Thoughtful massage therapist Erika Zettervall considers January as the start of the year as a point of pause, reflection and planning. Erika is offering £10 off treatments in February to her existing clients as a thank you for being a client. The older you get the quicker a new year seems to roll around, 2025 and suddenly a quarter into the 21st century. How did that happen?
I recently listened to the Radio 4 program ‘25 Years of the 21st Century’ discussing pivotal events that shaped the world we live in today. Life is remembered backwards but lived forward as Kirkegaard said. I find it useful to orientate myself in time this way and get some perspective as years often blur together. Good to be reminded and reflect on events and their impact. The new year can be a good time to do some of that and let that be the starting point for plans, hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Perhaps a time to initiate and implement new routines that shape into habits down the line. Admittedly this is not my strongest point. Last year at around this time a friend sent me a lovely compendium/work book to help. It guides you though various questions prompting memory of what was good, challenging, accomplishment, discoveries, who influenced you and who did you influence/impact. Before you move to the year ahead you forgive yourself for shortcomings and let go of last year. Then you move on to the year ahead. A very good resource and while I didn’t engage with it as much as it called for it was nonetheless useful. Writing this might just spark a revisit. Apparently at this point in January many resolutions for the year or month are given up on, that might make all this sound like nonsense and waste of time. But we could instead view it as an opportunity for deeper insight and understanding of ourselves. Giving it thought and examining what happened and how we felt when we gave up could lead us to make better choices next time. It might just have been unrealistic and needed adjusting or it could show what we do when met with resistance or difficulty. It could also be the complete opposite and a form of self-sabotage if things were going well. Chances are there is a pattern and if we take a softer approach, be amused rather than accused, it can allow for change. I finish this with a lovely example of a New Year’s resolution. Recently at dinner one of my friends declared he has had the same one for a good few years. He claims he keeps it and is keeping it. The resolution is to remember peoples’ birthdays. He does this by sending or giving a everyone a humorous birthday card. At the beginning of the year he transcribes from last year’s diary all birthdays into the new year’s diary by hand. Cards are bought in batches whenever he finds amusing ones as well as keeping a supply of stamps. Every week he looks ahead at what’s coming up. Initially I thought that is sweet and simple but on reflection it is quite profound. A lovely expression bringing love and joy to people in your life and keeping in touch. The act of transcribing is a reminder of who and what last year contained and provides a moment for reflecting on that, simultaneously putting nice events and people into the plans for the year ahead. NB: Erika's existing clients can enjoy £10 off a treatment in February with her - please mention this offer when booking either online or directly with Erika
0 Comments
Continuing our series focusing on all the treatments we offer at WNT this time we are focusing on 'Other Treatments' - read on to find out about what these are and the practitioners who offer them. (And see our earlier focuses on Acupuncture and Massage) Our interviewees here are: Veronica Massa - Facial Therapist extraordinaire Laura Devonshire - Reflexologist, Reiki and Sound healing practitioner Miha Rosta - Acupuncturist and Holistic Coach (here with his holistic coaching hat on) Please tell us a bit about your individual approach and style of treatment? ![]() My approach is 100% natural and holistic. My training background comes from clinical and holistic therapies rather than beauty training which makes my sessions really individualized and focused on the overall wellbeing of the person rather than just limited to the skin. In creating my treatments, I didn’t want to follow a brand but develop them through my experience and knowledge and using my own hand-crafted pure botanical skincare that, over the years, has proven healing even for the most sensitive skins. I create unique therapeutic sessions integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine and Face Reflex Therapies, Clinical & Spiritual Aromatherapy, Women Mysteries, Energy and Sound Healing and Plant Spirit Healing. ![]() My intention for my clients and holistic treatments is to create a space for deep nourishing rest. A space where they can press pause on their busy lives and leave feeling relaxed, grounded and at their most optimal. When it’s the first time working with a new client we will talk through an in depth medical history and lifestyle consultation then start with a general check-in for all subsequent treatments. This is so I can ensure each treatment is tailored specifically to meet them where they are at the time: physically, mentally and emotionally and work accordingly. When working with reflexology and reiki I use my hands to listen and guide and when working with my singing bowls, I listen to how they ‘sing’ to help identify areas and aspects that may require attention. Each of the modalities I work with help to down regulate the nervous system, bringing the mind & body out of the ‘fight, flight, freeze’ response, into ‘rest, digest, repair’, where the body’s own natural healing processes take place. The body’s innate wisdom knows what it needs to do to heal and rebalance, for me it is about helping create an optimal environment to encourage homeostasis. ![]() What I have found over the years of working with people in Mental Health care and as an Acupuncturist is that the most challenging situations are a result of stuck, stagnant mental patterns and beliefs. Which lead to inter-personal challenges and health issues. By changing how we relate to ourselves, we can create a huge impact on how we relate to our life and thus actualizing the desired change. In my approach I utilise my expertise of: - Chinese Medicine, and its understanding of how mental health relates to physical disease - Reflective practice, which I find the most fundamental aspect of learning about ourselves (and each