Showing results by narrator "Katie Haigh" in All Categories

Relaxation at work is the most effective tool to decrease tension and maintain productivity while preventing stress from taking its toll, health- and environment-wise. While it may not be possible to back off from a work commitment, you can easily learn to alleviate tension and keep a healthy level of energy with these simple and effective techniques.

Expand your horizons with three stories from far-away countries, tales of timeless wisdom and a window to the soul of other cultures. These three stories are from the most different parts of the world, but all are food for thought and use powerful imagery to help children develop their intelligence and imagination.

"The Snowman" is maybe one of the most touching stories by Hans Christian Andersen. It is a tale about unrequited love, and an occasion of reflection on the mysteries of existence and passion. In a small winter garden, a snowman glimpses a stove glowing by the window of the nearby house. He soon falls in love, and longs for the stove's companionship despite the warnings of his friend, the dog, who say the stove's heat would melt him.

Snow White and Red Rose are two little girls living with their mother, a poor widow, in a small cottage. They are very good little girls, they love each other dearly, and their mother is very fond of them. Dark-haired Red Rose is outspoken and cheerful and loves to play outside. Fair-haired Snow White is quiet and shy and prefers doing housework and reading.

Jane Austen is one of the most widely read British authors. Her realism and biting irony make for a very lively read, and the quality of her plots have earned her a high-ranking place into the hearts of scholars. Her greatest stories sparkled a wave of adaptations in the last decades, because of their touching modernity and the realism of their reflections on the attitude of women about marriage and social standing.

More than two centuries after her death, Marie-Antoinette continues to fascinate historians, writers, and filmmakers. She was born into royalty, and a world of immense privilege and power. At age 14, she married the one who would become Louis XVI, King of France; when he made her a queen, she was universally adored. But afterwards, her extravagant lifestyle turned public opinion against her, eventually participating in the crumbling of the already discredited monarchy into a maelstrom of revolution, disaster and tragedy.

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness known to enhance capacities. It is used for a wide range of therapeutic purposes, including the reduction of pain, healing, treatment of addictions, or weight loss; it is also a way to facilitate relaxation. This audiobook describes five different methods to induce hypnosis, be it for entertainment or therapeutic purposes: a description of Dr. Cocke's method, another of Dr. Flint's method; the French method at Paris and Nancy, and the Hindoo Silent method; lastly, a much-needed method to wake a subject from hypnotic sleep.

The tale opens with the third and youngest son of a miller receiving his inheritance - a cat. At first, the youngest son laments, as the eldest brother gains the mill, and the middle brother gets the mules. The feline is no ordinary cat, however, but one who requests and receives a pair of boots.

Charles Baudelaire is one of the greatest French poets. His most famous work, "Les Fleurs du Mal"("The Flowers of Evil"), was deemed scandalous at the time because of its themes of sex and death, lesbianism, corruption, wine, and the oppressiveness of living. The effect on fellow artists was "immense, prodigious, unexpected, mingled with admiration and with some indefinable anxious fear", while the regime of the Second Empire had Baudelaire prosecuted and fined for his "insult to public decency". Baudelaire's style had a tremendous influence on French poetry, and also on English writers; he was a pioneering translator, and created strong ties with the Anglo-Saxon literature.

Stress, tension and anxiety can make us miss out on all the positive life offers us every day, and they take their toll health-wise. This series of relaxation exercises is intended to bring the listener to a state of complete relaxation through simple, efficient and proven techniques. Each script will guide you and provide tools you can use anytime you are subjected to pressure, be it work-related or in any other environment.

Gustave Flaubert is one of the major figures of French literature. He was made famous by his first novel, "Madame Bovary", and is also remembered for his Correspondance, full of precise introspection and reflections about realism in literature. Flaubert was known for his unvelievably scrupulous devotion to his style. He believed in the possibility and necessity of finding "le mot juste" ("the right word"), and would devout weeks to the achievement of sometimes a single page. Flaubert decisively established what most readers and writers now think of as modern realist narration, and his influence today is almost too familiar to be visible.

War is not a fatality, peace is not an accident. While some see war as a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature, others argue that t is only a result of specific socio-cultural or ecological circumstances. According to Conway W. Henderson, one source claims that 14,500 wars have taken place between 3500 BC and the late 20th century, costing 3.5 billion lives, leaving only 300 years of peace. So everyone should at least think about this subject, and be prepared to be concerned directly or indirectly by this question, peace or war.

The Drawing of the Sword, The Sword Excalibur, How the Round Table Began, The Story of Sir Balin, What Beaumains asked of the King, How Morgan Le Fay tried to kill King Arthur, The Passing of Merlin. Those 8 stories form the Arthurian literature (works about King Arthur, family, friends or enemies) are reinterpreting ancient Celtic myths as a profound spiritual fable. It recounts the arthurian fables and legends.

Elizabeth Petrovna was the Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death. She led the country during the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48) and the Seven Years' War (1756-63), left her mark on the service of nobility, the establishment of the Univeresidy of Moscow and the Imperial Academy of Arts; she remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs due to her strong opposition to Prussian policies and her decision not to execute a single person during her reign.

"Herodias", "Dance of death" and "The Legend of Saint Julian The Hospitalier" : 3 French short stories by Gustave Flaubert. "Herodias" is a reworking of the tale of Salomé and John the Baptist. "Dance of Death" is a prose poem in which Death laments over the cruel task God has given him. "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier" is an inspiring tale of perseverance and humility, one of Flaubert's most touching short stories.

Here is a collection of the most beloved English poems, from century-old anonymous nursery rhymes to delightful texts from Edward Lear to Lewis Carroll and Robert Stevenson. Rediscover the classics that have been passed from parents to children for generations: "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", "Kindness to Animals", "How doth the little busy bee", "Twinkle twinkle little star", and 20 more timeless jewels, read by Katie Haigh.

"The Six Swans" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. An evil stepmother uses witchcraft to turn the six sons of her daughter-in-law, the Queen, into swans. The curse can only be broken if their sister sews six nettle shirts and remains silent for seven years. She retires from the world and starts her work, but another King is stricken by her beauty and wants to marry her.

"Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale, the best known of the "Jack Tales", a series of stories featuring an archetypal English hero. According to scholarly research, this particular tale takes its roots in ancient stories told more than 5000 years ago, in which a boy steals an ogre's treasure. In this tale, Jack is a poor boy sent by his mother to the market to sell their dairy cow. He encounters a bean dealer who sells him magic beans.

Young children live in an information-packed environment, and have yet to master their emotions and resist stress. Relaxation and simple meditation techniques have been proven to help them manage pressure, increase focus and concentrate. These simple relaxation exercises will introduce them to breathing techniques and mindfulness; these are the same self-calming techniques adults can learn, but presented in a soothing format appealing to children. Regular practice will improve their concentration skills, help them build self-esteem and fall asleep quickly and peacefully: a great help for everyday living at home and in the classroom.

Pain can take a cruel toll on everyday life, be it chronic back pain, headaches, pain linked to fibromyalgy or arthritis, or acute pain from injury or disease. This series of exercises is designed to help you cope with pain in adequation with medical treatment if available, by providing you with proven techniques for pain management through relaxation. One exercise focuses specially on headache relief; other techniques of visualization will help you get rid of pain-increasing tension and gain better control of your pain response for relief.