Designs for Life Autumn 2015

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LIFE

www.dflconnect.co.uk Summer/Autumn 2015 FREE

Root causes Psychology of food & exercise

Art as therapy Chilterns conservation Golden season Wellbeing

Green Living

Positive Thinking

Creativity

Transformational steps to improving your health

Connecting with nature in the Chilterns

Changing perceptions of 21st century life

Self expression through the arts

dflconnect

dflchilterns

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LIFE ISSUE 6 – Summer/Autumn 2015

CALL Peter Hawkes

Publisher

Amber Tokeley

Features editor

James Rand

Copy editor

Terry Dean

Team facilitator

Penny Goddard

Area manager THREE COUNTIES NORTH

Melina Williams

Area manager HERTFORDSHIRE

Caralyn Bains

Area manager WEST CHILTERNS

to work with us 01494 793000

Charlotte Reynolds Area manager MID CHILTERNS Louise McDonnell

Area manager SOUTH BUCKS

Karen Wyllie

Features advertising

Donna Forbes

Web master

Rob Bentley

Bookkeeping & accounts

Angela Woodward

Distribution co-ordinator

Kirsty Wright

Reporter

Sophie Honeybelle Social media Mark Cowie

Cartoonist

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Welcome back from Peter Hawkes Our themes

When I was a child, there was a field in front of our house where wild orchids grew; there were butterflies, crested newts, linnets and kestrels.

However, one day, the bulldozers came and flattened it all. This sparked an early interest in environmental protection and I spent many years as a young man engrossed in wildlife gardening and conservation. I believed that humankind was most probably doomed. What chance had we got when everything was being destroyed at such a rate and so much of humanity seemed not to care? I felt frustrated by the people who were focused on religion or money; what was the point? It seemed so futile if they wouldn't recognise that first we have to look after the source of our spiritual or financial wealth.

In recent years, I have changed my mind about the future. Hope lies in self awareness. Children are more enlightened than ever. Technology and science have some of the answers. The real key, in my opinion, is for people to become aware of the reality that we are part of nature, not masters of it.

The articles in this magazine are from contributors who work with people, animals and the environment; using therapies, exercise, nutrition, art, music and plants, they help them to heal. This ripples out to make a better world through creativity, rather than consumerism and destruction.

wellbeing Complementary therapies Exercise and fitness Sport and leisure Holistic treatments Health and nutrition Children and parenting Weight management Counselling

green living Farming and horticulture Organics Gardening and nature

Acknowledgements

Herbalism

Our area of coverage

Policy

We allow people to choose this magazine in selected venues rather than post it through doors.

Designs for LIFE magazine is owned and published by Hawkes Design & Publishing Ltd ©2013-15. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents of the magazine at the time of publication, the publisher can accept no liability whatsoever for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, or for any matter in any way connected with or arising out of the publication of the information, including statements made by the advertisers.

The Focus Team asks you to note that it does not necessarily agree with views expressed by contributors. We endeavour to acknowledge all copyright sources. All rights reserved.

Transport MAP WITH THANKS TO THE CHILTERN SOCIETY

We are grateful for help with ideas and promotion, in particular from: Susi Barrett. Sandra Perry Mcbride, Marie Knight, Jay Nolan-Latchford and Sean Tucker.

Eco products Environmental groups Local food

positive thinking Psychology Changing perceptions Life coaching Diversity and equality Meditation and mindfulness Philosophy and spirituality

Print

Learning and education

by Stephens & George.

Please pass on to a friend after use, or recycle.

Relationships and confidence

creativity Art & design

DESIGNS

for

LIFE

Crafts

is an independent group providing a beacon of positivity by connecting like-minded and heart centred people through words and images

hawkes DESIGN & P u b l i s h i n g LT D EST. 1990

2 Laceys Yard, High Street, Chesham, Buckinghamshire HP5 1BU

01494 793000 editor@dflconnect.co.uk www.dflconnect.co.uk www.facebook.com/dflconnect

Theatre and drama Music and dance Comedy Photography and printing Film and cinema Festivals

Distribution, stockists & subscriptions We distribute to art galleries, garden centres, gyms, therapy centres, bookshops, cafés, salons, surgeries, art and gift shops, libraries and diverse community venues, all across the Chilterns.

If you’d like some free magazines to display at your venue, please contact us and we’ll deliver.

Please call 01494 793000 to subscribe at £15 for 4 issues, to cover postage and packing.

Bookings: Articles and advertisements can be placed by calling the same telephone number.

Creative founders 2013: Amy Deane, Kirsty Wright, Mark Cowie, Peter Hawkes 2

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creativity

Our dual link with Australia Last year, Rob Bentley moved from the Chiltern Hills to the Redcliffe Peninsula, near Brisbane in Australia, and took with him the idea of Designs for LIFE magazine. He has now produced three successful issues, in partnership with the team behind this version of the magazine for the Chilterns.

LIFE

FRANCHISE

Rob spent most of his time in the UK living in Amersham and would regularly drive past the Beaconsfield home of Barry Gibb, of the Bee Gees.

He also used to walk through the 90 acres of countryside surrounding the nine bedroom mansion (pictured above) on public footpaths, enjoying the historic landscape which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Barry Gibb (pictured above, right, with his wife Linda) is second only to Paul McCartney in the Guinness Book of Records’ most successful songwriters in history and the Bee Gees are widely regarded as one of the

most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time. They have sold more than 220 million records worldwide, but began their musical career on the very same Redcliffe Peninsula where Rob now lives, as a band called the Rattlesnakes,

before evolving into the worldwide phenomenon. Their former home is pictured below, left.

The Gibb brothers have been an inspiration to us all, showing that it really is possible to achieve greatness from humble beginnings.

We wish Rob Bentley and Designs4 LIFE On the Peninsula continued success and look forward to further connections between the two continents.

We would gladly welcome further versions of Designs for LIFE in other regions of the world, whether 50 miles away, or 10,000 miles! Not only can we offer our experience and advice, but also (and more practically) a design template for page layout, media packs, introductory wraparounds, business cards, generic articles and images.

Fees are open to negotiation and we are more excited about spreading the message at the core of the publication far and wide. Please call us on 01494 793000 to express your interest and we can discuss your requirements.

Offers, competitions and giveaways Throughout the pages of this magazine you’ll find discounted offers, reader competitions and giveaways. There are book reviews, with copies of many publications to win.

We post regularly to Facebook, and many of our time sensitive offers can be found there. You’ll need to like

our page to find out more! We’re also working to get our Twitter page more pro-active. Social media is a powerful tool for business connections too.

Recently we teamed up with the organisers of the Chilterns Craft & Design Show to present 10 lucky facebook fans a chance to win a pair of

READER OFFERS

tickets to the Chilterns Craft & Design Show. Set in the picturesque surrounds of Stonor Park near Henley-on-Thames in late August each year, visitors spend a day exploring the best that British craftspeople have to offer.

We’ll be promoting many more Chiltern-based events in the future.

Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames

Like our Facebook page

www.facebook.com/dflconnect

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Five lucky readers won a copy of this book on fitness and healthy eating, written by Joey Bull and Emiko Ray, both of whom have local connections.

Find more book offers in this issue.

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Find out more at www.dflconnect.co.uk/positivethinking

connections

Directory of healthy and creative living in the Chilterns £5

Feature here for just (£10 with your website listed, which will then show up as a hyperlink in the online magazine. £15 to include your logo. £50 and you get a banner on our website too!).

Creativity

Holistic Treatments/Courses

Pilates

Nutrition

Art Journaling Courses Isabel Clements, Chesham 01494 775962 or 07909 908573

Energy Medicine Sarah-Jane Ellis, Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner and Healer 07973 500 542 ellissj8@hotmail.com or www.bagnallcentre.com/sarah-jane-ellis

Amanda’s Pilates Pilates REPS level 3 mat & equipment.

Registered Equipilates trainer. 07824 665980 amandagoodship.pilates@gmail.com Based at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, Denham.

Private lessons & small groups in own home.

Diana Wright Nutritional therapist and food scientist with clinics in Amersham and North London 01494 722777 nutrition@dianawright.co.uk www.dianawright.co.uk

Holistic Haven Lesley Ingle – the ultimate holistic approach including: • Sound healing • Emotional Freedom technique • Bowen technique lesley@holistichaven.co.uk 07799474404 www.holistichaven.co.uk

Hazel Hussey Pilates Pilates classes in Buckinghamshire 07958 649989 info@hazelhusseypilates.co.uk www.hazelhusseypilates.co.uk

Art Radio A platform for artists to promote their work and a whole new way to experience the way we look at all forms of creativity. www.artradio.tv Bookbinding & Restoration Amanda Slope, 99A High Street, Great Missenden HP16 0BB 01494 891319 amanda_slope@hotmail.com www.amanda-slope.co.uk Digital Illustration & Artworking Sophie Honeybelle honeybelle_designs@hotmail.com 07747 745041 Picture Framing Peter Hawkes, Laceys Yard, Chesham High Street 01494 793000 Queens Park Arts Centre Providing arts for all in the local community.

Aylesbury 01296 424332 www.qpc.org Tanis Mills – Supplier of Phoenix Greetings Cards Just send a card to brighten someone’s day. Let them know you’re thinking of them.

I stock a wide range of cards for all occasions. Please order online: waterbabies79@gmail.com / 0788 55 67450 www.phoenix-trading.eu/web/tanismills Web Design Donna Forbes – www.df-design.co.uk

Feng Shui & BaZi Consultant Jo Mitchell (Xiao Qin), Feng Shui & BaZi Innovations Attune your mind’s eye to the possibilities of Feng Shui & BaZi. E-mail: jo.mitchell@talk21.com Mobile: 07595 507068 Tel: 01494 783189

Fitness & Wellbeing

FORM Personal Training & Biomechanics Personal training, biomechanics, sports massage, nutrition and wellness www.formptb.com 2 Robert Mews, 13 High Street, Wendover HP22 6DU 07595 358565 / info@formptb.com

Caroline Biddle Yoga Group classes and 1:1 in Chesham 07742 588883 cmcbiddle@aol.com www.facebook.com/CheshamYoga www.cheshamyoga.weebly.com

The Sacred Earth School Meditation, Healing and Slow living.

Permaculture, Reiki, Roots Community, Shamanic Journeying and Retreats in Hertfordshire www.sacredearthschool.co.uk

Gardening Vanessa Scola Gardening/Mosaics 07944 868209 www.livingmosaics.co.uk

Homeopathy Caroline Masters – Homeopath Bagnall Centre, 71-79 Waterside, Chesham HP5 1PE 07961 407142 homeopath@masters.me.uk

Anusia Café 50 High Street, Tring, Herts HP23 5AG Tel: 01442 823993 www.anusiacafe.co.uk Woody’s – Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant 19 Dickinson Quay, Apsley Lock, Hemel Hempstead HP3 9WG 01442 266280

Counselling The Listening Post Qualified counselling. Amersham area.

Offering understanding, support and a sense of direction in life. Relationships, depression, stress, loss. Reasonable rates. 01494 812074

Meditation Nordic Walking Anthea Osborn-Jones dipCOT Qualified Nordic Walking Instructor and Occupational Therapist 01491 573208 / 07966 245264 info@afootinthechilterns.co.uk www.afootinthechilterns.co.uk

The Hillingdon Homeopath Anne Healy, BSc, LCHE Qualified, Registered Homeopath & Reiki Master Uxbridge-based family clinic 01895 235627 or 07773 964254 healyac@aol.com www.facebook.com/The.Hillingdon.Homeopath

Laurie Elliott Accredited teacher of ancient wisdom meditation – 30 years experience – private sessions and at the Bagnall Centre, Chesham; and Champneys Health Spa, Tring 01296 625392 / 07549 998448 laurie.elliott3@talktalk.net

Great job opportunity

Massage

Here at Designs for LIFE magazine we’re looking for someone with good telephone sales and negotation skills to join our team and help build this successful and growing Chilterns publication. This is a part-time position, with potential desk space or working from home. Contact Peter Hawkes on 01494 793000 / editor@dflconnect.co.uk

Terry Dean Massage Therapist (ITEC Dip) Hons.

