What do I do?

Recently I have been thinking about what I actually do when clients come and see me.

I have done numerous courses and exams in CranioSacral therapy. I have had the atunements to be a Reiki Master and I have done courses in Massage, Aromatherapy, Polarity, working with autism and the dying. These are what I call my tools and I keep them in my tool box beside my therapy couch.

I have over the years been on a journey with my meditation, Tai Chi, Yoga, hypnosis and Somatic Emotional Releases during my CranioSacral sessions. These events have given me an insight and the feeling of the Oneness of life. That feeling of ease, trueness of purpose and absolute rightness of being. A moment where there are no emotions such as guilt, loneliness, inadequacy or doubt. A moment where what you are and what you are doing is absolutely right and you are part of the immense cosmos.

So what I do with clients is show my client's subconscious that feeling of Oneness and then it uses my tools from my tool box to achieve that same feeling. So I follow where my hands go and I ask the questions that come into my head and together the client and I journey to that place of Ease.

What this is called is still up for discussion but my favourite so far is WeRa. If that word means anything to anyone then I will have to think again.

Saying thank you can help you.

I am sure most of us were brought up to say "please" and "thank you"but did you know that saying thank you can help you feel better?

If you take a moment before you go to sleep to remember your day and say thank you for all the good things that have happened both big and small you will feel different.

For some of us the act of remembering the good things puts the day into a more positive perspective and you can close your eyes with a lighter heart. For others the act of saying thank you may shed awareness on some of the events or stream of events during the day. It may also be a moment for others to remember to slow down and consider themselves for a few seconds and that is almost as good as a hug.

So why not try it tonight. Say thank you for all that has happened in your day.

Be happy.

Letting go makes life easy!

I had the opportunity recently to participate in a five day Tai Chi workshop that incorporated meditation and taoist chanting and if there was one thing that became obvious throughout the workshop was that  letting go made life a whole lot easier!

We practiced both seated and standing meditation and the pain in my arms and legs became quite severe after a time and all I could do was focus on that pain. Then there was a point when I couldn't take it any more and the muscles relaxed and gave way and the pain went and I was left wondering why I had held my muscles so tight when I could be in the same position with relaxed muscles and no pain!

The same applied to the chanting which we did kneeling up for over an hour. The chanting is in cantonese so you start by trying to focus on each word to say it right but the chant is so fast that you don't have time and you have to let your focus soften and breath gently to get to the end. Then after a time the knees and back begin to ache so again you allow the body to let go and relax to allow you to kneel for that bit longer.

In Tai Chi as you let your arms relax you can stretch that millimetre further which lengthens the tendons and lubricates the joints rather than using the muscles to push the arms into a stretch. It also makes the movements more flowing and graceful and less like a workout.

Letting go is a key element in Craniosacral work. When there is a dysfunction in the body or energy cyst it means the energies are not able to flow freely around the body and the body can't function in the most efficient way. As therapists we act as facilitators for our clients to help them become aware of where those energy cysts are and how to release them and let them go so the body can work easily and effortlessly again.

Have fun letting go!

Craniosacral therapy and Tourettes and Asperger's Syndrome

I recently had the good fortune to work multi hands at a Craniosacral clinic run by a colleague who has years of experience as a Craniosacral therapist and in particular in pediatrics. Together with another colleague we were able to have three pairs of hands on each client. This multi hands work enables the body to resolve its imbalances more quickly as it's supported in several areas at once.

I thought I would tell you about two of the clients that we saw.

We saw a 15 year old boy with Tourettes Syndrome. This syndrome manifestes itself in multiple bodily tics and at least one vocal tic. The boy had visited the clinic several times previously and the mother reported that he now had fewer tics and the boy said he felt calmer. He certainly came into the session eagerly and left with a big smile.

Another client we saw was an 18 year old with Asperger's Syndrome. This syndrome is seen as a mild form of autism and manifestes itself amongst other things in social aloofness and an excessive preoccupation in a specialised interest. This boy had also been to the clinic several times and his demeanour on each visit had changed from quiet, sullen and depressed to being chatty and giggly. In fact he didn't stop talking and laughing the whole way through the session. His mother also said he was much easier to live with now.

Another happy day at the office!

Abundance

How do you react to the word "Abundance"?

A definition of "Abundance" is "plenty of something". Not an easy word to feel comfortable with in our lives where most things have a finite size and life span.

Does it have to be like that though? Perhaps our perception of how life works is skewed and there is in fact plenty of everything. Have you ever wished for an abundance of love or peace or more time to do things or more money or to be more generous?

Recently I have been drawn to this whole question of abundance and whether we have the right to ask for  such an extraordinary thing. Then I realised that that was my first block to gaining abundance. Somewhere durning my life I learnt that it was not my right to have an abundance of anything. Said like that it looks pretty crazy but we have all been told in various ways by various people during our lives that we are not to have abundance for some reason. Some might think that money is evil or you only get money by working very hard; having time to do what you want is an indulgence; peace is only for gurus; and many more. These are all self imposed blocks to having abundance in everything.

