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Wastefree Periods

In my teens and 20’s I was a tampon user. With the tampons and taking the contraceptive pill for many years came also lots of infections and medications to treat the infections. Then came the first child and an IUD. With the first child came awareness about alternative, better choices. When we were planning for our second child, that IUD came out I announced to Tim that I had done my time taking contraceptives and it was his turn. Luckily he agreed and one tiny invisible snip later we lived happily ever after.

I learned about all the nasty stuff in tampons and how they leave tiny particles and what havoc the contraceptive pill creates in the body. I changed to pads until I learned that they too have lots of nastie’s in it. Then I found a good organic brand of pads in the NZ supermarkets. That ticked most boxes for me, until I realised the amount of rubbish that I was throwing out on a monthly basis. That led me to my first menstrual cup, a mooncup quite a few years back. That was not a very successful first start. I leaked and it was uncomfortable after just using pads and it slightly freaked me out to put it in. I must admit I wasn’t very persistent, so gave up pretty quickly and went back to using my organic pads. I researched washable pads, but the prices put me off and I was too worried to leak and to pay all that much money and then it might not work. I just found excuses not find a better option.

When we decided to live and travel on a boat it was clear to me, that I would not have the option to just go and buy my preferred organic brand of pads on deserted islands and also with now more time on my hands I really wanted to do the right thing for the environment and have a wastefree period.

But first lets look at some facts here, why it is a good idea to switch to a period cup or washable pads.
⦁ The average woman uses 36 tampons / month and 14,000 tampons in a lifetime.
⦁ North America alone has 12 billion menstrual pads / tampons coming to the landfill every year! Approx. 45,000 tonnes of menstrual waste go into landfills worldwide annually. They take decades to degrade and since disposable pads are approx. 90% plastic they will never disappear.
⦁ The average woman spends $150 – $300 per year on tampons or disposable pads.
⦁ 1 disposable pad can have the same amount of plastic in it as approx. 4 plastic bags.
⦁ I found a really well researched article on hannahpad.co.nz about all the nastie’s that you will find in tampons and disposable pads. With the vaginal tissue being one of the most permeable in the body directly linked to our reproductive organs we really don’t want to put anything near there other than natural, good stuff. Unfortunately menstrual pads and tampons, just like most cosmetics and perfumes (don’t get me started) don’t need to be TGA approved and don’t have to fully disclose whats in them. You can find that article HERE.

After I did my research I approached 3 companies with products I liked, to see if they would support me in in my switch to more eco friendly period care. The Hello Cup, Hannah Pads and Moontime Aotearoa all provided me with samples of their pads and cup to try. I will outline my honest experience after 3 months of using those products below.’

Hello Cup / thehellocup.com

I have had so many friends raving about menstrual cups I knew I had to give it another go. I was unsure about the sizing and Hello Cup provided me with all 3 sizes in gorgeous colours and also sent some of their beautiful period liners.

What I really loved is that they are made in New Zealand and the creators are based in my home area of Hawke’s Bay. When that parcel arrived it showed straight away how much thought has gone into the product. Its all paper and cardboard packaging. The period cups have all their own fabric bags to keep them in. The cups are recyclable, top notch medical grade TPE and the colours are certified food grade. If you use them according to the provided instructions they should last you for at least 5 years. They come in gorgeous colours and also they offer double boxes so you can try different sizes for different flows. And not that it really matters for our periods, but the whole branding strategy is just so gorgeous to look at from the colours of the cups to the fabric of the liners to the card with a personal message and the quality of the product. Everything seems to be just right.

I trialed the different sizes of the cups and soon found the biggest one is the one that works best for me. The Hello Cup definitely feels more comfortable than the Mooncup. The toggle to pull the cup out, the rim to grab all works well. The Mooncup had a really long toggle that you had to cut off to suit your size and I found that the bits where you cut off length felt quite sharp / hard. The hello cup toggle is round and smooth and feels so much better.
One thing that I really noticed while using the cup is that you really get a proper idea of how much blood you are loosing. I have been iron deficient for ever since I got my periods and docs tell me it will probably be this way until I come into menopause. Upon inquiring if I have heavy periods I would have rated mine average. But emptying my cup now I think gosh, that is a lot of blood to loose every month! Usually its absorbed by pads or tampons, so you only get a rough idea, but with the cup you really know exactly how much you loose.

After 3 months of regular and persistent effort I insert it well most of the time, but must admit I am not a cup master yet. I wear a washable pad with the cup to catch any leakage (not much most of time), but it gives me a better sense of security, especially when going out for a while. I found sometimes it sneaks away a bit once inserted, sometimes I don’t insert it deep enough, sometimes its not the right angle, but there are good instructions on the website how to fold the cup correctly when inserting, what to do when you can’t find it etc. The tutorials are great and I found them really helpful to get comfortable with the process.

I clean my cup out and rinse it every time I go to the toilet, although on the website it says you can leave the cup in for up to 12 hours and do your toilet business without removing it. On the website it says that the Hello Cup holds approx. 3 times as much blood as a tampon would. The cleaning and changing works perfect on a boat toilet, since the toilet and sink are so close together. I remove the cup and rinse it it in the sink and back in it goes – really easy. They also offer a sanitizing spray on their website to clean the cup while you are out an about. To clean the cup after your period you can boil it in water for 3 minutes to sterilize and pack it away in the little fabric bag that comes with it until you need it again.

The Hello Period pads have gorgeous fabric and fold up really tiny. Each pad holds up to 2 tbsp of liquid, so perfect to catch any leakage. I actually use the as panty liners too now, so save me washing undies too often, as we don’t have a washing machine on the boat. The pads are organic & fairtrade, manufactured in India. The clips on the wings of the pads are metal. The pads are relatively small, so for me they really only work to have an extra layer of security when wearing my Hello cup or for those first days when where is spotting or as panty liners. I wouldn’t be able to use them as period pads without the cup with my flow. Because the fabrics are so colourful they clean up really well and they also have a a waterproof layer already sown into the pad.

