Tools for Energy Medicine Practitioners

Tools for Energy Medicine Practitioners

Zen Cairn Candleholders, Multiple Sizes

Welcome to our special page for energy medicine practitioners and students!

You will find a whole range of useful things for your practice here, from essential tools for your sessions and self-care to recommended books and apps.

If you are a practitioner in another modality from the holistic field, you may still find relevant content, especially in the sections ‘Self-care’ and ‘Personal/Spiritual Growth’.

I hope you will find this page helpful, and should you have any suggestions regarding other things to add, please let me know in the comments below. 

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links – i.e. if you make a purchase through some of the links, you will help me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! 

If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, e.g. how to earn extra income from blogging and promoting products you like and would recommend to others, see my article Earn Online by Blogging.

SESSION EQUIPMENT

Here you will find useful items for your EEM sessions. A massage table is a must, but additional items such as a 100% cotton massage table cover can really enhance the comfort of your clients. Filling your room with a welcoming scent of natural essential oils can bring your session to a whole new level. And how about that stainless steel spoon for grounding, with a fork on the other side for clearing the gaits? Since grounding is everything, you will see this must-have tool at least twice on this page!

massage table with stainless steel legs

PORTABLE MASSAGE TABLE

High-quality foldable massage table with aluminium alloy and adjustable height, perfect for energy medicine treatments and massages. Easily portable with a handle and a carry case. More colour options available.

Find on Amazon

Different colour for a massage table cover

MASSAGE TABLE COVERS - 100% COTTON

Soft and comfortable pure cotton covers for your massage table, with an amazing choice of colours and an optional hole for the face. I have a good number of them in my treatment room, a different colour for every client.

Find on Amazon

Spoon and fork

STAINLESS STEEL SPOON FOR GROUNDING

A must-have for every EEM session. This package includes 2 ‘sporks’ (you can give one to your client), and 1 pouch, in which can carry your grounding tool safely. The spoon is great for restoring polarity all over your body, while the fork is good for ‘raking’ the top of the feet or hands, which helps with opening the gaits, thus discharging excess energy. 

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Aroma diffuser

AROMA DIFFUSER

This is the atmosphere game-changer! Let your session be enhanced by a beautiful scent of essential oils. If your client is sensitive to fragrances, you can still use it with just water, to create a soothing soundscape of the natural sounds of evaporating water. Another great plus of this diffuser is that it has several light settings. If you suffer from insomnia, use the red right (this stimulates the sleep hormone melatonin), put some lavender in, and enjoy a deep, restful sleep!

Find on Amazon

Watch my video

Total Destress ModdFix Spray

CALMING MIST SPRAY

Total De-Stress MoodFix Mist is a calming mist spray made with 100% natural essential oils of sweet Orange, warming Nutmeg, and balancing Geranium. Create an instant cloud of calm by spraying the De-Stress mist around your space or on the massage bed, before your session, or any time during it. I love using this especially when balancing chakras or working on emotional issues. Just a few sprays of this relaxing essential oil blend can help promote anxiety relief, relaxation, and calm. The scent is heavenly!

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Total Destress diffuser oil

DIFFUSER OIL

Total De-Stress aromatherapy diffuser Ooil by Tisserand, with Geranium, Nutmeg and Orange. The blend contains 100% natural pure essential oils, which is often not the case with other brands. To use, simply add 6 to 8 drops to your diffuser and enjoy the comforting and relaxing effects, as well as the beautiful scent – it’s been my clients’ favourite!

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Clear crystals

CLEAR CRYSTALS

A pack of 15 clear crystals with a hole for a string.

Diameter: 30mm/1.18″  – which is a nice, substantial size for your energy work.

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Coloured scarves

COLOURED SCARVES FOR RADIANT CIRCUIT WORK

An ideal item for radiant dancing to figures of eight! Just looking at the colours will illuminate your/your client’s Radiant Circuits – especially if you arrange them as roses! 🙂 You can also use them for chakra and aura balancing, with or without a torch. You will get 8 scarves of the following colours: 1.Purple, 2.Yellow, 3.Orange, 4.Red, 5.Bright Pink, 6.Light Pink, 7.Green, 8.Blue.

Find on Amazon

Magnets

MAGNETIC RINGS

These ceramic-magnetic rings can be very effective for pain relief or fractures. Usually sold as a science toy for children, they are ideal for EEM practice because they are not too strong. 

Find on Amazon 

Other sources that might stock them:

DowlingMagnets.com

Schoolmasters.com

Nascoeducation.com

coloured crystals

COLOURED CRYSTALS

A pack of 15 coloured crystals with a hole for a string. Apart from their use as an EEM tool, they can also make a beautiful sun catcher – a guaranteed way to activate Radiant Circuits!

Diameter: 30mm/1.18″ – which is a nice, substantial size for your energy work.

Find on Amazon

selenite

SELENITE CRYSTAL

Donna Eden incorporates Selenite into her healing protocols to support emotional wellbeing and balance. The crystal is often utilized in energy healing practices for its ability to cleanse and purify the energetic body, and can often contribute to pain relief by freeing stagnant energy.

Read my post about Selenite

selenite

SELENITE WAND

A selenite wand is often used for space clearing, but it is also great for neurolymphatic massage, a special version of Spinal Flush, or working with acupressure points.

Read my post about Selenite

Felt swatches

COLOURED FELT SWATCHES

Another interesting and easily portable tool for working with colour: Small squares made of felt, with 48 different shades of colour. You can place them on chakras or the anchors of Radiant Circuits…let your intuition guide you!

Size:4 x 4 inches (10cm x 10cm)  

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Coloured filters for chakra and RC work

COLOURED FILTERS

These small filter sheets are great for balancing chakras, aura or radiant circuits, ideally used with a torch. 

Size: 9.8 cm x 6.6 cm / 3.8 x 2.5 “

Find on Amazon

Mini torch for working with chakras

MINI TORCH FOR CHAKRA BALANCING

A practical little torch, perfect for working with colour (e.g. for chakra, aura, or Radiant Circuits balancing). It’s very light and comes with a pocket clip and a string. The light is nice and bright, great for shining through coloured filters and enhancing the body’s biofield with frequencies of different colours. You’ll only need a single AAA battery for it.

Find on Amazon

SESSION CHARTS AND DIAGRAMS

This section contains helpful reference aids for your EEM sessions.

Advanced Star Diagnostic Chart by Lucie Dun

ADVANCED STAR DIAGNOSTIC CHART

Advanced Star Diagnostic Chart (my own illustrations) with Neurovascular points and corresponding emotions. A perfect reference tool to use in your sessions – no need to page through your books or try to recall the complex sequence of this powerful protocol. Comes as a downloadable PDF (two A4 pages).

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The Five Rhythms Diagram

THE FIVE RHYTHMS DIAGRAM

The Five Rhythms Diagram with useful details for your EEM practice, i.e. the physical aspects each rhythm governs, the specific sounds and exercises for each rhythm, the polar meridians, and more. Instant download, format: PDF.

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Meridians and their emotions

MERIDIANS AND THEIR EMOTIONS

A detailed, in-depth chart focussing on all 14 meridians and their related emotions – both positive and negative. This is a perfect tool for energy medicine practitioners, as well as a helpful guide for self-care.

Find out more

BOOKS

The following section is devoted to books for energy medicine students and practitioners, as well as for the general public. From Donna Eden’s classics Energy Medicine, Energy Medicine for Women, and Energies of Love, to an in-depth study of Five Elements by Donna’s daughter Dondi Dahlin, and Donna and David Feinstein’s book on Energy Psychology (also known as  EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique), called Tapping.

massage table with stainless steel legs

ENERGY MEDICINE

A classic in the field of Energy Medicine, inspired by the wisdom of ancient healing systems, as well as the most contemporary techniques for optimising your health.
This book contains everything you want to know about your body’s energy systems, and offers powerful ways of restoring, maintaining and improving your physical, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing. It is also the best prerequisite to the certification programme of the Eden Method, as well as an invaluable self-study tool.

Find on Amazon

Different colour for a massage table cover

ENERGY MEDICINE FOR WOMEN

Another Energy Medicine classic – not an overstatement to refer to it as Women’s Health Bible. This book truly uncovers the mystery of women’s energies, offering invaluable health guidance for every woman. It is full of empowering tools for self-healing, addressing common and often problematic issues such as pre-menstrual tension and hormonal imbalance. It provides deep guidance on how to fully align with one’s sexuality, pregnancy and birth, and opens the gates to unleashing the goddess inside. 

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The Energies of Love

THE ENERGIES OF LOVE

A powerful guide to using energy medicine to heal and strengthen romantic relationships. Donna and David, who have been married for more than 40 years, explain how an understanding of your and you partner’s energy system can create an extremely harmonious and loving bond. You will be able to recognise your strengths as individuals and as a couple, and avoid the common pitfalls. The Energies of Love is a powerful resource for anyone who wishes to build a stimulating and fulfilling long-lasting relationship without losing the spark.

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The Little Book of Energy Medicine

THE LITTLE BOOK OF ENERGY MEDICINE

The Little Book of Energy Medicine is full of easy but effective exercises to enhance the balance, flow, and vitality of your body’s energy system. This practical little handbook is based on Donna’s 35 years of experience teaching thousands of people natural techniques to instantly feel rejuvenated, happier, more alert and less anxious. This book of 80-pages is an easy-to-carry reference for whenever you need a boost of energy or to improve your mood. It can also make a lovely present for anyone new to energy medicine.

Find on Amazon

The Five Elements by Dondi Dahlin

THE FIVE ELEMENTS

The theory of the five elements – water, wood, fire, earth, and metal – originated in Chinese medicine over 2,000 years ago, and brings the wisdom of an ancient healing system to modern times. In this book, Dondi Dahlin shows us that we are all born with individual elements/rhythms that go beyond the influence of our genes and upbringing. By explaining the efficacy of wood, the depth of water, the joy of fire, the compassion of earth, and the wisdom of metal, this book helps us understand ourselves as well as others on a much deeper level and shows us ways to stay in balance physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

Find on Amazon

Tapping by David Feinstein and Donna Eden

TAPPING

Tapping is a simple but powerful method used by experts in energy psychology, but is also available as a self-care and personal growth tool to all of us. Stimulating specific acupressure points by simply tapping on them, will send signals to your nervous system to reduce fear, anger, stress, and grief while activating brain regions involved with problem-solving and managing emotions. This book is yet another major collaborative work by Donna Eden and David Feinstein.

Find on Amazon

ACUPRESSURE POINTS – APPS & CHARTS

If you have been searching for a super user-friendly and beautiful app for acupuncture points and charts, you may find the following section useful. Here I am introducing my favourite acupuncture app POINTS, of which you can read my full review, and take a little tour of the app. If you’d also like a physical product, then go for the amazing folding laminated chart – and incredibly detailed map of meridians with all their acupoints.

points - interactive acupuncture software
points - interactive acupuncture software

POINTS – Interactive Acupuncture Software 

  • The ultimate reference for everything you need to know about every acupuncture point.
  • Complete information about all 361 numbered points and related treatment protocols
  • Practice confidently with locations, functions, attributes, cautions, and needling instructions
  • Locate points precisely with complete anatomic descriptions and high-res illustrations
  • Find information fast with the keyword search feature
  • Available on iOS (iPhone/iPad) and desktop (compatible with Mac & Windows)

Find out more:

POINTS – Interactive Acupuncture Software

folding acupressure chart
FOLDING LAMINATED CHART OF ACUPRESSURE POINTS AND MERIDIANS

A beautifully illustrated, incredibly detailed study / reference guide for every Energy Medicine practitioner and acupressure/acupuncture therapist, or student of these disciplines.

