When people talk about Circle + Bloom they use different ways to describe our programs and how it works. We hear our programs referred to as meditation, mind-body therapy, relaxation exercises, etc.

To a certain extent our programs incorporate parts of all of these descriptive terms, but our programs are also different from all of these as well. As one customer said, “five years ago when I was doing fertility treatments I used a different meditation program and it did not even compare. I think the fact that the meditations change with the cycle really makes it much easier to get in touch with your mind and body”.

Stumbling across this great book called Made to Stick, I had an ephiphany. The book talks about the importance of using stories to help people remember and understand your message. Among many reasons, the book states stories resonate because they cause mental stimulation. The listener begins to imagine the events that are being told to them.

And here is the shocker. When we imagine an event unfolding in detail, the same modules in the brain are activated as when we are actually part of the event. The body and mind do not differentiate from the imagination and the actual event. The listener physically and emotionally connects to your story.

And there’s more. The authors shared the results of an experiment conducted by UCLA students. In the study, there were three groups, one group stimulated their brain in general terms. So for example, we might be thinking “I am not getting pregnant, and I want my body to get pregnant, I want my body to do what it needs to do to get pregnant.” The second group stimulated their brain in process terms. For example, “This is day ten of my cycle, and my body is doing what it should do to gear up for ovulation.” And then the third group’s thought in outcome terms – or – “I will get pregnant, and it will be so great when I get pregnant. I can visualize being pregnant.”

Which group do you think had better results of achieving what they were mentally thinking about achieving? Group Two! Thinking in process terms was much, much more effective.

What does all this have to do with what makes Circle + Bloom different? Absolutely everything!

Our programs are fundamentally built on the process terms foundation. We make the mental stimulation easy for you to apply this to the way you think about and go about conceiving. Our programs follow specifically what your body should be doing for optimal reproductive health during the conception and pregnancy phase. We know of no other meditation, mind-body or relaxation program that takes this approach. They will use either the general term approach or the outcome approach – both are good, but we do not feel as effective us the process approach.

There are a few other differences to other typical mind-body activities such as yoga, acupuncture, on site mind-body programs. Circle + Bloom can be done in the privacy of your own home, when you want, on your own time. No need to drive anywhere, no need to sit in waiting rooms. And yes the cost is much lower as well.

We hope this helps to explain what makes Circle + Bloom different. If you are using our programs and doing other things like yoga, meditation or “alternative therapies”, we would love to hear other differences that you see as well! Comment below!

This is an actual email we received from a customer earlier this week regarding our Energy Program. Thought we would share it, because she goes to great lengths to connect it back to her life and her meditation practice. Keep these emails coming, folks! It makes our day, our week, our month!

Just wanted to send you this email and tell you about my experience using your new Energy program. I truly love the program! I’ve listened to all sessions several times now and have felt a remarkable difference–especially in my quality of sleep!

Joanne has a wonderfully soothing and calming voice that makes settling down with the program a pleasure that I really look forward to. I find the visualizations vivid and effortless to practice. For me, listening to the sessions has been like taking a mini vacation from the frenzy of my normal day.

For the last few years I have been meditating on a daily basis. Recently, though, since my work schedule has gotten a bit out of my control, I have not been as routine in my meditation schedule as I had been previously.

As a result, my energy reserves along with my patience and state of mind has suffered. The most surprising benefit of the C & B program has been that my daily mediation routine was rejuvenated immediately, and the quality of my meditations has improved significantly.

My daily meditations have become so much deeper since I began using the program! It’s been remarkable.

I don’t understand why, but the effect was immediate and dramatic!

Thanks for putting this out there. I hope more women take advantage of this great program. It will certainly make for happier moms, and families too!

- Cheryl in Massachusetts, via email

Click here to listen right now to a fun and engaging presentation Joanne made to the U.K. Fertility Telesummit.

Here is just a quick idea of what you can learn about how we can begin to our brain to improve our fertility:
*How the mind-body connection effects your fertility
*How stress can effect fertility and what you can do about it
*Learn how you can reduce the anxiety and stress associated with infertility
*How the reproductive system changes through its 28 day cycle

This is an iTunes Podcast as well – click here to become our subscriber for unique content as we continue this mind-body-fertility journey together.

And of course, we’d love to hear your feedback!

Whether or not the claim that we only really use between 5 – 10% of our brains is true, we know that we can always improve our mental well-being for purposes of increased focus, better sleeping and overall improvement in health and energy levels. I have found over the past three years that by changing my thoughts, meditating and entering into deep relaxation has allowed me to greatly expand my thinking, feel more optimistic and take steps to reach my goals on a productivity level that I have never experienced before.

What is interesting is that there are now many researchers and scientists documenting what meditation and relaxation can physically accomplish in our brains and how it connects within all facets of our bodies. Science is finally catching up to centuries old methods of how millions have approached a wonderful way of living, interacting and simply being.

One example of this research is found in this video, posted by the smart folks at Google in conjunction with Stanford University. Phillippe Goldin Ph.D, who is in the Department of Psychology at Stanford, is doing some amazing research into “Mindfulness Training.” Being funded by the NIH, he is proving – among other things – how meditation affects the mind and body through reduction of stress. What I find exciting about this work, is the opportunity to bring meditation and mindfulness thinking into the mainstream. No longer will this work be categorized as unproven, or even worse, something only men in robes do. Someone recently said that we are entering a new phase in human development, fully exploring the capabilities of the mind. I agree!

In this talk entitled “Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindful Meditation,” Goldin discusses how Mindfulness (as he defines it) is associated with stress reduction. He defines Mindfulness as using meditation practices to help you pay attention in a particular way without judging things as good or bad. He discusses what Mindfulness is NOT, such as being distracted, suppressing emotions, ruminating or avoidance. He helps us understand how we can put Mindfulness into practice for our own personal development. I highly recommend taking a bit of time to watch and learn – and then let us know what you think!

“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.” -Plato

Dr. Mike Miller, a research cardiologist at the University of Maryland, has been studying the effects of happiness — or things that make people happy — on our hearts. He began his research with laughter, and found watching funny movies and laughing at them could actually open up blood vessels, allowing blood to circulate more freely.  Miller thought, if laughter can do that, why not music? So, he tested the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. “Turns out music may be one of the best de-stressors — either by playing or even listening to music,” said Miller.  Here is a video that summarizes his findings, courtesy of CNN:

Music is a central element in the Circle + Bloom experience.  After sampling a dozen of artists, we chose to work with London-based Chris Mullett, Composer and Producer for Siliencio Music.  Speaking of his music, Chris says “I have always been intrigued by the therapeutic power of music which can heal the body and soul in wonderfully subtle ways.”  Chris’s music is extremely soothing, melodic and based on slow repetitive rhythms – around 60 – 80 beats per minute.  The flowing ambient music is based on extensive research into the beneficial effects of music, and the wide ranging influence of healing music from many different genres and cultures. The compositions combine acoustic instruments, the voice, digital samples and atmospheric recordings to create music which emanates peace, tranquility and harmony.

Sit back, relax and enjoy for a minute or two: Sample Background Music