I have never given anything up for Lent. Or at least, I never recall getting to the end of Lent have succeeded giving anything up. But this year, I thought I'd see what would happen if I set my resolve to giving up something important

CHOCOLATE

My love affair with chocolate has been going on for decades. There was Terry's Pyramint, and Terry's Chocoate Orange, of course. Ferreror Rocher; no Christmas is complete without one. Nutella; Ferrero Rocher deconstructed and bottled! Then there are all the lovely things in between - chocolate Brazil nuts, anything by Thorntons, mint choc chip ice-cream from Cadwaladers...... A few years ago my husband and I bought a dinosaur sized thick Belgian chocolate egg that made a deep cracking sound when you broke it. We had to start eating it before Easter and we were still eating it about 2 weeks later - gorgeous....

I'm just starting the 3rd week of a chocolate free Lent and I am very surprised that I really haven't missed it very much! I must admit, I did fancy a nice warm hot chocolate when I got into the office on Monday morning, but the replacement peppermint tea seemed to fill the gap. I have avoided the chocolate coated coffee beans and chocolate coated rice puffs that have come in my Graze Box over the last 2 wees too.

After I had my seizure back in July 2009, I went to see a Nutritionist who explained that chocolate is high in copper. High levels of copper are linked with many illnesses, including seizures. So, for a good few months, I ate chocolate sparingly. But, as time has gone on, I've fallen back into bad habits. So, by giving chocolate up for Lent, it's also a good chance to let my body's coper levels balance too.

So, anyway, Easter is on the 24th April, which means that Lent is 46 days this year, not the 40 days and 40 nights, as promised. 14 days down, 32 days to go. Piece of cake....carrot, not chocolate, obviously

More about Lent...

.....now available!

Buy at the Red Raven Wellbeing Shop

From 1 March 2011 the Advertising Standards Authority's online remit was extended to cover companies’ own marketing claims on their own websites and in other non-paid for space they control. This means that complementary therapists all over the country have had to look at their websites with fresh eyes. Even though as Therapists we may know in our heart of hearts that our therapy benefits our clients, we now have to ensure that we do not inadvertently make claims that can not be scientifically substantiated.

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council's (CNHC) guidance for Complementary Therapists can be accessed here

So, little by little, I am going through my website and re-reading my website from a different perspective. For example, I have seen reflexology benefit clients with back ache, so in my website I need to ensure that I am clear that reflexology 'could' help and that it is my professional experience that it has helped clients and might help clients in the future.

This has prompted me to look a bit more in depth into the research that has been done into reflexology. It seems to come from countries far and wide. Here's just a small sample that I've found....

• REFLEXOTHERAPY INTERVENTION IN THE TREATMENT OF NON SPECIFIED LOW BACK PAIN By F.M.Kovacs, V. Abraira, G. Lopez-Abente and F.Pozo, Spain

• TREATMENT OF ACUTE LUMBAR SPRAIN WITH REFLEXOLOGY: A REPORT OF TWENTY CASES By Xiao Zhengke, Hospital of Beijing College of Languages.

• Gao, W., Wang, Z., and Liu, H.(1996). "Preliminary Exploration of Treatment for Insomnia." 1996 China Reflexology Symposium Report, Beijing : China Reflexology Association, pages 7-8.

• Reflexions, VOLUME 26, NUMBER 2, April. 2005 Editors: Barbara and Kevin Kunz © 2005 Kunz and Kunz 'Reflexology and insomnia'

• EXPLORING THE APPLICATION OF REFLEXOLOGY FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF FUNCTIONAL CONSTIPATION By Yang Yu-Ru, Chao Ling-Yun, Meng Guan-Ling, cao Su-wen, Hao Jia-Mo, and Zhang Suhui

• MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS By Thomas S. McCreadie, GSSR, Member of the Scottish Institute of Reflexology

• Randomised controlled trial of reflexology for menopausal symptoms, PMID: 12269681

