Apparently Aristotle thought that a baby does not have a soul until the moment it laughs for the first time! I am not sure about that but I do know that, having laughed more recently than I have in a long time, it feels absolutely amazing! Laughter can certainly be a nurturing, soulful experience. There is something so blissful and therapeutic about a good belly laugh. Not only does it feel fabulously intoxicating, but laughter has also been scientifically shown to have tremendous health benefits.   …of course we don’t need science to tell us that laughter makes us feel good! All it takes is a good giggle and we can feel on top of the world.

In her book A Better Brain at Any Age: The Holistic Way to Improve Your Memory, Reduce Stress, and Sharpen Your Wits Sondra Kornblatt shares how laughter can truly make you feel better, including:

• Lower blood pressure
• Increase vascular blood flow and oxygenation of the blood
• Give a workout to the diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles (what better way to tone up?!!)
• Increase the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells
• Defend against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva
• Increase memory and learning
• Improve alertness, creativity, and memory.

Laughter can have wonderful benefits for stress reduction. It can reduce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, melting away negative emotions, guilt and anger. How can we possibly stay as mad at someone when they’ve just made us laugh, even if we want to?

Laughter expert Dr Robert Provine goes as far as saying, “Laughter is not primarily about humour but about social relationships.” His view is that the health benefits of laughter are more likely a result of the social connection and support than of the laughter itself. I would absolutely agree that laughter can provide a tremendous sense of social connection! One of the best ways to connect with someone – be it stranger, acquaintance, companion or partner – is to share a laugh. From that simple, pleasurable shared experience a deeper rapport or connection can grow.

In his book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, Dr Provine shares some interesting insights about the social aspects of laughter, including:

• Laughter plays an important role in mating; apparently men like women who laugh heartily in their presence
• Females generally laugh more – 126 percent more than their male counterparts, whereas men are more likely laugh-getters
• The laughter of the female is the critical index of a healthy relationship
• Laughter in relationships declines dramatically as people age
• Laughter is contagious; the laughter of others is irresistible.

Dr Provine suggests that one of the best ways to stimulate laughter is by tickling. After being relentlessly tickled yesterday I’m not sure I would agree! As much as I love a good laugh, I think I’ll take a funny companion, joke, TV show or movie any day!

When did you last have a good laugh? How can you incorporate more play and laughter into your life?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

Have you ever walked into a room only to feel uplifted? Or perhaps the opposite, where you instantly feel drained? Energy is everywhere. Everything and everyone is made up of energy. Often we don’t realise that the energy of our surroundings can have a direct and significant impact on our own energy levels and over time, also on our overall wellbeing.

For many years I could never figure out why, after a day at a conference, even when the content was uplifting, I would often be left feeling exhausted, like all I wanted to do is crawl into bed. What I didn’t realise is that I was taking on board the energy of others in the conference room, which was having a material impact on my personal energy levels. The impact can be particularly intense when large numbers of people are present, although even one person can dramatically alter our energy if they are resonating high or low enough.

For example, have you ever been in the company of someone who is extremely angry or negative? Have you noticed how you can sense their anger without them even having to say anything? And how you might yourself, start to feel uneasy in their presence? Well project this across a whole room of people who bring different energies with them to a conference or workplace. People could arrive angry after being stuck in peak hour traffic or having just had someone run into the back of their car. Perhaps they had a fight with their spouse or their kids were playing up. All of these things alter peoples’ energy levels, which they then indirectly bring with them into the conference.

I spend much of my week working in my own private home office space, sweetly scented by bunches of flowers and burning candles. I create a space filled with energy of love and joy and as a result, I stay energized and uplifted throughout my day. Even with beautiful, nurturing surrounds, all it can take is a phone call with someone to bring down my energy levels. Having been out of the fulltime corporate workplace scene for some time now, when I do go into a shared office space for meetings the energetic impact is extremely noticeable for me and I have to take extra measures to preserve my personal energy.

Shopping centres can have a similar effect. I will confess that there’s nothing I like more than a good spot of retail therapy and those who know me will attest to that (I call myself a material spiritualist, or maybe that’s a spiritual materialist!). There is however, only so much shopping I can do at any one time, especially if I’m in an indoor shopping centre filled with crowds of people. Whilst I love fashion and the process of shopping is energising for me, after a couple of hours I start to feel drained and need to leave (which my bank balance thanks me for!).

The foods we put into our body can also directly impact our energy levels. I know that when I eat fresh, organic wholefoods every cell in my body feels energised. I can literally feel the foods lighting me up inside. Yet when I eat a big greasy hamburger (yes I have done that on the rare occasion!) or highly processed foods filled with sugar, I feel lethargic and disgusting.

It doesn’t always have to be external events that impact our energy levels. Our own thoughts, feelings and emotions also have a direct impact on our energy levels. For example, think of a time when you’ve felt extremely happy. Chances are you’ve felt energised and uplifted. Similarly, when we feel upset or sad this can lower our energy levels.  Generally angry, hateful, negative thoughts and emotions lower our energetic vibrations, and loving, positive thoughts and emotions heighten our energetic vibrations. These energetic vibrations can in turn, have a physical impact on our molecular structure, as suggested by Emoto’s water experiment.