This foldable laminated pamphlet is full of clearly labelled diagrams which show every single acupressure point on our body. These points connect into 14 meridian pathways which are also labelled. An invaluable study guide for learning to correctly trace meridians or access specific acupressure points with great precision.

The tri-fold, 6-page chart is hole-punched, fitting perfectly in a 3-ring binder, which makes it convenient for carrying around.

Dimensions: 21.6 x 27.9 x 0.2 cm / 8.5 x 11 x 0.1 inches

 

Order online:

Laminated acupressure points chart (US)

Laminated acupressure points chart (UK)

SELF-CARE

If you are a holistic healing practitioner who works with other people, remember that self-care comes FIRST! We cannot help our clients if the flow of our own energies is not balanced and grounded, and if we are not rested and clear-minded. The following tools are exellent for practitioners’ self-care; notice what’s listed first! 🙂

Spoon and fork

STAINLESS STEEL SPOON FOR GROUNDING

Staying grounded is crucial for vibrant health. Tracing a stainless steel spoon along the bottom of the feet helps with grounding – i.e. connecting energetically with the nourishing energies of the Earth.

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Beenax massage roller

'PEANUT' MASSAGE BALL

Great for overall massage of the body, ideal for clearing toxins by stimulating neurolymphatic reflex points. Perfect for selfcare, including a self-administered Spinal Flush!

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Backnobber

THE ORIGINAL BACKNOBBER

A perfect tool for shoulder and back massage, ideal for clearing toxins by stimulating neurolymphatic reflex points. Excellent for a self-administered Spinal Flush. I like the fact that it’s portable – easily split into two parts and carried in a handbag.

Find on Amazon

hangsun percussion massager

HANDHELD PERCUSSION MASSAGER

A powerful hand-held massager with variable speed and ergonomic design. Great for shoulder, leg, foot, and neck massage, and most Neurolymphatic points. A brilliant chi-enhancing tool, especially if you don’t have enough time for a proper session in a massage chair or a foot spa.

Find on Amazon

Foot spa

RELAXING FOOT SPA

This is my absolutely favourite way to unwind after a long day. Having your feet massaged and surrounded by warm bubbles is so soothing, relaxing and uplifting! The jets of water gently but effectively massage the feet, increasing circulation and relieving tension, benefitting important acupressure points. After about 20 minutes of this home spa treat, you will get up a new person – so grounded and rejuvenated!  

Find on Amazon

Homedics Shiatsu Massage Chair

SHIATSU MASSAGE CHAIR

I consider this Shiatsu massage chair a number one in self-care, as well as an amazing treat for every visitor! I discovered it during my work as a physio assistant, and gave my other half the best present that Christmas in the form of a HoMedics massage chair. There’s nothing more comforting and restoring than to receive a deep kneading back and shoulder massage – which I often complement it with the bubbling foot-spa. This chair offers several massage and vibration settings, with optional heat. 

Find on Amazon

PERSONAL/SPIRITUAL GROWTH

The following section is devoted to personal and spiritual growth. Throughout the years, I’ve been researching a large number of personal growth platforms and attended many courses and webinars, the best of which I am happy to share with you. I have also included my audio track for tracing meridians, and a selection of inspirational books and audio.

Spiritual Growth

PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH

This page contains a rich list of online courses, events, and programs on the topic of personal and spiritual growth and balanced health. The selection also includes a large number of free webinars.

Find out more

meridian-wheel-affirmations

MERIDIAN AFFIRMATIONS

This track can be used for tracing the meridians with your hands, or lying down while visualising the meridian flow. If you are not familiar with the meridian pathways, simply tune in to the essence of each meridian and let the affirmations do their magic.

Find out more

reading a book in sunset

INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS AND AUDIO

This page contains a selection of inspirational books and audio downloads on the topic of health, personal development, spiritual wellbeing, and living a balanced life. These books and downloads also make nice presents. 

Find out more

MARKETING TOOLS

To build a thriving practice, marketing is essential. Having a website is key to making your presence strong in the world of contemporary holistic therapists. You will be able to offer your services to a wide audience, and your potential clients will be able to find out more about you and your practice.

A website template by Squarespace

EASY WAYS TO GET A BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE

If you don’t know where to start regarding setting up a website for your business, you have come to the right place. I have researched this topic for a long time, and this post is the result of it. It includes easy options for complete beginners with zero technical experience. You can have a beautiful website up and running within several days.

Read my post

I hope you have found this page helpful.

  If you have any suggestions regarding other interesting things to add to the list of practitioners’ tools, please let me know in the comments below! 

BY LUCIE DUN

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The Physical and Psychological Benefits of Meditation

The Physical and Psychological Benefits of Meditation

Meditating Frog Garden Statue, 6 Inches

What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘meditation’? A lot of people see it as a way of spiritual discipline, but have you ever heard about the psychological benefits of meditation, such as increased productivity? Or physical benefits like better sleep? Or, have you been, like me, rather unclear on how to meditate, and why meditate in the first place?

In 2016 I was going through a stressful period caused by my worries about Brexit and my uncertain future in the UK as an EU citizen. I went to see the doctor about my anxiety and panic attacks, and she ‘prescribed’ me a guided meditation app. I gave it a go and quite enjoyed it, but I felt I was too fidgety to be able to practice it regularly; my mind was just too busy to fully utilize this tool. I thought I had to slow down the stream of my excessive thoughts in order to enter that deeply relaxed state of my mind, and although I wanted to, there was never the right time and space to do that.

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The full disclosure can be accessed here.

Why We Don’t Meditate

To my mind, the most common reasons why people don’t meditate are the following two:

1) They are simply not interested – they don’t have a reason or don’t feel the need to meditate. (If they realised what they were missing, I suspect it would be a completely different story!)

2) They are interested but are convinced that they wouldn’t be good meditators, because they are either too busy and don’t have time, or they can’t force themselves to sit still and empty their minds. I belonged to this category.

What’s Changed My Concept of Meditation

My first closer encounter with meditation was through the rock legend Arthur Brown, when I played keyboards in his band, ‘The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’. (More in the article ‘My Musical Journey‘.) During one of our in Germany, he told me about his meditation practice. The idea that meditation and rock’n’roll could complement each other was not new to me – take George Harrison or Donovan, for example – but knowing a meditating rockstar personally motivated me to learn more about the ancient practice. This wild man, who could set a stage on fire (sometimes literally) was always full of incredible energy and inner radiance and needed to sleep less than the rest of the band. I was starting to see that his regular meditation practice somehow played a part in this, although I couldn’t yet fully figure out how exactly.

One of our wild gigs with Arthur Brown, 2009

My second (and most important) encounter with meditation happened in November 2019, when an upbeat New Yorker, a former Broadway actress Emily Fletcher, appeared in my Youtube playlist. She was giving a presentation at Google, with a provocative title ‘Why Meditation is the New Caffeine’.

The way she spoke about meditation was different than what I’ve seen around so far. To my surprise, she was describing meditation as a productivity tool rather than a monk-like discipline, best done in quiet temples or caves.

I was intrigued by the fact that a woman with an air of a highly driven entrepreneur and looks of a catwalk queen was so passionate about meditation, and that she wasn’t delivering her talk at a hippie retreat, but at Google headquarters.

The meditation technique Emily teaches is called ‘Ziva Meditation’ (Ziva is a Sanskrit word for ‘bliss’ ), and it is designed specifically for high achievers.

Her clients include executives at global corporations like Google or Barclays, NBA players, Oscar winners, CEOs, entrepreneurs, busy parents – simply anyone who wants to boost their productivity and gain more hours in the day while having more energy.

One of the things that caught my attention was when Emily mentioned that meditation gives your body with rest which is from 2 to 5 times deeper than sleep. This sounded a bit far-fetched to me at first, but when I noticed her work has been praised by a number of neurobiologists, I became more open to what she had to say. Sleep was exactly the area of my life that needed improvement; I had never felt fully rested and refreshed if I had less than nine hours of sleep, so I decided to explore her work further.

When Emily said: “We meditate to get good at life, not to get good at meditation“, I got curious: How exactly could meditation be affecting one’s life?

I thought meditation was ok for temporary relaxation, to make one feel a bit better for a while, perhaps with the help of a mindfulness app or the calming sound of Tibetan singing bowls, but how could it improve things in one’s life in general?

As I checked Emily’s website and read through the testimonials of her students,  I realised that I was about to discover something powerful. Her meditation technique seemed to improve people’s lives on multiple levels.

One testimony title, written by a financial expert, read:

‘It’s like a shot of espresso without the anxious jitters and the crash.’

Another, by a nurse practitioner:

‘If I could prescribe ONE thing to every single patient who walks in my door it would be: Learn meditation.’

And finally, from a pen of CEO:

‘Ziva blows all other meditation trainings away.’

 Emily’s talk ‘Why Meditation is the New Caffeine’

Harvard University Research

I checked what other sources said about meditation and found out that in the 1970s, medical researchers at Harvard University began studying the effects of meditation on human body.

They discovered that during the practice of meditation, a process called ‘the relaxation response’ starts happening in the body, and this is what gives the body deep rest that is deeper than the rest we get from sleep.

They also found that through regular meditation that deep rest accumulates in our body over time, and this deepening reservoir of rest results in the many benefits of meditation, including stronger immunity, decreased stress, healing from old traumas and a sense of inner wellbeing.

What Is (And What Isn’t) Meditation

First of all, let’s clarify what meditation isn’t, and this might surprise (and hopefully encourage) quite a number of people:

Meditation is NOT about trying to clear one’s mind or stopping one’s thoughts. In Emily’s words, “the mind thinks involuntarily in the same way your heart beats involuntarily”. Having involuntary thoughts during meditating is a completely natural part of the process; in fact, the more effortless it is, the better.

So what IS meditation? Meditation, as Emily Fletcher defines it, is accessing a verifiable fourth state of consciousness.  It is a state which is different than waking, sleeping or dreaming, and which can be verified (measured) by EEG equipment.

When practiced regularly, meditation will start removing long-term accumulated stress from your system, strengthening your body and mind. What’s particularly nice about meditating is that soon after you get into the state of surrender, you’ll be able to feel your body flooding with a whole range of bliss chemicals. 

Get High on Your Own Supply

Amongst these main pleasurable neurochemicals, providing you with elevated emotions and higher states of mind, are:

Dopamine

When people use cocaine, it is not the actual drug that causes the instant high. It’s because cocaine causes a build-up of dopamine—which then gives rise to euphoria and creates a rush of energy, which at that moment seems eternal.

Similarly, THC, the main psychoactive component in marijuana, stimulates neurons in the reward system, causing them to release high levels of dopamine, which causes the user to feel euphoric.

Serotonin

Serotonin causes a feeling of euphoria, happiness, and well-being. This feel-good hormone binds with the same receptor as psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms.

Both serotonin and dopamine are alkaline in nature, and an alkaline body can repair itself more quickly. It is also a well-known fact that cancer thrives in an acidic environment, and can’t survive in an alkaline and well-oxygenated environment – both of which meditation provides.

Nitric oxide

Nitric oxide is a molecule responsible for vasodilation – widening of the blood vessels, which increases circulation and lowers blood pressure – the best protection against a stroke!

Anandamide

The name derives from the Sanskrit word ananda, meaning ‘joy, bliss, one of the highest states of being’. Anandamide makes me recall the name of the legendary yogi Parahamansa Yogananda. (The name consists of Yoga = Divine union, and Ananda = Bliss.)