• REFLEXOLOGY TREATMENT FOR MIGRAINE AND TENSION HEADACHES By the National Board of Health Council, Denmark, 1995

• Randomized Controlled Study Of Premenstrual Symptoms Treated with Ear, Hand, and Foot Reflexology by Terry Oleson, Ph.D., and William S. Flocco

During my reflexology training days, we were required to complete 60 hours of case studies. They were extremely intresting and produced interesting results. I've decided that my client feedback forms will now look more in depth at the health benefits or otherwise that clients have noticed since their treatment and develop more contemporaneous case studies so that I can evidence my own practice.

If you would be interested in letting me know more about reflexology research that you have found interesting, please do drop me a line via my contact form.

Tonight I attanded a class and met a man I'd never met before. He was obviously suffering from some problem with his shoulder and was suffering from significantly reduced mobility. When I had an opportunity I explained that I was a Reflexologist and that the reflex point for the shoulder was near his little finger. I asked if he'd had something removed. He said he'd had surgery to remove a tumour. I said if he gently rubbed the reflex point on his hand it would help. He said, with a laugh, that he saw a physio twice a week who did that for him.

At the end of the class an hour later, I saw him again and as I left I called over, "Keep doing your hand!", to which he replied, "Nah. I'll leave that to someone else." I left without replying......

Over the next half hour, my emotions have gone from fuming to irritated to sad. Having gone through the trauma of having a tumour removed, I'd have thought anyone would be only to eagre to help themselves. After all, who's tumour was it? And who's recovery is it? The physiotherapist?

I could go on and vent my frustration, but what would that solve? I guess all we can do as therapists is help those who are willing to help themselves whilst the overworked, overstretched NHS professionals have to care for those that don't

Panic attacks are extremely frightening. They seem to come out of the blue, strike at random, make people feel powerless, out of control, and as if they are about to die or go mad. Many people experience this problem, but many also learn to cope and, eventually, to overcome Panic Attacks successfully.

A panic attack is an exaggeration of the body’s normal response to fear, stress or excitement. When faced with a situation seen as potentially threatening, the body automatically gears itself up for danger, by producing quantities of adrenalin for 'fight or flight'. This would have prepared our cave-dwelling ancestors to fight or run away from danger, but it’s much less appropriate to the stresses we encounter today.

Adrenalin has the following effects on your body:

• muscles tense up
• difficulty breathing
• breathing becomes faster to take in more oxygen, which muscles need to help them transform sugar into energy
• racing heartbeat
• blood is diverted to the muscles, away from areas that don't need it, so you become pale
• dizziness and light headedness
• digestion slows down and salivary glands dry up, causing a dry mouth
• your senses become more alert; the slightest sound or touch provokes a reaction
• sweating increases.
• terror and feeling paralysed
• trembling, shaking and sweating
• pins and needles in fingers and toes

These reactions can occur in a matter of seconds.

But, just so as if to keep you on your toes, Panic Attacks can also come out of nowhere and have no apparent link with fear, stress or excitement. They could be linked to a sound, a smell, a voice, a picture, a scene, a location.... You need to identify your own triggers.

The good news is that by learning simple techniques as well as learning to control and change your thoughts, panic attacks can be completely controlled. Alix Needham can help you to do this, teaching you all the practical techniques you need to know in order to recognise a panic attack as it arrives and practise the right relaxation and thinking patterns to put you in control.

Tips & Advice

Practise Deep Breathing and be consciously aware of breathing into your stomach rather than just into your chest.
Reassure yourself that even if you experience any of these symptoms that everything is going to be OK.
Practise deep relaxation by taking time out on a regular basis to listen to gentle calming music or practise relaxation techniques.
Take up meditation to help you to still your mind and slow down any racing thoughts.
Seek qualified help if this problem persists. It will put you back in control of your life and everyone can succeed in overcoming panic attacks.

Where to find out more....