For optimal inner beauty and wellbeing, it is therefore important that we are conscious of how people, places, foods, events, thoughts and emotions impact our energy levels. By creating an awareness we can start to proactively manage our energy so that we’re feeling more energized more of the time.

When I start to feel energetically drained, there are certain things I love to do, which help replenish my energy levels. These include:

• Going for a walk in nature – along the ocean (being near the sea is one of the most energetically uplifting things for me to do); or in a forest or garden (I love the energy of the Morton Bay fig trees in the Sydney botanical gardens – these are my saviour after a day in the Sydney office); places like Noosa that combine both ocean and forest are even more powerful for me.
• Eating a healthy, organic meal with lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
• Meditating – even just 5 minutes can make a big difference.
• Washing off the negative energy with a long hot shower, or a soak in a salt bath.
• Visualisation – imagining every cell of my body being cleansed by a golden wave of love and light; or before I go into places that I know are likely to be energetically draining imagining a “full body condom” protecting me so that all of my positive energy stays in and no negative energy can get though.

What positively impacts your energy?  What negatively impacts it? What changes can you make in your own life so that you feel more energised more of the time?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

Did I mention that I love summer? LOVE it! Even when it’s 40˚C (105˚F) like it was here yesterday. I’d take 40˚C over 4˚C (40˚F) any day! This coming week marks the end of summer in Melbourne so I thought I would dedicate this blog post to writing about all the things I love about summer.

For me warm, sunny weather is fundamentally soul nurturing. It’s as critical for my wellbeing and happiness as healthy food, regular exercise and quality sleep. I know I’m not the only one, as I just need to walk along the beach on a beautiful, blue-skied, summer’s day to see crowds of people out basking in the rays.

Sunshine is good for us. And I have written several previous posts about the health benefits of vitamin D, which comes from the sun – Sunshine on a Rainy Day, Little Ray of Sunshine (interestingly I just noticed that I wrote those posts during the last 2 Melbourne winters, when I was clearly craving some vitamin D!!). I feel sad that we, as a western society, have been “scared” into believing the sun is evil and to be avoided at all costs. The sun is not evil. It can be very nurturing. It’s essential for the wellbeing of humanity and our planet. We just need to be sensible and enjoy basking in its splendor in moderation.

So what, aside from the sunshine, do I love most about summer? Here are my top 15 favourite things (in no particular order, and it was going to be 10 but I couldn’t stop!):

• Weekends spent lazing on the beach, the smell of coconut oil in the air
• Balmy evenings sitting under the stars sipping cocktails
• Fish and chips for dinner at the beach (well, grilled fish and salad to be exact)
• Going for long walks along the beach with nothing but shorts and a singlet on
• Driving my car with the top off (the car’s not mine!), the warm breeze in my hair
• Finishing work and still having 4 hours of daylight to enjoy
• Catching the latest flick at the open air cinema
• Having a good old Aussie BBQ in the park
• Getting up is so much easier when it’s already light and the sun is shining
• Slipping on a frock and heels and heading out and about with friends, without having to rug up
• Enjoying the huge variety of delicious summer fruits
• Dressing in bright, vibrant summery colours
• Looking like a bronzed goddess rather than a pasty shade of white
• Munching on yummy, fresh, cooling salads
• Sipping on refreshing coconut water with loads of ice cubes….

I could actually keep going! There are so many things that I love about summer! Needless to say, I’m already planning my migration north over the Melbourne winter. Despite the official end of summer this week, hopefully we still have a few more weeks to bank the vitamin D and make the most of all that summer has to offer.

What do you love most about summer?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

It is no surprise that parents influence their children in all kinds of ways, both in terms of the genes they pass on and the environment in which the child is raised. There is now more and more scientific evidence to suggest that it’s ‘nurture’ rather than ‘nature’ that has more influence over the future potential of our children.

For those of you who know me, you may well be wondering what authority I have to write about parenting when I myself, do not have any children! Well, to be frank, absolutely none! …but I’ve recently read an amazing and eye-opening book called The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles by Bruce Lipton Ph.D., which talks in great detail about the impact of both genetics and environment on the development and behaviour of human cells. After reading this book I felt compelled to share some of the wisdom held within its pages.

Dr Lipton really is a remarkable man, a cell biologist who is pioneering a relatively new area of science called epigenetics. I have written a blog post about epigenetics before, citing Dr Lipton’s work. Dr Lipton has spent more that 25 years researching the behaviour of human cells. What his quarter century of research shows is that genetics may well account for way less than we thought and environment may well account for way more! In actual fact, using diseases as an example, Dr Lipton suggests that whilst there are undoubtedly diseases such as Huntington’s or cystic fibrosis that can be accounted for by a ‘faulty’ gene, such ‘single-gene disorders’ affect less than two percent of the population. To quote Dr Lipton, “the vast majority of people come into this world with genes that should enable them to live a happy and healthy life.” It’s what happens throughout our lifetime, ie the “complex interactions among multiple genes and multiple environmental factors”, that determines whether we contract many of the diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, which are prevalent today.

