Have you ever noticed a gnawing sense of emptiness, a deeply felt flaw, unworthiness, or loneliness?

Thank you so much to everyone who reached out after the sudden passing of my dear wife, Miriam, in August. Your support was so much appreciated!

While it is still raw and early days, I’ve resolved to deal with it from the attitude of gratitude for what we had, and the special light she was for all who knew her.

And I have her cute dog Luna, to help me through!

Prior to her death I had booked 8 days of Craniosacral training in September, specifically Somato Emotional Release (below), which I considered cancelling. However, I decided this may just give me the opportunity to do some much needed and timely healing for myself.

I am so glad that I did!

What is the most important thing right now?

Find out how I learnt the hard way, what that really is…

“Our body should be treated with the utmost respect.
When we touch someone else’s body, we touch their mind and their soul.”

One aspect I wanted to expand on today relates to the first line in particular. Not only should others treat our body with respect, but so should we…

Bodymind Possibilities

The body and mind are inextricably intertwined, so much so that we now often refer to it as the bodymind.

Traditionally we thought that the brain controlled all, but now we know that intelligence is spread through every single one of our 40 trillion cells, all communicating with each other via peptides, hormones and neurotransmitters, in this vast oceanic body network, dynamically in the moment…

What do YOU want?

The answer may turn your life around …

SER & Singing

How do you release past emotional or traumatic issues that have lodged in the tissues of the body?

How can I hit that note?

Are you on Automatic?

Three secrets to taking charge

Do you let what happens in a day dictate how you feel? If you’re on automatic, then that is probably the case. When we’re habitually following (rather than directing) our thinking mind all day, then we are actually on automatic mode. When you’re on automatic, you delegate your habitual responses to dictate how you normally react, and feel, in a given situation. Often our own peace of mind is then given over to other people, most of whom are probably cruising along in their own versions of automatic…

I have a client who works in such a place and was frustrated to the max, stressed about all the obvious shortfalls, and impediments to meaningful progress. Needless to say, this was messing with their mental health.

But they recently made a decision that’s turned things around for them…

If you’d like to explore being more peaceful, start with breakfast.

What all the experts say, without exception, including JC, is:

·        There is a deeper element to you, than just your mind.

·        The mind often stands in the way of a clear view of that deeper element.

·        If you quiet your mind, spend more time with that deeper element, you will find peace.

And who doesn’t want peace?!

Einstein said:

“The true value of a human being can be found to the degree to which he has obtained liberation from the self.”

You’re probably aware I’m always banging on about living life in the present moment, because being anywhere else is missing out on the living part. But also probably giving ourselves a headache, or in Buddhist terms, creating ‘suffering’ for ourselves. When we are not here, then we are usually getting in our own way, making life harder for ourselves.

One of the most popular ways to do this is to concern ourselves about what others might be thinking about us.

What is the difference between Cure and Healing? And what does presence have to do with it?

As you know, bodywork helps us to be more mindful, present, and connected with our body (‘embodiment’ is the technical term). If we could only work on those three things a little bit every day, our life would be so much more peaceful, happy and fulfilled. It comes down to choice.

This month I’ve also included an excerpt on the founder of Zero Balancing, Dr Fritz Smith MD. It’s really interesting background to how and why he chose to develop ZB.

Contents:

• A simple tip to change your life

• What seeds will we cultivate?

• Mindfulness and Pain Reduction (study)

• Founder of Zero Balancing – Dr Fritz Smith MD

• Pro Bono Days

• Music Corner

This month I’ve written quite a long piece on the yawning chasm in the public healthcare system, and why more people are turning to complementary therapies to redress this void in their own self-care.

• The Yawning Chasm in New Zealand Healthcare

• Free Life Coaching Offer from a Client

• Pro Bono Days

• Music Corner

Why and how to avoid that second arrow.

“Layers of the Onion”

I came across this YouTube interview with a Zero Balancing client in the UK, sharing her experience of how ZB helped her release buried trauma, that she didn’t know was there, but had been inhibiting her life. The results have been very liberating for her. Like many ZB clients she’s not able to describe what ZB is exactly, but that is less important than the outcome…

Also My Birthday, Difficult People, CranioSacral Training, Pro Bono Sessions and more …

“You’re in less pain and you feel better”

Recently some clients referred a new person to me. Like most people they struggled to describe exactly what it was that I do, but they summarised for her as: “You’re in less pain and you feel better.” Lol! I had to agree that is the desired outcome after all.

