by Carol Reed
Energy Healer, Intuitive Channel & Transitional Coach
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While you are saying this, visualize a white light descending from above, going into your body from the top of your head surrounding and filling you with this protection.

“I ask that the Divine Light of unconditional love and protection fill me and surround me today so that I may see, hear and understand in that very special way. Namaste”

Surround yourself in the light.

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Carol Reed is a intuitive channel, transitional coach and energy healer. By communicating through a Higher Consciousness, she helps provide clarity and guidance in overcoming challenges and the understanding of the soul’s purpose and karmic lessons.  Read more about Carol Reed >>

by Guest Writer, Nancy Dadami, MFS
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Here are some easy-to-implement Feng Shui tips to welcome 2010.

* Make room for the new by clearing and cleaning your SPACE so fresh energy, incredible opportunities, new clients and excellent Good Fortune can come into your home, business and life. It’s time to clear out any old, depressing or stagnant energy or items from your home, purse, wallet, computer, files, car and office.

* As you deep clean, imagine that you’re sweeping away any bad luck, obstacles, negative mindsets, stress or exhaustion.

* Wash your mirrors and clean your windows.

* Deep clean your car inside and out-this is the vehicle that takes you forward into your life and career.

* Pay off as many of your debts as you can and pay all of your current bills in full to set the intention of being debt-free in the New Year.

* Fill your pantry and fridge with healthy and delicious foods to affirm longevity and vibrant health.

* Bring in lots of healthy, green and round-leafed plants to increase your energy for the new year.

* Treat yourself to a brand new purse and wallet (red!) and fill with lots of cash.

* Feed the birds, they symbolize the bringing of “good news” and they lift the happiness chi around a home.

Have a happy & prosperous 2010!

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Nancy Dadami, a BTB Feng Shui Consultant, Professional Educator and Speaker, empowers people and transforms home and workplace environments. Her passion is helping people manifest their personal goals and desires through the use of Feng Shui.

by Guest Writer, Gloria Bullock, Glorified Organizing
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For many the holidays mean special times with friends, the excitement of lights and special festivities, and delicious food. But for some the holidays are stressful.

Here are some simple tips to reduce stress during the upcoming holidays:

(1) Prioritize your time.

• Make a “to-do” list of everything that needs to happen.
• Use a calendar to remember when to send out-of-town gifts or cards.
• If you’re having houseguests or a party, get started NOW clearing things for 15 minutes a day to keep those tasks from feeling overwhelming. You won’t wonder where you put things during an “emergency stash and dash” later.
• Look at letting go of some traditions that no longer serve you. Ask your family what their favorite holiday activities are. Make conscious choices and start new traditions.

(2) Be sensible about gifts.

• Consider purchasing a Visa gift card for yourself in the amount of your total gift budget. Use it with every purchase to help you stay within budget.
• Most people feel as though they already have too much stuff. Consider giving them an experience with a gift certificate for a massage, concert, museum, or dinner.

(3) Get help.

• Because you are spending extra time preparing for the holidays enlist your family members in helping you.
• If you have always prepared a large dinner by yourself, ask others to bring a dish.
• This month, consider hiring help such as a cleaning service, caterer, professional organizer or personal shopper.

You deserve for your holidays – and your life – to be organized and stress free. Relax and enjoy!

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Gloria Bullock has always been passionate about organizing chaos and loves working with people. For over 25 years she has worked in the high-tech industry, designing hundreds of circuit boards. The designs utilized her creative talent to arrange thousands of components, bringing order and function to each unit. Combining Gloria’s passion and talent, she now helps others create order in their lives. Gloria further shares her expertise by teaching organizing classes through Mt. Diablo Adult Education.

Schedule a consultation with Gloria by contacting her at 925-691-9491 or visit her web site at www.GlorifiedOrganizing.com for more information about her services.

by Leah Vachani, Nutritional Consultant

This is the number one comment I get when talking to people about eating healthier. Why is it that what should be one of the most important rituals of our day gets tossed aside from our priority list as easily as over ripe bananas get tossed in the garbage instead of being used for banana bread? If we “are what we eat”, then why don’t we devote more time and energy into eating well?

