Happy Christmas.
 
As an early Christmas gift, I’m offering you the chance to receive ‘All You Need to Succeed’ for absolutely nothing i.e. totally FREE of charge. Usually retailing at £24.99, the package consists of hours of interviews with wonderfully illuminating experts covering every conceivable topic you’ll need to know about in your 50′s (and possibly before).
 

As I’m feeling super generous I’m offering my Fabulous Foundations package, also for free. Three downloads advising you on how to look your very best -using the basics. Invaluable information, whatever your age. Usual price £19.99.

As they are totally free of charge, why not offer them to your friends. It can be your gift to them. No postage and no hassle, just brilliant information they can listen to time and time again.
 

The link for both programmes is here:
 
http://shop.feelfabat50.com/index.php?maincat_id=12

(scroll down for the All You Need to Succeed package)

Have a great festive season and I hope 2012 is all you wish for.
 
Happy listening
 
Sue

In the midst of attempting to tackle a difficult asana (pose) my wise yoga teacher demonstrated how we could  sit back from it, creating more space in order to move more easily into what seems like an impossible position. Everyone, whatever their ability, tried again using this approach and everyone moved further than they had on their previous attempt. To get the most from yoga, we need to look at how to apply what we learn on the mat and introduce it into real life.   

This particular lesson was very pertinent for me as I’ve been feeling ‘stuck’ for a while in my career, my life and my choices for the future. So I decided to heed the words of my teacher and create more space in my life and my environment. I began by de-cluttering not only my wardrobe, as you’d expect, but also the rest of the house. My office was overrrun with books and old papers so much so that, at times, I felt like shutting the door and having a lie down.  My trusty old PC and laptop are both crammed with files that are years old that I was keeping ’just in case’ so I bought a new Mac Book pro on which to start afresh when my new company comes into being next year - watch this space for more details on that one (see what clearing space can do for you!) 

So with the house, the wardrobe and the technology cleared of unwanted excess  it was time to do the hardest of all – de-clutter my body. I’ve been making healthy changes to my diet all year but I felt the time was right to take it one step further and so I make the huge decision to stop drinking alcohol.  Not just for this week or this month but for good. I’ve realised that while I love alcohol (I’ve been drinking regularly since I was in my early teens) it’s not a reciprocal relationship. Having alcohol in my life  is like having a best friend who, in reality, is actually stabbing  me in the back.  I gave up smoking, also a fear based addiction, over 4 years ago and have no desire to go back so I’m pretty confident that this too will work out fine. So far I feel terrific -  clearer headed, slimmer, more flexible, more joyful, softer skin and shinier hair and, best of all, I’m sleeping like a baby for the first time in over 5 years.

One book has really helped me. Jason Vale’s ‘Kick the Drink Easily’ is such an inspirational read, you wonder how you’ve been brainwashed into thinking drink is enjoyable. It takes a much more positive approach than most other methods where you count every day you’ve managed to not succumb to temptation. This book advocates a celebration of freedom and the end of tyranny. It’s certainly working for me. Cheers!!

I see Dallas is making a comeback, starring some of the original actors. Expecting grey haired senior citizens, I was completely taken aback when I saw photo’s of Linda Gray.  The actress, who plays Sue Ellen, looks even more amazing and gorgeous than she did in the original series, yet she is now 70 years old. Wow! Whatever she’s doing, I want some. Reportage says she works out 6 times a week so she can keep up basketball practice with her grandsons.  With that in mind, perhaps I need to get my trainers out!

http://www.lindagray.com/ for  more info about Linda and her worthy charitable work.

I have been suffering with my skin for a few years now so decided to do something about it. Having listened to various therapists talk about the mineral oil and other nasties that can be found in our cosmetics, even the expensive ones, I decided to look for a brand with ingredient integrity that also had the backing of up to date technology and scientific research. Lo and behold, the Sunday Times Style magazine came up trumps with an article about Jane Wurwand. I’d never heard of her either, but it was fascinating reading about a former British salon sweeper upper who went to LA and made a fortune with her own brand of highly researched skincare – Dermalogica. As luck would have it, there are a few salons in Peterborough that stock the brand but only one that has a totally free skin ‘mapping’ system which works out the damage to your skin and what it needs to best repair and fortify it.  The salon is called Nirvana on Oundle Road and I can’t tell you how helpful the staff who work there are. Firstly, I had to put my head in what reminded me of an old time photographer’s ‘box’ with sheeting on all sides. Once inside, I could clearly see, via a mirror, the damage to my skin that years of constant sunbathing had done.  Once diagnosed, the therapist taught me how to use all the various products I would need, one by one, and then gave them all to me as handy trial sizes so I could test them at home and see for myself. All this for FREE!! Did I go back and buy? You bet I did. My skin breakouts got worse (I was warned this might happen) but is now clearer and firmer than it’s been for many years. You might not have a salon near you that carries out this technique but you can have a go yourself on the official website

http://www.dermalogica.com/uk/speedmapping.html#/speed-mapping

I would also add that their fake tan is the best I’ve ever come across! 

