I had fallen fast asleep so the phone call for our pre arranged after healing conversation woke me with a jolt. Seema assured me that it wasn’t a problem that I had fallen asleep and that sometimes it even made her job easier. It was quite late in the evening by the time that we had finished and it wasn’t long after that I went to bed for the night and unusually for me I didn’t remember my dreams the following morning, but the following evening about the same time I had quite an overwhelming experience. I was laying in bed thinking about the events of the day when a strong and challenging energetic field seemed to wash over me forcing me to a land somewhere between sleep and dreams where I felt a whirr of energy collect in my stomach and shoot out of me and where looking back at me in the darkness of my mind was a bright and open eye. The experience was so strong it verged on the frightening but I knew that something profound had shifted.

The following days resulted in me feeling brighter and lighter and some of the issues that I had discussed with Seema seemed to start if not resolving themselves, then presenting themselves in a different light so that I could change my attitude towards them which was a solution that I had not previously thought of. I know that Seema would want me to elaborate more on Brennan Healing Science which is a specialised form of healing and involves working on 7 layers of the field energy and four dimensions. BHS healers use light to touch on the body and chakras. Some of the healing skills offered include spine cleaning, chakra and organ restructuring, brain balancing and distant healing but there really isn’t enough room to touch on such a vast array of healing work that’s on offer.

For those interested in learning more visit http://www.barbarabrennan.com/ or for a personal healing with Seema email somaiyas9@yahoo.co.uk

Atlas Profilax

Backache, hip pain, neck ache, lumbago, herniated disc, scoliosis, jammed spinal nerves, scoliotic pelvis, joints, knee pain, apparently according to one therapy these ailments all have one thing in common, the can all be blamed on one thing – the misalignment in our bodies of the Atlas bone.

Everyone’s heard of Atlas the giant who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders well we too have our own Atlas bone and it is the very first vertebrae in the back which simplified essentially connects our heads to our backs. The therapy is based on the supposition that most people suffer from a misaligned Atlas which puts pressure onto the passage which carries nerves, veins, arteries, cerebrospinal fluid and the spinal canal through which is the communication path between the brain and the various organ which results in bad communication between brain and organs.

Aude Le Barazer, a trained practitioner in the Atlas Profilax Technique offered to show me the method of returning the Atlas to its correct position through the use of massage and manipulation. After assessing how out of place my Atlas bone was she produced some massage apparatus that looked like it would be more at home in the kitchen than about to be used on my neck, and I have to say that the ensuing massage had nothing pleasurable about it. Aude did explain that most clients who visited her came with an ailment already in place and that as I was young and not currently suffering from any aches and pains I would probably not notice much of a difference and in all honesty that is exactly what happened.

However if you do suffer from any of the aforementioned ailments and are interested in the technique then you can request further information via email from audelb@googlemail.com or visit www.atlasprofilax.ch/eng/index.php

New Year's Refinement

With the gluttony and indulgence of Christmas still lingering on both my lips and my hips it was de rigueur that I embark on the usual health kick. But as well as joining the gym (again) and giving up smoking (again) I felt this year I ought to have a look at something else to give up and suddenly it hit me like a tonne of Terrys Chocolate Oranges, no not chocolate (I’ll come onto that later) but Sugar, refined, processed, sickly sweet gooey sugar.

Most of us know sugar is bad for our health but compared to the other vices in our lives it is probably the one that is more likely to be ignored and swept under the carpet – there are far worse things that I could be putting into my body than sugar - nicotine, alcohol, fat, e numbers to name a few - but the more I looked into the sugar issue the more I began to realise that ingesting refined sugar is in fact a pretty evil way of poisoning our bodies.

Sugar is not a natural substance – in the refining process it is robbed of any vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients that occurred in the natural sugar cane or beet plant

There are a myriad of reasons not to eat sugar. Firstly it makes us fat. When we eat sugar we will almost always consume far more than our body has use for which then gets stored as fat.

