April is Stress Awareness Month. Stress may affect us all at some point in our lives. What is it and what tools can we put in place to reduce its effects?

Spiritual hygiene refers to practices and rituals that help maintain and cleanse your spiritual well-being. Just as we nourish our mental and physical health, so too can we take care of our spiritual health to reduce fatigue, a depleted nervous system, the susceptibility to recurrent colds or other illnesses, and burnout. 

Over the years, my spiritual hygiene practice has evolved and I use various tools so I can adapt accordingly to the situation or any time constraints. 

Spiritual hygiene is particularly important for people who work closely with clients in a therapeutic setting, such as massage therapists or energy healers. However, the following tools can be employed by anyone as they navigate the day to day challenges of life or if you are embarking on a healing journey.

Embark on a rejuvenating journey together with a couples' Cranio-Sacral Therapy guided session, where harmony and connection take centre stage.

Sound healing is the ability of sound to heal elements of ourselves that are in imbalance. Discover what to expect from a Sound Healing session.

Sound healing is the ability of sound to heal elements of ourselves that are in imbalance. Sound healing dates back to prehistoric times. In ancient mystery schools of Egypt, Greece and India, the use of sound and music for healing was a highly developed sacred science (Goldman and Sims 2015). Many instruments or tools can be used in sound healing, including the voice, through toning or chanting, to balance the physical body, chakras and subtle bodies (Andrews 1992). In a therapeutic setting, a practitioner works with a client to address physical and emotional issues and helps to facilitate healing.

How does Sound Healing work?
The Big Bang Theory suggests that 13.8 billion years ago, the universe started from a singularity, then expanded to become the cosmos we know today. Despite its name, scientists suggest that the “Big Bang” was in fact silent as the early universe was too energetically dense and there was no recognisable matter as we know it to allow sound to be propagated. Over the next 380,000 years, as the universe continued to expand and cool forming galaxies, and primordial sound waves were formed. Primordial sound would likely have been a very powerful but low frequency. Around 4.6 billion years ago when the Earth is thought to have been formed, there was an abundance of sound. The earth surface cooled, the rains fell forming oceans and creatures evolved.

It was TIME to take some time off. This staycation retreat was just what this practitioner ordered…and needed.

Harrison’s Cave - the beautiful world hidden beneath Barbados

I love myself.

That is not the end of the story. It sure as hell isn't the beginning of the story.

Mental illness is often regarded as an "invisible" illness because symptoms may not be easily visible to others. However, the effects of mental illness within the community are far from invisible.

The Joy Retreat May 2023

In response to ‘Lashes outdated way to punish children’ https://www.nationnews.com/2023/05/21/lashes-outdated-way-punish-children/

A controversial one but a much needed conversation. Even though I grew up in the culture of scbigystcf, (If you get that, you get it!) I don't believe in physical punishment for children. My reasons are plentiful but as brief as I can explain:

Can you guarantee the "lash" will be the same strength each time? Or, after the car breaks down, a busy day at work, a stain on your favourite top and an argument with your partner, will the lash have a bit of weight behind it?

Do you find you have to give lashes for repetitive behaviours? Maybe, just maybe the lashes are not as effective as believed to be. The child may wince at the sight of a slipper but it begs the question does the child really understand why they are getting hit? Is the lash accompanied by a discussion - is the child required to give words of accountability for their behaviour? Are they taught or given the tools to develop emotional intelligence or conflict resolution? If not, it is likely the behaviour will be repeated. 

My happy face outside the Barbados Museum and Historical Society

There were many interesting artefacts and paintings that would require another visit to take it all in. However, the thing that captured my attention the most was the Black anatomical model in the medical section of the Children’s Gallery.

Throughout studying for my herbal medicine degree, and the other courses I have done over the years, I have never seen a Black anatomical model. You may be thinking, “but Louise, the structures and the organs are the same”, and of course you would be right but there was something more important for me.

Patience is considered to be one of the Seven Capital Virtues. However, how practical is it to be patient every day?

Over the last few months, there have been a lot of posts online and reports in the news of violence. CCTV footage of shootings are becoming a common occurrence. The scenes are very disturbing and the language used around them, I feel, pulls us further away from understanding the root causes and therefore the ability to find solutions.

“Gun violence” or “knife crime” are ambiguous terms that place the emphasis on the object and almost suggest that if those items were not available that the violence would not occur. As seen in many of the comments online, people are questioning where the guns are coming from, calling on the police and the army to have a greater presence or advocating for the death penalty. 

It is terrifying that these things are happening on this small island, often in broad daylight but when I see the reports and videos, I see people who are in a huge amount of pain - and I don’t just mean the people whose loved ones have been killed and whose families have been torn apart, I mean the people who are killing and committing violent acts.

An important part of my health journey has been my journey in education., so I am extremely excited to be able to share this treat with others.

How do you stay clear and intentional in your daily interactions?

Where does the time go? I find myself asking this question a lot during the week. I use several apps to help manage the various tasks I have to complete and keep some order to proceedings. Although the majority of these apps are used for business, some are invaluable for my personal life too but are not always well received.

Scheduling apps such as Calendly are used for scheduling meetings, more specifically it allows people to choose my available times to book a meeting. The appointment is neatly synced to my calendar and I receive notifications ahead of the meeting. It is easy to see how useful this would be as a business tool but what often makes people recoil in disgust is when they receive a Calendly link from a loved one to book an informal “catch-up”.  Understandably this may seem like a boujee, detached way to connect for some. However, the opposite is often the case.