kathryn (kate) bell

books i read

2012-02-28T20:39:00.004-08:00

an exquisitely honest foray into life on Montreals redlight streets as told by a 12 year old girl called Baby. Heather O'Neill's enchanting observations provide a sweet tone for her bittersweet story. fresh, compassionate, tragic yet hopeful.

*my mums pavs

2012-02-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

are the best in the world

she makes them for all special get-togethers, they're awesome

she's awesome. my mum is a master culinary creative - works of art are whipped up in her kitchen. she has her favourites *see pavlova above, that take their rightful pride of place, but there's her colourful and tasty sweet potato, pumpkin and dried tomato salad, her generous meatballs, her cheesecakes with their gorgeous biscuity base, her stewed apple and rhubarb that's fresh and yum for breakfast, her better-than-store-made jams and marmalades which she shares around instantly upon making. her scones are an introduction to a whole new world, her hot-cross buns are without peer and her single perfect meringues transform a humble kids party to a place more genteel!

and that's not a 100th of the magical masterpieces she has cooked and created along the way! thanks mum!! XX (and keep it up!) hehehe

in the bag

2012-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

some days i feel like santa as i heave my pink sack onto my back. don't you ever feel this way?

it has gym gear: shorts, a singlet, toe shoes and a qwik-dry towel, plus a book and a mag for the stint on the stationary bike; my swimmers, cause it pays to always have them with you in summer in sydney + sun-screen, a sarong and my cap. ever close is my trusty bottle of water and the daily essentials: sunnies and their case, wallet, keys and...a small packet of tissues.

after reading back over what i've just written, complaining about a heavy bag, i'm a bit embarrassed - i can ride a bike (abeit stationary, my knee's still crap), i can read, i can swim, i have clean water to drink, i have money, so what if i've get the sniffles sometimes.

when is a palm tree not a palm tree?

2012-02-06T23:09:00.001-08:00

when it's a street light!

ain'it true ain'it true

2012-01-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

perfectly discribes oli and my feelings about being back at the grind after spending the last month in Phuket in a waking dream

2012-01-27T04:09:00.000-08:00

every one of us is on an individual journey here on earth, yes i'm getting all hippy on you

pause for a moment and think how differently your life rolls along to your sisters’, or your best friends’. your parents’ experience is completely different to yours and your kids see the world differently again - see?

we’re all on some sort of field trip. most of us with general goal in mind. whatever group we belong to has an overall navigational map.

i wear a tibetan symbol on a chain around my neck. i have a personal goal that requires faith and discipline - that’s just my thing (i’ll give YOU hippy!), and i have no right to expect that it’s yours.

it's not for me to figure the weirds and whys people do the things they do - and life is not a competition, there’s no real wrong or right, just a series of motions, producing one outcome or another, leading to where we don’t know.

all i can espouse, teach or learn is up to me.

greetings from phuket

2012-01-13T01:46:00.000-08:00

confusing to the max!

2011-12-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

i recently i had an epiphany about words and language

it seems we all carry round our own dictionary, a personal vocabulary we use to interact with the world at large.

for example when i use the word 'loyalty' and have the accompanying feelings, it may well mean be different to what it signifies for you.

we use words to map our lives. they are personal interpretations of OUR internal dialogue, and the world we create around us reflects this.

if you're working in a corporate environment, the word 'honour' must mean something quite different to someone working with disadvantaged kids. if you're in public relations, your experiential understanding of the word 'trust' or 'friendship' may be shaped by your chosen field.

accepting this logic helps us to understand our and others, responses. it's full-on out there - we're all jumbled up coming from so many different worlds, bumping into each other - it's confusing to the max!

how many times have you heard someone being described as "overly sensitive"? or you've walked away from a conversation thinking "we were on totally different wave-lengths"? or "what the f**k was THAT all about!?" - cause they probably were and you are and that's because we all have such variations in language interpretation.

i hope this helps you to not take things as personally. i hope it helps you to step back and gain a broader perspective of the world of interaction and communication. it's helped me.