Furthermore, Dr Lipton suggests that it’s not our physical lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, that have the biggest impact on the health of the cells within our bodies.  These things are certainly important for healthy, happy living, however Dr Lipton’s research indicates that it is our belief system, in particular our unconscious belief system, that is one of the biggest environmental determinants of cellular health, much more so than the genes we were born with.

This has profound implications for both our own state of being, as well as what we pass on from one generation to the next.  In The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles, Dr Lipton dedicates a whole chapter to what he terms ‘conscious parenting’.  He suggests that one of the biggest gifts a parent can pass on to their child and one of the greatest determinants of a long and healthy life, is a healthy unconscious belief system.  Dr Lipton indicates that a child’s unconscious belief system can be directly influenced by its parents’ state of being and interaction before, during and after his or her birth. By becoming more aware of our own beliefs and behaviours, we can make more conscious choices about the unconscious beliefs we pass on to our children!

Dr Lipton’s book also talks about how our beliefs can either create an environment of ‘growth’ or an environment of ‘protection’ within our bodies. Both serve their purpose in the body. However, he suggests that cells in the body cannot simultaneously exist in states of protection and growth; it’s either one or the other.  So if our unconscious beliefs are predominantly negative, pessimistic or fear-based the cells of our body are more likely to be in ‘protection’ mode and therefore unable to grow to their full potential. Whereas, if our unconscious beliefs are predominantly positive, optimistic or love-based the cells of our body are more likely to be in ‘growth’ mode and empowered to reach their full potential, only shifting to protection mode when a real danger is present. Of course there are other lifestyle factors at play, which can influence the state of our cells, stress being one such example. If we are continually in a high-stress environment this too can force our cells into protection mode.

There are many other insightful pearls of wisdom that Dr Lipton covers, which I haven’t even touched on here so I highly recommend reading his book. The main message I wanted to share in this blog is that we have the potential to empower our children to reach their full potential by being conscious of the beliefs we impart on them, both through our own behaviour, as well as through conscious communication of healthy beliefs. Healthy beliefs are those that view the world as a safe, loving, positive place; those that create a sense of appreciation, respect and love (a.k.a. Aprelo) for the self and others. This is not to say that we shouldn’t make our children aware of very real dangers. However, the predominant message to give to our children, both through our actions and words, is that they are loved, worthy, cared for and safe; that they deserve to live to their full potential and have the ability to do so. It is with these kinds of beliefs that they are likely to thrive.

The best way that we can do this is to firstly, make sure that we ourselves have a healthy unconscious belief system, and secondly, be a conscious parent who is aware that our words and actions can directly impact the belief systems of our children and therefore, their future potential in life. So how does one know whether they have a healthy unconscious belief system you might ask?

Do you truly feel worthy of love? Do you feel that you deserve happiness? Do you believe that you’re a good person at heart? Do you feel safe and secure? Do you feel that no matter what happens in life, you will be okay? If you answered yes to these questions, then it’s a good indication that you have a healthy belief system. If you answered no to a number of them, that’s okay. Most of us have limiting beliefs that have accumulated through our childhood and the course of our lives. All it takes is a little inner beauty styling J.  There are a number of techniques such as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and others that can be used to change unconscious beliefs with relative ease.

Reflect on your own beliefs. Are they helping you grow to your full potential or are they holding you back? If you are a parent, what beliefs are you imparting on your children?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

Leisurely flicking through a magazine on a weekend away I came across an article on Gisele Bundchen. One of the things that stood out about this Brazilian beauty is her commitment to putting herself first.

“People think if you look after yourself you’re being selfish, you know. But in order to be your best, you have to honour your needs first… I have to come first, because then everyone benefits,” says Gisele.

Gisele isn’t the only super-model with this life philosophy.  In her book Treasure Yourself, Miranda Kerr also talks about the utmost importance of loving and nurturing one’s self both inside and out.

We may be tempted to sit back and say, “easy for them”, they have much to love about their perfect bodies and perfect lives, and they can afford a helping hand whenever they need it. This may be true, although one thing is for certain. Both have their insecurities and down moments and both no doubt, have aspects of themselves and their lives they would want to change.

Yet both have made a commitment to honour themselves, despite personal insecurities, hectic career schedules, demands of their young bubs, their relationships and many other things that could easily stand in the way.  They honour themselves through their healthy diets; through their regular exercise regime; through their attitude towards themselves and their bodies; through their commitment to following their passions.

It’s very easy to sit back and say, “My job is just too hectic, I don’t have time to exercise or follow a healthy diet” or “I’m a mum now and my primary responsibility is to be a good parent to my children.” I am certainly not denying that this is of absolute importance. However to Gisele’s point, by honouring our own wellbeing, everyone benefits. Especially our children.

