PreMama - Going Natural

In the past 100 years our vegetable have gone from coming straight out of the home garden grown with effort and love to being grown in the masses and being spayed with chemicals that destroy the soil, nutrients and poison our bodies. Our grandmothers grandmothers knew of these chemicals and peeled all the vegetables but somewhere along the line this got forgotten. No more did we peel then and then somewhere along the line we even stopped washing them. Today we know that a high percentage of our illnesses are caused by high toxicity in the body.

I think i may have shocked some of my family members recently by rocking up for a cousins wedding in Thailand with hairy legs and armpits and wacky hippy ideas of how the Universe spirals into excistance. I soon realized we are all wacky in our own little wonderful ways even if we don't show it on the outside. I have a million things buzzing through my mind that i would like to share about making my body more healthy but i feel the most important thing i have done is cut out, almost completely, artificial chemicals and processed products. Folks yes this includes white sugar!!! Now these harmful chemicals are everywhere....in our food and products we consume to smother our skin in. They are even in the air and water. I was struck a few years ago when i was having a conversation with a person close to me who had cancer. This person was told by her doctor that to aid her healing she would have to not expose her body to toxins and harmful chemicals.....as they put strain on the liver and suppress the immune system. This made me wonder if our generation is, everyday, making our liver a toxic environment and keeping our immune system functioning lower than it could be. So i began paying attention to what i was putting in and on my body. Over the years i have slowly transitioned to not wearing make-up or dying my hair, using coconut oil on my skin, natural soap and natural shampoo and eating organic food. I also avoid products with fluoride in like toothpaste and bottled water and use natural alternatives. I feel that it is my responsibility as conscious woman to keep myself healthy and create an optimum environment for life to develop in. I also feel that deciding to become healthy at the moment i fall pregnant is a good effort but i can do so much better.

In addition to this i practice natural contraception. Charting. This means i follow my menstrual cycle day by day taking my morning waking temperature and observing my cervical fluid. After months of practice i can pin-point my moment of ovulation and predict with an immense amount of accuracy when i will bleed. I learned how to do charting from this book Women's Bodies Women's Wisdom by Christian Northup. This book along with conversations with friends and experimenting myself taught me the dynamics of women's cycles down to a fine detail. If your interested in natural contraception i would recommend buying a book on it. The information on the web is sometimes very basic and misleading. If you would like any recommendations i am happy to write another post more in depth about this.

So what have a learned from doing things more naturally? I have learned to be in ways that we have been for thousands of years. More grounded and at one with the earth. I feel that keeping my body as natural as possible i fit more complimentary with the natural harmony of the universe. On a smaller scale i am making less negative impact on the planet and on my cells which will eventually extend into the cells of new life. Making the decision to go more natural is immensely empowering.

Finding My Balance After Being Ill.

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 I lost my balance. Being a pretty balanced person in most aspects of my life it was scary to loose it for so long. A mixture of life responsibilities and spending a long period of time stressed tipped me over an edge and i got quite ill. It feels like i need to write about this before i can start writing creative posts again.

Yesterday was the first day in almost three weeks that i didn't feel pressured to do something and was actually motivated. It felt like a kind of bliss that had been lacking for such a long while. Today i made the decision to consciously find my balance again. This for me is taking time to look at my life from a perspective that isn't so much involved in the day to day drama of everything but rather an observation of whats going on just now and a delicate aim for solutions. Solutions are something i struggle with when im swimming in the drama. What i became really aware of in recent years was that to function as any sort of supportive person (for friends or as a job) i HAVE to take care of myself first. Simple but sometimes difficult. Taking care of myself, i've come to realize, means:

