A Note on Self-Love - Radical Self-Love & Self-Acceptance

We spend our lives chasing romance, thinking that the love of our life will fill the void within us, but they don’t.

At some point, we have to look in the mirror and start loving what is there - our body, our mind, our past, our peculiarities and our strengths and weaknesses.

At some point we have to choose the road of radical self-acceptance and compassion for ourselves, otherwise we spend our lives living as a shadow, as a ghost wondering through life looking for validation and wholeness.

The truth is - you are already whole. You are already enough. You are already perfect as you are.

Society has fed you a lie - that you need to be prettier, thinner, wealthier, have the perfect partner, the perfect job and that you shouldn't feel loneliness, emptiness, suffering and grief.

Our sick society makes you out to be something less than you are - a weak person, in need of validation, terrified of losing at the game of life and drowning in a sea of unfulfilled desire. You are not this.

You are a human being. Deserving of love. Not in a million million miles of this planet, in any direction, can we find anything like you. You, your mess, your imperfections, every bit of you the wobbles and every moment of your life, is sacred.

Go and look in the mirror. Today is the day. Go and make peace with yourself. End this war with yourself. Start the inner revolution today. Stop seeking validation, from today. Love yourself better, from today.

You are life that has evolved to become conscious of itself. You are literally, the embodiment of life in human form; the universe made conscious. You are a miracle. Wake up.

Go to the mirror. Look at what is looking back at you, at what is behind those eyes. Enough with playing small. Today is the day you wake up, make peace with yourself and step into your greatness

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The words are by Bodhimaya Founder Cornelius O'Shaughnessy and the painting is Falling Star by Witold Pruszkowski.

Reserve your place on one of our award-winning Mind and Body Wellbeing Retreats 

Cowdray House in the United Kingdom
22nd - 28th March
25th - 31st October

Villa La Coste in the South of France
21st - 27th April
14th - 24th September

www.bodhimaya.com

A Note on Self-Love - Say Yes to the Mess

You are human. There is weakness, darkness and trauma running through every part of you, accept and embrace it; let this darkness see the light of your kindness and compassion.

Stop pushing the parts of yourself that are painful, that you don’t like and that you don’t want others to see, into a dark deep hidden abyss within you, never to see the light of day. All that happens when you do this is that your shadows get dark, bitter and twisted.

You are imperfect and that is how you were made to be. The human experience is an experience of duality - of limitation, weakness, pain and suffering, as well as strength, love, joy, peace, compassion and all of the other positive aspects of life. Be brave enough to experience all of it - the totality of the human experience. Don’t try to escape the darkness; bring the light of wisdom and compassion to the darkness instead, to the darkest parts of yourself. Love them. Set them free.

Please remember: You are a courageous warrior with battle scars who has been on a long and arduous journey. You are NOT a victim. Do not be afraid of pain and suffering or of your own shadow. Do not spend your life running away from darkness. Stand up and face life. All of it. You are stronger than you will ever know.

If can allow yourself to accept your shadow, you soon see that even your darkness is there to support you, to help you grow wiser, kinder and stronger. There is nothing to be afraid of. Life is helping you discover what you are capable of, it is carving and sculpting you into the best version of yourself. So work with it. Stop resisting and running away. Let it all come up. Learn from it all. Let it all flow over you. Surrender to it all. Let your shadows come into the light. Say yes to this glorious mess.

The words are by Bodhimaya Founder Cornelius O'Shaughnessy and the illustration is by John Bauer

Reserve your place on one of our award-winning Mind and Body Wellbeing Retreats 

Cowdray House in the United Kingdom
22nd - 28th March
25th - 31st October

Villa La Coste in the South of France
21st - 27th April
14th - 24th September

www.bodhimaya.com

David Phoenix introduces us to acupuncture

Acupuncture is the primary tool of Traditional Chinese medicine and is used throughout most East Asian medical traditions.

Its job is to stimulate points on our body and trigger a healing response. 

How does it work?

Acupuncture effects our hormonal system, releasing endorphins and reducing inflammation - a common marker for many diseases. 

Acupuncture also stimulates our Amygdala - the part of a brain associated with emotion and stress. It helps to lower our stress response by moving our nervous system into a more relaxed parasympathetic state. Many of us are stuck in the sympathetic nervous system state which triggers a 'fight or flight' response, however we should only be in this state when we are in physical or emotional danger. Acupuncture can help move us out of this state and deal with chronic stress, depression and anxiety. 