Bodywork is very gentle so very safe. Lately I’ve been seeing more children and getting encouraging improvements for them too.

However, I have been concerned for a while that I wasn’t reaching everyone that might get some advantage from bodywork that really needs it. As a one-person operation it is very difficult to continually fund advertising to get the message out there. And especially hard to get across bodywork’s potential when, even people who have had it can only really describe the outcome….

What happens when life makes us stop?

What part does karma play in what happens?

How do we choose the right response?

If you lack energy, the answer is motivation. Motivation will change your physiology and provide you with all the energy you need.

If motivation is a problem, then …

What is the secret to lifting our lives to a happier, meaningful existence?

‘Should I or shouldn’t I?’ What can we do when we don’t know what the right choice is?

There are big challenges facing us right now - as individuals, our health, our loved ones, for personal finances, for the wider economy, as a multiracial, high-tech society, for world peace, and even for the continuing existence of life on this warming planet.

How do we cope?

• Stopping Thoughts

• Yesterdays Tears

• Say Yes to Life

• Surrender

• Death

“The world is full of magic things patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” WB Yeats

When I went to work afterwards, I was completely relaxed, yet energised; I felt focused, grounded and really alive.

“We live simultaneously in the world of duality, our normal waking consciousness of everyday reality, and the world of unity, where we feel connected both to our core and to the universe.” Jim McCormick

Say No To Arthritis – How to prevent, relieve and resolve joint and muscle pain - Patrick Holford 2021 – Book review

This advice may just help with your own physical niggle, even if it is not arthritis. Did you know, for example, that Vitamin C supplementation helps relieve back pain?

Oh, you’ll live longer too!

“The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live”

I summarise some of the key idea’s here but I encourage you to get your own copy of the book if it piques your interest.

Dr Alexander is a US neuro surgeon who contracted meningoencephalitis. His outer brain, the neocortex, was basically fried by an infection which is almost always fatal. The few survivors usually have permanent brain damage. In his case, after 7 days in a coma, doctors were advising his family to prepare for the worst…

Stress, especially perpetual stress, that can’t be immediately released, gets physically held in our body – stored in bone cells, fascia and soft tissue. This creates barriers to healthy functioning of our body. Elevated cortisol levels also create an unhealthy metabolic environment for our cells, which may eventually lead to persistent pain, reduced immunity and serious illness.

Slow down the passing of time, AND gain more Energy! Here’s how …

True beauty shines from within, no matter what the age. It comes from a play of acceptance, joy and enthusiasm - living in the present moment. We all recognise that inner light shining in the eyes of someone living this way, be they a small child or a wise old grandmother – it’s a powerful thing and it gladdens the heart of everyone just to see it!

I often ask my regular clients how they would like to feel after a session. Over the last couple of weeks since lockdown ended it is uncanny how many have asked for the same result:

“ RELAXED ! ! ! ”

Embodiment

…when we are healthy, motivated, focused on a purpose that aligns with our core selves, then the body and mind feel like a cohesive unit…

Expanded States

Most artists and high-performance athletes report being “in a flow” when they produce their best work…

Aligned Comfort

Zero Balancing is a holistic therapy which removes tension and re-establishes energy flow through the structure. This rebalancing has often resolved or reduced movement and pain issues…

Mental Clarity & Cognitive Improvement

So called “brain waves” usually come when we least expect it …

Spritiual Awareness

Perhaps Zero Balancing is redefining the meaning of the word ‘holistic’?

Self Understanding

Once we deal with old emotions we become more aware of ourselves, and the habitual responses we have to given situations; responses that may have led to poor consequences in the recent past…

Emotional Regulation

Repressed emotion is very often bottled up as tension deep within our bones and joints. Releasing the tension from bone may release the causative emotion, permanently…

Relational Ease

Human relationships are often the biggest challenge we face in life; very often the more significant the relationship, the more challenging! …

Mind/Body Integration

When we Zero Balance the whole body we are also integrating the mind – the two are actually part of the whole …

If you’re living in New Zealand this winter, you’re not feeling 100%, you may be anxious, and you’re not considering your vitamin D intake, then this information may just be vital for you! …

The only way to get rid of anxiety is to stop creating it, we have to be prepared to give up the act of “worry”. Worry is thoughts, repeating over and over. That means relinquishing the need to control some outcome in the future. It means giving up having to know everything, to be the expert on everything in our life. It means no longer imagining multiple possibilities and scenarios, most of which will never materialise…

How should we handle the stress of being sick? 11 ideas on how to respond:

1. Turn down the heat and KISS: Last month I talked about the stress relief tip, the 30 second kiss. That can help reduce stress. But ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ is great advice too. It’s another way of Being Present by simplifying…

Three simple strategies to reduce our stress levels now!

