At Gaia we use a gentle
approach to yoga with a
regular routine suitable for
all levels and abilities. I
teach to give you confidence
to continue your practice at
home. Small classes enable
individual guidance. Classes
are mixed ability. Frances
yoga practice is a
spiritually based approach.
Through practice she
encourages her students to
live in loving acceptance of
what is. She encourages her
students to listen to their
own bodies and to be their
own guide during a practice.
Her practice flows from one
asana to another and
although she teaches
precision of posture, her
teaching style is more about
helping her students to go
within and learn who they
are. She says: ‘ The point
is not to push beyond. It is
easy to push our will, our
ego, because we want to do
what the rest of the class
is doing, but are we
listening to and loving
ourselves when we do this?
Yoga should be a joy and a
practice to increase our
self awareness and release
us so we can be who we truly
are’.
Frances is trained in
Sivananda style and
Scaravelli. Both styles are
a Hatha approach to yoga.
What is Yoga
Yoga is essentially a
form of exercise, but it
is very different from
our Western idea of
physical exercise.
Originally from India
thousands of years ago,
yoga works on physical,
spiritual, emotional and
psychological levels. It
is a set of postures
essentially stretching,
strengthening and giving
flexibility to the body.
The postures are
combined with breathing
to focus and relax the
mind. Each posture works
on internal organs and
energy systems. The
wonderful thing about
yoga is that it can be
adapted for all of us,
whatever our age or
physical condition. In
contrast with many forms
of physical exercise
which push us to our
limits, yoga is about
working with our bodies
and listening to them.
Body awareness is a very
important part of yoga,
which cannot in itself
be taught but only
instructed. It is about
allowing the process of
each posture to unfold
in a way that is right
and appropriate for each
one of us. Yoga is about
this process of
understanding, not about
the end result of
achieving. I think it is
a wonderful analogy for
life.
How it works
Through the breathing,
relaxation and postures,
yoga:
improves oxygenation of
blood
tones up muscles of the
entire body
relaxes the mind
massages internal organs
helps to maintain good
body posture
improves circulation of
blood and lymph.
How to use it for
self-healing
There are a number of
ways you can begin your
Yoga practice. As you
have a learnt practice
from your holiday, you
can continue in your own
time and space at home.
It is a good idea to put
aside a realistic and
regular time to do this.
If you miss occasionally
and do it the majority
of the time – that’s
fine. Alternatively, you
can go to a local class,
or buy a Yoga book,
video or CD to extend or
vary your practice.
Remember though, the
time you give to
yourself doubles your
real time because of the
sense of energy, calm
and focus from Yoga –
you actually are able to
achieve more.
Choosing a teacher
The only advice I really
have on this is choose
someone that is right
for you. Only you can
know who this is. If you
don’t feel someone is
the right teacher, move
on. It is worth it.
Remember, you are your
best teacher. Always
follow your own
intuition and body
awareness. There is no
teacher who can give you
this – only you.
Always seek medical
advice before practising
Yoga if you have a
medical condition.
copy right Frances
Engelhardt
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Massage is one of the
oldest and simplest forms of
medical care, used to ease
pain and anxiety and promote
good health. Massage is the
kneading and stroking of the
body’s soft tissues – the
skin and muscles – with
varying degrees of pressure,
and is incorporated in a
number of traditional health
systems.
Massage relaxes tension
in the body by releasing
contracted muscles. It
increases circulation
and nourishment to the
cells as well as
clearing toxins and
wastes. It helps to
lubricate joints as it
pushes fluid through
them. It slows the heart
rate, this makes
breathing deeper and
there is a greater
oxygen supply to the
body. This gives a
feeling of well-being,
reduces stress and
tension and enhances the
body’s immunity.
How does it
work?
Gentle massage affects
the nervous system
through nerve endings in
the skin, stimulating
the release of
endorphins, the body’s
natural ‘feel good’
chemicals, to help
induce relaxation and a
sense of well-being, to
relieve pain and reduce
levels of stress
chemicals such as
cortisol and
noradrenaline. It helps
reverse the damaging
effects of stress by
slowing heart rate,
respiration and
metabolism and lowering
raised blood pressure.
Stronger massage
stimulates blood
circulation to improve
the supply of oxygen and
nutrients to body
tissues and helps the
lymphatic system to
flush away waste
products. It eases tense
and knotted muscles and
stiff joints, improving
mobility and
flexibility.
The most common massage
techniques include
effleurage, a light,
firm and gentle
stroking; petrissage,
firm kneading and
rolling of the tissues;
frottage, or friction,
deep direct pressure to
release muscle tension;
tapotement, hacking,
tapping and clapping
over the muscles and
fleshy parts of the
body.
What is it good
for?
Massage is a wonderful
tonic for keeping the
body healthy on many
different levels. It
boosts circulation and
the immune system,
lubricates joints,
reduces stress, relaxes
muscles and helps
posture and is very
relaxing. It can also be
used as a complimentary
therapy for specific
problems. These include:
anxiety and depression
insomnia, tension
headaches and other
stress-related
conditions, as well as
arthritis and digestive
disorders like
constipation.
Common types of
massage
Classical Swedish
massage: kneading and
stroking the body’s soft
tissue with varying
degrees of pressure.
Practitioners use oil on
bare skin.
Aromatherapy massage:
massage, usually
Swedish, using aromatic
essential plant oils.
Shiatsu: a combination
of massage and pressure
on the acupoints, key
spots on the meridians
(energy channels) that
run through the body,
according to Chinese and
Japanese traditional
medicine. Without oil
through clothing.
Acupressure: pressure
applied to the
acupoints, as in
shiatsu.
Tuina: a Chinese
therapeutic massage
similar to shiatsu, but
more vigorous.
