Go Green Board Game www.gogreenboardgame.co.uk  is a new, fun and educational board game, designed to allow you to become self-sufficient and green – if only for a few hours! The box contains miniature pigs, chickens and hay bales to fill your garden with. You can also grow fruit and veg in your allotment. It has been raved about by many, and now here at Inspired Times, we are joining in on the fun!

 As you work your way around the board with a wheelbarrow, all of these items can be collected and added to your (hopefully!) thriving patch of land. Along the way you get to learn some amazing facts about sustainability through ‘Natural Selection’ multiple-choice cards. If you get the answer right, you win a hay-bale to feed your livestock. If not, you still learn eco-information about some rather amazing facts, such as the UK imports 90% of all its fruit!

To add risk to the fun, ‘Green Fingers’ cards throw obstacles in your path of going green. Foxes may eat your chickens, or your own animals may eat your vegetables! You never know which way it will go in this engaging and innovative game.

The winner is the person who grows the most fruit and veg in their allotments and who owns the most animals in their gardens the first!

Play to your hearts content with kids and adults alike. If it’s good enough for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, it’s good enough for us!

The future is looming and mankind needs to take a moment to work out where it stands. Green issues such as landfill sites, global warming and damage to the ozone layer are potential minefields and need to be assessed by leaders in the know. This festival, which spans a weekend this autumn, is packed with lectures and workshops about the environment, and an evening concert of music from India, Africa and the UK. It will be held at the Colston Hall in Bristol, returning to the place it was originally staged in 1978.

In ‘an audience with…’ do you dream of watching Peter Blom or listening enthralled to Rob Hopkins? If so the Schumacher festival will keep your inner green spirit thriving.

Rising energy bills, a tough economic climate, and a Government drive to reduce carbon emissions mean that creating an energy-efficient home has never been so important.

It is now easier than ever to build green, and achieve a house that’s comfortable to live in, economical to run, and has a reduced impact on the environment. Every year, thousands of visitors flock to the Big Green Home Show, hosted by BuildStore at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre, and this year will be no different. Building on the success of the past three shows, and the ever–increasing interest in all things eco, the three-day event will feature even more products, seminars and experts, as well as the unique ‘walking seminars’ by green experts. You’ll find invaluable expert advice on the essential eco elements to help you decide what’s best for your home and your pocket.

The UK is now the world’s sixth largest low-carbon and environmental economy, and still growing. It is no longer just a ‘wish-option’ to be energy-efficient. At this year’s Big Green Home Show, you can sit in on seminars and get one-to-one advice from industry experts on the latest legislation, regulations and Government schemes and how they will affect your project.

With the new incentives for renewable electricity and heating, the Government are essentially rewarding you for not plugging into the grid and the sums seem to be stacking up. You can find out more about the funding of your project from BuildStore’s team of specialist finance advisors at the Show, including the exclusive Eco Accelerator mortgage.

“At the Big Green Home Show, you’ll find plenty of expert advice and guidance on the essential eco elements you need to consider, and understand. As well as, talking directly to manufacturers and eco experts; our unique Centre allows you to see all the latest products and systems in-situ, in our three full-sizes houses.  It’s the UK’s brightest eco exhibition, and could help you save pounds as well as the planet.”

For comprehensive and impartial advice on green self build, renovation and home improvement, visit the Big Green Home Show (28^th – 30^th October 2011) at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon, just off Junction 16 of the M4. To book free tickets or for more information, visit the website at www.biggreenhomeshow.co.uk  or call 0845 223 4455. Tickets on the door: £10 per adult or £15 per couple

 The idea of cultivating some kind of inner-peace has been around for millennia. The idea of an essence, soul or spirit has developed over time and space and has been indoctrinated, structured and theorised by varying belief systems throughout history. Recently the UK has seen a shift in spiritual healing and it is being re-introduced into society not just as a religious or an alternative form of treatment but as a therapy of relaxation with both psychological and physiological benefits. The changing tide in attitude towards holistic wellbeing can be seen in the mainstream media, with sections devoted to regaining a sense of inner peace challenged by external stressors caused by modern life. As Mind, Body and Spirit are being noticed and nourished, places like Isbourne are becoming very important parts of society.

