Many years ago, I was focusing all my attention to healing myself from a period of stress and emotional pain. I was completing a Diploma of Nutrition, studying a fitness course at Fitness Network and exploring aromatherapy and meditation. For as long as I can remember I have always had a deep passion for health and wellbeing, I guess I was just looking for the inspiration to base a business around. That inspiration turned out to be a girlfriend of mine, who used to suffer from anxiety and depression, and was taking anti-depression medication on a daily basis. This upset me for a number of reasons. Firstly, she was in her mid-twenties, and in my opinion, too young to be thrown straight on to medication without looking at other alternatives. Secondly, it bothered me to think that she would become more and more dependent on these pills every day, and maybe end up taking them for years, decades or worst-case scenario, for life. But most of all it really upset me to think that she wasn’t encouraged to explore other alternatives before committing to daily medication.

Too often, I hear stories about people who run to the chemist to pop a pill for a symptom that they’re suffering from, when they could be utilising alternative medicine and making lifestyle changes to treat the cause. So I made her a blend of essential oils for use in the bath, and suggested that she dedicate some time at the end of each day which was just for her – shut the door of the bathroom, run a bath, pour the oil blend into the bath, and then sit back and relax for twenty minutes.

After about six weeks she came back to me and was so thankful for the advice that I had given her. She felt that she was confident enough to go off her medication. She didn’t know whether it was the ritual of running the bath each night, watching the water flow into the bath tub or the oils that she was inhaling but something sparked confidence in her. She then worked towards exercising more and taking a look at her diet to make healthier choices. She even went off her medication, and to this day has not popped those pills again. You can only imagine how happy this made me feel. Whatever it was that gave her the confidence to take control of her anxiety and depression and ultimately her life, was enough to inspire me to want to help more people.

So, I developed the four Be Genki ranges:

• Vitality to help us improve our energy and concentration.
• Tranquility to help us prepare for a peaceful night’s sleep.
• Serenity to help us cope with everyday stresses. (The blend that I gave to my girlfriend)
• Sensuality to help us nurture the loving relationships that we have with our partner, and more importantly our Self.

In my opinion, these are the four key areas that bring about holistic happiness. Life today is fast paced. Most of us are faced with stress on a day-to-day basis whether it be physically, emotionally or spiritually. In order to achieve optimum wellness and inner harmony we need to learn how to deal with that stress and nurture ourselves on all levels, inside and out.