Based at Weston Turville near Wendover/Aylesbury 07769 790 690 terrydean.massage@gmail.com www.terrydeanmassage.com

Mindfulness Emma Hudson Also yoga, meditation and retreats 07853 874283 emma.hudson@emmenzen.co.uk www.emmenzen.co.uk

PHOTO: SOPHIE HONEYBELLE

Celine Anderson ITEC Complementary Massage Therapist & Reiki Practitioner 07754 053880

Yoga

Vegetarian Restaurants

Osteopathy Michael Thornton ND DO Osteopathy Practice with 3 Clinics Tring 01442 822990 Amersham 01494 433072 Flackwell Heath 07799 713117 www.michaelthornton.co.uk

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therapies

Dealing with more than just symptoms Alternative, complementary, integrated, holistic – does it matter what we call therapies?

PHOTO: ©MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK

I do not think it matters very much which term we use for therapies that are different from the dominant system of medicine in the West, although I realised that I had not heard the phrase 'fringe medicine' much in recent years, which is probably a good sign. I like the word 'holistic', because I think that it marks out the contrast between modern medicine and many other systems. I also like the word 'integrated', because I do think that a good degree of integration of different systems into the health service could only be beneficial.

F O R

C O M P L E M E N TA RY

Those of us who have an interest in these different healing therapies tend to develop more than a suspicion that virtually all of them have something to teach conventionally trained medics; perhaps we could even suggest that a module covering one or a selection of holistic therapies should be an element of any medical training. As soon as any suggestion such as this is made, we come up against the mantra of evidence-based medicine and the gold standard.

What is often not recognised, however, is that a high proportion of mainstream medical procedures are not backed by 'proper' evidence, just by clinical results, and sometimes not many of those. As this is the case, why is a large body of clinical history not acceptable for any therapeutic system?

Although modern medicine has made tremendous advances, particularly in dealing with acute conditions, it is extremely resource hungry, and is possibly quite inefficient in some areas of activity because it is primarily symptom, rather than patient, orientated. This can often mean that the process of dealing with one condition creates another condition that requires further treatment. Holistic therapies involve spending time investigating why a particular condition has arisen; in an emergency situation this may not be appropriate. Most illness, however, is chronic and is exacerbated by lifestyle choices which have taken time to create a condition of disease. It seems logical that long initial consultations are necessary to ensure any degree of success.

Health and Diet Information Centre 27 High Street Chesham Bucks HP5 1BG Tel: 01494 771267 www.healthright.co.uk

‘Helping You to Take Care of You’ At the Bagnall Centre we believe in the ‘Art of Wellbeing’. We also believe, that, with the right support, everyone can achieve a balanced lifestyle.

We have a wide range of therapists and specialists with the skills and knowledge to assist you with living better.

If you need support with ...

• Muscular or Skeletal pain • Post Injury or Operative Recovery • Stress /Anxiety/ Addiction or Emotional Trauma • Nutrition, Dietary Management and Digestive Disorders • Exercise and Fitness • Relaxation

Our therapies include: • • • • • • • • •

Roger Oliver

T H E R A P I E S

4 Orchard Lane, Amersham, Bucks HP6 5AB Website: www.orchardclinic-amersham.co.uk Email: welookafteryou@orchardclinic-amersham.co.uk Tel: 01494 726228 or 01494 721803 Open: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, with free parking.

Treatments available outside of these hours, by arrangement.

• Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine • Alexander Technique • Aromatherapy • Chiropody/Podiatry • Homeopathy • Manual Lymphatic Drainage • Massage

It could be that it is not just a simple lack of finance that is at the root of the problems of the NHS; successive governments have attempted to tackle the needs of the Health Service by changing the way it is organised and it does not seem that it was the most suitable approach, particularly as staff morale has been badly affected. Maybe the main issue is not about structure but about content, or even culture and perhaps investigation is needed into what is delivered rather than how it is delivered.

Mindfulness coaching Nutrition Osteopathy Psychotherapy & EMDR Reflexology Reiki Shiatsu Western Herbal Medicine Yoga Therapy

... give us a call and let us tell you about the ‘Art of Wellbeing’ Tel: 01494 791288 Email: bookings@bagnallcentre.com www.bagnallcentre.com 71-79 Waterside, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1PE

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health & exercise

TERRY BREEZE 01494 783999 terrybreeze@yahoo.co.uk 20 years’ experience

www.chiltern-archery.co.uk

Fancy something different for your party?

Try an archery birthday party for children 8 years and over, or a tailor-made archery experience for adults.

Small to large groups catered for and all events managed by our own qualified staff and coaches. Call us to discuss your party needs: 01296 630919 or email: doreen@chiltern-archery.co.uk The Archery Centre, Buckland Village, Aston Clinton, Bucks HP22 5HZ

Cycles

Scooters

Roller skates

Electric bikes

Unicycles

Skateboards

Electric trikes

Inliners

Safety gear

Accessories, full repair service, agent for all leading makes

01494 784255 www.stronnellcycles.com 56 Broad Street, Chesham, Bucks HP5 3DX

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feature article

Core Truth

The high cost of back pain Back pain and osteoarthritis have a huge impact on health costs and productivity: the NHS spends over £1,000 million a year on back pain, while lost productivity costs us some £3,500 million. An incredible 40% of adults between the age of 40 and 60 now experience low back pain, according to a 2013 Low Back Pain Report from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Additionally, one in three people over 45 have sought treatment for osteoarthritis.

Even when pain recedes, our problems aren’t necessarily over: postural changes may compromise balance and co-ordination, making us more vulnerable to falls. But what if we could limit this postural change and the wear and tear it causes to our bodies? Our quality of life would improve and the cost, both personally and to the economy, would diminish. The answer, according to a recent BBC Health report, is exercise – a much more

PHOTO: RACORN/SHUTTERSTOCK

Twenty-first century living can wreak havoc on our bodies. Not only is it stressful, but many of us spend long hours in a sedentary, flexed position – hunched over a computer, driving a car, playing electronic games or slouched in front of the TV. However, our bodies are designed to be active – and they’re also designed to be in alignment. So, good posture isn’t just ‘cosmetic’ – it’s actually a measure of our overall fitness. It can also help to make the ageing process much easier.

A strong, stable spine keeps everything from our muscles and bones to our internal organs exactly where they’re meant to be and that minimises wear and tear on the joints. It also improves our physical, musculoskeletal and even psychological health.

We’re all constantly adapting our bodies to the forces of gravity as we move through life. For a lucky few, this remains relatively effortless. But for many of us, the challenge is far greater.

Problems start when we make postural adaptations – either because of injury or poor habits. The result is muscle imbalance. This may contribute to widespread musculoskeletal pain, joint disease, altered respiratory patterns and fatigue. Over time, it may also contribute to other health issues, such as anxiety and depression.

effective way of managing low back pain and arthritis than the current treatment method, paracetamol.

Strength training and cardiovascular exercise have important health benefits and should ideally form part of your exercise regime, but managing postural change as we age requires a more specific biomechanical approach.

Essentially, this means understanding how our body works most effectively and efficiently against gravity.

Pilates ticks that box. Developed by Joseph Pilates after World War I, it provides an excellent framework for developing greater postural stability and control.

More recently, modified Pilates methods have become recognised as an effective long term management strategy for back pain.

influence to my practice includes understanding the body’s kinetic or energy lines. No movement is done strictly in isolation – even moving your eyes will alter your postural balance – so understanding these energy lines helps me to devise exercises that improve muscle balance and therefore postural control.

Pilates can change how we move and view our bodies at any stage in life – but it’s not a once-a-week ‘fix-all’. If you learn to transfer its principles to everyday activities, it can make a positive impact on mobility and postural health in the future. I

Remedial and preventative Physiotherapists and osteopaths who teach Pilates today have embraced the original concepts and applied them with scientific reasoning to create an exercise programme that’s both remedial and preventative. It recognises the importance of strengthening and lengthening muscles, relaxation and breathing to better postural control, together with improved body awareness and pain management.

The powerful image of postural evolution – from primate on all fours to modern man hunched over a computer – is one that’s become iconic for our age.

Learning to engage the ‘core’ or ‘centre’ – the deep abdominals, pelvic floor and diaphragm – creates a natural corset, providing the trunk with stability. Once achieved, movements that challenge these muscles are

PHOTO: JACOB LUND/SHUTTERSTOCK

Pilates helps you move through life with less pain and more efficiency, says Helen Hartley

Ironically, postural changes from infancy to old age are not that different to the postural evolution image!

taught and timed with breathing. This delivers the extra oxygen required during physical activity and helps with

Further information

relaxation. Isolation – which incorporates switching off

∫ The author is a State Registered Physiotherapist and Pilates instructor and trained with the Australian Physiotherapy Pilates Institute, London.

Physiotherapy-based, it teaches a modified Pilates technique with particular reference to preventative and rehabilitation based exercise programmes. Find out more on www.pilates-health.com.

non-essential muscles for any given movement – is important for correcting postural adaptations.

As a physiotherapist, I include elements of balance and co-ordination within the framework of Pilates; balance training is an excellent preventative measure for falls and is recommended in NICE guidelines. Another 7

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wellbeing

Cognitive hypnotherapy … an introduction I’m a Cognitive Hypnotherapist who works in Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and Harley Street. Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a client-based approach, which can be used to treat many types of problems. I will tailor-make a treatment plan to suit the most important person in the room: you, my client. I have helped people with issues such as anxiety, panic attacks, natural weight control, confidence/self-esteem issues, phobias, fears, smoking cessation, hypnobirthing, and even people who just feel ‘stuck’ and don’t know how to move on with their lives.

In fact, any issue which has an emotional basis could benefit from Cognitive Hypnotherapy. I believe that both therapist and client should work together to form a partnership. This allows the client to feel in complete

control throughout the sessions, and will enable them to be empowered to overcome whatever limiting belief they have been holding on to. I aim to successfully treat each client in the shortest time possible, so that you can get on and live the life you want.

COMPETITION

READER OFFER

Your chance to WIN a more relaxed you … plus 50% discount offer for all readers.

Heather Hall is offering a fabulous competition prize of a one hour long relaxation session. The first person’s name drawn from a hat who has correctly answered the question below, will be offered a FREE one hour long session of relaxation-based hypnotherapy. In addition, readers who present the coupon alongside will get 50% off when attending their first session of Hypnotherapy.

Heather Hall If you would like to find out more information about my approach to Cognitive Hypnotherapy, you can go to www.heatherhallhypnotherapy.co.uk or telephone me on 07761 586529.

Which of the following problems could benefit from Cognitive Hypnotherapy?

50% off for Designs for LIFE readers booked before 30/11/15

∫ weight control ∫ smoking cessation ∫ confidence/self esteem ∫ phobias

07761 586529

∫ all of the above

For a chance to win the relaxation prize, just put the answer on a postcard, or the back of a sealed envelope, and send it, with your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Designs for LIFE, Hypnotherapy Competition, 2 Laceys Yard, High Street, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1BU, to arrive by 30/11/15.

JAMES R AND copy-editor & proofreader Mobile: 07739 985079 Email: james.rand@me.com • Accurate and professional copy-editing to deadlines.

• Marking up of proofs with British Standard symbols.

• Available for projects large and small, digital or on paper.

• Freelance or occasional in-house.

• Based in Amersham, Bucks.

Associate of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders

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NLP training & coaching

Root causes

took me a long way towards my goal of being mentally and emotionally free of my childhood angst.

My own quest to learn about the huge variety of talking therapies took me to many therapists, who worked with my presenting symptoms of depression and anxiety but were unable to drill down to the root causes.