I am really happy with both the Hellocup and the washable pads. I would highly recommend them to others. You can purchase them at thehellocup.com. They ship worldwide. A double box of cups is $69.95, a starter pack with liners, a double pack of cups and the sanitizing spray is $119.95, a 3 pack of liners is $55, a 6 pack $89 (NZD)

Hannah Pads / hannahpad.co.nz, hannahpadglobal.com

Hannah Pads sent me a sample package of 4 different sizes, a wet/dry carry bag and a washing tag. Again all packing was eco friendly. The courier bag was compostable, the box the pads came in was cardboard. The coloured fabrics are gorgeous.

Hannah Pads offers 6 sizes altogether. Hannah Pads are designed and manufactured in Korea and available in 10 countries.
The pads fold up really small. The carry bag that was provided has a wet and dry compartment, so you can pop any used pads and have a spare in there when you are going out. Also the little fabric strip that came with the pads is really handy for hanging them all in a row on the washing line, without even needing a peg. The pads have wings, that clip together under your undies to hold them in place. The clips on the pads are plastic.
The pads are made from organic cotton without dyes. Most of the parts of the pads are compostabe or biodegradable. The coloured fabric layer is the only part that would have to be disposed in general rubbish.

The Hannah Pad blog has really good articles. There was one where their staff explain how many pads they use for their periods and also photos of how the pads look after 4 years of usage. I have heard from friends that their washable pads last for many years.

The pads are really easy to use, as they have a waterproof layer sowed in the layers, so they are pretty much ready to go. They are super comfy and steady in the undies. I have a little soaking box with a lid in our toilet with water and washing powder. When I change the pad I give it a quick rinse in the sink and put it in my soaking box for a day. The next day I give them a good hand wash in the sink and hang them out in the sun to dry. Of course hand washing on the boat is not as efficient as a proper washing machine, so there is a bit of staining, but they clean up pretty well and the sun gives them a bit of a bleach too.

I really love the Hannah Pads as they are so handy and ready to go. They look pretty too and stack away quite small because you can fold them and clip them together with the buttons that hold them in your undies. They feel very comfortable and I would highly recommend them. I will definitely get some more of them at some stage.

You can purchase them at hannahpad.co.nz or hannahpadglobal.com. They offer singles and package deals. The pack for one week comes with 2 small, 5 medium and 3 Ultra Overnight pads for $265. (NZD)

Moontime Aotearoa, moontime.co.nz

Moontime Aotearoa, was super helpful on the phone to see which size pads would suit me, which fabrics are organic and which are not, how to add the waterproof layer and how to use the washable pads in general.

Moontime offers 4 sizes of pads and also offers package options. Again I like that they are made in NZ and I really like to support local outlets. I received a range of different fabrics and sizes and find them all super comfortable to wear. I was also provided with a wet/dry bag, where you can store a spare pad and it has a waterproof compartment where you can put your used pad. The Pad consists of 2 parts, the inner and the outer. The outer is open at the back with a slit where you insert you inner and a waterproof layer. I was provided with a sheet of plastic that I cut into the shape of the inners for the waterproof layer. If you have a heavy flow you can add 2 inners. The pads have wings, that clip together under your undies to hold them in place. The clips on the pads are metal.

Compared to the Hannah pads I found the assembling a bit fiddlier and on a couple of occasions I forgot to add the waterproof plastic under the inner which resulted in leaking. But its pretty much just a question of getting your routine sorted. The pads are super comfy to wear and all the fabrics look beautiful. I found the Moontime pads clean up a bit easier than the Hannah Pads, perhaps because they don’t have the waterproof layer sowed in. The organic cream coloured ones show a bit of staining too, but that might be, because I am hand washing here on the boat. The Moontime pads are a bit bulkier to store than the Hannah Pads.

When I talked to the owner, she said that she was still using pads she had made 10 years ago, so that is a pretty amazing track record for sustainable, long term use. All in all I am really happy with the moontime pads and would definitely recommend them. The service was super friendly and I like its a small New Zealand boutique business. You can purchase them at moontime.co.nz. A starter pack with 3 more, 3 regular and 3 light pads is $116.50 (NZD)

General Conclusion

I am really happy to have finally made the step to a waste free period routine. I think for me a combination of washable pads and the Hello cup will the way forward. I am so happy I don’t have to buy products on a monthly basis anymore and am able to save money with our relatively tight cruising budget.

I am also really happy, even happier than about the saving money part, that I don’t contribute all that period product waste to the landfill anymore. Every month I felt guilty about buying those disposable pads and adding to the landfill. Its feels so good to just use a bit of water to clean up and be all ready for the next month and many more months to come.
I also feel like I am being a good role model now to my daughter, that when she comes of age, we have healthy and environmentally friendly options on the boat.

I think waste free periods are totally doable on a boat, even without a washing machine. It just takes a bit of rethinking to establish new habits and let go of old ones.

My recommendation is to just do a bit of research first and find a company you trust, that works ethically and uses good, ideally organic materials.
I hope this inspires more woman and girls to make the switch to a more healthy and environmentally friendly period care.

A huge thank you to the Hello Cup, Hannah Pad and Moontime teams for supporting my switch to a waste free period. I really appreciate your kindness and support.

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Heartspace yoga goes online

As many of you know we are travelling on our sailboat now. At the moment we are in Athens/Greece in lock-down. Tim and I experimented with recording yoga sessions and have now sorted sound and video technicalities.

You can find a free, slow and easy Hatha Yoga session HERE to try.

If you would like to get weekly yoga sessions with my from our yoga deck aboard Polly you can sign up to our Patreon Channel HERE. You can choose your financial support from $2 USD / week and you will also receive all our sailing videos early. You can re-watch the yoga videos as many times as you like. We will record some Hatha Yoga sessions, some Yin Yoga sessions and some fusion sessions that are a mix of Hatha and Yin yoga. They will all be mostly gentle classes.

We will attempt to put 1 yoga session per week online, depending on weather and travel conditions.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope you enjoy the free trial session.

