In this month's e-Zine...

• Re-cap of the FGW Retreat in Thailand
• Do You Really Listen?
• Our Travels so Far

Our recent FGW (Finding the Guru Within) retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand was, once again, an amazing experience.

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of the participants that came and authentically allowed themselves to be front and center in their own unlearning and remembering … to have answered the calling to move forward on their own individual ‘hero’s journeys’.

And abundant gratitude to Earl Talbot who lovingly held the space for all of this to unfold.

The weather was great, the location was superbly serene, the food nutritious and delicious … and the shifts that happened within were profound!

If you are feeling the calling, I highly encourage you to join us next year.

For more information and to hear testimonials from some of this years participants take a look at the video below:

Human beings are social creatures, we exist within the context of one another and our interactions with each other.

A very important part of this is listening to others … truly and deeply listening.

How often have you been in a conversation with another person and you get the distinct feeling that they are ‘somewhere else’ and that they are not really listening to or hearing what you are saying?

How often are you the one that is not truly listening or giving your full attention to the person talking to you?

Often times we have a reel going on in our head of what we want to say and we are only waiting for the other person to pause so that we can have our say. We weren’t really listening to the other person, just waiting for them to stop talking so that we can start.

I suggest stopping this and starting to practice deeply listening to anyone you are conversing with.

Try this, really try it, and you will find so much magic begins to flow into and out of you. The gift you give another person by giving them your full attention and REALLY hearing them is immeasurable. And the gifts you get in return may really surprise you. By deeply listening to others you will receive messages that you may have otherwise missed - messages that can profoundly affect your life.

So, how do you practice deep listening?



• Make eye contact; look the person whom you are having a conversation with in the eye and keep your gaze there.

• Keep your attention focused on your conversation; stay conscious of your mind and if it begins to wander away to other thoughts gently bring it back to focus only on the conversation. 

• It’s not about waiting your turn; rather than anxiously waiting for the other person to pause so that you can jump in and share your point, let the goal be to listen fully to them until they are finished. 

• Let go of the reel spinning in your head; We have important/helpful/useful etc. things to say and often we focus on our thoughts so much that we don’t really hear the other person. While they talk we form our thoughts and plan our speech, politely waiting for them to pause so we can jump in … all the while not hearing what they were saying.

• Turn off call waiting; This is one of my biggest pet peeves. When speaking on the phone with someone, give them your full attention and avoid putting them on hold to check on other calls.
• Turn off other applications; When talking on Skype or on other video calls, turn off all of your computer’s other applications so that you are not tempted to check email or do other things while having a conversation.

• Offer love; While listening to another, be kind. Send them love and compassion as they speak. Projecting this kind of energy into your conversations will help them to flow more easily and help conflicts to be resolved with ease.

• Be patient; As you practice this you may find that you keep getting cut off, you continue to allow the other person to speak but they never let you get a word in edgewise. Keep practicing anyway. If they need to speak let them. If what you have to say is truly important for them to hear or for you to express it will come out. If it doesn’t, maybe it wasn’t really that necessary for it to be expressed at that moment.


Everyone wants to be heard, everyone wants to feel important. Practice deeply listening to others and really hearing them and you will find that, in turn, you will also feel more heard. When someone leaves a conversation with you feeling that you really listened to them, they will feel elated. What a beautiful gift to give another!

The more you practice giving this gift, the more others will notice it and do it themselves.

Connection is our greatest tool. When you have the precious opportunity to connect with another human being, treasure that and don’t take it for granted. Don’t waste these opportunities, there are gifts that lie within these connections and you will miss out on those if you are not deeply listening to others.

We have been travelling with our backpacks for over a month now in Thailand.

Just a few things I would like to share (insights from this trip as well as accumulated insights from my years of travelling):



• Cost of living It is not as expensive to cover your basic needs as we are led to believe.

• Who needs a car? We are loving our choice to not rent a car or motorbike. It feels great to use our feet and the very affordable public transportation.

• Time flies Enough said.

• Communication is so much more than language Never fret about not knowing the local language. People are kind and helpful, keep trying and you will get your point across … or if not, you will have had an adventure (and often a few laughs) trying.

• Food Some things we are really enjoying are pomelo, durian, papaya, fresh coconuts, fresh pressed sugar cane juice, fresh made juices of all sorts, freshly made local food right from the street vendors.
• Connecting with those back home With technology nowadays it is very easy to keep in touch. Often, the farther away you are the closer you become. I can be in the same city as someone but rarely see them, move to the other side of the planet and emails, messages and Skype calls abound. 

• Life is life No matter where you are, it is still up to you to be proactive and make your life great. Travelling or not, it is always up to you to make the choices that will benefit you.
• Culture and history It is a love of mine, wherever I am travelling, to learn the ancient ways of that place. Ancient natural methods of staying healthy, spiritual practices, movement, food, etc. So much to learn and remember in Thailand!

• Gratitude This is a big one … every day give gratitude to what you have, where you are, who you are, what you are capable of, and on and on.


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Next month: More quick and easy Holistic Health Tips and Information.

Until then, make healthy choices and be well,

Nadia

Nadia Harper RHN
Holistic Nutritionist and Health Advisor
https://www.making-healthy-choices.com
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