How to effortlessly bring intentionality and sacred rituals into everyday tasks as well as opening up to the unseen world around you and reconnecting with womb wisdom as the seat of power. Talking to Chloe Isidora, author of ‘Sacred Self-care’: Everyday rituals for a more joyful and meaningful life’

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/chloe-isidora

https://www.chloeisidora.com 

Instagram @chloeisidora

What if everyone realised that the true expert is within? How different birth and humanity could be if decisions were made around love rather than fear. Birth choices and embodying birth. 

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/maha-almusa

Kreena shares her lessons and powerful story of experiencing breast cancer, heart failure and infertility and pursuing motherhood through surrogacy and donor conception. She talks about speaking out as a South Asian woman, in a community that can be very private, and how sharing stops shame and stigma. Kreena talks about finding beauty and gratitude, even from the painful and difficult things.

For the full shownotes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/kreena-dhiman

Michaela Boehm teaches and counsels internationally as an expert in intimacy and sexuality. Born and raised in Austria, Michaela combines her training in psychology and extensive clinical counseling experience with her in-depth training in the yogic arts as a classical Kashmiri Tantric lineage holder. Michaela’s approach empowers her students through an eclectic mix of education, experiential exercises and guided explorations. Known for her work with high-performing individuals, her ongoing private clients include Oscar-winning actors, producers, business pioneers, and multiple Grammy-winning musicians. Michaela is the Author of “The Wild Woman’s Way”, published by Simon & Schuster/Atria in August 2018. She lives on an organic farm in California where she rescues and rehabilitates animals.

In this episode we talked about :

• The way Michaela used the embodiment practices she had created to move through the loss of her house, possessions, land and animals due to Californian wildfires.

• Our bodies are made to cope with challenging times

• Daily ways of releasing stress e.g. in the morning or end of the day

• The Non-Linear Movement Method (NLMM)- generally done on hands on knees for maximum flexibility to release what’s stuck emotionally, physically and mentally. 

• Becoming current with emotions and sensations

• The simplicity and safety of NLMM 

• Michaela’s experience working in an addiction facility and teaching ways of engaging with the body to her clients

• Working with the body without taxing the nervous system, whilst still being effective

• Use the body’s natural ability to create homeostasis through continuous movement 

• Working with trauma

• Why trying to create cathartic experiences can trigger the trauma pattern

• The lineage of Kashmiri Shaivism which includes devotional and embodiment practices 

• Michaela’s combination of tantric training, trauma therapy and counseling for relationships and intimacy

• Will the online age lead to a lack of intimacy body to body?

• Beauty, aesthetics, colour and order in the environment to affect the nervous system

• Our nervous system is the part that made us survive, and is therefore far more attuned than we realize

• Travel altars to anchor beauty and embodiment and things that Michaela holds dear

• The archetype of the Wild Woman, who knows to navigate in the world through all the rhythms of life and nature

• Pleasure as part of the sensory system and part of what makes human

• Connecting with pleasure through touch, essential oils, tasting delicious foods

• Sexual receptivity and aliveness
• Tuning in to background pleasure to keep the nervous system engaged 

You can find out more about Michaela’s workshops and courses here: www.michaelaboehm.com

Michaela’s first book, ‘The Wild Woman's Way: Unlock Your Full Potential for Pleasure, Power, and Fulfillment’

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1501179888/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1501179888&linkId=c97feaad6642f8f7e6886048fcbe5c0d

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/micboehm77

We’re told we should love ourselves, but it can feel rather awkward can’t it? Alex from Nini Organics radiates love and positivity. In this episode he talks about positive mindset, acceptance, self-love, gut health and caring for your skin.

for the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/alex-nicolaou

I’m such a fan of the twixmas season, the days in between Christmas and the New Year, where it seems to be ok to disappear and hibernate for a few days. 

The excess, expectation and obligation that comes with Christmas just isn’t my time of year and the pace of the run up is too fast and furious for me.

I’m trying more and more to follow the rhythm of the seasons and tune into my own nature, rather than get drawn out into a cycle that doesn’t suit me.

The moon cycle is a great one to follow, even simply thinking of the new moon as a beginning and the full moon as an ending.

Now that I’m coming back to my normal routines and trying hard not to snack every hour, it’s a bit overwhelming with the ‘new year new you’ messages. In the last few years, I’ve tried to avoid the rush of January resolutions. 

There are so many challenges, whether it’s Dry January or Veganuary etc. especially after the indulgence over the holidays. It feels a bit too full on and makes me want to go back to hibernating if I’m honest .

But I do think that beginnings and endings are really important, whether it’s a new day, month or term. 

There’s already been the Hindu new year a few weeks ago- so it feels like there’s lots of opportunities to begin again.

In recent years, I started to focus more on the Chinese New Year as it marks the start of Spring.The New Moon then brings a forward wave of momentum, compared with January 1st which doesn’t have any particular significance to it.  Being someone who finds winter hard, I tend to try and race towards the spring. But that way of thinking doesn’t help me to be present, and these days I’m trying to be more mindful of being in the moment rather than wishing way time.

So really embracing winter. The slowness, hibernation, the darkness that means it’s ok to stay in and read rather than be too sociable. It’s a time for rest and renewal. And it looks like nothing much is happening, but it’s all going on beneath the surface, the way a plant has deep roots into the earth.

There’s something different with the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 - being a new decade but also something about the numerology of 2020. I find goodbyes really difficult. In the rare occasion that I’m at a party or event, I tend to sneak out quietly rather than say bye. 

I’ve played around with lots of different ways of getting ready for the new year. When I was in my teens and twenties and used to go out, I’d often find it a bit underwhelming. There’s such a big build up to it, with the countdown and the fireworks, but really nothing feels that different. And there’s that point a few days in where you get fed up of wishing people a Happy New Year as it doesn’t feel so new and shiny anymore. In the way that I’ve loved watching the Sat night set at Glastonbury from the comfort of my living room, I used to love watching the late Clive James do his round up of the year and found it more enjoyable than being out .

I’m going to talk about 3 ways that I prepare for the new - decluttering, gratitude and journalling.

1 - Declutter 

2- Gratitude

3- Journal - forgiveness, reflection, honouring what’s happened.

1 - Declutter - my physical space, my diary, my wallet, my cupboard.

I find that it shakes up and moves the energy, and helps to find clarity

The outer environment aligns with what’s going on internally. So finding order helps to calm the nervous system and make it easier to relax and feel safe and comfortable .

If you’d like an easy structure to follow for a more ordered home, try the January Cure from Apartment therapy https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/january-cure-sign-up-2020-36675970

Fresh sheets, hoover , dust. Light a candle or incense or palo santo stick. Say a little prayer.

2- Gratitude is a great practice that’s been well-researched-  as it trains the brain to pause and look for what’s going well and helps to find a state of balance that doesn’t swing from high to low. I find it better to write down or share with someone else, and if you can do this practice in the moments before you get up or go to sleep, it’s soul food for the brain and body. There’s a difference between this practice and just positive thinking. Gratitude is a heart-centered state, whereas positive thinking can be quite heady and separate from the body.

3-  My third way of letting go is to journal. I do this as a ritual, usually by candlelight and with fountain pens and brightly coloured ink. I’ll post her details in the show notes but for many years now I’ve loved the free ‘ Unravel your year’ process from Susannah Conway. There are journaling prompts to reflect and learn from the last few months.  The reflection is essential so that you can move forwards with intention and lightness.

I’d like to finish with a blessing for 2020 by John O’Donohue 

I wish you a peaceful and happy New 2020.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/january-cure-sign-up-2020-36675970

https://www.susannahconway.com/unravel/

Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year

For Josie

On the day when

The weight deadens

On your shoulders

And you stumble,

May the clay dance

To balance you.

And when your eyes

Freeze behind

The grey window

And the ghost of loss

Gets in to you,

May a flock of colours,

Indigo, red, green,

And azure blue,

Come to awaken in you

A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays

In the currach of thought

And a stain of ocean

Blackens beneath you,

May there come across the waters

A path of yellow moonlight

To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,

May the clarity of light be yours,

May the fluency of the ocean be yours,

May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow

Wind work these words

Of love around you,

An invisible cloak

To mind your life.

[Note: "Beannacht" is the Gaelic word for "blessing." A "currach" is a large boat used on the west coast of Ireland.]

Natalie Meddings is a doula, active birth yoga teacher and mother of three. She has written two books on birth, How to Have a Baby and Why Home Birth Matters and founded and runs the pregnancy support site, Tell Me A Good Birth Story. She lives in South London with her husband Danny and three children, Constance, Pearl and Walter. 

• Natalie suggests that each woman should start with biology when thinking about birth and then consider the environment that would best suit the biology
• “Birth isn’t a process or experience, birth is an urge”
• Go back to basics and strip out cultural opinions, prejudice etc and people start to consider the option
• Many people have preconceived ideas about birthing at home without ever having experienced it! Many midwives and doctors haven’t attended to a homebirth
• For uncomplicated pregnancies, Natalie describes home birth as the ‘best of all worlds’ as a birthing environment
• There are times where a medical environment is necessary for a safe birth
• Natalie helps to highlight the gulf between reality and perceived reality in relation to homebirth
• The taboo of birth sometimes means it’s not explored fully
• “People get birth and breastfeeding the wrong way round. They think they need to go to classes to learn about birth and they assume that breastfeeding will come naturally. It’s the other way round. Breastfeeding is a learned thing”
• The need to look at clinical evidence and physiological facts rather than bias
• Birth is an elimination
• The home environment allows the woman to attune to the signals from her body such as swaying her hips, perhaps no longer wanting to go outside. She’ll feel a ‘gear shift’ which will lead her to a space, often the smallest and darkest room in the house
• We can’t control birth, instead we have to provide for the urge
• Oxytocin soars in the home environment, as the woman has privacy and freedom of movement there
• Herd mentality of most people having their babies in a hospital mean that home birth numbers are so low
• At the first midwife appointment, most women don’t receive information about homebirth as a safe choice that is recommended
• In the UK, a home birth could be better phrased as a woman having a midwife at home. She may still transfer in to hospital for an epidural or assistance if needed but she would have started in the optimal environment with a trained, skilled midwife
• The outdated term of an ‘untrained pelvis’ that suggests that if a woman hasn’t given birth, it’s unknown whether her body will be able to birth
• “Homebirth is not an either/or”
• Some people become too invested in homebirth and stay at home at all costs, rather than transferring to hospital if needed
• Michel Odent (the well-known obstetrician) describes how oxytocin has been unchanged in its chemical form over time 
• What does the body need in labour? Safety, privacy and quiet 
• Oxytocin as the hormone of desire. The analogy of birthing in a hospital environment being like a blind date, where you have to work to get the oxytocin going
• Many women switching to homebirth during lockdown due to Covid-19
• Anxiety can sometimes force you into a primal place
• For many women in the UK, home birth is no longer available to them due to Covid-19. This could be mis-communication regarding transport into hospital if needed
• Statistics for outcomes following home birth, in terms of fewer complications, are better than any other environment (labour ward, free-standing birth centre etc)
• Hutton et al 2017, meta-analysis confirms that birth at home is safe for mother and baby. There is no significant rise in risk, regardless if first time mother, second baby etc.

Resources:

www.comfortandlove.co.uk 

www.tellmegoodbirthstory.com

Lastly, the Facebook Tell Me A Good Birth Story page is the main social media 

Natalie’s books: 

How to Have a Baby: Mother-Gathered Guidance on Birth and New Babies

Why Home Birth Matters 

Aki is a true explorer of movements and living body-mind.

She is a registered somatic movement therapist / educator, trained in Body-Mind Centering® (BMC) and Integrative Body-Work and Movement Therapy (IBMT), and a qualified practitioner of Neuro Affective Relational Model ® (NARM), which is a form of early trauma healing work designed for adult clients.

She is passionate about developmental movements; embryology and they are largely incorporated into all her work, including teaching yoga.

She runs trainings for yoga teachers, holistic therapists and psychotherapists, based on developmental movements and embodied anatomy of the nervous system in search of wellbeing.

Her latest interest is to develop a practice on “voice & movement” as a way to enhance and improve quality of lives. Her future project will be to bring developmental movement work to psychotherapy trainings and she is also preparing to launch her web based live training courses.

(She loves driving, chopping vegetables with a good sharp knife, contact improvisation (a form of dance) and enjoys general dancing about in the flat and in parks. Her aim is to dance and sing her way into her grave.)

In todays episode:

• Aki comes from a musical family and started singing young
• She studied physical theatre and became interested in movement and dance including contact improvisation
• Contact improvisation has a deep relationship with the work of Bonnie Bambridge-Cohen, who developed Body-Mind Centering (BMC)
• Aki was also influenced by yoga teacher Donna Farhi
• A Japanese bodyworker called Noguchi, who she describes as being a gift to humanity, influenced Bonnie Bambridge-Cohen when she lived in Japan
• Using active intervention to explore the movement of the body, by providing questions and allowing each person to be respectful of their own experience
• Somatic work tends to have a two-way dialogue, so the person has agency about their process
• Learning anatomy through the experience of the body as well as teaching models and diagrams
• Sensory information is incoming flow
• The more we are embodied, the more we can contact the cells and tissues with their language through touch, e.g. the periosteum and skin
• Cellular breathing of the whole organism 
• Consent about receiving adjustments in a class
• Addressing early trauma through the body
• Attachment issues
• Addressing embryology in embodied movement
• Play and lightness to aid understanding
• Awareness of the front surface of the body has a different feeling than the back
• Embryology relates to the meridians
• Physiology from the East and Anatomy from the West
• Developmental trauma work with adults
• Exploring sound and movement

To find out more about Aki Omori and her classes and workshops:

@akisomatic (twitter)

akisomatic (instagram)

Yoga and Somatics with Aki Omori (Facebook page)

www.akiomori.com

Emotions such as fear, shame and anger can be difficult to identify and release in the body. When we release blocks, we can access greater joy and pleasure. Also talking about the transformational aspect of the menopause

For the Full Show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/marcela-widrig

Louisa is an expert in fertility and family law with over 20 years experience. She works at law and policy level in the UK and internationally. Louisa frequently provides expert commentary in the media on fertility, family and parenting law and is a published author on these topics. Her areas of expertise include fertility preservation and treatment, international surrogacy, donor conception, posthumous conception, children and family law.

Bio

• Louisa Ghevaert started out over 20 years ago as a mainstream family lawyer and now runs a specialist family and fertility law firm for modern families
• In 2008 she was asked to litigate the first international surrogacy case, where the twins of British parents were born stateless and without citizenship
• Louisa has worked on a number of landmark cases, including embryo storage law, posthumous conception, surrogacy and parental disputes 
• There’s a growing need for fertility law services in the UK
• Modern family is becoming increasingly legally and medically complex
• There’s a lack of international harmonisation of IVF and parenting law
• More people are becoming parents through assisted reproduction who are not legal parents through egg and sperm donation, same-sex couples and single parenthood
• Fertility law is prescriptive, so specialist law can create clear legal frameworks
• The risks and options associated with structuring the family can be worked through legally
• There will be greater deployment of genomic technology in fertility treatment
• Over time we’re likely to see fewer natural conceptions, and more genetically planned parenthood
• Genomics require sensible and informed decision-making
• Gene editing can cure disease, but it can also edit the gene pool
• Issues of consent 
• Regulation for ‘fertility tourism’
• Long term there’s the potential to produce eggs, sperm, foetuses and babies from our own stem cells
• Is widespread genomic screening ethical?
• 3 person IVF involves the nucleus of the egg, the outer shell of another woman’s egg and the sperm
• In the US, genetic screening is often recommended for multiple failed IVF, and recurrent miscarriages
• In the UK, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) https://www.hfea.gov.uk/  changed its rating from amber to red, stating the lack of evidence and added cost without benefits of pre-implantation genetic screening
• Patients and prospective parents need to make sense of biological issues and legacy
• The law in each country is shaped by its society, culture, politics and history
• In the UK it’s illegal to undergo sex selection for social reasons
• The moral concerns of ‘designer babies’
• We need to think about who owns our genetic information and what it can be used for as well political control and bioterrorism
• The increasing age of parenthood
• Building international frameworks and an international regulatory authority for genomic technology
• Two main groups looking to build an international regulatory infrastructure for gene technology: The World Health Organisation https://www.who.int/, National Academy of Medicine https://nam.edu/ and National Academy of Science https://nationalacademies.org/
• In the UK, the implantation of a genetically altered embryo into a woman is currently prohibited
• In the UK, embryo research is only allowed up to 14 days
• In the US, there’s no federal legislation that governs gene therapy
• In 2018 a Chinese scientist announced he had brought to fruition the first gene-edited humans: twin girls called LouLou and Nana, to make them resistant to HIV. The scientist involved was fined heavily and sent to prison for breaching medical and scientific standards
• A Russian scientist has expressed a desire to gene edit to erase deafness
• The postcode lottery of funding access to IVF in the National Health Service
• Vladimir Putin has announced free access to fertility treatment in Russia to boost the declining population
• The two biggest genealogy companies, 23andme https://www.23andme.com/ and Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/  have tested over 23 million people
• Issues of civil and human rights e.g. using the vast databases to catch criminals
• Finding donor siblings, ‘diblings’ through the databases. Donor anonymity was lifted in 2005 in the UK
• Donor anonymity in Spain

For further reading:

https://louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk/why-we-need-fertility-law-reform-the-paradigm-shift

To find out about Louisa Ghevaert and her legal practice: www.louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk

Mac Macartney is an author, an activist, and an international speaker. He is the founder of Embercombe in Devon, a centre that seeks to explore and promote the profound regeneration of land, society, and people.

Over a period of twenty years Mac was mentored by a group of indigenous elders. During this training and ever since, he has attempted to bring two worlds together – an ancient world-view that emphasises relationship, interdependence, and reverence for life with the significant challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century.

Mac is the author of a recently published new book entitled The Children’s Fire, heart song of a people. He has delivered four compelling TEDx talks.

• Embercombe is a 50 acre valley on the foothills outside Dartmoor Park in Devon, UK. It has 20 acres of woods and a lake. The valley is rewilding from the field system. Embercombe is a centre to ‘touch hearts, stimulate minds and inspire committed action for a truly sustainable world and in relationship with nature’’
• Mac had a leadership development consultancy and one of his clients offered him a piece of work that was likely to make a lot of money in 1996. The company was later sold to Warren Buffett for an undisclosed sum.He was offered money to bring his dream to life in 1999
• When speaking to audiences, Mac tries to give people a felt experience of what he talks about
• Heart-based leadership and serving higher and deeper purposes
• Building and re-building community
• Bringing spiritual selves into alignment with our physical, mental and emotional selves
• “We are so lost as a species, that we are self-harming, and almost entirely ignorant of where we sit in the wider scheme of things”
• “Being in love with life and knowing that, we too, are loved”
• “The insane story of the economic model that we follow”
• One of the methods to try and save the environment has been to monetise it
• Cities don’t have to feel alienating from communities and nature
• In the future, cities will be redesigned to enable food-growing, education, engaging older people so they feel they belong and increasing access to wild nature
• The depth of perspective and insight of the past
• Reverence and respect for those that went before us and won the freedoms we now enjoy
• Living with wonderment
• Nature is all around us
• Hippos once lived in the River Thames!
• The bones of sabre-toothed tiger, cave bear and hyena were found in limestone caves near Devon
• Making sense of history and creating civilisation that draws on the mistakes and successes of the past
• 3 questions to revisit over and over: 

• What is it you most profoundly and deeply love?