 

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Happily ever after…

From Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – (Thank you forever Liz for your wisdom!)

“When I talk about creative living I am talking about living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.”

“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart. – R. T. Bennett”
———————-
Ever since I can remember I have been a fearful child and adult, my life has streaks of anxiety all throughout and phases of where I was so depressed about the world and myself that I found it hard to get out of bed in the mornings and hard to get to sleep at night. I have never really identified that properly. I guess I just learned pretty well to just get on with things and that is mostly what I always did.
In the last 10 years I have implemented a lot of coping mechanisms, routines, practices that help me to ride the waves of life with more ease and mostly I do well these days, with breathing techniques, yoga, journalling, my essential oils, homeopathy and managing and analysing my thoughts and mind.

I am just re-reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert in english. I read it many years ago in German. Yesterday I was reading through the chapters where she lives in the Ashram in India, which is all about learning to manage her thoughts, her anxiety, letting go of control etc etc.

I had phases in my life where I felt so alone and where I was wondering why I was so weird and didn’t fit in anywhere. Everytime I hear or read a record of someone else with a honest, authentic story I can relate to feel heard and seen, I don’t feel so alone and weird anymore and the older I get the more I realise we are all so weird and wonderful in our very own unique ways. It feels like Liz Gilbert is a good friend of mine.

I especially have trouble understanding why I have those ideas of brave things to do when I am so fearful and anxcious. I mean we were all cosy and cushy with our family in our little house in our little town in New Zealand really. Why uproot our whole life to live on a sailboat in Europe with kids and dog when i can’t even sail? Who would I do something like that wearing adult nappies all the way (imaginary ones…)??? Well, Its because of of this second person that is living inside me – now its out in the open finally ;-).
Last night I wrote a couple of rather bad poems in my journal after my meditation and one was about the yin and yang nature of life. It almost feels like I have 2 different people living inside me who are trying to do entirely different things. It feels like a battle or play with a yin and yang personality.

One is the control freak – lets call her Yin. Holding on really tight to all the ropes in life. Micromanaging every aspect of the household, business and in general, down to the toilet paper being hung in just the right way (with the end up rather than down – just in case you where wondering….). She is led by the mind, and fear and anxiety are her closest advisors (they pretty much run the show most of the time). This one is getting super anxious if anything happens differently from the planned outcome and she thrives on planning, organising and having everything in order – like clockwork german engineering.

The other one is the adventurer – lets call her Yang. Yang is led by the heart and curiosity and and a sense of adventure. She doesn’t live in our body permanently but when she comes you can’t hide or deny her presence. I think she might sit in deep meditation or contemplation most of the time accumulating a whole lot of wisdom that I don’t really understand to start with.

When she decides to make her presence known, all red lights go on for Yin. If she knocks on the door, asked to be let in, I usually tell her go away and find somewhere else to make herself comfortable. But she is usually persistent. She keeps knocking, scratching, calling, looking in at the window until I can’t stand it anymore and finally open the door and ask “What do you want?”. She usually announces that there is a better way to go about things and has some sort of crazy plan up her sleeve. For most of my childhood I was unaware she was even there. I was too busy wearing a white skirt and being a good girl. In my teenage years she made herself known, gently to start with, rebelling with Yin and that boring good girl stuff. She made us get drunk, she made us try cigarettes, dye our hair and got us really confused with boy friends that we couldn’t handle yet.

When I was 19 and I was still quite unaware why I was feeling so confused and dizzy by my different “personalities” she comes busting in out of the blue and announces. Hi Yin, I am Yang and I live here too and pleased to finally really meet you. “How about we move out of this little boring village, where unemployment is high and no inspiration and newness is around. Everyone is relatively depressed. Lets move to Berlin next week with our stereo and a few clothes to a 1 bedroom flat that is in the 4th story in the back house in Kreuzberg with no shower, mold on the ceilings, rats in the window sill and a coal oven. We could just afford it with our unemployment money and we will find a good job soon.” And after the first shock, completely perplexed where all that just came from I say “Why – yes, lets go”. Naive as I was with 19 and after the first excitement settled about a week later I realised what we had just done and there was no going back, because you know I might be fearful but I have some pride too and I know I am strong and can do things. Its almost like she hypnotises all my worry and fear and anxiety out of me for a short little moment to say yes and she is off for another few years leaving me to deal with the mess she just created.

But I am capable at rebuilding and creating it turns out. I built my little cushy nest in Berlin, had a ball for a few years until it started not being so much fun anymore and so 9 years later, there she is again. This time she stands at the door for over a year. I know she is up to no good, but in the end I am too weak to persist, I let her in again and ask “Right what this time?”

She announces we are going to quit our job, our flat, pack everything into boxes, store them at my parents and we are going to buy a nice backpack and go travelling through Asia and then learn some proper english in New Zealand for a year.

I say “What? You are completely mad – go away!” She sais “I have already resigned us at our job and your landlords and bought us a ticket to Thailand, just to make things a little easier for you.”

So off we go again, with a big pack of imaginary adult nappies, night sweats for months accompanied by nightmares of all sorts. Lying in my hammock by the beach in Thailand I wonder once more what the heck I have just done and what the heck I am going to do with myself for 6 months all alone with no job and household to look after, no money to go on extravagant shopping trips to soothe my soul! What a mess… She comes by now and then looks at me and shakes her head. She doesn’t say much usually, she knows I will cope somehow. She also senses that I don’t like her and don’t want her around and I am still angry that she brought me into that position in the first place. I can’t control her and that’s scary.

I am slightly pissed off about the fact that she seems to be more clever than me when it comes to our life planning. But hey, we seem to be a team somehow since we live in the same body, she seems to be on my side, she seems to mean well and most of all she is way braver than me.

