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Magnesium Deficinecy – Symptoms, Causes and Dietary Sources

This blog is written by Bonny Casel, Director of the School of Natural Medicine UK MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY When I think of magnesium deficiency, I don’t aim for supplements or blame poor diet alone. Currently 70-80% of the population is magnesium deficient and, given how easy it is to obtain magnesium from our diet, this says … Read more

Yoga Nidra transforms habitual thoughts and behaviours that no longer serve us

Yoga Nidra meditation is a simple yet profound technique adapted by Swami Satyananda Saraswati from the traditional tantric esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy) and the practices of pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) and mental nyasa rituals (‘place’ efforts of relaxation on specific parts of the body). Yoga nidra was experienced by Satyananda Saraswati … Read more

Fight, Flight or Frozen: our response to trauma

Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can be traumatic, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. … Read more

Chronic back pain

Chronic back pain is defined by the length of time you are suffering from pain in your lower back, rather than the severity of your pain. Chronic back pain is pain which lasts longer than three months. This may be continuous pain or intermittent, severe or mild. Often the cause of chronic back pain is … Read more

Trauma Survivors – Road Traffic Accidents

I love driving and especially love driving in countries I have visited around the world.  I have made a couple of long trips, driving to Greece in 2008 in one of my beloved vans and more recently driven to Spain (2017). I know I am fortunate to have avoided a car crash (perhaps a couple … Read more

Habit energy held in our system

During a therapy treatment or yin yoga class you may hear me talking about ‘habit energy’ in the system, so I thought I would write a little more about this and what it means. When we have an accident, injury, illness or a significant emotional, we have a reaction to that.  Our system releases chemicals, … Read more

Pranayama – breathing to clear physical and emotional obstacles

Breathing is the process of moving air into and out of the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly by bringing in oxygen and flushing out carbon dioxide. Pranayama in yoga is the regulation of the breath through certain techniques and exercises, which clear the physical and emotional obstacles in our body … Read more

Yes to Life Annual Conference Cancer Care

Yes to Life Annual Conference 2017 As you know I attended the Yes to Life annual conference in London a couple of weeks ago.  Yes to Life are a brilliant charity supporting those with acancer diagnosis and their families. Yes to Life empower people with cancer to make informed decisions about their cancer care options, they provide information to guide people through the often … Read more

The impact of chronic stress on the muscular system and fascia network

I thought it might be interesting to share a piece I have recently written about the impact chronic stress on our muscular system and fascia network, and how this then affects other systems in our bodies creating a cycle of pain, inflammation and fatigue. One of the key aspects of the stress response is the … Read more

Exploring the depths of Yoga Nidra Meditation

I thought it would be interesting to write more about the philosophy of Yoga Nidra Meditation, this profound and powerful method of learning to relax consciously. The concept of yoga nidra is very ancient in Indian traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. In modern times, yoga nidra was experienced by Satyananda Saraswati when he was living … Read more

Non pharmacological treatment for hormonal acne

You don’t need to be going through puberty to experience hormonal acne. As adults (both male and female) it can feel extremely upsetting when you have an outbreak of acne, leading to social anxiety, isolation and in some case, depression.  I hope this piece gives some insight into and options for a non pharmacological treatment … Read more

Swollen ankles and feet due to the warm weather?

When the sun comes out it’s inevitable that your ankles and feet do too. Why do my ankles and feet swell in hot weather? This phenomenon is actually a result of your body’s natural cooling mechanism. When you are too hot your veins dilate (expand), allowing fluids to leak into surrounding tissues.  However, when this … Read more