• NHS Choices - Panic Disorders
• NHS Choices - Panic Attacks
• No More Panic
• BBC Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Sugar or sweetener.... difficult one isn't it? One has an impact on the waiste but what impact does the other one have?

Diabetes UK says, "..the myth that people with diabetes shouldn't eat any sugar still persists but the truth is that people with diabetes can eat sugar. Although sugar should be limited as part of a healthy balanced diet, good blood glucose control can still be achieved when sugar and sugar-containing foods are eaten."

What is a sweetener? Wikipedia says, "A sugar substitute is a food additives that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners."

I'm not a fan of sweeteners and generally advise my clients who are looking to change their diet to just use less natural sugar, rather than opt for for an artificial sweetener.

Sweeteners that we know by name tend to be: saccharin, sucralose, stevia, sorbitol and NutraSweet or 'aspartame'. The latter, aspartame has links will lots of elements of poor health.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency confirms, "foods that contain both sugar and sweetener must carry the statement 'with sugar and sweetener(s)'. In addition, foods that contain aspartame must be labelled with a warning 'contains a source of phenylalanine'."

Dr Janet Starr Hull's website, http://www.sweetpoison.com has lots of interesting and frightening information about aspartame.

She says, "Aspartame was determined to be a dangerous chemical as early as the 1960s. Over the past 30 years, aspartame has been identified as a carcinogen, a chemical that eats holes in brain tissue, and a dangerous food additive during pregnancy." "aspartame WAS removed from the public market after it was approved. Aspartame has actually been approved for market TWICE. In the 1970s, aspartame was first approved by the FDA, but that approval was immediately rescinded when research was presented, showing that aspartame ate holes in the brains of the lab animals at Washington University."

http://www.healingdaily.com says, "NutraSweet (Aspartame) is composed of linkages of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. The aspartic acid acts as a neuroexcitatory agent. When NutraSweet is digested, it yields 10% methanol (wood alcohol). The wood alcohol (methanol) is widely distributed throughout the body including brain, muscle, fat and nervous tissue. It is then metabolized to FORMALDEHYDE which enters the cells and binds to the proteins and DNA (the genetic material). Cytogenetic effects (changes in DNA) have been shown to result from FORMALDEHYDE exposure and DNA damage occurs from FORMALDEHYDE. The nature of the injury generally involves breaking and then creation of cross linking within the genetic material which alters the cells. This finding has been confirmed numerous times...". It is believed that the negative impact of aspartame is cumulative.

So, if you have a choice, go for natural sugar, but less of it!

I was invited by Clwb Gwawr Caerdydd to do an evening's presentation focussing on 'New Year's Resolutions'. Where to start!?· The obvious route to take was dieting, but not being a fan of dieting myself, I decided to talk about 'aiming to achieve', rather than 'aiming to fail', which often happens with new year's resolutions!!

I talked about food and nutrition; using smoothies to increase your intake of fruit and veg in a day; increasing water intake; and swapping the odd cup of tea or coffee in a day for some fruit or herbal tea.· I took about 8 boxes of different teas with me and everyone was invited to try something new.·

We walked about active living too.· You probably already know that I'm not a fan of the gym, so we talked about doing things differently; parking the car at the further point of the car park and walking a bit further to the super market; getting out into the garden and getting active; doing tai chi; and swinging some poi!· The Club really enjoyed the poi and lots of members came up and did some beginners poi moves with me which was really good fun!

We talked about the benefits of complementary therapy, from Reflexology to Reiki, Chiropractic, Shiatsu and a few other therapies inbetween.· To finish the evening, we talked about having a 'peaeful mind' and the benefits of ensuring restful sleep and relaxation.· For the last 10 minutes or so we all did some meditation together.· Feedback from the Club was really positive and they said that the meditation had a really positive, relaxation effect.

So, a big thank you to Clwb Gwawr for their invitation and for giving me the chance to talk about all the things I am passionate about! Diolch i chi am eich gwahoddiad. Oedd hi'n noson wych!

