the juicy years

Growing old gracefully ...disgracefully ... outrageously ...or whatever other term that's been used to embrace ageing in the last few years, has now been replaced with a more optimistic term "Positive Ageing" - the principles of the Positive Psychology movement. Our ability to have a more positive experience, compared with peers who are perpetuating the old paradigm (that ageing is fraught with misery), has a lot to do with our attitude, personal qualities and flexibility. Cultivating flexibility I think is a key indicator of how we reframe our lives in these years. It requires us to feel and think differently, to counter any maladaptive patterns by engaging in life-enhancing practices. Some of these are altruistic, others may be practising gratitude, and appreciating what you have to offer to the world. Go on now, write a list of your qualities, skills and resources! And think about how some of these could be used creatively to enhance your life or the li...

Your heart is like a compass, it speaks to you moment by moment. It is your wisdom bank, and is much more than an efficient pumping machine.   S cience has shown us that the heart possesses its own intelligence, has its own brain. In fact, the HeartMath Institute has identified that the electromagnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times stronger than that of the brain. And the heart and brain work together. It's believed that our emotions play a huge role in the health of our hearts, and they can positively impact our state of health more than all the vitamins, exercise and organic food combined. So feeling and expressing all of our emotions is good medicine! By intentionally attending to them we can rewire the neural circuitry of our nervous system, and the stress pathways begin to atrophy.  In our culture women have been socialised to keep the lid on their anger which then gets internalised, causing stress.   Yes, its OK to be angry!...

It IS possible to grow older without losing your sparkle ! Though I have previously posted 5 tips to juicy ageing, I have updated them.  Yes, they're now 10, and here they are ! Tune into your HEART daily and CONNECT with your loved ones regularly. Heal any wounds that may still be festering. This is healing for your heart, emotionally and physically. At least once a day whether its via phone or in person, actually have a conversation, or connect via the internet or FB. Feeling lonely can lead to depression. Never stop LEARNING - a language or new leisure activity. Challenge your beliefs or ways of doing something. Research suggests that people who do this, stay mentally alert. My mother did cryptic crosswords all through her 3rd chapter and could even remember her ATM pin the night before she died at 95 years! LOVE your life NOW, and remember to feel the JOY (Joy increases your level of DHEA and has been studied by longevity researcher, Ellen Langer ). Make...

I feel as if I have been on a 2 month retreat into my feminine soul. But I am back. To talk a little about Her - the Divine Feminine, in our lives.   Two prompts inspired this topic. I recently contributed to a blog on what it felt like to embody the Divine Feminine, and the other was a comment by my friend, Kim Gould  who expressed that my home radiated femininity! It was interesting to hear this as I was not aware of how my home affected others, as it feels so natural for me to feel and express the Divine Feminine in my surroundings. So, what does YOUR home say about the woman who lives there? Does it support your sacred feminine essence? And can you see the presence of Mother Earth from your windows? But more importantly, how do you embody or express the Divine Feminine in your life?  Or if you aren’t into the Divine Feminine, simply, how do YOU nurture your feminine soul?  It may not come as natural to you and others because of possi...

artist unknown I have often encouraged others to take one step at a time - and here I am taking my first step into blog 'land', without a destination. The above image of a woman describes how I feel at this moment - open and ready to embark on the journey. As I've entered my third chapter years ago (my "juicy years") and have sailed through most transitions with relative ease, I feel well equipped to share my experience and learning, and able to support many women via this online presence. What we do in this time of our lives, as women, seems to me vitally important. Questions like how have we made a difference? Have we followed our heart's calling?  Found our voice?  For me, our third chapter is also one for living juicy, for speaking our truth and from our heart - they are the "growing years" says Jean Shinoda Bolen (more on her ideas in another post).  As this blog will be public, I would ask that respondees be respectful of th...