Slowly but surely after a bit more sweating and regular (imaginary!) nappy changes I manage to travel through a large part of Asia – Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal and Tibet and finally make my way to New Zealand after 6 months. And you know what – I actually really enjoyed it in the end and even if it sounds very cliche I felt more myself than ever before. Yang looked in every now and then to check on me with that cheeky, knowing smile on her face and a sparkle in her. Me looking back tired, nerveous and wary.
I got a little taste of freedom, I learnt to let go of control and that life still goes on and that I am not going to die the moment I let all the ropes go all at once and let life guide me. It seemed like the less I had and the less I tried to control every aspect of the my life the happier I managed to be. Weird… that is a new concept to me.

It turns out it was a great idea to send us to New Zealand, because we met our husband there. She found him somehow and kept shoving and pushing me in the right direction, because I am so blimmin slow in the uptake and still too confused to see clearly myself. Lucky she is so stubborn, skilled, energetic and knows exactly what she is doing. We bought a house and made the 2 best kids in the world (Tim and me that is). I used all my perfect skills to re-establish some control, even though to start with, that felt slightly strange after living in freedom for nearly 1.5 years. But old habits are not that easy to loose. I did what I knew best. I built my cushy, comfy, predictable nest, controlling every micro-aspect of my life that I could get my hands on. And I didn’t see Yang for a while. I actually thought she was gone for good thankfully – I finally had peace and quiet. I had a family now, I am a grown up, there is no space and time for extravagant excursions anymore and really what would I need her for now I told myself (although secretly sometimes I was thinking of her – perhaps even missing her cheeky smile and sparkle in the eye).

Until she turned up again. Once the kids where out of toddler hood I saw her walk past the house a few times tentatively and then one day she was knocking again. As usually with caution and resentment I opened my door and asked what a glorious idea she had brought this time and I told her I wasn’t up for anything big anymore. I had settled down after all.

Well Yang sensed she had to be gentle there, so this time she only suggested that I find a more fulfilling professional carreer, because she noticed that the little spirit I had was fainting away. She left me even with options this time. She gave me permission to either study homeopathy or become a yoga teacher.

After laying out the concept to my husband and being more open minded in general to Yang’s ideas, because the last few times they didn’t turn out all that bad after all, I agreed to try. So I choose the easier option first – Homeopathy. I could hide behind my computer without seeing a single person, studying stuff from online lectures. Suited me perfectly fine as the introvert, who feels safest in her own company. But it didn’t do all that much for my spirit, other than thinking every remedy I studied was just the one I needed, which was really confusing after a while. There might be more than 2 personalities hiding in me after all…

So this time I actually went to find Yang and ask her for advise. She reckoned I should drop Homeopathy and go and study Yoga. She said she knew from the beginning that was it anyway, but wanted to give me a chance to find out myself. Growing braver with the years I went for it and after receiving my certification Yang so to speak pushed me along into my own yoga studio to get going, so I didn’t even get a chance to hide away again.

Phew that went quite well. There were adult nappies involved again, but not as many as usual and I must admid I was getting quite fond of Yang. She seemed to have good ideas. With me being a bit friendlier when she came visiting she popped in more regularly for coffees or smoothies or we both sat in meditation together or practiced yoga together. We kind of became good friends. We would now have good conversations about our different natures and figure out how we both can live in harmony.

But Yang has a restless nature and she has more insight I feel when I ever will. She leaves more and more nudges that she is discontent with how things are going. She thinks that while everything is going pretty well, we could do even better than that. She recons along the way we had abandoned too many important values, and we have become too busy doing and there was no time for being anymore. She recons that all the doing makes your mind fuzzy and confused. She recons I should learn to “BE” better. I get the concept, but still haven’t figured out to do that entirely in among our high speed lifes.

I started retreating. Maybe it was not so good to be such close friends with her after all. She always caused trouble. I told her I needed a break, but she wasn’t having any of that. She started knocking on the door again, looking in at the window, disturbing my dreams, leaving me signs everywhere. There was no escaping, so I decided to open the door and asked “Right whats the plan Stan?”

What came out of her mouth this time was more outrageous than anything she had ever suggested before. “Right we are going to sell the house & the businesses. Then we are going to buy a sailboat in Greece. Tim is a sailor after all – we will learn quick. We will have time with the kids, time to do yoga & meditation, time to draw and write and have coffees and tea and just live and BE for a little while. We have just been headless chickens for the last couple of years – we need a break. This will be good for all of us and I have an inkling that the timing will be perfect. And best of all I have already talked to Tim and he’s in”

I am speechless – I just look at her think “right she has gone completely nuts now”. And Tim is in – what the heck is going here? They have made a plan already without consulting me – Yin, Fear and Control and Mind. That plan doesn’t suit me at all. You would have to trust. I don’t like trust. I tell her “I am different than you – I like control, I like my cushy, predictable nest. I like to know what happens the next day and the next and know that I am safe. I have children now that I need to protect and take care of…” As usually she has a clever answer. She sais ” You are dreaming Yin, there is no control – its an illusion, there is no being safe – its an illusion – there is no knowing what is tomorrow or the day after. You need to learn to trust. You can still have a cushy comfy nest with this journey, just trust me and Tim. It will be the best for all of us and whats more if you don’t like it you can always come back to this. So how about we all just try to trust and flow as a family all together.”

I look at her and know she is right. I sit with it and know she is right. I have learned by now to tune into her, into my heart and I know she is totally right. But my mind is resisting with every fiber. We are having huge arguments over the next few months over this whole new idea. I feel sick, nauseous, scared like never before, I have sleepless nights again and nightmares, but I also feel a spark, hope, possibility and I remember the freedom from years back when she suggested we travel through Asia. And I remember how all her ideas have turned out to be the best things ever.

So I decide to go and see Yang I give her a big hug and tell her I am in too. I tell her that I appreciate her input and bravery and that I am sorry that I am always so difficult and scared. She hugs me back and gives me a big kiss and sais “We will be fine Yin, whatever way things will go, I just know we will be fine. And I will be with you all the way and hold your hand. I will be your strong back and you will be the soft front (she got that from Brene Browns book – I know things too!)”.