Answer, Name and Contact Number via our contact form! Good Luck!

Q12: Will you be having turkey on Christmas day?

Q11: Who were Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar?

Q10: What is Bob Cratchit's youngest son calles?

Q9: What Christmas 'character' features on the Red Raven website?

Q8: Good King Wenceslas look out on the feast of whom?

Q7: Has Red Raven Therapy ever appeared on TV?

Q6: What are the two colours on the Red Raven Therapy logo?

5: On the 5th day of Christmas, what did my true love give to me?
WINNER: Jayne Morgan

Q4: How much does the 'Bliss Package' cost?

Q3: In Thai Foot Massage, what is the name given to the energy lines running through the legs?
WINNER: Samantha Brunsdon

Q2: Name one benefit of Indian Head Massage

Q1: From what country does Reiki originate?

Answer, Name and Contact Number via our contact form! Good Luck!


Merry Christmas and Nadolig llawen to one and all!·

From the 13th December we will be running our 12 Days of Christmas Competition!· Every day we will ask a question, the answer to which you can find on our website.· To enter, use our contact form to send us your answer.· Your name will be drawn from all entries which arrive by midnight and you could win a £10 therapy gift voucher!!

Christmas gift certificates can be bought here via PayPal.· You can have the certificate e-mailed direct to you.· Quick, simple and lovely!!· And great for a last minute gift!·

The other evening, I went for a run.· Yes!· Me!!· I have been thinking about it for a few months but for one reason or another, I didn't have the time, the weather was wrong or I was too hungry, or indeed, just didn't have the confidence to get my trainers on and pound the streets.· But, the other evening, everything fitted; I got home from work and still had a bit of energy left; the weather was calm and cool and I had built up some confidence from talking to a neighbour the day before, who also went out for the occasional run!· I had also been talking
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to two colleagues in the previous year who had taken up running in their forties and were benefitting hugely and really enjoying it.


So, I donned by trainers, joggers and hoodie and with mobile and house keys hooked to a lanyard around my neck and a bottle of water in my hand, I went out and just did it!!· I soon realised that the mobile and keys were going to get on my nerves, so I put them in one hand to balance out my water bottle in the other.·

Over the months that I had been thinking about it and generally procrastinating, I had done a bit of online research about how to go about it without killing myself.· All advice was basic, walk for a bit, run for a bit, walk for a bit, run for a bit. Nothing more complicated than that.· When I had talked to my colleague who was now planning to do a marathon she also said that she would run for a few minutes, walk for a few minutes, until she was running a few miles a night.· So, I did just that; I walked out of the front door, walked for a bit to warm up and jogged gently to the end of the street, than I walked a bit until I'd got my breath back and then ran until I felt I needed to walk.·

I really enjoyed myself!· I'm not sure how far I went, a couple of miles, by my husband's calculation, but we're going to cycle my route sometime soon to find out!· And the run, walk, run, walk method is really great; you achieve a little without feeling like you've done a lot and every time you go out, you can increase the running parts little by little!

I'm really impressed with myself as I expected to go 300 yards, hate it and turn back.· But I didn't!· And I'm really looking forward to doing it again sometime this week, when I have time and can fit it in around work, therapy and home life!

Give it a try!· Go to IntoJoggin - it's a blog for new joggers and you can add comments.· You don't need any fancy equipment except proper, well fitting trainers which I got from MOTI in Cardiff (they video your running posture to make sure you get the right trainers) and you can do it pretty much any time and place any where!· The only downside is, I think I'm going to have to use a bum-bag for keys and mobile next time, unless I can find a better alternative!· Eeek!

I did a little Tai Chi a few years ago, but due to work commitments and the time of the class I wasn't able to continue. But now, I'm back on the hunt for a class in my area. I have found two, but unfortunately they run during the day, which is no good for people that work 9-5, like me!