They failed to do this because they were not looking for the root of my problems; the majority could not even relate to my story and felt overwhelmed by what I had gone through. Their goal was about managing the anxiety and this was like putting a plaster on a boil that needed lancing and healing, once and for all.

The answer to my initial question is that the way I was feeling and thinking about myself and others was the issue. I wasn’t valuing, respecting or liking, let alone loving or accepting myself; I was sacrificing my own needs

“I’m a good person; why do I get treated so badly?”

through people pleasing and hoping they would love me if I kept doing the right things.

Now, having been a client and having trained and worked in the behaviour-change field for 18 years, I facilitate clients' emotional healing using my own combination of forgiveness, self-compassion, and solution-focused techniques, as appropriate. Resolving the root cause of my depression has enabled me to gain clarity, focus and direction, making a significant difference, through my insights and training, to coaching clients and delegates on workshops.

sure I would find him following his suicide when I was 18.

For the very first time in my life, aged 33, I was asked an astonishing question, “what do you want?” and I had a long list of things which I wanted. I had entered the world of solution-focused thinking which was the first, and the most crucial, step in transforming me, my life and my two children for the better. During the NLP practitioner training, I identified what I was really good at and what would be my work from here; I was going to help people improve their lives through training and therapy using NLP as a foundation. I had a successful practice in Harley Street five years later. The NLP therapist with whom I worked

Balbir Chagger Balbir is an Inspirational Trainer, Speaker, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist and NLP Therapist.

Case studies ∫ Client X, aged 33, came to see me in desperation after years of failed therapy for ongoing sexual abuse during her childhood. She had been told how she should be feeling, and if she did x, y and z she would feel better, but she never did; she was incredibly nervous and mistrustful. However, as a result of our sessions she has now achieved the unimaginable (for her) by being in a happy relationship and a mother to two beautiful children. ∫ Client Y, aged 72, came to see me after his wife threatened to leave him because she had finally had enough of his anger. Once uncovered, he initially resisted the root cause as it went back to his childhood and once resolved, he felt lighter and happier in himself and so did his appreciative wife. ∫ Client Z, aged 45, could not understand why she was having an affair in spite of being married to a man she dearly loved and who treated her very well. We discovered how her self-sabotage pattern was to prove to herself that she was unlovable and underserving. Once the root cause of that belief was addressed, she stopped her negative behaviours and concentrated on appreciating her husband and strengthening their connection to each other.

Improve your relationships, work and health with Balbir Chagger, Life Coach, Trainer and Hypnotherapist as seen and heard on BBC TV and radio and published in Psychologies magazine.

07944 931 437

www.balbirchagger.com 9

info@balbirchagger.com

TREE IMAGE: ©JANOS LEVENTE/SHUTTERSTOCK

What was wrong with people; why did they repeatedly fail to see what a good person I was; why was I unloved and unappreciated; why did everything in my life go wrong? These were questions which I was obsessed with.

Having suffered with depression all my life and having filed for a divorce at the age of 30, following 10 years of an unhappy marriage, I talked, for the first time in my life, about why my life was a complete failure. I shared my very sad life story of woe with a male psychodynamic therapist on a weekly basis.

Two painful years later, I was extremely disheartened to feel myself still sinking into the depths of depression. All of the introspection and understanding had done absolutely nothing to transform my misery, loneliness and unhappiness. In my bitter disappointment, I terminated the therapy sessions and came across NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) which was my lifesaver.

There was no doubting the painful and negative impact on my childhood as a carer for an emotionally-absent and mentally ill mother, whose funeral was the day before my 21st birthday, when I was pregnant with my first child. Also, of having to endure the physical and emotional abuse from a very angry alcoholic father who made

The same issues will keep occurring in your life until you accept yourself as the problem and the solution.

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book reviews

New publications for creative minds READER OFFER

READER OFFER

READER OFFER

How to be Creative

One Year Wiser

One Year Wiser

Rediscover your Creativity and Live the Life you Truly Want

by Liz Dean, CICO BOOKS, £14.99

365 Illustrated Meditations

by Mike Medaglia, SELFMADEHERO £12.99

The Colouring Book - Keep Calm and Colour in a Weekly Meditation

by Mike Medaglia, SELFMADEHERO £8.99

Discover the Answer to Any Question!

by Dean Fraser, AMAZON £2.99 + postage

Need to calm down in this crazy world?

Take some time out to practise mindfulness by colouring a weekly meditation. Mike has illustrated 52 meditations based on the words of inspirational thinkers from Gandhi to Virginia Woolf and Rumi to Roosevelt.

This is a colouring book for adults to soothe, calm, and inspire. It offers the perfect opportunity to channel your creative energies and unwind by personalising a weekly meditation. It also provides a fun activity for anyone interested in exploring mind, body, and spirit or simply finding the artist within.

See why a pendulum can be used for applications such as choosing vitamins and minerals, testing food and drink, finding lost articles, psychic development, discovering where to go on holiday or the perfect location to live. Pendulum dowse to answer virtually any question or unravel the truth and, of course, to find water!

Dean takes you on a journey through his world of dowsing and shares some of his discoveries with you. May your own discoveries be just as inspirational and may your life be enriched through the pendulum.

Liz shows how you can bring creativity back into your life by looking at six key areas: play, personal vision, growing ideas, problem-solving, and intuition, with a special focus on the biggest obstacle to creativity: making time. She shows how spending just ten minutes a day on a creative project is enough time to impart new ideas and tap into your creative power. Liz was co-editor of Kindred Spirit. Her new book is your goto guide to a happier, more fulfilled life.

Another wearying week? Want to get a different perspective on life and make changes step by step? With the help of Mike Medaglia, you can become One Year Wiser. A practicing Zen Buddhist, Mike has gathered a wealth of spiritually uplifting quotations from many of the world’s great speakers and thinkers. He has beautifully illustrated 365 inspirational quotes, providing a thought for the day, for every day of the year. www.oneyearwiser.com

… and for bright sparks!

Unlock Your Life With Pendulum Dowsing

Front cover artists

READER OFFER

WIN! a copy of all four of the reader offer books above, valued at £35, and see your own work in print.

Bush-Hog Tails

by Madeleine Fletcher, ORBITPRESS £7.99

Bushy’s Field Adventure

by Victoria Harwood, SELF PUBLISHED £5.00 + postage

A wonderful new children‘s book by a local author, for sale at Hildreth’s gift shop, Prestwood; A Little Bird Told Me gallery, Wendover; Blossom & Gray, Chesham Bois; Laceys Yard, Chesham, and at selected events offered by Hazeldene Farm and Obsidian Art.

The author is dedicated to raising awareness and compassion for animals and wildlife, especially among children.

She donates all profits from the book to wildlife charities, especially hedgehog rescue and animal sanctuaries. Order on facebook at Bush-hog tails or on e-bay.

Dragon Rescue

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We’re looking for a front cover image for issue 7. Are you an artist with a style and work of art that would suit an A4 portrait magazine cover? We enjoy a bold, colourful design with minimal blank space, that allows us to overprint in white type. Email a jpg or pdf of your art (no more than 5Mb) to editor@dflconnect.co.uk or telephone 01494 793000 to visit us with your portfolio. You don’t need to be a professional artist – we wish to support all local creatives.

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feature article

Life on the edge Buckinghamshire-based artist, Christine Bass, talks to Amber Tokeley about her work Christine Bass has a thing about edges: ‘There's a tremendous sense of satisfaction and pleasure in drawing the shapes of things, defining them by their edges’, explains this talented painter of vibrant contemporary landscapes and still life. So it’s no surprise that strong lines and shapes are a big feature of her work – along with those distinctive, flattened planes that compress the sense of perspective.

Christine grew up in Trinidad, and the bright light and vivid colours of the tropics still influence her paintings.

These days, though, she lives with her husband in Cheddington, a thriving village near Tring.

The local countryside is a constant source of inspiration for her work. ‘I love the landscapes: the gentle beauty of the Chiltern Hills, views from the Ridgeway, the patterns of fields scored by furrows and bounded by hedgerows, the bare trees of winter, the colours of crops and the colours of the seasons.

‘We live very close to Ivinghoe Beacon and I've painted many views of the beacon and surrounding area. I also love the bluebells in Ashridge in April and May, Turlhanger's Wood (close to Tring Station), and the stretch of the Grand Union Canal between Marsworth and Bulbourne.’

Christine finds that she’s usually most attached to a recent work: ‘I have

been pleased with my paintings of St Mary's Church in Aylesbury and Dinton Folly’. Other favourites include locally painted scenes such as 'Beeches on Coombe Hill', 'Towards Wilstone' and 'Near Aldbury'.

On show in the Chilterns Her most recent exhibition was in June at St Dunstan’s, Monks Risborough, during Bucks Open Studios. Earlier this year, Christine’s work was on show at Buckinghamshire County Museum as part of a collaborative project with Buckinghamshire Art Society called Creative Connections. Using the museum’s eclectic collections as a source of inspiration, some 40 artists produced exciting new work across a wide range of media from watercolour to sculpture.

Christine’s inspiration came from the paintings and prints of John Piper, a 20th century English painter who lived for most of his life in Buckinghamshire.

He is known for his paintings of architectural views, especially of churches and stately homes.

‘That has led to new ways of working, and to new subjects such as churches and follies’ explained Christine: ‘I've begun to use black ink to define architecture, and for certain elements in my landscapes, such as the silhouettes

St Mary’s, Aylesbury of trees. His work has also led to my tackling more historic buildings.’

Other 20th century artists with Buckinghamshire connections whose work Christine admires include artists such as Paul and John Nash, Stanley Spencer, Eric Gill and Clare Leighton.

‘Further afield, there's Ben Nicholson, Keith Vaughan, the Scottish Colourists and, further again, Cezanne, Gaughin, Matisse and the Fauves. I've also been hugely inspired by David Hockney's recent landscapes.’

Working techniques

Track beneath Ivinghoe Beacon 11

‘I invite about 10 other artists working in different disciplines to join me in showing at my house and studio. The house is absolutely filled with paintings, illustrations, sculpture, woodcarving, ceramics, textiles and jewellery. The artists are carefully selected and the work is of a very high standard.’

Christine’s background is in illustration and design. One of her career highlight was winning the Sunday Times/British Airways Competition to design a tail fin for BA in 1998. Her ‘Grand Union’ design decorated BA’s tailfins and buses for several years. Christine has also worked on several large murals incuding St Thomas More RC School in Berkhamsted. I

Further information

PHOTO: PIRJO KEENE

Christine typically works in acrylic, ink and mixed media. She uses tissue to loosely block in areas of colour, enjoying the unexpected shapes which emerge from torn edges and overlapping areas. The original composition is then brought back into focus by applying layers of acrylic paint and finally drawing in the finer lines with water-soluble Neocolour.

A normal working day usually starts with morning exercise. ‘I then spend the rest of my day either drawing, collaging or painting, or working on the co-ordination and publicity for the two annual exhibitions which I organise, “Art at St Dunstan's” and “Town Farm Art Show”. So, I'm either at my easel or at the computer.

On less typical days, I go off on jaunts,

armed with my camera and sketch book, to research new subjects.’

During her free time, Christine sings with Tring Choral Society and enjoys visiting art galleries and museums, as well as churches and other buildings of historic or cultural interest.

Across the summer and into the autumn, Christine will be busy preparing new work for her Town Farm Open House exhibition on the last weekend in November. It’s located just off the high street in Cheddington, a regular winner of the Buckinghamshire Village of the Year award.

∫ For more about Christine's work and exhibitions, see www.christinebass.blogspot.com

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Find out more at www.dflconnect.co.uk/creativity

art in action

Artist’s profile: Penny “For me, art, science and spirituality are interwoven and inextricably linked.”

Sacred geometry, spirals, the Mandala and the Labyrinth are exquisite patterns that invite the viewer to connect on an inner level; to gaze, contemplate, quietly reflect and journey inward. The Mandala and Labyrinth are ancient tools for that journey; the

primal form of the spiral can be a galaxy, an unfurling fern or a staircase that is ascending or descending.