shine brightly, one and all

2011-12-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

just sharing the view from our balcony!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson - A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

divine intervention

2011-12-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

are you waiting for life to happen?

when i look like this i'll feel better, when i get that i'll be happy, when i move to the country or meet a new love. endless waiting around for a better life, waiting for perfection to happen.

but it's here all the time - it surrounds you.
when you look up into blue sky, or dive into ice-cold water. when you meet a smile with a smile at a stranger on the street. divine life appears.

smell the next flower you see, pause, close your eyes and draw in sunshine. snuggle a baby, join in laughter, fill your home with music that makes you wiggle and sing.

have faith, whatever tradition you wish to pursue. have faith that your life is perfect just the way it is. divinely beautiful in a myriad of ways.

FATTY BOOMBAH!!!!!!

2011-12-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

David Jones have been a long-standing client in the 25 years i've been working as a model. I've been popping up in their catalogues and television commercials for decades. well this week i found out i was too fat to work for DJs.

this is how it went down: a couple of weeks back DJ's were casting 'classic' models (mature women, aged 35+) for their festive catalogue. at some castings models are asked to try on some of the clothing for the shoot. i did and "quell horreur" most of the pieces didn't fit.

never-the-less the dear art director liked my look and felt i was right for the job, even put me 'on hold' (modelling term for penciled in).

my girlfriend who is a make-up artist worked on the shoot. at some point through the day my name came up in conversation when the art director was saying "she would have loved to have booked kate bell but unfortunately she didn't fit the samples supplied". the conversation was about how clients are always going on about how they want 'real women' advertising their product but buyers and designers supply size 8 samples for 35+ women.

interestingly my 12 year old nieghbour wears a size 8. at the height of my modeling life i was a size 10 and could passably squeeze into an Aussie 8. these days my bottom half is (just) still a 10, but i'm broader through the shoulders and back and fit more comfortably into a size 12 on top.

i'm 43 and totally happy with my bod. it's the only thing i truely own and i take care of it. i've worked hard to achieve a harmonious balance - what goes in = energy expended (what goes out). i eat mainly organic, i don't drink, i love being in the water, walking with friends, i do truckloads of yoga.

but i'm too big to work for david Jones.

visualization technique for relaxation

2011-11-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

find a private, silent place. lie on your back and close your eyes.
relax your jaw, let all expression leave your face.
feel where the back of your body connects with the ground - the back of your head resting, the back of your shoulders and upper back, both arms and backs of your hands.
feel your bottom and backs of your legs, your heels - feel both feet fall easily out to each side.
allow your whole body to melt onto the ground.

now bring to mind a jelly-fish, yup, a jelly-fish. in your minds-eye see how it moves through water, fluid pulsing in slow motion...
with your mouth lightly closed, breath through your nose visualizing your languid jelly-fish doing it's thing.
notice your easy natural breath freely moving in and out of your body. feel yourself relaxing.

try this fast-track to relaxation, then call me weird...or not.

bellas flowers...

2011-11-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

all picked from a home garden in bryon bay, and arranged on the morning of her friends wedding.

it's amazing what we can create with what is around us. i'm from a family that are excellent at it - turning something found into something extraordinary using ingenuity, patience and flair.

the act of creation is 'kundalini' - divine feminine cosmic force in manifest:
'kund' means 'a deeper place'
'kundal' a coil, or coiled
'kula' - means 'creative energy'.

so my beautiful bella embodied her kundalini and made manifest her friends wedding bouquet.

fabulous!*

recoleta & oli

2011-11-17T02:34:00.000-08:00

buenos aires' colourful patchwork neighbourhood

air plant

2011-10-29T23:26:00.001-07:00

imagine that

OMG! meilikki primal foods

2011-10-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

cakes and cookies - but not as you know them

in supplying her outstanding nutritional goodies, nutritionist meika asplana goes above and beyond what is reasonably expected - one mouthful and you’ve entered a whole new world of sweet-and-yummy

made with pre-agricultural ingredients these wondrous treats are so satisfying you don’t feel the need to reach for another.