 The Isbourne Holistic Centre, established in 1995, aims to ‘create positive lives through education’. The overall idea is to let go of the outside world and indulge in something new that will make you feel fit, nourished, relaxed or stimulated alongside other people looking for a positive experience. Janie Whittemore, the Centre Manager, explains: “The overall aim is to offer joyful and meaningful experiences to as many as possible, embracing all ages, cultures and creeds with love and understanding”. Offering great feedback, one customer explains they felt the “reverberations of the opening to divine love” during one class, whilst another simply stated they felt blissfully relaxed.

 Endeavouring to ‘cultivate a deeper sense of purpose and self-awareness’, the centre reaches out with its Holistic Education Programme that aims to promote healing, social responsibility, compassion, meditation and celebration. Classes are set at an affordable rate to diminish exclusivity. Isbourne has attracted internationally renowned speakers and authors like Byron Katie and Brandon Bays, as well as TV presenters like Peter Owen Jones and Graham Hancock, who have shared their knowledge with like-minded individuals. There are many treatments on offer at the centre from the well-known to the unusual.

 Cranio-Sacral Therapy (CST) – now offered at Isbourne – is a treatment focussing on the corresponding movement between the cranium and the sacrum (the head and the very base of the spine).  With a basis in osteopathy, it was designed to alleviate the pressures affecting the cranium and spine by re-articulating the body into a state of re-balance. The founder of CST, William Sutherland, was initially criticised by scientists for the lack of empirical evidence, however Sutherland’s treatments took a change in direction when he noticed another dimension to the treatment, an aura he referred to as the Breath of Life. The focus became more spiritual than osteopathic and practitioners no longer needed to be schooled in physiology in order to gain positive results as they focussed upon the emotional and psychological aspects of their patients instead.

 Sharon Henshall, founder and editor of Inspired Times Magazine recently visited the Isbourne Holistic Centre in Cheltenham to experience CST at the hands of Claire Seabrook. Describing the therapy as “subtle yet soothing”, Sharon felt nurtured and cared for and enjoyed the atmosphere of the therapy. “Knowing nothing about CST before the treatment, I was unsure what to expect,” she says. “I found it intriguing and the results made me feel peaceful and contemplative. I would recommend the process to anyone.”

 CST is an instinctive therapy that attempts to tune into emotional states with subtle touches to the skull and spinal pressure points. Different to a massage or therapies that are very tactile, the peaceful balanced feeling following the treatment and the emotional dialogue throughout helped achieve a sense of soothing and solace that was powerful in its subtlety.

For those wondering how the workshops, classes and talks are chosen, Janie has some simple objectives, it must “help educate, responsibly inform and enlighten without prejudice” and on everything from belly dancing to Shamanic Dreamtime Ceremonies to the more usual Imaginative Writing classes, it really is a positive source of inspiration. A hub of holistic healing in the West of England, it really is a beacon of light against the greys of every day.

For more information visit: www.isbourne.org

Both day and weekend workshops are open for everyone to enjoy. Encompassing Creativity, Cake and Crafts as well as, reflexology and massage treatments, the central focus is Self Development inspired through nature and creativity.

Nature Nurture offers some fabulous weekend retreats, but for lucky locals, the Making Mornings are an inspirational treat. Enjoy creating contemporary crafts from old recyclable fabrics, in harmony with a fresh pot of tea and a slice, or two, of homemade cake.

The Weekend Workshops create the opportunity to socialise and relax within a natural environment, helping to reduce the stress accumulated in our bodies. Nature Nurture retreats offer the opportunity to pause, listen and reflect, free from any pressures from the outside world. As we humans are an integral part of the natural world, Nature Nurture’s principle is that, by immersing ourselves in nature, true solace can be found.

Workshops are running throughout the summer. Starting from £15 per person, including all craft materials, tea and cake, what more could you ask for?

www.nurtureworkshop.co.uk + www.nurturebird.blogspot.com

Now you can follow Yogini Lila’s fashion sense. Asquith are offering readers an exclusive 20% discount. For a range of classic, elegant and flattering yoga outfits, and a truly sensational experience in comfort, visit www.asquithlondon.com before May 1^st, type INSPIRED20 into the promotional code box when ordering online, and receive your exclusive 20% discount.

They also create products based on Sacred Geometry and Symbols to enhance harmony in your environment and within yourself, which they sell on their online shop: www.livingharmony.co.uk/pages/products.php

The workshops run by the centre for spiritual development and self-growth are open to anyone seeking development, harmony and healing. For example, Pierre Pradervand is running ‘The Gentle Art of Blessing’ in April, on the benefits of using blessing as a tool for healing. Carolyn Cowan is running a workshop on Leadership and Liberation for empowering women of the 21st century, enabling them to keep their own identity as women, and let go of the need for anger or blame. Carolyn uses Kundalini Yoga techniques and meditations to challenge perceptions and promote freedom.