Yogananda is the author of ‘Autobiography of a Yogi‘, a spiritual bestseller held dear by many – i.e. Elvis Presley, George Harrison, or Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs, who ordered 500 copies of the book for his own memorial service.

Anandamide, a neurotransmitter also called the “bliss molecule” for the role it plays in happiness and mental well-being, is one of the most important endocannabinoids in our body. Endocannabinoids are biochemicals produced within the body, and they bind to cannabinoid receptors.

THC, the main psychoactive component in marijuana, also binds to these same receptors, and can induce feelings of unity with all that is, elation, pure happiness and peace – but we can induce the same feelings by own internal production of anandamide.

You can increase anandamide by exercising, spending time in “the zone,” (when you are in the workflow, experiencing that slight trance sensation) eating high-quality chocolate (such as my favourite Ombar), and, of course, meditation.

Oxytocin

Also known as ‘bonding hormone’, oxytocin is a naturally occurring compound that acts as both a hormone and neurotransmitter.

It stimulates the production of the bliss molecule anandamide, so by increasing oxytocin, you’ll also increase anandamide.

Oxytocin is naturally released during giving birth, increasing the mother’s bond with her newborn baby, or sexual climax.

On a daily basis, we can increase production of oxytocin by physical touch, hugs, massage, yoga, and meditation.

Why Do People Take Drugs?

The answer couldn’t be simpler – people take drugs to feel better.

Too many of them don’t realise that they can get intoxicated with their own internal neurotransmitters and hormones.

They can evoke those high states in their brains by releasing all these highly pleasurable neurochemicals, without the side effects of addiction and physical and mental damage.

Meditation can save you both the cash and health. You’ll notice that once you’ll start meditating and experiencing all these elevated emotions, you’ll soon become less reliant on external substances to give your mood a boost.

You’ll find yourself gradually cutting down on sweets, cigarettes, coffee, alcohol etc., without making you feel restricting yourself in any way. The reduced need for all these will come completely naturally. In my case, I’ve experienced a surprisingly reduced need for caffeine and alcohol, the two substances that were such an important part of my daily life for years.

I wish all this would be taught in schools one day. The compound noun ‘high school’ would gain a new, more attractive meaning, if we learned about all the exciting neurochemistry which we can access for free.

The ‘Side Effects’ of Meditation:

Your Health Will Improve

Meditation can have a powerful effect on your physical and mental health. It is proven to reduce stress, anxiety, inflammation and help you detox your body while improving immunity, resilience, and emotional wellbeing.

Harvard researchers estimate that 80% of doctor’s visits are related to stress. And while getting stressed short term may not be too harmful to you, staying stressed is.

Adrenalin and cortisol are the main stress chemicals, which, if accumulated in your body, cause premature aging, depression, and a whole range of diseases including autoimmune diseases and cancer.

While stress causes premature aging, meditation is slowing down the premature aging of your body. This is because your body will be receiving a deep, healing rest, removing large amounts of stress, stored in our cellular memory over the years. People who meditate regularly tend to be healthier, and often look younger.

Emily likes to compare a brain to a computer. If we are using too many programs at once and running out of the storage at the same time, we will start losing our computing power. But if we clean and defragment the computer from all the trash, old files and applications, we will regain computing power again.

‘Defragmenting’ our brain and detoxing our body through meditation has the ability to facilitate healing from long-term illness and old traumas, up-levelling your overall performance and improving the quality of your sleep, which will become deeper and more effective. (Emily’s students have reported a 90% success rate with getting rid of insomnia.)

You may also, rather conveniently, notice a decrease in the hours you need to feel fully rested; I can confirm this from my own experience with The Ziva Technique. Before I started meditating, I needed at least 9 hours of sleep, while now I wake up completely rested, without an alarm clock, after 7 hours, sometimes even just 6.5. And at the same time, I have stopped experiencing those afternoon energy slumps! I’m still in a state of amazement over this fact. If any of you reading this is having doubts about meditation (like I was), please do try it for a few weeks and you’ll see for yourself!

Increased Productivity and Creativity

You will experience increased creativity as well as more focus and alertness, which will lead to better decision making and surprising growth in your productivity. Again, I can confirm this from my own experience with The Ziva Technique.

 

Improved Mental Wellbeing

As already mentioned, one of the most common reasons for people not to meditate is a lack of time in their already jam-packed life. But meditation shouldn’t be looked at as a spa treatment for your brain. In Emily’s words, it is ‘the most important piece of mental hygiene’ you could ever practice.

I also like her provocative statement that ‘leaving your house without meditating should be considered as rude as leaving your house without brushing your teeth.’

This might be hard to understand by people who have never experienced the positive physical and psychological effects of meditation, but for the ones who have, (and I hope that one day you’ll be one of them ) it makes complete sense. If you commit to a regular meditation practice, you can look forward to the following benefits:

Meditation will start shifting things for you internally. You’ll gain adaptation energy which will give you the ability to handle life’s challenges with more ease and grace, and you will be surprised to observe that you are becoming less reactive to people or situations that would previously drive you mad or make you fall to pieces psychologically.

You’ll experience more of the ‘Power of Now’ moments, as described by Eckhart Tolle in his book (one of the best books on modern-day spiritual enlightenment I’ve ever read).

More Time in Your Day

There is really no better usage of your time than the time you take to meditate. You will start to see this return on time investment in your life very soon after committing to regular practice. Meditation actually creates more time in your day! You will find out that one you have prioritised meditation, you will have more hours to play with.

Mindfulness Versus Meditation

It is very important to point out that mindfulness and meditation are not the same. Many people who have been listening to various ‘meditation apps’, thinking they were meditation, have actually been practicing mindfulness instead.

So what is the difference between mindfulness and meditation?

Mindfulness

When practicing mindfulness, we are directing our focus. This could include:

Drawing your attention to the present moment, directing your focus on your five senses, being aware of your breath, doing guided visualisations, feeling your body centered and grounded etc.

Both mindfulness and meditation have long been a topic of neuroscientific studies. An interesting fact has been observed during brain scans of people separately practicing mindfulness and meditation.

When they’re practising mindfulness (i.e. drawing your attention to the present moment, directing your focus on your body, etc.) a small part of the front of the brain – the Prefrontal cortex – lights up very brightly.

This reflects the fact that practicing mindfulness improves our clarity and focus, which makes us good at focusing on our tasks, reading, decision making, coming up quickly with ideas and solutions, navigating, etc.

It also helps to deal with stress in the present moment, which is very useful for staying calm during emotionally turbulent situations, from arguments or missed flights to viral pandemics.

But most of us find long practices of mindfulness almost impossible. Either boring or too challenging to keep focusing one’s attention for too long. There is a reason for this: Mindfulness has been designed for monks!

Not too many people are aware of this. Mindfulness requires discipline and concentration, and it makes sense that a modern-day person with a constantly busy mind can find it challenging to practice it for longer than a few minutes.

So that’s the very reason why many people who try to mediate eventually quit. They’ve been simply confusing meditation with mindfulness!

So once again: Mindfulness is great for dealing with stress ‘right now’, i.e. in any situation where we could potentially ‘lose it’.

Meditation

When practicing meditation, we are entering a different state of consciousness by surrendering, letting go, simply doing nothing. The only thing that we ‘do’ is to have a mantra (a specific word or a phrase) which we use as a gentle anchor for our wandering mind. This means peacefully acknowledging all those constantly arriving trains of thoughts, and replacing them with our mantra.

This process of gently replacing thoughts with the mantra will be happening many times during a single meditation, and it is completely normal. It’s important to remember that we are NOT trying to stop our thoughts: Meditation is the very opposite of actively directing our focus (as during mindfulness).

I really like the analogy of slowly submerging into a hot bath after a long day. Imagining this helps me enter my meditation more effortlessly. And as you slowly and gently give in to the ‘cosmic bath of your consciousness’, things will start happening on a neurochemical level, inducing a state of deep peace and harmony with all that is.

When you connect your brain to an EEG machine during waking, sleeping, and dreaming state of consciousness, it shows that your right and left hemispheres are functioning separately.

But in the state of meditation (i.e. thefourth state of consciousness’), the right and left brain hemispheres start to function in unison.

This is important because your left brain is in charge of your critical, analytical thoughts and your concepts of past and future, while your right brain is in charge of your creative, intuitive thoughts, your ‘right now’. So when we’re meditating, our right and left hemispheres are communicating with each other.

In the deep state of meditation, when the mind just lets go of everything and drifts away, brain scans reveal that the whole brain lights up (instead of a small part of the brain, as in mindfulness).

The light is not as intense as during mindfulness (which we need ‘here and now’ for those cancelled flights), but it lights evenly across the whole brain area, which causes an increase in neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to change itself. It also increases neurogenesis – the brain’s ability to generate new brain cells.

Your right and left hemispheres are connected with a bridge called Corpus Callosumand brain scans have revealed that this bridge (or connection) is visibly stronger with regular meditators, allowing both hemispheres to communicate better. You will experience that creativity and intuition of your right brain will start to get in harmony with the logical, analytical part of your left brain.

For instance, when we suddenly get a creative idea, we won’t just critically dismiss it (as we would when our two hemispheres act separately), but take some inspired action. We will experience more presence and a sense of inner wellbeing, which in turn will allow us to act without the negative, self-deprecating thoughts that often prevent us from mobilising our inner drive and achieving our goals.

Highlights:

1) Mindfulness and meditations are two different things.

2) Mindfulness is a focus-based mental technique good for improving your concentration and helping you stay calm and grounded in any given moment.

3) Meditation induces brain cohesion and gives the body deep, healing rest to get rid of stress from the past. Meditation can almost feel like a mini-nap, from which you will come up physically refreshed and energised.

4) Both mindfulness and meditation are beneficial – that’s why Emily incorporated both practices in The Ziva Technique, which I’ll be mentioning further down.

What’s the Best Way to Learn to Meditate?

The best way to learn to meditate is by meditating.

How Often and How Long For?

To fully benefit from all the amazing effects of meditation, it is advisable to commit to a 15-minute session twice a day – one in the morning and the other in the afternoon or early evening.

The benefits are well worth it, and as soon as you’ll start experiencing them as I have done, you will look forward to your 15-minute sessions and won’t feel awkward about asking people around you to consider this. I’ve learned to let others know about my discipline. Even during a busy family visits, I don’t compromise on my 15 minutes twice a day, and it is rewarding for me as well as everyone around me, because as a result, I’ll have more energy and patience. Once I was meditating on a rush-hour train with my mum next to me, or with my little nephews running around in the room – they knew that their aunt was ‘recharging’ and would have more energy to play with them afterwards!

Choosing Your Mantra

The Sanskrit word mantra means ‘mind vehicle’ (man = mind, tra = vehicle), and it is a word or a short phrase that you silently repeat (by hearing it in your mind, not saying it) during your meditation. It can be any word, sound, or short phrase you like. Some people chose the word ‘One’, as it can symbolise unity with everything.

Your mantra can also be chosen according to your religious tradition. “Maranatha”, “Shalom”, (Christianity/Judaism) “So Hum”, Sat Chit Ananda”, “Aham Brahmasmi” (Hinduism), “Insha’Allah” (Islam), “Om Mani Padme Hum” (Buddhism), etc.

Preparing for Your Meditation

Sit in a comfortable position. You don’t need to sit cross-legged or in a lotus posture. Your hands can rest on your thighs, or be folded in your lap.

Close your eyes, and take several long, deep breaths to get to the relaxed state. Try to make your out-breath twice longer than your in-breath.

