Manawa Ora Neuro Breath Consultancy

04/11/2025

Go mamas! You are Super & Nature got your back!!

Shocker: It takes far more energy to grow life than scientists once believed.

A Duke University study found that pregnancy rivals elite endurance events, making it the most energetically demanding activity the human body can sustain, equivalent to running a 40-week marathon.

Another peer-reviewed study published in Science found that pregnancy requires an additional 50,000 calories over nine months, with 96% of that energy coming directly from the mother. A woman’s resting energy use can rise by up to 30%, meaning her body works harder every single day, even at rest.

To put it in perspective, that’s like eating 50 pints of Ben & Jerry’s or sustaining the daily energy output of a Tour de France cyclist.

The energy it takes to grow life makes pregnancy one of the most extreme athletic feats on Earth. 🫶

04/11/2025

We could call it common sense if we did not have the science hey ;) also I reckon with kids it is more evident than with adults but it works exactly the same for big people!

📱 50% of children with ADHD saw symptoms vanish after removing sugars and screens in major study.

A groundbreaking study led by Dutch researcher Dr. Lidy Pelsser and published in The Lancet found that a significant portion of children diagnosed with ADHD may have symptoms triggered by food.

The study put children on a five-week "few foods" diet—limited to items like rice, turkey, certain vegetables, pears, and water—eliminating all processed foods and additives.

Remarkably, about 40–50% of participants saw their ADHD symptoms nearly vanish. When common foods with high sugars and artificial additives were reintroduced, the symptoms quickly returned.

Complementing this research, other studies have linked excessive screen time to ADHD-like symptoms.

Overexposure to digital devices, especially before age 12, can overstimulate dopamine pathways, the same brain systems responsible for attention and impulse control.

This constant digital stimulation may train young brains to seek rapid rewards, making real-world tasks feel dull and harder to focus on. Children with high screen use tend to experience sleep issues, irritability, and emotional dysregulation—all of which mirror ADHD symptoms. Encouragingly, both reduced screen time and dietary interventions have shown real-world improvements in children’s mood, sleep, and ability to concentrate—offering a potential path forward that doesn’t start with medication.

paper
Pelsser, L.M., Frankena, K., Toorman, J., Savelkoul, H.F., Dubois, A.E., Pereira, R.R., & Buitelaar, J.K. (2011). Effects of a restricted elimination diet on the behaviour of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (INCA study): a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 377(9764), 494–503.

04/11/2025

Kids are acting 800 times worse around their mother than their father.
I have a good feeling of it since I became a mother...and it does feel like 800 times more work...
however it is a privilege to be that ultra safe space for our lil ones and I guess that mamas are wired to hold all of that. Mothers' super powers are real 💪🤍🙌💖🙏

04/11/2025

This has been known since my mother went to University.
She learned this at school & made sure myself and my younger brother did not attend childcare till we became 3.
Actually 4 for me, as I was not comfortable staying there till my brother also joined in once he turned 3.
And so I did woth my child.
Only a brain that feels deeply safe can thrive with its learning.
This is so crucial in those first essential years that will set the foundation of how a nervous system will work for a life time.

🧠🤍🙏

Many parents are told that enrolling toddlers in daycare early is necessary for socialization. The common belief is that peer interactions are critical for learning how to share, communicate, and play. But neuroscience and attachment research reveal a different truth.

Before age 3, a child’s brain is wired primarily for safety, bonding, and co-regulation. This means toddlers need consistent, warm, and responsive connections with their primary caregivers. The presence of a parent or trusted adult helps regulate their nervous system, supports emotional growth, and lays the foundation for all future social skills.

Peer interactions before this age do not replace attachment. While toddlers can enjoy play, it does not teach them the deep emotional regulation, trust, and security they require. In fact, too much separation from primary caregivers too early can raise stress hormones like cortisol, affecting brain development.

What your toddler truly needs is your time, attention, and responsiveness. Holding them, responding to cries, playing alongside them, and showing calm and patience all provide the foundation for emotional and social skills that last a lifetime.

30/10/2025

Manawa Ora Neuro Breath & Yoga is back!!

I have been away, overseas indeed, for medical reasons actually, for a while and I just recently got back to Aotearoa, recharged, renewed & enthusiastic to get back sharing healing practices & tools with my community.

I am opening opportunities to practice yoga at any age & level of experience, offering classes for kids, adults, and people with restricted mobility.
All sessions are open for booking in the energetic sanctuary that is the bush I have the luck to call home, just out of Thames.
This place has clear air, clear water & native bush to hold you during your breath & movement practice, allowing you to reach your centre in even deeper ways 💚

Prices are $40 for individual private classes,
$30 each for 2 people,
$25 each for 3
$20 each for 4 or more people.

Mamas & their pepi will always pay $20 no matter how small is the class, with the intention to support with all my heart one of the most challenging and important times in the life of a woman and of a new person on Earth 🩵

Get in touch for bookings and to arrange specials for groups or families!
DM on this page or on 0220217894.

🤍🧘‍♂️🕉🙏

30/10/2025

It goes both ways: authenticly loving touch can't but heal, there is no gender differences & it is profoundly transformative. 💚🩵🤍🙏

It turns out healing isn’t always found in medicine sometimes, it’s in a gentle touch. A recent study has found that a woman’s touch can significantly reduce both physical pain and emotional distress in men, revealing just how powerful human connection truly is.

Researchers observed couples and measured stress, heart rate, and pain response during emotionally charged moments. The results were remarkable: when a woman held her partner’s hand or touched his arm, the man's brain activity shifted, showing lower pain sensitivity and increased emotional stability.

This wasn’t just placebo brain scans revealed changes in areas responsible for emotional regulation, pain perception, and trust. The closer the emotional bond, the stronger the effect. In some cases, a simple, affectionate touch helped lower pain as effectively as over-the-counter medication.

Why does it work? Scientists believe it’s tied to oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” which floods the brain during physical contact. It calms the nervous system, lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), and activates the brain’s built-in pain relief system.

In a world where emotional wounds often go unseen, this research highlights something ancient and deeply human: compassionate touch heals — not just emotionally, but physically.

So yes, love doesn’t just feel good. According to science, it’s therapeutic.

03/10/2025

My sweetest child has been though a period when she would violently trow things around when she is loosing it. What this woman talks about is what i do when that happens. I often think that the most exhausting part of parenting is the consistent repetition of the same messages, for years. It is what it is & I trust that it will make a life time difference for our children. So let s be strong, we will seat back & enjoy their flourishing into well regulated happy & successful adults tomorrow 🤍💛🙏

03/10/2025

One of the breathing practices I use & I teach is the sight out with a smile & a sound of joy and pleasure with the exhale. It is so powerful. Takes a bunch of breaths to shift your thinking into a more positive one 🙌🤍🙏

Smiling, even when it feels forced, can activate happiness chemicals in the brain. Research shows that smiling triggers the release of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, which reduce stress, improve mood, and even lower heart rate. The brain responds to the muscle movement itself, meaning both genuine and fake smiles can create a positive feedback loop that boosts emotional well-being.

24/08/2025

06/08/2025

The prove that being a parent is the same for everyone, no matter what species...
Have a laughter!! 😆

06/08/2025

06/08/2025

No daycare till at least 3. That was my choice for my daughter. And I was blessed to be able to take 15 months of maternity leaves, unpaid of course. To make it possible Manawa and I were nomadic with our built in van and staying at different friends for about a year. Gypsy life but what a good brain she has now ;) 😍💗🙏