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Six Steps to Supersleep 19 June 2007 None of us can live without it. We need it every day. And most of us are deficient in it. It's not a vitamin or a mineral - it's sleep. An alarming 47 per cent of people have difficulty falling to sleep or staying asleep throughout the night, but many more are simply not getting enough for optimal health. Before the electric light bulb extended our days, most people slept for up to ten hours a night. The figure now hovers around seven and continues to fall. Not only are we sleeping less in the 21st century because we've learnt how to extend our daytime, but we also sleep less to get more done. Yet research clearly shows that it's a rare person who can survive on a great deal less than seven or eight hours' kip a night. One of the great mysteries is why we need sleep at all. Without it, even for a night, the body shows clear signs of stress - mood and concentration go, defences drop, vital nutrients zinc and magnesium levels fall, vitamin C is used up at an alarming rate. Sleep both rejuvenates the body and the mind. During the first three hours of sleep, the body goes into rapid repair mode. This is one of the reasons why, if you are injured or sick, nothing is better than a good night's sleep. The Importance of Dreaming After a couple of hours, we enter the dream state sleep, known as rapid eye movement, or REM, Stage 1. REM sleep normally occurs 90 minutes after the onset of sleep, but if we are sleep deprived it may occur within 30 minutes. Dreaming occurs during REM sleep and most of us have four or more REM periods per night, even though many people have difficulty remembering the dreams that occur in them. As well as providing physical rest, sleep may provide the chance to make a 'back-up tape' of the day's events for our large computer, the brain. While Westerners pay little heed to dreams, one African tribe believe 'real life' is lived in dreams and daytime is the illusion. The Bolivian philo

The Eco Village Project will have sustainable living as its core focus and will provide training and skills development in the areas of Green Building (Housing/Shelter), Food Production (Permaculture principles), Alternative Energy Technologies, Water Sanitation, Waste Management and Environmental Consciousness. This will be done through hands on, practical learning and experience, in a real life sustainable community.

What is Aromatherapy? Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils , for psychological and physical well-being. Essential oils, the pure essence of a plant, have been found to provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly and safely. The Essential Oil Profiles area details over 90 essential oils. Absolutes , CO2s and Hydrosols are also commonly utilized in aromatherapy. Although essential oils, CO2 extracts and absolutes are distilled in different manners, the term essential oil is sometimes used in writing as a blanket term to include CO2s and absolutes. In addition to essential oils, aromatherapy encourages the use of other complementary natural ingredients including cold pressed vegetable oils, jojoba (a liquid wax), hydrosols, herbs, milk powders, sea salts, sugars (an exfoliant), clays and muds. Products that include synthetic ingredients are frowned upon in holistic aromatherapy. It is important to note that perfume oils also known as fragrance oils (and usually listed as "fragrance" on an ingredient label) are not the same as essential oils. Fragrance oils and perfume oils contain synthetic chemicals and do not provide the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.

Winter skincare tips We have been conditioned for so many years to look after our skin in summer, and to cover up to prevent aging sunrays from damaging our skin. Very few of us have however been warned about the dangers faced regarding skincare in winter. Winter is the time when we can lose a large amount of moisture through our skin and this, coupled with the cold environment, can be detrimental. Although frostbite is a severe form of cold exposure, daily exposure without adequate protection and moisture during the cold winter months can also cause our skin to age more and lose its healthy glow and vitality. When you have been out in the cold, skiing, ice-skating, or simply walking around, and your skin starts to go patchy white in places surrounded by a bright red area, be aware that you are nearing the pre-frostbite stage. Even inside your house and office your skin might be having a rough time - climate controlled environments might be comfortable, but may be lacking in moisture and humidity. If you are in a dry, moisture-robbing environment, make sure to feed your skin with high moisture content products.

We live in an age of turmoil, tension and transition. The old is collapsing and the new is struggling to be born, we find ourselves adrift on a turbulent ocean with no established landmarks between the vanished past and an indeterminate future. Ayurveda can be a good source of healing and inspiration. The image of Ayurveda has been distorted by glossy pictures of seaside resorts, oil being poured over a forehead, beautiful hands massaging a back, healthy looking vegetarian dishes and colourful Indian herbal spices. All of the above are to be found as posters and brochures as Ayurvedic supplements in health shops and on the internet. Is that Ayurveda though? Is that all that this oldest living healing science means? These images present a very limited view of Ayurveda as a short detox holiday. Very few people realize just how incomplete this picture is. Ayurveda is a highly specialized and scientific form of ancient medicine. It is about various aspects such as healing, energy, kindness, compassion, cooking, music, beauty and colours. In India a VAIDYA (Ayurvedic doctor) must complete a six-year university degree. All Ayurvedic graduates are trained in both Ayurvedic and medical hospitals. A 3-year post-graduate MD degree is offered to the most successful graduates. Is Ayurveda a religious philosophy? No, definitely not! Ayurveda is a product of experiences of Vedic civilisations that occurred thousands of years ago. Ayurveda was created for human well being and Vedic philosophy and is not based on any specific text or on the teachings of any particular person or any specific point in time. There is a pluralism which is built into the very structure of Vedic thought, because it is based on the collective wisdom of seers and sages referred to as 'Rishis'. The great utterances of the Rishis have come down to us over many thousands of years and remain a source of great inspiration. An Ayurvedic doctor

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