> mean you’ll feel instantly better sometimes you will - but the benefits to your energy are still there, even if you don’t always feel them. On this occasion I did feel better. The power walk had given me the clarity to accept the situation, instead of feeling bad about it. I wasn’t angry anymore. Here’s another example. I was rushing out of the door with my son to an appointment. Just as we shut the front door, he said, “Mum, I need a poo!” So back in we went, and I stood outside the bathroom door, telling him to hurry up, while feeling annoyed at him for making me late. Then I noticed my energy. I felt stressed. Why? It wasn’t my son’s fault (when you gotta go you gotta go!) and these things can’t be hurried. Perhaps I should have left more time, but blaming myself and feeling bad won’t help my energy either. So I said, “It’s ok, take your time” and went to meditate in the lounge. In that moment I decided to stop the stress and use the time in a positive way. Both my son and I gained immensely from that choice. It’s these kind of energy practices that can successfully transform the stress being experienced into positive energy. Unfortunately just ‘thinking’ it away, or saying an affirmation, although it may make you feel better, doesn’t cause stable change by itself. If you really want to strengthen your energy, you’ll need a few ways to do that! Through my training I’ve built up a ‘toolkit’ of practices and remedies for transforming stressful situations - you’ll find a couple of them here. If you want to live a peaceful existence and not let yourself be knocked about emotionally by other people’s actions or stressed by the amount of things you have to do, then you must be able to make this choice in times of stress. Do I carry on losing energy and feeling bad? Or do I do something to increase my energy and feel better again? When you live your life in this way, things change. It’s not something that happens overnight - it’s a process, full of ups and downs. Of course you can’t get it right all the time - there will be times when you scream and shout “It’s not fair - it’s not my fault!” but those times get fewer and fewer as your energy becomes stronger.

Slowly, you notice that even though you’re still affected by things, it doesn’t last as long as it did before. And then, over time, you realise that you’re less affected by what’s happening around you. Eventually, you stop being at the mercy of your circumstances. It’s a bit like going to the gym. You expect to have good days and bad days, but you know each time you go you’re getting fitter. And that’s what is happening when you start trying to change your energy. It may feel like you’re getting nowhere, but every time you choose not to react in the usual way, and instead choose to act in a way that helps your energy, you’re making a huge difference to your future. You really are creating (or revealing!) a happier, peaceful and more balanced you - which of course goes a long way to creating a happier, more peaceful and well balanced family. So here’s to inspiring poems in downstairs loos. I think I’ll go and write one for our house, to inspire the kids that come to play and pee here! n

“It’s a bit like going to the gym. You know each time you go you’re getting fitter.”

TRY THIS AT HOME

Power Walking

This powerful and easy practice is designed to eliminate stress from your energy body. It can be done while walking anywhere. Form a claw with each hand so that the back of the hand is straight - fingers and thumbs bent in towards the palm. Then extend only the little finger. This is the mudra for leaving past angers behind. As you walk, keep your hands in the mudra, while keeping the backs of your hands facing forwards. There are three more points to remember while walking: n Breathe deeply and be aware of your breath at the tip of your nose n Focus your eyes on the horizon (i.e. don’t be distracted by what’s around you) n Feel the ground beneath

your feet as you walk Try to Power Walk for about 30 minutes a day, or try it when you feel a reaction coming on (or in the middle of one!) and let that stress just stream out of you! When all else fails... Remember to breathe. Sometimes all it takes is a few deep breaths to take the edge off a stressful situation.

Cold Water Treatment When you really can’t seem to stop yourself from crying, or are having repetitive negative thoughts about something, step outside and pour a cup of cold water over your head. It may sound extreme, but it’s powerful medicine. Looking after your energy is a huge part of self-care that often gets overlooked. Yet it’s at the foundation of mental and physical well-being. By ‘your energy’ I mean your energy body. We all have one, it’s just Western science

is a little slow at proving it’s existence. Eastern seers and sages could perceive the energy body very clearly thousands of years ago, and traditions like ayurveda, feng shui and yoga were born from such direct awareness of our energies. Fortunately in the West, many of us are becoming more aware of the existence of our energies and their profound influence on our lives. Although day to day cultivation of this awareness is still something that is relatively unknown, even just a little of such awareness can have a hugely positive impact on your life, rippling out into the lives of those around you. Further information: Natalie’s energy clothing website weavingstar.com everydayalchemist.com School of Energy Awareness 020 7193 7614 or energyawareness.org

