Want Easter to leave you feeling nourished and revitalised? Then forget the choccie this year and buy yourself (or your lady) a ‘Jade’ egg instead. I came across the Jade Egg practice a few years ago after I returned an abnormal Pap smear result and was diagnosed as being the stage before cancer. Hence began my exploration into this 5000-year-old Taoist practice. Not only … Read More
How many ‘buts’ are there in your life? ‘But this, but that’. I’d love to apply for that job, but I just don’t think I’d get it. Yes, that guy seems great, perfect actually, but there’s no way he’d go out with me. Are you letting your ‘buts’ get in the way of putting yourself out there, going for those opportunities and ultimately living the life you … Read More
Ever wondered what it is that makes French women so alluring? Many things, as I’ve been learning during my study of the language.
Let’s be honest, wearing a bra can be a pain in the, err… Bust! Trudging into a fitting room, waiting to be measured, struggling into ten different styles to find the one that fits properly. Bra shopping often feels like more trouble than it’s worth. And according to one French scientist, it actually is! In this 15-year study it was … Read More
Often people put feelings and emotions in the same basket. Now while they are certainly similar, there are some distinguishing differences you really should know if you’re serious about living a happy life full of positive relationships. Put simply:Feelings are how you feel in the moment. Emotions are past unresolved feelings. To put that into context: Someone accidentally spills coffee on your lap. … Read More
I’ve spoken to thousands of people who’ve tried counseling, psychology and other new age therapies only to leave disappointed years later (and thousands of dollars down) with the same negative patterns still playing out in their life. They’ve read a library full of self-help books and given that 12-week challenge a go, and still the original problem is there. Why … Read More
We all have memories. And that’s because we all have a past. All those happy memories are great to reflect upon. It’s the awful, sometimes horrific memories that have the ability to unhinge us, break us down and haunt our daily existence. The great news is, no matter what ghosts are residing in your most precious self, they can be … Read More
How much news do you consume on a daily basis? Are you a news junkie or do you take small bites? This week I wanted to look at how news can actually make us take on a more pessimistic view of life and even trigger depression and low moods. It’s not surprising, given that our environment has the ability to … Read More
Valentine’s Day has the ability to sweep you off your feet in one romantic heart-fluttering waltz, or leave you standing by the dance floor, feeling alone and dare I say, miserable. Singletons are usually the biggest causality on February 14, but even those of us in relationships can be left feeling bitterly disappointed when the roses (or in my case … Read More
Most of us have some sort of secret being held hostage inside. And sure, keeping a surprise birthday secret is one thing, but when it comes to deeper issues, be it a health disorder, cheating on a lover or any other thing that causes embarrassment or concern, then letting it out is the only way forward. The reason people often … Read More
We all have an inner meanie. You know the one I’m talking about. She/he’s negative, judgmental, constantly comparing you to other people and how well they’re doing or looking. She/he also likes to sabotage you in any way possible, such as keeping you busy doing all the things that will keep you from your dreams. You know your inner mean … Read More
If your family get-together makes you feel like you want to suffocate your siblings (or your parents) in a stocking, don’t despair, surviving xmas is possible. Truly! Christmas can be full of cheer and happiness and kisses under the mistletoe, if you do a little internal work and recognise that any trigger points round the dinner table are the most … Read More
It became obvious to me in the past week or so how confronting some people find honest conversations. So let’s begin by discussing what an honest conversation is: An honest conversation is letting a person know your true feelings about a particular action or lack of action they took, that has left you feeling a negative emotion such as hurt, fear, … Read More
We live in a world that applauds learning from others in a formalised manner. Now I’m not saying don’t get that university degree, take that music class or see a therapist to help you resolve that emotional debacle. What I am saying, is that there are other helpful ways of learning and growing and developing, and they don’t require forking out huge wads … Read More
The good ‘ol biological clock can send us into a head spin, if by thirty (or even forty for some ladies) they have not yet found the man they wish to procreate with. I see single women go on a date with the intention to marry the first man who will give her their sperm, instead of actually finding a … Read More
Sex isn’t usually the topic of conversation at morning tea, unless of course you’re Samantha from Sex And The City! But how many of us ladies LOVE that show? Why do we get so into it? Because it looks at a topic that most of us aren’t privy to in our everyday working lives: Sex. We do it. It’s what made us, yet … Read More
In fairytales the white knight recues the damsel in distress, falls in love, and saves the day – charming isn’t it? However, real-life knights are men and women who enter into romantic relationships with damaged and vulnerable partners, hoping that love will transform their partner’s behavior; a relationship pattern that seldom leads to a storybook ending. The rescuer enters the … Read More