Secondly sugar is highly addictive and after experiencing a sugar high, you’ll then experience stress or depression or both before returning back to normal. This is due to the fact that the body has to release hormones to reduce sugar levels in our blood back to normal, these hormones have the side effect of stress and lethargy which then in turn leaving us craving sugar – you become trapped in a cycle of sugar highs and lows.

Thirdly excess sugar is a leading cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, heart disease and many other conditions. The damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands and throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter.

So now you are armed with the sobering facts perhaps those amongst you with a sweet tooth are still lamenting having to give up your sweet treats – fear not – I am about to arm you with a plethora of ideas and resources to placate your palate.

Firstly consider sugar alternatives – easily found ingredients that stand out are Agave Syrup (a sweet treacly substance made from cactus) and Yacon, a root from South America which contains fructooligosaccharide, both can be used as a sugar alternative.

Chocoholics do not despair – there are plenty of raw chocolate suppliers that make delicious chocolates with raw cacao and not a whiff of sugar in sight, one of my favorite bars comes from Roar Chocolate who take online orders and can also supply you with raw wild Agave syrup – which is even better than the standard Agave Nectar found in most health food shops.

If its cakes and desserts that you are into there are lots of sugar free recipes that you can follow – or you could attend a dessert workshop where you will be taught how to make all manner of sugar free treats – a course that I intend to try and report back on in the next edition is Liz Bygrave’s Sweet Sensations course, run in north London. Her web site also has an in depth article covering all alternatives to sugar so there really is no excuse not to join me and give up that sick-ly sweet stuff for good!

For more information visit http://www.roarchocolate.co.uk/ & http://www.lizbygrave.co.uk/healthysweettreats.html

Green Thrift

The credit crunch - ugh - even the mere mention of the word is enough to raise the bile levels in my stomach to an unmanageable level, but like it or not the reality of the situation is that we are now in a recession.

Many ‘experts’ - yes the very same ones who failed to spot it coming - have been harping on about how the organic market is likely to be hit as consumers opt for cheaper choices but the simple fact of the matter is that being green is actually more economical than the alternative. If we choose to spend a bit more on our food and less on expensive electronic products and escapist holidays we’ll actually live healthier, wealthier and longer!

Nevertheless I thought it prudent to compile a few useuful resources and links that will help you save a few pennies, perhaps even pounds:-

• A great place to look for inspiration and share your green money saving tips is the Green Bargains Blog - greenbargainsblog.com

• The Natural Collection has also currently got its January sale in full swing where you can grab anything from organic clothes, to household products at bargain prices. www.naturalcollection.com

• For all you green fashionistas out there recycled and vintage clothing store Dirty Pretty also has a heap of trendy bargains to bag - www.dirtypretty.co.uk/store/

• If its courses that you are after BTCV The UK's largest practical conservation charity, offers free vocational training in both Conservation Skills and Horticulture courses. Available in North and South London, courses run 2 days a week for 30 weeks. www2.btcv.org.uk

• Wildwise who run fantastic outdoor courses in bushcraft and survival skills are offering 15% off all bookings received by 31st January and 10% off all bookings received by 28th February. www.wildwise.co.uk •

Lili – the low-impact living initiative are also offering a buy one get the second half price deal on courses if you book before 31st joiners – where you can either bring a friend half price or sign up for two courses. www.lowimpact.org

Those are the pick of the bunch for me but a root about the green events website will no doubt throw up more bargains to be bagged. www.greenevents.co.uk

Finding the calm in the storm

Being an insatiably chatty person I have to admit I was a little scared of attending a one day mindfulness meditation retreat, not because of the promised meditation or yoga practices in store but because the whole of the day was to be spent in silence. There was a tiny bit of me that thought I might self explode through the withholding of speech, but to my surprise this was exactly what made this day so special and profound.