So I do what I know best and get on with things, organising to undo my cushy, safe nest that I spend so long building. Its hurts, it hurts so much to unpick that Nest, but I know its right all along even if logic can’t touch it. I feel numb, like a stone, like puppet that does what needs to be done. I have to shut off after a while emotionally. I just can’t take it. But I know I will have time to process things later, there is always time and time heals.

I bought myself a huge pack of adult nappies (imaginary still – although one day soon I might need real ones….) and there we are on a boat in Athens in Greece. Trusting and holding hands. And it turns out Yang had even organised a little forced retreat, so that I would have enough time to process things. How does she know these things?

I sit here in lock down in among a world that has turned upside down with a Pandemic and lock downs worldwide. And while I am still a little numb and stony, I am so grateful that we don’t have a mortgage to worry about, or a lease to pay or businesses that could potentially go down the toilet or jobs to loose. I sit here feeling for our friends and people we know and the many businesses and family that are effected by this craziness. My heart goes out to them. We sit here in our cushy, floating nest, rocking side to side in the wind and I am grateful to have invited Yang in more fully. I am grateful that we have come to a stage where we can live in harmony. We are finally good friends – strong back & soft front. We have a little dance most of the time, but me the Yin is not as dominant anymore. Sometimes we still argue, but most of the time we can joke or laugh about it later.

As Yang promised we are sitting here together, she is holding my hand and says: “See, I told you control is an illusion, safety is an illusion. Look at the world now… We might as well follow our heart and live a curious and courageous life. Nobody, not even I, knows what happens tomorrow, but sometimes I have a good sense when it’s time to move on”.

We sipped some herbal tea, holding hands, smiling at each other and lived happily ever after.

-The End-

-a little artwork I created last week-

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Essential Oil safety for pets

I have had a few messages querying about the safety of essentials oils for their pets, especially dogs and cats. We have a dog of our own, so I have done a bit more research and attach some articles & links for you to check out below.

Firstly if you diffuse essential oils at your home or use them topically (on skin) or aromatically (diffuser) make sure you use the purest oils you can find. Essential Oils are unregulated in most countries and lots of the cheap essential oils are just synthetic and toxic rip offs of pure therapeutic grade essential oils. I only use doTerra essential oils as they monitor the plants from harvesting, ethical sourcing, to bottling, third party testing for toxins, pesticides etc. Lots of the waxmelts and cheaper oils are not only toxic for your pet but also for you.

Use essential oils for what they are – a healing modality – to support your and your families well being. You don’t have to have the diffuser running all day. Use them responsibly and mindfully. Short term usage (2-4 hours for specific purposes is enough) to calm or elevate moods, help the respiratory tract, get rid of yucky smells, germs etc.

If you have a pet and you diffuse oils, make sure they can leave the room if they want to and have windows open. Our dog is free to wander and we only have a diffuser in the living room and my office.

Dilution is essential – use water diffusers and only 2-3 drops in the diffuser if you have cats.

Cats seem to be more sensitive as dogs, because they lack a liver enzyme to process essential oils properly. So if you have a cat you might only want to diffuse when they are out and about and apply the oils to your skin with a roller bottle / inhale from your hand / use steam baths or real baths or in the shower for inhalation.

Our dog doesn’t seem to mind the diffuser, but we use doTerra oils, a water diffuser, I only use them short term and she is free to wander off if she wants to. I haven’t used essential oils on her topically. More reading can be done here: http://roberttisserand.com/2011/…/cats-essential-oil-safety/ http://essentialoilvet.com/safety/http://www.usingeossafely.com/using-oils-with-pets/http://www.dogoiler.com/rules-warnings/dogs/ You could also follow Janet Roak on Facebook or Instagram who is vet in the US who uses doTerra oils in her clinic. She has posted links on her facebook page about essential oil safety for cats recently and did a video live. Hope this helps to ensure your pets are safe.

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Aromatic Benefits of essential oils

I just love the aromatic benefits of essentials oils, when used in the diffuser or on diffusing jewellery. The sense of smell is our quickest sense. The olfactory glands in the nose will “transport” the microparticles of the essential oils to your limbic system of the brain. One of the functions of the limbic system of the brain is to regulate emotions. So its a very quick way to manage emotions & moods. Those microparticles arrive in your brain within seconds.

Even if I apply an essential oil to the skin for the topical use I always inhale as well to get both the physical and aromatic benefits. I also have several bracelets and necklaces with plain wooden and lava beads, which absorb the oils and can hold the scent for around 4 days with some oils.

With the diffusers, which produce cold steam, the essential oil micro particles can stay in the air for up to 2 hours after the diffuser finished. Also with the diffusers you don’t actually damage the properties of the essential oils, as they are not heated up like in the old tealight diffusers. The essential oils are heat and light sensitive, so you can use them in cooking and in the tealight diffusers but you might knock off some of the healing properties of the oils and only have the aroma left.

I am sharing a passage from Valerie Anne Worwood’s book “the fragrant mind”, who is a well known Aromatherapist: Hospitals and hospices need all the cheering up they can get, and essential oils are the perfect way to do it. Aside from the fact that they deodorize the clinical and organic smells, and make the place smell fresh and charming, they can (if you use the right ones) cut down cross-infections. Mr Fred Dale of Dale Air Products, who has twelve years experience in installing essential oil diffusion-systems in hospitals, museums and other public building, says that synthethic materials, when interacting with certain other smells, won’t get rid of those smells and you’ll end up with a worse smell than you started with.  Essential oils on the other hand work very well. And they have other benefits. At the Worcester Hospital in Hereford a six-month trial showed that vaporizing lavender through the air caused patients to sleep in a more natural pattern, and made them less aggressive during the day. More than that, over the six months, some patients were weaned off their tranquilizers – simply by substituting lavender in the atmosphere, which has a calming effect on the brain….. In Japan aroma diffusing systems with essential oils have shown an increase in productivity with office workers. Some aromas reduced typing errors up to 54% with Lemon Essential oil!

