ENTER THE ZEN ZONE

Are you a dedicated advocate of self-care? I certainly am! Besides regular treatments and time out time penciled into my work schedule, holidays are my favourite time, I am sure they are yours too!

I was on holiday recently in the South of Spain, and while the weather most of the time was perfect, on this particular day it was overcast. I didn’t feel like a swim as it was a little windy, so I thought maybe I would have a treatment instead.

In the garden of the hotel, an area was assigned to a therapist. The space was beautiful, overlooking the beach. I observed her work for a while, liked what I saw, and decided to book in with her. She was a small woman very courteous, took my details and then asked what I wanted. I booked the Indian Head Massage. I am sure if you are a therapist yourself and reading this, you know exactly what happens next, I was into the chair like lightning!

She settled me in the chair, making sure I was comfortable. Normally I don’t bother booking treatments that I have already trained in, as I find myself judging the work as it goes along. For example, thinking to myself i.e. why isn't she applying more pressure, what is she doing? That doesn't come next, all those judgements, instead of tuning out and relaxing.

I find that it is much better to experience something I don’t have training in, like a facial, or other beauty therapy, as it is easier to switch off and not follow the order of treatment. But there was something about this woman, her body language, her attitude, her courtesy, the way she was so prepared, her client care, all drew me to her. I have been a teacher of complementary therapies for over twenty-five years now, including Indian Head Massage, and this was the standard I was looking for.

There I was out in the open under a white awning, white voile curtains swaying in the breeze, just like you see an oasis in the movies, a woman dressed in white, placing my feet on a white cushion. The sound of the birds chirping in the trees, the smell of the ocean ~ nature at its best!

That is how complementary therapy is supposed to be performed, out in nature with no distractions.

She was working away on my shoulders, and just as I was about to give out to myself for all the tension I was holding in my shoulders and neck, she just stopped, and stood quietly, as though she could read my thoughts! She placed her hands on the top of my spine, stayed still for a few minutes, and opened sacred space. Her steady, slow controlled movements were hypnotic, I could feel my breathing slowing down, and the rush of endorphins and oxytocin circulating. 

Off I drifted, having made a conscious decision beforehand to let go of all that no longer served me, to the land of rest and digest! The door to the ‘Zen Zone’ opened and I floated in awning, chair, therapist, and all! 

I was awakened a time later by her whisper to tell me she had finished. I felt I had been there for hours. She completed her beautiful work by pressing the points on my face neck and head. I felt all my chakras open and balanced. Her hands held the most beautiful energy ever. The energy exchange was spectacular. This little woman with the heart of a Goddess and the power of a Lioness works away intuitively. I slept for two hours afterward and was super chilled for the duration of the holiday.

The Zen Zone is a very important space, one that needs to be visited and revisited regularly, every day for a short while if possible. Bringing down the blood pressure, slowing the heart rate and breathing, and releasing oxytocin and all the other happy chemicals, that help us stay healthy.

Trying different therapies and therapists is always an adventure. I do have my favourites that I attend regularly. Those who work from their heart, just like me, always attract my attention. That is my real self-care.

What are your favourite self-care practices, that allow you to Enter the Zen Zone?