This week is a 4 year anniversary since I started a 'PAY WHAT YOU THINK IS A FAIR PRICE  system of fees for services. I have been in business since 1980 and 4 years ago started the new payment system for 1 week, then extended it until Christmas, then decided I liked that method so much I have continued. People sometimes ask "does it work for me?" I could answer "Yes & No". I get paid either what I'm worth, what someone can afford or the client is being miserable and takes advantage of the system. The balance of those options is how I live, I pay my taxes, and do the best job I can for each client. I recently watched the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi http://www.nowvideo.sx/video/kgyj0ffbdjuw6 This movie is about Jiro, an 85 year of Japanese master sushi maker - the best in the world. Jiro owns a restaurant with only 5 seats, makes only sushi and his restaurant is a 3 Star Michelin restaurant - as good as there is. But the movie is about perfection - with each piece of sushi Jiro is striving for perfection. I see treating backs the same. If I could do better then I will. Each person is unique and each time I treat someone they are different than before. Treatments may be simple, so is a piece of sushi, but the uniqueness of one spine and muscles are not. Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Timbs-Natural-Therapy-Clinic/174244742605823?ref=bookmarks

Here is a link to a very good 4 part series of talks on Ayurveda
http://wisdom.floracopeia.com/ayurveda-pathway-to-perfect-health-1/

I am now also teaching Yin Yoga from home, Timbs Natural Therapy Clinic, Wednesday 5.15-6.15pm. $10.00

Yin Yoga Classes are now being held Monday & Thursday, at The Yoga Room, 113 Gladstone Rd, Gisborne, 5.15 - 6.15pm. $9 regulars or $12 casual drop-ins. Yin Yoga is a cooling practice that has a specific focus atmobilizing and strengthening joints.

I am back home in beautiful Wainui Beach enjoying the sunrises over the horizon. The 2 months in Kansas was once again a pleasant escape from a wet NZ winter and instead experienced a Kansas City heatwave. The hottest summer on record - 100 F day after day. I loved it but the locals hated it. I taught numerous workshops there on Anti-ageing, Definition of Health (according to Ayurveda) and Iridology. I love the teaching aspect of what I can share. My background is in teaching (Primary School teacher and BEd in Adult Education) so obviously I have an interest in education. I believe part of the journey of learning is to back it up with experience then share it with those who are interested in your knowledge.

I didn't move far within Kansas City except to teach workshops. My idle time was spent reading books on yoga philosophy, doing yoga, lazing by a beautiful apartment pool, sitting under a tree by a man made lake on a trail I often walked, and eating fresh good food that is relatively cheap still in the US.

I'm home working in my clinic, trying to ride a shortboard again (6' 4") and giving my cat plenty of affection (deprived when I was away).

This year is my 6th year back to the US to teach Ayurveda and other related workshops. I enjoy escaping our winter in NZ, and this years July is the wettest on record I hear, and 'suffering' with the heatwave in Kansas. I do miss the ocean, but I know its freezing surfing back home right now. I've been reading a lot and enjoyed Donna Fahir's Bringing Yoga To Life. This year I've been right into YIN YOGA. There are many excellent DVDs, books and website explaining YIN YOGA . 

I've been back from my 7 week trip to Kansas, Colorado and Barbados for about 3 weeks and its cold here. I got use to the summer heat over there and loved the warm ocean of Barbados, the mountain views and climate of Boulder, Colorado, and the teaching opportunities and old friends in Kansas. I'd do it all again tomorrow, or same time next year, if everyone want me again.

The Highlights? Making all my flight connection on the way to Kansas - 35 hour nonstop travelling, then not making all my connections to Barbados and had to fly across the US 2x in the one day = Chicago to Miami then missed flight to Barbados so got redirected to Toronto to stay in a hotel for a few hours before flying to Barbados the next morning and arriving a day late. Then leaving there 10 days later the plane was overbooked so again I missed my flight and had an extra day in Barbados in a beautiful hotel over looking the beach and with a perfect pool. And I got a complimentary $1200 USD American Airlines travel voucher - thank you! I arrived home a day late but again another 35 hour flight from Barbados, Miami, LA, Auckland to Gisborne.

Other Highlights? My friends in Kansas, teaching a 60 Ayurveda course for Darryl Olive at www.KCFitnessLink.com, teaching for Nicole Wilt at www.completebody.net, also for Darling Yoga www.darlingyoga.com then driving the 10 hours to Denver and Boulder. Thank you Nate for hosting us in Denver - we met at Wainui beach and then again in Denver. You can make the world a small place if you so desire. And a huge thank you to Stacy in Boulder for hosting us there. Loved the time together and the place.