This is a passage from Nadine Artemis’ book “Renegade Beauty” The scientific findings of forest bathing teach us that it is beneficial for people to spend time in nature. Fortunately, phytoncides and essential oils share a similar constituent – those precious terpenes. Essential oils can provide forest therapy for us at home, every day, all year long regardless of the temperature or location. All essential oils are antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti fungal, and they all have a concentration of a terpene. Forest bathe at home by filing it with these lovely, aromatic molecules by diffusing or steaming the particles into the air. There are thousands of articles and studies on the benefits of diffusing essential oils. They can help you sleep better, focus better, calm moods, uplift moods. You can also create aromatic anchors for example by diffusing a little Lavender when you get your baby to sleep. Baby will know Lavender means sleep time if you do it every time. That will carry on throughout their lives as they grow – they have an aromatic anchor of Lavender meaning sleep support. You can start creating new aromatic anchors anytime for yourself and your children. Here is a short extract of the emotional properties of essential oils from the book “Emotions & essential oils”:

  • Basil – Oil of Renewal. Brings strength to heart and relaxation to mind. Great for nervousness, anxiousness and despair. Strengthens adrenals, gives hope, helps in recovery from negative habits. Indicated for those who are weary in mind and body and in need of strength and renewal.
  • Bergamot – Oils of Self Acceptance. Helps to let go of self judgement and learn to love themselves unconditionally. Cleansing with stagnant feelings. Awakens hope.
  • Cedarwood – Oil of Community. Supports people who struggle to form bonds or social roots.
  • Cinnamon – Oil of Sexuality. Supports reproductive system and helps heal sexual issues.
  • Clary Sage – Oils of Clarity & Vision. Helps getting a clear vision & open to new ideas. Opening creative channels and clearing blocks.
  • Clove – Oil of Boundaries. Support in letting go of Victim Mentality. Helps to stand up for yourself, be proactive, feel capable and builds appropriate boundaries & defenses.
  • Copaiba – Oil of Unveiling. Copaiba offers assistance to those caught in lower vibrations of shame, blame , fear and self-loathing and other unconsciously internalized emotion. It summons them to begin the unraveling and restoration process process necessary for lasting healing and further awareness or inside.
  • Cypress – Oil of Motion & Flow. Cypress shows how to have perfect trust in the flow of life.
  • Eucalyptus – Oil of Wellness. Supports the person who constantly facing illness. Claiming wholeness and heal.
  • Fennel – Oil of Responsibility. Support if weakened sense of Self. Fennel reignites passion for life.
  • Geranium – Oil of Love & Trust. Fosters receptivity to human love and connection. Aids in healing broken heart. “The emotional Healer”
  • Ginger – Oil of Empowerment. Helps to be fully present and participate in life.
  • Grapefruit – Oil of honoring the body. Teaches true respect and appreciation for ones physical body. Helps when body image issues are present.
  • Jasmin – The oils of sexual purity and balance – helps with unresolved sexual trauma, sexual repression, sexual fixation, encourages safety within intimate relationships, invites purest intentions to the sexual experience.
  • Lavender – Oil of Communication. Lavender encourages honesty and insists that one speak their innermost thoughts and desires. .
  • Lemon – Oil of Focus. Nourishes mind aids concentration helps with Confusion, inability to focus lack of joy and energy.
  • Lemongrass – Oil of Cleansing. clears negative energy
  • Lime – Oil for Zest for Life. Dispels apathy and resignation
  • Majoram – Oil of Connection. If unable to trust others or form meaningful relationships
  • Manuka – Oil of being upheld. Powerful plant to heal and bless humanity. Manuka invites the heart to open and offers powerful healing energy to bind up wounds, soothe troubled hearts and nurture souls back into a state of centeredness. Helps transmuting suffering into transcendence.
  • Melaleuca – Oil of Energetic Boundaries. Clears negative energy baggage. Use if problems with parasitic or codependent relationships.
  • Neroli – oil of shared purpose and partnership. Unifying and stabilizing oil. Calming troubled hearts in relationship conflict. Promotes harmony in changing dynamics of long-term relationships. Neroli invites individuals to develop the character traits of fidelity, empathy, patience, forgiveness, and resilience to ease these relationship challenges.
  • Oregano – Oil of Humility & Non attachment. If overly attached, pride, opinionated.
  • Peppermint – Oil of a Buoyant Heart. To rediscover the joy of being alive.
  • Rose – the oil of divine love. Hold higher vibration than any other oil on the planet. Powerful healer of the heart.
  • Rosemary – Oil of Knowledge & Transition. Helps with focus, concentration & development of true knowledge & intellect.
  • Thyme – Oil of Releasing and Forgiving. Powerful cleanser of the emotional body & addressing trapped feelings
  • Wild Orange – Oil of Abundance. When struggling with scarcity mindset.
  • Ylang Ylang – Oil of the Inner Child. Supportive in emotional healing, releasing trauma from past. Restores playful & childlike nature and innocence.
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Enhancing Focus and Concentration with essential oils

doTERRA has a ready made Focus blend, called In Tune. It comes undiluted in a roller bottle, so as usual I open the original bottle and have 2 empty 10 ml rollers ready. I put one part each in the empty rollers, leaving 1 one part in the original bottle, then I top them all with Fractionated Coconut oil. So its a super reasonable oil, once diluted and ready to go.

One of my personal go to Diffuser blends is 2 drops each of Lemon, Rosemary and Wild Orange. Gets all your senses sharp and is uplifting as well.

My Aromatherapy Coffee Is equal amounts of Peppermint and Wild Orange with a bit of carrier oil, drop in your hand and inhale deeply or diffuse 4 drops each. I sometimes take and empty essential oil bottle and add 15 drops Wild Orange, 15 drops Peppermint and top with carrier oil. This way is ready to use whenever you need. Some people take 1 drop each undiluted in their hand and inhale. When working with other people I am always taking the pre-cautious approach of diluting for topical application.

