yoga detox holiday retreats - holistic alternative and complimentory therapies

yoga detox retreats - The Therapies

The purpose of true healing is to bring people back to an experience and realisation of their Divine Self - Shaun de Warren

I love holistic therapies - both receiving and giving! Holistic alternative therapies are available on all yoga detox retreats' retreats. Sometimes the venue provide their own therapist(s) and sometimes I do treatments.

My treatments include:

Therapeutic Oil Massage
Thai Yoga Massage
Reflexology
Reiki
Nutritional advisor
I am also a workshop leader and spiritual counsellor in the teachings of Louise Hay.

benefits of therapies

Therapies with Lauren

I have been practising as a holistic therapist for 20 years. At the time of my initial training I was working in the field of psychology and special needs education. I saw first-hand the immediate benefits of body work on the whole person. It was quite a profound observation and realisation, and was a major contributing factor in the change in direction my vocation and life path took.

Therapeutic oil massage

I cater each massage towards the individual client and their needs. The pressure applied varies depending on the individual and the intention of the treatment, e.g. to relax, to energise, to detoxify, to balance, to mobilise. A deep pressure may be used on a healthy, strong body where there are muscular aches and pains. The deep pressure stimulates blood flow to congested areas, boosts the lymphatic system to rid the body of excessive toxins from certain areas and promotes joint mobility. It also helps the body rid itself of old scar tissue.
In many instances, however, a gentle massage may be more appropriate. Some bodies respond more positively to a more subtle approach - this is particularly true for people who are more sensitive to touch, or for those who have injuries. The muscles, tendons and ligaments are encouraged to relax through therapeutic touch, which in turn relaxes the nervous system, which encourages the body to switch over to the healing mode.
On some individuals a combination of different approaches may be appropriate.

therapeutic oil massage

My initial training in oil massage was in Sports Massage (1996, St Mary's University College, Twickenham, UK - ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Professional Sports Massage), but since then my technique has metamorphosed into a more holistic and subtle approach. Subsequent trainings has led to the inclusion of techniques learned from Thai Yoga Massage, Shiatsu, Aromatherapy Massage, and most recently, from Tibetan Universal Massage (2010, Dharamsala, India), which specialises in treating soft tissue strain, trauma, and chronic conditions such as arthritis, asthma and tension headaches.

Reflexology

Someone once described Reflexology to me as an internal massage for all the organs using acupressure points on the feet to reach the organs via meridians. I thought this to be a very apt definition.
Reflexology is a healing system - one which helps to eliminate toxins, improve blood supply, boost the immune system and restore energy balance. Whether we consider it to be an internal massage, shiatsu on the feet or a healing system, the secret behind reflexology - as for all complimentary therapies - is that in order to overcome health problems, the body's own healing processes are activated. It is always the body which ultimately does the healing.
At the time of studying Reflexology in 1994, I had been practising as a chiropodist for a couple of years, and had gradually become more and more fascinated and interested in what was happening inside the person rather than merely the presenting symptoms. This was the beginning of my journey into other holistic therapies too, as I met so many really interesting and inspiring therapists at the various clinics I worked at as a chiropodist. We would swap treatments, and I realised the benefits of so many other techniques and became fascinated by the world opening up before me.

Thai Yoga massage

Thai Yoga Massage is a unique form of bodywork that incorporates Hatha Yoga, acupressure and reflexology with origins dating back about 2500 years. The roots of Thai massage are traced back to the founder of the practice, Shivaga Komarpaj, a doctor, friend and contemporary to the Buddha. Ancient medical texts were carved in stone in attempts to preserve the tradition of Thai massage; these stone inscriptions still sit within the walls of the Wat Pho temple in Bangkok. Influences have krept in from other countries such as China, India, Burma and Tibet, creating its evolution and development.

The technique is based on the concept of opening energy channels / meridians / nadis running through the body. The treatment focuses on ten main energy lines, and through massage and stretching techniques the free flow of energy is stimulated - helping to clear any blockages and to restore or maintain a state of health and well-being.

map of foot

At the time of training in this technique, I had been practising Yoga and meditation for 12 years, and had been massaging and practising reflexology for 10 years, and this wonderful system seemed to arrive as a gift, presenting itself to me at the perfect time, in the perfect space. I was in awe of how the technique seemed to magically combine and synthesise all that I loved and had been doing up until then.

I trained in Goa, India with Itzakh Helman - a direct student of Ashokananda of the Sunshine Network in Thailand.

Reiki

Reiki literally means 'life-force-energy'. It is a method for healing and uniting body, mind and spirit to achieve an optimal state of health and harmony. Reiki restores the flow of energy in the meridians, balances the chakra system and helps to eliminate toxins from the body. It is an ancient treatment that was re-discovered in Japan in the 1920's.

Over the years of offering Reiki to the many people who have crossed my path... I have come to regard Reiki as nothing other than Love. It is Love that heals.

It is a deeply relaxing treatment to receive and sometimes clients fall asleep, enter a very relaxed state, see visions / images, feel emotional - possibly crying during the treatment... or sometimes clients feel very little. There is no right or wrong way to react, and one's reaction is not neccessarily indicative of whether the Reink energy is 'working' or not.

I had two Reiki teachers along my journey - I did Reiki I and II with Shanti Bosanka - a beautiful and gentle soul, and my masters-level was with friend and soul-sister, Tiffany Crosara .

My Reiki training was over a period of 5 years, and having completed my Masters (2007), I now initiate others into this beautiful and sacred healing art.

'reiki' in Japanese script

The teachings of Louise Hay

I first heard of Louise Hay before I began working in the area of body work or healing, and I remember the surprise and excitement I felt when I first discovered her books and her teaching - everything I read resonated with me. It was exciting, because up until that point, I had always felt that I was rather strange thinking the way I did about illness / disease.

Louise is concerned with the source of physical illness / disease / pain, and believes it to be a particular thought pattern. This thought pattern may have been present for a very long time, quite likely since childhood, and it's usually not a conscious thinking process.

I have always considered this to be the case and still, up until now, have never been to a doctor - knowing that my body has an incredible capacity for self healing, and that unless I get to the core of the issue, treating the symptoms is very short lived. I have always - since childhood - believed in preventative medicine and in healthy and holistic living - only I didn't have any names or labels for my belief system.

Louise Hay - Heal Your Life graduation

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