Then focus on your senses – the light you can see through your closed eyes, the sounds around you, and any bodily sensations, and energy flowing through your body. If you think you can’t feel any energy, try this experiment: Look at your hand and then close your eyes. How do you know your hand is still there? Because you feel its energy.

All the above is a mindfulness practice which makes you more conscious of your body and its energies, and prepare you for the actual meditation.

Entering Your Meditation

Then you gently enter the actual meditation state. I always imagine that I am slowly submerging into a ‘cosmic bath’, surrendering to the most relaxed state, letting go of all my preconceptions, and allowing the wisdom of my body to take over.

Now, with the eyes still closed, start mentally repeating your chosen mantra.

Important: Do not say or whisper the word, your mouth and jaw should be completely relaxed. You’ll only repeat that word by ‘hearing it in your mind’. This should be done with relaxed ease, and if any of your thoughts interfere with the mantra, simply acknowledge them and gently return to the mantra.

But why have I mentioned that your mouth and jaw should be relaxed? There’s more behind relaxing your mouth than one would think. There is an important nerve in your tongue called the hypoglossal nerve. Thus nerve flows into the vagus nerve, which then sends relaxing signals to every major organ system in your body. So holding your tongue completely relaxed on the floor of your mouth has the power to calm your whole body. It’s good to remember this ‘trick’ while getting into meditation, and it can equally useful in any situation when you feel stressed, anxious, angry etc.

As You Are Meditating…

Slowly repeat your mantra (in your mind) in a simple, effortless way for about 15 minutes.

As you repeat your mantra, plenty of other thoughts will appear, which is absolutely natural. Do not try to stop them or get frustrated. When you ‘try to make meditation happen’ it will diminish the benefits of meditating, and it could even give you a headache. The key to meditating is to do nothing.

Instead, when thoughts do come, gently return to thinking your mantra in a relaxed, effortless way. I tend to visualise two clouds – one is my mantra, the other contains my thoughts. This image helps me to switch back to my mantra when I find myself inside the ‘thought cloud’.

When you have finished meditating, rest for a few minutes. Never come out of a meditation abruptly.

How Soon to Expect the Benefits

Avoid looking for immediate experiences or signs of progress because that hinders meditation. Just be confident that by ‘doing nothing’ you will start to notice the benefits of meditating during your day soon or later.

You may be generally happier, feeling more at ease, having more drive and focus, getting along better with others, and sleeping better.

How soon will these benefits show depends on how regularly you do your twice-a-day 15-minute session. Some people notice the benefits within days, others in a few weeks’ time.

The best thing is to just get in the habit of meditating regularly and making it non-negotiable. But have compassion with yourself – if you stop meditating for a day or two, just go back and start meditating again.

The meditation procedure described above is a combination of techniques I’ve learned from several different teachers, such as Emily Fletcher, Dawson Church (author of ‘Bliss Brain’ and  ‘Mind to Matter’), Deepak Chopra, or Arthur Brown. If you are serious about getting clear and lasting benefits from meditation, I would really recommend following an experienced teacher, such as Emily Fletcher, who teaches the ZIVA Technique. This is what I practice and what has given me some very real results (mentioned further down).

What Is ZIVA Technique

Ziva Technique is a meditation technique based on ancient meditation practices, but designed for people with busy minds and busy lives.

You won’t have to ‘clear your mind’ in order to be successful at meditation and start to experience all the amazing benefits soon. But The Ziva Technique is not only about meditation – it is a powerful combination of mindfulness, meditation and manifesting.

The mindfulness portion is like the appetizer course, consisting of techniques to immediately draw your awareness into the present moment. (This is what most people have tried already – it is what most apps and YouTube videos walk you through.)

But the meditation portion – the ‘main course’ in Ziva Technique’ – is where the real magic happens: your metabolic rate slows, your breathing gets shallower, and you drift into a rest that is 5x deeper than sleep.

Your brain and body will flood with all the bliss biochemicals mentioned above, and you will be getting rid of the life-long amount of stress you have saved in your nervous system on a cellular level.

Last but not least, the ‘dessert’ portion is manifesting, which means getting really clear on your dreams, goals or desires so you can begin to make active choices in your waking state to transform those dreams into reality. You’ll notice that synchronicities will start happening and that you will draw specific people and situations into your life which will help with fulfilling your dreams.

Stress Less Accomplish More

Soon after watching Emily’s talk about meditation and caffeine, I got her book Stress Less Accomplish More. ‘What a non-meditative title..!’, I thought. But perhaps that was the reason I bought it.

The book is based on deep research and years of experience of meditating and meditation teaching. It is written in a warm, personal, and often charmingly witty way. I highly recommend it. You can read a free chapter in the ‘Look Inside’ section.

I learned a lot from the book, and it ignited my desire to experience being taught by Emily in her 15-day online course.

I enjoyed every day of it, and around day 4 or 5 I started noticing visible changes. It was around that time when I started requiring less hour to sleep and getting into the ‘flow state’ during the day a lot more than before.

My ZivaONLINE certificate

Impact of Meditation on My Life

I can easily say that ZivaONLINE has been one of the most life-impacting courses I have ever taken.

I have gone through a number of transformations while noticing  the following:

– Deeper, more restful sleep (decreased need of 9 hours to 7, sometimes even 6.5), and no afternoon energy crashes

– More energy, focus, and clarity of mind, reading with more focus and retaining information better

– More tasks accomplished in the day (which now feels longer), and with less effort, experiencing more states of flow

– Less need for reactivity and getting into arguments, staying more present in tense situations

– Feeling more connected to others, releasing negative feelings more quickly, and forgiving more easily

– A huge decrease of involuntary negative thoughts and inner critical commentaries

– Almost zero need for stimulating my body with caffeine, or relaxing it with alcohol

I can still have both if I want, but I’ve noticed that their effect on my body is much stronger since I started meditating. So if I still feel like having a coffee or a beer, I’ll have it in a much smaller quantity and still enjoy it. I also think that the fact I require less sleep can be attributed to my reduction in caffeine and alcohol intake.

– An annoying habit of biting my nails stopped (I used to do this when I was nervous and edgy, especially when affected by caffeine)

The Ultimate Portable Device

I sincerely hope that this article has helped you clarify some common misconceptions about meditation. The myths which prevent a majority of people from one of the best things they could be doing for themselves and others, by having so much more to offer by literally recharging themselves with meditation.

Who wouldn’t like to have more energy, a new zest for life, increased creativity, and the ability to handle demands and stressful situations so much better than when ruled by stress?

I am convinced that if everyone knew how easy it is to meditate and what powerful effect it can have on our lives, the whole world would be meditating by now, and that, in Emily’s words, ‘coffee shops would be replaced by meditating stations’.

So go ahead and try the ‘ultimate portable device’.  You will soon start to notice some very interesting things happening in your life as I’ve seen in mine.

Learn More About the Ziva Technique

Here are a few things you could do to learn more about this transformative meditation technique:

– Check out Emily’s book ‘Stress Less Accomplish More’.

 A quote from the book’s introduction:

‘This book is dedicated to everyone who has “tried meditation” and felt like a failure. You are not a meditation failure; you just haven’t been taught yet. This book will teach you.’

I recommend reading the first chapter (for free, by clicking on ‘Look Inside’) which includes the foreword by Mark Hyman, M.D., and preface by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., so you can have an idea what sort of treats are in store for you.

– Find out more about Ziva Technique online course.

Taking this course has caused me to start thinking about my life as ‘before meditation’ and ‘after meditation’

– Watch Emily’s talk about meditation for Mindvalley:

– See what Russel Brandt has to say about meditation:

Let’s finish with the words from the director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, Mark Hyman, M.D.:

‘I encourage everyone to check out the Ziva Technique. I can honestly say I can’t live without it. Now I don’t have time not to meditate. “Stress less, accomplish more.” It’s for real, trust me.’

Any questions or comments about your own experience (or non-experience) with meditation are very welcome.

BY LUCIE DUN

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Tips on Strengthening Your Immune System

Tips on Strengthening Your Immune System

We all know what it is to feel when things are out of our control, especially when it comes to infectious diseases. It is thus crucial we take responsibility for our health and keep our immune system strong (or start working on it). This can easily be done at home or on the go. I’ve been exploring the field of energy medicine for some time, and I’m happy to say that practicing it daily has caused a remarkable improvement in my health.

I used to get colds at least every three months, but since I’ve started practicing energy medicine my immunity got much stronger, and I haven’t had a cold for more than four years (which still fills me – an old ‘hypochondriac’ – with considerable disbelief).

A few tips for strengthening your immunity:

1) Do the Daily Energy Routine (or parts of it) daily – it only takes a few minutes.

The Daily Energy Routine is a set of simple but powerful exercises by the legendary healer Donna Eden, the founder of Eden Energy Medicine. She was born with the ability to see energies and as she learned to work with her energy systems, she managed to heal herself from a number of serious conditions including Multiple Sclerosis. She has taught thousands of people how to empower themselves by using their own energy to heal themselves and stay healthy.

I met Donna Eden and her husband, clinical psychologist David Feinstein in 2019. I highly admire their work. I’ve just completed Year 2 of the Eden Energy Medicine Certification program and I’d love everyone to learn about these great healing and self-healing tools. The Daily Energy Routine is one of them.

Each of the exercises in the Daily Energy Routine is designed to balance and strengthen specific energetic systems in your body, leading to greater resilience, the ability to fight illness, and feeling better in general.

Follow the steps in Donna Eden’s video and see how you feel after going through the exercises.

Below is an outline of the main points from this video. It is best to watch the video first and use these points as a reference afterwards.

THE DAILY ENERGY ROUTINE

1. THE FOUR THUMPS:

i) Cheekbones – grounding

ii) Collarbone – vitality

iii) Thymus – immune system

iv) Ribcage under breasts – metabolizing

2. THE CROSSOVER SHOULDER PULL – gives you energy, clarity of mind, supports healing

3. THE CROSS CRAWL – harmonizes energy patterns, helps the brain to function better

4. THE WAYNE COOK POSTURE – helps to stabilise emotions and improves focus

5. THE CROWN PULL – supports the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid, brings fresh energy into your head, good against headaches

6. CONNECTING HEAVEN AND EARTH – sends healing energies through your body, sends out built-up toxins

7. THE ZIP UP – strengthens your energetic field, protects against negative energies

8. THE HOOK UP – connects the central and governing meridians (at the front and back of your body) which creates a strong force, sending spiraling energy around the body and positively affecting all your energy systems. This simple exercise can sometimes stop a seizure. (Energy Medicine by Donna Eden, pg 99)

Note: During each exercise breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth

2) Try some of the exercises specifically targeted for the current situation related to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this video, Donna Eden and David Feinstein present several powerful immunity-boosting tools you can do absolutely anywhere. Check it out and ideally share it with others!

Once again, watch the video first and use these points as a further reference.

IMMUNITY BOOSTING TOOLS

1. THUMP YOUR THYMUS – to boost your immunity

2. MASSAGE THE POINTS UNDER YOUR KNEES (the ‘Stomach 36’ acupressure points) to stimulate nurturing energy and strengthen your immunity

3. MASSAGE YOUR NEUROLYMPHATIC REFLEX POINTS to help the lymph flow and remove toxins. These points can be found at multiple locations:

at the seams of your arms (to move toxins out of the body)

all around your chest (to move congestion out of your lungs)

on the sternum (to help overcome illnesses and give you vitality)

under your breast (for the stomach and liver reflex points)

under the ribcage (massaging your spleen reflex points is particularly beneficial for your immune system)

under the ribcage (all along) – the small intestine reflex points are also very important for your immunity

an inch above the belly button, and an inch to each side (adrenal reflex points, great against stress and too much adrenalin)

the sides of your thigh (outside: Large intestine reflex points / Inside: Small intestine reflex points)

go down the side of your spine and massage all the neurolymphatic points (‘The Spinal Flush’). This is extremely cleansing and rejuvenating.