I have recently purchased The Essential Life book and really love it. When I browsed through it the other day I came across a section with oils and recipes for Focus and Concentration and who doesn’t need more Focus and Concentration in a world that is so noisy? So here we go I will share a few: 

Motivation Power for Diffuser:
2 drops Basil
2 drops Grapefruit
1 drop Bergamot
1 drop Sandalwood
1 drop Rosemary
1 drop Ylang Ylang

Fidget Fixer in 10 ml roller bottle:
3 drops Cedarwood
6 drops Balance Blend
2 drops Frankincense
2 drops Lavender

Fill up with Carrier Oil and roll behind ears, back of Neck, bottoms of feet or down the spine. 

Improved Concentration in 5 ml roller bottle:

2 drops Cedarwood
2 drops Lavender
1 drop Roman Chamomile
1 drop Sandalwood
1 drop Vetiver

Fill up with Carrier Oil and roll behind ears, back of Neck, bottoms of feet or down the spine.

Calm and Confident in 10 ml roller bottle:

8 drops Vetiver
4 drops Ylang Ylang
2 drops Frankincense
2 drops Roman Chamomile
2 drops Clary Sage
2 drops Majoram
1 drop Ginger

Fill up with Carrier Oil and roll behind ears, back of Neck, bottoms of feet or down the spine.

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How to support yourself through the change of season

When I get unwell I try to first clear my schedule to make space for rest and recover – the most important part of getting well again if you are feeling unwell. All to often we just pop a few pills and get on with life, not really listening to what the body is asking for.

I use good supplementation to start with. I take the Life Long Vitality Supplements from doTERRa, which includes a Food Nutrient Complex, a Cellular Complex and an Omega Complex. At $126 wholesale price for a monthly supply (I only take half the dose for maintenance and when unwell full dose) this is really reasonable. Very, very few of us get enough nutrients with our food – supplementation is essential for most to help our bodies heal and deal to the stresses that our lifestyles bring. I can highly recommend to implement these supplements into your daily self-care and prevention regime.

I use the On Guard products on a daily basis. On Guard is the Immune Protection blend. When I was unwell I was diffusing this blend all day long, as it has the ability to cleanse the air from airborne bacteria. I use the topical roller on my throat, under the soles of feet and top and base of the spine (can’t reach the rest… ;-). I use the hand soap all throughout the house and yoga studio and I used the On Guard Hand Sanitizer when prepping food for my family. Last but not least I also use the On Guard Cleaning Concentrate to keep the house sparkly and free of bacteria and the magic On Guard Throat Lozenges, that will soothe your sore throat in speed that surprises everyone I introduce these lollies to. Best of all they are only raw cane sugar and essential oils. Oh and the Toothpaste – keeping your mouth and teeth healthy. I also use the On Guard Mouthwash, which is now available from the USA warehouse. On Guard is your best friend as a mum or if you work with lots of people around you. They are my most used products.

Next the Easy Air Range. These save me – I have a tendency to Sinusitis and I do steam baths for my face. Bowl with hot water, drops of On Guard and Easy Air, a few Chamomile Flowers and towel over the head. So soothing and frees all the airways. I also diffuse Easy Air and use it as a chestrub. Most people don’t realise that commercial chest rubs have petrochemicals in them. You don’t want to put that stuff on your largest organ. Easy Air is a natural blend of pure, therapeutic grade, organic essential oils. You just dilute with a carrier oil and I rub that on my chest and under soles of the feet. At night I also rub it on my forehead and temples. The Easy Air drops really help with niggling coughs and to free up the sinuses or if you experience restriction in the respiratory system. I always have them in my yoga bag for students. There is also an Easy Air chestrub straight to use. However I tend to use the oil more personally.

I use my neti pot for my sinuses at least twice daily when I have infection in the sinuses. I use a bit of Himalayan Salt and warm water and flush the sinuses with it.

Herbs and Homeopathics are always part of my recovery. With my sinusitis I find Pulsatilla clears it beautifully. I do use the Malcolm Harker range, the Sinus Clear herbs too and Tissue Salts for Congestion.

I have lots of Tumeric / Ginger / Lemon & Honey teas, try to keep nutrition simple and really healthy with lots of fruit and veg, freshly pressed juices and nourishing smoothies.

I like to have Empson & Sea Salt baths with nourishing oils like Manuka, Frankincense, Cardamom or whatever I fancy really and have long, relaxing soaks.

There a few other doTERRA products I like to use when unwell. I took DDR Prime, the Cellular Protection blend, Tumeric, Frankincense and Yarrow/Pom internally to help clear the inflammation in the body. I drop the oils in an empty vegi capsule and swallow. Only short term and when I need it.

And I try to rest as much as I can – which is the most important part. The body takes time to heal and all to often we want to force it into our own crazy schedule no matter if it needs resting or not.

So those are just a few of the things I do when unwell. I hope you find a few interesting snippets.

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doTERRA quality

There is lots of talk in the media about essential oil safety at the moment, so I thought I would touch first on the doTERRA quality here. Because using a pure, unadulterated essential oil is the basis for safe usage. Adulterated essential oils and synthetic fragrance can cause allergies, skin reaction add to the toxic load in the body.

Firstly I would like to emphasise the doTERRA quality.

  • Each batch of doTERRA essential oil is undergoing over 50 tests in house and third party. This level of testing is unprecedented in the essential oil industry worldwide.
  • doTERRA is one of the few companies, who publish their third party test results for EVERY batch of essential oil publicly on the website sourcetoyou.com. Again this is unprecedented in this industry.
  • Their sourcing practices are sustainable and ethical. They work with many small scale farmers all around the world and in many developing countries. doTERRA provide fair, longterm income for those growers and distillers. Not only giving them an income, but also hope to improve their and their communities safety, longevity and lifestyles. doTERRA has many humanitarian projects all around the world. Again you can view a lot of information on sourcetoyou.com
  • The Aromatic Plant Research Institute (APRC) has the largest database of essential oil testing and quality. They recently conducted a study of 50 well known essential oil brands in the USA. Only 3 of the 50 essential oil brands had unadulterated essential oils in the bottle. 47 of them put synthetic fillers in their bottle, mislabel bottles, have traces of insecticides or pesticides etc.!!! That is terrible. doTERRA is one of the 3 who was tested as pure, clean essential oil. The other 2 small boutique distilleries in the USA. Most companies put profit over people and that’s one of the reasons why people get reactions to essential oils – because most of them are toxic and impure.
  • They have purer and more potent quality even than most organic essential oils. They are just not certified, because they source worldwide and sell worldwide, with different organic regulations in every country for sourcing and selling this would almost be a task impossible to archieve. Read this from one of the founders Emily Wright:

Clarity on Organic + CPTG, from Emily Wright:

“Many of doTERRA’s essential oils are certified organic, others are ECOCERT, and some do not have any certification. Why? We source from many developing countries. The certification requirements and availability differ from country to country. Some countries don’t even have a certification offering.