We’re so unconsciously reliant on automatic response patterns we learned as children, that we don’t often appreciate that we have the agency at every moment to purposely choose a different way.

Whether we are living with stress symptoms, or even if we are dealing with a significant health challenge already, we still have that opportunity to take the quantum leap that can transform our karma, our attitude, our enjoyment of life, and our health.

Our capacity to adapt to stress differs between individuals. This almost always goes back to childhood and relates to how well grounded we were and how valued we felt growing up…

The patterns are ingrained psychologically and physically where they sub-consciously remind us how to react. Not only do our habitual responses no longer serve us, but they can be outright threats to our health.

Stress is the single biggest reason why people do not live a lot longer, and enjoy their lives more, than they should.

Why this is so, plus symptoms and causes of stress.

Prevention - A new mindset …

If our thoughts are not us, who are we? …

“I don’t trust my inner feelings, inner feelings come and go.” Leonard Cohen …

Do we have a self-limiting belief? Eg “I can’t because …”

Ask ourselves, what is the consequence of believing that thought? How does it make us feel? How do those feelings affect our daily lives?

Now consider how would we be if we didn’t have that thought? …

According to the Washington Post, President Trump told 30,573 lies or misleading claims during his presidency. Whether we believe that this behaviour was self-serving, malicious, or necessary depends on your point of view. Perhaps the Washington Post has slightly exaggerated the case? Afterall, even for someone as apparently accomplished at manipulation as Donald Trump, over 20 false statements on average for every day of his term does seem slightly excessive. That would mean barely anything he said was true?

Who do we believe? Can we believe anything anyone says? Do we need to? …

One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to accept ourselves as we are in this moment. There will likely be some things we don’t like about ourselves, things that aggravate us. Maybe there is some dark secret or desire, some icky thing, that we still crave at times, but we feel guilty when we think about it…

Nietzche said “He who has a why to live for, can bear with almost any how.” …

I recently heard a palliative healthcare worker say that “suffering is like a wedge between the world you want and the world you’ve got.” …

When you decide to make gratitude an intentional practice, for example by keeping a gratitude journal, you start to look out you look for the highlights in the day…

The really great thing is that the more you look for these moments, the more they appear, and the more full your life is. Like attracts like. It’s a law of life…

I have no words … this woman’s courage humbles me.

“Hi everyone

I just wanted to share my experiences with Rhys and Pax Bodywork and the changes I have seen in myself. I am in my 50’s, I have had long term pain and stiffness in my neck and hips due to an accident 25 years ago, I am dyslexic and to boot have a diagnosis of PTSD from childhood trauma which has caused me to hold a lot of tension in my body, not be at home in my body, get anxious and I found it hard to stay grounded in certain situations….

We are told that when we bring our focus into our body it's as if every single cell is jumping for joy, basking in our attention.

It's a very healing thing to do for ourselves.

There are about 40 trillion cells in the human body, almost the same as the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

Imagine how good it will feel when those 40 trillion cells are all cheering for us.

Take a few moments now to come into our body, pay it some attention, and get this party started!

Could our bones slow ageing?

Did you know that our bones may hold the key to anti-ageing?

Scientists have made a startling new discovery about the role of the bone hormone, Osteocalcin. This discovery has major ramifications for our memory, general health and longevity…

You May Know It

“And we dance to a whispered voice,

Overheard by the soul, undertook by the heart

And we may know it … if we may know it”

Neil Diamond may not immediately come to mind as a philosopher, but IMHO he was on to something in 1973 when he wrote the song “Be” as part of the Jonathan Livingstone Seagull album. On the face of it the story is about a wondering seagull. But actually, it is an allegory for life.

We know there is a presence deep inside each of us, much deeper than thought, nothing in fact to do with the crazy antics of our thinking mind. It’s an anchor, a rock, our place of surety…

Would you like to know one quick way of preventing tension from developing in your body that you can implement today? That also:

· Improves mood and reduces stress

· Generates mindfulness

· Improves confidence

· Enhances the way you appear to others, ie your charisma

· Improves your overall health

This tip works…

My quest is to drop tension from the body.

Then it will feel better.

Period .

Did you know …

How Deep Does Zero Balancing Go?

