Ian Gawler Blog: Health, Healing and Wellbeing – The 2014 Tour!

This week, an amazing cancer survival story, news of one of the best new books I have read in a long time, and details of the speaking tour up the East Coast Ruth and I head off for in July.

Hope to see many of you along the way – a good opportunity to share what we do with family, friends and colleagues. There will be the chance for a refresher, to help get back on track if needed; but also exciting new information and the opportunity to meditate together and to deepen the experience of what meditation really is.

But there is nothing like running a cancer residential program (as we have just done in Auckland – see the News section below) to be reminded of why Ruth and I are so committed to the work we do. Sure it is wonderful to be able to help people recover from cancer, but it would be even better if people do not even get cancer! Clearly cancer is mainly a highly preventable illness, and the best prevention is living well!

So this week an inspiring story from someone who turned his life around and is alive many years later - way longer than his doctors imagined, and a reminder that most of us need a reminder to keep on track and to resist the pressures from society that would have us eating badly, getting stressed, living mindlessly and so on. I hope this is a blog you will share, but first




Thought for the Day

This is the kind of friend you are -
Without making me realize
My soul’s anguished history,
You slip into my house at night,
And while I am sleeping,
You silently carry off
All my suffering and sordid past
In your beautiful hands
                        Hafiz




Ross Latham is convinced he manufactured his own cancer.

“Its not that I did it consciously, but the way I was eating, the stress of my job, my whole lifestyle brought my body to a state of collapse, and cancer was the result.”

In despair, with a diagnosis of Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and having been told rather emphatically by his doctors that his particular condition was incurable, Ross was given You Can Conquer Cancer.

While visiting with Ross in Auckland (he and his wife Jen are incredibly helpful to us – even lent us a car to get around in!), Ross told me

“Knowing what had caused my cancer gave me real hope. I thought that if I could just turn my life around, maybe I could turn the cancer around. What the book made clear was that if I did take the best of what the doctors had to offer, I could add to that with all the therapeutic benefits of a good diet, exercise, using the power of the mind and meditation.”


Ross’ doctors had only expected him to survive for around 2 years. But that was 18 years ago.

Happily, as we know, Ross is not alone in his good outcome. Dr Kelly Turner has just published Radical Remission – Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. In this fabulous groundbreaking book, Dr Turner reports on her investigation, through her PhD, of over 1,000 people with extraordinary and well documented cases of unexpected cancer recovery – the so-called “spontaneous remissions”.

PLEASE NOTE Dr Kelly's book has just been brought into Australia and we hope to have it available via our webstore in a couple of weeks - and will advise when it is there.

Ten years ago, Dr Turner, a psychotherapist and researcher, had been shocked to realise that no one was studying how people like Ross and myself managed to survive.

“I was fascinated by these stories” says Dr Turner. “There were so many of them. What made these people the exceptions? Were they just “lucky”, or could we learn from them?”

Dr Turner soon grasped that these people were quite deliberate; they had not recovered “spontaneously”.

“In fact, they worked very hard to heal,” says Dr Turner “and I discovered that they did indeed have nine healing factors in common. Seven of these nine were mental/emotional in nature; the other two being making major dietary change and using herbs and supplements.

“This tells me that the mind is much more powerful than we think. The radical remission survivors I studied very much believed in the power of their mind to heal the body and they took an active (as opposed to passive) role in their healing process.”

Speaking personally, we love being able to help people to recover from cancer and I have seen this happen many times. However, like Ross and so many other people I have known afflicted by this tough disease; we all say the best way to treat cancer is to prevent it. Best not to get it!

Clearly, all the authorities these days agree cancer is a highly preventable illness.

A healthy lifestyle, eating well, exercising, and using the power of the mind – all these things are well proven to prevent all the chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as cancer. However, while in my experience many people know the basics of this these days, they still struggle to do the right thing by themselves and their families.

So many I meet are looking for help to eat well consistently, to exercise, to manage their stress, to relax and to meditate regularly.

Now clearly, this is where the mind comes in again, for it is the mind of course, that decides what we do - what we eat and drink and how much of it. Whether we exercise or smoke. How we manage our relationships, our stress levels and whether or not we use techniques like meditation. Manage our mind, train our mind - manage our life.




Truly it is as the title of another of my books suggests, it is The Mind that Changes Everything.

During the talks that I will present over the next few months you will get to deepen your experience of the techniques like mindfulness and meditation, learn more of exciting new research that validates and informs this approach, helps to build good health and a deep sense of inner contentment and peace, as well as assists in profound healing for those who are in need.