Meilikki Primal Foods 0412 000 782

paradigm, olivier rasir 2011

2011-10-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

would you agree that most of us spend most of our adult years working? and would you also concur that together, as a human collective, we shape the world we live in?? and aren't we all, in some way or other in the pursuit of happiness???

well then i propose a radical change - instead of career choices based on the accumulation of wealth of never ending economical and political power, try 'The Art of Creative Living' - take responsibility for our world and share your unique gifts so that you grow rich in accomplishment and heart. create a gorgeous new world.

shift a pre-existing mindset and consider a new paradigm "work as art" or "man as artist".

"Today we stand at a crossroads in history. We have the opportunity to create a new image of ourselves at work, one which will trigger a revolution as profound, as shocking, as transforming as the Industrial Revolution. Even as the Industrial Revolution could not occur until there was a massive shift in society's view of work and wealth, so must an equally profound change in thinking regarding work and wealth occur, before the next quantum leap in man's social evolution can flourish".
Zen and the Art of Making a Living - Laurence G. Boldt

The Fourteenth Dalia Lama says

"We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only ones own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness"

'pathways', olivier rasir, 2011

2011-10-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

I find it fascinating palm readers say that our right hand reveals the life-paths we choose and our left shows the life that was written.

written by whom?

why is it we navigate our lives the way we do? why is it that a sibling can live a completely different life to you, yet came from the same beginnings? how interesting that a young person can walk out of a designated life on one side of the world, cross an ocean to a whole other way of doing things and create a new life and thrive in it.

to find answers we could plum the depths of philosophy, debate forever the existence of a souls journey, we could stand solidly behind 'science says' or punk-out and dismiss life as random chaos.

but it will remain a mystery for most of us - the illusive mystery of life - forever holding our attention - making our existence fascinating - every one of us on a different path with an individual experience. such a remarkable absorbing journey.

make time each day to reflect on yours.

port douglas

2011-10-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

our bodies thrive on negative ions
water emits negative ions
get some today

cherry blossom - olivier rasir, oli

2011-09-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

colour lifts our spirits

our home has been a very neutral space - muted tones, lots of white, for some years now.

three weeks ago mum and dad lent me a coloured kiln rug - quite large, all vivid pink, purple, orange and green. it sparked something in me, a thirst for colour and almost overnight our living space began to change.

a hot pink coffee table in an op shop wouldn't let me leave without it, oli proud and businesslike bustled in with a fab and sexy fluro green and pink painting he'd just whipped up in his studio and promptly hung it on our living room wall. i fell in love with a purple dot painting by Roslyn Napaljarri that we added to our entryway. the white bookcase was replaced with orange cubes one-on-top-of-the-other. plants on our balcony are starting to flower...

Spring is here!!

once a model, always a model

2011-09-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

it's not just that i'm still modelling, 25 years and counting, that i'm into the third day of a grapefruit fast.

it's because i have a sore and swollen knee that's been x-rayed proving there is nothing broken - it's just inflamed and fat in modelling parlance.

the local GP pronounced "arthritis" promptly eliciting anti-inflammatory drugs.

research on the net tells me that arthritis is an umbrella term for more than 100 different conditions effecting our musculoskeletal system and caused from a build up of oxidised rubbish in our bodies, and over-use.

i'd never change things to not win gold, silver and bronze medals at state athletics that i did as a kid, and i loved playing saturday morning netball throughout my teens, plus i make living teaching yoga, so what's a girl to do...but suck it up.

and i have been...grapefruit juice for two-and-a-half days now.

grapefruit contains the anti-inflammatory and skin-cleansing enzyme bromelian. they are the mildest citrus fruit in acid content and have strong antiseptic and mucus-dissolving properties, they are also mild in sugar content.

raw foods guru David Wolfe says

"How To cut Cellulite Fast - Drink only fresh grapefruit juice or simply eat only grapefruits for three days."

yeah well, summers coming up and did i mention that i'm still a model.

a funny thing

2011-08-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

pain - sure doesn't feel funny

but have you ever realised when you have a sore something-or-other, that the moment you laugh and joke with a mate, your pain's gone - you've forgotten about it, it has ceased to exist in those moments.

