Many years ago I trained with The Yellow Dragon Institute to become a Feng Shui Practitioner, learning about the traditional ancient art of placement.  Although I decided not to follow this career path, like many other areas of learning, I have brought forward the golden nuggets and do apply them both in life and in my business. The basic idea of Feng Shui is that by placing items very specifically in correct places one is able to encourage the healthy flow of positive energy, thus ensuring better health, wealth and happiness.  An integral part of this is removing clutter, or what is sometimes called space clearing.

You know that wonderfully light feeling when you have been through an untidy cupboard or drawer, putting everything in its correct place and throwing out the rubbish?  Or conversely the stuck feeling when a corner becomes cluttered with stuff?  Of course you may be that person who has a place for everything and everything in its place, in which case you never have to face the traumas of clutter busting and please come and sort my daughter’s bedroom!

After shifting all the mess and clutter, the next part of space clearing is to raise the positive energy.  This starts with a really good clean, vacuuming up ancient cobwebs and dust, polishing surfaces to add a bit of a shine and letting a bit of fresh air flow through.  Then we add the sparkle!  For some people, playing music shifts the energy (traditionally this is done with bells, drums and rattles or by singing.)   Others like to place objects such as crystals or wind chimes, but a bunch of spring flowers will bring life and energy to any area.  At this point it may feel appropriate to repaint the walls, paint the ceiling and replace the curtains, but anything which makes you feel relaxed and comfortable is just right for you.

By now you may be wondering if I have decided to convert back to using my Yellow Dragon License (yes, I really do have such a thing), but in fact I’m going to move onto the mind now.

In much the same way as we hang on to unwanted items in our homes, muddling up our drawers and piling things to sort later in corners, we do a very similar thing with our thoughts and ideas.  Just today I was working with a client and we discovered how amazing it can be to de-clutter the brain, stripping away the old, unwanted and outdated thoughts and sending them to the tip.  Using a powerful vacuum to permanently clear away the cobwebs and filling the clear space with positive new energy to allow positive thoughts to flourish. In this instance, knowing how challenging getting rid of the unwanted mental clutter would be, hypnotherapy enabled me to create a situation where he was able to watch himself as a detached observer, one removed from the action and yet still seeing and then feeling the benefits.

In my Meditation Classes I have often used a ‘Cupboard Clearing’ meditation to help clients to discard all the unwanted rubbish from their emotional cupboards, and often this can be a very moving experience as they discover how many out of date products they are hoarding there.  Once again, after the clearing there is the opportunity to fill that space with positive energy which is both energising and healing, but this is a great example of where using the magic of hypnosis or self-hypnosis really is invaluable.

For a limited period of time I am offering one off Mental Clutter Clearing Sessions.  You can book online Book Now

Certain birthdays have a way of focussing the mind, and with one looming, I decided towards the end of last year to take myself in hand!  As an assistant tutor on a hypnotherapy training course in Bournemouth, I found myself working alongside some truly inspirational people.  One in particular, a lady I first met five years ago when she was 55, has dropped a considerable (and I mean a LOT) of weight, taken up exercise and is now running marathons.  I started comparing her with other people I know who seem to relish the ability to give up because they are “too old”, and decided right then that something was going to change!

So, I found myself a personal trainer.  I discovered that I am actually quite strong and despite having a dodgy valve in my heart, I have quite a capacity for exercise. There are days when I can’t be bothered, but that’s when I use self-hypnosis to keep me focussed.  And do you know what?  I am actually enjoying those underused muscles waking up and having fun.  Last week I joined a Pilates class for the first time in over 10 years, and despite the pure agony for a couple of days afterwards, I will be back tomorrow.

When I was a child I learned to hate exercise.  My Dad was no sportsman and delivered a message which stuck. “The only reason anybody should run is to get away from something or to catch something!”  And I was tall and gangly, so that was a good enough reason not to run.  My hand-eye co-ordination has never been brilliant, so wherever possible I have always avoided throwing or catching – especially as a teenager – why would I risk breaking a nail?  Not surprisingly I absolutely dreaded that moment when the games teacher told kids to pick teams – in fact I longer for uneven numbers so I could be the scorer! 

PE teachers love sporty kids, and virtually every one I ever encountered didn’t warm to me.  (I did go to 15 different schools, so there were a few of them.)  With hindsight I recognise that I created the expectation that PE classes wouldn’t go well!  I created strategies such as serving my ball over the fence to end a tennis game, putting on a limp during cross-country, and wow was my menstrual cycle messed up during the swimming season.  And everybody supported my negative mindset! 

Well, no more - I am actively seeking the company of people who inspire and encourage me and moving away from negativity and limiting mindsets.

So now, I am 55, half a stone lighter than I was 2 months ago, (despite great food and drink over Christmas,) having lost 4 inches off my waist and being generally more toned than possibly I have ever been.  But more importantly, I have re-discovered my own ability to be strong and active and most of all I am stretching myself both mentally and physically.

A quote from my teen idol David Bowie sort of sums up my new mindset:

“If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”