It is a delight to be travelling and speaking in this way with Ruth. We look forward to being able to share the experiences and the knowledge gathered over so many years working with people like Ross, to catch up with those we know from previous events, and to meet new people. So please do share the details with those you care for. The talks will also be well suited to health professionals and teachers as well.

This year we are travelling slowly, taking time between events to see some more of our great country and to spend time with family and friends. And a feature is we will be in Alice Springs end of August for Meditation in the Desert – a real highlight of the year. Then on to Adelaide and home. See you there somewhere?

RELATED BLOG
Cancer survivors? Cancer thrivers!

RESOURCES
For full details of the speaking tour or to download a flier for your local area, CLICK HERE

Maybe you can forward details or even print a few fliers, put them on noticeboards, share them around.

These days, personal contact seems to be the best way people find out about events like this. Maybe you can help someone else to prevent illness, be really well or to recover if they are in need.

NOTICEBOARD

Meditation in the Desert  : August 29 – September 7 – FILLING FAST

Come, join Ruth and myself along with like-minded people for 7 days of meditation in the extraordinary atmosphere of the Central Australian desert, followed by several days of close contact with senior local indigenous leaders.

Secure your place with a deposit. For details CLICK HERE

NEWS
The 8 day cancer residential just presented in Auckland was very well received. There was a great deal of organizing required to make it all happen and we were very ably helped by Stew Burt from the NZ cancer charity CanLive. Stew and another excellent Kiwi therapist, Liz Maluschnig combined with us to help lead and support the program.



Speaking personally again, it was the first time since retiring from the Foundation at the end of 2009 that I had led a residential cancer program specifically for “beginners” (we regularly continue to provide the follow-up programs, but this was for those who had not attended a previous, similar program), so I made time for plenty of preparation.





It was actually very satisfying to have the continuity of presenting all the material for the first 5 days – covering all the Mind-Body material, relaxation, mindfulness, meditation and positive thinking and imagery, then the therapeutic nutrition and issues around life and death.


Liz then led the sessions on healthy emotions, Ruth pain management and medical matters.

For us it seemed very worthwhile and we are considering doing it again next year.

Service your car? Of course! Service your telomeres? What?

This week, with Ruth and I leading a cancer residential program in Auckland, my old veterinary friend Dr Trevor Chatham contributes a guest post on how just like servicing your car, you can support your telomeres, prevent illness, increase your quality of life and add years to your life.

We all know what happens if you get a new car, drive it, refuel it, keep driving it, but never service it. Nothing initially. It will keep going for a while. You will actually save both time and money in the short term. But we all know that sooner or later, things will start to go badly wrong.

Ever thought of taking routine care of your telomeres? Lets go Out on a Limb once more with Trevor and find out what is on offer; then more details of Meditation in the Desert, and also how you can obtain a 20% discount to one of the very best conferences, Mind and its Potential, but first





              Thought for the day

                      
                      A real friend
                      Is one who walks in
                      When the rest of the world walks out.
                                    
                                     Walter Winchell




Trevor writes:
If we do not service our cars, we do not know exactly what will breakdown first, but we can be sure that it will not be a happy ending. We can also be fairly sure that an unserviced car will cease to function many, many years earlier than an identical car, using identical fuel, and driven in the same manner.

Similarly, we know that we may not even notice any immediate changes when we do the right thing and we do have our car serviced routinely.

But the vast majority of people do it anyway because they are aware that by doing so, the vehicle will run well for a long time to come.

Looking after your car, servicing your car, is like looking after your telomeres.


Telomeres as many of you will know by now, are the recently discovered protective end pieces on our chromosomes (that contain our genes and are made up of DNA). Australian Elizabeth Blackburn was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009 for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by these things called telomeres along with the enzyme telomerase.

All the cells in our body need to divide and reproduce from time to time. As they do so, the chromosomes in each and every one of those cells need to divide and replicate. As the chromosomes do this, the telomeres at their ends gradually fray and become shorter.


As our telomeres become shorter, all sorts of difficult health issues arise and when they become too short, quite simply, our cells can no longer replicate and we die.


Telomere shortening is now well proven to be a key factor in ageing, the development of chronic degenerative disease and the key determinant in “dying of old age”. If nothing else causes death first, short telomeres will.


Cancer, Heart Attacks, Alzhiemer’s Disease, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and many other conditions have all been associated with short telomeres. People who develop cancer and have shorter telomeres, are much more likely to die of their illness than people with longer telomeres.