By paying attention to our own needs, we’re much more empowered to give our best to our children, our job, or anyone and anything else that’s important.  By taking care of our bodies with nutritious foods and regular exercise we feel fitter, healthier and more energetic. We become positive role models for our children. By following our passions and doing things we enjoy, we feel more fulfilled and happy, even if it may mean a little time away from the family and/or the office. That’s not to say that spending time with family or time in the office isn’t something we enjoy; for many both can give immense satisfaction, but it’s also important to take some “me” time. We can then bring a fresh perspective back to the other aspects of our lives.

It’s very easy to cite external factors as reasons why we can’t honour ourselves. Foremost though, it begins in our own mind. Where there’s a will there’s a way, it all comes down to making it a priority, whether that be walking to work or at lunchtime, making exercise a family affair or preparing the week’s meals in advance. If we think that our companies or our families own us, they will, however over time we may start to feel unfulfilled, resentful or even unwell. With a shift in thinking we can focus on nurturing our own needs, without compromising our career or role as parent or partner. In actual fact, we can enhance all aspects of our lives.

Do you place importance on nurturing your own needs? If not, what changes can you make to take better care of your personal desires, health and wellbeing?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

It’s a cold, wet, miserable winter’s day in Melbourne as a write this post. The warmth of the sunshine is but a distant memory. They say that the unconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined experiences and studies have demonstrated that imagined events can produce the same physical response in the body as real events. So as far as my unconscious mind and body are aware, I’m currently basking myself in the magnificence of the sun’s rays on a tropical beach. I’ll throw a cocktail in for good measure too!

For me the sun has always been something to be worshipped; a source of energy and sustenance. If ever I’m feeling sad, run down or unwell the sun is the perfect antidote. It intrinsically feels nurturing and good. Of course it doesn’t feel so good to overdo things and end up like a lobster, however in moderation, there is nothing better than a good dose of sunshine.

Whilst well intentioned, it gets me so mad to see advertising campaigns, medical practitioners and anti-cancer advocates telling people to avoid the sun. The sun is not inherently bad for us. Life is absolutely dependent on sunshine, as it has been for thousands of years. So is our health and wellbeing.

The sun is a vital source of vitamin D. According to an article featured in Medical News Today vitamin D:

• Is essential for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, necessary for healthy strong bones.
• Is an immune system regulator, helping increase white blood cell count and empower our immune system to protect us from illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer (yes, the sun can actually help prevent and cure cancer, not cause it!! Various studies have shown that people with adequate levels of vitamin D have a significantly lower risk of developing cancer, compared to people with lower levels. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of nutritional status, in a study carried out by Cancer Treatment Centers of America)
• May reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis
• Helps the brain keep functioning well later in life
• Helps maintain a healthy body weight
• Can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms
• Reduces the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis
• Protects the body from damage by low-level radiation.

Other studies such as those cited by Dr Mercola, have linked vitamin D to helping reduce heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.

Those are just some of the physical health benefits associated with vitamin D, not to mention the emotional benefits of sunshine. How deliciously nourishing does it feel for your soul to be warmed with the glow of the sun? To feel it’s beautiful rays beam brightly upon your skin? The beauty and warmth of a blue-skied sunny day is enough to put anyone in a better mood. There are countless studies that show the link between positive emotions and enhanced levels of health and wellbeing.

So why do we give sun such a bad wrap?  Well it’s certainly undeniable that there has been in increased incidence of skin cancer in recent years. For example, according to the Cancer Council Australia “the rate of melanoma incidence in women has risen by an average of 0.7% a year between 1993 and 2003 – a total increase of 6.8% over this decade. For men, the rate has risen by 1.7% a year, a total of 18.7% over the same period.”

My question… Is it the sun that’s causing an increase in skin cancer? Or is it other lifestyle factors? I am a passionate believer in the latter. Fundamentally the sun has not significantly changed its properties in thousands of years. Nor have we started spending significantly more time outdoors. If anything, we’ve become more housebound, spending more time in front of the television and the computer. Yet our skin cancer rate is increasing.

Yes, there is scientific evidence to suggest that the ozone layer is depleting, which could explain an increase in skin cancer rates.  However, what is more alarming to me is that in the last few decades we have become much more reliant on highly processed and convenience foods in place of fresh fruit and vegetables. We have also started using many more chemicals in our farming and manufacturing processes.

This is concerning for two reasons. Firstly, a diet of fresh fruit and vegetables has been scientifically proven to significantly reduce the risk of all types of cancer, yet the general population is not consuming enough of these healthy foods. Secondly, we are ingesting large amounts of artificial and potentially toxic chemicals in the processed foods we eat (and even in the non-organic fresh foods). What happens when we go into the sun?  We usually sweat.  What do we sweat out? Toxins and other chemicals. We can end up with a toxic cocktail on the surface of our skin, which is heated further by the sun. Is it any wonder we are seeing an increase in skin cancer!!!

We don’t stop there though! Many of us also cover our bodies with cosmetics and beauty creams that contain additional chemicals and toxins, such as parabens, a family of preservatives that are found in many pharmaceutical and personal care products (and foods!!). Parabens have been directly linked to certain types of cancer including breast and skin cancer.