• What are your deepest and most profound gifts?

• What are your deepest and most profound responsibilities?

• Empowering children to help them grow and be resilient and dream
• The forgotten value of what elders bring
• Nature Play, Australia 
• Becoming frightened of nature
• Unless we go into risk and the unknown, the comfort zone shrinks
• Our failure to be adults is forcing the next generation to be old before their time as they compensate for the state of the planet
• The qualities of play and curiosity
• Self-respect as a deep respect and aligned relationship with ourselves
• Responsibilities for community and society
• Realising what makes life worth living when we are under threat
• The garden as a place of prayer and deep connection
• Tiny shrines such as houseplants and troughs on the window ledge to acknowledge beauty
• Cooking as alchemy
• Bringing ourselves to any activity with kindness, generosity, open-heartedness and attention
• Kith and Kin, Mac’s year-long mentorship journey
• The Journey, a residential programme at Embercombe

Resources:

Mac Macartney

Embercombe

Twitter

https://macmacartney.com/writer/

https://macmacartney.com/portfolio/kithandkin/

TED talk

A Line In the Sand

The fourth trimester/ postpartum period can be challenging. Here are some suggestions to support the new mother, couple and baby to feel more relaxed and integrated in this stage of life.

For the Full Shownotes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/diane-speier

In her former life, Lynn was an artist. Following the birth of her two children and the inspiration of attending Active Birth Classes with Janet Balaskas, she went on to train with Janet, qualifying as an Active Birth Teacher for Pre and Postnatal yoga and Active Birth preparation for couples in 1997.  She was invited by Janet, on qualifying, to teach at the Active Birth Centre were she is till this day as Co -Director.

Lynn devised the Postnatal programme at the Active Birth Centre and her training for practitioners focuses on the early months after birth, “New Baby & Me”, this training is drawn from her experience and extensive knowledge of the last 21 years.

Lynn brings her skills and love of Yoga, Massage and Active Birth to all her classes injecting them with positivity. Helping parents-to-be prepare for birth and parenthood is at the core of her work and to further support this she works closely with her local hospital on Maternity Voices and delivers workshops for couples on Active Birth & Massage for Labour. 

In this episode we talked about:

• Lynn trained with Janet Balaskas in pregnancy and postnatal yoga and the Active Birth philosophy.
• Realising the need for supporting mums with younger babies, that led her to create the ‘New Baby and Me’ class
• Challenges for new mothers including the lack of support, tending to the baby whilst taking care of themselves, nutrition, relationship with the post-natal body
• The Active Birth Centre in London, created by Janet Balaskas, and dedicated to women during and after pregnancy with classes, therapies and courses
• Starting yoga at the age of 21 and feeling a sense of coming home, and the gift of continuing the practice whilst pregnant
• The influence of Vanda Scaravelli on the approach of pregnancy yoga, working with the intelligence of the body
• Adapting yoga to a woman’s body, especially in pregnancy for a softer approach
• Honouring of the support that’s needed and the experience of early motherhood
• Mothering is a verb, there are many ways to mother
• Nurturing to be able to nurture their baby
• Comparison and being a ‘good enough mum’
• Being in a safe space of non-judgement
• Bonding can take time 
• The overuse and therefore devaluation of ‘bonding’ and ‘skin to skin’
• Doing v being
• Creating safe space e.g. by connecting with your own body, being open, and listening deeply
• Developing instinct through embodiment and listening to the heart and gut
• Mini- moments of yoga to integrate movement into life
• Lying in constructive rest on the floor for a power nap
• The gut as the seat of our emotions
• Softening into the breath

Connect with Lynn:

A solo episode about the importance of acknowledging and marking endings, how waiting can bring you into a state of presence, and the benefit of all things in moderation

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/mishmash

Yoga is for everybody, but the dominant image is of a young, skinny, flexible girl. Donna Noble talks about creating a space of safety and inclusivity so that people can connect with their bodies and minds. The more restful and slow postures and practices are just as valid as the acrobatic, complex movements that are most commonly shared and seen.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/donna-noble

Sophrology is a mind-body approach to life that incorporates breathwork, relaxation, visualisation and movement. It can be a useful approach to address stress and anxiety, prepare for birth, enhance performance and facilitate change.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/dominique-antiglio

Life can often feel too busy to see a way to create change. Change doesn’t need to be radical. Little steps soon build up. The first step is making space. You can make space in your head, body, diary and living environment. Here are some easy ways to make space so that you can listen to what your body needs next.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/makespace

These are heavy times.

There have been big themes of illness, isolation, suffering, hypocrisy, violence, injustice and inequality that have been headlining the news.

Climate change, politics, race and class inequality, a global pandemic. Our world as we’ve known it is in intense change.

It’s noticeable that more and more people are using their voices and their platforms to stand up and be counted and share their voice on the things that matter. 

This gives me hope. If we join together as a collective, we can create the change that’s needed.

But there are times when you can’t ever see a way out of the distress.

In this episode I wanted to share some ideas so that you can keep going, even if you’re in despair, and your heart feels heavy and shattered.

Nova Reid is a diversity and anti-racism campaigner who uses her professional background in mental health to focus on mindset change. She works with organisations and individuals to confront and dismantle inequality from the inside-out .

Nova is also a popular keynote speaker passionate advocate for equality and helping people be the change they want to see in the world. She regularly appears on BBC News, Sky News and BBC Radio as an expert, is a regular mentor at Women of the World (WOW) Festival and was listed as the top 100 black British women by the Black Magic Network as part of International Women's Day 2019.

Nova is also founder of multi award-winning media entity and wedding show; Nu Bride, the leading inclusive platform dedicated to diversity into the mainstream wedding industry.

• When Nova was in between acting jobs, she trained as a sports and holistic massage therapist to provide work for herself in between acting and singing contracts
• Whilst temping at a university, where there was a high number of students with mental health issues, Nova was invited to apply for a job supporting the students
• She asked for mental health training, mindfulness, NLP and introductory psychotherapy and worked in student mental health for under 10 years, including conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia 
• Her experiences at dance/drama college as only one of 3 people of colour out of 700 people
• Issues with accessing health for mental health issues include lack of funding, lack of staffing, staff burnout, reactive system that prioritises people in a crisis rather than when someone is still functioning
• The need for strong boundaries and being able to recognise the signs of burnout when you’re working in the field of mental health
• Being an empath makes you good at your job but also makes you vulnerable to taking things on
• Signs of early burnout that Nova recognises in herself include loss of appetite, anticipatory anxiety, stress, lowered immune system
• Nova left working in mental health and started working for herself 4 years ago
• When she became engaged, she realised the lack of wedding services that included black women, blogged about her experience and was contacted by brands
• Nova created Nu Bride to celebrate diversity
• She also started doing diversity and identity work
• The pressure on weddings e.g looking perfect and having the perfect speech
• “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare,” Audre Lorde
• You can’t give when you’re empty, you can’t create when you’re empty, you can’t innovate when you’re empty
• In order to be our best, we need to rest
• Role-modelling hard work as a person of colour, ancestral 
• Negative attitudes of self-care e.g indulgence, selfishness
• Black and brown women being more susceptible to mental health issues
• Brené Brown says that those who are most shame-resilient have boundaries of steel
• https://novareid.com/services/pick-my-brain/
• Resolving the relationship with money and realising that being paid well means being able to have more impact
• Balancing the exchange of giving and receiving energy
• The labour and abuse that comes with doing anti-racism work
• The most insidious acts of racism is the everyday, that are committed by well-intentioned and well-meaning people
• Backlash after calling people out for racism
• ‘Swatting’ in the USA where the police are called on those doing anti-racism work
• Taking regular breaks from social media and having self-care days
• Finding joy
• Dealing with microaggressions (everyday slights and slurs), including taking yourself out of environments that feel unsafe
• Microaggressions include being asked where you’re from, asked if someone can touch your hair, told you speak in a certain way, assumptions that you’re staff, being undermined and spoken over
• We don’t always have language, but we know how they make us feel
• Most microaggressions happen in the workplace
• Language helps to realize it exists and it’s not in your head
• It’s hard to call out microaggressions if you don’t have any allies and feel unsafe as you risk being minimised or receiving more abuse
• Educating yourself about white privilege and racism.
• Reni Eddo-Lodge ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race’
• Nova does workshops, talks and has an online course: https://novareid.com/services/anti-racism-white-privilege-course/
• Generational healing
• Complex feelings around the recent royal wedding and even receiving microaggressions as an expert voice  https://novareid.com/diversity/what-i-learned-from-attending-the-royal-wedding/

Instagram and facebook: novareidofficial

Twitter: novareidoffic

and @nu_bride

www.novareid.com

and www.nubride.com.

Janey Lee Grace is an Amazon No 1 Best-selling author, commentator, and co-presenter on the UK’s

 biggest radio show, BBC Radio 2’s  Steve Wright in the Afternoon. Previously she was a backing singer with George Michael and Wham!, Kim Wilde, Boy George and had her own Number 8 chart hit with 7 Ways to Love as Cola Boy. 

Janey has written five books on Holistic living including the number One Amazon best seller Imperfectly Natural Woman and currently writes columns for many magazines, and offers PR and media training.   She hosts the annual Janey Loves Platinum Awards to recognise the best in natural and organic products and services. After ditching the booze in January 2018 Janey has launched a podcast ‘Alcohol Free Life’ and runs The Sober Club focusing on sober self-care.  

In todays episode: 

• “Alcohol is the only drug we have to normalise not taking”
• Alcohol is ingrained in our culture for all manner of social occasions 
• ‘Grey area drinkers’ - there’s a broad scale of people’s relationship with alcohol
• Rather than asking “am I drinking too much”, ask “would my life be physically and mentally better without alcohol”
• The link with anxiety
• It might be difficult in the initial phase of ditching alcohol
• Benefits are so widespread including weight regulation, or less concern about weight, and improvements to sleep, skin and joints
• Mental benefits included a renewed sense of hope and clarity, and feeling brave enough to do something they’ve always wanted to do such as starting a business or travelling or doing something creative
• “Alcohol steals your joy and being sober can make you brave”
• Janey started The Sober Club as she realised there were lots of resources to help people stop drinking alcohol, but she wanted to align with her experience of holistic living (e.g mindset, meditation, self-love)
• Stopping the term ‘giving up drinking’ as you’re never giving up anything. Janey uses the term “ditch the booze” instead
• Janey had tried to ditch the booze for many years. She interviewed many Hay House authors and the conversation was often about self-love, but she wasn’t practicing it herself. She describes it as inauthentic as she was controlled by alcohol and didn’t know how to stop
• Clare Pooley’s book : The Sober Diaries helped Janey to stop drinking alcohol on New Year’s Eve
• Deprivation isn’t a good tactic psychologically. The new approach to sobriety spins this on its head for a more positive approach
• The fear of being ‘sober shamed’ for not drinking alcohol
• Prepping in advance by telling people that you’re not drinking (for whatever reason you choose) and calling the venue ahead and seeing if there are some alcohol-free options
• The rise in alcohol-free drinks for grown-ups
• Your good friends will support you in not drinking alcohol, and if they don’t, it’s time to cut them loose
• 0% alcohol is the biggest area of growth for some drinks brands
• Some people replace alcohol with sugar. The craving for sugar can be a chemical imbalance that requires support 
• Turning to exercise can be a good replacement for dopamine as well as other aspects of self-care such as yoga, walking in nature, meditation, hypnotherapy
• Sitting in stillness even for 5 minutes is helpful and can then be increased over time
• It can be confronting to engage with feelings instead of numbing out with alcohol
• The brain isn’t fully developed until 21, so drinking before that age is damaging
• Alcohol is linked with over 200 illnesses, including 7 types of cancer, not including mental health issues
• The impact on others
• Alcohol is the number 1 most harmful drug
• David Nutt’s book ‘Drink? : The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health’
• Lifesearch did a survey where they found that 24 million people self-medicate with drink and drugs
• Seek professional help if you are clinically dependent on alcohol
• Mindful drinking
• A period of total abstinence (at least 30-90 days) rather than just reducing intake 

The Sober Club

Janey Lee Grace 

Imperfectly Natural 

TED Talk: ‘Sobriety Rocks - Who Knew’

Janey’s Podcast - Alcohol Free Life

A tiny practice to help to cope when things aren’t going to plan. Instead of letting tension build up into discomfort and pain, experience release. Scan the body, clench and melt any areas of held tension and shake it away.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/clench-melt

A conversation about learning through play and movement and inspiring potential and self-leadership in childhood. The role of teaching to create a space for play where it’s safe to make mistakes.

Full Shownotes: 

https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/alison-kriel

Resources:

Alison Kriel website

Twitter

Above and Beyond Education

Bryn Llewellyn from Tagtiv8 Ted Talk

We have all developed from an embryological state, and that embryo is within us and relates to our full potential. Cherionna Menzam-Sills in a somatic prenatal and birth therapist and she shares her compassionate approach.

Suzanne Yates  is the founder and  principal teacher at Wellmother. She teaches in French, Italian and Spanish, as well as English. Suzanne has been working with shiatsu and massage for over 30 years, and integrates an Eastern and Western approach of energy and bodywork. Well mother offer courses to practitioners, midwives and doulas. 

Suzanne has written ‘Pregnancy and Childbirth: an holistic approach to massage and bodywork’, ‘Beautiful Birth’ and ‘Shiatsu for Midwives’

• Suzanne was in the final year of a degree in Modern Languages when she got a kidney infection. She explored herbs, acupuncture and shiatsu
• She enjoyed shiatsu as it had the elements of acupuncture as well as touch and was soothing and calming
• After graduating, she decided to do some training in shiatsu and ended up becoming a shiatsu and massage practitioner 
• When Suzanne became pregnant, she felt healthy, strong and in tune with her daughter
• She realised how much fear there was around treating a woman around pregnancy
• Pregnancy in most cases is a healthy experience
• Suzanne went to study in Boston with Elizabeth Noble, and obstetric physiotherapist
• Working with antenatal and postnatal exercise, baby massage and shiatsu
• Fear of treating in the first trimester around miscarriage, in actual fact, treatment supports the body 
• The challenges of the first trimester, with so many emotional and physical changes when women need more support
• Adapting to each woman at each time
• Fear at the end of the pregnancy regarding stillbirth
• The importance of modifying treatment around pregnancy, but not avoiding bodywork at this time
• Shiatsu as a way of being more connected with the body
• Connection is key
• Teaching Shiatsu for Midwives at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol
• Shiatsu in the last few weeks of pregnancy, during birth and supporting postnatally
• In an ideal world, all women would receive touch-based treatment to connect with their bodies during pregnancy, as part of standard maternity care and integrated health system
• The simplicity of touch and its deep benefits
• Touch is our first developed sense, and it’s how we relate to the world
• Our body also holds emotions in the tissues
• Addressing what’s going on, rather than emphasising what’s wrong
• Supporting the whole body to work in its best possible way
• Nick Pole, a shiatsu practitioner encourages clients to find words to express what they are feeling and has a book called ‘Words That Touch’ https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/184819336X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=184819336X&linkId=1e73263af99663e32f7ea2de7090c8a4
• The complexity of Chinese characters and how multi-layered the language and imagery is
• Images from nature
• Each meridian relates to an element e.g wood is tree energy and Spring
• Meridians are described as rivers flowing through the body
• The image of the inner landscape of the body, that looks like an embryo, the body is a microcosm of the universe.
• The menstrual cycle: Spring energy building after menstruation, Summer releasing the egg, Autumn building the lining of the uterus, liver energy to gather and prepare for potential pregnancy (image of building the nest)
• Double movement in menstruation of clearing and cleansing the blood 
• The extraordinary vessels are less well-known than the 12 meridians 
• The extraordinary vessels are said to be the overall regulators in our body and the reservoir of energy in the body
• They are particularly connected to the brain, heart and the reproductive organs
• Energies change in our bodies through life
• Extraordinary vessels regulate cycles of 7 years for women and 8 years for men
• The kidneys store the ancestral energy, or jing or essence.
• The Qi are all the energies in the body
• In utero 
• Extraordinary vessels contain the memory of things we used to have that are no longer there, like the umbilical cord and the placenta
• The placenta is formed from cells from the fertilised egg
• The energy field can be described as the memory of the amniotic sac, or the protective water around us when we were developing
• Connecting with the energy of why we are here, in this life at this time
• The impact of stress and nutrition on the baby in pregnancy
• The lack of time to recover postnatally and the impact of depletion, and how this can impact the menopause
• Rest and nourishment instead of pushing and being more and more exhausted
• Breathing, movement, exercise, pure air, nourishing food, balance between rest and activity
• Heart and womb connection
• Heart and kidneys are in the meridians as well as the extraordinary vessels
• The kidneys receive a quarter of the blood supply
• Blood is an important concept in Chinese Medicine and is affected by the air we breathe and the food we eat
• In Chinese Medicine, the first year is vital for postnatal recovery
• The essence declines in later years. Physically less strong, but spiritually stronger as we prepare to return to the one. Trying not to hold on to the past or how we were when we were young. Staying well is helped by staying fluid and flexible like a child so we can adapt to different phases in our lives

Resources:

https://www.facebook.com/wellmotherpublicpage/

https://www.instagram.com/suzanneyateswellmother/?hl=en

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLgWggJjXLdHUTmDIPU_lMA

www.wellmother.org

https://www.wellmother.org/books/

Have you noticed how clearing your physical environment helps you to have a calmer state of mind? In this episode we talk about how trauma and stressful life events can result in a build-up of clutter. You can keep your possessions and space in order by creating simple systems and then maintaining them

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/helen-sanderson

Karen Brody is the founder of Daring to Rest, a yoga nidra-based approach for women. 

In this episode, we talked about:

• Karen’s former experience of being a Type A personality and having panic attacks.
• Finding yoga nidra at her yoga studio whilst looking for a stretchy class to tone up her body.
• Lying down and taking a nap was outside of her paradigm
• Realising that she put her boys down for a nap each day and it helped them to be less cranky, but why wasn’t she doing this for herself?
• The danger of sleep-deprivation
• How do you quiet the mind?
• What is yoga nidra? Sleep meditation with a state of relaxed awareness
• Feelings of freedom, hope and possibility arose from the experience of yoga nidra
• The subconscious mind guiding you to your best self
• The fourth state of consciousness that you can’t access from sleep
• Rest-shaming in our culture
• Letting go of what you don’t need
• Being supported and safe when you lie down and surrender
• Yoga nidra as a gift for your baby/ children 
• Even 5 minutes of yoga nidra in the car is worthwhile
• Realising the transformational effect of yoga nidra after a traumatic robbery which left Karen with PTSD
• Creating a rest cave
• Sharing yoga nidra online to give more people access and create connections and community from women all over the world
• Training women in the Daring to Rest Method
• Yoga nidra taught an embodied understanding of choice and agency
• This tool can be used alongside anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants
• Feeling less alone and more connected
• Yoga nidra as non-negotiable rest before and during your period
• Bookending in the morning and/or night
• Soul whispers 
• The Wild Woman archetype from Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• Activating the intuitive part 
• Awakening creativity through rest
• Lying down teaches us to tune in
• The most radical act for women is to rest and reawaken

If you’d like to connect with Karen Brody, find her @karen_Brody or @daringtorest or visit her website:

www.daringtorest.com

You can read her book, 

Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power with Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1622039092/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1622039092&linkId=f14449d35974aac07fd7e4b0bd095f81

• The first thing to say is that taking a holiday is, in itself, healthy. There can be a pressure to work work work, but it’s impossible to stay productive and inspired without taking some regular time out.