Clearly, telomere length is of vital significance to our health and our longevity.

The latest scientific discoveries would indicate that if you are not choosing to actively support your telomeres you are doing the same thing as the person who is choosing not to service their car. You may be saving money in the short term, but you are heading for trouble much sooner that you need be.

One key to a long life and to good health is to keep your telomeres long. How to do it?

“Well I eat well!”

You may do, but that is no different to using premium fuel in your car. It helps in the day-today running of the car and is useful, but you still need to service the vehicle. Even human cells kept in perfect conditions in a petri dish with all the nutrients they need cease operating and dividing due to telomere shortening.

Product B is the only product registered with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration for its capacity to support telomeres. Product B contains a blend of herbs carefully selected and researched for their capacity to support telomere function. Product B offers a simple solution.

There is good research showing the herbs in Product B also support immune function and have anti-cancer properties in their own right (see a summary of this research at www.herbalts.com).


You support your car with regular services because it is normal to do so and you understand why it is important.

What is worth more to you, your car or your health?

Both need regular servicing and support.

Actively supporting your telomeres will enable you to live a longer and healthier life.


At this point in time most people do not fully understand the importance of supporting their telomeres because this knowledge is something relatively new. Sadly, the vast majority of people are getting sicker and dying well before the 120 years that both scientists and God say we should be able to live.

For a full understanding of how Telomere Support will affect you and how it has already helped others watch Dr Bill Andrews as he presents to a large group of Anti-Aging medical specialists in the video on www.restoremybody.net
                                   
To order Product B, go to www.herbalts.com

May God bless you in all that you do.

Dr Trevor Chatham BVSc
Mobile  : +61(0)414 627 833
Email   : trevorchatham@gmail.com
Skype  : trevor.chatham

RELATED BLOGS
Size does matter. Dogs, telomeres, cancer and you

Is this the elixir of youth?

NOTICEBOARD

1. Meditation in the Desert  : August 29 – September 7 – FILLING FAST

Come, join Ruth and myself along with like-minded people for 7 days of meditation in the extraordinary atmosphere of the Central Australian desert, followed by several days of close contact with senior local indigenous leaders. Opportunity of a lifetime.

Secure your place with a deposit. For details CLICK HERE

Sharing stories as one part of Meditation in the Desert:

2. Mind and its Potential is one of the very best conferences and this year’s line-up of speakers is exceptional. As readers of my blog, you can use the code below and register with a 20% discount – very good value!!!


Mind & Its Potential 2014         27 & 28 October 2014 | The Concourse, Chatswood, Sydney

What is your true potential? Can you really train your brain?
How can you thrive?

Learn, network, be engaged and motivated at Mind & Its Potential 2014! Explore the latest science of neuroplasticity and discover how individuals, organisations and companies can do extraordinary things to improve wellbeing and productivity.

With 30+ world renowned international and local speakers this event is an essential ‘to-do’ for maximising your potential in all aspects of life.

As a supporting organisation we have secured a 20% discount for our contacts.

THE EARLIER YOU BOOK THE MORE YOU SAVE!
• Book before 27 June and save $380 off the full 2 day conference fee and $640 off the full 4 day gold pass fee (including workshops).
• Book before 19 September and save $300 off the full 2 day conference fee and $500 off the full 4 day gold pass fee (including workshops).

Book online using VIP code MBM or call (02) 8719 5118 to register. CLICK HERE


KEYNOTES INCLUDE:

• Professor Michael Merzenich, USA, world’s foremost expert on the science of brain training who featured in ABC TV hit series Redesign My Brain as Todd Sampson’s mentor
• Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, India, a remarkable woman who spent 12 years alone meditating in the Himalayas as featured in the international best-selling book Cave in the Snow
• Dr Linda E Carlson, Canada, pioneering psycho-oncology researcher and expert on mindfulness as a health intervention
• B. Alan Wallace, USA, inspiring teacher and leading scholar of Eastern and Western scientific, philosophical and contemplative modes of inquiry
• Dr Jenni Ogden, New Zealand, clinical neuropsychologist, blogger for Psychology Today and author of Trouble in Mind, a memoir in the spirit of Oliver Sacks
• Richard Gill OAM, internationally respected music educator and conductor and ABC TV’s Spicks and Specks panellist
• Adam Spencer, outstanding science communicator, broadcaster, author and maths geek with 1.2 million+ views for his famous TED talk!
www.mindanditspotential.com.au

Mindful Eating. Five simple things that when you can do them will almost certainly bring you to an ideal weight without any focus on dieting.