Through the urge to create a sense of the metaphysical and ethereal, I explore the notions of an inner, sacred space through the use of symbolism.

Since graduating with a BA in Fine Art in 2005 from the University of Hertfordshire, I have continued working in my garden studio. My inspirations are mostly from nature and science and the way they overlap.

I enjoy working on commissions, for example a backdrop for the NEC, painted nursery furniture and animal portraits. I love to experiment with materials and surfaces, such as wood, metal and slate. I am currently developing a website which will showcase my work.

To contact Penny Goddard to discuss her work please feel free to phone her on 07582 880932 or email: penny-goddard@outlook.com. You can also see her work at The Picture Box gallery in Tring.

For all your fine art & craft materials, we stock: Papers, canvases, card & board Pads & sketchbooks Varnishes & paints: water, oil & acrylic Clay, plaster & block printing equipment Brushes, pencils, charcoal, chalk & pastels Portfolios, cases, bags & sleeves Pens, markers & ink Gift sets, easels & greetings cards Children’s crafts STUDENT DISCOUNT OF 10%. BESPOKE FRAMING. GALLERY SPACE. LESSONS AVAILABLE.

At Arty's we aim to help you bring your art, design & craft ideas to life through expert advice & the supply of fine art & craft materials

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Goddard

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re-energising

Relax at a gong bath So what happens at a gong bath?

What is a gong bath?

When I tell people that I hold gong baths, I am met with blank expressions and baffled looks!

Gong baths (no water involved) are a form of sound therapy. A friend introduced me to them many years ago and I instantly became hooked.

At the time, I was overworked, stressed and never had any time to myself.

After my first gong bath, I felt lighter, brighter and more relaxed than I had felt in a long time.

At a gong bath, you do absolutely nothing for an hour but put yourself first; all you need to do is simply lie on the floor (fully clothed), make yourself comfortable and relax, and the gongs do the rest. The gongs are played in a therapeutic way, vibrating every cell in your body simultaneously, creating a deeply relaxing and meditative experience. Your body is ‘bathed’ in the sound waves of the gongs and other complementary instruments, submerging you into a therapeutic soundscape, washing away tension and stress, allowing you to emerge refreshed, lighter and re-energised.

The sessions are concluded with a short period of silence known as ‘the Shunyata’. This is a sacred time which allows you to integrate the experience.

How often do you get to experience a state of being, rather than doing?

Upcoming gong baths – 2015/6

Sam Hyder is a Gong Practitioner.

She holds regular monthly group gong baths at The Bagnall Centre in Chesham. Sam also follows the principle of giving freely, by offering quarterly gong baths free of charge.

Donations, however, are welcome (whether you have little to give, or whatever you can afford – everything is perfect) thereby paying-it-forward for someone else to enjoy the experience.

Sat 12 September, 1-2pm £10 Sat 3 October, 1-2pm (freely given) Sat 14 November, 1-2pm £10 Sat 12 December, 1-2pm £10 Sat 16 January, 1-2pm (freely given)

Bookings and information Please note that due to space limitations, booking is required.

E-MAIL: sam_hyder@hotmail.co.uk TEL: 07787 291529 FACEBOOK: www.facebook/cheshamgongbath MEETUP: http://www.meetup.com/Chesham-Gong-Bath-Sound-Meditation/

Sam Hyder

SISTEMA ROLANDO TORO

Biodanza www.biodanza4me.com

If you want heart-centred connection with the freedom to express your unique individuality, then Biodanza is the dance for you.

It is joy, fun, freedom of expression, bliss and will leave you feeling uplifted and energised. Why not come and see for yourself?

BERKHAMSTED Wednesday mornings 10.30am–12 noon Town Hall, 196 High Street, Berkhamsted HP4 3AP

HASTOE Alternate Thursday evenings 7.15–9.15pm Hastoe Village Hall, Church Lane, Hastoe, nr. Tring HP23 6LU A warm welcome awaits you. For Berkhamsted please call Pip on 07947 578192 – email: pipkennan@btinternet.com For Hastoe, please call Angela on 07792 543681 – email: chrysalisangels@ntlworld.com

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art & craft

JPS Stationers This family-run, independent business is closing for refurbishment mid-September, and re-opening in the first week of November with a clean, fresh look. Customers can still buy their stationery and art supplies over the phone or from the JPS stall at Chesham Market, until re-opening. www.jpschesham.com 01494 791112 I

Anatolian Crafts – The Bazaar Muge Ochedowski was born in Istanbul and recently opened an amazing, colourful retail outlet for her stock of Turkish rugs, lamps, ceramics, jewellery, gifts etc.

The shop is based in Waterside, Chesham, where there is ample road-side parking directly outside the premises. Look out for Anatolian Crafts at local markets and fairs. A great place to find some light on dark winter evenings! 07768 298677 I

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aromatics

Oud, frankincense and myrrh Western interest in ancient perfume materials such as frankincense, myrrh and oud wood has been building for several years. John Bailey of Kings Langley has pioneered a unique enterprise which heralds a renaissance in niche perfumery. oud as it is known in Arabic. This is the fragrant heartwood of trees in the genus Aquilaria.

Perfumes existed only as aromatic gums until Avicenna, the great Muslim medieval thinker and doctor, discovered that the volatile scent of flowers could be captured by distillation. The first experiments were made with damask rose petals to produce attar of roses, and his formula was soon copied throughout the Orient.

From the 13th century AD, the manufacture of perfumes was once again a growing source of wealth for merchants who traded spices, resins, plants and herbs along the ‘incense routes’ from the Arabian Peninsula.

Since 1981 John Bailey has run a local, independent niche perfumery: The Perfumers Guild Limited. He provides an alternative to massproduced, expensively promoted designer and celebrity brands. His ethos is to promote the art and creativity of perfumery with interactive experiences for clients.

John’s informal consultations over morning coffee at The Grove Hotel & Spa, near Watford, give further insight into this fascinating industry. Two bespoke samples are then created to wear, prior to one exclusive signature scent with a name of choice.

READER

OFFER

Northern Africa. The resins are extremely fragrant, particularly when burned – frankincense giving off a sweet, citrusy scent and myrrh producing a piney, bitter odour.

The word ‘perfume’ derives from the Latin per fumum, meaning ‘through smoke’. The resins are burned or steamed to yield essential oils, using the most expensive of all perfumery materials: agarwood, or

We are very excited at John’s generous offer of a free consultation and bespoke scent, with a value of £300, for one lucky reader of Designs for LIFE!

John Bailey, leading artisan perfumer and scent-maker, has had a lifelong passion for fragrance. Years of consultancy work in the Near and Far East have given him an expertise in the scents of the Orient. With further inspiration from studies of ancient Yemen, he produced The Queen of Sheba fragrance, incorporating a fusion of aromatic frankincense and myrrh, rose from Damascus, jasmine from Egypt and a hint of oud. This is one of a range of scents taking their inspiration from the Arabian Peninsula, part of a much wider collection which can be viewed in his brochure or online.

PHOTO: ©VLADIMIR MELNIK/SHUTTERSTOCK

Once man had discovered fire, he soon learned that burning various types of wood, resins and herbs released pleasant aromas. Anything that was pleasant was used by primitive people to please their gods.

By the time of Jesus, the aromatic resins of frankincense and myrrh were probably worth more than their weight in gold! Ironically, these substances, so symbolic to the New Testament, fell out of favour in early Christian Europe, as trade routes between East and West diminished with the fall of the Roman Empire. Incense was also expressly forbidden because of its associations with pagan worship. However, some denominations, including the Catholic Church, later incorporated the burning of frankincense, myrrh and other aromatic resins into specific rites.

Both frankincense and myrrh are derived from the gummy sap that oozes out of the Boswellia and Commiphora trees. These require an arid climate where moisture is provided by morning mist. The few ideal environments in the world for this are found in Oman, Yemen, India and

The three photographs above are from the Yemen – a traditional resin burner; women gathering frankincense resin; and myrrh trees (commiphora).

Email editor@dflconnect.co.uk with your name, tel. no. and the heading PERFUMER, for a chance to win this fabulous prize.

Offer closes 30/11/15. Entrants may receive correspondence from The Perfumers Guild Ltd.

John Bailey, Artisan Perfumer and Consultant 01923 260502 www.perfumersguild.com AFFORDABLE, EXCLUSIVE, UNIQUE AND AN IDEAL GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS, BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES OR JUST SELF PAMPERING!

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Alien Invaders Non-native invasive species are wreaking havoc in the UK and they’re all around us – possibly even in your pond or garden, says Amber Tokeley colonisation of lakes and rivers.

It grows up to 20cm a day, forming a dense mat across the surface that restricts flow, blocks light and reduces oxygen in the water, harming fish and driving away wildlife. Invasive aquatic plants can also exacerbate flooding and disrupt both navigation and recreational activities such as fishing.

Non-native invasive species cost the British economy an estimated £1.7 billion annually. Their impact is widespread and affects agriculture,

water vole (better known to generations of children as ‘Ratty’ from Wind in the Willows). An escapee from fur farms in the 1920s, mink are now established on several Chilterns chalk streams including the Chess.

Equally well-embedded (but hopefully not cavorting in a loft near you) is the nocturnal Glis-glis or Edible Dormouse. Descended from just six animals imported from Europe in 1902 by the 2nd Baron Rothschild who released them on his Tring estate, there are now around 30,000 in the Chilterns.

Destructive pests

Introduced from China to Woburn in Bedfordshire in the early 20th century, the Muntjac has spread across the South East. It impacts woodland biodiversity, infiltrates gardens, causes traffic accidents and can be aggressive.

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Britain’s primary Glis-glis population lies within a 200 sq mile triangle bordered by Beaconsfield, Aylesbury and Luton.

PHOTO: ©GBNNSS

PHOTO: MARC BALDWIN

As well as stripping bark from trees and destroying fruit crops, Glis-glis often move into homes where their presence can be intrusive. They munch through wood, wire and cabling, raid kitchens and crash around the rafters in the dead of night ‘like a herd of elephants’, according to those unlucky enough to have them in residence.

Another surprisingly havoc-causing escapee – this time from garden ponds – is the Floating Pennywort. Banned from sale last year, careless disposal of unwanted plants has led to its

Himalayan Balsam can be seen along the River Chess and River Wye. An ornamental plant introduced by the Victorians, it spreads rapidly, smothering native plants, lowering biodiversity and contributing to river bank erosion, which affects fish.

PHOTO: BRITISH WILDLIFE CENTRE, SURREY

forestry, tourism, transport, construction and development. Japanese Knotweed is a notorious example, so vigorous it can burst through concrete. It costs us around £166 million annually in house devaluations and treatment programmes.

There are several stands on the Chess; the largest, on the Moor in Chesham, is currently undergoing an eradication programme by the Town Council.

Long promoted by butterfly conservationists, Buddleia is an unexpected nuisance plant. Introduced from China, it’s now common in urban and suburban areas and has been established in the wild since the 1920s. Increasing concerns about its impact on biodiversity has prompted DEFRA to advise gardeners to remove seed heads after flowering. It also poses a significant problem to rail networks, interfering with overhead power lines and obscuring signals.

Some species, such as the American Signal Crayfish and Chinese Mitten Crab, burrow into river banks which increases siltation and may lead to flooding. Others, including the Giant Hogweed and Oak Processionary Moth, are harmful to human health.

Sometimes, when an alien invader establishes itself, the consequences can be so severe that it provokes a wholesale ecosystem change, including loss of ecosystem function and the decline of rare native species. It’s been described as a form of biological pollution.

PHOTO: GB NON-NATIVE SPECIES SECRETARIAT

Some were introduced deliberately, while others are accidental imports.

A few have been around so long, they’ve virtually become part of the local ecological ‘furniture’. But they all have something in common: they’re alien invaders and according to a fascinating new guide on the subject, they pose the second biggest threat to biodiversity on the planet – more, even, than climate change or pollution.

