Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Review: Circle + Bloom's Happy Mind and Healthy Body


I'm writing the final in the trilogy of our reviews of our sponsor, Circle + Bloom's, programs. Like Kayce and Mandi before me, I was excited by the opportunity to try out the meditation program. However, this was not my first experience with meditation programs. When I was pregnant with my son, I took hypnobirthing classes. I knew from that personal experience the potential for longevity the ideas of meditation programs have. (I STILL find the affirmations about birth and motherhood I heard during those sessions bubbling up in my head from time to time!) So, I was eager to experience what circle + bloom had to offer with their Happy Mind and Healthy Body program and I was not disappointed.

I have briefly mentioned that I do have depression. The truth is that I have been struggling with it a lot since my move. The rough part of depression is that it often becomes harder to fight in times of transition . . .no matter how happy the transition. So, I struggled with it when I finished college, I struggled with it when we got married, I struggled with it after my son is born, and now that we have moved cross country, I've been struggling with it again. It feels like you are treading a powerful current that keeps trying to suck you down. One morning, I found myself crying five times before lunch and it can be difficult to explain to others exactly what is wrong when it literally is all in your head! It can be especially difficult when cognitively, you know that your life is good, but emotionally, you still feel depressed. This has been my life for the last month or so since we moved, although many people I know will be surprised to read this as I have kept my struggle fairly private. So, when offered a chance to review a product that gave a chance at a "Happy mind." I thought, "Yes!"

Happy Mind and Healthy body is a called a "21 day program," but with four "weeks" of sessions and a bonus session, it could be used for a much longer period if you wanted to (and I intend to). Like the programs Kayce and Mandi reviewed, this one tackles a different aspect of health every week and you listen to the same session everyday for a few days or a week period.

Honestly, my favorite sessions were the first and the last of the regular sessions. These were the sessions that dealt directly with the "Happy Mind" portion of the program. The sessions in the middle were focused on the healthy body and involved very, very deep physical relaxation exercises that were difficult for me to completely participate in given that my son (much like his fetal self during my hypnobirthing sessions who used to kick me incessantly and do flips) seemed to have a sixth sense for when I would be attempting to do the program with my headphones and would nearly always wake up/cry/ask to nurse at some point during the session no matter how asleep he should have been during nap or after bedtime.

The first session was an overview that emphasized the power of the mind over the body and what one can accomplish when one engages oneself fully. It also laid the basis for how to adapt the program to whatever health goals you want it to accomplish. The last week was entitled "Positive Thinking/Mindfulness" and I found that after just two days of listening to the program, I felt less like crying and more in charge of my emotions again. It was a little like being able to come home to myself once more instead of constantly fighting with the crazy person who sometimes tries to take charge of my body. I've tried journaling for my depression, going to counseling for my depression, listening to uplifting music for my depression, and changing my diet for my depression, but this is the first time that it's only taken two days for something to make me feel better. It was awesome. I can't say it would work this way for everyone, but it certainly did for me and since I finished that week, I've found I have more energy and am struggling significantly less with my depression!

The mp3 program can be downloaded from their website here and only costs $24.00 with a 100% money-back guarantee. Isn't it worth a try?



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