CONSCIOUS RELAXATION
There is nothing that a body likes more than being given direct attention. Most of the time our minds are working on one or even more topics, whilst our bodies are doing another! We tend to lose touch with the feelings in the body and go in the direction of the mind, until we may suddenly realise that we have been holding our breath, or twisting our necks for too long and created discomfort.

This pattern of being out of touch with our body’s basic balance and needs is one of the main causes of stress. The practice of conscious relaxation techniques bridges the gap between body and mind, allowing one to feel united in complete self-awareness.

RELAXATION THERAPY
A relaxed body must be one that is free of discomfort and disharmony. Complete relaxation comes when a person is at peace with themselves, both mentally and physically. Relaxation Therapy is good for people who suffer from:

Insomnia	Headaches
Back pain	Fibromyalgia
Tension	Arthritis
Depression	High bloodpressure
Self-esteem	Migraine
Chronic fatigue	Wellbeing
Anxiety	Menopausal Symptoms

STRESS
Good stress is short term, irregular, mildly stimulating and varied and leaves you with a sense of accomplishment rather than anxiety. Bad stress is prolonged, repeated, sustained and unrewarding - daily stress you can’t ignore and stops you sleeping. A highly stressed body will over produce cortisol. Overproduction of cortisol affects blood sugar levels and impairs the immune system and memory.

EXERCISE
Because relaxation involves both the physical and mental states it is necessary to investigate the effects of exercise on both the body and the mind. The mind and body are interactive and form an integral being.

Failure to accept these physical requirements and to adequately fulfil them will result in stress and tension and consequently ill-health. We will find also that certain forms of physical activity provide much more than physiological efficiency, and that a wide range of emotional and intellectual needs can be catered for in the pursuit of exercise. In fact, the development of a whole and balanced person is dependent upon the integration of some form of physical activity or exercise into daily life.

DANCE
Most of us love to dance when given the opportunity of the right space and music. Dance, like music, communicates the spirit and feelings in a way that can free the whole person. It is a complete involvement of body and soul which reveals much about how we feel, as well as cultural influences. Dance brings people together from all walks and all cultures of life. Whether we learn dancing as a discipline and art form, or just allow ourselves to be led by the music, dancing can deeply relax body and mind.

DIET
A good varied diet is essential for optimum physical and mental health. Very spicy foods create a high level of acidity in the blood, as do red meats, coffee and hard cheeses. When our energy is low, or we feel tense, the tendency is to go for these strong-tasting foods. Ironically, at these times our digestive power is often weaker than usual and we have a difficult time digesting them properly. This creates a lot of excess acidity in the blood which can raise the blood pressure a little and generate a feeling of ‘irritation’ or ‘restlessness’.

When under stress it is best to eat simple foods that are easy to digest. Rich flavours and elaborate food combinations not only tax the nerves in the stomach, but disturb the efficient functioning of the liver, spleen, kidneys and intestines, that all have a job to do in the digestion, absorption and distribution of nutrients. Eventually the heart is also affected, as is the whole relationship between body and mind. It is important to drink plenty of pure water to keep everything flowing through!

SLEEP & DEEP RELAXATION
Sleep is the most natural and instinctual remedy to balance and replenish the continual outpouring of energy and involvement we invest in the world around us. Human beings spend almost one third of their lives in a sleep state, yet it still remains one of the most mysterious natural phenomena we possess.

Sleep is vital for a healthy body and mind. It allows the body to rest and restore itself, healing and repairing cells, tissues, bones, muscles, nerves and organs. When we are deprived of sleep our coping strategies weaken and we find it difficult to function properly.

People who have been deprived of sleep for a few days show signs of mental instability and physical frustration. There is evidence that without sleep people may hallucinate, since this ultimate state of relaxation is a process whereby vital neuro-chemicals are released through the brain that nourish and rebuild our bodily functions, enabling us to maintain a balanced awareness of our participation in the physical, active world. While some people manage on a few hours, most people need 7/8 hours to re-energise their bodies. Sleep therapy can help you achieve this.

