Pads and Tampax

by Sally, United Kingdom

I have been using tampax probably for the last 30+ years; clean, efficient and they’ve allowed me to concentrate and focus my mind on all that I need to do in the busy workplace without giving it a second thought – just a usual day, same routine, no problems.

I was inspired by others to give pads a try, and yes… they have changed since the early days when I first tried them. I was really taken aback by the profound effect they had on my life.

Overwhelm

by Lucy Dahill, Sydney, Australia

Most things in my life have happened quickly, always at a pace… I would become frustrated by having to wait or go slowly and I would never stop and do nothing. I got pregnant three months after I started dating my husband. That meant we didn’t have much time to get to know each other as man and woman before my growing baby and I became the centre of his world. I was working full-time and studying to complete an aromatherapy diploma. This carried on into the pregnancy of my second child a year later. We moved to the country, I left my office job and took up both voluntary work and practitioner work and we had our third child. All the way through this I distinctly remember the feeling that something was welling up inside me that needed to be squashed. Was it a scream… a wave… a huge roar?

Living with Self-Love

by Danielle Pirera, Australia

I have been hearing about ‘self-love’ my whole life; about being ‘kind to myself’, being ‘who I am’, ‘loving’ or ‘respecting myself” or ‘liking me, for me’, but it never really meant anything to me – they were just words and no-one could explain or show me what those phrases about self-love really meant.

Then at age 24, I met Mary-Louise Myers for my very first esoteric healing session. I asked for a massage, and I did get a gentle back massage but I also got a whole lot more. At the end of the session, Mary-Louise shared with me how important it was to be gentle and ‘self-loving’ and to take care of my body. I was a little dumbfounded by what she meant by ‘self-loving’, so I asked her – I remember her saying to me “begin by making loving choices for yourself”. At this point something clicked and it was “oh! I get that”, realising that I had been gradually doing this (in small ways) for the past five or six years.

A True Inspiration

by Amina Tumi, Hair Salon Owner, London, England

I have been inspired to really start to listen to what I feel and this has made a profound difference to my life. Natalie Benhayon has brought my attention to deeply cherishing ME, something that I had not given myself permission to do before, even though I knew it was something that I was missing. I have always relied on other people to make me feel good and tell me how amazing I am, as opposed to feeling this way for myself. It has been remarkable to feel how this is changing my life, the difference it is making in my day, and in turn in my relationships with others.

It really has been simple changes that have made huge differences, such as giving myself more time in the mornings so I can feel what I need. I sometimes now have a bath in the mornings if my body needs it (I would never have given myself time for that before) – or really feeling into what I would like to wear and being playful with myself with what I choose. Then there is resting when my body needs it, and I have to say I’ve really had to learn how to rest as I have always been such a ‘doing kind of person‘ – even when I am exhausted I would still find myself doing things. I am finding that the key has been to do these self-nurturing things regularly and not just now-and-then… and so making them a way of life. Who would have thought that to simply start to cherish you and your body and adore yourself in a way that can only be considered as something very beautiful, would have such an impact.

My Periods & Me

by Angela Perin, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

My first real introduction to education about periods came when I was about 12, and my mother called me into the lounge for a private talk (I thought it was about a school report card, so I was a little nervous, but not at all prepared for what was to come). She pulled out a large brown paper bag and began with, “Did your cousin Debbie tell you she got her period…?” (or something to that effect). Embarrassment and anxiousness overwhelmed me, and at that point I could only regret that the talk had not been about my report card.

It wasn’t a long conversation (I’m guessing that Mum may not have been that comfortable either) and the rest of what she said was just a blur. I can’t even remember if the bag was opened to show me what was inside, but whatever it was, I’m really sure I didn’t want to know about it! And as soon as she had finished and I was allowed to escape, I took the brown paper bag and shoved it to the back of my underwear drawer – hoping no-one would ever see it (including my two younger sisters with whom I shared a bedroom), and that Mum (or anyone else) would never bring up the conversation again!

Esoteric Women’s Health: Dressing the Way I Want to!

by Shannon Everest, Australia

When I was growing up, just like others I had certain experiences that really shook me up, and whilst some appeared very small and insignificant, others were quite big and significant to me. My fall-back to such experiences was to harden and take on more of a ‘boyishness’ in an effort to hide the loveliness of the young girl who was growing into a woman.

One experience I had was at the age of 13; my girlfriends and I were going out to a pizza restaurant. It was my first evening dinner out without my parents and so I was really looking forward to it. My grandmother, a great seamstress, helped me design a cute outfit – a black pleated skirt, worn with stockings, a white blouse, a little black jacket and black shoes to match. I got ready that night feeling amazing. But when I got to the restaurant I could feel and was met with jealousy and comparison from my friends, since they were dressed completely differently in brand named T-shirts and shorts. I could feel how in my outfit that I really stood out and appeared very ‘different’.