Bodel Rikys North London Highbury and Islington Practice N5, N1 Tel: 0759 893 7341 Email: bodel.rikys@virgin.net

ENDORPHIN MEDITATION – LIFE CHANGES Facilitate positive life changes with The Endorphin Effect. Relaxing guided meditation to: help you become calm and centred connected to the good things in life create the life you want For one-to-one sessions contact bodel.rikys@virgin.net or call 0759 893 7341. Bodel Rikys has had 30 years experience with meditation, yoga, holistic health and self-development work. She is an author, artist and a Endorphin Effect trainer. The Endorphin Effect - Core Energy Management, was developed by Dr William Bloom and is a set of holistic strategies for mind/body healthcare and enhanced wellbeing. In particular, The Endorphin Effect teaches how to produce and use endorphins, the feelgood hormones, at will. Bodel teaches endorphin meditation and Core Energy Management in adult education and runs regular meditation classes and workshops in islington and east finchley. She is available for group and individual sessions. Learn How To Meditate This invaluable life skill taught in a clear contemporary way by Bodel Rikys, author of Meditation Is. Enjoy improved health and wellbeing. Inner calm. Better concentration. 4 consecutive Friday evenings. 6.30-7.30 November 7, 14, 21, 28 Venue: Yoga Therapy Centre, 90-92 Pentonville Road (entrance on Penton St) Islington London N1 9HS 5 minutes from Angel tube. Cost: £40 Pre-booking necessary Enquiries, booking, bodel.rikys@virgin.net or tel: 0759 893 7341 Meditation Workshop Meditation relaxes the body, calms the mind, strengthens the immune system and enhances creativity. This workshop with Bodel Rikys, author of Meditation Is, is suitable for all levels of experience. As a starting point for beginners it covers the basic tools and aspects of meditation in a simple contemporary way. If you are already meditating, this day can be an opportunity to deepen the experience, refresh your practice, ask questions and enjoy being with a group. Takes place on 16th May, 2009 at The Institute, 11 High Road, East Finchley, London N2 8LL Course No. 543 from 10.00-4.00 and costs £48. Phone 020 8829 4141 to book your place. One to One Endorphin Meditation Instruction One-to-One sessions available. Cost: from £40. Please phone or email for more details or to make an appointment. Endorphin Meditation CD now available Guided exercises to trigger endorphins, the feelgood hormones, improve your health, connect with the vitality of nature, and from this place create the life you want. See Guided Meditation CD for details. This wonderful little book at just £4.99 would make an excellent Christmas gift or a treat for yourself. It is available from bookshops or from amazon here: Meditation Is by Bodel Rikys 'I like each of them very much. They're very unusual in that they are cute, and also wise and intelligent'. William Bloom Drawings from meditation is ...are featuring in Yoga and Health magazine every month until May 2009. Bodel Rikys & Endorphin Meditation Daily Telegraph 8th August, 2005 Just lie back and think of happy times to release your body's feelgood endorphins, says Judith Woods Most of us are aware of the existence of endorphins, those happy hormones that make us feel good. Known as nature's natural painkillers, these opiate-like chemicals are generally produced when the body is under extreme physical stress, hence the well-documented euphoria of the runner's high. After 20 to 30 minutes of hard aerobic exercise, endorphins are released and will result in a mood and energy boost for two to three hours, and a mild buzz for up to 24 hours. Sex also promotes production of these pleasurable neurotransmitters, because of the enjoyment of physical contact. Laughter is another good source of endorphins, which is why watching a good sitcom will generate enough hormones to keep you contented all evening. And as we all know, there's nothing like a bar of chocolate to give you a lovely rush of wellbeing. Studies have shown that when a group of overeaters was given a drug to block endorphin release, they no longer craved chocolate. But what if there were a less fattening, less strenuous way of achieving a happy high? According to therapist Bodel Rikys, endorphin meditation is the answer. Rikys holds weekly classes and one-to-one sessions, where she shows clients how to tap into the feelgood factor within. You can reduce stress, promote self-healing and make positive life changes by invoking your endorphins, says Rikys, who has practised meditation for more than 30 years. It's not a case of emptying your mind - that's very difficult to do. It's about filling it with pleasurable thoughts, which in turn will produce a feeling of wellbeing. The endorphins will turn off the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, and have a positive impact on your body chemistry. It sounded so simple that I was immediately rather sceptical. If it really was that easy to feel marvellous, why hadn't we all been doing it for years? There was only one way to find out, so I signed up for a session. I've long been intrigued by meditation, but the rather formal, stiff-backed, legs-crossed posture always put me off. It was a relief, then, to be told I could sit or lie on the floor - however I felt comfortable. I chose to recline on a large cushion, with my knees bent. I was told to close my eyes and breathe deeply into my abdomen. Then, in my mind's eye, I was to scan my body with kindness, paying great attention to any places of tension or soreness. By offering myself sympathy, I was creating a soft, receptive frame of mind, which is apparently crucial to summoning up my endorphins. Then I was to think about something that made me feel happy: an activity or place. Just as I was beginning to feel fretful because I couldn't visualise a vivid enough image, Rikys reassured me that it was enough to see colours and hazy impressions. I chose to remember snorkelling on a holiday in the Caribbean, when I spent hours watching silvery shoals of fish glint and shimmer in the refracted light. Guided by Rikys's soft tones, the more I conjured up the cool feeling of the water around me and the sun's hot rays on my back, the happier I felt, and I began to smile. And smile. Part of me felt utterly ridiculous, as I imagined how I must look, lying on the floor grinning from ear to ear, but I couldn't help myself. Imagine there is a bright sun just where your ribcage ends, and it is filling you with light, every part of you, said Rikys. Now think of a golden trickle of endorphins, like oil or honey, streaming through you, soaking your bones with happiness. Wherever your body is in pain or needs healing, the golden flow will deepen until you are saturated. By now, I am slightly embarrassed to recall, I was actually giggling. I felt excited and elated, yet simultaneously conscious that I was in a completely artificial situation. Rikys then went on to talk about nature and how I was connected to the world around me, which was so soothing, I promptly fell asleep. As she gently asked me to wiggle my hands and toes, I stirred, and reluctantly opened my eyes. As I sat up, I have to confess I felt wonderful. The effect of this kind of meditation is cumulative, said Rikys. The more you do, the better you'll feel. If you stack up endorphins in your body, it's like building up a reservoir of wellbeing, as opposed to a reservoir of stress. For the rest of the day, I had a definite spring in my step, and two friends separately observed that I appeared to be on tremendously good form. Even the next day, I felt more energised than usual. It was a remarkable experience. Simple yes, but deceptively so. When I subsequently tried to repeat the meditation, at home, I couldn't maintain my concentration. For me, having a relaxing voice talking me through the process was crucial. I'd love to be able to conjure up my golden endorphins at will, but in the meantime I've done the next best thing. I've booked another session for next week. Daily Telegraph, 8th August, 2005 Bodel Rikys holds One-to-One sessions teaching endorphin meditation. Cost: from £40. If you are interested in meditation classes in London or individual tuition please Tel: 0759 893 7341 or Email: bodel.rikys@virgin.net for more details or to make an appointment.

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