Tai Chi (also written as T'ai Chi, Taiji, Tai Chi Chuan, among others) is a slow-motion, moving meditative exercise for relaxation, health and self defense. Originally from China, Tai Chi has gained enormous popularity in America and throughout the rest of the world for its health benefits.

Doctors in the United States analysed 47 studies looking at the impact Tai Chi had on people with chronic health problems, like heart disease or MS. They found that it could improve balance control, flexibility and even the health of their heart.

Writing in The Archives of Internal Medicine, they said it also reduced stress, falls, pain and anxiety.

You may have seen large groups of Chinese people practicing Tai Chi in the local park, all moving together in the same direction, at the sae pace, looking extremely graceful.

A common misconception is that it is only good for the elderly. While it is a popular form of exercise among the elderly, particularly in China, tai chi has been found to be health-promoting for younger generations as well. In the July-August 2005 issue of the Journal of Paediatric Health Care, an article outlined an educational program that was implemented in a Boston middle school which involved tai chi and mindfulness-based stress reduction. The boys and girls who participated in the program reported the following benefits:
• Feelings of well-being, calmness, and relaxation

• Improved sleep
• Less reactivity

• Increased self-care and self-awareness

• Feelings of interconnectedness and interdependence with nature

Another study, published in the March 2006 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, also found that tai chi enhances functional mobility. In addition, this study found that tai chi also enhances regulatory T cell function. T cells are critical to the overall strength of your immune system.

I've been doing Yoga for a few months now. I am really enjoying it; the balance of increasing fitness, increasing flexibility and de-stressing is something you don't get in an aerobics class where you can't see the instructor for the seat dripping down into your eyes! Yuck! The class I go to is on a Saturday morning from 10.30am to 11.30am at Merthyr Leisure Centre. For £3 a class per week, it's a snip and far more economical than £36 per month for gym membership!

Many people think that yoga is just stretching but yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits. The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose.

There a a wide variety of yoga styles. Some are more aerobic and designed to heat your body up, some are more focussed on perfecting the pose.

Ashtanga Yoga: This type of yoga is sometimes called "power yoga" due to the primary focus being to create a powerful flowing movement. These types of yoga often include classic strength and stamina routines such as lunges and pushups, and are more often used by people who are seeking a more challenging workout. Ashtanga might be suited to a person who as successfully overcome a minor back injury for example.

Hatha Yoga: If you see a class described as Hatha, it will likely be a slow-paced stretching class with some simple breathing exercises and perhaps seated meditation. This is a good place to learn basic poses, relaxation techniques, and become comfortable with yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga: Vinyasa is usually a fast-paced type of yoga with lots of different poses. Other than starting with a sun salutation, no two classes will be alike.

Kundalini Yoga: "Kundalini" refers to the energy of the base chakra, which surrounds the base of the spine. The principle behind Kundalini yoga is that in freeing up this area, we can unleash the unlimited potential that lies within that energy center. Expect lots of core work on your abs and around the spine with Kundalini yoga -- and perhaps even more sitting than usual.

Yoga fits really well with Reiki, and even though one comes form India and the other from Japan, they both focus on holistic wellbeing, energy flows and have chakra energy centres in common.

We went for a cycle ride around Bute Park this afternoon.· I'd wondered around the Park back in my Uni day, as the halls of residence I lived in for a few years is just off the top of the Park.

Bute park is an easily accessible·56 hectare green haven in the heart of the city. It is flanked by the River Taff, Sophia gardens, Pontcanna Fields and Cardiff Castle. Cardiff's biggest city centre public park, was originally created as the private garden to Cardiff Castle by Head Gardener Andrew Pettigrew for the third Marquess of Bute between 1873 and 1901.· In 1947, a significant proportion of the grounds were given to the people of Cardiff by the fifth Marquess of Bute, along with Cardiff Castle and Sophia Gardens (further portions of land were purchased and leased by the council to create an extensive park).· The Victorian garden layout still exists, but since 1947 the park has been extensively planted with trees to form the Bute Park Arboretum.