• It’s important to block out the space to  take care of your needs. 

• Holidays are often a time where you can let loose and enjoy yourself, but what if you could come home feeling well and rested? 

• These days there are so many more options for a healthy holiday. You can find yoga and meditation breaks, surfing trips, walking expeditions, and art and dance holidays. Or you could create your own bespoke trip.

• Flying is pretty unhealthy on many levels. I tend to take a high dose of vitamin c before and after a flight to boost my immune system. Try not to eat too much on the flight, especially as the meals are microwaved and processed - or you could bring your own food for the flight or fast until you get to your destination.

• Sleep on the flight, using earplugs and an eye mask or beanie placed over the eyes.

• Sleep -  If you’re travelling across many time zones, you might need to get over jet lag. It helps to set your watch to local time whilst you’re on the plane so that you can acclimatise quickly and avoid sleeping at random times. If getting enough sleep is a challenge  in your busy life, then it’s definitely time to catch up when you’re on holiday. 

• Digital detox

• “Almost everything will work again if you unplug for a few minutes, including you”, Anne Lammott

• Simplify everything. Eating fresh, local, simply prepared meals. It’s great to have a break from wearing makeup. 

• Be safe in the sun. 

• Nature is the best healer, so swimming in the sea, walking in nature and immersing yourself in the natural scenery are all wonderful

What if we took the focus away from self-care and self-development and instead created an approach to health that addresses groups and communities? People power can be vital for dealing with issues such as addiction, and mental health as well as learning and maintaining new habits such as meditation and running.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/community

Anna Greenland is an organic gardener. She comes from a family of gardeners and grown the highest quality organic food for chefs such as Raymond Blanc, Tom Aikens and Jamie Oliver. She was the Head Gardener of Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire. Anna lives in Suffolk where she has her own market garden. In this episode I’ll be speaking to Anna about her passion for herbs and encouraging people to grow their own.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Anna’s interest in growing food that came from a move from London to Cornwall
• The food scene in Cornwall e.g Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein’s restaurants, all looking for fresh produce
• Supporting local, fresh produce
• Having the idea to grow and sell herbs and edible flowers
• Coming from a green-fingered family, so growing is in her bones
• Her grandmother growing in her 90s and mother being a gardener
• The impact of having a dad who is into cooking on her passion for growing plants
• The purpose of medicinal and edible plants
• Fresh air, exercise and meditation that comes from growing plants
• You can’t rush plants and seasons, you have to be present
• Managing thyroid issues
• Replacing excess expensive supplements with home-grown produce
• The benefit of dirt for the gut micro-biome
• Lost connection with the soil and land
• The challenge of access to land when you’re living in urban areas
• Community gardens and allotments as a way of gardening in a city
• You can even grow in a windowsill
• Interact with something living
• State of mind from bringing the outside world into an urban environment
• Sourcing herbs from nurseries rather than supermarkets
• Peat-fee compost 
• Liquid feed such as seaweed or you can make your own from organic comfrey and nettle although it’s smelly!
• Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary are easier to take care of
• Growing from seed if you can
• Slowing down and nurturing
• Cutting costs through growing your own
• Gaining experience of traditional methods of gardening and then doing formal training in modern methods in Santa Cruz, California
• Becoming Head Vegetable Gardener at Raymond Blanc’s restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
• The episode of Raymond Blanc on the Table Manners podcast

            https://podtail.com/en/podcast/table-manners-with-jessie-ware/s6-ep-4-raymond-blanc/

• The supportive gardening community
• Instant calm from engaging with nature
• Teas, tisanes and infusions
• Lemon balm for lifting the mind after experiencing crippling period pain
• Dried herbs from http://www.organicherbtrading.com/ or https://www.nealsyardremedies.com/wellbeing/herbal-remedies/dried-herbs/
• Herbal honey e.g. infused with sage for sore throats
• Herbal salts for use in cooking e.g. rosemary, thyme and sage
• Electuaries are mixed with honey
• Thyme for mucousy colds
• Women have held this knowledge for generations to help their local communities 
• Different types of mint such as apple mint, morrocan mint.
• Rose geranium infused with hot water or in a sugar syrup
• Lavender for many uses
• Touch, taste and smell the plants, especially herbs
• Having a mindful moment each day

You can find more about Anna and her wonderful work here:

https://www.annagreenland.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/annagreenland/

Touch is our first sense. It’s how we engage with and explore our world. 

Touch is key to survival. We quickly pull away from something sharp or hot, but nestle in towards warmth and comfort.

 Right now, we need to be retreating into our homes for the safety of ourselves and one another.

Human beings are social beings. Even if you’re a strong introvert like I am, we need human connection and contact.

Touch may be high up in your list of love languages (If you don’t already know about this, it’s a book by Gary Chapman where we each have an order of preference of ways we show and receive love. As well as touch, they are words of affirmation, receiving gifts, acts of service and quality time.

Our love languages are often different from our loved ones and it’s an important part of communication to know about one another. 

So for those who know that they need a lot of touch, it’s particularly challenging.

The Massage in Schools project many years ago showed increased concentration and less loneliness, stress and bullying when pupils gave one another simple and clothed massage.

For babies, kangaroo care where they are worn in a sling or held helps their growth and cognition. And skin to skin between parents and their newborns 

Helps to deepen bonding.  I recommend that parents return to skin to skin as often as possible especially when they face bumpy times such as teething or sleep issues. 

There’s a term that I’ve only come across recently called ‘skin hunger’ , that describes the lack of touch that many people are experiencing.

We still need touch in our lives. 

It’s part of our humanity.

Touch deprivation affects our health. 

In whatever ways you can, try to connect with touch in your daily life. Here are some ideas:

• Feed your skin with light skin brushing or when you’re applying shower gel. Consciously connect with each body part in a state of gratitude for what your body does for you each day.

• Use thicker creams such as shea butter that need a little effort to work into the skin.

• Stroke or gently brush your hair. Give yourself a scalp massage.

• Apply essential oils to your pulse points. I’m going through a rose phrase, but cedar wood is grounding and lavender is calming.

• When you’re washing your hands, do it with your full attention so you can stimulate the receptors on your palms and between your fingers

• Treat your feet to your softest, fluffiest socks.

• Wear fabrics such as merino wool, bamboo, silk, brushed cotton or cashmere that feel sumptuous against the skin.

• A weighted blanket helps to feel more grounded and safe.

• If you’re isolating with loved ones, cuddle up as much as you can. Have a daily hug for more than 8 seconds to get the oxytocin, or hormone of connection, flowing.

• For those that are caring for very young children and are maxed out on touch, submerge your body in a bath as often as you can, especially with the lights dimmed or even off to close the senses, like a homemade sensory deprivation chamber.

• We need to avoid touching our faces when we are out and about for risk of infection, but with well-washed hands, give yourself a face massage. The top of the upper lip is a very soothing place to touch if you’re feeling anxious or unsettled, as are the ears.

I have an episode with an eminent researcher on oxytocin and touch coming out in a few weeks time. The new understanding is that oxytocin is not just the hormone of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, but it’s one that we need at all stages of our lives and for men and women and so touch is vital for us all.

We need positive touch to lower our stress hormone levels and help us to feel more connected and calm.

Our hands express what’s felt in the heart. So whilst we need to limit touch outside of the safety of home, we can connect by kneading bread, crafting, growing plants and filling our senses with things that evoke us such as beautiful music, comedy and poetry. In Pablo Neruda’s words, ‘Hands make the world each day’.

Reading:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/skin-hunger-coronavirus-human-touch?fbclid=IwAR3tCSTzQgo69UdgF6wk7Vuyrek6NNmO8pVckPdECOZne3Mk_DgnX9dEYYc

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/21/skin-hunger-touch-saved-me-from-unbearable-loneliness-what-will-we-become-without-it?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

https://www.5lovelanguages.com/

After losing 6 family members in 4 months, Kristie West started to explore grief and death through therapy, personal and spiritual development. She works 1:1 with people all over the world to help them to heal from grief, using a method that she has developed, that is unique to each person who works with her. Kristie helps to take people from pain and loss to gratitude, connection and freedom.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Kristie’s experience of losing 6 family members in 4 months
• Exploring mind-body approaches to cope with grief
• Realising, 2 years later, that she no longer had any grief, regret or pain
• Most people don’t want to heal from grief, as they think it means getting over the person who died
• Grief as an expression of love
• Your love for the person who died is eternal
• Common responses to bereavement include sadness, regret, anger, relief
• The initial acute experience of loss (approx 6 months) where you can give space for emotions to move through
• Social conditioning such as “only remember the good times”
• People deserve to be remembered, loved and accepted for who they are and not ‘photo-shopped’
• Kristie’s e-book, ‘How to Write and Give a Beautiful Funeral Speech’ http://kristiewest.com/shop/product/e-book-how-to-write-and-give-a-beautiful-funeral-speech/
• Healing can’t happen if you have a false story about them
• Finding beauty and meaning, even in difficult circumstances and in each death
• Self-love and self-care in the early weeks and months after a bereavement, as simple as staying rested, hydrated and nourished
• Doing something you love each day
• Finding a way to express yourself, such as journalling or dancing
• Some people just can’t be around death, we live in a death-fearing society
• If you’re going to get help from someone, check out how comfortable they are around death and grief 
• Supporting someone who has gone through a bereavement: there are no magic words, check in with yourself first and deal with your own discomfort so you can show up 
• Talking about death honestly and openly with children- and let kids teach you
• Healing from grief is possible

Resources:

www.kristiewest.com

In this episode I’ll be talking about the Non-Linear Movement Method: why I became a teacher, how I use the practice, and how to explore non-linear movement yourself.

• Earlier this year I became a teacher of the Non-Linear Movement Method
• I was more interested in letting my body move and express itself rather than being told what to do. 
• Working 1 to 1 with clients is so rewarding, but ultimately inefficient, as you’re not helping as many people as you might want to.
• NLMM helps me to release stress.
• If the nervous system is under continuous and sustained stress, it can’t restore itself.
• In the 3 years that I’ve been working with NLMM I’ve used it as a daily practice, but it’s also served me when going through some big challenges. Meeting what I’ve been feeling so directly and in live time, rather than when i’ve found words for the experience or had time to reflect on it, seems to have helped me to make shifts quickly. 

What is the NLMM?

It’s a somatic practice developed by Michaela Boehm. I spoke to her on episode 7 of this podcast https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/michaela-boehm. 

I’d heard of Michaela a few years earlier and was intrigued as I’d seen a friend shift so much after having panic attacks and becoming so well. When I decided to work with Michaela, it came at a time when she lost her house, animals and all her belongings in the Thomas Fires in California. The way that she spoke about this experience was so alive and I knew the importance of someone walking their talk when it really counts.

What I like about NLMM

• It’s a very safe practice

• You can do it even if you have physical limitations

• You can do it anywhere. If you’re pressed for time, do it in the shower. 
• There are only 2 rules- and that helps to have a strong container with a lot of space and freedom. The rules are to keep the eyes closed and to always keep moving, even if it’s just a little finger.Keeping the eyes closed helps to stay inwards, rather than engaging with the external world. If you’re in a class, then it helps to keep a sense of privacy.
• It is a quick practice if you are short of time - doing this practice for 3 minutes or the length of one song can be plenty. 
• It’s a simple tool but a profound one. 
• You can use it to release daily stress, but if it’s done consistently, it helps to clear old trauma. 

Keep an eye on my website avni-touch.com and I’ll announce dates for workshops soon.

If you want to explore the nonlinear movement method, and the founders Michaela Boehm and Steve James, go to  

http://www.thenonlinearmovementmethod.com/

Herbal Medicine is a way of supporting health for individuals and for building community. Plant medicine and sharing knowledge and skills for all.

Catch the full show notes at https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/rasheeqa-ahmad

Françoise Freedman, social anthropologist and founder of Birthlight, shares her approach of simple practices that support women to feel more confident and at ease in pregnancy. Her work weaves together yoga foundations, and knowledge gained whilst living in community in the Upper Amazon

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/francoise-freedman

Naomi has been teaching yoga full time since 2002. Over this time she has developed a deeply compassionate style of teaching that emphasises the therapeutic benefits of yoga and also its potential to uplift and inspire. In 2012, she set up Yoga on the Lane with the intention of creating a dynamic community of teachers and students united by their commitment to practicing mindful, breath-led, vinyasa yoga. And then, in 2015, she designed the 200hr Yoga on the Lane Teacher Training Programme, which has set more than fifty brilliant new teachers off on their own paths. In October 2019 her first book, Yoga: A Manual for Life was  published by Bloomsbury, and is currently being translated into six languages.

In this episode:

• Adapting from having a neighbourhood yoga studio, ‘Yoga on the Lane’ in Hackney, London, to an attic studio teaching classes online during lockdown
• The surprising intimacy of continuing classes online and connected community
• ‘Yoga: A Manual for Life’ came out in 2019 
• The reality of being on screens more 
• A time to renew, challenge and push boundaries
• Managing highs and lows and finding balance with Type 1 diabetes
• Daily space to meditate or practice yoga to support energy levels and lessen anxiety
• The link between autoimmune conditions and empathetic personality types
• ‘Little and often’ practices are little moments for yourself
• Many people don’t ever have their ‘Teacher’ or a lineage, but we can all tune into our own experiences and find our own way
• Noone ever feels ready
• Naomi joined the Royal Ballet School at 12 years old and was in a competitive environment but experienced camaraderie and deep friendship
• In the Royal Ballet Company from 17 until 21 and retired following a stress fracture in her foot
• Contradictions between ballet and yoga - working on turnout (Charlie Chaplin stance), so standing with parallel legs was a challenge initially 
• Initially Naomi practiced Bikram (hot) yoga and brought competitiveness, striving and pushing to her practice.
• She studied pregnancy yoga with Francoise Freedman founder of Birthlight and her soft, rounded approached opened up a new way of teaching
• Not a hierarchy but a collective
• Celebrating what your body can do
• The power of yoga beyond the mat
• Evolving from an extreme yoga practice to one that’s more poetic 
• “Connecting to the body and feeling part of an experience beyond my skin”
• Yoga is democratic- everyone is breathing. 
• Naomi remembers creating meditative space and doing visualisation as a child
• Retreats at Gaia House 
• Explore meditation by finding a space, making time, and start by sitting and watching the breath for 2 minutes
• The nervous system can’t take on too much change at once, it wants to shift gently over time
• Sit with your hips higher than your knees, against a cool wall
• You can create a shrine for yourself with an image that’s meaningful and a candle to burn if you want to, but these are extras
• If you’re struggling with sleep, try not to implement practices just before going to bed. Instead, affirmations such as “I am resting well” or “I am supported by my sleep” can be helpful to repeat throughout the day. Then, a restorative yoga practice later in the evening can be supportive, such as lying with the legs above the wall to drain the effort of the day, or lying over a cushion on the belly. Some yoga postures in the morning can help to raise energy levels if you haven’t slept well
• Practicing with children as a playful exploration and embracing the chaos. Seeing children as guides in order to break through patterns

Resources:

Yoga On the Lane 

Yoga: a Manual for Life book 

Instagram

Instagram: Yoga on the Lane 

As seen on BBC's Dr. In the House - Gary Ward is an author, educator and speaker on the subject of human movement and anatomy. He is the inventor of the Flow Motion Model: a simple description of what the body does and when it does it… A powerful tool for both assessment and intervention of the human body in the quest for health through movement. Gary is the author of ‘What The Foot’ and teaches his work all over the world.

• Gary was originally a ski boot fitter in the Alps, where he became fascinated about anatomy and movement
• Training as a massage therapist and personal trainer, to have the quickest way in to working with the human body
• His work has developed into this: “ An anatomical description of the movement of each joint in the body through all three dimensions of movement, over a single footstep”, by generating a map to see those movements taking place
• The evolution of the Flow Motion Model, which consists of 12 phases
• Teaching his work to personal trainers and therapists
• Freedom to observe, test, feel and learn the movement connections throughout the entire body
• The joint shape dictates everything
• Joints act, muscles react
• Taking ownership of the body
• The only person who can heal you is you. You have to create the right balance in your system
• Doctor in The House https://drchatterjee.com/garyward/
• ‘Finding Centre’, an affordable programme to help people to understand their bodies
• “The therapist shines the light on the dark spaces”
• Healing- giving the body the opportunity to achieve  its optimal, efficient state
• What if better movement improves a number of modern illnesses?
• Tension in a muscle is stress in the body
• “People will walk into your room with their problem tattooed on their forehead, if you can just learn to read it”
• It doesn’t matter how much pain you are in, you can always find a comfortable position
• Encouraging kids to be active and not restricting their movement
• “Movement is the answer”

Resources:

Instagram : @GaryWard_AiM

Facebook : www.facebook.com/anatomyinmotion

www.findingcentre.co.uk

www.whatthefoot.co.uk 

What The Foot Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1907261087/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1907261087&linkId=117b4763411c745431b58a69b1326646

Wake Your Body Up = www.findingcentre.co.uk/wakeyourbodyup

Do you think of yourself as creative? What if we all realised that creativity is something that is accessible and that supports the full spectrum of our health? And it needn’t add to your priorities, but can instead be enhanced what’s noticing what’s already around you.

If you’re led by your to-do list, then you’ll love hearing about creativity and play. It’s the perfect approach for anyone who needs permission to sit still, or who can’t slow their busy mind.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/shannon-read

Human beings need to feel safe so that we can thrive. That’s not easy to do right now, especially during a pandemic, with so many environmental, social and political issues in the forefront of our minds. 

Finding safety can be simply and accessible and I’m sharing my easiest tips so that you can feel more settled.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/feel-safe

Tamu Thomas is founder of the lifestyle brand ‘Three Sixty’, aimed at busy women in their late 30s and 40s that want to simplify life and create space for everyday joy. She guides women to amplify their inner voice in order to work with themselves rather than against.