14 The Green Parent
Offshore News Where Bella Griffin takes the train across China for a reunion

ILLUSTRATION SANDRA HOWGATE

Irecently yearned for some solitary space and set off alone with only a toothbrush and a few books. After a couple of days in Xi’an I still felt restless and decided I’d go further afield, to a temple village in the mountains 300 miles north. Xi’an railway station was crowded and the ticket queue was long. While I was standing in line a woman came by selling a ticket for Guiyang a thousand miles south in Guizhou Province, and on the spur of the moment I bought it. Lemon Tree lived near Guiyang, I would go and visit her. There have been many changes in my life since coming to China and acquiring a mobile phone is one of them. I texted Lemon Tree to say I was on my way and she replied within seconds, “Oh my dear! You come on the wind of fortune, I am out of happiness!” which in Chinese English means ‘I’m overjoyed.’ Twenty-six hours later I was in her bright company once again. Since we left our Miao village nearly one year ago, Lemon Tree and I have been in frequent contact via the internet. She now works as personal assistant to an influential uncle in property development. Everyone in her family including her uncle, want her to either enter the civil service or marry a Government official, preferably both and quickly. So far she’s holding out. She’d come up to Guiyang from her town near our old village to stay secretly with her young martial arts expert boyfriend who kindly gave up his bed space and slept on the sofa. Lemon Tree and I talked halfway through the night, woke early and without rising, continued our conversation until midday. In the afternoon we walked beside the sunny banks of a river arm in arm, counting kingfishers and plotting the future. When we were idling in a tea house later, I received a call from Liu Qi, “Will you return tonight please; in four days there’s a show for government officials and you’ve been asked to sing with Richard and Rose and rehearsals begin in two days,“ he said. One of the things that Richard and I find constantly surprising about living in China is the way that plans seem to either develop or dissipate with the ease of shifting sands. I told him I’d try and change the ticket that I’d bought on arrival. 10 minutes later

‘At the next station fumes drifted through the gaps round the door and we were joined by another eight passengers’

Ping, our film director friend texted me, “I’m coming to Xi’an, see you tomorrow!” I hadn’t seen Ping for nearly a year, Lemon Tree and I left for the station at once. There was a police cordon in operation outside the station and only passengers who were due to leave were being allowed through to prevent overcrowding. My ticket was for three days time and nothing else was available. “You could try hiding the date on the one you’ve got,“ suggested Lemon Tree. “Oh heavens,“ I replied. She smiled at the policeman; he glanced at my ticket and waved us on. Encouraged, we proceeded to the main door where we also gained entry. The waiting hall for train no.2334 to Xi’an was heaving. We agreed it would be better to be somewhere in the middle so we squeezed our way along the crocodile lines and inserted ourselves closer to the departure gates. “Call me if you get on, I’ll wait for you here,“ she said when the gates opened. I got near the head of the queue and switched lines; the ticket checker in the adjoining line was taking less care. I reached the platform, located my carriage, had a momentary tussle with the conductor when

he tried to take the ticket out of my hand then I was on, packed in a hard sardine can without a seat. I edged my way through the compartment and squatted beside two ladies next to one of the side doors between carriages. “I’m on, Lemon Tree, I’m on!“ I whispered into my mobile. When the train left we were 11 plus baggage on our side of the couplings and there was a similar number the other side. I had my back up against what turned out to be the boiler compartment and half an hour outside Guiyang they lit the stove. The guard did try to usher us safely into the carriage but when he discovered that it was physically impossible he left us wedged in the doorway like toothpicks instead. He then dug some hot coals from the boiler compartment opposite and no one moved a muscle as his flaming, smoking shovel warmed our shins on it’s way to the stove. At the next station fumes drifted through the gaps round the door and we were joined by another eight passengers. Cigarettes were handed out, card games began and an old woman held an animated conversation with a friend in the next carriage. “I’m speaking dialect, you don’t understand, do you?“ she laughed to the rest of us in Mandarin. ”Watch out here comes the trolley, shall we tell him he’ll have to go round outside!” shouted one of the card players. We were all dozing at 4am when our tickets were checked and I was the only one who shouldn’t have been there. “Follow me,“ said the conductor without comment. On our journey through the next six carriages I came to the conclusion that my position in front of the stove door had really not been so bad at all, almost luxurious in fact in comparison to the folk on top of the sinks or the ones in the toilets. Not knowing what to expect I was pleasantly surprised when we stopped in the empty restaurant car and I was told to sit down. After five hours and a good meal I was escorted to the front of the train and given a bed in the staff carriage. Nobody said a word about my deception, my status as foreign guest had been generously preserved. Few beds have ever felt more comfortable and ten hours later I woke in Xi’an. n

The Green Parent 15