Reflexology: pressing
and massaging the soles
and toes to ‘unblock
energy’ and restore
‘balance’ to the body.
Uses talcum powder on
bare feet.
Deep tissue massage:
slow, intense strokes
and deep finger pressure
or friction. Oil on bare
skin.
Sports massage: a
combination of Swedish
and deep tissue
movements to improve
performance, relieve
muscle tension or treat
sports-related injuries.
Manual lymph drainage
(MLD): light, rhythmic
strokes of body areas
with lymphatic ducts to
expel toxins and drain
excess fluid. Without
oil on bare skin.
Hellerwork and Rolfing:
extremely deep tissue
massage to re-align the
body, combined with
instruction on movement
and breathing. No oil,
light clothing.
Precautions
If you are pregnant or
trying to become
pregnant you should
avoid massage.
Always seek your
doctor’s advice if you
have any medical
condition that may be
adversely affected by
massage.
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Know More about Meditation |
Simply put, meditation is a way
of slowing down the mind, which
can have tremendous benefits to
your physical, psychological,
emotional and spiritual health.
It’s a way of looking inside for
peace and tranquillity, and
bringing clarity of mind. It
gives contact with deep levels
of the self and helps to reduce
stress and make changes in our
reactions to situations.
This can be
achieved through a variety of
techniques, including silence,
chanting, walking, movement,
being in nature and guided
visualisation. At Gaia we
practice all of these approaches
as we believe that there are
many gateways to finding your
own stillness and enjoy sharing
the diversity of knowledge for
you to find your way.
When you move into a
state of meditation,
your hearing decreases
and your body relaxes.
Your brain waves move
from the normal waking
wave patterns to slower,
deeper waves, inducing a
deep state of relaxation
which reduces the body’s
stress and can
strengthen the immune
system which increases
your body’s ability to
fight disease.
Regular meditation
practice brings calmness
and serenity. It
broadens your awareness
of yourself, enabling
you to open yourself at
an emotional and
psychological level.
Meditation brings an
increased ability to
focus and concentrate,
which can improve
efficiency and job
performance.
Meditation for
self-healing
You can use any
one of the methods we
use at Gaia for your
practice. There is no
right or wrong. We are
all different and it is
important to find one
that you enjoy and suits
you. The most important
thing is to do it! It
really is a wonderful
gift to give yourself.
Joining a group
There are many types of
organisations who will
be practising their own
form of meditation ie
Buddhist Organisation,
Vipassana, Transcedental
Meditation, prayer
groups of different
denominations, Tai Chi
and Yoga classes etc.
They will have regular
meetings where you join
as a group to meditate
together. How you prefer
to practice is entirely
up to you. There is a
different energy when
you meditate in a group
and some people find
this helpful and
enjoyable, as well as
having others to chat
with about your
practice. Whereas
meditating alone is more
flexible to suit you and
your commitments.
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Reiki is a powerful yet
gentle form of hands on
healing. It can be
traced through ancient
healing traditions
including Egypt and
Tibet and once was a
part of daily life in
many cultures.
It was lost to the west
until its comparatively
recent rediscovery in
the 19th Century in
Japan by Dr Mikao Usui.
Reiki is now recognised
as a powerful form of
healing in our modern
world.
It is relaxing and can
help us to heal on all
levels according to what
is right for us at the
time. Reiki is also a
way of treating specific
ailments and illness.
The healer is a channel
for greater energy to
move through the healer
into the recipient. The
recipient will only
receive healing at the
level that is
appropriate for him/her.
Reiki is given with the
client fully clothed
either lying or sitting.
The healer holds their
hands either on or just
above the Chakras
(energy centres) of the
body. A session lasts
approx 45 minutes and
can assist healing on an
emotional, physical,
spiritual or mental
level.
There is no belief
system attached to Reiki
so anyone can receive or
learn to give a Reiki
treatment, the only
prerequisite is the
desire to be healed.
Reiki healing can be
given anywhere at any
time as long as no
special equipment is
needed.
Reiki with a
practitioner
The method of receiving
a Reiki treatment from a
practitioner is a very
simple process. The
recipient simply lies on
a couch and relaxes. If
they are unable to lie
down the treatment can
be given in a sitting
position, the main thing
is for the recipient to
be as comfortable as
possible. There is no
need to remove any
clothing as Reiki will
pass through anything,
even plaster casts. The
practitioner gently
places his/her hands
non-intrusively in a
sequence of positions
which cover the whole
body. The whole person
is treated rather than
specific symptoms. A
full treatment usually
takes 1 to 1½ hours with
each position held for
several minutes.
Which
conditions can Reiki
help?
It is possible to heal
at any level of being:
physical, mental,
emotional or spiritual.
Acute injuries can be
helped to heal very
quickly but more chronic
illness takes longer. In
all cases there is
usually great benefit
and enhancement of the
quality of life, giving
a sense of peace and
acceptance. It is
important to understand
that we will heal
according to what is
right for us at the
time. It may seem
strange, but sometimes
we have blocks to our
own healing and so
healing does not
immediately take place.
Other times something
else has to be healed
before what we want to
be healed is healed.
There can be a link
between physical illness
and psychological
thoughts and patterns.
Sometimes the thoughts
and patterns have to be
healed first.
Illness/injury can be
great teachers if we
choose to listen.
How does Reiki
work?
The practitioner is a
channel which the energy
is drawn through by the
need or imbalance in the
recipient. Reiki flows
to the areas of need,
soothing pain and
supporting the body’s
natural ability to heal
itself. Reiki restores
balance in one’s life.
Reiki supports all
forms of treatment, both
orthodox and
complementary.
Reiki healing can be
learnt from a Master and
can be used as a
self-healing tool or to
give to others. You can
choose to learn Reiki at
Gaia or to have
treatment.
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