• making sure im eating healthily; whenever i get distracted and eat junk i tend to feel really low and get ill easily.
• making sure i've slept enough; i can go through periods in my life when i don't sleep much at all but i have to level that out with a few days rest after to recover.
• paying attention to my menstrual cycle; whenever i ignore where my cycle i feel disoriented in my body.
• keeping the nest organised; i enjoy organisation and always feel so much more grounded when i am.
• keeping my body clean; in and out. Whenever i illiminate toxins from my body i feel renewed and fresh. To do this i have really hot steamy baths, saunas, do enemas and drink loooooads of water.
• keeping a good rapor with friends and family; whenever there is tension between friends or family i feel emotionally distressed. Resolving issues and keeping peace is far more soul nourishing.
• nourishing my soul; this involves being in tune with what my soul is saying to me (something i get better at each menstrual cycle) this varies massively but usually involves some body movement and/or using my creativity.
• connecting with nature; i find nature relaxing, fascinating, beautiful and like a strong validating mothering force.
• doing something towards a better society and earth; i am a big believer that the world can be a better place if we be kinder to each other and the environment.

It's easy to forget that these wonderful things balance and ground me and it's even easier to forget that without doing most of them i will be a little all over the place. My mind/body/soul connection needs them to feel in good flow with the world. Have you ever wondered what your little personal needs are so that you feel balanced?

This week is a week of introducing those activities slowly so that i am at my best. As i have been ill i am also giving my immune system a big boost with Echinacea, Vitamin C, lots of raw Garlic and Spirilina. I have almost completely cut out sugar and caffeine (which suppress the immune system) and whenever i feel stress bubbling beneath the surface i walk away to cool off or have a quiet cry to release the emotion.

Hoping to feel more creative soon and share inspiring stories with the world

Healthy energy and creative blessings

A xxx

Winter Loveliness

yummy oat biscuit

 This December we spent a lot of time indoors making the most of our cosy house. Some days it was nice to play i the snow then come home have a hot cup of tea and watch a film with flatmates and friends. I live in a communal house and it's lovely when we all gather and cook and meal. Some evenings after dinner we get that urge for something sweet and being particular about not having any refined sugar its not always easy. My partner has perfected the art of oat biscuity cake. It's delicious and massively indulgent. We tend to put in fruit and a bit of honey to sweeten it.

One particular evening i was hidden away in my den knitting when my flatmates came through and told me they had been making snow mushrooms. It felt like i was walking into a winter wonderland as i strolled into our back garden. I love it when i suddenly get a glimpse of magic. It fills my heart full of warmth and i get a big urge to create.

snow mushrooms

In the lead up the Christmas there was a lot of lovely evenings at my local vegetarian cafe/art collective The Forest Cafe. I've been volunteering at the forest for about a year and a half now and i love being part of the community. When it gets closer to Christmas the place gets very folky and becomes a great venue and dance your bottom off. We are currently working hard to keep The Forest from closing by fundraising to buy the building. If your interested in finding out more about that you can read about it on the Forest Cafe Website

forest cafe

Over the festive period i had flu. Ive only ever had flu once before so it felt a big shock to my system. I don't take any artificial chemicals so it was a purley natural healing process for me. Herbal tea kept me going when i couldn't eat, had a sore throat and was coughing the night away. Thank you herbs! After about 2 weeks of rest and healing i popped up out of poorly land and entered creative mode just in time for New Year. As im not much of a party animal (in the British sense) it was lovely to be at a quiet house party and watching fireworks on New Year. I also didn't stay up all night which my body thanked me for the next day when i woke up before the daylight faded. 

Since entering the New Year i have had a gentle buzz of excitement inside. Ive been planning in my head some projects that can begin this month and adventures that can happen later on in the year. Lets see what 2011 has in store.

Lots of new energy for an opportunity to replenish.

LOVE x

A Little About What Brought Me Here

I'm a woman on a mission. I feel it is my quest to help others and myself connect to each other and nature. My life is full of small projects and situations that help me do this. Here are just some things that buzz around in my little life that i would like to share with you...