Many sunscreens also contain parabens or other potentially cancer-causing toxic chemicals such as artificial fragrance, chemical colours and petroleum products used as fillers and stabilisers.  These chemicals can react with the sun on our skin, or be absorbed through the skin into the blood stream. So the very thing we’re using to help prevent skin cancer may well actually be contributing to skin cancer and other types of cancers. This is certainly the belief of Tyler Tolman, an advocate for healthy living.

As well as containing harmful chemicals, sunscreen blocks the skin from absorbing the sun’s rays and therefore, also blocks the creation of essential vitamin D. In order to absorb enough vitamin D for a positive effect on our health we need direct sun exposure without sunscreen; something the majority of the population no longer gets enough of. We have been scare-mongered into believing we need to cover ourselves from head to toe before we even set foot in the sun. Now we are faced with a population that is significantly vitamin D deficient. In fact, research shows that 60 percent of the global population is vitamin D deficient, with 25 percent severely deficient.

I’m not advocating spending hours in the sun cooking ourselves like rotisserie chickens (I do confess I have inadvertently done this on several occasions in my life with way less than optimal consequences). That can potentially lead to skin cancer and most certainly lead to skin damage and no one wants fine lines and wrinkles! I am however, passionate that sunshine is healthy and vital in moderation. Dr Mercola recommends 10-15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure per day. I am also passionate about the importance of limiting our usage of chemical-laden beauty creams and sunscreens (cover up with natural preservative-free sunscreen, clothes, hat and/or shade after sufficient unprotected sun exposure), reducing our intake of processed foods and increasing our intake of fresh, natural, organic wholefoods.

Until the sun starts shining in the southern hemisphere again I will just have to continue with my visualization on the couch!

Imagine if we each had the power to heal ourselves of anything, from the common cold to diseases such as cancer, without so much as even taking a pill. Science is now showing that this may well be possible; that human beings may have the potential to heal themselves and heal others.  In a world so reliant on over the counter and prescription drugs this concept of self-healing may seem crazy.  According to experts, this may well be the problem.  We’ve been so conditioned to believe that we need western medical intervention to cure us of our health problems that we don’t believe we can cure ourselves.

The universal laws are such that our beliefs create our reality; what we believe we conceive.  So if we believe that we are powerless to our health challenges; that we as individuals can do very little to cure ourselves and that our health is 100% in the hands of western medical practitioners, this is likely to be our actual experience.  In this scenario what happens if these medical practitioners tell us there’s nothing they can do for us?

I recently watched a movie called The Living Matrix, a documentary which, as articulated by USA Today, “challenges the medical community to expand its thinking on human biology, health and wellness”.  The movie, which is based on the research of pioneers in the medical and scientific worlds, explores how we can enliven our body’s own self-healing capabilities and expand our beliefs about how we can get well and stay well.

It looks at the relationship between our genes and our health, citing work from Dr. Bruce Lipton whose research suggests that it’s not our genes and DNA that control our biology.  Rather, our DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including energetic messages stemming from our positive and negative thoughts and potentially also our lifestyle choices.  By changing the thoughts we think and the messages we give ourselves we have the potential to have a tangible impact on our physical health.  In short, negative thoughts have the power to make us sick. Positive thoughts have the power to heal.

The famous water experiments conducted by Dr. Masaru Emoto provide scientific evidence of the power of thoughts and feelings on physical reality.  Dr. Emoto discovered that the crystals that formed in frozen water changed shape and colour depending on the thoughts directed towards them.  Clean pure, water and water that had been exposed to loving intentions showed beautiful, complex, and colourful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water and water exposed to negative thoughts, formed incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colours. Given that by mass, 65-90 percent of human cells are water, these findings are quite profound.

The leaders in science featured in The Living Matrix have done work that examines the human body through the lens of quantum physics. They’ve discovered that we’re far more than biochemical machines, a view also endorsed by Dr. Deepak Chopra.  Instead, our cells are senders and receivers of information, controlling our health in ways we never imagined. The Living Matrix provides an example of a woman who cured herself of an inoperable brain tumour through the use of neuro-linguistic programming to change her thoughts. This concept is supported by the work of Dr. Deepak Chopra whose work has revealed a profound connection between our health and our thoughts.  In his book Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul: How to Create a New You, Dr. Chopra says that “the body is a reflection of the mind”; that from early childhood each one of us has invented our bodies and our personalities through our beliefs.

The Living Matrix questions whether so-called genetic illnesses, such as certain forms of cancer, are in fact a result of genetics, or whether they are a result of belief or lifestyle patterns held within families across multiple generations. It highlights an experiment in which adopted children who, despite having no genetic relationship with their adoptive families, displayed the same probability of contracting such diseases as biological children. It provides an example of tests done on identical twins with the same DNA adopted into different families at birth.  By the time they are adults their DNA structures are quite different supporting the idea that beliefs and lifestyle can have a significant impact on our biology and therefore potentially also our health.