In this episode:

• How low mood and other symptoms turned ‘everyday joy’ into a survival strategy
• Intuiting that she didn’t need a more medical approach, but that her soul was feeling empty
• Joy from the things that were already in plain sight
• Everyday joy as a north star or compass
• Feeling more grounded and whole from tapping into ‘everyday joy’, each day
• Achievement and productivity isn’t fulfillment
• Scanning the world for everyday joy until it became automatic 
• Joy as a foundation, rather than fleeting moments
• “Happiness happens, joy just is”
•  Discerning a joyful quest, versus coming from a place of lack
• Searching for everyday joy enables you to slow down as you need to slow down to be able to notice
• You’re not doing less by slowing down
• The experience of women in their late 30s and early 40s, who’ve had their childhoods in an analogue age and their adulthood in a digital age
• How ‘feeling feelings’ instead of bottling things up, and seeking support is encouraged for younger people
• Transitioning into the next season of life
• How 40 years old today looks nothing like 40 in our mothers’ era
• Giving ourselves permission to live our life
• Saying ‘no’ 
• The power of not having to be the superhero and save people
• Inward facing time to recharge
• Even lions/ lionesses aren’t ‘on’ all the time.
• The need for rest, and even scheduling naps!
• Social anxiety with networking
• Productivity as a measure of worth
• Comparison, especially as part of the immigrant experience
• The media narrative that thriving is for an elite few, and the rest are just surviving
• “Thriving is all of our birthright”
• The importance of black and brown people, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and marginalised people taking up space, especially in the wellness arena
• Shifting the concept of what it means to be well
• Standing up and taking up space and being the truest expression of herself as a black woman
• Allowing ourselves to make mistakes
• Soul care and body care are intertwined 
• “Live is a verb”
• Dropping down into connection with the earth’s core in order to connect with the ancestors

If you’d like to connect with Tamu, on social media, you can find her here:

https://www.facebook.com/LIVE-THREE-SIXTY-1839145456379400/

https://www.instagram.com/livethreesixty/

https://twitter.com/livethreesixty_

https://www.livethreesixty.com

Tamu’s podcast ‘Three Sixty Conversations’ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/three-sixty-conversations/id1355489288

Carly Mountain is a teacher and writer who works with poetry, yoga, breathwork and voice as transformational practice that can liberate us in ways we never anticipated. She is the creatrix of the Butterfly Mystery School which is home to circles of women who wish to deepen relationship with themselves and their natural abundant expression. Carly is also author of Jouissance ~ poetry of the deep feminine. She is based in Sheffield, UK where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

• Carly started dancing at 4 years old. She trained at the Laban Centre
• She pursued yoga and went from her first class to teaching within 18 months
• Graham technique had helped to release stuckness in the pelvis. Created by Martha Graham, the approach was inspired by Kundalini yoga, moving energy through the body
• Yoga is very much about the practice, compared with dance as a performance
• Pregnancy yoga with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli
• The Butterfly School includes yoga, poetry, breathwork and creative enquiry
• Butterfly - mudra practice
• Searching for a place where emotional work could exist alongside the physical expression
• Craving female support and recognising other women must be craving it too
• The perception that we “should be looking for a calm place inside ourselves”
• Kim Rosen uses free movement, breathwork, poetry and freeing the voice to give rise to whatever is there
• Being able to be with all the realms of expression
• Without fully expressing, we’re lidding an essential part of our being
• All emotion is welcome, all emotion is valuable
• Grief and rage are huge connectors
• Saying yes and no from the body
• Consent ripples through our lives - being programmed to respond quickly. Taking a pause
• Permission to rest
• Listening to our cyclical wisdom
• The Autumn (less tolerance for putting up with things) and Winter (hibernating and resting, going inwards) phases of the cycle. How easy it is to push these phases away, but there’s a renewal that comes from dropping in to resting
• Women supporting women is nourishing
• Often we don’t know we’re safe until we’ve taken a risk
• Remembering who you are and letting go of what you’re not
• Oxytocin is released when sitting with other women in circle
• Poetry as a powerful tool
• Intimacy as “going into the unknown together”
• ‘Blurt write’ to allow the pen to flow on the page
• Moonbox for a young girl before she has her menarche to celebrate and share this stage instead of shame and fear
• Jouissance, Carly’s book of poetry to celebrate the fullness of womanhood
• Extinction Rebellion is calling people into their eldership
• A new intake of The Butterfly School starts in January 2020 http://carlymountain.com/sheffield-yoga/womens-health-sheffield/

What If...?

What if it had been the Mother, the Daughter, and the Holy Spirit?

How different might things of be then,

if women only had their natural limits?

Blood revered as a super power,

as beautiful and welcomed and earthly as a flower.

Childbirth, if chosen, a sacred rite of passage.

Midwives as holy women.

Crones as the wisdom cup.

A sisterhood, a sisterhood.

Nature as Queen and ageing as a privilege. 

What if it had been the Mother, the Daughter, and the Holy Spirit?

How different might things be then. 

- Carly Mountain

Resources:

Twitter @carly_mountain

Instagram @carly_mountain

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Practice-and-Poetry-with-Carly-Mountain

http://carlymountain.com/

The Butterfly School: http://carlymountain.com/sheffield-yoga/womens-health-sheffield/

Jouissance poetry book  http://carlymountain.com/2019/08/08/jouissance/

This episode is with Kristen Arnett, talking about natural, non-toxic and organic beauty. Kristen is an international make-up artist with over 20 years experience. She specializes in educating people about green beauty. Elle magazine described her as a ‘Green Leader’. As well as working with celebrities and models, Kristen teaches regular people to do their makeup, especially women in their 40s and 50s

• Kristen developed an interest in the transformative nature of make up from 13
• Shifting into a new expression of who you are
• Selling makeup in retail, interning for a teacher of theatrical and cinematic makeup, product development
• Aged 26 she left her corporate job to travel internationally as a makeup artist
• Therapy was part of the process to get to the next stage of life- within 2 years of a visioning exercise she ended up working in Milan
• Struggling with acne as a teenager and using harsh medication initially. Then following an elimination diet, she realized how food impacted her body
• With a whole food diet, her skin cleared up
• She met model, May Lindstrom (who now has a successful skincare brand), who encouraged her to simplify her skin routine and use less toxic makeup
• Changing her kit to being more ‘green’
• Making specific content for over 40s and 50s, a demographic that is often overlooked in beauty
• Your beauty products shouldn’t make you unwell
• The lack of privately funded studies that can highlight the issues with specific ingredients
• Kristen’s toxic ingredient glossary and ‘Toss the toxins toolkit’ https://kristenarnett.com/toxic-ingredients-in-cosmetics-glossary/
• Look at the first few ingredients on a product - if it’s water, it needs a strong preservative system and is a diluted version. Does it have foaming agents such as sodium lauryl sulfate?
• Be wary of brands that have all the natural ingredients at the bottom of the list
• Greenwashing brands https://kristenarnett.com/category/greenwashing-beauty-brands/
• Beauty for self-deprecation, or self-celebration
• Loving touch whilst you do your beauty routine, increasing joy
• “Ooze love through your fingers”
• Enhancing with makeup
• Makeup is an opportunity for you to play
• “Be and feel beautiful”
• How gratitude affects wellbeing
• Anti-aging marketing - we’re all getting older and that’s normal!
• Honoring the stages of life that we are at
• 5 Minute confidence booster https://kristenarnett.com/freebies/
• The effects of botulinum toxin injections in the skin
• Laugh lines are proven to make people seem more approachable
• The risks of injectables and surgery
• Life-force is beautiful 

Resources:

Instagram @kristenarnettbeauty 

Twitter  @kristenarnettgb

https://kristenarnett.com

Toxic Ingredient Glossary https://kristenarnett.com/toxic-ingredients-in-cosmetics-glossary/

Greenwashing Beauty Brands https://kristenarnett.com/category/greenwashing-beauty-brands/

Confidence booster https://kristenarnett.com/freebies/

Zachi Brewster is a full spectrum doula and pleasure advocate, supporting individuals through transitional experiences on their reproductive and sexual journey's.

Coming from a family of women, run by matriarchs on both sides, the power of our wombs (physically and energetically) was clear to her from early on. Witnessing and supporting loved ones through everything from periods, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion and birth trauma became second nature and is the foundation on which she builds her services today.

However, it wasn’t until going through her own birth experience that she truly started to value the necessity and importance of having an advocate and someone who is just there for you. What started as months of just grieving turned into nurturing herself, eventually having faith in and feeling her body again.

She creates and holds space for individuals to trust in their bodies and their experience, heal from trauma and steer their path with beauty, confidence and the knowledge to make informed, pleasureful decisions.

In this episode we talked about:

• Exploring and expressing womanhood through sex
• Coming from a big family, with mainly women
• 5 years ago, Zachi had a miscarriage and it was a profound experience in her relationship with her body and one of the most fundamental experiences of her life
• Mourning a miscarriage
• The impact of shame
• The lack of resources available to support through miscarriage.
• https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/
• https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/pregnancy-complications/baby-loss/miscarriage-information-and-support
• Spurred on to support women after experiencing loneliness
• Initially wanting to become a midwife after her Master’s studies, but then deciding to become a doula. Doula training was so focussed on pregnancy and birth, but she realised there should be support for all the experiences of the womb
• She started  with what she’d needed: someone to talk to, normalising the experience
• Using breathwork and colour mapping to connect with the womb (physically or energetically)
• Womb energy as a creative centre, even if you’re non-binary or don’t have a physical womb
• The stories we hold in our womb stay there and can affect our pleasure and sexuality
• Owning your story
• “Being at home in your body is what I wish for everyone”
• The language of the womb : safe, homely
• The language of the uterus: valuable to name things by their name, but more detached
• Societal judgement around abortion
• Support for women going through abortion
• The journey of miscarriage and abortions are so personal, and everyone deserves support
• Simple advice for someone going through an abortion: have someone go with you, make sure there’s food for you when you come home, build a care package for yourself, have some sanitary pads for heavier flow
• Not charging for services as she believes that everyone deserves support
• Miscarriages and abortions can be very sterile experiences
• Supporting someone if you don’t agree with their choices
• Doulaing younger women e.g. teenage mums as there’s already a stigma, and therefore not charging in order to be more accessible
• The importance of boundaries for self-care in order to support others
• Burnout
• Exploring pleasure and expressing sexuality
• Shame and women’s sexuality
• Knowing your body by exploring your vulva in the mirror
• The pleasure of being yourself and honouring yourself
• “See yourself, feel yourself, be at home in your body”

You can connect with Zachi Brewster on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/zaz.brw/

Founded in 2013, Pause Global offers bespoke retreats and coaching for leaders. Led by a team of human transformation experts in beautiful locations around the world, Pause retreats have been attended by leaders from HSBC, Mars, BP and the United Nations. 

The Pause method is based on the best-selling book by Danielle North, an international board level executive coach. For the last 15 years, she has helped teams and leaders across the world to pause in order to reach their next level of brilliance.

The philosophy of the Pause is simple, if you're going to perform in a world that's speeding up, sometimes you need to slow down... 

In today’s episode:

• Danielle experienced burnout nearly 10 years ago

• Productivity is often valued above rest. ‘Busy is better’ is an adage that many live by

• For many people, the focus is on the outer world (goals and targets) rather than the inner world (thoughts, feelings, values and beliefs). Accessing the inner world requires being slower and more restful

• An enforced pause provides a space to go inward and connect more deeply to what matters, and to get much-needed rest

• You can go inward simply by sitting for a few minutes, ‘turning the eyeballs inwards’, and following the breath into the body. “Eyes are the windows to the world, but they are always looking outwards”

• Exploring the inner landscape takes a little time, space and consciousness

• When Danielle experienced her burnout, she was living and working in Singapore. As soon as she was able, she returned to the UK and went to a farm in Cornwall for a week’s holiday. She realised that she was unwell and extended her stay month by month in order to allow herself to recuperate.

• “Piece by piece I discovered what I needed”

• Pause evolved from an idea, into Danielle’s life’s work

• Signs of needing to pause: being excessively busy, unable to switch off or “tired and wired”, chronic exhaustion, finding it hard to cope with even simple things, brain fog, crying a lot

• Some doctors don’t acknowledge burnout

• The World Health Organisation recognises workplace burnout 

• White space in the diary is a simple idea. Instead of going from one activity to the next, allow space to breathe. It’s like a running paragraph without any full stops. White space is time to do nothing and it can be planned into the diary. This might be easier to experiment with on a weekend

• Having some space to meander

• Opportunities for self-reflection and re-aligning with the things that matter to you if you can stay curious at this time

• Alice Walker: “What it is referring to in this hexagram is something that I am going to call “the pause.” The moment when something major is accomplished and we are so relieved to finally be done with it that we are already rushing, at least mentally, into The Future. Wisdom, however, requests a pause. If we cannot give ourselves such a pause, the Universe will likely give it to us. In the form of illness, in the form of a massive Mercury in retrograde, in the form of our car breaking down, our roof starting to leak, our garden starting to dry up. Our government collapsing. And we find ourselves required to stop, to sit down, to reflect. This is the time of “the pause,” the universal place of stopping. The universal moment of reflection.”

• From the I Ching, “if we don’t slow down and pause, then life will do it for us”

• Retreating at home. Setting the space to keep returning to. A cushion, candles, incense and a plant or piece of nature all help to create a beautiful space. Putting things you love, and putting love into the space. You might use the space to turn inwards, do some breathing, journalling, meditating, reading or anything you choose

• Using sage or palo santo or essential oils in the space to clear the energy and then build in love. Have the space contain or hold people so it feels safe and comforting

• Care, love and attention are palpable in a space

• Are you waking in the morning feeling sufficiently rested? 

• Matthew Walker - ‘Why We Sleep’

• Low lighting in the evening and making the bedroom a nice place to go to

• Danielle’s suggestions for working from home: keep your routines as if you were going to the office, delay turning on your devices, use the ‘travel time’ to do something nice for yourself, get dressed! Have proper breaks, set a finish time

• Peloton are currently offering a free 3-month membership so you can exercise from home https://www.onepeloton.com/

• Belonging and connection are important aspects that come from the workplace

• Deeper the connection to the self with yoga, meditation or Qi Gong

• Being in nature helps to amplify a sense of belonging

• Get creative with virtual connections

• Being ok with ambiguity and learning to trust

Resources:

Pause Global: www.pauseglobal.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pauseglobal_/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pauseglobal_

Danielle North’s first book Pause: How to Press Pause Before Life Does it For You https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pause-Press-Before-Life-Does/dp/B06XK8BP4R/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=danielle+north&qid=1584994232&sr=8-2

Danielle’s new book ‘Sleep Meditations’ is out in the Summer:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Meditations-anxious-adults-drift/dp/1783253576/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1584979046&sr=8-1

Molly O’Brien describes the 3 disruptors of physiological birth. She aims to bring biomechanics (the study of human movement) back into birth. Improving the baby’s position and balancing the pelvis can help to lessen difficult births. Freedom of movement and autonomy. 

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/molly-obrien

Improving and maintaining the health of the teeth, gums, tongue and mouth positively impacts the full spectrum of health. Daily dental hygiene can be considered to be a mindfulness practice, and can be aided by Ayurvedic practices and homeopathy.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/laura-schikkerling

Supporting babies and children to move, learn and grow through play and connection. Play is needed for children and adults alike. Exploring the importance of occupational therapy for early intervention, and addressing the sensory and motor skills that are needed for healthy development. How to adapt to individual needs, such as the need for tactile stimulation.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/munira-adenwalla

Anya Hayes is a Pilates instructor, Mindfulness teacher and author of many pre and postnatal books, including ‘The Supermum Myth’ and ‘Pilates for Pregnancy’. She’s on a mission to empower women with the tools to navigate modern motherhood with pelvic floor and sanity intact.

I believe that we all deserve to thrive, not just survive motherhood. Our energies and vitality not only benefit us, but also model good self-care habits for our children to help us all to feel better, feel more alive.

• Anya has worked with pregnant and postnatal women for many years
• Initially she was more focussed on physical strength, but after her own pregnancies and births she changed her approach to be more mindful and address emotional resilience
• Even a smooth, straightforward birth experience can still feel like a trauma
• The physical and mental are so linked, especially in early motherhood
• The impact of depletion
• Pressing pause, acknowledging the need for rest
• Worked with Emma Cannon as editor of her ‘Baby-Making Bible’
• The vocabulary around birth - praise if you’ve had a drug-free birth and the sense of failure around abdominal birth
• Needing to be kind to yourself and not judging yourself
• Slowing down 
• Not being in control
• Fundamental inner strength 
• The ‘bounceback’ gets prioritised instead of real recovery
• Aesthetic instead of longevity prioritised 
• Exercise in the first trimester: listen to your body. Fatigue.
• We’re taught to override what our body is telling us
• Different for each individual 
• Trusting your gut
• What’s nourishing for you and what makes you feel healthy and well?
• “There’s so much toil going on inside”
• Our society doesn’t hold rest in high esteem
• The isolation of being in early pregnancy and feeling like you’re not meant to share
• The need for open discussion in a safe space
• Miscarriage is really common, yet it’s not talked about 
• The trauma of not being able to share and how it stays within you
• An internal examination with a women’s health physiotherapist
• Kegel’s exercise emphasises the squeeze, but it’s also important to learn to soften and release - which isn’t easy to fathom
• The link between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor and using the sensations of the breath to connect with the pelvic floor
• Linking the pelvic floor with everyday movements such as lifting a bag of washing or toddler, so it isn’t another ‘to-do’ and it’s a functional movement
• Giving yourself an internal examination with clean hands, place your finger inside your vagina, squeeze effectively and it should feel as if there’s a baby sucking on the finger
• You can’t strengthen something you can’t connect to- you need the softness and awareness to be able to feel
• “I’m a living, dynamic, moving being: everything I’m doing is exercise”
• Every movement in the body influences and is influenced by the pelvic floor
• Pelvic floor health declines with age, particularly if it isn’t maintained with exercise and awareness
• Changing the vocabulary around the pelvic floor - e.g gently undulating so it can adapt to our daily life
• Accessing specialist postnatal care
• All women who feel safe to do so, should have an internal check postnatally
• Massage, breathing and movement for scar release
• Women’s health physiotherapy should be available to all  
• Gentle pelvic floor awareness and diaphragmatic breathing can be done within 24hours of birth
• Avoid high-intensity exercise until you’ve had a pelvic floor check
• Pelvic tilts, spinal mobility and stretching whenever you feel able
• Reframe exercise to movement 
• Pelvic floor recovery will also have a strengthening effect on the abdominals
• Massage for diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles)
• Alignment and posture have an impact on healing a diastasis, so you have strength for your centre before you put load on it
• Don’t feel guilty for needing space - it’s never selfish to step back. You can be there more for others if you’ve given yourself space.

Resources:

Anya Hayes, Author of ‘The Supermum Myth’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supermum-Myth-overcoming-imperfection-mindfulness/dp/1910336343

‘Pilates for Pregnancy’

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/pilates-for-pregnancy-9781472951083/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mothers.wellness.toolkit/?hl=en

Twitter

https://twitter.com/thesupermummyth

https://motherswellnesstoolkit.wordpress.com/

Do you feel overwhelmed about using spices to enhance your cooking? Learn how to layer flavours with whole and ground spices to create tasty dishes.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/ren-patel

Menopause can be described as the ‘autumn’ of your life. In this conversation we talked about the taboo of menopause and how to have conscious conversations about this rite of passage. Exploring why some women sail through menopause and others are besieged by challenges such as brain-fog and anxiety. And simple ways to manage common symptoms.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/caroline-gaskin

The Intuitive Way to Wellness is a slow, gentle and individual way of looking at health and wellbeing. When you listen to your bodily wisdom, you become the expert of your body. This is the first of a series of 3 episodes about this approach to health and wellbeing.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/iww

Dr Rebecca Moore is a Perinatal Psychiatrist with over 20 years of clinical experience working with women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. She specializes in working with women with depression, anxiety, birth trauma or PTSD, OCD and psychosis. She also works with women with PMDD and through the menopause or through infertility. Rebecca is the co-founder of the Make Birth Better campaign and is an advocate of the use of medical cannabis.