Shigeaki Hinohara Japan's 97-year-old physician educator says

“Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke's we have music and animal therapies, and art classes”.

i think that's the message here - pain or no pain, the more laughter, music, creativity (and a puppy) we have in our lives - the happier we are.

nurture your neighbours

2011-08-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

i have the most lovely neighbour a girl could ever wish for - seriously.

we have each others keys. when she's away i water her plants, when i'm away she waters mine. we take care of each others laundry when it looks like rain or there's a queue for the machines. if i haven't seen her in awhile i'll check that she's ok. we pass on books, we always have time for a quick catchup when we meet on the stairs. i can count on her for anything. she's awesome. she's made living where i do, lovely.

for twenty years i've lived in many different places and this is my first experience of true neighbourliness - i love it though it does make me wonder 'was it me?', all those years, making no effort! How uncool, how unfriendly, How Embarrassing!! because i must take half the responsibility, it takes two.

i encourage you, for a happier life to nurture your neighbours

THANKYOU NICOLE X

mess it up!

2011-08-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

free it up

forget the 'right' way of looking imposed on you by know-it-all advertising telling you how to have perfect this and that.

i dare you, just once, to forgo brushing your hair, try wearing pyjama pants on the street - think up something to undo or not do, experience punk - it feels so naughty, childish and FREE!

namaste

2011-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

when we start to live with a belief in the energetic nature of all that is, it makes it easier to have an experiential awareness of it.

spending time in thailand each year frees me to make the beautiful mudra 'namaste' with almost every interaction.

do it for a moment - bring your hands to a prayer-like position in front of your heart. drop your awareness into your heart and bring to mind the feelings of respect, well-wishing, honesty and integrity. how does that make you feel - is it something like peace?

if you feel a bit funny doing it physically, do it mentally. send the energy of honestly wishing others well, from a place of respect and self integrity to all who cross your path.

partake in a peace experiment,

namaste.

less like a rat on a wheel

2011-05-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

'just flow with the river of life' - my motto for the last two weeks

periodically i have lived like this, on holidays, travelling, and on occasion in everyday life; but i made a strong resolve two weeks ago to abide by this premise always. i have been sticking to it (except for last thursday morning, when i spazzed about buying real estate for security - then had a shower and quickly got over it).

we run around needing to make money out of this or that activity. the wise and wonderful Shri T. Krishnamacharya says

"We look at ours affairs as business ventures and think only in terms of profit and loss". This attitude is becoming an obstacle to our spiritual progress".

emails were returned a week after receiving them, some phone calls too. the stressed feeling i get from charging around trying to be better and build a fortune has dissipated, leaving me feeling calmer, more relaxed about where i am right now. i feel less like a rat on a wheel.

please take care

2011-04-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

last night i went to birthday drinks at a hip little happening winebar. everything was perfect, model birthday girl sexy, her man a delight, her friends very pleasant, mostly new to me - and the women present were skinny as skinny can be. personality shone through lighting up their dull eyes on only a few occasions throughout the evening, their arms were toneless and their skin dry - they looked like they were starving.

not all of the birthday girls women friends there were models. but they all were as skinny as each other.

in the media we don't see the nasty side of starving, make-up and lightening fix all on a shoot and after retouching the images we see are flawless.

when i was starving this is what it was like:
i’d think - ‘eat as little as possible’
I couldn’t be bothered exercising - didn’t feel like it, (didn’t have the energy), and didn't really think i needed to - cause i wasn’t fat.
my concentration wasn’t good, I found it hard to read
I’d sleep ALOT
i never felt happy with my body, there was always somewhere else that could be slimmer
i never felt very happy, or light and content, or comfortable

if this is you - take care - please trust that you can be beautiful, elegant, charming, intelligent and healthy.

you can do this by caring for yourself as if you were a new born baby. if you had a new baby wouldn’t you want to feed it the very best food and make sure you were doing all that you could to make it happy?

pls take care

Paris Hilton is a Prophet!