Whether it’s stocky Muntjac Deer cutting a swathe through Chilterns gardens or purple-plumed Buddleia disrupting rail networks, non-native invasive species are bad news. Not only is their impact potentially devastating to our native species, but some also have serious repercussions on human health and the economy. Culprits may even be lurking in your own back garden.

These invasive aliens threaten biodiversity in various ways from destroying habitats to spreading disease and outcompeting native species. The American Mink is a case in point: as well as being responsible for habitat destruction, it’s virtually decimated one of our most endangered native mammals, the

The American Mink has decimated native Water Vole populations. Local groups have worked hard to reverse their decline; this summer's survey of the River Chess should clarify current levels.

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feature article Public awareness is slowly growing but there’s still much to be done. Here are simple steps we can all take to prevent these unwelcome interlopers from establishing themselves in the wild:

PHOTO: ©GBNNSS

∫ Gardeners and pond owners should ‘know what they grow’, ensure such plants don’t seed or spread, and dispose of them carefully. Find out more at www.nonnativespecies.org/ beplantwise/ ∫ Watersports enthusiasts are advised to clean and dry their equipment after use. See www.nonnativespecies.org/ checkcleandry/index.cfm

Buddleia can cause serious problems on some important conservation sites, especially brownfield sites, and needs to be controlled to allow natural vegetation to develop.

Such species, including the Zebra Mussel and Killer Shrimp, are called ‘ecosystem engineers’ because they significantly alter their adopted ecosystem through a cascade of interactions with other species and the environment. The Killer Shrimp, probably introduced via boats or angling gear from Russia in 2010, is a voracious predator of freshwater invertebrates, capable of disrupting entire food webs.

Two new invaders to watch out for this summer include the Asian Hornet and South American Water Primrose.

The hornet, currently hovering on the other side of the Channel, poses a significant potential threat to humans, bee colonies and even whole ecosystems. The Water Primrose is here already. Identify them and find out more on www.nonnativespecies.org/ alerts/index.cfm

Factors such as climate change, international trade and travel have accelerated the spread of invasive non-native species. It’s potentially catastrophic for biodiversity which is crucial to human health and wellbeing.

Biodiversity ensures global food security, sustainable development and poverty reduction, helps to mitigate against climate change, and offers access to life-changing medicine (more than 70,000 plant species are used in medicine; many more may never be discovered if species are lost).

If we don’t act to prevent, control or eradicate invasive alien species, the problem will escalate, year on year. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has set 2020 as a target for member states to identify and prioritise these species and their pathways, control or eradicate priority species, and establish preventative measures for future introductions.

The Field Guide to Invasive Plants & Animals in Britain by Olaf Booy, Max Wade and Helen Roy (Bloomsbury) was published earlier this year. We have five books to give away to Designs for LIFE readers.

Just email your name and address to editor@dflconnect.co.uk with the heading ‘Invasive Species Guide Giveaway’. The first names to be drawn on 30 November will win.

through conservation, education and community engagement. To achieve this, we work in partnership with a number of organisations, businesses and community groups to give people of all ages and abilities the chance to help their local environment.

There are lots of reasons to get involved, not

@chilternrangers FACEBOOK: Chiltern Rangers CIC

READER OFFER

– worth £24.99 each!

Our mission is to enhance Chilterns habitats

TWITTER:

(SOURCE: ENVIRONMENT AGENCY)

FIVE GUIDES TO GIVE AWAY

social enterprise based in High Wycombe.

01494 474 486

In order of importance: Japanese Knotweed; American Signal Crayfish (photo below), American Mink, Giant Hogweed, Floating Pennywort, Himalayan Balsam, Australian Swamp-stonecrop, Chinese Mitten Crab, Parrots Feather, Topmouth (Gudgeon).

∫ Consider joining a local group to help record and manage invasive non-native species – particularly along waterways or in areas of conservation importance.

CHILTERN RANGERS are a not-for-profit,

www.chilternrangers.co.uk

Top 10 invasive aliens

PHOTO: TREVOR RENALS

A serious threat

∫ Wherever possible, record invasive non-native species in the wild.

Apps such as PlantTracker or AquaInvaders are helpful. I

least to help wildlife, but also to benefit your health and wellbeing, give back to your local community, maybe as part of a team day with your business and always to have fun.

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We are currently working with The Woodland Trust to help restore Penn Wood. The sessions are free and anyone is welcome to come and give a hand just contact us first so we know you are coming.

We will be removing non-native Western Hemlock and Rhododendron to enable the native flora and fauna to return. There will be other sessions later in the year, keep an eye on our website and our social media for more information.

We are always keen for new volunteers to help us.

One way is through our Green Thursday Conservation Volunteer Group. The group is open to all and meets each week at Wycombe Rye Lido car park at 10am. BREAKING NEWS: there is also a weekly conservation group in the Amersham & Chesham area starting this autumn.

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glass art

The innovative story of creativity You cannot go wrong by reading Gombrich's ‘The Story of Art'. Art is emotionally charged with the vitality of life; sometimes incomprehensible, sometimes appealing and often with the power to transform the onlooker as well as the artist. Art, above all, is beauty and offers an invitation to the human side of the imagination; purity and love in understanding the world around us as an authentic experience of using materials through touch and sight. Winnie the Pooh said, 'You cannot spell love, you have to feel it'.

Welcoming acts of beauty of t

If you are a student of art, show your creativity by doing random acts of kindness and welcoming acts of beauty.

Use your creativity by making things, just as a child loves to play. Sometimes, it can be 'messy things' that can inspire the imagination which, in turn, can lead on to making objects of joy and beauty.

Be yourself - resipiscence - return to yourself. Art is a promise of the future delight of making something to enjoy and share with your friends and family.

It is a truly social activity.

Success with fused glass at Missenden Abbey 21–22 November 2015 Weekend course with David Wasley

Part of the window in the Chapel at High Wycombe Hospital entitled 'Fading Flowers & Unfolding Stars mind and purity of heart are the two ends of the journey towards the realisation of your dreams. 'Come Behold' are words used in the Bible.

However, they are also the words of transformation, which is one of the keys to a creative life in art.

with learning difficulties. The Martinsey Isle Trust has given a glass window, which will include the contribution of forty children who have made little panels reflecting their individual personalities. This work in progress (pictured, left) will represent a 'Tree of Blessings'. The window is 2.5 metres long and will sit over the main entrance of their new school. Find out more about the Trust at www.martinsey.org.uk.

Join in!

A good way forward is to join a creative class, where you can draw, paint and open yourself up to fresh experiences. Art is a summons and the art of the artist within you is a reflection of your openness. The more faithfully you listen to the voice within, the more clearly will you see and hear what is sounding without. Clarity of

David Wasley Artist and Maker; Designer of Stained Glass Windows I invite you to join me this November, with a very exciting new direction for creative glass, at Missenden Abbey (see right) and also at the Evreham Centre, Iver (www.adultlearningbcc.ac.uk).

The Martinsey Isle Trust & Yewstock School My current project is for Yewstock School, dedicated to children

View the work of the 3rd Millennium Artists The Chilterns-based studio of David Wasley and the 3rd Millennium Artists is dedicated to producing individual designs in stained glass and promoting the conservation and restoration of the country's stained glass heritage. Pictured here is 'Resurrection' in The Catholic Church of Edward the Confessor at Chandlers Ford. Visit their website to read more about the artists and to view a range of inspiring works of art.

www.3rdmillenniumartists.co.uk

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Extend your range of stained glass designs and skills for inclusion in decorative panels. Paint with coloured light; make cameo or cabochon pendants as personal jewellery and for mounting in silver.

Make tile and plaque landscapes, a flower or star sign and shape the tile into a dish. Experiment with kiln formed epergnes as candle holders.

Further details on: 01296 383582 www.missendenabbey-al.co.uk

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workshops & courses

On the cover The image on the front cover is an original painting that I created during a workshop called ‘Insights Through Paint’. The workshops are led by Jane Slemeck in her studio at Watlington. The painting process is a simple return to playing with paint without any expectation of outcome.

Being absorbed in the painting process is both liberating and exciting and a place where insights and clarity can arise. In between sessions the paintings are a useful journaling tool for insight and reflection. The workshops are run monthly in small groups and Jane also offers taster sessions.

I will be writing more about the process in the next issue of Designs for LIFE, when I also hope to announce the date of similar workshops starting in Tring. If you are interested in finding out more please go to Jane’s website www.soul-pathways.co, email me direct, or come to Tring Farmers Market held on alternate Saturdays where I will be selling some of my paintings in aid of the Genesis Research Trust.

Give yourself an art hug!

Natural Art Workshops to let your Self flow

The Greeks had a word for it: Meraki, which means that feeling of completely losing yourself in the joy of doing something. Alice Walker, author of 'The Color Purple', described it when she talked about her mother at work in her garden. 'I notice that it is only when my mother is working in her flowers that she is radiant, almost to the point of being invisible - except as Creator: hand and eye. She is involved in work her soul must have. Ordering the universe in the image of her personal conception of Beauty'.

You see it when a child sits drawing, frowning and with tongue out, making a perfect horse or racing car; you feel it when you’re chopping the vegetables for a meal that will feed the family with love; you know it when you read a wonderful piece of writing, or hear a transcendent moment in music. The trouble is that there’s not much room for Meraki these days; the distractions of work and ordinary life keep us distant from our joy. We’re measured and judged at every turn and everything is about results and outcomes. We ask not, 'Was this a joy to do'? Instead, we ask, 'What will the payback be'? and we measure it in money or time, or according to some meaningless measure of quality.

So it can be difficult to get to Meraki because Meraki is about your real Self. You find it when your Self is free to flow expressively and in harmony with the universe; it’s about that sense of connection and the

freedom to be alive and creative. Your Self has probably learned to tuck itself away for most of the time, as a way of escaping the constant judgement and pressure to do things 'right', whatever that means. In our world, you have to find your Self again before you can let it loose into something joyful. Before you can venture out and express your Self, you need to feel safe and strong; the 'you' that is your Self must be confident that it can burst out joyfully without fear of criticism or disapproval, and this is what natural art will help you to do.

Natural art is a way of giving your Self a hug of love and encouragement.

In our sessions, we create safe spaces for you to play, explore and let your Self flow into joy. You don’t have to be an ‘artist’, you just need to be someone who wants to get back in touch with their expressive, creative and intuitive side. And if you are an artist of any kind (painter, writer, musician or sculptor, anything), then

Julie Cade julie.cade@btinternet.com

Art Journal Experiments 6 week course starting Saturday 26th September 10.30-12.30 at Workaid, The Old Boot Factory, Townsend Road, Chesham, HP5 2AA Art Journaling uses mixed-media and writing to create unique personal pages and can be used in many ways, as a visual diary, as an aid to exploring thoughts and feelings and as a process for developing creative expression.

Suitable for adults, older children and teenagers. All levels of ability welcome.

Course fee: £60. For more information and booking please contact Isabel Clements.

our sessions can help to free the flow of ideas and inspiration. There are no rules or special qualifications; you just need to be curious, questioning and ready to explore.

T: 01494 775962 M: 07909 908573 E: isabelclements@msn.com

The Phoenix Studio Chinnor Road, Towersey, near Thame, Oxon OX9 3QZ Tel: 07710 622650 Rachel Constable’s next Natural Art Workshops are on Sunday 27 September (painting) and Saturday 31st October (textiles), 10am–4pm. They include meditation and discussion sessions with either intuitive painting or free weaving. The price is £40 including all tuition, materials and tea & coffee.

The first 3 people who email Rachel at: rae.light@unrulysun.net and quote D4L, R E A D E R OFFER will qualify for the special rate of £32.

Rachel Constable Natural Art Workshops at the Phoenix Studio.

Towersey, near Thame.

(See panel, right, for further details).

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natural health

Homeopathy

Are we on track?