• Rebecca Moore describes herself as a Holistic Psychiatrist - seeing someone in all aspects of their health including diet, exercise, supplements, blood tests, understanding their family, social networks, spirituality, hobbies alongside therapy and medication.
• Choices need to be tailored to the unique individual 
• Interplay between physical and mental health
• Building a therapeutic relationship by having a genuine interest in the person’s life
• It can be difficult to know when you need help if you are a new mother
• If something feels like an issue most days, for most of the day, it’s likely to be more than just a transition to new motherhood
• Not all postnatal illness is depression: it might be anxiety, traumatic birth or OCD 
• The onus can’t always be on women to reach out. We need to reach out to them
• Fear of being judged or criticized
• Fear of telling someone in case the baby is taken away
• More than 50% of women who are having issues in the perinatal period don’t seek help, because of fear
• It’s possible to be a good mother and be anxious
• Lots of support available to keep families well and together
• Medication: can feel frightening re starting and stopping, it is a good choice for some women. It should always be a choice so you feel informed and empowered
• Staff in busy teams are often traumatised themselves - they are so burnt out that they can’t give the support that women need
• Staff are the lynchpin of care and need to be supported including protected breaks, access to good food, getting off the unit, space to process
• Compassion fatigue can be as harmful as receiving overtly negative care
• NHS England will fund more mental health services for dads next year https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/nhs-mental-health-fathers-anxiety-depression-parent-a8664611.html
• The idea of a family review rather than just a maternal review
• Dads can be traumatized by birth and have mental health issues, but are often less likely to ask for help
• Issues of short paternity and the impact of connection - greater shared parental leave could help
• Helping to hear what you want, by drowning out the external noise
• Hear your gut instinct by finding quiet moments of pause
• Body-based approaches such as breathing or yoga
• It’s common to feel very disconnected from the body after birth
• The narrative “you can have it all” - often at the expense of themselves
• The mother and baby are equal parts- it’s not just about the baby so both need to be nourished in order to thrive
• Couples can keep connecting with hugs, making each other tea
• CBD and medical cannabis for anxiety, sleep, low mood, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, offering another choice for people
• The potential use of CBD in pregnancy e.g. for nausea symptoms
• Research into psychedelics including mushrooms, LSD and ketamine 
• Ketamine is licensed for depression in the U.S
• Always medication alongside something else such as yoga, exercise or meditation as a prescribed activity
• Exercise is proven to be as effective as antidepressants for people with depression

Twitter @dr_bjm 

Instagram @drrebeccamoore

Website https://www.doctorrebeccamoore.com/about

Make Birth Better https://twitter.com/birth_better

At the age of 28, Russell took a life-changing trip to Koh Samui, Thailand. After years of working in the fast food industry, he had developed skin problems and was searching for a solution. In his research, Russell read about the powers of fasting and the spas in Thailand that offered these healing retreats. It was during this time that Russell discovered raw foods.

Russell’s passion was ignited by vibrant meals he was able to create with raw food. Not only were these dishes creative and flavorful, the health benefits were amazing.  

This excitement led Russell to start a blog about his raw food journey. Others became interested in Russell’s natural talent and began to take notice of this up-and-coming raw chef.

Teaching local classes, he began drawing students from all over Europe and the US. His drive was to make raw food accessible every day. Whether it was raw sandwiches or show-stopping dinner parties, your meals could be amazingly healthy.  

Today, Russell has had the pleasure of teaching raw food to thousands of people worldwide through his podcasts, eBooks, live classes and online courses.  Russell now runs Eat Like An Adult (eatlikeanadult.com) and Being Whole (beingwholenow.com), of which The Raw Chef (https://therawchef.com/) is part of.

• Russell grew up eating home-cooked meals such as Spaghetti Bolognese, Sunday roasts and curries 
• His dad (a part-time firefighter and painter and decorator) took over the family meals as his mum was working (as a driving instructor)
• Allowed to eat what he wanted, including sugary treats
• His mum intuitively knew that she didn’t want an over-reliance on meat
• As a child, he didn’t have much interest in cooking
• Russell worked at Burger King and ate fast food daily whilst at that job, he suffered with acne at that time
• At arts school, his interest in creating things waned
• He went into middle management at Tesco’s, not knowing how he got there in his mid-20s and realised it wasn’t where he wanted to be
• Russell then became a driving instructor as his Stepdad owned a driving school and his mum was a driving instructor
• He realised that he wanted a flexible job and to be self-employed
• Fasting and juicing had a big impact on his skin health
• He realised he had an outlet for creativity around food
• Russell started creating recipes, shooting photography and becoming a food blogger
• Several participants on a documentary about juice fasting in Thailand mentioned clearer skin, and Russell travelled to the same retreat centre.
• Putting personal experience above scientific proof 
• The lack of information about acne and nutrition, despite the strong connection between them
• The stigma about being a man who ate healthily 
• Karen Knowler ( https://twitter.com/KarenKnowler ) ran The Fresh Network, 
• Raw Food by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis was one of the first books on this topic
• The blog evolved into online and in-person courses
• It’s not necessary to be 100% raw
• Amy Levin- raw chocolate and desserts  https://www.amylevin.co.uk/
• Pleasure and joy from the presentation and taste of food
• Removing limitations around food choices
• Eat Like an Adult - https://www.eatlikeanadult.com/ came about from feeling restricted as just ‘The Raw Chef’
• Minimalist Baker https://minimalistbaker.com/ 
• Eat Like an Adult is for ‘busy people who want to eat right’ , nourishing wholefood recipes that don’t take a lot of time to prepare
• Michael Pollan phrase ‘eat food, not too much, mostly plants’ 
• Colour and the enjoyment of food
• Blue Zones https://www.bluezones.com/
• The shared experience of eating together is nourishing in itself
• Morphogenic field
• “You’re only one meal away from being a healthy eater”
• Avoid giving yourself a hard time or judging yourself
• The effects of deprivation and indulgence
• “Personal responsibility is where the power is”
• Intestinal flora can predispose you to sugar cravings and obesity
• Many people now have the link that a treat doesn’t have 

Resources:

Eat Like and Adult:

IG https://www.instagram.com/eatlikeanadult/?hl=en

FB https://www.facebook.com/eatlikeanadult

www.eatlikeanadult.com

The Raw Chef:

https://www.instagram.com/therawchef/

https://therawchef.com/

Dr Deepa Apté is a fully qualified Indian medical doctor, Yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner. 

She lectures widely on Ayurveda and Yoga and regularly writes articles for, and features in, magazines and the press. After having run successful practices in India and Germany, she now runs her practice from The Ayurveda Pura Health Spa & Beauty Centre in London where she offers Ayurvedic consultations, individual Yoga sessions and workshops.

She lectures as a guest speaker at numerous international health and wellbeing exhibitions and is the lead lecturer of the Ayurveda Pura Academy. As a post graduate lecturer at University of Wales, Dr Apté is an experienced teacher with knowledge on both theoretical and practical aspects of Ayurvedic medicine and treatments.

As well as running her practice Dr Deepa Apté helped to set up Ayurveda Pura in the UK and is the lead Ayurvedic practitioner in charge of products, their production and ingredients.

• Dr Deepa Apte studied to become a medical doctor but continued her studies by training to become an Ayurvedic doctor and yoga teacher. Since she moved to London from India she focussed on Ayurveda and Yoga
• Her medical background comes in useful for teaching students and seeing clients with medical presentations
• Ayurveda means ‘science of life’. “There is nothing un-Ayurvedic out there”. It’s a natural, holistic science that draws inspiration from the environment around us
• Ayurveda addresses body types/ constitutions: vata meaning air, pitta meaning fire and kapha meaning water + earth
• Vata types are active, restless and creative
• Pitta types are focussed, sharp and hot
• Kapha types go with the flow, are patient and stable
• We are born with a unique constitution, that will never change. There will also be a body type based on lifestyle and environment factors
• The analogy of the original constitution you are born with being like a solid surface and the body type being like dust on the hard surface
• Five approaches: food, herbs, manual therapies, yoga and lifestyle
• Even though Ayurveda is an ancient science, it is relevant today because it reflects the world around us
• General routines include: a hot drink (water or tea) upon waking to stimulate the digestive fire, eating only when hungry, ensuring eliminations are clear each day
• There are two types of hunger. The first comes from the stomach, the second comes from desire and is not true hunger
• 70% of illnesses are believed to arise from sluggish digestion. Ginger and lemon tea 3-4 times a day can help to correct constipation
• Writing by hand for 15 minutes each day helps to feel younger from the inside. This activity uses the 5 sensory functions as well as the motor functions and helps to keep the nervous system to be active and maintain memory
• Eat according to your body type. Food has medicinal properties. Avoid raw foods.
• If you find it hard to have a hot meal at lunch when you’re working, then have a herbal tea alongside your food
• For kapha-related imbalances, symptoms such as water retention, mucous congestion and heaviness mean that restricting dairy in the diet is helpful
• For vata-related imbalances, dryness is a common symptom and cooked dairy is beneficial
• Applying oil for massage is ‘snehana’. ‘Sneha’ means love, ‘ana’ means to apply. This means that the application of oil offers love and care to the receiver
• There are important energy points, known as marma points that can be addressed in self-massage. These are gateways into the body. Four important points: middle of the palms of the hands and middle of the soles of the feet. These relate to the heart and lung regions
• Apply warm oil for massage. First in an anti-clockwise direction to remove toxins and then clockwise to nourish with prana (energy)
• Oil on the navel point is the entry of life and is calming
• Massage over the heart region
• Massaging over the third eye (between the eyebrows) brings about change in the hypothalamus and pituitary 
• Massaging over the crown chakra: find the point by taking four fingers from the eyebrows and then four fingers on top
• For someone with insomnia, try massaging the marma points for 5-10 minutes with warm oil. Then have a shower and go to bed
• Sesame seed oil is suitable for all body types, especially in colder environments. It has good antioxidant properties to stimulate the immune system
• In warmer climates, coconut oil is a good option
• If you don’t have access to oil, massage without it
• Herbs can be taken daily and don’t have adverse effects with allopathic medication
• Lighting a candle or incense stick each day for a mindful moment
• Panchakarma is a cleansing process to rid the body of excess doshas
• Detox and cleansing are two different terms
• Ama is a toxin and is produced when the digestive fire is weak and can lead to illnesses
• Excess vata can cause nervous illnesses
• Excess pitta can cause acidity, inflammation and ulceration
• Excess kapha can cause water retention and mucous congestion
• Pancha = 5, karma= actions. Therapeutic vomiting, purgation, medicated enemas, nasya (nasal oil application), and blood letting. These are applied over 2-3 weeks, with the body cleansing in a specific order
• After panchakarma finishes, you have to slowly adapt to everyday life
• There are different ways of fasting for different body types. It’s about the withdrawal of the 5 senses. Fasting is recommended for stress and insomnia
• Rest during the first days of the menstrual cycle, avoiding exertion and inversions
• Oil-pulling with sesame seed oil can help to regulate the menstrual cycle
• The sub-lingual veins beneath the tongue directly drain into the heart
• The tongue is like a map of the whole body
• During the period, the downward flow is strong and should be enhanced. Tampons and mooncups should be avoided

Resources:

Dr Deepa Apte

Ayurveda Pura

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Welcome to Speak From the Body!

Let's connect! Here's where you can find me:

https://instagram.com/avnitouch 

https://twitter.com/avnitouch 

https://www.facebook.com/avnitouch

In the 50th episode of ‘Speak From the Body’, I’m speaking with Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg about her pioneering research on oxytocin. She shares how the research has progressed, so what was originally thought of as a hormone of motherhood (birth and breastfeeding), is now understood to be a crucial part of growth and healing for everyone, men and women, young and old. Oxytocin is released with touch and pleasure and inhibited by stress, and we talk about the implications of this in Lockdown.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/kerstinuvnasmoberg

For episode 21 of Speak From the Body, I decided I’d record a solo episode. When I first thought about creating a podcast, I meant to have a mix of conversations with experts and then one with just me from time to time. 

Today I’d like to talk  about loss. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in the experiences that connect us as human beings. The things that go beyond the everyday “I’m fine, how are you” level of interaction. I’m not a fan of small talk, and am much more interested in the deep and meaningful conversations about what really matters and gives our lives meaning.

Loss is a topic that I’ve studied over the years. Noone gets to experience life without some form of loss.

It comes in the form of bereavement, or breakup.

Fertility issues, miscarriage.

Redundancy. Loss of identity. A move to a new country.

When we experience challenges such as heartbreak or loss, our bodies rarely get the space to process what has happened. 

We might rush ourselves to ‘get on with it’ and think we have bounced back before we have. Or we might ignore what has happened because it’s just too painful to address it.

Even though I have a deep respect for talking therapies, there are some things that are beyond words.

Trauma is held in the body. You can’t just talk your way out of it. The mind and body are not really separated, yet we see a talking therapist for the head and a body practitioner for our physical selves. When things are held in the body and not released, they become an emotional scar, where layers of tension build up around it. This blocks the life force. It can show up as deep tiredness or feeling like life isn’t in flow.

I’ve frequently experienced in clinic when someone has come in for treatment to a sore neck or back, but I am drawn to a deeper held tension, that feels as if it’s the real thing to work on. When something is held in the body, we are held back from expressing our most true and vital self.

I grew up in an extended family, which meant that at different times of my life, I had my grandmothers, a grandfather, elderly uncle and cousins living with us. Over the years, we had 4 deaths in our household. 

I was 14 my grandmother died. It was 13 days before a close family wedding. In our culture, you don’t have a celebration less than 2 weeks after a sad occasion, but in this situation everything was organised and we decided to go ahead with it. I used to share a room with my Grandmother, and after she died, I experienced terrible insomnia. I’d line up piles of books by my bedside to read in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t explain to anyone what was affecting me, and the only way I could find comfort was to give up and go to the safety of my mum and dad’s bed in the middle of the night.

When I first became an osteopath I treated many elderly people (very different from my practice now where I rarely see anyone over 65). Once, an elderly man came in for a session with an excruciating pain by his shoulder-blade. The pain was etched on his face and he couldn’t eat or sleep or move because of this pain. It was a real challenge to treat him. I was recently qualified and didn’t know how to help him lie comfortably or how to be gentle enough so that I didn’t hurt him.

 It was the first time I treated him, but I’d met him before as he would always be with his wife when she came for treatment. I asked after his wife. She was such a jolly, warm lady, the kind that lifted your spirits when you were flagging on a hectic day. He let out a sound that was a mangled, primal scream/ cry. He told me that she had died. Totally out of the blue.

 I have no idea how long they had been together but couples from that era tended to marry young and lead long, fruitful decades. He literally carried the pain of his broken heart. And being someone from that generation, it wasn’t natural to talk about his feelings, but his body was speaking volumes. I still feel an ache when I think of the intensity of his sorrow. It was such a lesson in how the body tells our stories. And how as a practitioner, it’s not about the fancy bells-and-whistle techniques but really about holding compassionate space so that the body can find its own breath. 

Nearly 18 years ago I had a cough that was so aggressive that I was sick on a daily basis. At the time I worked in a small office at a publishing company and had to run down 2 flights of stairs to throw up in the loo. It became such a normal thing for me to cough and cough and run downstairs and throw up. I can’t remember what else I tried but I eventually ended up at a low-cost homeopathic clinic near my work. In the consultation, she asked about recent events. A loved one had died out of the blue. She linked the cough to my grief and shock and treated me with an intense dose of arnica. The cough eased and what’s interesting is that I still get a similar cough in March each year, nearly 18 later.

Elephants are my favourite animal. I love their nobility, their sensitivity and their sense of community. There’s a powerful story of elephants and grief.

If you haven’t already read it, there’s a book I love called The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. It’s the true story of a conservationist, and how he forms a beautiful relationship with a herd of wild elephants who were once violent and traumatised. Over time Anthony managed to calm the elephants and get to know them.

When he died, two herds of elephants made their way in slow procession for 12 hours until they reached the house of Lawrence, the man who had saved their lives. 

They came to say goodbye to the man they loved, who had saved them from being killed. What’s incredible is that they hadn’t been by the house in over 18 months, but they just knew to come and say goodbye. 

Grief can show up as holding of shock in the diaphragm/ solar plexus and caving in of the sternum and chest, the area of the heart centre, that relates to the heavy heart that people talk about. It can show up in the upper back , the area that I liken to the messy cupboard where we chuck stuff without looking, so that it becomes disordered and chaotic.

 In zero balancing, the energy in the body is evaluated rather than diagnosed (which I describe as a more non-judgemental way of listening with the hands). There’s a particular feeling of grief energy that can be felt in the upper ribs, especially around the heart and lungs. It feels dull and empty, with a lack of spring, like a balloon that’s had the air sucked out of it. 

It’s not possible to go through life without having some kind of loss. It’s part of the human experience and yet it can still be taboo, or not talked about. 

Sometimes it’s too much to talk about or make sense of, but the body can find ways to express the sense of loss.

For anyone experiencing loss and grief, I don’t think there’s any one way to move through it.

• Try to listen to what you need, and that may change from day to day and season to season.
• Be in nature, especially around old trees when you feel ungrounded or moving water when you need to release emotions. 
• Have time for yourself if that helps you.
• Be around the kind of company that makes you feel good. The kind of people you can just be with.
•  Give yourself some regular space to feel your feelings. 
• Get rid of any commitments you don’t have to keep
• Practice self-care so that you can keep the basics up, such as eating and sleeping.

I’d like to read a letter to the singer Nick Cave and his reply.

Cynthia writes to Nick Cave

I have experienced the death of my father, my sister, and my first love in the past few years and feel that I have some communication with them, mostly through dreams. They are helping me. Are you and Susie feeling that your son Arthur is with you and communicating in some way?

Dear Cynthia,

This is a very beautiful question and I am grateful that you have asked it. It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable. There is a vastness to grief that overwhelms our minuscule selves. We are tiny, trembling clusters of atoms subsumed within grief’s awesome presence. It occupies the core of our being and extends through our fingers to the limits of the universe. Within that whirling gyre all manner of madnesses exist; ghosts and spirits and dream visitations, and everything else that we, in our anguish, will into existence. These are precious gifts that are as valid and as real as we need them to be. They are the spirit guides that lead us out of the darkness.

I feel the presence of my son, all around, but he may not be there. I hear him talk to me, parent me, guide me, though he may not be there. He visits Susie in her sleep regularly, speaks to her, comforts her, but he may not be there. Dread grief trails bright phantoms in its wake. These spirits are ideas, essentially. They are our stunned imaginations reawakening after the calamity. Like ideas, these spirits speak of possibility. Follow your ideas, because on the other side of the idea is change and growth and redemption. Create your spirits. Call to them. Will them alive. Speak to them. It is their impossible and ghostly hands that draw us back to the world from which we were jettisoned; better now and unimaginably changed.

With love, Nick.

I run a workshop twice a year called Moving Through Loss, where we use gentle breath work, body-led movement and guided relaxation. If you’d like to come to a safe space to feel and move through loss, feel free to get in touch and come along.

https://www.avni-touch.com/moving-through-loss

Have you ever felt constricted by what other people think you ‘should’ be? In this episode, I speak to artist Sheree Mack https://www.instagram.com/livingwildstudios/ about reclaiming her true voice and learning to express herself authentically and fully. We talk about her new project: ‘The Earth Sea Love Podcast’, which explores women of colour and their relationship with the natural world.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/sheree-mack

It should be obvious that placing a woman at the centre of her antenatal care is vital, but it sadly isn’t always the case. In this conversation, midwife Elsie Gayle and I explore continuity of care in midwifery and the rise in birthing outside of the system, (a.k.a freebirthing), when women choose a non-medicalised experience or feel like they have no other choice (perhaps because of previous experiences).

For the Full Show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/elsie-gayle

I first met Emma Pickett via LinkedIn. I got in touch with her after reading an article she wrote and we met for a cuppa. It’s always nice to get to know people that work in a similar field, both professionally and locally. 

I treat a lot of new mums and babies with breastfeeding challenges, and a team approach such as breastfeeding support and osteopathy can really make a difference.

Emma was originally a teacher and Deputy Headteacher in central London. She went on to qualify as a breastfeeding counsellor with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM) in 2007. The ABM (abm.me.uk) trains volunteers and professionals and co-runs the National Breastfeeding Helpline alongside the Breastfeeding Network. 

