The short blog below accompanies the full Self-Soothing Massage video above, led by Leo Taylor - available within Whole Health membership.

This practice and blog supports Chapter 9 of my Nine Foundations of Whole Health Natural Health Webinar on Nasal Breathing & Posture - (available to Whole Health Members). See my previous blog for more info on that chapter.

A Gentle Practice for Seasonal Support

As we move through this transitional time of year, many of us are navigating coughs, colds, and lingering viruses. This practice focuses on gentle breathing and nurturing massage around the sinuses, nose, and face - areas deeply connected to our immune response and to the quality of the air we take in through the nose.

Settling In With Comfort and Warmth

We begin by finding a comfortable position where you feel warm, supported, and at ease. This practice is intentionally soft, especially if you’re feeling congested. You always have agency here, to shift, adjust, or complete...

Nasal Breathing & Posture: Returning to the Body’s Natural Design

After 50 Whole Health webinars and a wealth of shared learning, it feels timely to gather some key threads together. We have been exploring so many layers of whole-body health over the past month and this week it feels appropriate to return to something incredibly simple yet profoundly impactful: nasal breathing and posture. These two foundations sit quietly beneath almost everything we talk about - energy, resilience, calm, digestion, immunity - and they work best when they work together. 

Posture Creates the Space for Breath

Our posture influences so much more than how we appear. When the head sits above the ribs, above the pelvis, above the feet (the way the body is naturally designed) the breath can travel through the nasal passages with ease.

Modern life, however, often draws us forward: screen-time, tension across the face and jaw, shallow breathing, and less movement through the spine. This collapse reduc...

The short blog below accompanies the full practice video above, taken from Day 1 of of my special 10 Days of Intelligent Strength programme - available within Whole Health membership.

This practice and blog supports Chapter 8 of my Nine Foundations of Whole Health Natural Health Webinar (available to Whole Health Members), on Adaptation & Resilience for Health - (available to Whole Health Members). See my previous blog for more info on that chapter.

Strength Without Strain

This particular practice focuses on cultivating strength without strain, exploring how the body can rebound, respond, and hold itself with ease rather than effort. Instead of pushing or wearing down the system, we invite the sensation of being lifted and supported, occupying space in a way that feels steady and grounded.

Although the sequence is offered as a standing practice, it can be adapted in whatever way your body needs. You might sit on a chair between movements, or simply visualise each action and...

After 50 Whole Health webinars and a wealth of shared learning, it feels timely to gather some key threads together. This week we look at adaptation and resilience, and how these qualities shape our health.

Our bodies and minds expect change....

We are built for change. Every system in the body is designed to interweave, to respond, to move with shifting conditions. Yet in modern life, we have softened many of the natural contrasts we once adapted to - food is the same through all seasons, temperatures are controlled by heating or air conditioning, and discomfort is often avoided. Our physiology evolved to respond to change, and without it, that adaptive capacity can become dulled.

Adaptation, in behaviour, metabolism, biology, and thought, is what allows us to function optimally. Health is not just what we eat or do; it’s how well we support our capacity to adjust.

The Nature of Change 

It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the ...

This recipe and blog supports Chapter 7 of my Nine Foundations of Whole Health Natural Health Webinar (available to Whole Health Members) on Relating Your Adrenal, Thyroid and Sex Hormone Health See my previous blog for more info on that chapter.

The Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric isn’t just a recently trendy ingredient, it boasts a long health use in India that is backed up by plenty of research. Its active ingredient curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cholesterol regulator and liver support and to protect us from the ravages of stress, increases a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, linked to improved brain function and a lower risk of brain diseases.

Turmeric has shown to be preventative for a number of diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and arthritis. This recipe is sweetened with chywanaprash, an Ayurvedic paste with amlee fruit and cardamom that includes the adrenal supporting herbs ashwaghanda and shatavari. It i...

After 50 Whole Health webinars and a wealth of information gathered, it feels timely to draw together some key threads. This week, we turn to the intricate balance of the endocrine system - specifically the adrenal–thyroid–gonadal (sex hormone) triangle and how it connects with the brain and nervous system.

Within naturopathy, functional medicine, and nutrition, we often begin by supporting blood sugar balance and the microbiome - two foundational elements that underpin every other system. From this stable base, we can then explore how the adrenals, thyroid, and sex hormones interact, where imbalance might occur, and how to support the body to return to homeostasis.

The Endocrine System and the Nervous System

All of these glands form part of the endocrine system, and all are in continual communication with the nervous system and the brain.

