Charity Massage-athon for Healing Hands Network

I hinted a while ago that I was scheming away on fund raising events for Healing Hands Network, and that there would be a chance to get involved (for those around Hertfordshire anyway). I've been true to my word, so without further ado, here it is!


What is it?  A Charity Massage-athon. Ten-minute mini treatments on as many backs/feet/shoulders/heads as possible


When is it?  Saturday 14th July, between 10am and 4pm


Where is it?  St Albans Town Hall, alongside the Artisans, Arts and Crafts Market, and the St Albans outdoor market


Who can get involved?  You can! Please bring along achey shoulders, sore feet, stressed heads or tight shoulders for us to treat; we can't do it without you!


Where do I sign up?  You can e-mail me to book a slot at a specific time, which will help with planning, but you can also just come along on the day and book in, or if we're free, get a massage there and then!


Who will be doing the massaging?  At the moment, me! But I'm hoping to have a team of brilliant therapists joining me throughout the day. If you're a massage therapist, or massage student, and would like to join in, if only for an hour, get in touch. It's a great way to get loads of experience and meet lots of people, and it's fun too!


What does it cost?  A minimum of £5 donation for each treatment - but any more you can give will be truly appreciated and it all goes to a great cause.


How else can I help?  Help man the stand for an hour (or more!). Tell your friends about the message-athon, and encourage them to come along. Even if you can't make it, you can sponsor me - go to my charity page or e-mail me.

Who are the Healing Hands Network?  A charity dedicated to the relief of suffering caused by war and disaster. In Sarajevo, volunteer therapists treat survivors of concentration camps, rape and horrendous physical injuries. "HHN is one of the rare things I look forward to in life because its therapies have enabled me to laugh again." Peljto Behija, Concentration Camp Union. For more information see their website and this blogpost.


What if I have more questions? Ask me - just drop me an e-mail and I'll do my best to help.


Any and all support you can give me, by coming along, helping out or spreading the word, will be hugely appreciated.

Healing Hands Network Workshop

On Sunday, I went up to Berkswell, near Coventry, for a workshop with the Healing Hands Network (HHN). The idea was to find out more about the work they do in Sarajevo and what to expect when I go out there, as well as a chance to ask all my questions - and I had a lot!


HHN is a charity dedicated to the relief of suffering caused by war and disaster. Since 1997 volunteer teams of complementary therapists have worked in Bosnia, giving over 40,000 treatments. Their clients come through the Civil Victims Association, the Concentration Camp Union, the Centre for Torture Victims, and the Mothers of Srebrenica.


It was a fantastic day, and I left feeling much more confident about going to Sarajevo. I'm really fired up and enthused about the value of the services HHN offer, and I can't wait to become part of that in September.


The thing that struck me most was the clients' stories. I was young during the war in the former Yugoslavia, and struggled to understand what was happening at the time, who was fighting who and why. I certainly wasn't aware of the impact on the ordinary civilians until I became involved with HHN. When I went to Cambodia last year, I was deeply affected by what had happened there, the fact that it was during my lifetime, and many of the people I walked past on the street had lived through it. Although I am not trying to draw impossible comparisons between two situations, the siege of Sarajevo was more recent and much closer to home. Again I feel the sense of shock, of disbelief at what people have lived through, and a guilty relief that I haven't had to face that. The fact that, through HHN, I have a way to use my skills to reach out to a few people and make things a tiny bit better for them is, quite frankly, an amazing feeling. And it seems inconceivable to not go.


I just want to share a few of the quotes and pictures from the workshop with you, to try to explain why I am so excited about what HHN does.

I am a refugee from Eastern Bosnia.
I was held 1 year in a concentration camp.
I have damage to hips and legs from the regular beatings I received. 
I hardly sleep, nightmares haunt me still. 
I live with my son now as my husband died a year ago. 
I belong to CWV  (Civil War Victims) Association.
I am so glad to receive help from Healing Hands Network as their continued work has helped me to recover this far. 

My name is Hrzeta.

I was held at gunpoint in my home, along with my husband and brother.

They were shot dead.

I jumped out of a window to save myself, I though I was going to be killed too.

I broke my back- I was paraplegic for a long time.