DREAM ANALYSIS
The ability to discover what your dreams mean allows you to have greater insight into your mind. This helps you to understand how you feel and make better life choices.

MEDITATION
In the past twenty years or so, the western world has witnessed and experienced a merging of beliefs and lifestyles from the east into the west. The influence of eastern philosophies brought to the foreground the powerful effects of meditation on our psychology and behaviour. Meditation began to be viewed not only in the context of a particular spiritual or religious belief, but as a tool for developing awareness and peace of mind.

Yet meditation really does not ‘come’ from anywhere in particular, other than from experiencing the true involvement of our own nature in its pure existence - being alive in the moment. Meditation is essentially a mental exercise of deliberately focusing the attention on a specific object, or sound, or mental process. When the mind becomes absorbed into the given point of focus, its sense of ‘separation’ or ‘isolation’ dissolves as it unites with the object of attention. This experience creates a deep sense of calm and fundamental rest.

CRYSTAL HEALING
Crystal Healing is aimed at attaining a level of well being that includes listening to our feelings, emotions and thoughts and nurturing our spiritual lives. we can use the beauty of crystals to unlock their capacity to strengthen and uplift. Colour and crystal healing reveal the energy of the world around us. Why crystals placed on the body can have such a profound effect on our wellbeing is still not known. How colour can bring positive and powerful changes into our lives, and chakras affect us on many different levels - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Chakra healing maintains the natural balance of the body and the flow of energy. We move within an invisible sea of electromagnetic energies, originating from the deepest regions of space and from the centre of our planet. Our personal space is also inhabited by invisible but nonetheless powerful energies that, by their interactions, create and maintain our health. Down the spinal column are seven great vortices - called ‘chakras’, meaning ‘wheels’ - which have been recognised by seers and healers for thousands of years as being essential to our wellbeing. Chakra healing seeks to understand the creative energies that each chakra centre can bring to our lives, and, by identifying imbalances, help to restore our health.

COLOUR THERAPY
Colour therapy is the use of colours to bring balance and harmony to the energy centres (chakras) of the body, thus promoting good health, both physically and psychologically.

Colour therapy has been around since 1940 when Dr. Max Lüscher, a Swiss psychologist saw how colour affected his patients’ health. The theory is that our bodies vibrate at a specific rhythm. When this vibration is interrupted, we experience illness. It has been scientifically proven that each colour has its own specific vibration. Special use of colour and light can bring harmony back to the energy centres (chakras) of our bodies. The result is a rebalance of our body’s correct rhythm, thus restoring our good health.

Common conditions treated by colour therapy are depression, anxiety, asthma and insomnia, to name but a few. This therapy comes highly recommended for most stress related conditions and is known to assist in pain management too. When treatment is given by a professionally qualified practitioner, there is no reason why anyone cannot receive treatment.

Just looking at a specific colour sends a message to the brain and as a result a hormone is released. Since different colours produce different hormones, our psychological state can be altered in either a positive or negative way. Also your choice of colour reflects your mood and state of mind.

Green: is a calming colour, which promotes balance and growth. Green is at the same time restful and energising and is especially used in cases of exhaustion from overwork. It awakens compassion, friendliness and sensitivity.

White: is the symbol of purity in many senses. Within white is contained the whole light spectrum and in this way it can be used in a positive way for most purposes. When in doubt - use white.

Of course each colour has its meaning and application. Either through a colour therapist or by reading more about the therapy, you can learn which are the colours best suited to you. Wearing or surrounding yourself by too much black for example, can cause depression. You can offset this by using a contrast of white. On the other hand it can be used as a protective colour and can be reassuring for very sensitive people.

REIKI
Reiki is a Japanese word which means Universal Energy. Reiki is a blend of cosmic energy (Rei) and the energy within us (Ki). It is the energy of life, of growth and healing.

