< PreviousSMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE - PAGE 49As with yoga, there are many kinds of Tantra – some forms of Tantra involve optional physical sexual practices, others do not. Even where sexual practices are involved, Tantra was originally practiced alone before being practiced with a partner. The moral of that story is that Tantra can be practiced (and bestow many benefits) even if you don’t have a partner – love that.Tantra at its heart, is a Spiritual practice.Tantra really is about becoming more present, and seeing the beauty in every single moment of life. It’s about joining love and sex – not about substituting one for the other. Because it unites the heart with sex and helps you to become more present, Tantra supports you connect deeply and intimately with a partner. Because Tantra gives you tools to be ‘in’ your body, you feel more pleasure. PAGE 50 - SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINETantra helps you move sexual energy around your body you learn to ride the waves of pleasure and experience higher waves of ecstasy than you ever knew possible.Tantra uses many ‘tools’ to help all of this happen. One of the things I love about Tantra is that it is flowing and flexible. It’s not a rigid set of practices or rules. In Tantra, you’ll find we use, movement, stretches, meditation, different kinds of breathing and sometimes mantras or massage. The thing is though – that you don’t need to use any that don’t work for you. After teaching for so long, I have a good idea of what works for most people and always try to give a range of options so that you can practice on your own or with a partner at home. Tantra literally means to ‘expand and liberate’. When you practice Tantra, you’re expanding your heart and bringing more love into your relationship and life. SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE - PAGE 51 PAGE 52 - SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINECOPING WITH A BROKEN HEART CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTHby Arwen BardsleyIt’s the question no one wants to reply ‘yes’ to, especially on Valentine’s Day: have you recently (or even not so recently) been through a break-up? A failed relationship and a broken heart is one of the most common yet misunderstood and underestimated situations that can impact your health and wellbeing (and not just because it’s Valentine’s Day). People often don’t realise how much emotional health can impact physical health if left unchecked and untreated. PAGE 52 - SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINECOPING WITH A BROKEN HEART CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTHby Arwen BardsleyIt’s the question no one wants to reply ‘yes’ to, especially on Valentine’s Day: have you recently (or even not so recently) been through a break-up? A failed relationship and a broken heart is one of the most common yet misunderstood and underestimated situations that can impact your health and wellbeing (and not just because it’s Valentine’s Day). People often don’t realise how much emotional health can impact physical health if left unchecked and untreated.SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE - PAGE 53It begins with quantum physics, which demonstrates that everything in the universe con-sists of particles and sub-atomic particles of constantly moving energy - everything, in-cluding our ‘physical’ bodies! Research shows that the feeling of having a broken heart is actually very similar to physical pain. When you experience a broken heart, you will not only experience emotional symptoms, but will likely experience physical symptoms as well. These physical symptoms can in-clude being physically exhausted, not sleeping well, headaches, digestive complaints, back pain, or skin breakouts. When any of these symptoms – emotional or physical - continue for a long time, they can have detrimental effects on your health and wellbeing. PAGE 54 - SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINENot seeking professional support to help you heal your broken heart can lead to you be-coming stuck in a vicious cycle of negative energy, which in the long term can be harmful to your health. The good news is that being proactive about your health and wellbeing after a breakup can aid your healing and recovery.Here are 5 simple yet powerful tips you can implement immediately to help speed and im-prove the healing process:TIP 1GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVEThe location of the physical heart is also the location of one of the seven main energy cen-tres in our body (chakras), called the heart chakra. The flow of energy in the heart chakra is literally blocked by grief. To unblock the energy flow you need to let go of things and people that no longer serve you - including your sadness and loss, and continue to give and receive love – for example, spend time with those who love you unconditionally, especially children and pets!TIP 2BREATHEFocus on your breath! The element of the heart chakra is air and of course the function of the physical heart is to pump the essential components of air through the body! When you breathe deeply, your heart chakra is stimulated by this. Deep breathing is also calming and is very useful when you feel overwhelmed by emotion. Use the breath in your meditation practice, holding your focus in your heart.SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE - PAGE 55TIP 3OPEN YOUR HEARTDon’t worry, I’m not suggesting surgery or falling in love again! There are many yoga pos-es that are known as ‘heart openers.’ If you don’t practice yoga then all you need to do is pull your shoulders back, lift your chin and point your chest to the sky. Again, you can meditate on the heart chakra space whilst opening it up, or whilst deep breathing. Feel the energy. Visualise a clockwise spinning vortex of positive, loving, green energy. Balanced energy will flow in a clockwise direction, and your focus on this will improve the flow – your thoughts and visualisations are energy too!TIP 4AFFIRMATIONSLoving yourself before you can truly love anyone else is especially important after a break-up. To implement daily affirmations, begin from a place of forgiveness (firstly for yourself), look yourself in the eye in the mirror and say your affirmations. Some examples are: ❤‘I am free to express and receive love unconditionally.’ ❤‘I love my easy life.’ ❤‘My heart cannot be damaged, it will heal me.’ ❤‘I am grateful to have all that I need.’ PAGE 56 - SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE`Valentine’s Day is always tough for the broken hearted, but by using some, or all of these techniques, your heart will be feeling whole again in no time. When you feel balanced and whole, and flooded with positive energy, wonderful and positive things happen in your life!`TIP 5AFFIRMATIONSTechniques that specifically work on energetic balance to break the negative energy cycle are very beneficial. Some options are body work such as reiki or kinesiology, or utilising tools such as essential oils (geranium or melaleuca are good for a broken heart) or crys-tals (try emerald, rose quartz or green aventurine). These options work on each energetic level of the body (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE - PAGE 57 PAGE 58 - SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEFIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY by Melissa FerrariIn recent years, Valentine’s Day has become quite a commercial and overstated affair, so it’s no surprise that some people are too embarrassed, proud, offhand or even time-poor to celebrate it. And to make things even more difficult, sometimes only one of you is keen on the notion while the other isn’t, putting the entire day and its purpose into question. There are, however, so many great reasons to embrace this annual event - even if you’re not in a relationship - and it’s not just about growing retailer profits. Whether your actions are subtle, grand, costly or cheap as chips; Valentine’s Day can still make a huge impact for you and your beloved.Next >