The Once the welcoming was out of the way and people embarked on their journeys into silence we began a day of several mindful practices. To start we began with a session of mindful yoga which helped my mind focus and to quell some of the noise still rabbitting on in my head. By the time we entered the first mediation session the monkey like chattering in my mind had calmed to a dull hum and I experienced a deeply tranquil and blissful meditation. This was followed by more guided meditations before breaking for a silent lunch spent in mindful meditation. In the afternoon we spent time focusing on everyday activities from walking to peeling an orange all done in mindful and reflective ways.

The By the time I left the session I felt so de-stressed I pretty much floated home. Someone could have pushed in front of me whilst queuing for a tube ticket and I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. I could have tackled automated phone systems with a gleeful smile on my face. I could even have gone to the post office to collect a really important form to fill in only to be told that the form had been replaced and was current in the process of being reissued with a shrug and a sigh of c’est la vie! The stress reduction element of the course definitely did the trick. The one day course is a taster of a more extended 8 week course in mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) which claims to help anyone suffering with stress and stress related disorders, anxieties, depression, low self esteem etc. One of the course teachers, Rosalie Dores explained: “Mindfulness basically means paying attention in a particular way, in the present moment without judgement. It takes the view that we are not always aware of what is going on in our mind and body and by bringing the focus of our attention to what is actually occurring moment to moment we are able to make more informed choices about how we related to difficult events and situations in our lives.” The programme claims that you will benefit from an increased ability to relax and experience calm and to cope with stressful situations as well as an ability to manage emotions such as fear, anger and anxiety. It also promises a renewed enthusiasm for life and work and I have to agree that even after one session my joi de vivre had definitely returned.

The 8 week courses run in 2009 in January, April and September or you can find more information about upcoming one day courses at www.beingmindful.net
info@beingmindful.net
Rosalie 07906 717 409 or Peter 07885 655 092
One day courses cost £30 or £25 for concessions.

Shaping up without seizing up

On an incredibly cold and rainy day last month it was my intense pleasure to arrive at practitioner Joël Carbonnel’s home for an introduction to the Mézières method, a system of bodywork that both analyses and corrects musculoskeletal issues and illnesses.

This pleasure at being welcomed into the warmth didn’t last long as five minutes into my analysis with this tall and eloquently spoken French man, he looked sadly at me as he explained to me how my pretty grim posture was going to cause me all sorts of ailments as I got older.

I have to admit it is pretty disheartening to hear you are so ‘out of shape’ when you spend three nights a week down the gym pounding the treadmill in search of a more refined shape, but this is exactly the myth that Joël is out to bust: “People are convinced that the solution to back pain and bad posture is in strengthening and toning up muscles or that core strengthening exercises are the key to releasing them from back pain. What they don’t realise is that back pain is not caused by weak muscles, the exact opposite is true, the back muscles always end up too tight which leads to compression, misalignment of joints and musculoskeletal pains and disorders.

The Mézières method fundamental laws explains that muscles belonging to a muscular chain, whatever their number, behave like a single muscle. In effect the shortening or lengthening of one of the muscles in a muscular chain results in the shortening of the whole chain.

I didn’t despair though as Joël was quickly on hand with a series of exercises, limb manipulations, breathing techniques and massage, which by the end of the session had gone someway to address my twisted spine and bent shoulder. The work was hard going but not anywhere near as gruelling as the gym.

Joël believes that he can whip any type of body into shape and give relief to those suffering from back and joint pains and if his physique and stature are anything to go by then I am more than willing to let go of my treadmill obsession and let him do all the hard work for me.

Contact Joël Carbonnel on 0208 747 8583
or visit www.orthmorphy.co.uk for more information.

Sweat Space

This hotly anticipated new studio in Soho opened its doors in September to Bikram Yoga fans and newcomers alike right in the heart of the capital.