I have a middle-aged lady who comes to see me every month. She has had a number of physical challenges over many years and needs a walking stick. During the session she chat’s away about her current challenges, her struggles with the medical system, her garden or her animals - for the whole 45 minutes! She does not know how Zero Balancing helps her. All she knows is that she feels better afterwards, her joints hurt less, she feels more peaceful, and she sleeps better afterwards. Nothing else helps her like ZB.

To me it has become clear that there are two conversations going on at the same time here …

Most people think that stress related pain is held in the muscles of the back and neck. While that is partly true, what is not commonly known is that most tension is actually held deep in the bones.

The upper ribs between the shoulders are one classic site of this tension, with the pain often radiating along the rib under the scapula…

Why Peace?

People sometimes ask me what Pax means in my company name Pax Bodywork. I usually tell them that Pax is latin for Peace, and that Peace has always been an important value in my life.

Probably more accurately, Peace is an important state to live in, and I’m happy to say that I’m in that state most of the time these days.

Peace became especially important to me in the early 1980’s …

What is Zero Balancing?
Will Zero Balancing help me?
What can I expect at a Zero Balancing session?

👍 What is Zero Balancing?

Zero Balancing (ZB) is a non-diagnostic, holistic bodywork therapy. Gentle touch is used to ease tension through the skeleton and soft tissue, balancing structure and energy through the whole system to amplify vitality and support a greater sense of well-being…

Why present moment awareness?

When you are not AWARE you are at the mercy of thought. This allows anxiety and fear to manifest.

We mistakenly think that unless we worry about things, then we are not in control of our life. This is an error, we are not doing the thinking. Thinking is something that happens to us, it is self-serving and has no useful purpose. In fact the uncontrolled feelings of fear are one of the effects.

When we become AWARE of this we take the first step towards freedom. Without present moment awareness we have no free will.

So now we have a choice …

There is so much advice floating round in cyberspace right now on virus prevention and immunity. My own advice is fairly simple:

1. Eat a balanced diet - maybe cut meat consumption to 1 meal a day, or even every other day. Eat more plant based food, and a variety.

2. Exercise - during lock down that might be limited to walking, or home based options such as yoga, tai chi, treadmill and so on. Staying fit builds immunity and helps our tolerance to everyday stress.

3. Try and get some sun on our skin each day...

Our 14 point plan starts now!

1. Do what we love. Take a chance on ourselves. We only pass this way once in our lives. What could be the one thing that we will look back at the end of our life and wish we had done? Does it align with our values? Do that.

2. If we still don’t know what that thing is yet, just ask the Universe. And then wait for the answer. It will come and it will excite us like nothing else. If it doesn’t, then that wasn’t the answer. It will probably involve helping someone else to do something they couldn’t do before. That feels good, right? Keep asking.

3. Do not procrastinate. “We don’t have time right now.” Time is all we have. How we choose to spend it is our conscious choice…

Hello!

I thought that was a much better title than “you-know-what”. It’s also an excellent Carole King song :)

At the time of writing NZ has moved to health alert level 2. So at this stage restaurants, nail salons, hair dressers and Zero Balancing bodywork therapists are still open. Wahoo!!!

However, the situation is obviously changing day by day, so check back here if you are unsure or call me if you have any questions…

Flu season is almost upon us, and Covid 19 has grabbed everyone’s attention this year.

Almost all of us knows someone who has been affected by the virus, especially as regards to travel. There is plenty of advice online regarding the symptoms to look for and when to self isolate. We have to remember that along with the new virus, there are a whole lot of other flu and common cold viruses out there. So don’t panic, let your symptoms be your guide and consult your GP if you are unsure.

If you do have any symptoms of cold or flu then please reschedule any appointments with me to a later date. You will enjoy the session more when you are feeling better anyway. If I develop any symptoms I will do the same.

However, right now I am feeling amazing. And I want you to feel the same, or better …

Have you ever noticed a gnawing sense of emptiness, a deeply felt flaw, unworthiness, or loneliness?

Thank you so much to everyone who reached out after the sudden passing of my dear wife, Miriam, in August. Your support was so much appreciated!

While it is still raw and early days, I’ve resolved to deal with it from the attitude of gratitude for what we had, and the special light she was for all who knew her.

And I have her cute dog Luna, to help me through!

Prior to her death I had booked 8 days of Craniosacral training in September, specifically Somato Emotional Release (below), which I considered cancelling. However, I decided this may just give me the opportunity to do some much needed and timely healing for myself.

I am so glad that I did!

What is the most important thing right now?

Find out how I learnt the hard way, what that really is…