Our life is full of synchronicities. Perhaps a friend you’ve had on your mind calls out of the blue, or you get a flyer advertising yoga in your letterbox the very day you were thinking about starting yoga. As you’re driving to work, you see a billboard answering the exact question you had in mind. Or perhaps you dream of … Read More
We all have stories. Some people have happy stories; other people have challenging stories that bring pain. I’m sure you’re familiar with stories like: ‘Oh, my car wouldn’t start and now I’m running late for work, and then I spilled coffee in my lap, and it was all because my husband left the lights on in the car last night, … Read More
If you are of the belief that the world is one big apple pie with a fixed number of slices, so that once those slices are taken, these is no pie left, then I urge you to reconsider your beliefs. Just because one person gets a bigger slice than you doesn’t mean you can’t have as much or more. Some … Read More
Happiness. Deep down it’s something that all of us want. That’s why there’s a whole self-help isle at bookstores promoting this very ideal that so many people strive for. Yet there’s still a lot of confusion around the emotion of happiness and the state of true happiness, and whether it’s even possible to feel deep happiness long-term. First though, we need to talk about … Read More
Shopping for a car isn’t all that different to shopping for a man. Seriously! I took the same approach to finding my Prince, as I did to attracting Missy (my ’66 Mustang) into my life. I wrote a Perfect Partner, come Perfect Car list! Yes, just as I wrote down all the features I wanted in my vintage wheels – … Read More
Are you settling for less? I’m sure at some stage in your life you’ve settled; for the good-enough partner, the it’s-not-so-bad job, that mediocre orgasm (or lack there-of) or the time-poor lifestyle that leaves you with no time to spoil YOU. People sacrifice goals, needs, wants and happiness – even our health – daily. And sadly, society actually supports this. … Read More
I begin this blog with asking you: How well do you receive? Why? Because many people I’ve come across over the years have at some point in their lives had trouble receiving – me included. First thing we need to understand though is that receiving – whether it be receiving a present, a kind gesture, a compliment or sensual touch … Read More
We all know what lust feels like. That electric spark that passes from you to your heartthrob each time you touch. That sense of ‘I’ve found The One’ washing over you, before you’ve had a chance to even find out his/her name! Yet this head-over-heels feeling we’ve all been swept up by at one time or another is likely to … Read More
Spring is the time of new growth – we see this all around us as buds yawn open into the most beautiful flowers. So let me ask you: Do you feel like you’re magnificence is blossoming, or is the shade cloth stopping you from growing? If you’re withering behind the garden shed, then ask yourself why you’re not giving yourself … Read More
We read it in romance novels, we hear it in Hollywood movies, hell, I’m sure a few friends of yours have thrown around the line: ‘He completes me’. Do you subscribe to this statement? Or do you realise that it’s one of the most disempowering phrases you can think, let alone say out loud. Why do I smash this statement apart … Read More
When was the last time you lost your sh*t? Had a go at a lover or work colleague, spewed out some toxic emotions or simply thought: ‘Life’s too hard’? Well I’ve been there, plenty of times. As you’ll read in this week’s Take 5 magazine, I was one of those people ready to end it all, because I just couldn’t get out … Read More
We all have our inner dragons. Most people hide from their dragons, run from their dragons, maybe even pretend the dragons don’t exist. But sooner or later we all have to confront our personal dragon or five in order to let go of the pain and fear so we can live a life of happiness and freedom. A life where … Read More
Affairs of the heart can be even more harmful than physical affairs – and given that 70% of all marriages experience an extra-marital affair (according to Sexual Health Australia) I felt the need to shed some light on what an emotional affair actually is, and what’s needed to stop your relationship from becoming a shocking statistic. So lets first look at what an emotional affair is… … Read More
It’s not often I single out women, but they seem to be the main culprits when it comes to thinking they can change a man. How many times do we hear her say: ‘Oh, it’s ok I’ll change him once we’re married’, or ‘He’s changing into the man I want him to be? Well, I’ve gotta ask: Why did you date him … Read More
Most long-term relationships have their high seasons and their low seasons; one minute the tree of love is ripe with mouth-watering fruit, and the next the apples are rotting on the ground. No matter which part of the season you’re at in your relationship, you can salvage the crop and have juicy, delicious fruit all year round. Whether you’ve been … Read More
Do you have a sob story you like to re-run in your head or to your friends, family or shrink? Are you someone who feels sorry for yourself and thrives on sympathy from others? If so, you are playing the role of a ‘victim’ and we all know what happens to victims, yeah? Bad stuff. They’re like negativity magnets. When … Read More