Emma qualified as a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2011, recertifying in 2016. She has supported families at groups in North London for over a decade as a volunteer and answers calls on the helpline. Her book, “You’ve Got It In You: a positive guide to breastfeeding” was followed by “The Breast Book: a puberty guide with a difference – it’s the when, why and how of breasts” . She blogs at www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com and her blog on the dangerous obsession with the infant feeding interval can be found on the UNICEF Baby Friendly site. 

She has two children and lives in London. You can find her on Twitter as @makesmilk.

In this episode we talked about:

• the challenge of getting breastfeeding support.
• the depth of training for Lactation Consultants through the IBCLC
• reflections on why breastfeeding might be undervalued. 
• postcode lottery in relation to breastfeeding support
• the idea of protecting instead of promoting breastfeeding.
• the close contact and cuddling regardless of whether you breast or bottle feed. 
• why it doesn’t make sense to be anti-formula
• myths about breastfeeding include tandem feeding, older children.
• employment and legislation issues to support breastfeeding and expressing.
• medication and breastfeeding  https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/
• the #feedon photography campaign
• educating prepubescent girls about breasts
• celebrating what’s normal
• bras
• the body confidence movement
• the voices of men to normalise breastfeeding
• healing previous generations and access 
• diverse voices about breastfeeding

Let’s connect! Here’s where you can find me:

https://instagram.com/avnitouch

https://twitter.com/avnitouch

https://www.facebook.com/avnitouch

Double award-winning doula and birth activist Mars Lord has been a birth keeper for well over a decade. After attending the Paramana Doula course with Michel Odent and Lilliana Lammers, a spark was lit within her and the passion that she discovered for birth and supporting parents has fired her soul ever since. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of families. A birth activist, with a desire to see the ‘colouring in of the landscape of birth’ and finding out the reasons for the maternal and neonatal morbidity rates amongst the BAME community, Mars created Abuela Doulas a doula preparation course primarily, but not exclusively, for women of colour. Her desire for reproductive justice led to the creation of the ‘Reproductive Justice Retreat’. Mars was recently recognised in the Mayor of London's Hidden Credits campaign and continues to speak out about cultural safety and reproductive justice. Mars is the mother of 5 children, including twins, and a new Nonna to her little grandson. 

• Self-care and time out after supporting at a birth 

• Doulas and burn-out
• Mars considers the most important quality of doulaing as the ability to ‘be’ and walk alongside the woman/ couple
• Mars became a doula mentor and went on to create her own doula training that’s culturally safe
• There’s more to a culture than what it looks like on the surface
• Black and Asian women are more likely to die during birth 
• Abuela means ‘grandmother’ in Spanish and Abuela Doulas is the name of her doula training
• Mars’ best buddy aka ‘the wife’, Nicola Goodall- here’s her episode with me: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/nicola-goodall
• Profiting from traditional practices such as baby-wearing and co-sleeping
• The impact of colonisation on birth and motherhood
• Inclusivity in marketing material 
• Supporting and lifting one another up
• Learning to take ownership about your body
• “You’re a Queen, not a handmaiden”
• Navigating a new relationship with her daughter now that she’s a new mother
• The stereotype of the ‘angry black woman’ 
• The dynamics that happen in groups and online regarding talking about race
• Elaine Olumide- black MP and model from Scotland https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eunice-olumide-model-jeremy-vine-says-britain-is-in-denial-over-slave-trade-2kfqn9f0f
• Being in a heard in a system that’s not meant for you
• Dr Christine Ekechi, obstetrician working to reduce racial disparities in healthcare - https://www.instagram.com/dr_christine_ekechi/?hl=en
• Blaming black and brown bodies for poor outcomes
• Research already shows that pain relief is given at lower rates as it’s believed that black women have higher pain tolerance
• Intergenerational trauma is considered, yet enslavement trauma isn’t addressed 
• Modern gynaecology progressed by experiments of enslaved women
• Knowing your importance doesn’t put others down, it brings everybody up
• Mars’ self-care includes theatre, red wine, good books, trusted friends, dinner and dancing.
• Reproductive Justice Retreat: https://abueladoulas.com/reclaiming-your-ancestral-birth-retreat/

 Websites:

www.abueladoulas.com

www.marslord.co.uk

Social media:

https://www.facebook.com/abueladoula/

https://twitter.com/Abueladoula

https://www.instagram.com/abueladoula/?hl=en 

Birthing in Colour - A space for Black and Asian women https://www.instagram.com/birthing_incolour/?hl=en

Retreat:

https://abueladoulas.com/reclaiming-your-ancestral-birth-retreat/

Julie Wright is an entrepreneur, sleep ambassador, and author of “The Natural Sleeper: A Bedside Guide to Complementary and Alternative Solutions for Better Sleep” .

Julie is also the Chief Sleep Orchestrator and founder of WeSleep, a wellbeing provider focused on sleep, sleep deprivation and insomnia to a wide range of organizations and business clients. In addition, Julie is an ambassador for World Sleep Day.

“Having battled with sleep issues for years, Julie embarked on a journey full of learning, discovery and therapeutic experiments to resolve them. She then started to re-energise sleep-deprived individuals by teaching them how to sleep better naturally for optimal physical and mental health.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/julie-wright

Connecting with the element of water is one of the simplest and most versatile ways of supporting our physical, emotional and mental health. You can drink water, behold it or immerse yourself in a relaxing bath, floatation tank or the ocean. Cold water swimming is having a surge in popularity and is good for mental, physical and emotional health.

All good things must come to an end. I’ll be back with more episodes of ‘Speak From the Body’ after a break. For now, I’m leaving you with thoughts about slowing down and processing the events of recent months.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/break

Even in today’s world, talking about female sexuality and orgasms can still be a taboo. In this conversation, Mangala Holland talks about shame, boundaries and how sexual pleasure enables flow in all areas of life.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/mangala-holland

An episode about the power of words and the process of flow writing to rediscover yourself, and how this approach has been used in hospital and care homes with people with dementia, mental ill health and carers and staff. Talking about creative expression and the sense of wholeness rather than just being defined by a label

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/susanna-howard

Anne Jirsch is a London born professional futurist with a large worldwide following. Her client base includes: heads of industry, politicians and celebrities from the world of film, music and sport. She is the best-selling author of four books ‘Instant Intuition,’ ‘The Future is Yours,’ ‘Cosmic Energy,’ and ‘Create Your Perfect Future.’

She has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, including regular slots on BBC Radio, BBC morning news and more recently ‘This Morning’ where she hypnotised celebrity Natalie Cassidy and took her into her future lifetime.

Dubbed ‘The Queen of FLP’ Anne travels extensively with her sell-out workshops, seminars and public speaking engagements. Anne’s FLP Training School is now in 20 countries.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Anne’s grandmother was a psychic in the East End of London, reading tea leaves
• Travelling to India to explore spirituality 
• Learning to read the tarot 
• Learning with Denise Linn http://www.deniselinn.com/
• Training in Clinical Hypnotherapy
• Becoming a professional tarot reader and past life regressionist
• Experimenting with Future Life Progression and finding that her life took off
• Everyone has access to intuition, but some people are skeptical
• Successful people base their big decisions on intuition
• The combination of logic and intuition
• Differentiating between fear and intuition
• The head, heart and gut
• FLP for finding your career, writing a book etc.
• Anne’s new book about using FLP in business
• The importance of having a medical check-up and not relying solely on intuition
• Using FLP for addiction
• Time is malleable
• Dominant senses - e.g. visual, auditory or kinaesthetic
• Thinkers and feelers
• Free downloads for your best possible future and your future home http://www.futurelifeprogression.co.uk/welcome.php

Resources:

Books: 

Anne’s new book ‘Future Vision Your Working Life’ will be out in 2020

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786783177/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1786783177&linkId=cf7f70cb9b2e1434fb01de0ea8448ef6

Create Your Perfect Future

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0749959657/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0749959657&linkId=cce93093ad591eb65d30dc57dfc710aa

Cosmic Energy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/074995325X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=074995325X&linkId=bf1e4e78682ca7531a0eae6cb42dc1ff

The Future is Yours

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00RWNKJCC/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00RWNKJCC&linkId=36bb88384b221b50dbb1a7a5cbee9b51

You can find more about Anne by going to her website www.annejirsch.com or 

https://twitter.com/AnneJirsch

https://www.facebook.com/annejirsch

A conversation with Skylar Liberty Rose about taking up space as older women and being visible. Learning to turn inwards to choose what we need and feel, rather than relying on the outer illusion of social media and other images that are presented to us. Perimenopause, body changes and how ageing doesn’t have to be associated with loss and shame.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/skylar-rose

Tips on how to re-emerge after lockdown, as well as time away for any other reasons including surgery, compassionate leave, illness, holiday, retreat or giving birth.

For the full show notes:

https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/reemerge

A short journaling practice to help you to reflect on a recent time and make space for something new in your life.

For the full shownotes:

https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/reflect

Tracee Stanley, shares teachings that are inspired by more than 20 years of study in the traditions of the Himalayan Masters and Sri Vidya Tantra. The focus of her teaching honours life as a ritual and she is devoted to yoga nidra, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/tracee-stanley

Seasonal Affective Disorder can make the winter a real struggle. Here are some simple and soothing tools to support your mind, body and emotions.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/sad

Why is it that two people can experience the same stressful event, but have very different outcomes? In this episode I speak with Steve Haines, chiropractor, craniosacral therapist and TRE teacher about deepening feeling, changing the narrative and addressing pain and trauma.

Show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/steve-haines

Are you tired of rushing around, without the time and space for what’s truly important to you? Yarrow Magdalena lives a soft and intentional life, working from home in Scotland and creating offerings for her inclusive community about rituals, business and healing. She shares her philosophy that a slow, sustainable life can be just as creative and impactful.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/yarrow-magdalena

According to Michel Odent, who has been attending births since 1953 and is now in his 90s, society is at a precipice. It’s time to change our way of thinking and enter a new paradigm. We need to be asking “why some births go so well”, rather than “why birth is difficult”. He talks about how important the transition into birth is, and the need for protecting this time. Waiting for the initiation of labour, including for caesarean births wherever possible, so that the baby is ready to be born. This is a cultural conversation for everyone: not just doctors, midwives, doulas and pregnant women.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/michel-odent

If you’ve been transfixed by ‘Normal People’ or ‘I May Destroy You’, it might have something to do with the powerful intimate scenes. In this episode I’m speaking to Ita O’Brien, Intimacy Coordinator and founder of Intimacy on Set, about consent, choreography and storytelling.

Full Show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/ita-obrien

In this conversation with Tracee Stanley, author of ‘The Luminous Self’, we discuss the importance of rest and nature as teachers and everyday practices that help us to live more intentional and sacred lives.

For the episode show notes, https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/luminousself 

Find out more about Tracee at traceestanley.com.

Lina spent most of her career working as a private equity investor in the UK. After experiencing pregnancy loss and difficulty conceiving, she realised the need to build more companies by women for women to help make health more proactive. She is now the founder CEO of Adia, a digital health platform empowering women through their fertility journey, and mother to three children and two angel babies.

• Lina worked in finance for over 10 years and was often the only woman on the team. She strived not to let gender be an issue
• Lina has grown up with strong role-models, including her mother and sister, who taught her independence and inner strength
• At 35, she tried to start a family and had a challenging time regarding pregnancy loss and difficulties conceiving, and she reflected on how often issues aren’t spoken about as they are taboo
• When someone is grieving, you need to sit with the pain and process it
• She realised there needs to be more women’s health services that build on a community and improve access to doctors and support. This idea gave rise to Adia
• Giving meaning to a painful experience helped to rationalise it and make something more positive out of it
• Nurturing a community and creating
• Tackling mental, emotional and physical health
• Educating women to enable them to be more proactive
• Making services more women-centric
• Dr Jessica Farren - study about miscarriage and PTSD - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200114224449.htm
• Silence around miscarriage - taboo
• Empowering and educating women to access the services they need and increasing accessibility 
• Tech helps to reduce barriers of time and money
• Tommy’s charity has been trying to reduce to 2 rather than 3 miscarriages before investigation
• The impact of the contraceptive pill and trying to prevent pregnancy
• More needs to be done to help working parents to have a family rather than ‘solutions’ such as egg freezing e.g. with flexible working, job sharing etc.
• Work-life balance and work-life goals
• Motherhood helps people to become efficient multi-tackers, which is effective in the work environment
• Working with HR to support women suffering with painful periods and the impact on work, and returning to work after loss
• Adia’s campaign in November to put a spotlight on the issues for men dealing with fertility challenges and miscarriage and an at-home sperm test. Adia’s co-founder and Lina’s husband Tyler spoke about his experiences, which prompted other men to share theirs 
• Mark Zuckerberg talked about how he and his wife experienced miscarriages
• The increase of women talking about their experiences e.g Serena Williams and her difficult birth and Michelle Obama having IVF 
• Learning to “sit with it” and feel our emotions, discomfort and pain
• It takes time to feel, so digital detoxes, connecting with the breath and movement are ways of being more conscious with the body
• We’ve come to stop trusting our intuition, but when you can sit with it, you can relearn trusting
• Lina trained to be a yoga teacher and it helped her to reconnect with herself after baby-loss
• Make space for a grieving friend to talk. Friends often come with a solution because they want to take the pain away, but not acknowledging the loss is painful in itself

www.adiahealth.com

Instagram

@adia_health

https://www.instagram.com/adia_health/?hl=en

@linaychan

https://www.instagram.com/linaychan/

You’d have to be living under a rock not to be aware of the huge global health issue that’s going on at the moment. It’s taking over the news and it’s a big part of daily conversations, on and off-line

We are living in heightened times. And there’ve been a run of world events that have been very evoking and troublesome of late, such as Bush Fires, floods, storms, climate change and political unrest. It feels very apocalyptic.

There’s so much fear. Daily reports show  rising numbers of people affected, the impact on the economy and disturbance to travel and other plans. It’s easy to get stressed and panic about the situation. Of course it makes sense to stay up-to-date with developments, but it’s also exhausting and stress inducing.

There’s plenty of information about minimising risk through hygiene and reducing contact as well as boosting immunity with supplements and lifestyle changes, so I won’t go into all that here.

Instead, I’d like to share some suggestions on how you can protect your energy and find peace despite it being a fractious time. Instead of allowing fear and anxiety to escalate, you can get creative about finding greater mental and physical health right now. I’m a highly sensitive person and it is really important to protect my energy. The stress response is not meant to be permanently activated, so it’s important not to stay in a state of panic. 

In osteopathy, there’s a concept that I frequently return to called ‘finding health’. If I’m treating someone and they have a number of symptoms going on, I look for the health in their tissues and seek to expand that sense of health. What you think about, grows, so it makes sense to be really intentional. Worry zaps your energy and it’s forward- focussed, so it stops you from being present. I don’t subscribe to the ‘keep calm and carry on’ mode, as it denies the valid feelings of fear and dread. Instead, I suggest finding ways of noticing what’s going on in your own mind and body and finding ways to release anything that makes you feel unsettled or unnerved. 

• Start the day on the right note. Connect with your higher self through breathing, meditation, prayer or just quiet. Make the most of the light finally returning if you’re in the northern hemisphere.

• Reduce how much stimulation you’re getting. Cull your news feeds - you can switch them off on your phone, block access to tabloid papers on your laptop and restrict yourself from checking updates too frequently. . Headlines tend to be alarming to encourage you to click through, so stop scrolling and be discerning about your sources of information. 

• I harp on about it, but gratitude is something to cultivate. It’s neither high nor low, but balanced. It’s a state where the heart is open and trusting. Either write down or share 3 things you’re grateful for each morning and evening, so you can be on an even keel.

• Get grounded. Walk in nature or sit or lie on the ground to allow your nervous system to discharge excess energy. Some of my clients have named one of my exercises ‘floor doctor’, which I’ve pinched. Floor doctor is great when it’s all getting too much. Just lie down and lengthen your spine and allow your breathing to get slower and deeper. You’ll feel better after even a couple of minutes.

• Find everyday joy and beauty. On my walk to work this morning I saw some of my favourite sights of spring such as magnolia and snowdrops. 

• One thing that I’m noticing is that the situation is calling us to simplify. By being encouraged to stay at home and restrict social contact, you can choose to rest more, have space for yourself and to take care of your health. I’m curious to see if there are any longer term changes, such as more companies allowing working from home, or shelving unnecessary travel.

• There’s a spiritual law that we are one, and it’s echoed by the precious hormone and neurotransmitter called oxytocin, important for love, trust and connection. Human beings are meant to be connected. It’s one thing to isolate ourselves to prevent the spread of disease, but we are one. No man is an island. Let’s not leave one another out as we try to protect ourselves. Oxytocin reduces the stress response, so raise your oxytocin levels by doing anything that connects you to yourself and others.

Nicola Goodall lives in Edinburgh and has supported women during and after birth for over 20 years. She grew up in a diverse community in South London and became a Muslim and a mother by the age of 24. Nicola is passionate about traditional storytelling, sharing and learning amongst women. She is one of the founding members of the Scottish Doula Network and a birth educator and Muslim doula 

• What is a doula? “Your ultimate faith-bearer, ready to fill any gaps that might be there”
• The woman that has that blessing
• Fully in service to the mother
• Humility and spiritual development 
• Becoming a doula in her spiritual community
• Training to become a doula with Michel Odent
• Earning money from something in service
• Fair exchange
• The importance of the postnatal period
• The impact of the fourth trimester on the rest of life
• Issues of depletion on health
• Prioritising well-being in the postnatal period e.g by reducing spending on non-essentials
• Simple ways of restoring wellness such as stockpiling bone broth, massaging ginger oil into the legs and keeping warm
• Warmth to retain energy and assist blood flow around the body for efficient healing and recovery 
• Keep snug and wrapped up
• Science backing up traditional wisdom
• Medicalisation and the colonial approach to health care
• Witches, Midwives and Nurses
• Class and choices
• Conflicting voices around breastfeeding and other choices
• The change in postnatal services 
• Cultural competancy and woman-centred care
• Profiting from traditional wisdom and cultural appropriation in the birth world
• Ancestral memory passed down through the women in the family
• Instagram culture makes it acceptable for 
• The book: ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race’ by Renni Eddo-Lodge
• Postnatal ceremonies around the world such as ‘Closing The Bones’, mainly involving women, bathing as a ritual cleansing, anointing by the elders
• The 6 week check as a remnant of the 40 day laying in period 
• ‘Churching’ where you get blessed in church after having a baby
• The concept of a death ritual, saying goodbye to who she was and welcoming the new mother
• The birthkeeper is the storykeeper
• Facing death and dying 
• The common fear of dads-to-be that their partners might die in childbirth
• The impact of generational trauma
• Matching care to their cultural experience
• The MMBRACE report https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/reports, which states that black women are 5 times more likely to die than white women, and Asian women are twice as likely to die at birth 
• Postpartum herbs for rebuilding energy and blood https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/711176497/postnatal-herbs-v-steam-or-bathe-large?ref=shop_home_active_12
• Dr Sims and the origins of barbaric gynaecological experiments on slave women
• Telling the truth of the history of medicine
• The impact of pregnancy, birth and maternal-baby bonding on the psyche
• The need for loving care after having a baby
• Nicola’s article about the ethical consumer and the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), who partner with Clarion, and hold arms fairs https://nicolathebirthkeeper.com/2019/07/31/can-an-ethical-consumer-still-spend-money-with-the-nct/

Resources:

Twitter https://twitter.com/letstalkbirth1

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nicolamahdiyyahgoodall

• Nicola’s book: ‘10 Oils Aromatherapy for The Childbearing Year’

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1907839178/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1907839178&linkId=23046c80354aae4375ca4653a2ce8c18

You can find out more about Nicola by going to her website https://nicolathebirthkeeper.com

Or visiting Red Tent Doulas

https://redtentdoulas.co.uk

Nicola’s TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uNHnbGkh4s

Robin Grille is a Sydney-based psychologist in private practice and a parenting educator. His articles on parenting and child development have been widely published and translated in Australia and around the world. Robin is the author of three books: ‘Parenting for a Peaceful World’ , ‘Heart to Heart Parenting’ and his newest title: ‘Inner Child Journeys’. Robin’s work is animated by his belief that humanity’s future is largely dependent on the way we collectively relate to our children. 