Harper’s Bazaar has collaborated with a number of top Italian designers to create a range of limited edition T shirts to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. The charity, Women for Women International, has done wonderful work for women in the world’s most ravaged war/conflict zones using mentorship as a tool for empowerment along with donating huge sums of money. To purchase a T shirt go to www.harpersbazaar.co.uk. They are priced at £39 each with all proceeds going to Women for Women International www.womenforwomen.org Designers include Alberta Ferretti, Veronica Etro, Rossella Jardini, Donatella Versace, Angela Missoni and Frida Giannin.

Jill Shaw Ruddock, a former banker, declared that a revolution was going on when she appeared in front of a huge crowd in Westfield Shopping Centre.  “We baby boomers redefined every decade we lived in and now we’re going to redefine getting old. We will change the world!” she said. Her new book, The Second Half of Your Life is all about rebranding ‘the new old’.  Further North, in Yorkshire to be precise, more traditional Croning Ceremonies are being offered as a part of a complementary therapy package to celebrate our new middle age.  In France, a new book by Marie De Hennezel ‘The Warmth of Your Heart Prevents Your Body from Rusting’ is high on the best sellers list and urges you to turn your old age into something beautiful. Well said, that woman. Have I not urged you all to be curious, have fun, love the way you live and experiment with finding your unique look?  Glad to see the headliners are now giving us some credibility at last.  Still not getting it? Then try Jane Shilling’s The Stranger in the Mirror – a memoir of middle age.  All available from www.amazon.co.uk

If you love the idea of having the softest feet on the planet, then you need to find the Garra Rufa fish. These tiny little fish originate from Turkey and love nothing more than to nibble, lick and suck (they have no teeth) at the hard skin on your feet. I visited Dr Spafish in Norwich for my treatment and it’s  fabulous sensation, a little like tiny (painless) electric shocks. Fabulous value for £10.   

www.drspafish.com

For the past few weeks my friend and Fashion Feng Shui mentor, Evana Maggiore, has been participating in the Chopra Center 21 Day Meditation Challenge – something I would really like to fit into my daily routine. This is what she said about her experience to date:

“ One is supposed to download and listen to one recorded session everyday, but I have not been that digligent. Sometimes, my day gets going so quickly that I forget I’ve committed to this daily practice. Othertimes, my morning meditation is cut short by some other family, pet or friend induced interruption. One thing I do remain vigilent about is that the intention to do so remains in tact. I don’t give up just because I haven’t had a perfect attendance record.

This experience has been extremely validating. Every day, I receive a wonderful tidbit, such as “Ritual + Meaning = Transformation.” That’s what Fashion Feng Shui is all about! Taking an every day act and learning how to do it meaningfully in order to transform your look and life. Wow.

If you would like to participate in the FREE 21 Day Meditation Challenge sign up here: http://www.chopra.com/meditationchallenge. Just the sound of Davidji’s voice is worth your time!

About a year ago, around April time, I blogged about how I was drawn to green things in my clothing and my food. Feng Shui equates green to the Springtime meaning new beginnings, innovation and growth. In hindsight, the attraction to green was really relevant as I too was changing my business and the way I worked.

It was the colour orange that beckoned to me back in February. Neither green nor orange are colours that suit me but I felt it necessary to go out and buy a couple of T shirts and a bag in this vibrant colour. I’ve since learned that orange is associated with the chakra (energy centre) that governs the Solar Plexus. As I was suffering with my digestive system it made sense that I was drawn to orange which, placed next to my skin, acted as a healing agent.

 In the last few weeks, my diet has changed to that of a vegan – give or take a milky cappuccino now and again. Grains, pulses, root vegetables have all really appealed to me. This won’t be for ever, that I know, but it seems that I have a real need to remain grounded and all of these things come from the ground and represent the colours of the earth and the harvest.  Like everyone else, I have no control over external events and I’m trying hard not to get fearful or worried about what may or may not happen. At the same time, my love/hate relationship with yoga has changed. My yoga practice has taken on a new importance and become more joyful as I’ve found a new teacher that really inspires me.

The point of this blog ? Your body and your instincts tell you what is right, if you’ll just listen. Observe and let yourself be fascinated by what you discover. In Fashion Feng Shui we say that your clothing is the body’s most intimate environment, so let it work its magic for you.

Interested in learning more?

I’m speaking at the Feng Shui Society’s conference on Saturday http://www.fengshuisociety.org.uk/Feng-Shui-Conference-September-2010.php

and running a one day workshop on Wed 6th October http://shop.feelfabat50.com/index.php?maincat_id=6

I have a really busy life and a husband who is not keen on holidays in the UK or abroad. This means it’s often difficult for me to switch off completely, forget about my lovely clients, my writing, my teaching and my business generally.

So following up from my Spa break last weekend I have made a concerted effort to do no work – unless you count writing this blog as working. I have met up with friends and colleagues for coffees and days out, attended daily yoga classes and stretched my body into shape, read a brilliant novel, bought a bright pink  YSL lipstick (I LOVE it)  and generally done nothing more strenuous than my daily Killer Sudokos, another passion.  I’ve knocked alcohol on the head for the last few days, though the weekend beckons and so do a couple of glasses of wine, and ate supremely nutritious food (apart from a couple of heavenly cappuccinos and a piece of divine walnut cake). The only TV I’ve watched is my beloved cricket – Test Match against Pakistan and the fantastic Eoin Morgan, so no depressing news, police dramas or sensory stimulation. How do I feel? Fantastic. You should try it. I might not be able to keep it up but for a few days it really is heavenly.