Natural Birthing

I have recently been initiated into the wonderful world of Doula's. A Doula (pronounced doo-la) is a woman in tune with her sympathetic and empowering nature who assist birthing women. We help demonstrating to women that she has power within herself to work with her natural hormones and birth with ease and fulfillment. Birth can be an event that transforms a woman and we think it is important to make that experience as safe and supported as possible. I trust a woman to access her inner wisdom from within birthing and i will help her create the right environment to do so. Please see my Doula webpage for more information about my philosophy and practice.

Dance

Or even just body movement is something i hold in very high regard. I believe we have a flow of CHI that can build up within us causing frustration, anger, lethargy and depression. Releasing it through dance and movement, or any other creative practice for that matter, can help us connect to our true selves and be a practice we can use when our life feels a bit on top of us. I regularly dance with my partner and sometimes around the high energy of the full moon put on movement workshops.

Yoga

Like many others all over the world i practice Ashtanger Yoga. For me it feels like a meditation of rhythm that can result in a state of bliss. It also helps me be in tune with the inner workings of my body. Yoga is good for most people as it's very much up to you how hard or soft you push yourself.

Natural Cycles

There is something so wondrous to me about a cycle. I became interested in women's menstrual cycles from a very early age and used to pester my mum with more information about the details. Unfortunately in my teens my fascination was not nurtured by my peers and like most other girls in western society i was told to not talk about it, hide it and ignore the fact it was even happening. Once i got into my twenties i broke out of that oppression and began surrounding myself with women who wanted to express themselves through their menstruation. Occasionally ill hold workshops to create a comforting space for women to gather in and relate to each other through their monthly bleed. Cycles are all around us and as a women i feel extremely lucky to be able to experience a cycle through menstruation and pregnancy. We can take so much encouragement from nature who changes with ease from summer into autumn and winter into spring. Cycles help us appreciate change and show us there is good in all situations.

A Natural Birth

Hello beautiful souls. Today i feel inclined to talk about natural ways of doing things. I wasn't always exposed to or even encouraged to live my life naturally. I grew up in your average mainstream culture where consumption was all around me so 'naturally' i joined in. It seemed all i knew but being a woman of this earth deep down i also knew that there was something else out there. Another way to live. Another way to love. Struggling in what i now refer to as my old self i was emotionally imbalanced and often very unhappy. The past year and a half of my life i have experienced more stimulating experiences that i didn't even think was imaginable and it all came from that small part of my old self that knew there was something else. In this past year and a half i have discovered and become a Doula. A Doula is a tuned in sympathetic woman who's role often is to help woman feel empowered in childbirth. I once heard a story that hundreds, even thousands, of years ago a birthing woman was considered a Goddess. Pregnancy and birth was not known to be linked to sex in extremely ancient times so when a woman began to bud in her pregnant form her tribe would think she was blessed and worship her inside the temple. In these times birth was easy and extremely well supported. Obviously not every birth would have been perfect but our ancestors understood the natural balance of things. They would have respected any death deeply and thanked the earth when she made the difficult decision to take a life away.

This is what most of our culture lacks today...support, respect, awe and balance. Our culture rely on a patriarchal system to set out the path and orthodox medicine to fix all our health problems. I do not deny there is a place for both systems however i do believe both system abuse their authority. We no longer work with nature (mother nature and our human nature) and we take take take. We all know from global warming that we have taken more than we should. Not your fault, well yes your half right, a lot of what you believe comes from what you were exposed to in 'your culture' but that does not justify not transforming you ideas now. There is enough educational material just beyond your finger tips for you to reduce your carbon foot print today, begin growing food giving back to the land a proportion of what you take and become a more conscious individual. For me this is vital when bringing new lives into this world. They are the next generation. They will need to be more attuned with the earth and with themselves to fix the problems that we, and the generations before us, have created.