One of my naturopathic teachers, the late Dr. Marion Kirkham, described it beautifully:

“The stability of one’s internal environment ...

This blog is taken from my previously recorded Therapeutic Movement Class and supports Chapter 6 of my Nine Foundations of Whole Health Natural Health Webinar (available to Whole Health Members) on Your Heart-Brain Axis. See my previous blog for more info on that chapter.

What this session offers

This therapeutic practice is designed to support the Heart-Brain interface and to encourage the two-directional conversation which is ever present. We explore how much of that communication reads as “brain up, heart up to brain,” and how bringing compassion, loving-kindness and friendliness to the heart area plays a real, palpable role in regulating our autonomic nervous system and our capacity for self-soothing and presence. 

The session gathers together practices that are supportive and invitational, tending to ourselves, noticing where we are, and encouraging a middle way of presence. We use touch, breath, and gentle holding to bring attention to the heart and the belly and to foste...

After 50 Whole Health webinars and so much information gathered, it feels like the right moment to pull together some key insights. This week, we turn to the heart-brain axis, the constant two-way communication between the heart and the brain.

We’ve spoken many times about regulating the nervous system as the foundation for regulating everything else: the microbiome, blood sugar balance, and the HPA axis. All of this feeds into our capacity to restore tissues, return to baseline, and maintain healthy cognitive and emotional function - our ability to self-regulate on every level.

This theme also reminds us that we are deeply social animals. A huge part of our sense of safety comes from our place in the “pack” - how supported we feel, our relationships, our role, and the emotional landscape around us. We can truly feel this in the heart.

The Autonomic Nervous System and the Heart

The heart-brain axis is one of the most responsive pathways within the autonomic nervous system...

The ingredients in this tonic have been used in many traditional medicine systems for digestion and immunity for centuries and now science is beginning to understand why.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has long been used as an aid to digestion as it helps the stomach acid production we need to break down food. When this is low we can feel reflux when partially digested food in the stomach rises back up into the oesophagus. The lining here is not protected from the acid as it is in the stomach and so it burns. What many see as too much acid is often too little, as a result of chronic stress. Whether you suffer reflux or not, low stomach acid means less broken-down food enters the intestines and this can contribute to gas, bloating, constipation and IBS (as well as immune and inflammatory issues).

Taking this tonic before food directly helps the digestion of that meal. You can also take it away from food to help clear out the digestive tract, if that doesn't create burning in the throat. Th...

After 50 Whole Health webinars and so much information gathered, it feels timely to bring together some key insights. This week, we turn to inflammation and atopic conditions. All of the things we’ve covered before feed into this theme.

We know inflammation is at the root of most chronic and degenerative conditions, which modern humans tend to develop as we live longer. It is also linked to stress, psychosocial stress, and sugar. These factors continually feed the inflammatory load.

The Body’s Inflammatory Response

Inflammation is the body’s attempt to protect itself from foreign invaders and to seal wounds, starting healing processes. Ideally, once the purpose has passed, the body calms down and inflammation resolves.

But with chronic stress or trauma, inflammatory responses remain switched on. This is part of the problem behind chronic degenerative disease.

Injury from trauma, microbial attack, pathogenic bacteria, toxins, synthetic food additives, heat, or other environ...

This is a classic middle Eastern combination with the preserved lemons and artichokes supporting bile and digestive juice flow to whet the appetite before a meal. Even though it seems quite exotic, it is easy to prepare and the artichokes and preserved lemons can be bought in glass jars and keep well stored. The dressing can also be used on any other salads and will keep for a good few weeks; as well its garlic and apple cider vinegar, the olive oil and mustard also support liver function.

RECIPE

Serves: 1-2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

The Vital Role of the Liver in Whole Health

After 50 Whole Health webinars and so much information gathered, it feels timely to bring together some key insights. This week, we turn to the liver. It may seem like a leap from the feet to the liver, but in reality, everything is interconnected.

The liver sits tucked under the right side of the rib cage, nestled against the diaphragm, with the stomach on the other side. How we stand, breathe, and allow our diaphragm to move creates circulation, pulsation, and lymphatic flow - all of which are crucial for liver function.

The Liver: A Multifunctional Organ

The liver is believed to have around 600 functions that we know of, influencing virtually every aspect of whole health. Movements that open the rib cage and fascia, and encourage diaphragmatic breathing, directly support its optimal function.

One of the liver’s major roles is in digestion. It manufactures bile, which is released into the duodenum (the first part of the small i...