Want to be able to eat what you like, when you like and really enjoy it? Want to drop all sense of guilt, fear and recrimination around food and maintain a healthy, stable weight intelligently? Free of effort. This week, 5 simple things that can deliver all this for you.

Facts are around 60% of adults in Australia and the USA are overweight or obese. Even if you are just a little overweight, you are certainly not alone. We all know the health consequences. Not good.

Now I am one of those fortunate people who in their sixties still has visible stomach muscles. How so? Easy. I have never “dieted”, but for many years mindfulness has been the guiding light for what I eat and how I eat it.

So this week, lets go Out on a Limb once more, and in a very personal way I will share 5 elegant possibilities to do with mindful eating. Also, a reminder Meditation in the Desert is only 3 months away, was fully booked last year and is such a wonderful experience if you value meditation, the Central Australian Desert and the notion of authentic cultural exchange with genuine Indigenous leaders. Details?  –  CLICK HERE.

But now,

Thought for the Day

The beginning of love

Is to let those we love be perfectly themselves

And not to twist them 

To fit our own image.

Otherwise, we love 

Only the reflection of ourselves we find in them

                  Thomas Merton

According to recent research, mindfulness can reduce food cravings, normalise appetite and help regulate how much we eat. Maybe I am not alone! Supermodel Gisele Bundchen even credits mindfulness and meditation with helping her lose her baby weight just two months after giving birth. Must be good. So how to do it?

1. Mindful shopping (or mindful food gathering)

I love shopping for food. It brings out a natural form of mindfulness. I pick up a potato, feel its weight, squeeze it a little, roll it around and reflect: “ Is this a potato I want to make a part of me? Is this the sort of potato that I want my body to become?”

I remind myself, what I will eat will become my new body. Today’s potato is my future body. So I am rather deliberate about it. Sure, it does take a little extra time (but not much); and the upside is shopping itself becomes a meditation. Enjoyable.

Also, I know that food control starts in the shop. If you bring no junk food into the house, the only way to eat any is to send out for pizza!!!

I love shopping for food mindfully.

2. Mindful food preparation

I love preparing food. Again, it brings out a natural mindfulness. I pick up the potato, in the kitchen thistime. Smile. Bathe it if necessary. Yes, more than wash, bathe it. There is a tenderness, a respect, a natural care for this thing, this potato I plan to eat, maybe share with family and friends. 

How wonderful this potato is here for the eating. Mindfulness comes naturally. Everything about the preparation, the cooking has my full attention. I do not want to miss anything. 

I love preparing food mindfully.

3. Mindful eating

Now we are getting really sensual. The potato is on the plate. The colours. The smells. The texture. The taste. Yummmmm! Why would you want to miss any of this? I love eating mindfully. It is so pleasurable. So satisfying. So filling. 

For me it is virtually impossible to over-eat. Maybe it happens a few times a year, but then there is a natural balance, eating less for a meal or two. No effort. It all comes naturally. 

I love eating mindfully. 

4. Gratitude

If you do not eat, you die. If there is nothing to eat, you die. Simple. 

I am so appreciative of having food in the shops, food in my garden. 

I go to the Victoria Markets in central Melbourne and walk down the aisles marvelling at the abundance. Grateful for the large organic section. Forty years ago when I was struggling to overcome cancer, there was literally one organic vegetable shop in all of Melbourne. Now most suburbs have a shop, and most supermarkets an organic section. Got to love it.

Then I am so grateful for all the shop assistants, all the people involved in transport, all the gardeners, the people that all these people rely upon in turn to make their work, their service possible.

Take a moment to think through all of what it has taken to enable your potato to be in the shop, and you will be feeling immense gratitude for an immense number of people. They are all a part of your diet.

Gratitude is the key to appreciating and valuing what you eat.

5. The optional extra. The real delight. Grow your own food – mindfully.

The joy of having this privilege of having a home vegetable garden. And the benefit of knowing what it takes to nurture a potato, to actually grow one – or two.

Such respect for the potato that comes from the home garden. Grow it mindfully and all else follows.

Such respect. Such mindfulness.

I love growing food mindfully.

Nothing about dieting. 

Nothing about what or how much or when to eat. 

Just mindfulness and gratitude. 

Now there is a diet for you!

ADDENDUM – Are statins a justification for mindless gluttony?  

Gluttony is the word the researchers used!

Statins are intended to be cholesterol-lowering drugs but according to recent research published by the American Medical Association, those who use them tend to gain more weight and eat more fat and calories.