Participants will leave with personalised plans for growth. Contact Viviane Fingerhut to book at info@livingharmony.co.uk or telephone her on 020 8958 1740.

So for a trip to this beautiful centre in Slovenia to heal and rejuvenate, visit www.livingharmony.co.uk

Gradually the hall filled with a wide assortment of strange and wonderful stalls, everything from crystal healing, angel guides, mediums, fortune-tellers, oil wallahs, flesh eating fish, free hugs to singing and yoga. Curiouser and curiouser (and we took some photographic evidence – check out the facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Inspiredtimesfans!). Our stand came together, dripping with flowers and inspiration. We were pleased.

Being on our feet all day was a daunting prospect, but the constant supply of crystalised ginger and the many interesting and intriguing conversations lifted us throughout. We also had fun getting to know our stall neighbours- sharing sweets, tales and tips. We got into the swing of selling magazines and subscriptions, explaining our ethos and spreading the joys of positivity. It was such a buzz when we got a good response and lots of interest. Having so many people so in touch with their spiritual side meant that the levels of their various energies reverberated around the room. Thousands of people walked past our stand each day and we saw it all, tears to laughter, and everything in between. The effect of the atmosphere was extraordinary.

We took advantage of our time in Manchester by introducing ourselves to the coolest cafes and shops in the area. And we discovered that getting lost frequently is the best way to get to know a place. We now feel that we know Manchester well, and what a lovely place it is.

As interns, we embrace all opportunities to learn more; experience more. Being part of such a worthwhile magazine has always been a source of pride, but being able to express that with people, face to face, and feeling such a positive response in return has galvanised our efforts. As the magazine continues to grow, we grow within and along side it. We’ll always feel part of the Inspired team. And now that we’ve experienced our very first Mind, Body, Spirit Festival, we’re ready for the next! Bring on the buzz of the London’s Body Mind Spirit!

Their mission is to research, evaluate and promote lifestyle and technology choices which will help to create a sustainable world. To celebrate the festive period, CAT is offering a 20% discount* on annual or life time membership.

A Christmas Gift Membership would be ideal during this time of giving and includes:

1. Clean Slate – their quarterly magazine full of positive and practical ideas on renewable energy, sustainable lifestyles, ecological building, ethical gifts and more
2. 10% discount on CAT publications
3. 12-months of unlimited visits to their stunning seven-acre Visitor Centre and the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE).
4. An invitation to their Annual Membership Conference held in WISE at the Centre.
5. Free advice from their Information Service
6. A monthly e-bulletin

For Membership, contact Rebecca: 01654-705988

*Offer November 2010 – January 5^th 2011

Christmas at ‘The Centre’

On December 4^th and 5^th you’re all is invited to soak up the magic of the festive season at CAT’s Christmas Fair. Head on down – or rather up – to the visitor centre nestled in the foothills of Snowdonia and enjoy the festive spirit with mulled wine, baked treats and warm wintry food.

The fair brings together local businesses, producers and artists in a weekend extravaganza and is the perfect place to pick up inspiring food recipes, unique and ethical gifts and distinctive Christmas decorations! Entry will be free for all during the two days!

As well as catering for adult visitors, CAT’s staff have planned a series of fun Christmas activities, workshops and music to keep the whole family entertained.

CAT can promise you a greener Christmas with a 10% discount on all items in their Eco-gift shop.

For more info or stall hire at the event, contact Sylvie: 01654-705952

Christmas subscriptions

Christmas subscriptions are great presents as they last for a whole year, not just for Christmas day! I bought a gift subscription for my partner last year and she gets excited every time the next issue comes through the letterbox. Plus, there are a lot of deals on subscriptions at this time of the year so it’s probably the best time to subscribe. Inspired Times Magazine is offering either a FREE Onya bag with gift subscriptions this Christmas OR a second subscription half price – so that’s two presents sorted!! Plus, Inspired Times has the added advantage of being an ethical gift too, printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable inks and publicising the many inspiring projects going on around the world, it will keep your giftees uplifted throughout the coming year. Plus, the current issue has a double page spread dedicated to unusual and ethical gift ideas so you can always purchase yourself a copy and get some inspiration for the rest of your Christmas shopping.

Want to buy something different this year? Buy a Christmas subscription.