2011-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

if you have nothing to say...don't say it!

blar blar blar, we fill space with words.

sitting on the beach with my man i said

"we're just like those two old muppets in the upper side viewing boxes, croaking out a comment on everyone and everything".

who do we think we are?!

we're all such know-it-alls, so opinionated and often, heaven help you if you don't happen to agree! - escalation to fearing for personal physical safety happens in an instant.

i'm all into revelation and being transparent to others, less confusion that way, but i am trying to hold my tongue and if i don't know about something, haven't thought overly on the subject - to just Shut-up!- OMG! Paris Hilton is a Prophet!

choose NOW!

2011-03-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

i think i write this blog because i just need to get out what's in my heart and mind, and if what i say helps anyone reading it, then great!

and of course japan is on my mind.

what is it we're feeling here? - devastation yes, pain for those suffering, but please tell me i'm not the only one with a wrenching heart and horrified expression asking "why is it that a country on a major fault line has all those nuclear reactors??" - i know it's shocking and we're not meant to say that because it's the earths fault for erupting and all those poor people who have lost their lives, but please let's wake up and say "enough" - my vote counts, i will not support a government who believes in nuclear, i want renewable, sustainable, holistic EVERYTHING!

mother earth can't take the gross disrespect, it's not that she's angry, she's hurt, she's in pain, feel her pain.

raise it up, raise the bar on your life; act more responsibly, with more care. take a deep breath and be more than you are, believe you can make a difference, believe you can change. change now, the way you speak, the way you eat, what you think. choose life, choose wisdom, choose freedom, choose NOW!

divine time

2011-02-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

most of us want what we want NOW!
i do, i'm a foot stomping brat. we want to take a pill and be healed, do a course and be a specialist, meet someone and get married. forget noodles, we want instant 'perfect life!'.

but we don't thrive on it - magic take time to make and bake and be born.

after chilling for four weeks in phuket i'm back in the city clinging by my fingernails to the peaceful pace i found over there - the sense of everything happens in it's own divine time.

the alternative is to force the situation to happen NOW, thereby creating drama and chaos, accumulating stress which makes life tougher (and makes you look crap) (that alone is enough to make me cry halt!).

so please can we slow down the pace, drive in a relaxed manner, pause and commune with our neighbours, listen in a conversation not just wait to speak. can we allow a week for an email response, a year to get in shape and let our children be kids til they're not.

we'll look better for it!

"hey girl, i like your pants!"

2010-12-13T01:55:00.000-08:00

- a chick on the subway declares to one of our heroines in Candace Bushnells book Lipstick Jungle.

wouldn't it be a nicer place if we more often gave each other a verbal thumbs-up?

i often miss the moment, think to myself, damn i should have said how nice he looked, or how lovely her voice was. maybe it's shyness, praps laziness. as australians, does it come from our too-far-in-the-past-to-actually-be-blameworthy early english occupation?

because it's really nice to receive a complement, gives you validation, makes you smile.

praps it's all part of learning to live together - god knows we need to.

so let's work on this together. let's every day tell one person you appreciate their hair style or their fit body, let them know when they've done a wonderful job or shown you some kindness, when they've let you in in traffic, or held open a door, when their eyes sparkle or their pants look hot, whatever.

go boldly, have some fun, make the world a sweeter, cheerier place. please.

the expression of our souls purpose

2010-12-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

re yesterdays blog and desideratas use of the term 'career' - exquisite ms zenfacial sent me her perfect way of describing the word 'career':

"the expression of our soul purposes expression"

dreamweavers

2010-12-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

wow! just spent a couple of hours in the company of two very beautiful positive women, nutting out a concept for a future collaborative venture - what a buzz!

empowered and motivated i've raced home, and after a qwik kitchen whip-a-round grilling organic chicken and steaming leek for dinner, i've jumped on-line to blog.