Bikram Yoga for those of you not in the know, is a strenuous form of yoga that is performed in a hot room. Many people refer to Bikram as ‘hot yoga’. A typical Bikram hot room is 38-degrees-Celsius or hotter. One of the reasons the temperature in the room is set at a higher level is because working out in heat softens the muscles, tendons and ligaments. This allows you to go deeper into a pose and that your body is more flexible. Other benefits claimed are that this type of yoga reduces the risk of injury and aids the release of toxins in your body. The Bikram style is composed of a series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises that are performed in order. Each yoga move is often done twice and held for a specified period of time.

The studio has an array of features specially designed to make your practicing Bikram Yoga at this centre the best it can possibly be from the large chill out area to a specially imported Hypoallergenic studio flooring. High tech clean air heating system keeps oxygen levels in the studio at the optimum level for comfortable yoga practice Bill Thwaites, Bikram Yoga, Soho studio owner says, “The studio was designed to give customers the best possible experience from the minute they walk through our door, simply because we want them to come back again and again. Soho is a bustling, vibrant community and we are really excited about bringing Bikram Yoga to the area. We will be welcoming everyone. Come and see what it’s all about.”

Bikram Yoga Soho, Threeways House, Bolsover St. London, W1W 5DW.
or visit bikramyogasoho.co.uk

inSpiral Lounge, Camden

The team behind some of the UK's best loved dance festivals and club nights have decided to redirect their energies into a more permanent portal - the inSpiral lounge in the heart of London's Camden Town. The recently opened café aims to give wandering souls a place to come and relax, share a story or poem and learn a trick or two about leading a more sustainable existence in harmony with the world around them.

The sumptuous food served at the café is 100% vegetarian, totally organic, mostly vegan with plenty of raw and super food options thrown in as well. You can pop in for a wheatgrass shot at breakfast time, a salad for lunch or a full slap up dinner in the evenings.

The café describes its food as “Taking into account the 5 tastes (sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter) to create a well rounded and exciting crescendo of tastes. Every bite is a journey through the rainbow of your taste buds. We draw inspiration from cooking traditions from around the world, bringing out distinct world flavours by using delicate spicing and rich textures – travelling the world in our sensory experience across the menu.”

As well as delicious food the café hosts a plethora of funky events from conscious film screenings, to live acoustic sets, dj nights, yoga nights and much more. Check out the inSpiral website for the latest events as well as the recently launched inSpiral Shop which is a fantastic resource for finding specialized superfoods at great prices as well as a large collection of world music cds. Sensatonic Elixir Products are also on sale along with cordials and kicks.

SCheck out www.inspiralled.net for events, news and the inSpiral shopping portal.

A guide to cooking and foraging mushrooms.

With summer well and truly over (did it even start?) at least one consolation is the bountiful harvest heralded by the arrival of the autumn season. One of the best ways to enjoy natures bounty is to get out into nature and find it for yourself, and as I learnt last year fungi foraging is an intensely rewarding and pleasurable past time. When I tried it last year it was with an expert mycologist on hand as there are numerous poisonous mushrooms lurking in the woods – a handful of them deadly poisonous.

This year however I feel more confident to go it alone, armed with what I had learned on the Assington Mill fungi foraging course and a new guide to foraging and cooking mushrooms called The Edible Mushroom Book by Anna Del Conte and Thomas Laessoe.

The book has detailed notes to help you identify more than 50 of the best edible fungi species including Chanterelles, Puffballs, Morels, Boletes and Truffles. The books superb illustrations also show where fungi grow in their natural habitats so you know exactly what to look for, where and when.

There are also detailed identification notes, instructions on how to take spore deposits to aid identification and also detailed drawings on how to spot and identify deadly mushrooms which is obviously of utmost importance. Once you have gathered your harvest, there are over 50 fantastic recipes, all with a distinctive modern Italian twist, expertly created to bring out the best flavour of your mushrooms. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes the idea of mushroom foraging but haven’t a clue where to start. But if you are still unsure of heading out alone then definitely sign yourself up for one of the many mushroom foraging courses taking place across the country this autumn. And finally, remember if you are unsure about a mushrooms identity never eat it.