In a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers found that over ten years those on statins had an increased calorie intake of 9.6 percent while their fat intake increased 14.4 percent. Over those same years, people  who did not take cholesterol-lowering medications had no significant changes in calorie or fat intake.

Those on the medications also gained more weight, compared with those not on medications. The authors conclude that patients had adopted a false sense of security, and dietary intake needs greater emphasis.

Sugiyama T,et al. Different time trends of caloric and fat intake between statin users and nonusers among US adults: gluttony in the time of statins? JAMA Intern Med. Published online April 24, 2014.

NOTICEBOARD

Meditation in the Desert  : August 29 – September 7

Come, join Ruth and myself along with like-minded people for 7 days of meditation in the
extraordinary atmosphere of the Central Australian desert, followed by several days of close contact with senior local indigenous leaders. 

Also, there is an add-on tour we have arranged especially to follow after the retreat for those wishing to travel on to the key sites around Alice Springs - the Rock, Kata Juta (the Olgas) etc. 

Many from previous years have described this as a genuine trip of a lifetime.

For full details CLICK HERE

RELATED BLOGS

The 2 top ways to develop mindfulness in daily life

Meditation in the Desert

NEWS
1. Swami Shantananda trained with me many years ago and was on the Foundation's Board for some years, so I came to know her well and can recommend this workshop she will be presenting on May 24th for those seeking the essence of meditation.

Please note: The notice above is a jpeg, so here is the email address in clickable form:

robert@classicalyoga.com.au

2. What are they doing?
Bonus points for anyone who knows where the picture was taken for this week’s version of “Meditation delivers!” on my Facebook page. If you have not caught up with it, for the last few months I have been having fun connecting photos I have taken around the world with something that “Meditation delivers!”. This week the caption is “Want to stand out from the crowd?” 

So where in the world are the girls and what do you imagine they are doing? Have your say on the comments section.

Answers next week

Surgery without anaesthesia? A well trained mind, or just plain crazy?

Like to be able to manage pain more easily? Wondered what might be possible?  Dr Ainslie Meares, the founder of therapeutic meditation and my own mentor and initial teacher, had a hernia corrected without anaesthetic. True. I know the surgeon who performed that particular operation.

How is this possible? Can you and I learn from this and change our response to pain?

Ainslie also had well documented, major dental surgery without anaesthetic. A senior Tibetan monk had a significant skin lesion removed without anaesthetic, although by accident not deliberate choice.

Speaking personally, from having a severe aversion to the dentist as a youngster, I have had major dental work performed without anaesthetic while using meditation-based mind techniques learnt from Dr Meares.

So this week we go Out on a Limb once more, share some remarkable stories and point to ways to train the mind to manage pain, but first


Thought for the day
I'm a wonderful housekeeper.
Every time I get a divorce,
I keep the house.

Zsa Zsa Gabor, 
Exponent of laughter is the best medicine



So this is what happened to the Tibetan. Renowned as a master of his own mind, this elderly man was hospitalized to remove a skin lesion, in theory courtesy of a local anaesthetic.

He was readied for the procedure, but in one of those unfortunate combination of events, the surgeon arrived before the anaesthetist. The surgeon was rather taken by the gentle smile of the Tibetan and his calm demeanor, and thinking his patient had been readied, the surgeon took up his scalpel and cut deeply into his skin on his way to removing the affected area.

In a while he noticed that some of the muscles deeper in his patient’s tissues were twitching. Knowing that this would not have been the case if adequate local anaesthesia was in place, he inquired of the Tibetan who just smiled at him. Then he questioned his assistant more thoroughly and it was uncovered that no anaesthetic had been given!

What would you have done?

One suspects that the reaction of the untrained mind is likely to be fairly swift and dramatic. If it did get so far as the scalpel actually slicing the fully awake skin, shrieks of pain would almost certainly be followed by howls of protest.

One could easily imagine sensations of significant pain, agitation, maybe even fainting or hyper-ventilating. And the ramifications for the staff and hospital could be quite difficult with threats or retribution, lawyers and reputations damaged. A reasonably unpleasant experience for all.

So pause to think. In this unlikely scenario, is there another way?

Maybe as a starter we can explore the idea of someone who is really into the notion of training their mind and developing major pain management skills. Maybe this person has already experimented and found it possible to be at ease undergoing dental work with out anaesthetic.

They may well have done this by first believing it to be possible, then determining to develop this personally invaluable skill of advanced pain management. So perhaps they spent weeks or even months doing inner rehearsal. Imagining in their mind going to the dentist, being relaxed in the waiting room knowing they would decline anaesthetic.