The truth is; life is fast. We live in a world where you can wake up in San Francisco, have lunch in Chicago and dance the night away in New York City. Information is exchanged, literally, at our fingertips in a matter of seconds. News of wildfires in Australia or natural disasters in China can reach you seconds after being reported. It’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed at everything happening in the world…you hear about it all, and fast!

For this reason especially, we need to grasp strongly to some routines in our lives that bring peace, gratefulness, and a sense of togetherness and connection. For thousands and thousands of years, humans have experienced these feelings over a shared meal. For those of you with children, Eating Together As A Family Creates Better Eating Habits Later In Life. This study shows yet another reason to ring that cowbell at dinner time.

Here are some tips to making mealtime one of your priorities:

1. Shut off the TV. This includes mealtimes, but the less TV you watch during the morning, day or evening allows you more time to prepare meals. Just cutting out one or two 1-hour shows per week can keep your fridge stocked with well-prepped snacks and easy meal additions.
2. Plan Ahead. Take an hour each week to plan out your meals for the week. They don’t all have to be home-made, but then you will know ahead of time which meals are to be made at home and which meals will be bought prepared. No more “5pm: Oh no! What’s for dinner?!?”
3. Plan of leftovers. Make double or triple of what you are cooking and have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. Did you know that we are one of few countries in which people have a different recipe or food for every meal? Most societies use part or all of a previous meal for the next one!
4. Freeze it. Many foods will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Even most of the nutrition is still intact as well! So stock up on freezer-safe glass containers and get a labeling pen for the date and meal name.
5. Involve your kiddos. Kids may slow down the cooking time a bit in the kitchen, but there are loads of benefits. First of all, they are more likely to eat the foods in which they helped prepare. Second, you get to spend quality time with them, something severely lacking for fast-paced families. Third, you will be teaching them that food does not only come from a box. They will begin to appreciate meals more and file away the knowledge that meals are created, not “opened” from a box. Later in life, they WILL thank you for this basic understanding and knowledge…I promise! (Mom – THANKS!!)
6. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Really, who has time to spend 3 hours in the kitchen preparing dinner? Well, I sure don’t. Most of my meals are prepared in about 30 minutes or less. The trick? A little planning ahead (for meal planning, soaking grains, groceries on hand), and setting the time aside (this is not the easiest thing!). Usually, something has got to go to make this time available. (Last time I checked the day was still only 24 hours…much to my dismay!) So, for me, just getting organized about the day cured that problem.
7. Next, KEEP IT SIMPLE! Steamed broccoli drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper accompanied by baked salmon in butter and garlic can be a whole meal prepared in about 20-25 minutes. And only about 5-10 minutes is active time in the kitchen!

So next time you think, “I just don’t have the time!”, I urge you to re-assess your priorities and make the time. Your life will be enriched in countless ways. Happy Meal Planning!

If you want some extra help with meal planning, I can assist you and your family in learning how to create and execute meal plans that meet your family’s nutritional and scheduling needs. Call (925) 951-7136 to start.

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Leah Vachani, Certified Nutritional Consultant, offers nutrition planning and advice to help with a variety of conditions and diagnoses, but her areas of specialization are preconception, prenatal, and postnatal nutrition in addition to children’s health. She believes in a holistic approach to wellness through diet, supplements, lifestyle, and mental awareness. Leah strives to help her clients find balance in their body to achieve optimum health and wellness.

Follow Leah Vachani on Twitter @HFWellness.

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by Gina Tibbs, Holistic Health Practitioner
Loosen Up Bodywork
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I always try to teach my clients and students that pain is your friend. You may have heard me say this a time or two. Pain is one way our body communicates to us that something needs to change. We also get signals from our nervous system like muscle spasm or tightness, cramping, numbness, and discomfort.