All around the Park are wide paths, accesible for Sunday afternoon strollers, dog walkers, pram pushers, joggers and cyclists alike.· There was a real community atmosphere there today with people from all walks of life, cultures and languages taking their time to enjoy the good weather and a few moment of relaxation. The weather was glorious and it was really warm in the sunshine; some people were sitting down against big old trees reading books, some were sitting on the grass having a picnic, others were pushing children on bicycles newly released from the constraints of stabilisers!· Some people were rowing down the Taff amidts yells of 'Go on!' and 'Well done!', so there may have been a race on. There were signs around the Park guiding the runners of the half marathon held in the morning where to go and how many miles they had done.

All in all it was a realy lovely, relaxed afternoon with lots of fresh air, sunshine and a Burger King in the middle, finished off with an orange and chocolate cookie...purely for the purposes of maintaining energy, of course!

Yesterday, I went to an open day at a complementary therapy centre in Cardiff and had a taster session of 'Shiatsu'. I'd been interested in shiatsuit for a while, but knew very little about it. I was really impressed by the therapy and it's whole body impact. Here's an extract from the Shiatsu Society's description about Shiatsu:

"Shiatsu is a therapeutic practice that can support individuals in moving towards greater health and well-being.

Shiatsu is a relaxing treatment and can be beneficial for back pain, stress, headaches, whiplash injuries, neck stiffness, joint pain and reduced motibility and many sports injuries amongst other ailments.

Shiatsu is a Japanese word meaning "finger pressure". It is a new name for the oldest form of medicine - healing with hands. Everybody has the healing power of touch and responds to touch. It is a natural ability that people are now beginning to recognize again.Shiatsu uses hand pressure and manipulative techniques to adjust the body's physical structure and its natural inner energies, to help ward off illness, and maintain good health.

Shiatsu is characterized by its great simplicity. It grew from earlier forms of massage, called Anma in Japan (Anmo or Tuina in China) which use rubbing, stroking, squeezing, tapping, pushing, and pulling to influence the muscles and circulatory systems of the body. Shiatsu, by contrast, uses few techniques and to an observer it would appear that little is happening - merely a still, relaxed pressure at various points on the body with the hand or thumb, an easy leaning of the elbows or a simple rotation of a limb."

After a family bereavement, we decided to go to Pembrokeshire to visit family and do some chillaxation. We strapped our (newly acquired)bicycles on to the back of our trusty van and headed off.

We've only recently bought bikes. It was very much to do with my ever pressing need to fight the flab! So, with my £45 pink bike from Gumtree, matching pink helmet and, actually, matching pink hoodie which I bought in the Eisteddfod, I am now actively working to beat the bulge!!

We also managed to time it right and got the kites out just when there was no rain but a decent bit of wind! Having not flown a kite for a long LONG time, it was a real buzz to be yanked across the field and watch my husband climb the tree to rescue the big kite!!!

I'm not a big gym fan, so it's good to be able to do some other activities to get fit and loose a bit of weight. So, cycling, swimming, kite flying, poi spinning. What next? That jobbing club I was thinking about? I'll let you know!!

We visited the Edinburgh festival for the very first time this year, after a few years of 'promising to go'. After looking at the hike in flight costs, we decided to drive, so stayed in Lancaster on the way up and Liverpool on the way back.

We stayed in Kirkhill Mansion, about 10 miles outside Edinburgh. We had no trouble at all driving into the middle of festival-ville and parking. The car parks are plenty and costs are on a par with other UK cities.

We saw 5 shows, from pantomime, to Japanese 'comedy', to theatrical performances. The piece de resistance were the Japanese Taiko drummers and the Chinese State Circus. Who could believe that 3 people could make a whole church vibrate and that it was possible to unicycle with one foot!?!! We also saw some street performers and stalls doing excellent portraits and I was lassoed by a lovely knife throwing texan!