The movie also highlights that more than 30 percent of healings can be attributed to the placebo effect. In other words, it is not the treatment itself that results in a reduction of symptoms, but rather the expectation that the treatment will work. Looking at that a different way, 30 percent of people can actually cure themselves by believing the healing process will result in a positive outcome, regardless of whether it actually will.  Some studies show that the placebo effect may still take place even if the person is skeptical of success. This suggests that even when the power of belief is not present the power of suggestion may be at work. This has significant implications for what may be possible if we consciously expand the power of belief more fully as part of the healing process.

There’s no denying that western medicine has done great things for humanity.  I do however, believe that we have become so reliant on expecting the cure to come from outside of ourselves that most of us see it as the only path to healing.  I truly believe that we can actively interact with our body’s biology and physiology to directly influence our health.  I believe that we are not victims who are helpless to disease but rather, can dynamically interact with our health, determining whether we are healthy or sick.  Sure there are potential environmental or other external influences that may impact our health, however I am a big believer that we intrinsically hold power over disease.  By connecting with our authentic selves, maintaining a positive outlook, believing that we have the potential to influence our own wellbeing and drawing on universal forces to assist us, I believe that we have the potential to take back control of our health.  Eastern medicine has always been based on this philosophy. Western science is now proving it to be true.

What is your view of healing? Do you believe that you have the power to control your own health? Do you believe that you can directly influence the healing process through your thoughts and lifestyle choices?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

With the change in season there’s no better time to clean out the wardrobe and dispose of any pieces that are too last season or no longer our style.  It’s so refreshing to de-clutter and make way for the new season’s hottest looks.  For me, it’s also such a great feeling to open the cupboard door and feel happy with what I see, rather than bored and uninspired.  I love to have a wardrobe full of pieces that are a beautiful reflection of who I am today, rather than a reflection of who I was yesterday.   By holding on to pieces that we no longer wear, our wardrobe becomes cluttered and there’s limited space for fresh, new styles.

The same can be said for our inner “closets”.  Just as it’s cleansing and invigorating to overhaul our fashion wardrobe from season to season, so too is it essential to clean out our inner closet.  We’ve all heard about the proverbial skeleton in the closet.  Funnily enough, many of us prefer to go through life with the skeleton hanging on the rack right next to our little black dress, above our Jimmy Choo shoes!  Well girls, not a good idea!

It’s time to get those skeletons out of the closet and it doesn’t have to be as tough a process as you may think.  By clearing our limiting beliefs, cleansing ourselves of past emotional scars and removing patterns that are no longer serving us, we’re much more empowered to connect with, nurture and celebrate our inherent inner beauty and shine our light brightly.

Just as our fashion wardrobe has some trusted staple pieces that stay with us season after season, so too does our inner wardrobe.  It houses the foundation of who we truly are; our true essence.  As we overhaul our inner wardrobe by removing all of those items that have been cluttering our true essence, we create the space for our inner beauty to shine as brightly as it possibly can.

As we start to overhaul our inner wardrobe it can be helpful to look at different aspects of our lives and ask ourselves a few simple questions.  This can help us determine the areas that may need the biggest clean out.

1) Relationships

What beliefs do I have about relationships that may not be serving me?  Are these thoughts really true or do I just believe them to be?

Some examples of limiting beliefs relating to relationships are: “I’m not worthy of love”, “I don’t deserve to be happy”, “I am unlovable”, “Relationships cause will cause me pain”, “I don’t deserve to be treated with love and respect”, “There are no good single guys”, “I will never meet someone”….  Whether these beliefs are conscious or unconscious they can directly influence our experiences in life.  What we believe we receive.

Am I letting my ego (fear, insecurity, self-doubt, anger, resentment, greed, jealousy, laziness) get in the way of fulfilling relationships?  How can I move out of ego and trust that I deserve fulfilling relationships in my life?

Are there any people in my life that are not a positive influence on me? How can I put more distance between them and myself?

2) Finances

What beliefs do I have about finances that may not be serving me? Are these thoughts really true or do I just believe them to be?

Some examples of limiting beliefs relating to finances are: “Money doesn’t grow on trees”, “Money is hard to come by”, “I need to work hard for my money”, “I am poor”, “I don’t deserve to be financially abundant”, “Money is the root of all evil”, “Money is not important”…  Once again, whether these beliefs are conscious or unconscious they can directly influence our experiences in life.  What we believe we receive.

Am I letting my ego (fear, insecurity, self-doubt, anger, resentment, greed, jealousy, laziness) get in the way of financial abundance?  How can I move out of ego and trust that I deserve financial abundance in my life?

3) Health and Wellbeing

What beliefs do I have about my health and wellbeing that may not be serving me? Are these thoughts really true or do I just believe them to be?