We, as people, are very results driven. We like knowing that when we go home in the evening that we have accomplished something. So much so that we sometimes ignore the signals our nervous system is sending us so we can finish what we have started.

A question I’ve heard in the past is “why don’t children have knots?“. The simplest answer to that question I learned in a Thomas Hanna, Somatics training: Children stop doing what they’re doing when it hurts.

I want to encourage all of you to find that inner child. Not to stop accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves, but to stop trudging through the pain and refine the way we get things done.

By paying attention to the process of what we are doing, we have the ability to focus on how we are using our bodies and make adjustments so that we can do them comfortably.

If you’re not sure how to make adjustments to activities that cause you discomfort your always welcome to contact me with questions by phone or email.

Be well, be happy, and I hope you’re enjoying your summer.

Best,
Gina Tibbs

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Gina Tibbs, HHP, Instructor / Owner of Loosen Up Bodywork, has been practicing massage therapy since 1999. She started deeply rooted in eastern techniques and developed an interest in NeuroMuscular therapy and pre and postnatal massage. Gina’s approach to health and healing has always included some blend of eastern and western medicine. Her passion to teach, always learn more and to empower her clients and students with new and old techniques for healing grows every day. Contact the Malaya Center at 925.726.0300 to schedule an appointment or for more information on Gina’s Self-Healing classes.

by Leah Vachani, Certified Nutrition Consultant
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SOUL Food is Seasonal, Organic, Unrefined, and Local. By purchasing produce with these concepts in mind, you will treat your body to an abundance of nutrient rich and delicious tasting food while decreasing your carbon foot-print at the same time.

Here are some tips:

1. Find out what foods are fresh & seasonal near you at the National Resource Defense Council website.
2. Visit LocalHarvest.org to find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
3. Eat Well Guide: a free online directory of thousands of family farms, restaurants, and other outlets for fresh, locally grown food in the US and Canada. Originally a database of sustainably-raised meat and dairy producers, its listings have expanded to include farmers’ markets, CSA programs, partner organizations, water-conscious ratings and vegetarian eateries. Visitors can search by location, keyword or category to find good food, download customized guides, or plan a trip with the innovative mapping tool Eat Well Everywhere.
4. Read about “The Dirty Dozen”, or the 12 most heavily pesticide sprayed fruits and vegetables that you should always buy organic!

By tying to eat SOUL food, you may discover new shops, farmer’s markets, restaurants and more!

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Are you interested in exploring new and exciting nutritious foods for you and your family but feel overwhelmed? Book an appointment for a Grocery Store Nutrition Navigation or In Home Pantry Clean-Out. Leah’s next 21-Detoxification Program at the Malaya Center starts August 10.

Follow Leah Vachani on Twitter @HFWellness.

When you travel on an airplane, you are instructed, “In case of an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” By taking care of yourself first you create energy to help others. In the same way, using self-help energy balancing techniques will give your body the chance to be strong, healthy and vital because it brings adequate energy to all parts of the body.

Attend the upcoming self-help wellness workshop to learn easy-to-use energy techniques that will help reduce stress and anxiety, relieve pain, take care of chronic symptoms and create emotional balance. You will discover how easy it is to have a daily energy practice in your life that will prepare your body for whatever you ask it to do.

Join Deborah Myers, director of Health at Your Fingertips, at the Malaya Center on Friday May 29th and Saturday May 30th and empower yourself towards a healthier life. For more information and to register for the workshop, go to www.healthatyourfingertips.com or call 707-546-5692.

To get a “sneak preview” of the workshop, join Deborah and Joan Silva, a money counselor in the East Bay, on Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 pm PST for a free tele-seminar.

You will come away with easy-to-use energy balancing movements that will relieve pain, reduce stress, create breath and increase your vitality and prosperity. Sign up by going to http://www.the-money-minute.com/may7signup.html. Once you have signed up, you will receive notice of the telephone line and access code for the call.

Mark your calendars for two great opportunities for self-healing!!