Style: January 08, 2020

24 STYLE | feature
Kayo and Charmaine McGregor
run workshops that equip
people with the tools to reduce
stress in their lives.
It is something Charmaine, a working mum of two, has
experienced.
“My biggest wake-up call was a few years ago when I went
into work and I could feel my heart racing and I was shaking.
That was my worst experience of stress. But most of that
stress was coming from within. I was trying to be everything to
everyone – to my children, my work, my family,” she says.
Charmaine used to have a run “of constant colds” but she
pushed aside what her body was trying to tell her and dug in,
working harder and giving more.
Now, she has addressed her own belief system that led to
her stress.
“I have a daily practice and am a big believer of taking care
of myself first thing in the morning,” she says.
She sees people using ‘distraction’ as a way to avoid looking
at the true reasons behind their stress.
“We are given a society where it is easy to be distracted
– ‘busy’ is the new buzzword because it is socially acceptable
to be so,” she says.
People will keep busy, work more, be with friends constantly
– anything to stop thinking about what is going on with them.
“Sometimes it is easier to be distracted than looking at our
own stuff because it can be hard dealing with it. We may
have to start saying ‘no’ to things. We may need to make life
changes, like a different job, a different partner. And that can
be uncomfortable,” she says.
Simply acknowledging that the belief system you have in
place is not working for you is a good first step, she says.
“You have the personal choice and power to change. It is all
in the power of the intention. Believe you can do this. You can
choose the life you want to lead.”
Seven years after her walk around the block, Kayo teaches
meditation and yoga in Christchurch and is a pranic healer,
drawing on life energy to heal the physical body. She has
committed to healing her life.
She sees many people who believe they cannot meditate
due to the incessant white noise of their thoughts.
“Meditation is not about stopping the mind. Meditation is to
stop the mind from controlling you,” she says.
“One minute a day, every day, is far more beneficial than
one 20-minute hit a week, because it gives the body time each
day to recharge, be calm and slowly build up the length of
time,” she says.
Looking back, Kayo doesn’t know how she sustained herself.
“But I am grateful I experienced all of that because now I
help others. I don’t want anyone else to get to that stage,”
she says.
“Really listen to your body. Being tired doesn’t mean you
are lazy. Being tired means you have been working too hard
for too long. And you cannot sustain that.”