I had to work for years to regain my bodily health and learn to walk again.

Healing Hands Network have been giving me Reiki and I have begun to work through my emotional traumas.

I am beginning to feel like a person again, and to lead a useful life thanks to this continued care.

Thank you from my heart for your wonderful work, kindness and support.

This is the first time Selma had slept for a long time.
Selma was in a concentration camp for 4 years, and still suffers nightmares about her treatment there. She suffers severe depression and it was affecting her family life. Her husband was concerned about her.
After her treatment session, she slept like a baby for half an hour! She looked totally different.
When she returned the following week, she had a big smile and a spring in her step that had been missing. She had turned a corner, due she claimed, to repeated therapies from HHN. 
She was coping better and was working again. Her family were pleased!

This lady was sitting at her table one day when a shell came through the window.  It took off her left breast, her arm from just above the elbow, and her abdomen burst open. Her husband even has to fasten the zip on her skirt – you need two hands.  

This is the outreach centre at Vogosca. HHN works through four such centres near Sarajevo, as well as the clinic in the city.









Of course, there's also the opportunity to get to know Sarajevo, and beyond, an undeniable draw for a travel nut like me. From speaking to members who'd been, it sounds like a beautiful city, which is gradually but perceptibly rebuilding itself after the devastation of the war. I'm told that the shopping is pretty good as well.


For more information on the Healing Hands Network, you can contact me and I'll do my best to answer your questions, or you can visit their website www.healinghandsnetwork.org.uk.

ABC of why to have massage

In case you were unsure, here's the A to Z of benefits massage might bring you.


Allow yourself to STOP
Bolster your natural defences
Calm your nervous system

Dissolve tension – physical and emotional
Ease stiffness in muscles

Mmmmmm...

Foster wellbeing and self-care
Ground yourself in your body
Honour your body, and your need for connection
Improve your flexibility
Just feel great
Knead muscles into glorious, squidgy release
Lessen muscle pain
Make yourself go mmmmmm……
Nurture your whole being
Open your joints for freer movement
Promote (practically) perfect posture
Quieten your mind – stop all those spinning thoughts
Relax! Mind, body and spirit

Zzzz...

Stimulate blood flow in your skin, muscles and connective tissue
Trigger the release of endorphins, the natural feel-good hormones
Uplift your mood
Vitalise skin
Warm and soothe your tissues
Xperience nurturance through touch
You really must try one, and – yawn - 
Zzzz Slip into peaceful, natural sleep

Sound good to you? Contact me to book a massage today.

Gateway2Wellbeing Exhibition

Next Sunday, 20th May, I'll be in Elstree at the Gateway2Wellbeing Exhibition, and I'd love it if you could come along too.

I'll be in the Treatment Lounge, offering back and shoulder, and Thai Foot massages, alongside a wide range of other treatments from other practitioners. At £10 for 20 minutes, it's incredibly good value, and a chance to meet therapists and try treatments you otherwise might not have the chance to. As an added incentive, I have a draw to win a free massage.

In addition to the treatment lounge, there are exhibitor stands, free exercise classes and talks and workshops on health and wellbeing.

Usually exhibitions such as this are held in large centres such as London or Birmingham, so this is a unique opportunity to explore what's available locally, ask questions and try things out, all under one roof.

For all the details, and booking, see the website gateway2wellbeing.co.uk.

Venue:   Holiday Inn Hotel

             London, Elstree, Barnet Bypass, Borehamwood, WD6 5PU

Time:     11am - 5pm

Cost:      £4 - Booked in advance (online) or  £5 - Pay at the door

A percentage of tickets sales will be donated to Clic Sargent (for Children with Cancer) and Jewish Care

Starting at BAYoga Studio, Berkhamsted

In an hour or so I start work at my latest venue, BAYoga Studio in Berkhamsted. I'm really excited to be doing something new, and I'm fully booked for this afternoon, which is great news.


One reason for my busy-ness is the fantastic introductory offer:


£20 Massage

For May and June only, I am offering a selection of my most popular treatments at a special introductory rate of £20. Treatments available are:


• Oil Massage (1 hr)
• Thai Massage (1 hr)
• Thai Foot Massage (1hr)
• Indian Head Massage (45 mins)
• Pulsing (1hr)


To take up the offer, just get in touch and book an appointment at BAYoga for May or June*.