Do you consider this a useful, interesting magazine?

for the family A new training workshop coming to Uxbridge Saturday & Sunday 14–15 November 2015 This Autumn, I am delighted to be presenting a new two day training workshop, 'Homeopathy for the Family', in Uxbridge. This is an ideal course aimed at anyone interested in learning more about homeopathy, and for parents with children of any age, wishing to treat their family safely and holistically, without damaging side effects.

Homeopathy is safely used worldwide for all the family, is safe for young babies, pregnant mothers and the very elderly, and can be taken

alongside orthodox medicine.

Homeopathy can be gentle and effective for most common ailments, and some of the not-so-common, too.

During the two day course, you will learn about the history and philosophy of homeopathy, how homeopathic medicine is made and how it works, plus its use in homeprescribing for everyday acute family illnesses, (e.g. coughs, colds, hayfever etc), babies and children’s ailments (colic, teething etc) and first aid (bumps/bruises, shocks, burns etc.)

This new course will include a home-prescribing remedy kit with a value of £42, plus remedy handbook.

Anne Healy

READER OFFER

www.seasons-cafe-deli.com

Please go to:

We’d love your feedback on Designs for LIFE via 10 quick, simple questions. We value constructive criticism ! From 100 participants, we will randomly choose just one and present them with a £10 Seasons voucher to spend in either of their local cafés or on catering.

www.surveymonkey.com/r/CZWLPCM

Mama-Groove Mama-Groove is a unique dance class aimed at mums! We encourage you to bring your little people along from six weeks up to three years old to carry, wear or just hang out while you work out, get your groove on and release those feel good endorphins!

At Mama-Groove all movement is developed with variations to cater for your tiny bundle, growing baby or enthusiastic toddler! Even if they decide that today is not the day they want to dance, at Mama-Groove our main focus is on you, so they can sleep or play, while you let your hair down.

Sharing music and movement with your baby and toddler helps to solidify a wonderful parent and child bond based on trust, happiness and the universal language of dance, while developing an appreciation for music and movement that has the potential to stay with them throughout their life.

For mums, Mama-Groove is not only a chance to have some great fun, but can really help with getting back in shape after pregnancy. Dance is a

BSc, LCHE

Anne Healy is a registered, qualified Uxbridgebased Homeopath who teaches beginners at The Centre for Homeopathic Education, Regents College, London (www.chehomeopathy.com).

She trained for four years before qualifying as a homeopath, and currently runs a busy family practice in Hillingdon, Uxbridge. Anne has a wealth of experience in family health, a background in primary education, and has a large family of her own with four children and four grandchildren. She is also a Reiki Master and teaches/practices Reiki at all levels. Reiki courses and treatments are available throughout the year.

Patients visiting Anne at her Uxbridge clinic have sought help with: pre-conception, pregnancy, birth, infancy, childhood diseases, eczema, skin conditions, acne, pre and post-surgery support, menopause & menstruation difficulties, grief, loss, anxiety, stress, panic attacks and depression etc.

fantastic form of physical and mental exercise. However, at Mama-Groove we’re not worried if you step left when we step right, we just want you to enjoy the music and have a boogie!

Samantha Bright Tuesdays 10 –10.45am Chesham Town Hall Thursdays 10.15–11am Berkhamsted Civic Centre Book on: info@mama-groove.com

NEW, DYNAMIC COURSE

Homeopathy for the Family Saturday & Sunday 14–15 November 2015 Course fee: £160 including remedy kit To reserve your place on this exclusive 2-day course at a scenic venue in Uxbridge, a nonreturnable deposit of £60 is payable. Places are limited, so early booking is recommended.

Uxbridge is on the Metropolitan & Piccadilly lines, and close to A40/M40, M25, M4, M3.

READER OFFER 10% off a class pass offer (see website for details). Just mention D4L when booking.

Email: healyac@aol.com, Tel: 01895 235627 / 07773 964254. www.facebook.com/The.Hillingdon.Homeopath

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feature article

The Healing Garden By re-connecting with nature, we can restore our ancient relationship with plants and the land, says Cecilia Litvinoff

Adapting these principles ∫ Work with plants that suit the local climate and conditions; they’ll need less nurturing. ∫ Use available resources or swap them with neighbours – recycled building materials, kitchen waste (for compost), rainwater (for butts), and ‘construction’ plants such as hazel. ∫ Harmonise with your surroundings by using local and reclaimed landscaping materials. ∫ Use mixed and companion planting to encourage birds and insects and repel pests. ∫ Use groundcover plants such as lamium or campanula to fill empty spaces, retain moisture and act as ‘green manure’. ∫ Start a compost heap. ∫ Use a water butt to harvest rainwater. ∫ Create wildlife shelters by leaving corner areas slightly untidy/overgrown.

Gardens have the power to change lives. By transforming our outdoor space into a relaxing, reflective and productive environment, we can escape from the stresses of modern life. Re-connecting with the natural world also enriches us spiritually and helps us to feel more grounded.

Out in the garden, we are in touch with the healing power of nature: we are exposed to sunlight, close to the soil, and deeply alive to the cycle of change and growth. The plants we choose, the way we arrange them and the wildlife they attract combine to form a unique environment where we can express our true selves.

Sanctuary or common space?

Holistic approach Through gardening, we can restore and heal the land around us by creating the conditions for diversity and regeneration – happily, this involves minimising digging, watering and weeding!

Traditional cultures revere the soil as a crucial element that, together with other elements such as water, creates the balance that sustains life. By linking together every component in the garden to each other and the surrounding environment, we encourage an interdependent and self-supporting system.

This is achieved by harmonizing garden plants with those living outside our boundaries and by ensuring that our plant community offers specific functions that benefit one another: plants that feed the soil, those that provide shade, others that repel pests or attract pollinators. The garden will then thrive as a self-regulating web of life.

∫ Increase growing space by training plants and trees on walls and fences and using containers on balconies/patios. ∫ Try growing ornamental and edible plants together, such as forget-me-nots with broad beans, or fennel with roses and lavender. ∫ Avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Instead, use plants that enrich the soil (chives, comfrey and burdock); fix nitrogen into it (lupins, peas and broom); and attract beneficial insects (borage, buddleia and lemon balm). ∫ Attract wildlife by providing water: a water container sunk into the ground or placed at ground level is fine. Ensure small animals can get out.

PHOTO: MIKAELA MORGAN

The garden can also be a place for reflection: a secure space to be creative, develop our talents and grow.

Certainly, it offers a sense of personal satisfaction.

While a flourishing ‘Eden’ is the visible pay-off for our endeavors, it’s the less visible benefits that matter, too. Gardening helps us to rediscover simple pleasures and clears the mind, allowing us to face life with a fresh perspective.

Equally important, gardening brings us back in sync with the rhythm of the seasons, bringing an awareness of changes such as the position of the sun, light levels, the way the wind blows, wildlife activity and leaf colour. Each season manifests itself differently every year, so there’s always something new to appreciate.

The garden can also be a shared or community area where we engage and work with other people, making friends. Allotments are popular but other schemes are also flourishing. Many youngsters have

never seen vegetables growing, or enjoyed the wonder of watching a seed germinating, so school and community projects that allow children to reconnect with nature are important – it’s an essential part of our early development as balanced human beings.

Sustainability Adopting a sustainable approach means having respect for the earth and keeping it in good shape for the future. Plants play a vital role in this: if we help plants to accomplish their natural processes with minimal intervention, they will work for us by creating a healthier environment. By working with nature and following its patterns, our patch of land will then become beautiful, productive and diverse. I 21

Further information Cecilia is currently creating an edible garden in Tring, Hertfordshire. Her garden design and consultancy business focuses on sustainable gardens and natural planting: Cecilia Litvinoff Gardens www.cecilialitvinoff.co.uk

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chilterns

When people visit our 70 acre farm, they see the animals bred and raised by traditional methods.

The animals are well cared for and given space to live healthy lives.

Christmas is just around the corner.

Come and buy everything you need – locally reared Bronze Free Range Turkeys, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Sausages, Bacon, Gammon, vegetables and Christmas puddings.

L OCAL F OOD & D RINK F ESTIVAL Sunday 4th October - 11am to 4pm Come and sample some of the best locally grown and prepared produce.

T URKEY T ASTING D AY Sunday 1st November - 10am to 3pm A great chance to taste our beautiful bronze free range turkeys and pre-order yours for Christmas! They are all lovingly cared for and subsequently taste exquisite!

CHRISTMAS FAYRE & SANTA'S GROTTO

North Hill Farm

Sunday 7th December - 10am to 3pm We are planning an exciting Christmas Fayre so put this date in your diary!

Tree house, B&B, camping, caravanning, a shepherd’s hut, tipis, flying tents and more...

Admission to these monthly events is £1 for adults, children free. Non-event entry to the farm is free, and we welcome families and sell animal feed.

Bistro in the Barn Light Lunches, Cream Tea, Coffee, Cakes Sunday Lunch Dinner Friday & Saturday (check website) www.secretdinersclub.com 01494 778880

at Chorleywood

The most visited tourism and accommodation website for the Chilterns. Including the only dedicated Chilterns pub guide.

We rear British Lop Pigs, Oxford Down Sheep & Traditional Hereford Cattle.

Buy the meat from our farm shop, open Thursday to Sunday 10am–4pm. We’re offering Designs for LIFE readers 10% off with this voucher. (until 30/11/15)

READER OFFER

Asheridge Road, Chesham, Bucks HP5 2XD Tel: 01494 783501 (Go through the industrial estate into open countryside)

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www.chilterns-stay.co.uk

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feature article

Conversations with animals Pea Horsley talks about her work as an animal communicator Let’s be honest – most of us talk to our animals! We know their moods, quirks and preferences – and they often seem to know ours. Animal communication, or sensory perception, simply takes this to a deeper level.

It’s actually a form of telepathy – an intuitive exchange of information that’s experienced as thoughts, emotions, pictures or even sensations. It’s nothing like horse whispering which is about understanding a species’ psychology and reading its body language.

I believe we’re all born with the ability to communicate telepathically with other species but society encourages us to disconnect from it in early childhood. So, if you want to learn, then you have to work at it – just like any other skill.

Unique frequency All living beings have their own unique frequency and that’s what I connect with, either face to face, long distance, or even after death. I used to be a sceptic and I didn’t believe in life after death, either, but everything changed when my partner persuaded me to adopt a dog called Morgan.

I was a cat-lover – dogs made me nervous, so this was a massive step. We didn’t know Morgan’s previous circumstances but when, weeks later, he still seemed unhappy I signed up for an animal communication workshop assuming it would help me read my dog’s body language better.

It soon dawned that we were actually there to intuitively communicate with animals. I almost walked out but then something extraordinary happened: a fellow student successfully connected via photo with

Pea with Annie the dachshund, a ‘Guest Teacher’ at an animal communication workshop on the Isle of Wight.

Dairy cows like Esti, pictured, are maternal creatures and feel emotions just as we do; they become distraught if parted from their calves, says Pea. Cows place considerable value on their horns and are bewildered when humans remove them. my cat Texas, and I found myself communicating with her rabbit, Mister Butch.

It was surreal: I heard this confrontational male voice in my head along with fleeting visual feedback to questions later verified by Mister Butch’s guardian.

Meanwhile she had perfectly described my living room and Texas’s favourite garden hang-out. How could she know this from a photo? It changed my attitude towards animals – and ultimately, it set me on a new path.

Making connections As my skills grew, I felt confident enough to communicate with my still-sad dog, Morgan. I learned that he missed his previous guardian and mistakenly felt that he had let her down. I was able to show him that he hadn’t – circumstances were beyond his control – and helped him to let go. The change was instant.

When I connect with an animal, I work with my intention and my breath: I use my intention to remain neutral and to work for the highest good of the animal, and my breath to relax and quieten my mind. I also prefer to invite the animal to communicate: just like us, they are sometimes busy doing other things or just aren’t in the mood!