It begins at the beginning. At conception. If anyone is reading this wanting proof well please email me and i will send you a list of books, essays and scientific studies that have been written on the subjects i am about to talk about. When we are conceived our cells form and as they form they collect memory which is influenced by all the chemical reactions going on in mommas body. These chemicals are called hormones. We have many hormones that make us feel a certain way. Now we can't help the way we feel....maybe not but we certainly can control the effects of a situation going on in our life. In other words it might not be easy to predict of avoid a reaction to a life circumstance but it is possible to learn how to control how much we let that particular thing effect us in the long term. This is called conscious pregnancy and is important because mommas state of mind could inevitably effect the baby within her while she is pregnant which could make up some of the baby's sub-conscience building blocks affecting that individual for the rest of their life.

How does this link in with the idea of natural birth vrs hospital births? Well medical births may be the norm and considered safer but do we all actually consider this from all aspects? It's no secret that orthodox medicine is more than prepared to deal with high risk pregnancies but what about normal pregnancies. New research has shown that intervention in hospitals contributes to more problems that ever thought before. A simple way of saying this is that birth happens better if it is natural and when drugs come into the equation they tend to have a negative side effect. So then a momma is given something else to counteract the side effects of the drug before it and the chain goes on. Cesarean rates have zoomed up to an alarming rate which result often in a woman feeling traumatized by her birth experience with a feeling of inadequacy which can effect all aspects of her life. Also a baby who is born drugged up is more likely to be unable to breastfeed, create that initial bond with momma and even have a more addictive personality when they grow up. Keep calm and carry on. Although information like this can be uncomfortable to hear it is also important to note our ability to heal or avoid. With work and dedication trauma can be healed and we can try our best to make birthing scenarios as positive as possible staying sensitive and cool when things do go wrong.

This now brings us to pain. Most women take drugs in birth because of pain. Have these women been exposed to natural pain relief methods? Is her birth room what she wants it to be? Are the people around her supporting and encouraging her? Is she being respected and pampered? Maybe yes and maybe no. What we have to note here is that labor pain exists for many reasons, amongst them;

• birth is a time when a woman is at her most open to the universe and often old memories crop up which have to be acknowledged and let go of. It's sometimes extremely hard and painful to let of old issues that we have clung to for a long time.
• labor can give parents an insight into the tolerance and patience needed for the spontaneous nature of a child.
• we haven't been informed about levels and types of pain. Some assume all pain is the same where others believe some pain is constructive, informative and helps us grow.
• nature knows balance. Where there is lightness there is also darkness. Pain in childbirth can represent our need to take a step back and respect the forces that be. There is a place for pain as there is a place for pleasure.
• western women hold in their tummies. Most of us are surrounded by imagery that makes use feel we need to look slim to be beautiful therefore have held in our bellies for years. When it comes to surrendering to the power of natural birth its extremely difficult for a self conscious women to let it all hang out.
• we aren't encouraged to be loud. Birth is primal whether we want to believe it or not. If we hold back, in any way, the energy that needs to be expressed has nowhere to go and becomes pain.
• we have forgotten how to transform sensations. Pain can become pleasure and pleasure can become pain. Our mind plays such a vital role.
• we don't move enough. A lot of midwives and doctors still encourage a woman to lie on their back when giving birth (which is in fact only really convenient for them). Labor is about flow of energy so moving helps.

This list can go on. It's no ones fault that western culture has forgotten how to take care of our human nature but it's about time women started to get more clued up on what they can actually control. There is masses of opinions about this and masses of research to support it. Most important thing is that you ask yourself what you want and make decisions based on that however don't forget to question why you have that opinion in the first place. Does it come from inner wisdom or were you brought up to believe it.

If this post gets you blood bubbling a bit then its done it's job. I feel it's important to challenge philosophies and know i also learn something valuable when mine is challenged. If this has inspired you then i encourage you to pass on information of this nature. Ignorance is no longer bliss. It's often violating and disempowering. 

'Women of earth take back your birth'

Mother nature loves you x