Then rehearsing more, imagining being relaxed in the dentist’s chair, knowing they would decline anaesthetic. Imagining the procedure of having a filling repaired being relaxed, at ease and pain free.

Maybe they also rehearsed being able to relax deeply as the treatment was proceeding, observing the
any sensations accompanying the treatment with full mindfulness, knowing there was the ever present refuge of the stillness of meditation to be safe within.

Then imagining and rehearsing the great feeling of leaving the dental surgery knowing there was no lingering after effect of the anaesthetic and knowing they had achieved something significant.

And then maybe they did it. Went on the appointed day, relaxed in the waiting room, relaxed on the chair, relaxed deeply declining any local anaesthetic and relaxed deeply through the filling. Left feeling great!

Then, with this background and knowing they needed skin surgery, maybe they took an extremely adventurous view and decided to attempt it without anaesthetic. And maybe they could find a surgeon willing to go along with it. Maybe. Then all the inner rehearsal, the conscious relaxation, the mind control. Maybe it is possible. Maybe.

So what did the Tibetan do?

Well it seems that right from when our senior Tibetan was first hospitalized, the common experience amongst the hospital staff was of how happy they felt around him. He seemed so at ease, so happy, so grateful to everyone for their assistance that he made them all feel good.



When it came time for his procedure, he smiled
and was happy to go along with whatever directions
he was given; again, full of courtesy and gratitude.

When his surgeon arrived, he greeted him with a smile and looked on with interest as the necessary instruments were assembled.


From all accounts as the scalpel cut deeply into his skin, he seemed to do no more than smile a little deeper. However, when the surgeon questioned if he had been given an anaesthetic, he went to great pains (pardon the pun) to say that everything was fine and politely requested the surgeon to continue.

As it became clear that the anaesthetist had been delayed and the surgery begun without any anaesthetic, the Tibetan’s main concern was for no one to get into trouble. He insisted the surgeon continue, assuring him and re-assuring him that the experience was good for his practice and gave him the opportunity to deepen his meditation!

What would you do? Ever considered making time to train your mind and change your experience of pain? For me, that time was so well spent – it has changed my relationship with pain these last 40 years. Well worth the effort. Liberating in fact.

RESOURCES
The pain management exercises are well set out in the following books and CD/Download. The meditation exercises and specific pain relief exercises that many have found almost miraculously helpful in relieving pain – both acute and chronic – are led by me on the CD/Download

BOOKS : You Can Conquer Cancer

Meditation- An In-depth Guide

CD / Download : Effective Pain Management

NEWS
Had a great weekend in Victoria's West Coast. Stayed at beautiful Pt Fairy and then presented the first workshop for the year on Health, Healing and the Mind in Warrnambool - actually at a local hall in Crossley. The venue was particularly wonderful as it had been saved for public use by a major community push.

The workshop itself was well received. Importantly for me it provided to "test drive" the workshops planned in a few months up the East Coast. Learnt it will be even better to make more time for practicing mindfulness and meditation through the day, but felt the presentation on how the mind works and how to use it to greater effect went well and was enthusiastically received.

Also met a man who came to the cancer groups 25 years ago with a 4 year cancer prognosis who was very much alive and well - very heartening!

NOTICEBOARD
1. Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing 
Only 3 weeks to go before this 8 day cancer residential Ruth and I will present personally in Auckland and spaces are still available to join us.

We will cover the full range of Integrative Medicine options, – therapeutic nutrition, exercise and meditation, emotional health, positive psychology, pain management, the search for meaning and so on.

I will personally present the majority of the content but along with Ruth, participants will have the additional support and experience of Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt; two very experienced and committed New Zealanders.

For details on this and the other cancer related residential programs for 2014 CLICK HERE 

2. IN SYDNEY? WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TONIGHT OR TOMORROW?

This is to personally recommend two events I have just been informed of for Sydneysiders coming up very, very soon – Cammeray on Monday 5^th May and Rozelle on Tuesday 6^th May! 

Jason Shon-Bennett is a world leader in the health and wellbeing arena with life-changing messages delivered in an engaging, humorous and compelling way.  Jason will be delivering a fresh new seminar based around the ‘Eat Less, Live Long’ message in his new book including the benefits of eating less, what we can learn from the longest-lived healthiest people and the benefits of Regular Intelligent Fasting (which Jason has been practicing for 25 years).  

Bookings are being taken by the lovely folk at About Life click here to make a booking.