i've realized that i shine when i have a little project boiling away (not being a kitchen kinda-girl, i don't get my creative rocks off in the kitchen, for me grilled chicken and leek, grilled fish and veges and salads are the extent of my culinary skill). but i like to create stuff, always have. i make birthday cards, i write, i re-fashion clothes, you get the picture. i love to create with creative people. a couple of weeks ago, i had the enviable opportunity to work yet again with an incredibly creative 'sound explorer' karim sai of caravan.

it's like creativity is the v-power in your everyday life. without our dreams and endeavors, life seems a little dull. in the prose poem desiderata it says:

" Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time".

i take the use of the word 'career' to mean individual 'gifts' or hobbies, not just work or your job.

we all have interests in different areas, we all have individual skills that when practised not only grow into expertise but in the doing of them we find happiness, contentment, life outside of time, a very human expression of being. no other being on the planet can create as we can, dream into being.

everything you see around you has been dreamed into being. thought about, figured out, acted upon and physically created.

for utopia on earth we can together create; weave some dreams, live your life in it's most beautiful expression.

the power to say no

2010-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

if you're an australian reading this you're probably aware of the sexual harassment case - a young woman suing her boss, that's about to go to court.

the way i live is to try and learn lessons from all ‘happenings’. from an injured leg to a tsunami, i see them as opportunities for spiritual growth, personal freedom, a better world. i try to remove judgment and with an open heart and mind come to understand what the 'happening' has to teach me.

this case has made me realize that it is australian law that the onus is on the perpetrator to gage the response of the other person as to whether or not what they have said or done is inappropriate. this means that it’s up to the person who is experiencing the act to SAY SOMETHING. i have never felt i could.

some people are way cooler than me, they are witty, confident even blaze with their message of “back off”. in the same situation i am horrified. it freezes me and i end up going along with it all, afterwards feeling small and dumb.

this ‘happening’ for me was revelatory. i MUST perk up and voice my feelings even if at first it comes out all wrong, i’ll get better. the responsibility is on me as it is on all of us, to create a more cohesive world.

the situation may not call for intervention from other parties, all it calls for is the power to say no.

just do it

2010-09-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

i don't often feel mournful about the passing of time. it's a dead-end situation. but mournful i felt today that i'm in my 40s not 20s.

i guess it was brought on because tomorrow i am doing a session with a beautiful woman in her early 20s who wants to "tone and lengthen". how do i best convey to her that she's perfect just the way she is - everyone is at her age.

but i remember me then, i thought my hips were chunky, it's all i'd see when i looked at myself, now i notice the slight sag of my inner thigh skin. when does it end?

i know at 60 i'll look back at myself at 40 and think "i was a bit of alright", and at 80 do the same again for me at 60. on and on.

but i know i get kinder, i see me with more compassionate eyes. i see my strong body cause i live in it well, and i see the real me closer to the surface - able to experience a richer life. these are results of my thoughts and actions of now.

it's never too late to reflect to the world your wholesome life choices. start making them now. it's never too late to begin a truce with your body. do nice stuff, take care of yourself, if nothing else at the end of your day, soak in epsom salts, or plain old cooking salt, add some essential oils (lavender's sold in supermarkets and pharmacys everywhere) and spend time in the bath clearing and cleansing your mind, body and spirit of crap you don't need.

make your life less of a struggle, do it for you now, do it for the you in 20 years time. just do it.

A quote I read today...

2010-09-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

"The key to developing a beautiful physical appearance is to start from the inside out by clearing away physical and emotional toxins."
- Anne Louise Gittleman

Water anyone?

Age Power!

2010-09-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

So I've been reading this fab book called AGE POWER - the revolutionary path to natural high-tech rejuvenation, by Leslie Kenton.

I've been folding pages over as indication of information I want to return to and remember. No kidding, a third of the book is now folded.