Robin’s experiential, skills-based and informational parenting courses have helped many people to embrace parenting as a transformative, personal growth journey. Drawing from 28 years’ clinical experience and from leading-edge neuropsychological research, Robin’s seminars and courses focus on healthy emotional development for children as well as parents; while building supportive, co-operative parenting communities.   

• Robin Grille was always interested in human behaviour and although disillusioned by a lot of academia, he returned with a passion following his own personal growth
• As guitarist with stage fright, he explored counselling, which opened up an interest to understand himself and relationships
• In the 1980s in Sydney there was an explosion in the human potential movement, that sparked his interest in psychotherapy
• “When people in a room are intentionally vulnerable with one another, it creates belonging, closeness and realness”
• Robin initially immersed himself in body-centred psychotherapy including bioenergetics vegetative therapy and biodynamic massage, related to our body structure and how we breathe and move. He found this interesting because it is connected to how we relate to one another
• Robin experienced high school in Australia as a shame-based culture
• Permission to show your heart, let go of control. It was immensely liberating and healing
• One of the drivers for him exploring psychology was following a personal family tragedy
• The importance of community 
• Western Psychology is the psychology of the individual - we’ve lost the thread of connection
• “It’s a cliche to say ‘it takes a village’, but it’s not a cliche, it’s a must” 
• It’s a system that brings up a child, not just a mum and dad. At least 4 people are needed, to strengthen and support
• Interrelationships with one another and with nature
• The general evolution away from violence towards children over the last century
• To create a violent society, you have to treat children badly
• Conflict doesn’t have to be violent, it can be very creative
• “War is a psychological issue”, Alice Miller
• We change the culture by rejecting the authoritarian and over-medicalised styles of parenting and old-fashioned styles of education
• Democratic nations don’t go to war with one another- there’s a peace dividend within democracy
• empathy and heart-centred

• brain development according to our relationships 
• we are because of tribe
• emotion is the pathway of connection
• emotions are contagious 
• constant state of communication, even when we’re unconscious of it
• “families and tribes are the empathy farmers of the next generation”
• teaching the power of listening and curiosity and giving the time to be still
• “our real language is not words but body language”
• there’s a brain in the human heart and gut
• when somebody says “don’t let the heart rule the head, that’s a biological impossibility”
• we are part of nature
• Michael Leunig, Australian cartoonist, philosopher and social commentator said: “love cannot happen at speed” 
• we’re entirely impoverished with time and connection
• being listened to: “we need empathic witnesses to who we are. It’s not the fixing that fixes us, it’s everything to do with nature”
• It’s important to have a full cup and be held by the village, as the nourished parent has a different presence for their child: they feel more nourished when you are nourished
• The body can’t lie
• All of us can be sensitive to emptiness, and need connection with ourselves, the nonhuman world and one another to nourish ourselves
• It often takes just a moment of quiet or touch to reconnect
• dance and song are essential. 
• One of the ways of dominating a populous is taking away their dance
• The map of psycho-emotional development of childhood- science endorses what psychotherapists have seen
• The right to exist in utero, in birth and the perinatal period
• The right to need (attachment stage) : being held, carried, breastfed and co-sleeping, which gives the fundamental sense of reaching out and trust
• The right to have support (toddler years)
• The right to freedom (later toddler years): stepping away from the orbit of the adult and exploring our own way, expressing emotions. Most of us carry a deep sense of shame of who we are from this stage of development
• More aware at the genital level, pleasure, curiosity, passion, binary in terms of right and wrong, (5-7 years)
• Primary school years relate to competancy- vulnerable to feeling ashamed about learning. Children learn best when they’re not being forced to learn, and instead encouraged to follow their passions
• Identity, sexuality, the right to diverse and unique
• The right to create and express
• Wounding causes a development arrest, and healing reignites the development that was halted 
• Parents, when understanding child development, get paralysed by a sense of guilt and fear of damaging their child. It’s important to consider that nothing is permanent in terms of wounding. Repair is possible
• “Human beings are breathtakingly resilient”
• Every family has conflict
• “We don’t thrive from perfect safety. We thrive from risk and experience, and sometimes from pain”
• Our wounds give us our wisdom
• Leonard Cohen “There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in”

To find out more about Robin Grille’s work, his books, articles and seminars visit:   robingrille.com  

In this episode we talked about: 

• Personal experience of miscarriage
• A new direction in life after miscarriage 
• Shifts in bereavement care
• Secrecy, shame and isolation after miscarriage
• The 12-week 
• Words matter- 
• Grieving after a miscarriage
• When should you seek counseling after a loss?
• Support groups and online support
• How to find a therapist
• ARC Antenatal Results and Choices - https://www.arc-uk.org/ 
• The need for more pregnancy loss services
• Cultural stigma of miscarriage
• Self-blame and loss
• Trauma and the body
• Spiritual beliefs and miscarriage
• The lack of research into experiences of miscarriage from non-Caucasian experiences
• High-profile influence of normalising miscarriage
• The poem ‘Ghost’ by Julia Copus, which inspired the title of the book
• What loved ones can do/ say to support someone in pain

Monthly support group in London http://www.juliabueno.co.uk/new-fertility-support-group-n16/

You can find out more about Julia by visiting www.juliabueno.co.uk

Buy her book, ‘Brink of Being’ https://amzn.to/2Y1pEqh

Twitter https://twitter.com/jbueno_ukcp

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/julia_bueno_therapist/

Did you know that many children are spending less time outdoors than prison inmates? Movement, play and fun are for everyone. Sedentary lifestyles are linked with obesity and chronic diseases and yet the solutions can be simple and fun.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/darryl-edwards

Last week marked the end of Cervical Cancer Awareness Week. I
was reading lots of posts about the importance of having smear tests, in order to diagnose early changes in the cervix that might lead to cervical cancer . In the UK the cervical screening programme is estimated to save over 4,000 lives each year. Numbers of women attending screening are falling though.

Some articles had a tone that I feel needs to change over time.
Saying a smear test is non-invasive, or just a small thing is not true
for many so women, even if they can be a quick and potentially life-saving test.

In this episode I wanted to talk about the cervix and what it does, and then share some suggestions to make a smear test more comfortable.

Apparently the founder of osteopathy Andrew Taylor Still said:
“To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone
can find disease.”

There is so much information out there about cervical cancer and
other cervical dysfunction, and it’s so vital. However I wanted to talk about the cervix.

It’s important to honour what works well in the body, rather than just expecting it to go wrong. There’s an immense power in knowing about our bodies, and making choices that work for us.

What is the cervix

It’s a cylinder shaped canal of connective tissue and muscle fibres
that connects the vagina and uterus. The cervix is the neck of the uterus with the internal os at the top and external os at the bottom. Os is the anatomical word for mouth or entrance. If you’re doing a pelvic exam, the cervix looks like a doughnut, with the external os being the hole in the doughnut. The cervix has special channels called crypts which produce cervical mucus. You can use the mucus as a sign of fertility if you’re trying to conceive or trying to avoid a pregnancy. The cervix feels like the end of a nose, with a little dip in its centre.

The cervix changes in length, position and firmness during the
menstrual cycle, pregnancy and birth.

If you wanted to have a look at your own cervix, you can get a kit from ‘ Beautiful Cervix’ , which includes a mirror and speculum for you to use at home.

Making a smear test more comfortable

I sometimes see a narrative about smear tests where it’s not a big
deal - but actually that only serves to silence experiences. For someone with a history of pelvic or sexual trauma, or difficult birth or vaginismus, a smear test can be very painful or distressing.

Here are things that you can do to make a smear test more
comfortable.

Before the test:
If it’s at all possible, try to see the same doctor or nurse. In so many countries it’s usual to have your own gynaecologist who you have your smear tests with. The continuity of care with the right person can be really helpful.

Take a friend or partner with you as a chaperone or to hold your hand during the test.

Get to the appointment early enough so that you’re not rushing and being unnecessarily stressed. Make sure you’re hydrated and not hungry.

While you’re waiting for the appointment, listen to a guided relaxation or focus on breathing a long, slow out breath. Try not to mindlessly scroll on your phone as this can be quite a frenetic state.

Shaking the body helps to relieve tension. You can’t hold while you
shake, so take yourself to the cubicle of the loo and have a shake and shimmy, especially of the thighs and bottom.

During the test:
When you’re lying on the examination table, focus on releasing your buttocks and thighs. Imagine them melting like butter. This helps to relax the pelvic muscles.

Breathe down into your belly. You can place your hand on your belly to help focus on this area.

Practice golden ribbon or golden thread breath. This is a simple
breathing technique that helps to balance and calm the nervous system.

Either close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a breath in.
Purse your lips as if you’re blowing through a straw.
Exhale through the space between your lips.
Let your out breath be as long as possible
Gently allow another in breath

Remember that you can say stop or slow down at any time. You’re in charge of your own body.

Use a smaller speculum if needed. Some health professionals will
even be ok for you to insert the speculum yourself.

Things that your care provider can consider to make the
experience more comfortable.

Make sure you create trust and rapport by saying your name,
communicating well and explaining what you’re going to do. Try to be calm and reassuring.

Dimming the lights so they aren’t so stark. This settles the part of the brain that gets hyper vigilant. Some clinics have a painting or image on the ceiling which can be pleasing to look at.

Use warmer lubricating gel so it doesn’t shock the body and cause a clamping in the vaginal muscles

Lying with open legs facing a door can be a very vulnerable position. If there’s the option, position the bed so that dignity and privacy is always maintained.

It’s not always easy to answer questions if you’re trying to focus on
breathing or relaxing or if you have a speculum inside! So gauge the words you use - and bear in mind that some people find the silence really awkward.

Keep the pace slow and considerate so that she can let her body go as much as possible. The more pressure she feels, the harder it is to relax.

After you’ve finished your appointment, try to have some time for a
warm drink or a gentle walk outside so you can settle your nervous
system.

Treat yourself kindly afterwards. One technique that can help to
unwind the stress and tension is non-linear movement. There’s a simple technique called ‘Moving What You’re Feeling’. Pick a song that’s 3-5 minutes long. Get on your hands and knees, or sit on a chair or stand.

Close your eyes.

Feel into your body and notice any tension or holding such as your
shoulder or hip.

Allow that area to move.

Follow the sensations in your body and allow
yourself to keep moving.

Resources:
https://www.beautifulcervix.com/
https://eveappeal.org.uk/gynaecological-cancers/cervical-cancer/
https://www.jostrust.org.uk/

Taking personal responsibility for our health behaviours facilitates long-term health. And personal responsibility ripples out into the sense of collective/ society health. Do you find it hard to ask for support? How does this affect you in your work/life balance? What are some simple ways you can extend your circle of support?

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/support

The ‘busy busy’ culture stops us from finding true health. Rest is an important part of being well, and not just a reward for productivity. It’s easier to create and enjoy rest rather than to be forced to stop.

For the full shownotes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/timetorest

Dr. Jessica Drummond is the CEO of The Integrative Women’s Health Institute and author of Outsmart Endometriosis. She holds licenses in physical therapy and clinical nutrition and is a board certified health coach. She has 20 years of experience working with women with chronic pelvic pain, facilitates educational programs for women’s health professionals in more than 60 countries globally, and leads virtual wellness programs for people with endometriosis. Dr. Drummond lives and works with her husband and daughters between Houston, Texas, and Fairfield, Connecticut.

In this episode we talked about:

• Jessica started to incorporate a Functional Medicine approach in her work as a Physical Therapist after personal experience of adrenal fatigue related to Epstein-Barr and secondary infertility
• Working with nutrition and pelvic or chronic pain clients
• The American healthcare system is complex and costly
• The Integrative Women’s Health Institute https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/
• The power of listening and trusting that the patients knows themselves better than anyone
• Burnout for clinicians as cogs in the healthcare system is rife
• Giving people autonomy over their schedule, to enable a more personalised and cyclical life, could hugely improve productivity
• Work will forever be changed post-Covid-19
• The Industrial Revolution working day of 8am-5pm is aligned with the male hormonal health. Male testosterone peaks around 7.30am, drops off around 12pm and declines by 3.30/4pm
• Now we have more accessibility to work remotely, and for different hours
• Some kids are studying better during lockdown as the old schedules don’t have to be adhered to
• People will start to create their own schedules and their own ways of working, which can enhance productivity
• Endometriosis can be pointed to by: family history, history of GIT symptoms, pain during intercourse, painful periods, bladder pain, vulvar pain, fatigue and anxiety, infertility
• Diagnosis of endometriosis is by laparoscopy
• Surgery is advised in teens or twenties
• Functional nutrition to optimise the immune response
• If lesions are not seen on imaging, it does not rule out endometriosis
• Relating to others who have also had a chronic/ mystery illness
• Having to make complicated decisions without having all the information
• An anti-inflammatory diet, close to paleo to optimise digestive function
• The benefits of simple cooking techniques
• Daily herbs and spices such as garlic, oregano, rosemary, ginger and tumeric
• “Nutrition is a huge needle-mover”
• The power of a consistent meditation/ mindfulness/ prayer practice to calm the nervous system and as an antidote to modern life
• Committing to sleep better: turn off blue light exposure around 8.30/9pm, have exposure to daylight for setting the circadian rhythms, having a buildup of adenosine (burning the energy that builds up during the day), balancing blood sugar levels
• To determine the right intensity of exercise, ask yourself “do I feel nourished or depleted” straight after, 2 hours after and the next morning after exercise
• Walk for 30 minutes a day
• 10 minutes twice a day of bodyweight strength training
• Prior to ovulation is when testosterone and oestrogen levels are at their highest, so where you can push the workout and performance. In the luteal phase, post-ovulation, maintain those gains. Just before the period is a great recovery time e.g more sleep, stretching, walking
• Space to slow down and keep things in balance

Resources:

Outsmart Endometriosis – Jessica’s Newest Book!

Outsmart Endometriosis: Relieve Your Symptoms and Get Your Career Back on Track

Nutrition for Relieving Pelvic Pain: Fueling the Patient/Practitioner Healing Partnership

Nutrition for Relieving Pelvic Pain: Fueling the Patient/Practitioner Healing Partnership

David Lauterstein is Co-director of The Lauterstein-Conway Massage School in Austin, TX. He has taught, for over 35 years, Deep Massage: The Lauterstein Method and Zero Balancing in England, Costa Rica, and throughout the U.S. He is one of the most highly respected educators in the massage therapy realm, inducted in 2011 into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame, and awarded “Teacher of the Year” by the American Massage Therapy Association in 2013 and the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education in 2014. He is the author of the three books: “Putting the Soul Back in the Body”, “The Deep Massage Book: How to Combine Structure and Energy in Bodywork”, and “Life in the Bones: A Biography of Dr. Fritz Smith and Zero Balancing.” He has been faculty member of the Zero Balancing Health Association since 1996. His background prior to massage therapy was in philosophy and music composition. He is the composer of the massage CD, “Roots and Branches.” He embodies in his practice, teachings and writings the essential unity of art and science in massage and bodywork.

• David studied music composition and philosophy and was influenced by the Human Potential Movement in the 60s
• He received bodywork and learned that the body and emotions imparted a lot of wisdom
• David explored massage, structural bodywork and zero balancing
• When David first met Dr Fritz Smith, the founder of Zero Balancing, he was endeared by his short stature and his humble way with his peers and students
• The importance of an energy exchange and right livelihood
• Fritz talked about the layers of anatomy corresponding with the layers of energy in the body: wei chi/ qi under the skin, muscles and organs depicted by meridians and the bone being the deepest, densest tissue, carrying the largest energy charge
• Working with bone brought about more depth and sensitivity
• David has studied with Fritz at least once a year since 1986
• “You just need to meet the person, you don’t need to perforate or penetrate their tension”
• If your mind, heart and body are clear when you’re working, you don’t experience pain or burnout 
• “The right simple touch at the right moment can change everything”, David Lauterstein
• The renaissance of touch. Touch connects us. 
• There’s nothing else in the world that connects structure and energy except touch. Touch connects the physical body, but also more than the physical
• Touch is the first sense to develop in the embryo
• In a world dominated by virtuality, there’s a desperate need for actual reality, and touch is a way of this
• The increasing fear around touch, when we need human connection
• People heal from inside out
• The best bodyworker has full respect for the other person
• Healing comes from the same place as ‘whole’ 
• The sickness of the health insurance system
• Dr Fritz Smith was the son of a chiropractor and was raised with conscious, loving touch - nurturing makes a difference to our wholeness as human beings
• Fascia - ‘liquid crystal’. It’s responsive and thixotropic, which when pressure, energy or temperature is increased, becomes more fluid
• Accessing altered states whilst grounded by touch during bodywork
• In ‘The Poetics of Reverie’ by Gastron Bachelard, there’s a fatigue that comes from just living in one reality - it’s an important expansion of consciousness to experience various states
• In ‘Ecstasy: Understanding The Psychology of Joy’ by Robert Johnson, every person has a deep need for ecstatic experience eg religious experiences, watching a beautiful sports game etc
• ZB recognises that the bones are a repository for spirit
• Optimal health is the goal
• Humberto Maturana wrote about the ‘Biology of Cognition’, and described human beings as autopoetic, which requires art, science, and making
• Influence on Fritz by Swami Muktunanda 
• “There are a million ways to touch people”

I wanted to record a short episode that speaks to you if you’re going through a crisis. 

This is a time where things are stripped back to what’s important and what’s not. In some ways this can be really liberating, as you can pay attention to what you really need to and completely ignore everything else. 