So what can you do if you would like to get rid of these blocks?

You can start by becoming aware of which blocks you have and this awareness may be sufficient to release those blocks but if they have been there for a long time then you may want to see a CranioSacral therapist who can use the tools of Imagery and Dialogue to bring the awareness into the conscious mind and see how to deal with it. Then finally there are teleseminar courses on the web which you can find if you google the word "Abundance".

So enjoy getting rid of your blocks and relaxing into abundance.

I know I have.

Smile! It's so easy.

I was out Christmas shopping recently with my determined face on and my "To Do" list in my hand when someone smiled at me.

Immediately I relaxed and started to breathe again and the effect stayed with me for the rest of the day. It was so simple and so effective.

It also put me in mind of a practice that I had long forgotten about that is explained in full in the book by Mantak Chia "Awaken Healing Energy through the Tao".

The practice is simple. You have to remember to smile both outwardly and inwardly.  The outward smile comes quite naturally after you have been practicing the inner smile.

So what is an inner smile?

Imagine a smile spreading out behind your eyes and feel all the muscles around your eyes relax which in turn relaxes the muscles in your forehead and down into your cheeks and jaw. The feeling in your face is effortless and light and if you look in the mirror you can see your smile. The effect on others is magnetic. Any anger, fear or stress they may have when they are looking at you just dissolves away.

You can practice your inner smile to all parts of your body and the message of love it sends can only be positive for your health.

It's such a happy practice.

Enjoy!

Do you want to know your reason for being alive?

Jill Windmill

Have you ever wondered why you are here on earth? Have you ever wanted to know where to focus all your energy? Have you ever wandered how you can best help this world?

You may have asked yourself these questions or others that are equally large and profound. But do you have an answer?

I have been working with CranioSacral Imagery and Dialogue techniques to address these questions for my clients.

We may not know or even want to know the big ultimate reason for being alive but wouldn't it be helpful to know what we can be doing to get a step closer in the right direction. What can I do in the next week/month/year to move closer towards my purpose or focus or reason for being?

When people come to me with a serious desire to know what to do next I invite them to ask themselves what their big question is such as "How best can I help this world?" and then become aware of where in their body they are feeling this question.

Then using Imagery and Dialogue techniques we focus on this area of the body and see what it requires. It could be there is a blockage to communication or the area is a portal through which the subconscious wishes to communicate with the conscious mind. We work towards allowing the area to feel in harmony and at peace.

It is at that point when the more immediate question can be asked. "What do I have to do in the next week/month/year to move towards that big question?" This is when the understanding of how to move forward is revealed and honed to provide a comprehensive to do list for you to practice over that period.

It is of course up to you to follow that list and return when the period is up to find out what is needed next but I am sure the joy in your heart that comes from following your path will help you in your endeavors.

Turn bad days into good days.

Peace

Do you have days when your mind just goes around and around with incessant chatter. When you have a pain in your body and you just feel low in spirit?

There are three things you can do on a regular basis that will limit the number of days you feel like that.

• Meditate
• Practice Tai Chi, yoga or Qi Gong
• Chanting

Sitting and meditating helps quieten the mind so you can think and feel more clearly.

Practicing Tai Chi, yoga or Qi Gong helps the body to open up so it can function more efficiently and it enables you to sit and meditate without getting pains in your body.  Concentrating on the moves also helps still the chatter in the mind.

Chanting helps you to breath more fully and the movement of the diaphragm helps to massage the other organs to keep them healthy. It also focuses your mind to help quieten it down.

If you are in the Brighton area why not try:

• Brighton Buddhist Centre for meditation
• Taoist.org.uk for Tai Chi classes
• www.chanting-group.co.uk for chanting practice

Have fun and feel better.

A quiet place.

A quiet place is quite portable. You can take it to bed. You can take it to any room in the house with a comfy chair. You can take it on the train or while sitting on the bus. You can have it right now.

This is the place where you quieten your thoughts, ease your breathing and become aware of every cell of your body. This is the place where you are aware of being totally alive right now.

There are many practices you can take into that quiet place and you may like to try them all to see what feels best for today.

Some of my influences have been:
Paul Wilson - The Quiet
Thich Nhat Hanh - The Miracle of Mindfullness
Echart Tolle - The Power of Now
Doreen Virtue - Healing with the Angels
Barefoot Doctor - Handbook for the Urban Warrior
Mantak Chia - Microcosmic Orbit Meditation

Enjoy your quiet place.

Welcome

Welcome readers to my new blog!

I have created this blog to let you know what healing therapies I offer and through case studies show you the extent and depth of this type of work.

Also I would like you to follow me on my spiritual journey that started in my teenage years and still continues many years later.

From experience I have found that talking to like minded souls has been my main guiding light on my journey and I very much hope you will be one of those guiding lights and likewise I can be yours.