One chapter titled 'Green Supreme' is about stuff most of us are already aware of like 'green foods regenerate and rejuvenate your body, they are powerful angi-agers', but the folded page holds the following gem: 'Seed Power' - 'The seeds of broccoli contain 60 times the levels of sulphoraphane - the most widely acclaimed phytonutrient in the war against cancer and ageing - than broccoli itself'. Here's the best bit - 'buy packets of broccoli seeds, add springwater to germanate, let them grow 5-12 days before harvesting at their zenith (the moment the young internodal tissues start to elongate to form a stem).

Inexpensive fresh foods of phenomenal health-enhancing value, right there in your kitchen!'

Too easy, what are you waiting for?!

dhamma diva!

2010-08-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

two weeks into my return from a 10-day vipassana meditation stint, my eyes are still twinkling.

it was freezing, it was fustrating and it was very very worthy.

if you ever need clarity about a situation happening in your life, i can highly recommend a sojourn at one of these wonderful centres which are located in most countries, world over.

apart from learning and practising mediatation 7 hrs (yep!) a day, you spend a good deal of time trying to gently redirect your mind away from the constant flow of life experiences stored within.

i figured out how to shoot my dvd (happening tonight!), had a startling experiential realization that i am not my outward personality, slept deeply, ate delicious vegetarian meals and armed myself with an incredible mediation practise which, so proud of myself, i have continued, twice a day (30-40mins) since arriving home.

it makes me calm and cool and confident (you may snigger, but it does), it makes me smile and laugh easily, it makes me feel i am achieving something extra special everyday.

try it...

Vipassana Meditation Website: www.dhamma.org
Homepage of the organization which offers Vipassana Meditation courses as taught by S.N. Goenka.

sending metta, xk

When you're happy and you know it...

2010-06-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

I can hear you clapping! YAY!
Instead of poor-me-ing through your day, clap your hands. That's right, every time you catch yourself thinking, speaking or feeling negative - clap your hands. Try it, just for an experiment to see what happens, i dare you...

do what’s in front of you

2010-02-08T00:45:00.000-08:00

do you ever feel like a loser? sorry to ask, it’s not something people do often are and most would not readily admit to it.

but i do and the other day my gorgeous make-up artist friend did. so maybe we all do, some days. our consumer society thrives on us feeling this way - ‘go and buy more to feel better, look better, be better’.

so to share my motto in such times: “do what’s in front of you”.
don’t question or judge, do the dishes, slip on trainers and walk out the door (and around the park), I guarantee the feeling will pass.
to quote a piece of universal wisdom “this too shall pass”.

sum total

2010-01-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

The following is borrowed from Germain Greer in her book ‘The Change’:

“A grown woman should not have to masquerade as a girl in order to remain in the land of the living. The result of capitulation to pressure to do just that, has resulted in a gallery of grotesque, whose pathetic attempts are the staple of our gossip magazines.”

Strong stuff but I agree.

I love using natural oils on my skin, a natural exfoliant every couple of days. I get a little sun while exercising some mornings or in the late afternoon, at times wearing sunscreen, sometimes just a cap. I don’t wear make-up unless I have to. For the majority, healthy food is my staple though I do enjoy yummy things, my line is that they keep me sweet. Lots of yoga and swim here and there and two long walks a week, plus drinking lots of water. I will not abide negative self-talk, complaining or ‘poor me’ attitudes. My life is filled with love – my partner, family, friends. I make it my mission to relax, rest and sleep well.

All of these things make up what I look like.

Lately some women have been telling me how with this cream or that treatment I could minimize my wrinkles and make me look better. They might, I could.

But here’s my experiment: I’ll stick with natural products and let others make their own choices to puncture, inject, cut etc; We’ll reconvene in five years and compare.

For what it’s worth, my current unisex skin care regime:

Organic Rosehip oil rocks as a facial moisturizer, assisting skin renewal and resilience. For mature skin mix 5 drop of essential Rose oil to 20mls of Rosehip. Emu and coconut oils are wonderful as body moisturizers, absorbed best after a warm shower. Through the day spray Evian or other water spray to hydrate your face, paw-paw ointment rejuvenates lips. Wash with a face washer sprinkled with a few drops of essential lavender.