Last week I talked about using substances, people or things to fill the emptiness so many people in today’s world are familiar with; you may know it as an inner hunger for more. So in need to turn to an external source to feel some sort of positivity, they seek out louder, bigger or stronger fixes to give them that hit of … Read More
We often hear people say they want to be happy and ‘fulfilled’. Well we all know what happiness feels like, but how many of us really know what if feels like to be fulfilled? Have you stopped to consider what fulfilment really is? Are you one of those people who is ever striving for this so-called ‘fulfilment’, without sitting down … Read More
I wanted to spend this week discussing your way of life. How you conduct yourself daily, how you think about yourself, how you get the results you want – or how you haven’t quite worked out that part of the puzzle yet. Do you even have a ‘way’ of living life? My way is ‘The Naked Way’. Raw. Stripped back. Honest. Let … Read More
When you have a win, what do you do? Do you celebrate your success or do you move on without so much as a blink of an eyelash? When I experience a win I ‘happy dance’! Yes, I jump around the room in all my glory, legs and arms moving about in sometimes-hideous displays of joy in order to mark … Read More
How well do you breathe? Do you even know? Or is breathing something you do completely unconsciously, letting your autonomic nervous system supply you with oxygen however it sees fit? The majority of people do not breathe well. Sure, they get enough air to get through life, but not enough to feel alive and vital in every moment. Not enough … Read More
How do you treat strangers? Do you shy away from interactions or do you connect? What I’ve noticed is most people look the other way, pull out their phone for company or pretend they didn’t see that person just millimeters from reach. It’s pretty sad really, given that relationships and the interactions we have with others are what truly nourish … Read More
Do rules lead to nourishing experiences or do they disassociate us? This is a question I pondered while visiting Bali last week. My first visit to the busy tourist island was an eye-opener in more ways than one could imagine. Let’s begin with the roads. Rules are thrown to the curb in favour of interactive driving. What you soon realise … Read More
I’ve come into contact with a lot of ladies lately who are desperate for that big (and expensive) shiny ring on their magical finger. So it got me wondering… Why so much pressure to lock a man down and enter a contract for life? Because that’s essentially what it is. A contract. A contract stopping you from leaving this person. … Read More
We all want to feel happy, loved… hell… we want to have fun, positive experiences, yeah? Some people try to reach those happy states of being by booking in for an extravagant holiday, others let a Hollywood movie deliver them that cliché ‘happily ever after’. But where are those real happy (warm and fuzzy inside) feelings to be found? In the people, not … Read More
Have you ever stretched yourself? Not in the physical way a dancer or a keen yoga student might, but in the way that helps you break through personal barriers so you can experience a life far richer than you have in the past? Stretching yourself mentally helps you turn your life into a fairytale adventure where you live your ‘happily … Read More
The reason I write this blog is because it’s come to my attention recently that there’s a lot of fear around looking at oneself and the role a person plays in creating their outcomes in life. Which is fair enough – who wants to be held accountable for all the crappy things that happen to them when it’s much easier … Read More
I find it fascinating the extremes people will go too, especially women, to lose weight. Starving themselves of proper nutrition in order to stick to that lemon diet, just so they can squeeze into that pretty dress on the weekend. Or exercising their butts off to the point of injury, fatigue and sheer exhaustion. Yet ask someone to show their … Read More
The comfort zone is an interesting phenomenon. Many people have quite an attachment to the good ‘ol comfort zone, sitting in it because it’s so, well comfy. It’ s like a big old lounge, it wraps around you, keeping you safe and secure; you know what to expect because it’s the lounge you’ve had since you can remember. But is this … Read More
How lucky are you? Are you one of those people who always wins extravagant prize and has opportunities come at them from all angles? Or are you someone who is constantly hitting a brick wall, nothing seeming to fall in your lap. Ever! So you label yourself ‘Unlucky’. Have you ever asked yourself what ‘luck’ actually is? Many people see … Read More
How much energy does sex give you? Does it leave you feeling energized and revitalized? Are you experiencing multi, full body and energetic orgasms? If you answered no to any of these questions, then it’s time to start learning the Taoist art of Sexual Kung Fu! Like anything in life, in order to get good at something you need to practise … Read More
How do you spend your day? What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? If you were to draw up a pie chart that graphed all the areas that you put time and energy into, would it fit with what you really want? Your true desires? Or would it be a miss-match? We’ve all got priorities – whether … Read More
I find it fascinating that as human BEing’s we tend to spend a lot more time doing than we do being. When was the last time you sat down and took time out from your hectic schedule to simply be? To give yourself a break from the societal noise and allow yourself to sink into a state of calm bliss? From the minute people awake, … Read More