For more information about the treatments, have a look at my website, or ask me.


BAYoga Studio is centrally located on Berkhamsted High Street, and offers a range of yoga, Pilates and health treatments. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and although it has not been around for very long, there is already a community of teachers and therapists ready to help and support you.


I'll be at BAYoga on Tuesday afternoons/evenings, and Sunday mornings. I'll still be at Revive Clinic and Sohan Jalaiai as normal.


I look forward to seeing at one of these locations soon.


*One treatment can be booked at the special rate per person per month. Not available in conjunction with any other offer.

Shamanic Body Work

I am interested in exploring different approaches to health and wellbeing, especially those that encompass the mind and spirit as well as the body. A desire to experience Reiki and energy work last year led me to Becci Mudrini. Since then, I have been seeing her regularly for Shamanic Body Work. Here, Becci explains more about this unique treatment.

Shamanic Body Work

'Our Biography becomes our Biology'

Caroline Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit

Shamanic Body Work encourages you to pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you.

I began as a classically trained Reiki therapist and have been developing this style of treatment for the last 10 years through my own investigation of the Mind/Body connection in a variety of  ways including Asanas, Raja Yoga, Meditation, Mudras, Power/Totem Animals, Energy Work, and various other practices.

Shamanism has nothing to do with the so-called ‘supernatural’and is completely natural and holistic. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, forms of treatment.

It is not allied or directly opposed to any Religion and seeks only to connect the individual with Nature and other levels of existence– seeking not to manipulate, control or exploit but to engage the willing participation and active support of all forms of

life in mutual self-development and growth.

It is, by nature, highly individualistic. 

I have been asked if I practice Native American, Mayan or South American Shamanism

 and my answer is none of these, yet elements of all of those and more are present in my treatments, depending on the needs of the individual. Shamanism has no particular nationality and is common to all cultures, it is inherently ‘genetic’ in all of us and therefore there are elements that are the same the world over.

It recognises that everything (including us) has its own Energy-system and is operating within an Energy system greater than itself and is also connected to all the other Energy-systems that are present, each being worthy of respect.

Shamanism encourages a return to Wholeness

Reduce Stress Levels, Increase your Body/Mind Awareness,

Release 0ld Behavioural Patterns that are no longer useful, Restore Balance

Our own bodies are the best teachers we can have.

1hr Treatment £30 for more information or to book a treatment call

Becci 07738974708

rebeccamudrini@hotmail.com

On openness

My massage practice is still young, still growing, and has not yet reached the point of sustainability where it covers all the costs it needs to. Every new customer, every appointment, is a cause for celebration, a step on the road to "making it". So you would think that when one morning a regular client asked me if I could massage her later, I would have wholeheartedly and unfalteringly answered YES. And yet – I didn't; I hesitated.

It wasn't because I was too busy. It wasn't because I wasn't sure how to treat this client, or that I didn't want to treat her. It was because I wasn't prepared. I had only taken what I needed for the clients I knew about, that were booked in. For the want of a few towels, I nearly turned down a loyal client who needed a massage, and nearly turned down that income.

In the end we muddled through and I did the treatment. But how unsatisfactory. I want to expand, to welcome more clients onto my massage table, and yet when they come I am reduced to "muddling through". I was sending a negative, self-defeating message to the Universe. "Don't give me work, I can't handle it."

At the core, this is a question of openness. Despite my intellectual goal to have more clients, I wasn't open to getting them. As I started to think about it, I realised that this applied beyond the immediate situation. How many ambitions am I undermining by not being open to having them fulfilled? How powerful might it be to open myself to the possibilities waiting around the next corner?

So I intend to learn from the lesson given to me. Of course, I now carry extra towels, and everything else I need to welcome those last minute clients. And I'm trying to cultivate an approach of openness, to notice where my actions do not support my goals (and change them) and be more receptive to what may come to me, however unexpected.

Yesterday, a new client rang to ask for an immediate appointment. I had a gap in my schedule and saw her straight away, with no hesitation.

What inadvertent barriers do you create? How could you be more open to receiving your dreams?