“For example, it costs $2,500 for a grower to receive organic certification in Madagascar. This certification lasts two years. Most of the time, an inspector never even visits the farm to verify that they are, in fact, growing organically. The fee is what matters here. However, most of the growers in this impoverished country cannot afford the certification, although they are all growing by the same standards (pesticides and herbicides aren’t used in Madagascar).

“The reason doTERRA has chosen not to print “certified organic” or “ECOCERT” on our labels is because each lot has a different certification. Some of our Ylang Ylang may come in with organic certification; another lot may not have the certification – because one producer simply paid a fee to be certified organic, and another didn’t.

“The important distinction: these two lots meet the very same quality standards. They go through the same battery of tests, and are both certified to be free of pesticides, herbicides, fillers, synthetics, or added compounds. There is no difference in the quality or purity.

“When we say that our oils are better than organic, it is because we have the ability to see even the smallest synthetic component in each lot of oil. Our Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade process was developed by the finest analytical scientists. If there is anything contained in the essential oil that was not produced by nature, it’s simply rejected.”

So the moral of the story is – I trust doTERRA oils 100%. Each bottle goes through rigorous testing from growing conditions to the distillation process, before the rawmaterials are purchased, again when they arrive in the country and all the way through until you receive it in your bottle. A pure plant essence that you can trust.

Don’t by any other oils is my recommendation, because as an individual it is almost impossible to figure out if its pure or not.

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Safe usage of essential oils

There are many factors that come into safe usage of essential oils and I would like to discuss just a few basics.

  • Essential oils are very concentrated plant essences. 1 bottle of Lemon Essential oil has the essential oil of the peels of approx. 50 lemons in it (1 bottle – not one drop!) So they need to be used with common sense and caution.
  • I only use doTERRA essential oils, because I know they one of very few companies who actually put in the bottle what they say they do. Their testing regime and ethical and sustainable sourcing is unprecedented in the world.
  • If you use them topically on the skin you ALWAYS need to dilute. And you need to dilute according to different age groups. Don’t trust every recipe that floats around on instagram, facebook or in Pinterest. Unfortunately not everyone does their research properly and also every body is entirely individual. You need to assess dilution on age, which essential oil you are using (Cinnamon & Oregano for example are very spicy and strong), you need to be aware of photo-sensitivity (all citrus oils are photosensitive – you can burn your skin quicker for 12-24 hours after application) and some people have more sensitive skin than others. You can always do a skin patch test first.
  • If you use them aromatically in the diffuser, on diffusing jewellery, in your home made air-fresheners, just make sure you do not overwhelm your olfactory glands. The micro particles of the essential oils stay around in the air for up to 2 hours after the diffuser finished. You don’t need to diffuse for 24/7. Its lovely to have a morning and afternoon boost, when uplifting & focus is necessary. Its nice to support an evening routine, especially with children to establish aromatic anchors and have more settled and deeper sleep. If we have a virus going around in our house or someone is unwell I might on occasion diffuse all day to knock any floaties in the air on the head and support our immune-system. After all you don’t drink coffee all day or eat tumeric all day or take supplements every hour of the day. Use your common sense to see when you actually need the aromatic boost.
  • And lastly lets get to internal usage. Firstly I would not use any other essential oil other than doTERRA in food flavoring and support my body. Simply because most other essential oils have toxic and artificial components in them and might do more harm then good. I always advise caution when it comes to using essential oils for flavoring. First of all you need to do your own research. I for example don’t put them in my water on a daily basis. If I take them internally on occasion when my body needs it I drop them in an empty vegi capsule (supplement capsule) and swallow. I only recommend this if you know why you are doing it, how to do it and which oils are safe to do this. The oils will have a super beneficial effect if used properly on the skin topically and aromatically from the diffuser. More often when not internal use is not necessary and in some cases unsafe. If you use them in your food make sure there are other fats to bind and dilute the essential oil – for example in bliss balls with coconut oil, soups with olive oil, salad dressings with other carrier oil.
  • The beauty of doTERRA is, that you will be provided with lots of information. You look up the essential oils on the doTERRA website you get lots of information, not only on the oils itself, but also recipes, safety guidelines etc.
  • If you open your doTERRA account with me you will have my ongoing support – you can ask me questions anytime if you are unsure. You will get access to 2 educational forums and a website packed with information.
  • As with everything you put in or on your body – do your research, make sure you use them safely and use your common sense.
  • One last remark on the critics who try to bad mouth doTERRA. Lots of side effects from essential oil use actually come from using impure oils (not doTERRA) and from overusing or using incorrectly. From my point of view, if you are replacing toxic products in your home with natural ones that can only be of benefit to you and your family – so don’t buy into the scaremongering. From my experiences there are still too many homes where people spray perfume all over themselves on a daily basis (toxic), where we find toxic and artificial air fresheners in homes and cars, where we have cleaning products that compromise your health on a daily basis, where woman have 15 times the toxic load of men, because of all the body care products they put in an onto their bodies that are full of toxins and artificial ingredients, where toxic scented candles are burnt that compromise your olfactory glands and brain health…. The list goes on and on. Still a majority of people use a multitude of toxic products in their home and on their bodies without questioning them twice and getting into research mode when it comes to a pure, plant based essential oil. Put the same research into your everyday, mainstream products – check your labels and replace them with safe natural solutions.