Some examples of limiting beliefs relating to health are: “I am not in control of my health”, “I don’t deserve to be happy and healthy”, “Poor health is means for getting attention”, “I am not good enough as I am”, “I need to punish myself”, “Being skinny is more important than being healthy”, “My health is in the hands of the doctors, there is nothing I can do to improve it”, “Stress is a part of life in this day and age”, “My thoughts, emotions and behaviour do not impact my health”…

Am I letting my ego (fear, insecurity, self-doubt, anger, resentment, greed, jealousy, laziness) get in the way of optimal health?  How can I move out of ego and trust that I deserve to live in optimal health?

4) Career

What beliefs do I have about my career that may not be serving me? Are these thoughts really true or do I just believe them to be?

Some examples of limiting beliefs relating to career are: “I am not good enough to get this job/promotion”, “There’s no such thing as a job I love”, “Work is not fun”, “I need to work long hours to do a good job”, “I don’t have what it takes”…

Am I letting my ego (fear, insecurity, self-doubt, anger, resentment, greed, jealousy, laziness) get in the way of a fulfilling career?  How can I move out of ego and trust that I deserve to have a rewarding job?

Sometimes we can answer these questions ourselves and simply creating an awareness of our belief patterns is enough to dissolve the belief.  Other times we may need some assistance to identify and eliminate beliefs that are not serving us well.  Just as we may appoint a stylist to help overhaul our fashion wardrobe, so too is it at times helpful to appoint an inner beauty stylist to help overhaul our inner wardrobe.  After all, we all deserve both inner beauty and outer style! My belief is that you can’t have one without the other.  Our inner is a reflection of our outer and our outer is a reflection of our inner.

We all owe it to ourselves to revamp our inner wardrobe from time-to-time.  As we do this we create the space for new and exciting opportunities to flow into our lives and allow our inner beauty to shine as brightly as possible.

What is the state of your fashion wardrobe?  Is this a reflection of the state of your inner wardrobe?  Are there any areas of your inner wardrobe that could do with some styling?

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

Australia has certainly seen its fair share of natural disasters recently, from the southeast Queensland floods, to the north Queensland cyclone, to the Victorian floods, to the Western Australian bushfires.  A thing that becomes very apparent in times of disaster is peoples’ willingness to band together to support each other through; not just family and friends, but neighbours, communities and even complete strangers.

In the midst of the turmoil of disaster we can observe something very beautiful indeed.  Through the depths of anguish, fear and despair blossoms an intense sense of love, care and concern.  People go above and beyond to help those in need, often at the expense of attending to their own needs.  It is amazing to watch and amazing to be part of.  I caught a glimpse of this first hand when my own neighbourhood was impacted by flash flooding just last week.  The sense of community concern and support was so powerful.

Most of us have heard the biblical quote from Leviticus 19:18,”Love thy neighbour as thyself.”  Over the recent weeks I have witnessed amazing neighbourly love both in person and through the media, from the volunteers offering their support, to individuals and communities lending a helping hand.   Why is it that it sometimes takes a natural disaster to act as a catalyst for this kind of widespread love and community support?

Many of us today get so caught up in the craziness of our day-to-day that we sometimes forget to take a step back; to smell the roses; to lend a helping hand or do something nice for someone else for no other reason than to make them feel special, supported or appreciated.  In actual fact, often we’re so concerned with getting ourselves out of bed, getting the kids up, dressed and out the door, getting to work, squeezing 20 hours of work into 10, doing the grocery shopping, chopping the veggies for dinner, doing the washing…  that we don’t even have the time or energy to do something nice for ourselves.  In the midst of everyday life many of us don’t love ourselves let alone our neighbours!  If we’re lucky we might squeeze in a workout although often that can just add to the time pressures of our already busy day!

Unless we make a conscious choice to do something nice for ourselves each day and something nice for another it’s likely we will continue on in robot mode, feeling tired and stressed, until our own personal natural disaster occurs.  Perhaps it could be a bout of the flu, or perhaps something more serious that makes us stop and take notice in a similar way to a natural disaster such as a flood.

Whilst Mother Nature may be a little more difficult to control, at least we can take some small steps each day to help prevent our own personal natural disaster and promote happy, healthy, loving living!  …and the good thing is that most of these principles can easily be squeezed in to even the busiest of schedules.  By applying these wellbeing principles we not only love ourselves, we put ourselves in a much more empowered place to offer love and support to others.

1)   Do one random act of kindness everyday each day – it could be something as simple as smiling at a stranger or as involved as helping a family sandbag their house in a flood

2)   Get fresh air and sunshine each day – get outside, even if it’s just for 15 minutes

3)   Drink 2+ litres of fresh water

4)   Eat fresh, organic wholefoods where possible, rather than highly processed packaged foods – you can easily get organic fruit and veg delivered to your home or workplace

5)   Surround yourself with people who you enjoy being around rather than those who bring you down physically, emotionally and/or energetically

6)   Follow your passion in work and/or in life – do things you love!

7)   Do 30-45 minutes of exercise each day – this includes incidental exercise which you can build into your daily routine

8)   Get 7+ hours of quality sleep

9)   Think positive thoughts of Aprelo (appreciation, respect and love inwardly and outwardly).