4. THE HOOK UP – connects front and back meridians which strengthens your aura and protects you against negative energies.

5. HOLD SPLEEN MERIDIAN ACUPRESSURE POINTS (follow Donna’s instructions in the video)

First pair: 2-3 minutes (do this twice – first  on one side of your body, then on the other)

Second pair: 1 – 2 minutes (again, hold the points on both sides of the body – with this pair, it’s is easy to hold both sides in one go)

Holding these points strengthens your immune system and can also generate more inner joy.

6. HOLD / MASSAGE THE ‘LOWER DANTIAN’ CALMING POINTS:

Drop two inches below your belly button and press all your fingers into the area. There is an energy center called the Lower Dantian, and holding it calms fear and panic.

A follow-up on the immunity-boosting video above, with additional tips and exercises. 

IMMUNITY BOOSTING TOOLS – PART II

1. MASSAGE THE TRIPLE WARMER POINT (see instructions at 0:45) to mobilise the protective force of this meridian in the optimal way

2. MASSAGE NEUROLYMPATICREFLEX  POINTS (Kidney 27 – under your collarbone corners – see 1:52) – to help kidneys function well, help all the other meridians flow in the right direction

3. ‘RAKE’ YOUR NEUROLYMPHATIC REFLEX POINTS around the lung area to help them work well

4. DO STRETCHING EXERCISES e.g. the Ileocecal and Houston valves (3:10) – to help valves in your body open and keep poisons moving out of your body

5. BREATHE DEEP (especially on the out-breah)

6. STRETCH YOUR MOUTH WITH STAINLESS STEEL SPOON – to activate important meridians (4:19)

7. KEEP TAKING VITAMIN C to keep your immune system strong.

Please watch the videos and do the techniques that resonate with you. Having a strong and healthy immune system is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy during this time.

3) Try meditation! I swear by it and can’t recommend it enough. I was introduced to meditation (perhaps rather surprisingly) by ‘The God of Hell Fire’ Arthur Brown. If you’ve ever seen him on stage and wondered where he gets all that crazy energy, I can tell you – after my own experience – that this might well have something to do with it. Meditation is proven to give you more energy, strengthen your immunity, decrease your stress levels, improve your sleep, making you more creative, and much more.

See my article about the numerous benefits of meditation, where I share my own experience with regular meditation practice. If you are a busy person, it is exactly the right thing for you, because it will actually create more time in your day. You’ll find out for yourself as soon as you start practicing it regularly. Together with Donna Eden’s Daily Energy Routine, it’s one of the best things you could be doing for your immune system.

BY LUCIE DUN

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Learn to Juggle for Your Brain Health

Learn to Juggle for Your Brain Health

I perceive myself as a fairly inquisitive person. I like reading and learning new things, but my big problem has always been concentration and long-term focus. Often, reading one book would take me weeks, sometimes months, and I wouldn’t usually remember much afterwards. I wanted to change this.

The Most Brain-Specific Exercise

A few years back I saw a video of a doctor who called juggling ‘the most brain-specific exercise, and who got all his medical students to juggle. According to the students, juggling helped them gain better concentration and relieve stress at the same time.

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I’ve never been interested in juggling, considering it only as a party trick or a circus-specific sport, but this video stirred my curiosity. If juggling could improve concentration, I thought to myself, it might help me to improve my reading and learning skills in general.

Studies on Effects of Learning a Visual-Motor Skill

An interesting quote from an article called “Changes in Gray Matter Induced by Learning” states:

Recently, activation-dependant structural brain plasticity in humans has been demonstrated in adults after three months of training a visuomotor skill. Learning three-ball cascade juggling was associated with a transient and highly selective increase in brain gray matter in the occipito-temporal cortex comprising the motion sensitive area hMT/V5 bilaterally.

An Oxford study claims that learning a new skill such as juggling creates more white matter in the brain. White matter are the nerve strands that help different parts of the brain communicate with each other, and an activity such as juggling can boost the connection between different parts of the brain.

Thanks to all these studies, programmes are now being put in place for people with brain injuries (such as stroke victims) to be taught to juggle in an attempt to increase their brain functioning.

Benefits of Learning to Juggle

Juggling encourages the brain to work in a crossover pattern, which can be beneficial for children and adults with dyslexia, as well as anyone who would like to improve their reading skills.

Complex learning tasks, juggling included, provide multiple benefits, such as:

– Relieving stress

– Sharpening focus and concentration

– Increasing dexterity and coordination

– Diminishing food cravings

– Assisting in the cessation of smoking

– Prevention or delay of Alzheimer’s disease

Jim Kwik

One of the people talking highly of juggling is a renowned ‘brain coach’ Jim Kwik,  a world expert in speed-reading, memory improvement, brain performance, and accelerated learning. For over 25 years, Jim has worked with students, seniors, educators, athletes, as well as many of the world’s leading CEOs and celebrities such as Will Smith.

Will Smith and Jim Kwik

Jim considers juggling one of the most important exercises for the brain. He says that movement such as juggling helps our brain build new connections and thus it’s one of the best tools for improving our learning skills. In his own words, ‘As your body moves, your brain grooves’.

I’m a great fan of Jim Kwik. He is one of a few whose fame hasn’t gone to their heads. I love his warmth and humility. It was he who really inspired me to learn to juggle, which has considerably improved my reading skills, focus and memory. I’m immensely grateful to him.

I find his personal story very moving – as a child he suffered from a serious brain injury, after which he found it extremely challenging to learn anything, especially reading. One of his teachers even called him ‘the boy with a broken brain’.

However, Jim perceived it as a life challenge in the best possible sense and created strategies to dramatically enhance his mental performance, which got him to where he is today – helping others to maximize their performance, unleash their potential and find true meaning in life. He is also the author of the 2019 bestseller ‘Limitless’.

Jim says that we’re not practicing juggling just for the sake of it. He views learning to juggle as a metaphor for embracing challenges in our life. When you’re learning to juggle you are forced to develop certain discipline, which will benefit all areas of your life.

As Jim says: “If you’re able to create one new habit, what else will you be able to do? Possibilities will open up because you’ll be in the habit of creating empowering habits.”

The Treasure You Seek…

Here are a few great quotes that Jim often uses. I particularly like the last one which is rather subtle, but so true! That thought-provoking sentence was a revelation to me – I recognized myself in it at once, and the realisation has completely revolutionized my workflow.

– If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from the inside.

– First you create your habits and then your habits create you.

– Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right. (Henry Ford)

– How you do anything is how you do everything.

–  The difference between a normal person and a champion is that a champion is willing to push past the pain period.

– The treasure you seek is found in the task you’re avoiding! 

My Own Juggling Adventure

After having read all the good things about juggling and its effects on one’s brain, I decided to learn to juggle.

I’ve documented a part of my learning journey here. Get ready for my juggling feats but do not necessarily follow everything I do there…!

The tutorial I’m mentioning in my video is, to my mind, one of the clearest, most beginner-friendly juggling tutorial I’ve ever come across. The guy who teaches it, ‘Coach Bob’, is a real juggling pro (do check his and his wife’s website full of their crazy juggling acrobatics).

His instructions are super-comprehensive, step-by-step, not like the usual three-step instructions that come with the box of juggling balls, or some other Youtube tutorials which don’t always seem to empathise with a real beginner’s mind.

Coach Bob breaks his tutorial into eight steps, and each step must be learned properly before moving on to the next one.

I’m happy to say that thanks to Coach Bob’s video I finally learned the three-ball cascade. As you can see in my video above, I’ve reached my goal of juggling for one minute.

Below is Coach Bob’s training step-by-step. If you follow this tutorial and practice a little bit every day, then you should be able to juggle in less than two weeks’ time, if not earlier!

Go Slower, Arrive Sooner

‘If you can tie your own shoes you can learn how to juggle’.

This is how Coach Bob introduces his tutorial.

He is adamant that YOU can learn to juggle as well, because he taught a wide range of people to juggle: Between the ages of six and eighty!

The coach Bob method is an 8-step process.

I’d recommend to watch the video and follow the points written here step-by-step. You don’t have to read all the notes – rather use them as a reference.

It is really important to remember this:

If you go slower, you’ll arrive sooner. Take the time to master each step before going to the next one.

Juggling Balls

Before you start learning, make sure you have suitable juggling balls that don’t bounce all around, because it would drive you crazy. Don’t use tennis balls or anything that bounces. The best type is a so-called ‘beanbag’, and you can get a set of three for almost nothing on Amazon. (And if you cannot wait before they arrive, you can always resort to rolled-up socks! 🙂

 

Learn to Juggle Three Balls – a Tutorial for Beginners by Coach Bob

 

Step 1 – Basic Throw with One Ball

(1:10 at Coach Bob’s video)

The first step in learning to juggle three balls is a one ball drill. This gets you used to the basic throw you’ll use in three ball juggling.

Bend your arms in the juggling position.

You need to imagine a rectangular box in front of you.

The box has its lower corners in line with your bent elbows, and the upper corners are a bit above your head.

Start with your hands pointed slightly inwards (which will form the lower two corners of the box) and then throw the ball towards to opposite top corner of the imaginary box. This should be slightly higher than you head is.

The technique of the throw is also important: Don’t throw it fast in a jerky way – the throw should be more of a scooping motion.

When the ball reaches the opposite top corner, then you just let the ball fall straight down to that bottom corner, and catch.

Then repeat the process with your opposite hand (which is usually the weaker hand, so this is going to need some extra practice), and again, throw the ball up towards the opposite corner, let it fall, and catch it.

The sound of this basic pattern is:

1) Throw

2) Catch

Do this until it becomes comfortable. Keep your chin up to help you get the necessary height – the ball should peak above your head.

Also, make sure the throws are consistent, i.e. that the ball always reaches the same height in those imaginary top corners.

Now go ahead and practice the Step 1 until it becomes really comfortable and you are reaching the same height.

Step 2 – Adding a snap of the fingers (Throw – Snap – Catch)

(2:41 at Coach Bob’s video)

We’re going to continue with one ball, and we’re going to add a snap of the fingers before you catch the ball.

You’re going to throw with your right hand (or whatever hand you start with), and when that ball hits the peak, that’s when you snap your fingers before catching it.

The sound of the technique is:

1) Throw

2) Snap + Catch

Do the snap just as the ball peeks, (or maybe a little bit after).

If for some reason you can’t snap your fingers, you can replace the snap with a slap of your thigh.

If you’re throwing too low, you may not have time to get that snap (or slap). The higher the throw is, the more time you have to snap (or throw another ball as we’ll see in Step Three).

Step 3 – Throw – Throw – Drop – Drop

(3:50 at Coach Bob’s video)

For step three Bob recommends to find a table, or a bed, or anything that will keep you from having to constantly bend over and pick up the juggling balls when you drop them – because now we’re going to start dropping quite a bit!

In step three we’ll be using two balls. Start with the more confident hand, and throw one of the balls up to the opposite corner of the imaginary box.

When that ball hits the corner, instead of snapping (which we did in Step 2) you’re going to throw the other ball to the opposite corner.

And because you hopefully have something like a table or a bed in from of you, you shouldn’t worry about catching the balls. Instead, you should keep your full focus on the throws.

When the ball peaks, throw in the second ball.

The sound of this pattern is:

 1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Drop

4) Drop

You should hear FOUR distinct beats:

“One – two – three four, one – two – three – four”.