I’ve worked with all kinds of animals from pythons to horses – and all kinds of people, too.

Although many start out as sceptics, they’re willing to take a leap of faith for the animals they love.

Marmite the Jack Russell had been missing for a week when his guardian came across me online and emailed his photo. Within an hour, using detailed ‘pictures’ Marmite sent when we connected, his guardian located him down a 12-foot shaft.

Another memorable distant communication involved a goldfish called Fred, who blew me away when 23

he unexpectedly shared his taste in music. Apparently, his guardian’s boyfriend regularly played rock at full blast – which the guardian confirmed – and Fred loved it!

Some time ago I was asked to communicate with Peter, a sick rabbit facing euthanasia. He told me that the vet had missed a spike on one of his teeth during a previous dental inspection, causing another ulcer. He was adamant that it wasn’t his time to pass over. His guardian returned to the vet who discovered Peter was right: a spike had been missed. Peter lived for a further two years.

My work isn’t mainstream but I’ve been publicly supported by two well-known holistic vets, Richard Allport and Tom Farrington. More vets and vet nurses are also beginning to attend my workshops, so things are changing. Scientists, too, have now acknowledged that animals do have thoughts and feelings like us, and this is filtering down into the public consciousness.

Hopefully, as animal communication becomes better understood, we will all start to see animals as sentient beings whose needs, desires and welfare are universally recognised. What a wonderful world that would be! I

Further information ∫ The UK’s leading animal communicator, Pea has written two books, Heart to Heart and The Animal Communicator’s Guide Through Life, Loss and Love.

She offers private consultations and animal communication workshops in the UK and abroad.

See www.animalthoughts.com. ∫ Would you like Pea to schedule a one-day weekend workshop in Bucks next year? Register your interest by emailing ambetoke@hotmail.co.uk. If enough people contact us, we’ll set one up.

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psychology of exercise

Exercise motivations factor. How many times have you heard other people, or even yourself, say, 'I just don’t enjoy exercise'. It’s important that you enjoy doing it. Why would you spend three hours per week (as per government guidelines) doing something that you didn't enjoy?

Yes, the benefits of physical activity are hugely important, but if you dread every visit to the treadmill then you aren’t going to keep it up, so find something that you enjoy! Team sports, dance, yoga, boxing and even strength training are all activities that people have said they enjoy. All you need to do is find that thing which makes you feel great, and you’ll keep coming back for more.

Having something or someone to keep you in check is also an important motivator. No-one likes letting another down, and if you have your best friend saving an exercise bike for you, you’re less likely to ditch them at the last minute. Personal training is also a great way to keep yourself in check; having a set time frame in which to exercise and focus on yourself, as well as the added incentive of a non-refundable fee, is a sure-fire way to motivate yourself to go to the gym.

Finally, focus on your longer term goals. The benefits of exercise are well documented; physical activity can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.

It can also reduce anxiety, increase mental recall and improve self-esteem.

So next time you plan your workout, make sure you have some tricks up your sleeve to keep you motivated.

Anna Godfrey Level 3 Personal Trainer and Pilates Teacher with Target Human Performance

© MARK C OWIE https://uk.pinterest.com/cowiedesign

PHOTO: ©CANDYBOX IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK

Are you a natural gym bunny, or does the idea of a spin class make break you out into a sweat?

We all know the benefits of exercise, but with only seven percent of men and four percent of women doing enough exercise to fulfil government activity guidelines (30 minutes per day), what can make physical activity more appealing?

As a personal trainer, I see a lot of people come into Target HP Gym in Amersham, with different motivations and aspirations, but what makes some people stay for months, even years, while others drop out within the first few weeks? Enjoyment is a key

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weight management

Our relationship with food Manage your weight and relationship with food Many people struggle with their weight; how we look and feel about ourselves has an impact on our lives and relationships and being under or overweight impacts on everything we

control our relationship with food.

Often, we start diets with an event in mind, such as a holiday, a birthday or perhaps so that we are able to wear a certain dress or outfit. However, the problem is often that once the occasion has passed, the diet goes out of the window.

do and the way that we think. It is common for people to try and hide under baggy clothes and to avoid being seen in swimwear, or perhaps make excuses so that they don’t have to attend social events.

Does this sound familiar?

The diet industry in the UK alone is worth two billion pounds (The Independent, 2013). Have you ever wondered why the industry is worth so much? Diet plans are short-term and are not sustainable; when they are on the diet, the individual may get to their desired shape but once the diet has ended, the weight creeps back on and often it is more than the individual lost in the first place. Diets look at what goes into our mouths but not at the reasons behind the habits and emotions that

Weight Loss/Gain

Lifestyle changes work but diets alone do not I can work with you to identify your own personal goals, and by using a combination of NLP techniques and hypnosis I can identify your eating habits and the reasons behind the eating. This method not only works for weight loss but also weight gain, where there is an underlying eating disorder.

People are not defined by their behaviours – we are so much more than those!

I believe that we do the best that we can with the resources available to us. With more resources on offer, we can make the necessary changes in our lives.

At Your Great Mind we identify the values and beliefs in different areas of your life, e.g. work, family, health and fitness. We realign your values so

Sports Coaching

that they are aligned to your personal goals and look at your thinking around that strategy. We can make you think that celery is as enjoyable as chocolate and can also take a naughty treat such as ice cream and make it unappealing to eat. We use other NLP techniques, such as time line therapy, hypnosis, parts integration and values inventory.

If required, we can use the hypnotic gastric band technique. During the sessions you will learn which tools you need in your tool kit in order to help you make the long term changes to your behaviour and life. You have to work hard and will be expected to keep a personal journal. You will also be given tasks to complete after every session, as the changes also happen outside the session.

The final goal will be that you eat a healthy, balanced diet, really enjoy your meals and have the energy you need to

Corporate Coaching

Take Control of Your Life

WE WORK WITH: Coaching, Life Coaching, Executive Coaching, Business Coaching, Hypnosis, NLP, Sports Coaching, Phobia & Fear Elimination, Weight Loss, and Weight Gain.

WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON: our reputation, professionalism, honesty, ethics and client satisfaction. We are passionate about what we do, working with our clients to coach them to achieve their goals.

www.yourgreatmind.co.uk

Call us on 01296 706281

Break through your barriers and feel amazing 25

exercise and have a healthy and active life. The aim is that will look great, too and will have achieved your desired shape and sustainable weight loss.

Elizabeth Hough Elizabeth Hough is a professional NLP Master Practitioner, Time Line Therapy® and Hypnotherapy therapist. Contact her for a 1 to 1 consultation or to discuss how she can assist you. She is a CIPD qualified trainer and has worked for many years coaching and training people in the corporate world.

Elizabeth is passionate about NLP and helping people to reach their personal goals. She brings a sense of fun to her coaching.

01296 706281 elizabeth@yourgreatmind.co.uk

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naturality wellness

The Naturality Wellness Centre offers an exceptional range of alternative and complementary therapies. What unites all the practitioners is the belief that there’s more to life than just staving off illness; our treatments are designed to find and eliminate the many causes of stress and dysfunction and return you to a state of vibrant good health. The Centre is currently celebrating 10 years in Berkhamsted, with discounts on many of the treatments on offer. Two of our practitioners describe their specialities below.

Go to www.naturality.org.uk to find out more about what we do and how you can benefit.

42 Lower Kings Road, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2AA. Tel 01442 800400. Email: info@naturality.org.uk

Jane Eastoe, Colonic Hydrotherapist Your uniqueness is not just in your genes, it’s also in your gut As we pass through the birth canal we begin to assemble a unique collection of microbes which populate our intestines, acquiring our mothers bacteria first and then continuing to gather new additions from our food and environment throughout life. These bacteria have very important functions, including the production of Vitamin B12, which is deficient in many older people, not just vegetarians.

Colonic hydrotherapy can restore the balance of intestinal bacteria, flushing out toxins and waste and giving the good bacteria a chance to recolonise. An overload of toxicity in the colon can cause a number of

ailments, from gastrointestinal problems and weight gain to allergies and infertility.

After a colonic, it is important to replenish the healthy colonies of bacteria. Here are 5 things you can do to replenish gut bacteria

compete with healthy bacteria in the gut. Among such foods are: processed foods, wheat products, sugar, hydrogenated fats, alcohol and high fructose corn syrup.

3. Take a good-quality probiotic

1. Consume a diet rich in prebiotics.

These are soluble fiber-rich foods that feed pro biotic bacteria; they are found in fruits and vegetables, oats and whole grain rice. Prebiotics increase the amount of good bacteria in the colon.

2. Eliminate all foods that promote toxicity and the overgrowth of harmful organisms in the body that kill off and

supplement in the morning on an empty stomach.

4. Eat natural probiotic-rich yogurt and kefir three times a day. From a store, purchase the natural and sugarfree variety with live active bacteria.

5. Eat fruits with yogurt or kefir. When you eat fruits, which are high in fructose sugar, you run the risk of yeast overgrowth in the body after a colon

cleanse. When fruits are eaten with yogurt, the probiotic bacteria present get to the sugars first, keeping away harmful organisms.

Jane is offering 20% off your colonic hydrotherapy treatment. This offer is available until 30th November 2015.

Please quote D4Life when you book your appointment. jane@naturality.org.uk 01442 800400 (Colonic packages are excluded from this deal)

READER OFFER

Hazel Dillon, Chiropractor Pain: why suffer?

Many people suffer with pain on a daily basis - we put constant stress on our body and then often feel surprised when we feel like it has ‘let us down’.

Often, people are surprised by a pain which comes on when they least expect it. This pain often occurs from a build-up of stresses and strains that the body adapts to and compensates for – at the point of feeling pain, the body has reached its limit and cannot compensate any longer.

The movement that sets off the pain is often innocuous – this is because when we do something strenuous, we naturally stabilise our bodies to take the stress, but when we lean over to do up shoelaces or brush our teeth, we don’t automatically stabilise as we don’t expect such a movement to cause excess strain.

There are three types of stressors; physical, emotional and chemical, and all 3 of these can affect our bodies.

Here is a simple diagram to explain:

One quick and simple thing you can do to relieve daily stress on your body is to move more; your whole body must keep active to stay healthy, as it thrives on use.

Regular physical activity:

Chiropractic is a health care profession which specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are due to mechanical dysfunction of the joints and the resulting effect this has on the spine, related nerves and body as a whole.

∫ Develops your muscles ∫ Keeps you supple ∫ Gives you stronger bones ∫ Makes you fit ∫ Makes you feel good ∫ Releases natural chemicals that reduce pain.

Posture and movement patterns also play a big part in keeping your body healthy. If you stand, sit and move in inaccurate ways, this puts extra stresses and strains on your body as well.

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Hazel is offering 20% off all chiropractic treatments. This offer is available until 30th November 2015. Please quote D4Life when you book your appointment. chirohazel@gmail.com 01442 800400 naturality.org.uk

READER OFFER

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Find out more at www.dflconnect.co.uk/wellbeing

root causes

How tackling the root cause brings peace and transformation area; I look for the underlying cause.

For example, a client may have difficulty finding happiness in a career despite learning more skills, getting a promotion or no longer working with a problematic colleague. It is because these changes aren’t working on the real problem; I explore why there is dissatisfaction. Satisfaction won’t come until we are aligned with our true purpose and sometimes we need help to find what it is that lights us up.

So why do we reach tipping point before we seek help? We don’t intend to but often we get stuck and can’t see where we stepped out of alignment with our true path. This is when getting a different perspective and clarity can help. Facing up to issues can be challenging but it’s much more painful to do nothing; the beauty of finding the cause is that once you have learnt the lesson you make a positive shift.