Reiki is a natural healing art and a spiritual discipline. Energy is transmitted through your hands, to yourself or to others and operates on all levels of your being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

For a person in good health, Reiki offers a pleasant way to relax, to relieve stress and to increase energy and vitality. Reiki may be used to facilitate the healing of illness and help the individual return to a state of balance and wholeness. It can strengthen the immune system, eliminate toxins and release emotional blockages. As it works on all levels of our being, Reiki provides a powerful tool for growth and personal transformation.

A Reiki session lasts approximately 1 hour. It is usually done with the person lying down, fully clothed on a couch. The practitioner places their hands gently on the body in a sequence of positions, holding each one for several minutes.the whole body is treated even when pain or illness is localised, so that the energy can go to the cause of the imbalance, not just to the manifesting symptoms. Reiki goes to the areas of need, supporting the body’s natural ability to heal itself. During a treatment you may feel warmth or tingling. People often experience a deep sense of relaxation as stress and tension are released, some even fall asleep.

BACH FLOWER REMEDY
Bach Flower Remedy is the use of certain flower essences to treat emotional problems. The method has been used since the 1930’s, when Dr. Edward Bach observed that personality types had a close relationship to certain patterns of illness.

A consultation should begin with a chat about why you would like to use Bach Flower remedies and about your emotional state. A good practitioner will be noticing not just what you say, but how you say it. She/he will be noting voice tone, body posture and how you answer certain questions. Often its as much what you don’t say as what you say, that reveals how you are coping with a particular situation. On this basis, the Bach Flower expert can ascertain which flower remedies will suit your needs. You will be given a customised mix of flower essences and told how many drops to take per day and for how long.

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
It is a method of showing people how they are mis-using their bodies and how they can prevent such mis-use.

As children we move naturally, but acquire bad habits as we grow. In addition, stress can result in misplaces muscular effort, seen in such simple actions as holding a pen too tightly, or gripping the steering wheel of a car. Some people suffer from chronic muscular tension, which throws the head, neck and back out of alignment, causing rounded shoulders, arching back and bowed head. If this posture is not corrected, the spine develops a curve, and a hump may appear at the base of the neck. This strains the heart, lungs and digestive system and causes back pain.

Using the Alexander technique changes these harmful postures and promotes the habit of using muscles with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. With the technique we learn to release tension and to use the body correctly. there is no wrenching or clinking of joints - just subtle adjustments as we learn to walk, sit, stand and move all over again in a free, released way.

Even the way we simply ‘stand and stare’ can cause problems, for much of the time people do not adopt the right posture, even when simply standing up. We often tend to stand in a slouched, round-shouldered way that looks and feels uncomfortable. In trying to correct this slouching posture, we may stand too stiff and upright. Unfortunately, this can be equally harmful. We need to learn how to stand tall in an aligned, balanced way.

The Alexander technique states that there are ways of using your body that are better than others. it is a disciplined and aligned way of functioning in a free and healthy way - a better way - using mind and body, and it is possible for anyone of any age. It is re-learning a natural posture with a body which stands on two legs, when some experts would have us believing it was originally evolved to run on four.

AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy is an age-old treatment known to many of the earliest civilisations. The essential oils which it uses are extracted from flowers, leaves, fruit, tree bark, roots and wood. What could be more natural? Each oil has its own individual scent and healing potential. Eucalyptus is well known to most of us for its ability to alleviate a cold or a sore chest, but there are many more oils for just about every complaint you could imagine - headaches, wrinkles, PMT, cellulite, gout, insomnia... the list goes on and on. You do not need to be a trained aromatherapist to benefit from the use of essential oils in your own home, although if you are in doubt about any aspect of aromatherapy you should consult one, particularly if you have a serious condition. Otherwise, at your fingertips is nature’s gift - simple, easily available and a pure joy.