Other Highlights? BARBADOS - Stacey, Lauren, Hillaire and husbands and children - you hosted me with such kindness - thank you again and again. I hope I reciprocated with Ayurveda knowledge. And also my surf guide Jodie - love you and again thank you.

Its home now and I've stopped the Polarity Yoga classes - not enough interest but will do them for anyone if they request. Same with teaching Ayurveda - just ask.

I've just read Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt http://happinesshypothesis.com/ I highly recommend it.

Now I'm onto Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

I spent the first 8 days of June in Barbados again being hosted by Lauren and Hillaire - two dynamic individuals who spoiled me once again. I taught a 1 day workshop, a Questions and Answers evening, and they did a vegan cooking class which I added my Ayurveda perspective on the rituals of eating. The beaches and food were also a real treat. Thank you to them and their families. Check Laurens Blog site http://theworldsmostunlikelyvegetarian.blogspot.com/2011/06/joyful-leaps-of-logic.html?spref=fb 

Now I'm back in Kansas City for 7 weeks and enjoying old friends and common places - this is the 5th year to Kansas City. If anyone wants an Introduction to Ayurveda presentation or Workshop then send me an email. I'm here until 29 July. 

I am continuing the Donation Only or Koha for all services indefinitely Why? So people can try something new (like Polarity Therapy to relax), pay what they can afford, and I have for years wanted to work on a donation only basis - I'd rather people get the treatment they want without cost being a consideration.

I have now decided to make DONATION ONLY or KOHA (pay what you think is a fair amount) as the permanent method of payment. The clinic has been busy, there haven't been any monthly talks, vegetarian cooking classes or workshops yet this year. I'm presently working on getting the website up to date and trying to co-ordinate workshops for overseas during our winter - so far things are not matching up so time will tell. But if everything happens as it would in a perfect world I will get back to Kansas, visit Maine for the first time and Barbados :). New Zealand workshops in the pipeline are in Napier and Taupo so far - but no dates yet!

Other than that I'm working my way through the Anastasia by Vladimir Megre series of 9 books - just finishing #3 but they are an interesting read - especially if you are after a little of 'where is the world at', what's  mans place on this planet, does Nature have any answers to these questions, and do we live to our potential?'

This year has been a mixture of developing new material to make people aware of the different modalities I'm trained in and practice, attending an international Ayurveda and Yoga Conference in Sydney Australia where I had the opportunity to met with my India Ayurveda teacher, Prof Dr P H Kulkarni, and my original Ayurveda teacher whom I first hosted to do a workshop in Gisborne, NZ, in 1996 - Dr Robert Svoboda. Then in September I consulted and taught workshops in Kansas City and Virginia - thanks to Nicole Wilt of Complete Bodyhttp://www.completebody.net/Site/Welcome_Page.html, and Emily and Victor of Darling Yoga Studio http://www.darlingyoga.com/ for organising Ayurveda workshops for me. And a big thanks to Beth and Jim who hosted another vegetarian cooking class in their home, that once again was a heap of fun.

Then I visited Roanoke, Virginia, to be hosted by Jill Loftis of Uttara Yoga Studiohttp://www.uttarayogastudio.com/ . I’d never been east of Chicago so I was a little surprised by how different that part of the US was from the west coast and even the mid-west. Jill and her family were wonderful hosts and I appreciate their hospitality greatly. It is a very dedicated group of yogis/yoginis who are so keen to learn and practise yogic practises in a region where yoga is relatively rare. Jill is definitely going against the Tribal Wave with her interest in Vedic philosophy etc.

Earlier in 2009 I did Ayurveda workshops in Napier (thanks Margaret and Keithhttp://bodyfusion.blogspot.com/), 2 workshops in Taupo (thank you Fionahttp://www.taupoyoga.co.nz/), and I’m soon to be doing a workshop on Waiheke Island (http://thebreathingspace.co.nz/home.htm).I am kindly hosted by Fiona and Andrew in Taupo and I got to celebrate Andrews birthday while I was there. Good timing!

I also put out a ‘postcard’ with an overview of the different modalities I practice, and am doing this website myself. It has all been a bit of a learning curve. I started my original clinic in 1980 practicing Polarity Therapy for the first 12 months. Clients wanted instant results for acute symptoms so spinal manipulation became part of my practice. As I trained in Naturopathy, Iridology, Acupuncture, and Ayurveda my clinic offered more modalities – but still clients knew me as the ‘back man’. Principally people want their backs fixed to get rid of pain. So for 29 years spinal manipulation has been the ‘back bone’, excuse the pun, of my clinical practice.  As well as been a practitioner, teaching Natural Healthcare has been a part of my working life in various forms and locations.