We're planning to go back next year and we're already planning our trip! If you haven't been you must go! Definitely something to add to your 'do before I die' list!!

So, what is emotional intelligence or EQ (emotional quotient)? Well, it's pretty much what it says on the tin. It's having intellect about emotion; both your own and others. It's about having the ability, either innate or through training, to understand why you or others act in a certain way; what makes you or others 'tick'; about the office politics, with the little 'p'! The book to read s that written by Daniel Goleman, who talks about EIQ as the missing link, the missing part of IQ. The concept has been around since the 1930s but
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Daniel Goleman identified the five 'domains' of EQ as:
1. Knowing your emotions.
2. Managing your own emotions.
3. Motivating yourself.
4. Recognising and understanding other people's emotions.
5. Managing relationships, ie., managing the emotions of others.

You can buy Daniel Goleman's 'Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ' at Amazon

You can take a mini, simple EQ test here: http://www.ihhp.com/quiz.php I did this quiz and was impressed by the simple but thought provoking response. The test only took a few minutes and the feedback gave tasty food for thought! There are lots of test around with varying degrees of detail and accuracy, so have a search around to fnd one that you feel comfortable with.

It is said that for various reasons and thanks to a wide range of abilities, people with high emotional intelligence tend to be more successful in life than those with lower EQ even if their classical IQ - intelectual quotient is average.

Here are some suggestions for developing your own EQ:

http://www.redraventherapy.co.uk/aboutus/blog.html/199-emotional-intelligence-july-2010.html

Reflexology, Thai Foot Massage, Reiki and Indian Head Massage can off set the effects of stress on the heart and the overall health of the body. Complementary therapy attempts to treat the body, mind and spirit as a whole system by getting to the root of the problem and not looking just at the symptocalmwaterms. It can help the body to reach a place of deep relaxation where it can balance the body systems.

Through the relaxation process the body is more capable of dealing with the stresses placed on it by daily living and those associated with work, family life, illness etc. Complementary therapy can gently nudge the body towards improved functioning of the system by improving lymphatic drainage and venous circulation, simulation to the nerve pathways, and muscle relaxation.

Sufferers of stress have noted that they feel a lot more relaxed and indeed tend to feel less stressed after a session of therapy. They have also noted a reduction in their stress levels as a result of the treatment

Reflexology is believed to encourage the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good hormones, well documented in their ability to relieve stress.


Coaching to Stress Less

The modern world is stressed to be max. If you need to find a way to deal with your stress and re-engineer your lifestyles to achieve a calm, healthy, well life, coaching can help. Coaching can help you explore methods of limiting stressful activities and find ways to help your body and mind to de-stress. You may want to explore on the stress busting activities or increasing physical activity to promote wellbeing. Whatever you decide is the right path for you, Coaching can help you map and travel that path

On Friday evening I ran my 4th Reflexology workshop for Merched y Wawr. Merched y Wawr is a welsh women's group, not unlike the Women's Institute, except that the main language is Welsh. I've run workshops in Cwmbran, Newport, Crickhowell and Aberdare. I run my workshops in this way: a general presentation about what reflexology is, it's history, what imbalances it can help to rebalance and then descripe and share the foot map with the group. I then ask everyone to find their particular reflexes on their hand and then to find the same reflex on a friend's hand. Everyone has really enjoyed learning about Reflexology and have found it useful to put their learning into practice. Also, many of the group have asked about their ability to help their friends, partners and grandchildren outside of the group. I'm certainly pleased to be able to share my learning with the group and also to help spread the wellbeing and the healing outside of the workshop.

Merched y Wawr have asked me to run 3 workshops at the National Eisteddfod this year at Ebbw Vale. I'll be doing my workshop in the 'learner's tent', so whether you're a Welsh speaker or a Welsh learner, you're very welcome to come alone and join in the learning