I’ll probably glance at my reflection a couple of times throughout the day but I will not dwell on trying to find out what is wrong with how I look.

I am the sum total of my actions, my face and body reflections of how I live.

Double Down Dog

2010-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new years resolution – a blog update each week.

The end of 2009 brought grandkids to one of my dear clients’ home. With great respect I observed their unwavering patience as two year old Cloe joined our morning yoga sessions, bringing with her a myriad of musical toys, endless “whys” and that sweetest cheeky-joy children are filled with.

True yoga was practised as we continually brought the focus back to our positions and our attention back to our breath. The disruptions a joy-filled two year old brings, required we deepen our commitment to our practise and though challenging, I’m quite sure there wasn’t a happier downward facing dog pose being practised in Sydney each morning.

Led by witnessing the endless warmth of Mr and Mrs D’s love shown to their grandchildren, I embraced the challenge of teaching these sessions and was experientially reminded that in the path to serenity, acceptance and patience are essential.

SUNDAY LIFE – ASK AN EXPERT

2009-09-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

LONG-HAUL WELLNESS

As we do on the ground, so we do in the air - Exercise, relaxation and conscious breathing are our keys to long-haul success.

Cabin air pressure is lower than in our normal lives. This isn’t necessarily a problem but it means less oxygen, and when you add some level of dehydration and lack of available movement, health issues may arise.

The most serious is lack of blood circulation, with the veins in our lower legs the most vulnerable. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is the swelling of veins leading to clotting with nasty outcomes. There is no way around it, exercise is vital when flying.

Keep the area around your legs and feet free of luggage. Whenever you remember jiggle your legs as if quickly jogging on your toes, rotate, point and flex your feet. Every 1-2 hours take a short walk, stretch your calf muscles the way we often see joggers doing, shake your legs and feet out vigorously.

Air travel can be stressful. To release body tension and increase circulation, contract every single muscle in your body, then release with a sigh through your mouth. Sighing is our natural stress release and has the added benefit of being accompanied by a good deep inhalation.

Which bring us to the last part of our in-flight wellness routine: ‘Conscious’ breathing increases oxygen in our systems and promotes peace of mind. Sit comfortably with eyes closed and jaw relaxed. Concentrate on your breath, your connection to life.

Once at your destination, take yourself for a long, brisk walk.

Bon voyage!

Welcome

2009-08-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

“shoulders back, stand up straight”

2009-08-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

“Shoulders back, stand up straight” my father intoned throughout my childhood. Modelling came along in my teens (where I wished I were taller than 5ft, 8 inches), as did yoga and the discovery of my vertebral column being literally the backbone of yoga asanas/positions.

Standing tall and straight says more about a persons’ confidence and personal power then anything else; And what about that weird fact that we shrink as we get older. It’s interesting that our spines are at their longest upon waking.

The subject of how our nerves all connect to our spines and what this means to our nervous system is a massive book filling subject. Suffice to say nerves/nervous system, healthy spine=low stress levels. Cool, calm minds create wise thoughts and positive actions.

All that just by standing up straight!, no wonder dad went on about it.

Get into a habit of the very first thing you do when you hop out of bed, is to stand with your back against the wall and relax.

Stand with your feet hip width apart. Engage your abdomen by rolling your pelvis forward a little. Allow your shoulders to broaden and draw your chin in a touch. Relax your jaw and breath through your nose, take three conscious breaths.

Go forth and conquer!

healthy happenings

2009-08-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

I’ve been putting off posting my very first blog. I find it scary to lay myelf bare to the world, well cyberspace at least. So taking a long deep breath, “Let’s begin, welcome, namaste/I bow to the divine within you”.

My plan is to contribute on ‘healthy happenings’ and be a voice of reason for my parallel worlds of 22 years: modelling and wholistic therapies

Elizabeth Brown, a beautiful indigenous friend of mine once said
"that's all that we are, all we have is to give”

I give you all that I am.