Also, notice where the balls are landing, because that will tell you whether you are on the right path.

If you have a table in from of you, notice where on the table the balls are landing – they should land right in front of you.

Or, if you weren’t using a table, they should by your feet, but not much further.

Spend a lot of time practicing this until you become really confident with this technique. It will make learning the next steps much easier.

Also, teach both your hands, right and left, to become confident with that first throw.

For example, if you do:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Drop

4) Drop

Then also practice:

1) Left

2) Right

3) Drop

4) Drop

Don’t go on to the next step until the technique in Step feels very comfortable. It’s worth waiting for a few days, focusing just on this technique. Your patience will pay off – you’ll see for yourself soon.

Step 4 – Throw – Throw – Catch – Catch

(5:27 at Coach Bob’s video)

Step four is this most difficult step in the eight step process, and this is where most people quit learning to juggle – but not you! YOU CAN DO IT. Now I have to admit something here: I tried to learn to juggle a year ago, but, shamefully, after about a week of trying and not getting it right at all, I quit. It was too frustrating and I didn’t like to see myself like a loser, so it was easier to just forget it.

The one excuse I have is that I didn’t find a tutorial video which would suit my pace and my way of learning. I’m pretty sure that if I found Coach Bob’s video back then, that I wouldn’t quit.

So hopefully this tutorial (together with his demonstration in the video), will save you plenty of time of searching for a comprehensive, thorough tutorial, and also save you from that frustrating feeling of being stuck on your learning way and doubting yourself.

Now, let’s get on with Step 4:

We’re going to start with two balls again, like in the previous step. But instead doing:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Drop

4) Drop,

we’re going to do:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Catch

While doing this, keep those catching hands quite low down – don’t be tempted to catch them too high up in th3e air. We need the throws to be quite slow, and we achieve this by creating some distance between the ball and the catching hand.

Also, watch for consistent height on the throws.

This is going to be difficult at first, but stick with it. This is a crucial step to learn before going on to the next step. As Coach Bob says, using a witty quote, ‘Everything is difficult until it becomes easy.’

Once again, there should be four distinct

beats: “One – two – three four, one – two – three – four…”

when you are doing the “Throw – Throw – Catch – Catch”.

Remember to change the starting hand, so both your left and right hand are confident at doing the starting throw. Basically, both your hands should be equally trained to do the starting throw, in order to hit the same height of the opposite corners in that imaginary box.

So, practice this pattern:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Catch

4) Catch

And then:

1) Left

2) Right

3) Catch

4) Catch

At this point you shouldn’t do a continuous juggle, (a loop) although it may be tempting; a lot of people will try to keep two balls in the air in a frantic loop, but at this point, we are just practicing in order to give our future juggling precision and good rhythm, so these throws should not yet be continuous.

Instead, it should be just one part:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Catch

Then stop, take a deep breath, and only after a pause do another repetition of this pattern. (And remember to give both hands a chance at the starting throw)

Also, don’t worry about speed, just get that four distinct beats down and you should start improving. If you find it too difficult, go back to Step Three, and work on the “Throw – Throw – Drop – Drop” pattern.

Don’t forget to keep a consistent height of those throws.

What might help you is to keep your chin slightly lifted, so you can throw the balls a bit higher and still be in control.

All this we’ve been doing in this step is going to take a lot of practice – don’t rush through this step. It will really pay off if you are patient and stick with the practice. Coach Bob closes this part of the tutorial with another highly relevant quote – ‘Go slower, arrive sooner’!

Step 5 – Throw – Throw – Snap – Catch

(7:08 at Coach Bob’s video)

For step 5 we’re going to stick with using two balls and doing the “Throw – Throw – Catch – Catch” pattern, but we’re also going to add a snap of the fingers.

The snap will be done by the hand that has thrown the first ball. And it will be done in the moment when the second ball is falling from the top corner, just about to land in that snapping hand.

The sound of the pattern will be:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Snap + Catch

The hand that throws the first ball will be the one doing that snap just before catching the second ball, so it will sound like this:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Catch

4) Snap (with right hand) + Catch (with right hand)

Or, if we start with the left hand, the pattern will sound:

1) Left

2) Right

3) Catch

4) Snap (with left hand) + Catch (with left hand)

To describe the steps with even more detail, so you can fully visualise these patterns in slow motion and then try it for real. It’s really useful to rehearse these movements in your imagination, because the brain registers it anyway, and, rewarding you for the mental work, it will make the real life situation easier for you later on.

Let’s imagine we are starting with our right hand:

1) Right hand throws the first ball

2) Left hand throws the second ball

3) Left hand catches the first ball

4) Right hand snaps, and then catches the second ball.

And vice versa, if you want:

1) Left hand throws the first ball

2 Right hand throws the second ball

3) Right hand catches the first ball

4) Left hand snaps, and then catches the second ball.

If you can’t snap, you can slap the side of your thigh instead, or whatever feels comfortable, and which you can do with ease just before catching that ball.

You may be wondering why bother with that snap at all?

It’s because eventually that snap is going to be another throw when you are using three balls.

So before we attempt the three-ball juggling, you should get used to doing something with that space between the two catches (because soon there’s going to be a throw between them, instead of the snap).

All the exercises we have done so far are very important.

Here is a recap of the patterns we’ve learnt so far to practice:

1) With one ball:

1) Throw

2) Catch

2) With one ball:

1) Throw

2) Snap + Catch

3) With two balls:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Catch

 

4) With two balls:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Drop

4) Drop

 

5) With two balls:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Snap + Catch

 

You should be able to do about 10 to 20 of these in a row without dropping, starting with either hand, before you go on to the next step.

Aim for consistent heights and consistent throws, and try to stay relaxed when you’re doing this. Relaxed focus is the best state for successful juggling!

Step 6 – Throw – Throw – Catch – Catch (with three balls)

(8:30 at Coach Bob’s video)

Now we finally get to start working with 3 balls!

We’ll start with having two balls in one hand, and one in the other hand. The first throw will be done with the hand that has two balls in it.

It can be either right or left hand, whichever feels more natural for you. But for this example, let’s say you’ve opted for the right hand as the starting one.

Put two balls in your right hand; one ball will sit in your palm (and will stay there without moving during the whole Step 6 practice.)

Then you make a ‘peace sign’ with your index and third finger, and extend your thumb as well, and grab another ball with these three fingers. 

You always start juggling with the hand that has more balls in it.

For this practice, we will start with the right hand. (Although you can start with any hand.)

Now, keeping the first ball in the palm of your right hand without throwing it, we’ll do the pattern from Step 4:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Catch

Once again, remember that at this stage you should be juggling with two balls only, keeping the third ball passively sitting in your palm.

You only have three fingers available (thumb, index and middle finger) to throw the other ball, while the first one is resting in the palm of the same hand. 

You’ll need to get used to throwing the ball using those three fingers only, and at the same time keep the other ball in the palm of your hand. It may feel a bit clumsy at first. 

And as you do the “Throw – Throw – Catch – Catch” pattern, you’ll be using those three fingers for throws as well as catches, while always holding that third ball in your palm without throwing it.

This way you will gain enough practice in order to move on to the next steps.

Let’s go through the process again, starting with the right hand:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Catch

4) Catch

 

That is:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Catch

4) Catch

 

Or, described with even more detail:

1) Right hand holds two balls, and throws the one further from the body, using three fingers only.

2) Left hand throws

3) Left hand catches the ball thrown by the ‘three fingers only’ from the right hand

4) Right hand, which has been clutching the third stationary ball, catches the ball thrown by the left hand.

Try to visualise this in slow motion, you’ll be training your brain, creating new neural connections, (brain loves novelty and learning!) and it will later reward you for this by making the whole learning process easier.

Repeat the “Right – Left – Catch – Catch” process several times.

But don’t try to attempt any loops yet, always pause after each set:

“Right – Left – Catch – Catch – STOP,

Right – Left – Catch – Catch – STOP” Etc.

Once this pattern becomes easy, you’re going to put the set of the two balls in your left hand, and start working on the opposite side:

1) Left

2) Right

3) Catch

4) Catch

 

You should be able to do 10 to 20 repetitions (with PAUSES) without a drop before going on to the next step.

Work on that and you’ll be properly juggling in the next step!

Step 7 – Three Throws = Juggling!

(10:05 at Coach Bob’s video)

 At this step you have officially become a juggler!

We’re finally going to be juggling three balls.

Hold two balls in your right hand, and one ball in your left hand.

The first throw will be done with your right hand which is holding two balls, and it shall be the ball which is further away from your body. (The one held by your fingers, not the one resting in your palm.)

The sound of the pattern will be:

1) Throw

2) Throw

3) Throw

4) Catch

 

That is:

1) Right (throw the ball that is further away from your body)

2) Left (throw the ball and get ready to catch the ball you’ve thrown at point 1)

3) Right (throw the ball that was in your palm and then catch the ball from point 2)

4) Catch (another ball lands in your left hand, where you’ve already been holding the ball thrown at point 3)

 

If you do it right, the two balls that you were holding in your right hand before you started, will now be in sitting your left hand.

The throws should be reaching a consistent height – don’t throw the next ball until the first ball hits its peak.

The rhythm and tempo of the juggling is very important. People often tend to throw too fast, throwing multiple balls in the air, but the correct juggling technique requires that only one ball means to be up in the air at a time. Juggling is slower than most people think!

 

The goal of this step is to manage three throws:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Right

4) Stop

If this is difficult for you, go back some steps, for example when we do the snap (Step 5). You will be replacing that snap with another throw, so it’s useful to first practice the snap.

Don’t worry about juggling in a loop, for now just do three throws and stop.

Once you get good at this pattern (starting with your right hand holding two balls and doing the Right – Left – Right – Stop), then you can start with two balls in your left hand, and do ‘Left – Right – Left – Stop’ pattern.

(I’m referring to the right hand as your dominant hand, but if you’re left-handed, then obviously start with your left hand.)

You have just mastered the basics of juggling. If you can do three throws and catch three throws, you are a juggler.

In the next step, you’ll learn how to increase from three throws to any number, so you can do the proper juggling loop.

 

 

Step 8 – Continue the pattern

(12:16 at Coach Bob’s video)

Now, as a new juggler, you should be able to do the “One – Two -Three – Stop” pattern easily. Try it at least ten times in a row (but still with stopping after each three throws).

Make sure you are comfortable with starting (holding the two balls) with either hand.

Once you find this easy, you’re ready to go on to the fourth throw.

The fourth throw is simply another throw instead of the ‘Stop’ (as in the previous step, when you caught the two balls in your hand and rested).

So for example, if in step 7 you did:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Right

4) Stop

You’ll be doing:

1) Right

2) Left

3) Right

4) Left

5) Stop. 

Watch the movement of Coach Bob’s hands (I’ve found this especially helpful) between 12:43 and 13:02 in the video.

Once four throws become easy, you could add one more throw at a time, until you get to about 20 and then you’ll be able to just keep the pattern going.

 

Things to keep in mind:

– Consistent throws

– Catching low (let the balls come down into your hands)

– Relaxed focus

 

All this takes a lot of practice, but juggling is completely learnable. As you’re practicing, remember the five P’s:

1) Positive

2) Practice

3) Patience

4) Perseverance and…

5) Pass it on!

Now go and teach somebody else how to a juggle!

A Nice Gift Idea:

You can place the juggling balls in one of these lovely cotton drawstring bags. They are just a perfect size to fit three small juggling balls such as the ones I have been using.