It doesn’t take a lot of extra time to incorporate the above practices into our daily life, just a little focus and attention.  Doing this can have a big impact on the quality of our lives and empower us to give the best of ourselves to our family, friends, neighbours, workplace and community, hopefully without a natural disaster of the personal or climatic kind.

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.

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Aprelo & Ingrid Arna present The Bodylove Project – Life changing rituals for healthy, happy & sexy living!

Join us for this transformational workshop in Melbourne on Saturday 26 February, 9am – 5pm, at the Ohana Wellness Centre, Albert Park.  Places are limited so register now!

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Many of us walk around with the weight of our past on our shoulders, feeling angry, sad, hurt or frustrated by the way that we’ve been treated.  It’s so easy to get caught up in these feelings of disappointment and resentment as they can be so strong.  Perhaps we’ve had something extremely physically or emotionally traumatic inflicted upon us.  Perhaps a family member, loved one or someone we care about deeply hurt us or let us down.  Perhaps we’ve been hard done by in a business transaction.  There are many, many things that may have happened throughout the course of our life times that are cause for feeling hurt and let down.  Some of us have been more hard done by than others.

What we may not always realise is that by harboring ongoing grudges, the person we’re hurting most is ourselves.  Emotions are stored in different parts of our bodies and over time, if not released, can lead to illness and disease.  According to research, “those who hold onto anger and hurt, tend to have poor health, a weakened immune system and are more prone to chronic illness such as cancer. This is due to a rise in the level of the stress hormone cortisol that suppresses the immune system.  Cancer is, in most cases, a state of chronic unforgiveness – a holding onto anger, hate and resentment.”

If we let anger and resentment towards someone continue to fester inside of us over time we can at worst, potentially make ourselves physically sick, or at best, hold ourselves back from feeling truly happy and content.  On the other hand, often the person/company/group of people we are resentful towards has happily moved on and are not even giving us a second thought.  …meanwhile we’re stuck in our own little world of anger and resentment.

I once bought a new work suit from a beautiful shop that I loved.  I adored the suit, that is until I got it dry-cleaned and the suit plants turned all blotchy.  Upon returning them to the store I was advised by the shop assistant that they could not do anything to help me and that it must have been the fault of the dry-cleaner.  As I loved the suit so much I invested in a brand new pair of pants only to find exactly the same thing happen when I had them cleaned at a different dry cleaner!!  Once again I was advised by the store that they would not do anything for me.  With that I was extremely frustrated and vowed never to buy anything from them ever again and to spread the word about what an unethical business they were.  After two years of boycotting the shop and doing everything I could to make sure everyone in my network also boycotted them I decided that it was time to change.   As I walked past the store on Chapel Street, bustling with customers, racks filled with the latest season’s beautiful pieces, I realised that the only one that was really suffering was me (and potentially all those who I had convinced to boycott with me!).  The store was clearly prospering, their clothes are stunning and featured regularly in all the fashion mags. I had bought many pieces from there previously without any dry-cleaning issues. Why deprive myself of their beautiful fashion forever because of one situation?!!  This brand now features regularly in my wardrobe and I’ve had nothing but compliments, not complications.

Whilst this is a light-hearted example, it illustrates the way in which we can trap ourselves in a self-created life of resentment, limiting our true potential, enjoyment and happiness and thus limiting our options and meaning we’re not open to what we are able to really take advantage of.

One of the most powerful and freeing practices we can adopt in our lives is the process of forgiveness.  In actual fact, there’s a whole practice called forgiveness therapy, which is about letting go of anger and hurt as a means for improving our health and immune system. Many of us walk around with so much baggage weighing us down, often without realising it.  I don’t know about you but I don’t travel light at the best of times so certainly don’t want to be carrying any additional baggage!

According to forgiveness expert Dr Pettitt, forgiveness is “the process of cancelling the conditions in you which block the flow of love and goodwill towards yourself or another, independently of the actions of anyone else.”  In other words, it’s about saying “regardless of what this person has done to me, I’m going to let it go, I’m going to move on”.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to condone bad behaviour or be bosom buddies with those we’ve forgiven.  It doesn’t even mean we need to tell them we’ve forgiven them.  It simply means we make the decision within ourselves to let go of our hard feelings.

Often it’s much easier to forgive others than it is to forgive ourselves.  We can be our own worst enemy, continually reminding ourselves of all that we’ve done wrong.  Doing that does nothing but weaken us and create a situation in which we are likely to manifest more of the same happenings into our lives, creating a self-perpetuating downward spiral.

Take a look at your own circumstances?  Is there anyone in your life you could forgive?  Yourself?  Parents?  Siblings?  School-yard bullies?  Ex-partners? As you practice forgiveness you are likely to find that it has a positive effect on your personal wellbeing; your relationships and your overall levels of happiness.  Life’s short.  Forgive don’t regret!

This blog post was written by Gabrielle Aitken, Inner Beauty Stylist and inspirer of Appreciation, Respect and Love (a.k.a. Aprelo).

Do you have any friends, family or colleagues that might like reading the Aprelo Blog?  If so, please forward this link to them and encourage them to subscribe.