The Edible Mushroom, £12.99, is published through Dorling Kindersley ISBN 978 1 4053 3213 2

Green Jobs

With thousands being laid off in the city as the world’s financial crises deepens and with Nick Clegg promising to establish a ‘green economy’ if ever the Lib Dems get into power perhaps it’s time for former city slickers to start looking for ‘green’ jobs. Okay you don’t get big fat bonuses at the end of every year but at least you have a clear conscience in knowing your wages are not fuelled by dodgy finance.

Appropriately the best place to start that job hunt is the newly published ‘Green Jobs - a Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment.’ Part one plots the development and growth in ecologically related employment from the long established areas of conservation and wildlife management to the newly developing fields of energy production to business consultancy. It also includes a plethora of tips on how to find work you can believe in within green organisations and NGO’s to supporting the exponential rise in Green Goods and Services.

Its one drawback is that as a Canadian publication its references are weighted towards North American opportunities but the general principles are the same and it may well give you a head-start over your British colleagues in swapping the blue collar for a green one.

‘Green Jobs - a Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment’, Adams Media, ISBN 978-159869-827-5, £9.99pb, www.davidandcharles.co.uk

Saf Restaurant Opens in London

The anticipation and excitement in the raw food movement finally came to an end this summer with the opening of London’s first Raw Food restaurant by acclaimed raw chef Chad Sarno,

Walking into Saf in its trendy Hoxton location you can see that no expense has been spared to try and lure in the local trendies as well as those in the know. The uba sheek interior is modern but welcoming and there is a bar area serving “botanical cocktails” which was well draped with pretty young things sipping ‘jasmine pearl martinis’. On my visit to Saf it was suggested that we try a tasting menu to get a feel for the fare on offer. Using a variety of techniques, most dishes are cooked below 48°C to preserve optimal flavor and nutrition.

The menu is 100% botanical with no animal products, dairy, refined or processed ingredients. Everything on Saf’s menu uses only the purest seasonal plant ingredients, locally sourced and organic where possible. Even the tap water is ionised to increase your body’s alkalinity to a healthier pH.

Some of the dishes were marked with an asterix indicating that the dish had been heated above 48°C which may have the more militant rawists choking on their spirulina, but I felt that providing such tasty vegan alternatives might prove to be a gentler introduction for any reluctant dining companions who would no doubt plump for the raw options on any subsequent visit.

Some of the delights I sampled that are worth a mention include Beetroot ravioli stuffed with silky smooth cashew herb ricotta and accompanied by crunchy balsamic figs. A raw lasagne stack of courgette, walnut bolognaise, sage pesto mushrooms, olive relish, pine nut parmesan and pepper coulis was both an architectural fete to behold and stunningly tasty to devour. A cooked Buddha Bowl also proved to be an enlightening experience as green tea glazed smoked tofu was expertly paired with jasmine rice and an array of raw accoutrements.

An unusual feature on the menu is Chad’s range of cheeses. These unique creations from almond, cashew and pine nut milks are cultured and fermented in the same manner as their dairy counterparts. A must try is the almond cheese served with candied pecans, fennel bulb, fennel pollen and crackers.

The bill with cocktails and wine came to approximately £120 which may sound steep but we ate our way through about 8 courses. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience at Saf and urge you to splurge a little trying something that might be just out of your comfort zone but I can assure you you’ll soon be ‘roaring’ with enthusiasm for Saf.

Saf Restaurant, 152 - 154 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3AT.
020 7613 0007, www.safrestaurant.com

Naturopathic Nutrition

I would hazard a guess that most people reading this magazine understand good nutrition, some more so than others, but despite all our good intentions how do we really know if what we are eating is giving our bodies what we need. I visited Rachel McCarthy, a naturopathic nutritional practitioner to find out i