 

Drawstring cotton gift bag:

Find on Amazon

 

A set of three juggling balls:

Find on Amazon

BY LUCIE DUN

This site has been (very happily) built with DIVI, by Elegant Themes.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The complete Affiliate Disclosure can be accessed here. If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, check out my favourite platform for online marketers. Thank you for visiting!

   Let’s keep in touch:

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The Best WordPress Theme of 2024

The Best WordPress Theme of 2024

A few years ago, when I started this website, I was determined to find the best WordPress theme to suit my ways. It had to be simple to use, but highly flexible, with a lot of options for customising the page.

I asked my online business coach Alex Sol, who had a cool-looking website, what theme he had built his site with. He told me he was using DIVI by Elegant Themes and sent me a link to his review of Divi as well as Elegant Themes’ website. I am grateful to Alex to this very day!

front-end design with Divi

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, as described at the disclaimer at the end of the page.

 

I started using Divi in 2018, but when someone asks a question “What is the best WordPress theme in 2024?” I’m pretty confident I know the answer.

I had tried a few free WordPress themes before, but I never liked the fact I was not able to customise them as much as I would like. The inflexibility of most of them was impacting my enthusiasm for building websites, as well as slowing down my online business learning process.

I trusted Alex’s personal choice, and after watching a few videos and experimenting with designing a page in the Divi ‘live builder’, I could see how user-friendly and flexible the whole interface was and decided to invest in the Divi theme.

Divi by Elegant Themes

I’m happy to say that I haven’t looked back once since purchasing Divi. This incredible theme has turned my often frustrating work in standard WordPress editor into creative play with no limits to my imagination.

Also, it was soon after rebuilding my website with Divi that I earned my first commission from my affiliate marketing.

Examples of pages built in Divi

Below are a few samples of pages I’ve built in Divi’s Visual Builder – by simply dragging and dropping elements on the page. Each of these images leads to the live version of the page, so if you want to view any of these websites and get the feel of Divi in real life, just click on any given image and it will open in a new tab.

Note that I’ve built all these websites from scratch, without using a template. Although Divi comes with a whole sea of beautiful templates, it’ so simple (and fun!) to build a page in Divi’s Visual Builder, that you’re more than likely to end up designing everything by yourself.

Old School Players
amabel clarke storyteller
Swell Maps website
https://aidanandrewdun.com/
https://aidanandrewdun.com/
https://lesstweb.com/
https://lesstweb.com/works/
Naturegrooves

What Makes Divi So Special?

The Divi theme is actually much more than just a WordPress theme. It’s a complete web design platform that replaces the standard WordPress editor with a far more advanced visual editor. 

The process of building a page is really flexible: You can still build the standard way, (on the back end), but you can also build on the front end, in Divi’s Visual Builder, where you can see what your published page will look like while building it. No need for the constant switching from standard WordPress editor to preview your pages. This is what’s made all the difference for me.

The Visual Builder - building a page on the front-end

To have an idea of what I’m talking about, have a look at the following video by the Divi team, where they’re introducing one of the previous software updates. (By now Divi’s upgraded to version 4, with yet more great updates such as the WooCommerce modules, but this video will give you a good general overview of Divi’s features and potential.)

As the Divi developer in the video (who for some reason seems to remind everyone of Nicholas Cage) says: ‘The new visual builder allows you to make changes on your website on your actual website. There is no need to preview your pages because everything is happening right in front of your eyes.’

Everything is totally customisable on the actual page. Shapes and sizes of your building blocks, fonts, images, etc. It feels as if you are painting directly on the canvas, rather then trying to control everything from behind the painting. If you want to add a block of text, an image, a video, a gallery, etc, just add it on the front end and that’s it.

Premade Templates

Divi comes with a huge number of beautiful premade layouts, so if you want something ready-made (but still fully customisable), you can choose from 1183 (!) really cool templates. 

When you want to build a page, you have three options:

1) Build from scratch

2) Choose an existing layout

3) Clone an existing page.

Three ways to create a page

Sections, Rows, and Modules

If you want to build from scratch like I do, Divi has a range of building blocks called sections, rows, and modules. With these you can build anything from a minimalist room to a baroque cathedral.

You have complete freedom to chose the number, size, and placement of these elements.

Here is an example of the three basic building blocks:

Section, Row and Module

Here are the three building blocks in ‘real life’:

Section, Row and Module
Section, Row and Module

The Three-step Procedure of Building a Basic Structure

1) First, you’ll create a section (think of a section like a big, outer container or a box, inside which everything else fits.

2) Then you’ll create a row (an ‘inner container’ – the box with a green border) inside the section.

In the two images above I’ve only used a single row, but, as you can see from the following screenshot, you can select a row with as many segments/columns as you like, and these can be of different widths. (There are even more combinations possible than in this screenshot).

Rows and their variations

3) Finally, you insert a module. A module can be: A text, an image, a gallery, a map, a shopping cart, etc. Basically, all the various content inside your page.

This is what inserting a module looks like:

Inserting a module

In the following example I’m using a row with four segments/columns, and into each column I have inserted a module called ‘blurb’.

A blurb module is a combination of an image and text, as you’ll see in the second example below:

A row with four segments (or columns)
Section, Row and Module ('Blurb')

Try and Build a Page Right Now!

Would you like a little ‘live builder’ experience? Try the ‘Drag and Drop’ Page Builder for free here. (Click on Divi / Live Builder Demo.) You can take a short tour first or start building straight away. Enjoy!

Divi Builder Live Demo - From the menu, go to: Divi / Live Builder Demo

An Overview of Divi Modules

Here is Divi’s generous list of the modules:

Divi Modules
Divi Modules

Examples of Modules

Here are several examples of different modules. 

The Gallery Module

You can add captions and descriptions to your thumbnails, or hide them as I’ve done here. Click on an image to enlarge it.

You can experiment with customising your gallery’s background, adding a border to the thumbnails, make the border’ corners rounder, etc.

The Slider Module

Another great, fully customisable module to showcase your / your client’s products or art. This is a ‘real life’ slider I’ve created for an online store ‘Buddha Groove’.

The Blog Module

This is one of my favourite features of the Divi theme. You can use Divi’s blog module to customise the appearance of your blog page and organise your posts and categories. You can insert a blog module on any page you like (even on multiple pages) and control how your blog excerpts will display. 

Here’s an example of how I’ve used the blog module:

Instead of the traditional blog-page layout, (which Divi offers as well) I’ve chosen a grid layout, which gives my blog-page more of a magazine look.

The Blog Module: Grid layout

You can also go really minimal, hiding the featured images:

Hiding featured images in the blog module

Here’s the more classic look of a Divi blog module from my coach Alex Sol’s ‘Extra Paycheck’ blog. (Check out his podcast devoted to online entrepreneurship. I’m grateful to this guy for so many things, his great articles and podcast being just the tip of the iceberg.)

Extra PayCheck blog - Alex Sol

The Blurb Module

This is one of my favourite modules. Below is an example of a fully functioning Blurb module (i.e. two Rows with four Blurb modules in each), borrowed from my article about the online store ‘Buddha Groove’. First I created a Row with four sections, and then I inserted the modules. After that, I duplicated the first Row. You can have a lot of fun designing the Blurbs; you can create the ‘on-mouse hover’ effect by selecting a desired degree of transparency; you can also create rounded corners, or choose from various animation effects.

The Email Optin Module

The Email Optin – an essential module for anyone in online business. Fully customisable as well.

Email Optin module
Email Optin module

The Social Media Follow Module

The icons inserted through the Social media Follow module will lead your website visitors to your social media platforms. The icons are also customisable – you can keep them as they are or make them transparent to fit your page’s design.

Here’s the standard look of the icons:

And here are a few examples of my playing with the design:

Social Media Follow module
Social Media Follow module

The Contact Form Module

Contact forms are also highly customisable. In the second example, I have used partial transparency in the form’s fields.

Contact Form module

The WooCommerce modules

Another bonus of the 2019 update is Divi’s WooCommerce Builder, which includes 16 Divi’s WooCommerce modules. These allow you to create custom product templates, and amazing product pages. You’ll be able to build your own product listings anywhere on your website. 

Divi WooCommerceBuilder
Divi WooCommerce module example
Divi WooCommerce module example

You can activate all the Divi WooCommerce modules by first installing the common Woocommerce plugin, and then activating Divi’s Woocommerce Builder. I am not using this feature yet, but you can view live demos and tutorials on Divi’s WooCommerce modules on Elegant Themes website under Divi WooCommerce Modules.

Great Plugins – Free with The Divi Theme

The fun certainly doesn’t stop at all the modules or the WooCommerce Builder. When you purchase Divi, you’ll also get a whole package of bonuses including some really cool plug-ins mentioned in this list:

The Plugins that come with Divi
Monarch - Social Sharing plugin

Monarch – Your Social Sharing Plugin

The first one well-worth mentioning is Monarch, a social-sharing plug-in, rated as one of the top social media plug-ins on Google.

For instance, Bloggingwizard.com rates Monarch as the second best in his 2020 review of 11 Best Social Sharing Plugins For WordPress, right after the extremely popular plugin Social Snap.

Shoutmeloud.com places Monarch in the fourth place, while, interestingly, he also rates Social Snap as first. By any means give Social Snap a try, as it does look and sound great, but remember that if you decide to invest in the Divi theme, you will get Monarch for free.

Manage the location of your social sharing icons

You can manage the placement of your social sharing icons in several ways, as seen from Monarch’s interface.

You can place them vertically on the side of your page, or  ‘inline’ your page or post. (That means above, anywhere within, or below your post). They can also ‘pop up’ or ‘fly in’.

 

Monarch plugin - settings

As you can see in the ‘Manage locations’ screenshot, I’ve ticked ‘Sidebar’ and ‘Fly in’. The sidebar icons are fixed, and the ‘Fly in’ will appear once you scroll all the way down the page.

You can see how it works on this very page.

Examples of Social Share Icons’ Placements

Here’s a common placement of the social share icons in the sidebar:

Monarch's social share icons in the sidebar

In the next example, the icons are ‘inline’, straight after the end of a blog post, in the middle of the page. You can arrange the icons both vertically or horizontally.

Monarch's social share icons inline
Monarch's social share icons inline - clcik to view the actual page

And here is the ‘Fly in’. If you want to see it flying in real time, just scroll all the way down this page…and click on it. 🙂

Monarch's Fly-in social share icon

You can also choose on which pages or posts you don’t want the icons to appear.

Monarch provides you with the social follow icons as well, so you can experiment with these, as well as the icons from the ‘Social Follow’ module.

Bloom - Email Opt-in and Lead Generation plugin

Bloom – an Email Opt-in Plugin

Another plug-in that comes free with Divi is Bloom, an Email Opt-in plug-in, which integrates with subscription services such as MailChimp, Aweber and others.

Bloom helps you grow your email list. When you insert a Bloom email opt-in form to your page, it will connect to your email marketing or email newsletter software. When someone signs up using the Bloom opt-in form, they get added to your email list.

You can choose from many customizable templates and even upload your own image. You can also decide where on the page you want the form to appear, and whether you prefer it static, or as a fly-in or a pop-up form.

Below are two examples of a simple subscription form. You can click on the second one to view it on a real page, where I’ve placed it under the post.

Bloom email optin - subscription form
Bloom email optin - subscription form

You can find out more on Bloom’s general overview page, or check out plenty of Bloom demos and tutorials which you can access here.

Extra - Magazine Theme and Visual Page Builder

Extra – the Magazine WordPress Theme

I haven’t tried it yet because I’ve been having so much fun with creating my own designs with Divi, but you can learn more about Extra from the general overview on Elegant Themes website, as well as from their tutorials and articles.

