Yoga with Essie

You know that big sigh that dogs do when they are just about to go to sleep? . . . we do that too, but just a little bit quieter.

One of my favourite parts of yoga and massage is noticing this shift. Yes, you may feel fairly relaxed already, but there’s a point in a yoga class or during a treatment when your body finally has that sigh, and it lets go, and softens, and it’s proper magic!

I’m so grateful to be able to provide this space for people to sigh 💚

And if you don’t feel confident yet to do this in front of anyone;

👉 find a quiet space and lie down
👉 close your eyes and make yourself really heavy
👉 feel the support of the ground underneath you
👉 feel into your breath and your body, and just notice what happens ✨

So grateful to my wonderful clients for such kind words. Thank you, thank you, thank you 💚

Yoga and massage availability this week 💚

A little behind-the-scenes update... 💚

At the moment I’m...

• Due to start my Yoga Nidra training
• Exploring a few lovely collaborations (more on those another time!)
• Practising Reiki, with the aim of qualifying later this year so I can weave it into my treatments
• Teaching at two commercial events tomorrow (and yes, I can bring the mats too if you’re looking for yoga at your workplace, event or private gathering!)
• And somewhere in between all that... renovating an old listed house 🏡

Sometimes I stop and think, how did I get here?

If you’d told me a couple of years ago that this would be my life, I don’t think I’d have believed you.

It’s not always been easy, but I feel incredibly grateful. Every class I teach, every massage, every conversation and every opportunity has opened another little door. More than anything, it’s opened my heart to what’s possible when you say yes to the things that feel right, even if they’re a little scary.

I’m so excited for what’s ahead.

If you’d like to follow along and be the first to hear about new classes, workshops, treatments and events, I’d love to have you here 🙏

To you, it might just be a little room above a kitchen shop, but to me, it’s so much more than that.

Before every treatment, I make sure it’s clean, calm and ready. Not just physically, but energetically too. I like to clear the space, reset it, and make sure it feels peaceful before the next person arrives.

My hope is that, from the moment you walk through the door, it feels like a safe place;

🌼 A place where you can stop rushing for an hour
🌼 Where you don’t have to think about your to-do list
🌼 Where you’re not worrying about what your body looks like or whether you should have shaved your legs
🌼 Where you can chat, be quiet, laugh, cry, or simply rest

You don’t have to be your best self here, You just get to be yourself.

And that’s exactly who is welcome 💚

It takes so much courage to receive a treatment.

People sometimes feel nervous before their first massage; they’re worried it might hurt, or they’ll have to make conversation, or they have cellulite or hairy legs (which absolutely does not matter btw!) But I wonder if it’s something deeper than that.

For an hour or so, you’re inviting someone into your personal space. You’re trusting them with your body and for most people, that’s a really big thing.

I also think a lot of us are just not very good at receiving. We’re good at looking after everyone else, getting jobs done, pushing through and staying busy, but when someone asks us to lie down, close our eyes and do... nothing, that can feel surprisingly uncomfortable.

Before I start a treatment, I set my own intention, that I will be present and attuned to my client throughout the entire session, but I’m starting to invite people to set their own intention as a receiver.

It could simply be, ‘I’d like to slow down today’ or ‘I’m going to try not to spend the next hour thinking about my to-do list’. Even better could be to set an intention ‘to trust and surrender and be open to truly receive the treatment’.

It doesn’t have to be deep or profound, but having a little intention can help you arrive, rather than still mentally being somewhere else.

My job is to create a space where you feel safe and looked after. Your only job is to see if you can soften into it a little, which is often easier said than done!

If receiving feels difficult, you’re definitely not the only one. In fact, learning to receive has definitely been one of my hardest lessons, and I’m still working at it 💚

Back to it a little late this week after spending the weekend at Beat-Herder. What an amazing festival, although very glad to get home today and have a shower 🚿

Yoga is as normal and I have a spot of massage time this Friday. Message me if you like or book using the link in my bio 🙏