The heating is being turned on in the treatment room, cosy blankets are coming out of the cupboards, and the candles are being lit for evening treatments! What nicer way to spend an evening after a long day at work, than having a relaxing treatment in my studio. Come for some reflexology, to help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, calm the body and the mind. A natural facelift massage treatment is also a wonderful way to end the day, a truly pampering paradise!

A few weeks ago I took part in a Yoga Nidra workshop at The House of Yoga in Putney.

Yoga Nidra translates as 'yogic sleep' and it is a way of consciously relaxing the body. One hour of Yoga Nidra is four times as restorative for the body as one hour of normal sleep. You induce a beautiful state of complete conscious relaxation, a state between wakefulness and sleep. Yoga Nidra is a technique which is used to awaken the divine within you and takes you on a path to Samadhi (the eighth and final limb of yoga). In this powerful place you can direct the mind so that you can embrace new healthy ways of being, restore your health from the inside out and leave behind unwanted habits. This state induced by Yoga Nidra is the source of your creativity in life – all the answers you need are held within you and you can realise your true nature.

The workshop begins with a short yoga practice to calm the mind before embarking on the yoga Nidra session.

I cannot recommend this workshop highly enough to people who have troubles relaxing and find it difficult to unwind. I came out feeling completely rejuvenated and fresh!

I have taken 2 weeks off recently and I am currently on my second week, spending it in our family cottage in Devon. I am realising how important it is to truly relax and unwind. Going on long walks, having lots of fresh air, and taking time off to be with your family. I find that sometimes the fast paced life we lead in London can take its toll on us, and we must take time for ourselves.

I read this on Facebook and thought there was a very interesting message in it for all of us:

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

Remember to put the glass down.

(Courtesy of Jimmy Harmon)

Stress is something that affects all of us. There are plenty of ways of dealing with the stresses of modern day life, and reflexology can really help us cope.