Perhaps most well known are acupuncture's effects on the physical tissue where it can help ease muscle tension and have a positive impact on painful and limiting conditions that create neck, back and joint pain.

Acupuncture can help us create the space and conditions that encourage an optimal state of physical and emotional wellbeing. 

Acupuncture at Bodhimaya Harley Street with David Phoenix

In my practice, as well as acupuncture needles, I also use massage, cupping and warming to help rebalance the body and create change in the area you are experiencing symptoms.

Treatment begins with exploring your symptoms and discussing how we can return you, as quickly as possible, to a state of optimal health.

Our external environment, our internal environment - our emotions, and our lifestyle are the factors which govern our health. In order to restore the mind and body we need to develop a picture of how these factors are effecting us - how our lifestyle, our constitution, our symptoms and the way we are responding to life are all contributing to the development of our symptoms.

In each treatment session we discuss your life, how happy you are, any stress you might be experiencing as well as your physical symptoms. This allows me to tailor your treatment to your body's exact needs and helps us both discover ways to help you manage your symptoms more effectively.

I hope this introduction gives you a brief insight in the treatment process and how acupuncture can help you.

Please feel free to email us if you would like to know more or if you would like to make an appointment at the Bodhimaya Harley Street Clinic.

David Phoenix is a member of the British Acupuncture Council and has an acupuncture degree with honours from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine

David specialises in emotional health and stress, muscular and skeletal problems, health optimisation, anti-ageing and female health including fertility issues. 

New study shows the mind and body benefits of The Bodhimaya Rejuvenation Method

This latest piece of scientific research shows that the Bodhimaya Retreat Method has a direct and long-term affect on physical and emotional wellbeing. The new study shows that a six day retreat with an anti-inflammatory diet, yoga and meditation has a significant physiological affect on the mind and body.

"It's intuitive that taking a vacation reduces biological processes related to stress, but it was still impressive to see the large changes in gene expression from being away from the busy pace of life, in a relaxing environment, in such a short period of time."" said psychiatrist Elissa S. Epel from the University of California

The study looked at 94 healthy women aged between 30 and 60 to take part in a six-day retreat in California.

The researchers took blood samples from all of the women before and after the retreat. They examined over 20,000 genes to look for changes in gene expression caused by the retreat. Researchers also asked the women to give details of their emotional wellbeing, they asked again one month and ten months after the retreat.

They asked some of the women just to take the time to relax and relax, another group to embark on a meditation programme for the first time and another group of experienced meditators to do the meditation programme throughout their stay . All three groups showed significant improvements in stress levels and the functioning of the immune system. "We found a suppression of stress-related responses and immune function related to acute-phase wound healing and inflammation. We also identified a 'meditation effect' within the meditator group, characterised by a distinct network of genes with cellular functions that may be relevant to healthy ageing, this network was associated with increased expression of a number of telomere maintenance pathway genes and an increase in measured telomerase enzymatic activity." Translational Psychiatry.

This is great news for those of you looking for the anti-ageing and disease prevention benefits of a retreat, because telomeres play a crucial role in the ageing process and in the development of disease. "Telomere length predicts both cellular health and disease. Shorter telomeres predict onset of the cardiometabolic diseases of aging. Chronic stress is associated with higher inflammation, shorter telomeres, and lower activity levels of telomerase" Translational Psychiatry.

Post-retreat surveys also showed that all participants reported feelings of increased wellbeing even a month after the retreat. The biggest effect was seen by those who took part in the meditation programme; especially the inexperienced meditators, who showed a reduction in their depression and stress scores, even up to 10 months after the retreat.

The findings show that a retreat can have an incredible impact on your health and wellbeing, so make sure your next holiday is one that involves lots of green juices and meditation, instead of wine and late nights.

You can experience the benefits of the retreat process yourself on a Bodhimaya Retreat; our highly targeted programmes are designed to unleash the full restorative potential of the retreat experience.

How to Spend it Review

We were thilled to be reviewed by How to Spend it magazine.

"It is the minutely researched care and attention at every step of the way that sets it apart from the normal run of retreats”

How to Spend it magazine

http://howtospendit.ft.com/health-grooming/80371-bodhimaya-retreat