Extra by Elegant Themes
Extra by Elegant Themes - Features

Divi Demos and Tutorials

Back to the Divi Theme: Do check out the great library full of articles, tutorials and demos.

Here are all the links:

Live Divi Builder demo – try building a page with Divi! 

Divi Overview

Divi tutorials and articles

Excellent Customer Support

The customer support team from Divi / Elegant Themes are always super helpful. They’ll be there for you 24/7, answering any of your questions.

Plus, apart from the direct support team, there are some great Divi-devoted forums, groups, and individuals. I’ve learned a lot from a cool guy called Josh Hall, a real pro in Divi. He’s got many of his own tutorials on Youtube, his website, and his own Facebook group called ‘Divi Web Designers‘. I highly recommend joining the group.

'Divi Web Designers' Facebook Group - Josh Hall

You can also join Divi’s official Facebook group called ‘Divi Theme Users‘ where you can get any of your questions answered by many experienced Divi enthusiasts.

Join Divi / Elegant Themes

Pricing

If you decide to invest into Divi, you can choose from two options:

A yearly subscription ($89 a year) or Lifetime access for $249 one-off payment. I got Lifetime access from the very start as it was clear to me that I would be using Divi long-term. Remember, when you buy Divi, you are not getting just one separate theme, but a complete package of themes, plugins, and 24/7 support. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that you’re getting the ultimate web design toolkit.

I am currently offering a 10% discount on the complete Divi package. You can get to this limited-time offer via this link, or by clicking on the countdown timer below.

Remember that signing up with Divi / Elegant Themes is risk-free. You’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee, and if for any reason you feel Divi (and all that comes with it) is not for you, you’ll get a full refund.

10% Off The Complete DIVI Theme - Get It While It Lasts!

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Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed this Divi walkthrough and that it has helped you see the incredible potential of this theme. As you’ve probably guessed, I swear by this theme and would recommend it to everyone. But you should always make your own decision. I’d highly recommend comparing this theme against other WordPress themes. There are plenty of free WordPress themes, some of them with free hosting.

One such platform is Siterubix, where you can create your website for free and experiment with many WordPress-based themes. This is how I started – I was running several websites on Siterubix’s free domain for months.

So, perhaps once you’ve tried out several themes and platforms, (like I did) and still don’t feel completely satisfied, you can opt for the Divi Theme – don’t forget you can give it a try for one whole month. (A word of warning: You may not want to come back to any other theme after experiencing what Divi can do for you!)

Don’t forget to test the Divi Builder for free (via Divi / Live Builder Demo), and have a look at some of the articles and tutorials.

Let’s Talk About Divi

If you would like to ask any questions or share your opinion about Divi or any of the related plugins, do leave a comment below, and I’ll do my best to reply as soon as possible.

For those of you who have tried Divi or are actively using it, I’d be very interested to hear about your experience as well.

BY LUCIE DUN

This site has been built with DIVI, by Elegant Themes.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. (The full Affiliate Disclosure can be read here.) If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, e.g. how to earn extra income from blogging and promoting products you like and would recommend to others, check out Wealthy Affiliate, my favourite platform for online marketers. You can create a free account, which will enable you to make your own website in a few simple steps, and host it with them – free of charge – for as long as you like. You can test it right now by trying their free website builder SiteRubix. Thank you for visiting!

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Is Wifi Dangerous to Health?

Is Wifi Dangerous to Health?

cell phone tower
How Chaotic Frequencies From Our Cell Phone Impact Our Health, and What We Can Do to Protect Ourselves

Is wifi dangerous to health? With the arrival of 5G – Fifth generation Technology, I’ve been pondering on the question of impacts of wi-fi on our health, and have searched for reliable sources of information on this topic. I’ve been lucky to have found one recently, when I came across an interview with an expert in this field, Nick Pineault.

THE ADVENT OF 5G AND INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE EFFECTS OF MAN-MADE EMF

Nick is the author of the bestselling The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs, and is becoming a leading voice on the topic of electromagnetic pollution – how it affects our health, and how we can protect ourselves against its harmful effects. Listening to him has only confirmed my already existing beliefs about the impact of man-made EMFs and I’m happy to share his insights here, together with my own ways to protect myself.

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The full disclosure can be accessed here. Thank you for your support!

A CLOSER LOOK AT EMF

‘EMF‘ stands for ‘electromagnetic fields’ or ‘electromagnetic frequencies’, and it’s nothing new under the sun; there’s an entire spectrum of completely natural things that could be called an EMF – the actual sun in the first place, which emits many different types of frequencies, many of them visible as colours. Others are invisible, yet we know that they have an effect on the human body; some are beneficial, such as vitamin D, and some are harmful, such as UV radiation.

All visible life is, in fact, a latticework of electromagnetic frequencies. However, new forms of EMFs have been introduced in the last decades: Cell phones, cell towers, smart meters – anything that can be connected wirelessly to a Wi Fi router or to a cell antenna is emitting these new forms of EMFs, and their frequencies are much higher.

OUTDATED SAFETY GUIDELINES

The big problem with electromagnetic frequencies emitted by your phone, computer, or a nearby cell phone tower, is that their safety is guaranteed by guidelines put in place in the 1990s, when almost no one used a cell phone. They were supposed to be safe based on the science we had at the time. They are long outdated; they don’t match our current EMF exposure, which has been dramatically increasing every year, and therefore these guidelines are not protecting us against all these possible health effects.

With the introduction of 5G (Fifth generation technology), we’re rolling out an entire new technology with new frequencies, which have not been studied properly in terms of their impact on our health. It’s a common sense that no one in their right mind would take medication that is completely untested, in terms of its efficacy or safety; but this principle is not really applied to the man-made electromagnetic fields we are increasingly exposed to.

What’s especially concerning is that these new frequencies are millimeter waves, much higher in frequency. For instance, your Wi Fi router doesn’t go up more than about six gigahertz. But with 5G, it might go above 60 gigahertz.

Alarmingly, there hasn’t been a single study so far which would prove 5G’s safety. Conversely, there are many scientific studies describing an increase in a lot of different symptoms and illnesses in people living close to a cell phone tower (even with much lower frequencies than 5G). According to Nick Pineault, one of the major newspapers in Quebec, Canada, (Le Journal de Montreal) announced that they were planning an increase from 1,200 4G antennas to about 60,000 5G antennas.

OUR CELLS AND ELECTRICITY

Everything is energy, including our bodies: Our cells our working on electricity, bone growth is based on electricity, the skin acts as a battery to heal itself, your brain has an electrical charge…the list could go on.

In his book, Nick Pineault states that your brain could charge an iPhone 5 in 68 hours.

Our cells are equipped with various channels which have sensors in them. These sensors respond to electricity.

Normally, the sensors respond to electricity coming from some other parts our body. The electric signal prompts the channels to open or close. But when the foreign voltage starts interfering, (such as the artificial Wi-Fi signals) our cells gets confused. The cell channels stay open and allows calcium to flow in.

As a result of this, there is too much calcium inside the cells, which is not natural, and which creates stress and oxidative damage to the cells, as well as reduction of energy production.

We know that electromagnetic frequencies are part of nature and our bodies (and we can use them in a positive way to maintain our health!) but the artificially created electromagnetic frequencies (such as wi-fi signal emitted from mobile phone masts, Wi-Fi routers, mobile phones, and cordless phones) are recognised as electrosmog or electromagnetic pollution – i.e. toxins which create biological stress, and activate certain parts of our cells that should not be activated.

THE RISKS OF EMFs EXPOSURE

It is alarming that the majority of us is oblivious to the dangers of these frequencies. We are aware of the risks of too much sun exposure, and for years we’ve been protecting our eyes by wearing sunglasses with UV filters, or covering our skin with UV-blocking sunscreens, but we don’t do much to protect our health against the man-made EMFs.

Exposure to 5G frequencies is carcinogenic and affects every system in our body.

EMF have impact on (to name a few) circulation, red blood cells, nervous system, and immunity. It can increase tumour growth, sleep disturbance, fatigue, brain fog, depression and anxiety.

Amongst the risky devices are Wifi routers, cell phones (mobile phones), cordless phones, smart meters and even baby monitors (make sure they are not too close to your baby).

HEARING DAMAGE

It came come almost as a surprise to find out so many articles about hearing damage by electromagnetic waves:

hearing damage
hearing damage

REDUCING THE HARM OF EMFs

The awareness of the EMF exposure is rising, but so is our dependency on our wireless devices. As Nick Pineault points out, we’re in a very difficult and bizarre situation that affects the entire society, where everyone loves their phone, and yet no one wants to see cell phone towers erected near their homes.

Fortunately, you can still greatly reduce cumulative exposure to EMFs and eliminate the radiation by taking the following measures:

1) When not in use (especially at night), turn your devices off.

This especially concerns Wi-Fi routers. We don’t need them at night, so why should we allow them to disrupt our sleep?

 

2) Keep your cell phone away from your bed.

I never sleep with my mobile in the same room. It’s always fully switched off away from my bedroom. I have a separate alarm clock (yes, they still exist as separately from mobiles!)

However, if the idea of being separated from your phone at night keeps you awake due to separation anxiety, have it on the Airplane mode, and not too close to your head.

 

3) Replace wi-fi at home with Ethernet cables.

(You can get converters and dongles for any type of a computer, so it’s perfectly feasible.)

Plus Ethernet connection is faster and more stable, and, as a bonus, you eeliminate the radiation you would have with a Wi-Fi router.

 

4) Don’t keep laptops and iPad’s on your body.

(Especially: Don’t keep your device in your pocket or near your heart)

I’ve recently seen a London doctor, who had two mobiles in his chest pockets and another one in his front pocket. However awkward it was, I had to tell him to be careful. He smiled and thanked me. A week later I bumped into him again – and his devices were at exactly the same places as before. I can only wish that people, especially in his profession, will soon wake up.

 

5) Don’t keep your cell phone on your ear for too long.

Use a loudspeaker if you can. When using a loudspeaker, keep your personal devices at least one foot from your body. One foot distance will drop off radiation 80%, which is good news.

Here’s similar advice from Google:

hearing damage

We can’t always be alone when making a phonecall, so often it’s impossible to use a loudspeaker. We tend to solve this by using hands-free, (wearing headphones ) but that poses another hazard, where the EMF go straight into your brain.

Fortunately, there’s an easily solution to this – you can get the so called Airtube headphones / earbuds, such as Symphonized NRG 3.0 Earphones, Wood In-ear Noise-isolating Headphones, Earbuds with Mic & Volume Control

These are safe, because the signal from your cell phone doesn’t go into the wire and in your ear. Only air goes through them, so they are not conductive, and radiation doesn’t go into your brain unlike when using common headphones.

 

6) Get ‘The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs’.

One of the most practical guides available anywhere, when it comes to electromagnetic radiation and what to do about it, is Nick’s book ‘The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs’.

It’s available in paperback and Kindle format, and you can check a free sample of the book here.

Implement at least some of the steps above and you may soon notice a considerable improvement of your overall health and state of mind. Do your own research and help others by informing them about the risks of EMF as well as the ways to protect ourselves.

 

7) Work Daily on Strenghtening Your Immunity

Prevention is crucial. Protect yourself by strengthening your immunity and you will greatly diminish the negative effects of EMFs. You can read my other articles with tips on strengthening your immune system, or how to keep your health in balance with energy medicine.

Any questions or comments on this topic are always welcome.

BY LUCIE DUN

This site has been (very happily) built with DIVI, by Elegant Themes.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The complete Affiliate Disclosure can be accessed here. If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, check out my favourite platform for online marketers. Thank you for visiting!

   Let’s keep in touch:

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