other!) - Embodied practices of Tai chi, Qigong, Self-massage and Meditation, which are excellent at supporting us on our journey towards joy and freedom - The framework of Buddhism, Daoism and basic Psychology so we can put things into a different perspective. Allowing deeper processing. What kind of clients do you mostly treat? ![]() Although men are also welcome, my ideal clients are women that, in their busy lives, need to find a calm moment for themselves to pause, reconnect and re-balance. People come to see me with all sort of health issues that are addressed during the sessions, as well as receiving support in the healing process while receiving palliative health care. Facilitating self-healing is at the core of my work and so my treatments are delivered with caring attention and a heart-centred approach. My sessions work strongly on stress release/management and stress related symptoms as well as emotional & facial tension release. We don't realise how much tension can build up in the muscles of our face, we use our face hundreds of times a day and communicate through our facial expressions. Expressed and suppressed emotions may result in an accumulation of facial muscle tension which the specialised techniques of reflex therapies may steadily dissipate - achieving a corresponding improvement in your sense of well-being. Any health issue and imbalances can benefit from facial therapies and in particular Facial Reflexology including deep emotional disharmony and trauma, post stroke symptoms, hormonal imbalances, ADHD, pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, lack of concentration and memory to just mention few... or as a regular practice to maintain wellness and well-being. People don’t have to be affected by a medical condition to enjoy the benefits of Facial Reflexology – as it is very calming and grounding, it will help you to cope with stress and keep your health in optimum condition. ![]() I work with a range of clients of varying ages. I have on occasion worked with children with wonderful outcomes, however on the whole my clients are adults, often with very busy lives, juggling many different responsibilities and the sessions help them to unwind and destress. Reflexology in particular has a wonderful gift of helping to slow down busy minds and brings clarity of thought and decision making ( one of the MANY beautiful benefits). I work with clients to support them on their fertility journey, with helping to regulate menstrual cycles, overall support for the endocrine system, preparing for IVF and managing stress and anxiety levels whilst navigating through their journey. I support expectant mothers throughout their pregnancy, helping to manage the full range of symptoms: from morning sickness to aches and pains, constipation and sleep disturbances, all the way through to labour preparation. I have also supported birthing partners, teaching them some of the reflex points to help during labour. ![]() Most of the people I see for coaching are those who are having difficulty in terms of personal relationships. We work on those issues by establishing clarity over their priorities, creating healthy boundaries and introducing practices that support them in dealing with any arising overwhelm. In my eyes, Self-compassion and self-care are the foundations for resolving most of our romantic and familial relationship issues. What do you enjoy about using your therapies to work with clients? ![]() An open face is an open heart. Our life story is written in our face. The face displays our thoughts, feelings, emotions, stresses and joys effortlessly and instantaneously. Taking care and attention to your face has a tremendous affect not only to your skin and the way you look but on a deeper level, rebalancing emotions, causing confidence, positivity and self-love to flourish. I see my facial therapies as a way of “healing through the face”; they are soul nourishing practices that help cultivate self-love, self-awareness and mindfulness for empowerment, re-harmonizing the emotions, and realigning with the true self. By working on the face, we can have direct access on the nervous system. The face is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels. Its closeness to the brain means that stimulus perceived by your senses take the shortest possible route to the control centre of the body to potentially address your health imbalances. It is not a case that most of our senses - vision, smell, hearing, taste - are in our face so that the messages to the brain have a short route to travel. ![]() I love how deeply and profoundly the holistic therapies support my clients through all the different chapters of their lives. It’s really beautiful to see how relaxed clients are when they leave and how this accumulates over time. I feel it is important to have time and space to turn one’s attention inwards and tune into the subtleties that can often get missed living and working in a busy city and world. I feel really grateful to be able to help support them and give them some space to ‘fill their cup’ and go back into their day feeling nourished and revitalised 💫 ![]() For me, this work is about connection and freedom. Building a framework between the clients and I, where we can kindly explore their wishes, desires, fears and concerns. Where they can feel more intimate with themselves, so they can share this intimacy with those they love. My favourite bit is about hearing how they feel more confident in standing up for their needs and slowly making progress towards their desires. What clients say: ![]()
![]() "I wholeheartedly recommend Laura to anyone looking to heal, destress or just relax. The reflexology session I had was amazing!" "I can honestly say I felt like a new person after my session." "It felt like a week’s holiday in one hour!" "The treatment has left me feeling very calm relaxed and with less aches and pains." "I thoroughly enjoyed my reiki session, Laura couldn't have been nicer and the treatment felt very intuitive and personal. I came away feeling better in myself but also with an improved understanding of how I can continue to heal in my own time." "It felt like being in good hands and the relaxing effect stayed with me for a while. I felt rebalanced. She could also identify areas of attention I had not talked about."
|
AuthorBlogs from the WNT team. For our blogs from before June 2020 please see individual profile pages - it's a good way to get to know practitioners too. Archives
January 2025
Categories
All
|