One wonderful tool, which is both my personal favourite and speciality, is tarot and oracle cards, which I’ve studied for years. Tarot can unlock mysteries and get to the heart of what’s going on. In every case, the client gets the answer they need to hear, which isn’t always a direct response to the question asked. The Law of Attraction means that the right cards will be drawn. Sometimes, when asked for a reading on a romance issue, the cards highlight someone’s career, which turns out to be what needs the most attention; our Higher Self always knows best. I also work closely with the angelic realm, the non-religious messengers from Source, from the eternal divine part of us. Angelic guidance is non-judgemental, uplifting and positive and contains constructive and healthy advice.

Readings with me are more than just information on the problem. I focus on clarity and the best solution to get rid of what is no longer needed, so you can move to the next phase in your transformative journey.

That’s alchemy in action.

PHOTO: ©AECHAN/SHUTTERSTOCK

I’ve been fascinated by alchemy and metaphysics all my life. In practical terms, this means looking for the path that brings the most peace and the least resistance to happiness. It is a journey that must be taken one step at a time. We want to get from A-Z, but first we must tackle getting from A to B, and then to C. Small steps will enable us to reach our goal, but we’ll never arrive unless we know where we want to be, what’s holding us back and why.

I spent many years in the corporate world, improving business processes. My specialism was to understand and define ‘value’ to the client, (quality, speed, flexibility, etc) identify steps that didn’t directly contribute and advise on ways to remove unnecessary tasks and obstacles. Improvements had to be

made to causes, not symptoms, or the problem simply recurred. For example, there was no point in looking at ways to improve a help desk process when, in reality, more value was found by analysing the volume and type of calls, and working on reducing the need in the first place.

It is a similar story in the work I do now, giving intuitive angel and tarot readings. People often seek guidance when there is a lack of peace in one

Liz Medhurst 27

Liz Medhurst is an urban alchemist, an Angel IntuitiveTM and professional tarot reader. She works one to one with people, facilitating healing via intuitive readings and angelic guidance. This emotional connection is designed to make shifts on a cellular level, creating space and clarity for people to take the next steps on their transformative journey. You can contact Liz by email at liz@lizmedhurst.com and find out more at www.lizmedhurst.com.

Flower remedies to the rescue Our bodies are great teachers and barometers. If I get a headache, a bug or any other physical symptoms, I ask my body what it is trying to tell me instead of automatically reaching for medication. When I have an answer I make a plan to work on the causes.

In the past 12 months, while going through a lot of changes in my personal and professional life, my body told me at various times that I had too much going on at once.

By recognising this, I learnt some valuable lessons and gained wisdom. Bach Flower Remedies were an invaluable part of my toolkit, working to dissolve the emotional blocks and bringing me gently back into alignment.

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Find out more at www.dflconnect.co.uk/creativity

arts & media

Thursday 3rd December 2015 to Sunday 3rd January 2016 The Elgiva & Stuart Morrison proudly present ‌

A fabulous family pantomime

AM

ER

M

Book online: www.elgiva.com Box office: 01494 582900

A SH

Set designer: Cleo Pettitt

Sargent & Plester School of Dance

The Elgiva This local arts venue offers not only pantomime, but also live screenings of theatre, opera and dance; ballet and dance shows; choirs and live music; children’s shows and international films; theatre, opera and comedy. It is host to the Chiltern Film Society. www.elgiva.com 01494 582900 I

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Find out more at www.dflconnect.co.uk/positivethinking

Page 29

positive thinking

Tips for promoting your business Marketing and advertising are essential tools in running your business. Although the best way to gain new customers is to do your job well, it’s only by making people aware of what you do, where you do it and why it’s important, that you will open the door to your full potential. This magazine is one means of effectively communicating with local people who are specifically interested in art, design, health, wellbeing, green living and the environment. Here are some others:

Websites, QR codes and social media You’ll find this magazine online at www.dflconnect.co.uk. We create online banner advertisement to complement our magazine listing. At the top of each printed magazine page is a QR code which, using a smartphone application, will link you to the relevant section of the website. Quite simply it helps you learn more.

We also post regularly on Facebook and Twitter. Our team of experts can design and produce websites, social media connections and QR codes for you.

Printed stationery and promotional material, with local distribution The publishers of Designs for LIFE have 25 years’ experience of designing and printing leaflets, business cards, posters and flyers, and work with a group of graphic designers, illustrators, cartoonists, photographers and artworkers. Liaising with local and national printers, the best prices can be gained to suit the size of the print job. Reliable and targeted door-to-door distribution can also be arranged.

Flipbooks You can read current and back issues of the magazine on the website via our free flipbooks, where you can navigate quickly to the websites of our writers and advertisers. We can also produce flipbooks of your existing documents and publications.

Advertorials, features and editorial policy Research has revealed that advertorials attract 81% more orders from readers than advertisements. This is because a good article connects with customers through a story: it humanises, informs and educates.

This magazine is clearly based on an advertorial style, with contributions that fit in seamlessly with the style and ethos of the publication.

Other editorial features are clearly marked and differentiated. We maintain editorial control to keep the quality of contributions high.

Designs for LIFE’s Features Editor and Copy Editor can help you promote your business with high quality articles. We can also email you our handy guide: Tips for producing

a good article to go alongside your advert.

Films, animations and videos We can help you with everything from YouTube videos to professional film editing.

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Get in touch, we’re here to help.

Please email Peter Hawkes to be guided to the relevant contact: editor@dflconnect.co.uk or call 01494 793000

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Find out more at www.dflconnect.co.uk/greenliving

geology

The beauty of quartz crystals For a very long time now, I have been fascinated by what are called ‘inclusions’ within quartz.

These magical crystals reportedly have strange metaphysical powers. I have not joined an occult group or become a fan of the dark arts, however there are terms that are actually used to describe features found within quartz crystals; these are Ghosts, Phantoms and Veils. I like to meditate holding one of these crystals and imagine entering the crystal with my mind and then exploring some of these wonders within.

Ghosts Subtle markings of smaller copies of crystals can sometimes be seen within a single quartz crystal, usually emanating from the base. These separate crystals denote a change in the level of growth and are nearly always in line with the true apex of the crystal. Ghost crystals can be partial and offset, sometimes with only part of a crystal visible. These are often polished to enhance the value, producing an artificial crystal and these columns have a bevelled base at the original point of growth.

Phantoms More substantial layers within a quartz crystal can often give an indication of the existence of a previous crystal growth form. They show substantial divisions and the phantoms attract other elements as inclusions on the phantom surfaces; they probably form due to the electrostatic properties of the Quartz. Often, these phantoms will act as catalysts for the attraction of small particles of iron or calcium which are called Colloidal Particles. Phantoms are frequently seen as fine green or purple layers of the mineral Chlorite.

When the included sequential layers are substantial, they are referred to as ‘library shelves’, containing a history of the crystal growth like pages of a book.

Veils These are often delineated within a crystal as slightly opaque fine sheets that can be flat or corrugated.

Veils are not always obviously associated with the quartz crystals structure; some are like translucent curtains and some exhibit rainbow colours on the internal fracture surfaces. They can be discovered together with inclusions of golden rutile sprays and some of the needles can seem to grow either through the veils or even emanate from them. Veils range from faint impressions, to more substantial layers and usually denote a change again in the speed of crystal growth. There are other forms of inclusions of which there are many, such as dendrites and floating crystals, adding to the fascination of examining these wonders of natural creation depicted here.

Discover Geology World Find out more about Dinosaurs, Minerals, Rocks and Fossils Barry Taylor enjoys talking to children and adults about geology and runs a small museum that can be seen by appointment.

To arrange a talk or a visit to Geology World please call 01494 794470.

Barry Taylor (See issue 4 of Designs for LIFE to read about Barry’s life and love of photography – available on our website).

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Barry Taylor’s fascination with photography and geology have been combined in his 24-page fully illustrated booklet ‘Visions in Stone’. It’s available at £3.95. To contact Barry about any of his work, please write to 121 Vale Road, Chesham, Bucks HP5 3HP, or telephone 01494 794470, or email: barry.taylor70@ntlworld.com

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Feature your business in the next issue!

OUT WINTER 2015/6

We welcome you

to this quarterly publication serving The Chilterns and beyond.

A magazine themed on healthy and creative lifestyles, with the focus on wellbeing for mind, body and spirit.

How it works

Designs for LIFE encourages you to write WITH PASSION about your specialist business or activity.

In so doing, you can DEMONSTRATE your expertise/enthusiasm to the readers, rather than trying to PERSUADE them with facts.

Then there is space for a panel of personal /detailed information and also an advertisement.

Designs for LIFE wants readers to be INSPIRED by your contribution and to use your services or attend your event.

What’s more… The magazine is complemented by a website, Facebook & Twitter pages, a printed directory and online banners.

COPY DEADLINE 30th November 2015

Hawkes Design & Publishing Ltd,

A4 SIZE RATES PER ISSUE 2015/6

2 Laceys Yard, High Street, Chesham HP5 1BU

CODE

COMBINED EDITORIAL/ADVERTISEMENTS (75/25%)

QE

Quarter page

(110 words approx)

£95

HE

Half page

(325 words approx)

£180

FE

Full page

(650 words approx)

£250

DE

Double page spread

(1250 words approx)

£490

CODE

STAND-ALONE ADVERTISEMENTS

EA

Eighth page horizontal

93mm wide x 60mm high

£80

QA

Quarter page vertical

93mm wide x 128mm high

£150

HA

Half page horizontal

190mm wide x 128mm high

£280

FA

Full page

190mm wide x 265mm high

£490

CODE

DIRECTORY LISTINGS

L1

Category, name, address, tel. no.

L2

As above + website address

£10

L2

As above + logo

£15

L3

As above + online banner

£50

01494 793000 editor@dflconnect.co.uk www.dflconnect.co.uk All issues also appear on the above website.

PRICE

£5

DESIGN & EDITORIAL: Your advert can be typeset at an additional 20% of the advertising fee. Full scale design at extra cost.

Copy editing free of charge.

We can help you compose your article at extra cost.

DISCOUNTS: A discount of 15% is offered on identical adverts placed in two or more consecutive issues. Series bookings (4 issues) are offered a discount of 40%. VAT is not applicable.

DISTRIBUTION: We distribute to contributors, associates and community venues in Chesham, Amersham, Berkhamsted, The Chalfonts, Gerrards Cross, Chorleywood, Hazlemere, Rickmansworth, Beaconsfield, Great Missenden, Tring, Leighton Buzzard, Old Hemel, North Bucks, North London and beyond (see map p2). Our aim is to reach an initial readership of 15,000+.

We are determined not to produce door-to-door junk mail. Our goal is to put the magazine in the right hands and to achieve results for you. Our website is the perfect partner to the magazine, with the potential to connect without limitations. www.dflconnect.co.uk

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Enjoy autumnal colours Get the best from your garden as summer turns to autumn

Come and see for yourself!

With cooler days to come, thoughts

Monday to Saturday and 10am–5pm

turn to prolonging colour in the garden.

on Sunday. Do come and visit us soon.

The Centre is open 9am–5pm

When the autumn finally arrives, borders will need tidying and overgrowth cutting back. Late flowering plants, decorative pots and colourful trees and shrubs will

Why customers choose us

make all the difference.

Rowan Garden Centre is one of the few

Getting back to earth!

remaining local independent enterprises.

We thrive due to our passion for plants

Centre for some

trained staff can help you choose from a

inspiration. Enjoy a

large selection of quality plants, many

Rowan Garden Centre Ltd Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles Buckinghamshire HP8 4AB

coffee and cake,

grown on site, and a range of products

01494 872335

breakfast or lunch in our

and services. Those who discover us

café overlooking fields

often come on the recommendation of

with grazing horses.

other loyal customers.

Now’s the time to take a trip into the

and horticulture, our friendly customer

countryside and visit Rowan Garden

service and competitive prices. Our fully

www.rowangardencentre.co.uk

Directions: We’re tucked away in the heart of the Chilterns! Follow the A413 from Denham or Amersham, or the B442 Nightingales Lane from Little Chalfont. Look out for the brown signs to Chiltern Open Air Museum, which is 300 metres from our entrance.