• Keep life simple. Drop the expectations - this is the time to make do. People have different ideas of what ‘coping’ looks like. Whatever works for you is fine, even if it looks messy to someone else.
• You do you. We’re all different people and have different preferences and resources, so what works for one person won’t be the right plan for someone else.
• Try to allow uncertainty and crisis to guide you inwards. Even in the most rocky times, there’s a quiet place somewhere inside, like the eye of the storm. Some ways you can access that state might be through closing your eyes and just connecting with your breath, or the sounds around you. This allows your nervous system the chance to rest and reset.
• Ask for help. Many of us pull-back when we’re not feeling ourselves, but I really want to encourage you to reach out to someone you trust and ask for help. People are often happy to help lighten the load.
• Allow all the emotions. It’s not easy, but emotions are like the weather- they can be very changeable. And sometimes they can be a bit tangled, so sadness can show up as anger and we aren’t our most articulate or easy-to-read selves. It’s healthy to allow emotions to be expressed. If it helps you, you can move your body as an expression of the emotion, or journal what you’re feeling. If you’ve experienced a shock, you might be feeling quite numb. That’s ok and it can take a little time to feel settled enough for emotions to show up. Shock is often held in the diaphragm, the main breathing muscle, so a hand on the belly will help to breathe lower down in your body. Touch is a wonderful way of feeling safe so ask for a hug if that’s possible, or cuddle up with your cat or dog. If you’re on your own, then anything tactile like a comfy blanket or velvet will feel soothing.
• Make a list of around 5-8 things that help you to feel better. Write that list on your wall calendar or in your diary and then try to do at least one thing on the list each day. And talking of days….You might find that you’re experiencing a whole range of moods - that’s totally normal and makes it even more important to go gently and check in with what you need, rather than imposing something that’s hard to keep up with.
• Things that generally help me to feel better are being in nature, being in silence, moving my body, cooking, colouring in, taking a nap, giving myself a foot or hand massage.
• Look for beauty and joy. Notice colours, textures, scents and sounds around you. If you’re feeling  raw, you might need to dial things down so your senses can settle, but a sunrise, or blue sky, or a flower or the sound of someone giggling can be like sensory medicine. 
• Gratitude is a great thing to connect with, even in the darkest days. One of the most profoundly funny, joyous moments of my life was immediately after a close friend died many years ago. So in the depth of grief, it’s possible to access such pure joy. Gratitude is a balanced, steady state and it’s especially helpful if you’re swinging from one state to another. Noting down 3 things you are grateful for each morning or night-time can be an uplifting

Anna Lovind helps feminist creatives and change-makers go from dreaming to doing- without the striving and overwhelm. This conversation is about holding a vision for what you want, and breaking down the tiny steps to get there. It’s a sustainable view of creativity and living an intentional life.

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/anna-lovind

Nick has inspired tens of thousands of people to follow their calling over the last three decades through his writing, speaking, broadcasting and coaching. Now in his early 60’s, Nick has been on his own transformational journey. He overcame low self-esteem and addiction issues to pursue a successful corporate career in sales and marketing, and resigned in 1989 to follow his own calling and become a speaker and coach.

He is the best-selling author of 18 books, including ‘The Work We Were Born to Do’, ‘The Business You Were Born to Create’, and most recently ‘Be Inspired, Be Inspiring, Be Yourself’. Nick is also an inspirational keynote speaker, coach and mentor. He spent twenty years at the heart of the Alternatives programme London, hosting and working with many of the world thought leaders in the area of personal and spiritual growth and human potential. 

You can find out more about Nick, his books and coaching at iamnickwilliams.com

• As a child Nick felt he had a calling, but he went into corporate life. The Kahlil Gibran quote ,‘Our Work is Our Love Made Visible’, came into his life and struck him deeply
• Nick quit his job and started a business as an author and speaker, helping others to realise their gifts
• Our calling is our accumulated wisdom, experiences, and gifts, as spiritual beings who have experienced many lifetimes. Our calling is partly about healing our own wounds, (our self-leadership journey). As we heal ourselves, our calling is then to offer leadership to others. Our calling comes with our creation and is etched upon our own heart. It requires deep listening to our soul
• The concept of ‘dharma’ or right work or livelihood
• Three navigational signposts: 1) follow inspiration and believe the voice is within us (and is the voice of our soul) 2) fear or resistance 3) looking in your shadow life
• Quote from Patanjali: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”
• Feeling inspired is a mind/ body/ heart connection. It’s like a golden thread you keep following. Inspiration is always speaking to us
• Julia Cameron, author of ‘The Artist’s Way’, and other books on creativity and inspiration
• Stephen Pressfield, author of ‘The War of Art’ 
• Differentiating between resistance and fear. If inspiration is the voice of the soul, then resistance is the voice of the ego
• Resistance keeps us small. It includes procrastination, distractions, making excuses and being a perpetual student 
• Showing up consistently in the face of resistance, e.g. with a daily writing practice
• Inspiration as a constant companion, waiting for us to show up to it
• Quote by Luciano Pavarotti, “People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference.”
• Beliefs around being well-paid for doing something you love
• The shadow life e.g. admiring other peoples’ creativity instead of being the creative
• Nick was co-leader of Alternatives, in London, for many years 
• The ego question “who are you to…”
• Inspiration can be anywhere and actively sought out
• Anais Nin quote “Then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk to blossom”
• Effort and action alongside inspiration
• Following your inner guidance system can sometimes be a lonely experience
• Our signature work is our best work, delivered to people who value it
• Remembering what’s important and making it urgent
• Holding ourselves to account and producing ourselves, as self-sovereignty 
• The Mankind Project 
• Having people around us to see our blindspots and also our gold

Resources: 

Iamnickwilliams.com

https://twitter.com/nickwilliams1

https://www.facebook.com/nickwilliamsauthor/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamnickwilliams/

Elisa Reinerio is the creator of Barre and Baby, which runs classes and teacher trainings for mothers, during and after pregnancy. She started dancing at 6 in Italy, and after moving to London as an adult, reignited her passion for dance. When she was pregnant with her first son, she trained in Pregnancy and Postnatal Yoga with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Tara Lee. She realised how much she benefited from group dance classes after her second son, and decided to combine her passion for dance and yoga.

In this episode, we talked about: 

• Elisa’s passion for dance, that started when she was 6.
• Growing from the first class of one person, to classes all over London and running her third Teacher Training to spread Barre and Baby further afield
• Physical benefits of dance for posture, alignment, support, flexibility and strength
• Dance as a way to reconnect to, trust and listen to the inner voice
• Allowing mothers to become the mothers they want to be, and not who they are expected to be
• The challenges of comparison and perfectionism
• Conflicting advice and information
• Supporting mothers to feel free to be who they want to be, in turn gives freedom to the babies to express themselves
• A safe space for mothers to reconnect with themselves
• The power of music and dance to express and release emotions and facilitate bonding
• Biological benefits of babywearing: carrying the baby in an m-shaped position to hold the hips and spine in a good position, stimulating the baby’s sense of balance
• Dance is for people of all ages
• Dance is a language, it’s free from restriction.
• The need to learn to release the pelvic floor muscles, for women who have done a lot of ballet training or other intense physical exercise.
• Support of the growing body in pregnancy from other areas such as the quadriceps, hamstrings and lower back muscles. Strength grows with the baby.
• The importance of carrying children for healthy development instead of relying on buggies/ strollers 
• Teacher Trainings http://barreandbaby.com/teacher-training-2/

Resources:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarreandBaby/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barreandbaby/

Website: http://barreandbaby.com/

This episode is with Jessica Hepburn, author of ‘The Pursuit of Motherhood’ and ‘21 Miles: Swimming in the Search of the Meaning of Motherhood’. Jessica is the co-founder of Fertility Fest, the world’s first arts festival dedicated to fertility, infertility and the science of making babies. Jessica is also an ‘adventure activist’ and has run the London Marathon, swum the English Channel and will attempt to climb Mount Everest.

In this episode we talked about:

• Enduring 11 rounds of IVF in a decade, including pregnancy losses and a late ectopic pregnancy. 
• Going through fertility challenges in secret whilst professional success as a theatre director
• Writing as a therapeutic process
• The creation and growth of Fertility Fest, www.fertilityfest.com
• Brene Brown on vulnerability and shame https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en
• Sharing and speaking your truth 
• Showcasing art made by artists who have personal experience of infertility and fertility treatment
• The reality that the success rates of IVF are not high and it doesn’t work for everyone, everytime
• Being inclusive in the voices in the infertility/ IVF conversation
• Fertility is not just about women, men are 50% of the equation
• Calling for better fertility education in schools
• Returning to a childhood dream of swimming the English Channel
• Attempting to become the first woman to complete the ‘Pond to Peak Challenge’
• Parallels between endurance challenges and going through IVF
• The pleasure and joy of food

Jessica’s two books: 

The Pursuit of Motherhood: https://amzn.com/1783061871

21 Miles:Swimming in the Search of the Meaning of Motherhood : https://amzn.com/1783528559 

You can find out more about Jessica at www.jessicahepburn.com

Fertilityfest.com

Let’s connect! Here’s where you can find me:

https://instagram.com/avnitouch

https://twitter.com/avnitouch

https://www.facebook.com/avnitouch

The Four Baskets relates to the ultimate origin story: what was the story of your beginning and how has it affected your life? The Four Baskets looks through the lens of: conception, gestation, birth and the 6 hours after birth from a spiritual and awareness-orientated perspective. It’s an approach for experiencing heart-opening and self-compassion

For the full show notes: https://www.avni-touch.com/podcast/catherine-lightfoot

Liz Koch (pronounced Cook) is a somatic educator and creator of ‘Core Awareness’. Her work is relevant to anyone interested in yoga, dance, pilates, birth, recovering from back pain and living a more embodied and creative life. 

In this episode, we talked about:

- The disembodied language and education of the body

- What is embodiment? 

- Paying attention to the intelligence of the system you have within you

- Our animal body/ being

- Why children need to move

- Exploring life through the expression of the body

- What happens when mammals don’t play

- Play and the Parasympathetic Nervous System

- Your Body is not an object. You are this transmission of life.

- Decolonising and deconstructing the compartmentalisation.

- Landing and locating- blossoming as a human being

- The psoas as the centre of your being

- A living systems model

- The psoas as a messenger of safety

- Feeling and expression

- Movement is the medicine

- The capacity to survive and thrive is through movement

- No-one has to teach you biological movement, it’s yours

- Micro-movements

- The fluidity of the system dries up through lack of movement

- Movement is always there, in the tissues, and organs. 

- The sensory system is about pleasure

- All life is fluid-based

- The ankle joint and its importance for the psoas as a transitional joint

- The psoas in birth and motherhood

- Play and survival

- Why ‘go go go’ is a sympathetic response where healing doesn’t take place

- How to nourish yourself back into being

- Language of earth in the language of the body

Quotes: “We are here, but we have no sense of being here”

“Play is life”

“Movement is the medicine”

“The spine isn’t a column, it’s a living river”

More about the psoas https://coreawareness.com/about/psoas/

Liz Koch’s new book, Stalking Wild Psoas: Embodying Your Core Intelligence: https://amzn.com/1623173159 

First book (now in its 30th edition!) The Psoas Book: https://amzn.com/0615647995 
For more resources, workshops and distance learning, go to www.coreawareness.com

Let’s connect! Here’s where you can find me:

https://instagram.com/avnitouch

https://twitter.com/avnitouch

https://www.facebook.com/avnitouch

Mira Manek is a wellness consultant and the author of Prajna—Ayurvedic Rituals for Happiness. Her first book was Saffron Soul, a cookbook focusing on healthy Indian vegetarian and vegan recipes, published in 2017. Mira also has her own café Chai by Mira in Kingly Court, inside Triyoga Soho. www.miramanek.com @miramanek

• We recorded this episode during lockdown in the UK. Tools that Mira has found helpful during this time include running and doing online classes on alternate days, making chai and sitting outside on sunny mornings.
• She’s aware of the link between exercise and diet on how she feels, and prioritises good habits to feel well during this time
• Mira used to have digestive issues and knows the impact of snacking rather than eating cooked meals
• The blessing of connecting with nature and seeing what you wouldn’t normally notice
• Consistent actions helps towards results 
• Journaling e.g 3 things you are grateful for, or asking yourself “How do I feel right now? How do I want to feel? What actions will get me there”
• Evening stretches, breathwork, listening to a podcast. Seeing how things are 
• 3 things for the body, 3 things for the mind, 3 things for the soul
• Tuning in each day to see what your mind and body needs 
• Daily activities such as walking, stretching and breathwork can be done in a meditative way
• Candle meditation is said to strengthen the eyes 
• We transmit our energy into our food when cooking, so creative and positive energy is helpful
• Mira comes from a large Indian family and grew up eating home-cooked Gujarati food. Her diet changed at a new school aged 17 and she put on weight. Mira then started dieting and developed a difficult relationship with food. Coming back to home-cooked food was healing for her. She learn to cook Gujarati food when she was 30.
• Going back to simplicity for more nourishment
• Traditional medicine and body types, so there’s uniqueness

Resources:

https://miramanek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Rituals-for-Happiness.pdf

Miramanek.com

@miramanek

Phillip Beach is an Osteopath and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) researcher. He runs a private practice in Wellington, New Zealand. Phillip is interested in developing models of human movement that are congruent with embryology and evolutionary biology. Phillip is the author of ‘Muscles and Meridians: The Manipulation of Shape’

• He lived in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Nigeria as a child and left Sydney to study in London
• Phillip has an interest in Thai Massage, Tui Na and works primarily on the floor rather than a treatment table. He uses his feet a lot in his work
• Evolutionary biology: we are apes and have a 30 million year history, so it makes sense to study this background
• He originally taught what he was taught and then developed his own ideas about contractile fields. These were originally similar to Tom Myers’ work on muscle chains
• Looking at embryology and evolutionary biology
• He developed his work further by looking at whole fields of movement, not just how one muscle joins another muscle
• Exploring field theory. Each field goes from the facial region down to the pelvic floor
• Fields: forwards and backwards, left and right
• The model has been developed following years of exploration and discovery
• Phillip teaches osteopaths, pilates teachers and other bodyworkers or therapists that work with the ease and dis-ease of human movement
• Archetypal postures - the necessity of retiring to the floor to rest: cross-legged, squatting and Japanese posture (sitting on the heels) http://phillipbeach.com/archetypal-postures/
• The relationship between work (movement) and rest
• Sitting cross-legged on the floor helps the venous drainage of the legs
• Squatting fully with the heels flat allows a traction and flexion of the lumbar spine 
• For the human physique, the full squat and sitting cross-legged are the ‘middle C’ of our biomechanical resting lives
• To practice squatting, stand in a door-frame and drop down as far as you can, with the knees wide. Lift the heels if needed. As the achilles elongate, the full squat becomes easier. To squat well, a full range of dorsiflexion of the ankle is needed.
• Premature babies tend to walk on tiptoes as they haven’t had full dorsi-flexion in utero
• To improve sitting cross-legged, use a meditation pillow, keep the legs wide.
• Some people that can sit easily in the cross-legged position don’t like to squat and vice versa
• The feet in the shoes are ‘sensory deprivation chambers’
• The fine tuning from using the feet properly is essential for walking and running
• Phillip turned his kitchen floor into a ‘rock garden’ with different shaped rock surfaces to bring the outside inside and changed the body system
• Your physique wants movement, and access to the floor
• Limber - floor to sitting to standing desk in New Zealand: https://limber.nz/
• Micro-movements keep you alive. 
• Make your office ‘unergonomic’. Keep your phone and water away from you. Don’t have wheels on your chair. Don’t make your chair too comfortable. Make your life a little more difficult so that you have to move
• Place a value on floor life
• Hip and knee replacements are becoming so expensive. Floor life for appropriate rest is needed
• If you want to age well, spend more time on the floor
• The floor is the passive aspect. The active side is standing up from the floor
• Standing up started the cascade of us becoming the dominant species on the planet
• Style, power and poise to stand from the floor - ‘erectorcises’ 
• Children need to be barefoot as much as possible on rough ground, spending as much time on the floor
• Sleeping on the ground is important so the first thing you do is stand from the floor
• ‘Soft bodies need hard beds and hard bodies need soft beds’
• Brachiation - swinging and hanging in apes
• The human pelvic floor is thicker than other mammals for the upright position
• It’s possible to carry 40% of your body-weight on your head

Resources:

Website for information about Phillip’s courses and workshops:

www.phillipbeach.com

Book: Muscles and Meridians: The Manipulation of Shape by Phillip Beach

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0702031097/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=avnitouch-21&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0702031097&linkId=ca632c577c26e9c460eadebad12033a0

Nicola Dunn was born and raised in New Zealand and came to the UK in her early 20’s. 

After following an initially conventional study path she took a sharp turn in her early 20’s and took her first step into the world of health by studying nutrition and then psychotherapy. After individual psychotherapy she studied group and family therapy which led her neatly to family constellations and a trans-generational approach. She has worked extensively in the NHS, has taught constellations for the last eleven years and more recently co-founded ‘The Constellations Academy’.  She has run Family Constellations Workshops and given talks about systemic work in the UK, Hong Kong, Canada and Europe. Europe.

•  
• Nicola is a psychotherapist and studied family constellations after having a body ‘hunch’
• “There’s a great truth in the body, that if we listen to, can lead us in the right direction”
• Nicola’s background was in body-orientated psychotherapy and the interface between Eastern and Western approaches
• Constellations are systems-orientated, including biological systems. Constellations look at elements within healthy systems and seek to find coherence
• Systems could relate to family systems, businesses or a piece of creative work
• The founder was Bert Hellinger, a German philosopher and psychotherapist who died last year in his mid-90s. He was responsible for the global sp
• Other notable people involved in systemic constellations include Virginia Satir,
• Bert Hellinger was introduced to the concept by Thea Schönfelder, a German child and adolescent psychiatrist 
• “The magic is in the integration”
• Constellations is very interested in creation, starting at conception and valuing the synergy between men and women or partners
• Constellations are a moment of grace. There’s a possibility of new information coming in
• The synergy between someone coming for a session to do with something in their life that they can’t get to flow, and trans-generational trauma and history in their extended family. It’s not necessary for them to know the details of their family history
• Constellations are not fully understood, but there is a vast amount of experience
• A person can experience constellations in a group setting or ‘desk-top’ or with internal imagery
• Issue-holders work on their own issues, representatives stand in and represent members of the family. Representatives receive information when they stand in the room
• Connecting with the collective unconscious
• Families have the narrative about their history. This narrative is not sufficient to deal with the issue in front of the person. Things that are unfinished or uncomfortable tend not to be included. Situations in the family history include children that died early or were born out of wedlock, parents people lost in war, relatives left in a war-torn country. Grief and pain are unstandable reasons for a family to make an edited life history
• Listening to the gaps in the story
• Information comes through that helps to validate for the issue-holder
• Constellations can be fast-moving and gives an expanded view and experience to given an opportunity for change
• Standing in the family soul. Those that are more sensitive (emotionally or creatively) have a greater fine-tuning to that which is not resolved in their family soul
• Sometimes people try to replicate the past by their own suffering instead of walking into their individual futures. 
• If you honour someones’ life, fate and choices, it’s strengthening and stops the replication of entanglement
• “Use your own life wisely, as life is such a gift”
• Order matters e.g which twin was the first born
• Cultures that are closer to their roots have reverence for their ancestors
• Standing in the maternal or paternal line is a strengthening experience and a sense of being part of a continuum
• Addressing creative blocks with systemic constellations . What needs to be resolved in a family system to be able to continue with a creative project
• Regarding family businesses, the forces of family have greater strength over purely business decisions
• The concept of ancestral gratitude is familiar in constellations and for generations in the future
• Using constellations to bring people into coherence on a countrywide level
• Regarding the coronavirus pandemic: how rapidly we have had to change our behaviours. Giving up things that may give pleasure but aren’t for the greater good. Needing to communicate and be more caring. Society is a collection of linked, small groups. Compassion for suffering.
• Individual psychotherapy and constellations can work well together
• Using the body as an instrument of truth
• “The spirit is willing but the flesh is wise’, Bert Hellinger

To contact Nicola: 

https://nicoladunnconstellations.com/

The Constellations Academy

https://nicoladunnconstellations.com/constellations-academy/

Breast screening is used for early detection and cancer prevention. Some screening methods can be invasive and there are alternative approaches to consider that are increasingly reliable. Breast health is important to consider.You can find out more about Dr Nyjon Eccles at The Natural Doctor

https://thenaturaldoctor.org/breast-health/were-having-the-wrong-conversation-about-breast-cancer-prevention/

Iodine Deficiency article

Article: An Urgent Need to Re-address the Role of Mammography in Breast Screening: Earlier and Safer Detection is Needed