Updates & All things new for November

I hope you've all had a wonderful Diwali and a special time celebrating with friends and family and a chance to reflect upon light over coming darkness, especially in the times we live in.  It's important to find beauty in the simplest of things.  

Returning from the UK trip
It's great being back with you all after my trip to the UK where I had the opportunity to pick up some additional pieces for the business including a new instrument for the sound meditation and do some additional training in cupping.

Introducing cupping

I was fortunate to attend a cupping course whilst I was in the UK and am looking forward to adding this modality in to some of the remedial therapy sessions.  Cupping  can be carried out both statically by placing the cups there and leaving for up to 10 minutes.  This allows the blood to be drawn to the surface through the suction created with the cupping.

The cups can also be used with movement and is another way of getting into the tissue, working differently to massage by lifting up the tissue and fibres whereas in massage we apply pressure down.  Ultimately it's another way of trying to get into those problem areas, to remove restrictions and to free up the muscles further.

We will be offering cupping in conjunction with either our dry needling or our deep tissue therapy treatments.  They can be combined to provide the greatest effect for muscles.

A reminder of the different treatments we offer
We often get asked what other treatments we offer, so as a reminder that aside from the deep tissue remedial therapy and swedish therepeautic massage that we offer we have many other treatments.  From winter warming hot stone massage, head and face massages, dry needling, sound meditation or guided meditation.  Our massage and sound meditation combo sessions have proved very popular since we introduced them earlier in the year and we know a lot of you are loving the massage and dry needling modalities together.

A reminder of the policies
As I write about the business here, it's an opportunity to remind people of the policies.  Firstly i want to start by saying a big thank you to everyone for keeping your appointments and for the low number of cancellations.  However we continue to see some very last minute cancellations, often within a few hours before the session.

Therefore it has become necessary to remind people of the cancellation charge which has been in place for some time and that it will be upheld going forward,  regardless of reason.  This charge is 50% of the treatment cost if cancelled within less than 12 hours notice and full session cost for no show.  Often when sessions are cancelled at short notice, there's not enough time to fill the space and others miss out who had been waiting for a session.  This ensures fairness all round.

Sound Meditation Schedule
With the season now in full swing, we're running our regular sound meditation groups again including the sound sessions we do in collaboration with other spaces.  Below is the schedule for November.  You can get in touch to book a space for sessions at the studio and I can give you the contact details for the events at other spaces.

Upcoming workshops
This coming weekend we have our collaboration with FindYourFit.  Three restorative and soothing workshops to help you relax, unwind and reset after the busy Diwali period.  A chance to take care of your health and well being after the Diwali season.

Unwind After the Festive Hustle at Wellness Day Out! 🌿

✨ After the festive rush, take time to reset and recharge with a day just for you. Join us for three soul-soothing wellness workshops designed to bring calm, creativity, and connection.

📆 10th November

🕐 2:00-6:30 PM

📍 Promenade, Hotel Clarks Amer Jaipur

Here’s what’s in store:

1. 🙇‍♀️ The Breathful Escape: Breathwork to reconnect | 2-3 PM

2. 🎵 Soul Sound Bath: Immersive relaxation through sound | 3:15-4:15 PM

3. 🌸 DIY Body Oil: Craft your own custom blend | 5-6:30 PM

Treat yourself to a day of calm and care—let's reset together!

📲 Reserve your spot: https://linktr.ee/FindYourFit.event

📞 For details, call: 7339830274

It's sure to be a brilliant and restorative wellness day, so why not sign up to take part.  Our DIY body oil workshop will provide an opportunity to make your own nourishing and restorative body oil, ideal for the dryness of the winter months.   

Facial massage and cosmetology treatments by Yulia

Talking of health and welbeing, I wanted to mention Yulia and her amazing facials.

It's always important to support and give a shout out to other small businesses, especially other therapists and going forward, each month we will do a shout out to a small business that we admire and think you might want to hear about.

This month is Yulia who is a comsetologist here in Jaipur.  Originally from Russia, she has recently set up her space and is offering face and skin related treatments.  I had a lovely treatment with her recently and really benefited from her expertise and her hydrating ways for my face!  She has an instagram page where she shares comsetology related information and helpful tips.  Here is her price list and whatsapp contact details incase anyone would like to try one of her lovely face treatments.

Monthly charity/NGO
As our sound meditation pracitce continues to grow, we've decided to spread the connection that goes with these kind of events by supporting one NGO a month through donating the proceeds from one of our sound bath sessions.  Each month, we will donate the proceeds from one of our sound meditation sessions to an NGO.

This month the NGO will be Help In Suffering, a long standing and caring NGO helping animals in need.

We are what we eat!
For the new beginnings post Diwali, I've pledged to really start to eat truly nurturing, soulful food.  In next month's blog posts I'll share some recipe suggestions and information regarding what foods are helpful for us to consume including those for inflammation in the body.  Perhaps we can all make a pledge to eat a little bit more mindfully to ensure the right nutrients in the body so we can nurture from the inside outwards.

That wraps things up for November's newsletter.  I hope everyone begins to rest and recharge after the Diwali celebrations and chance to restore the body once more.

Hopefully see some of you either for a therapy session or at the sound meditation groups or workshops!

Monsoon

 Happy Monsoon season!  Jaipur is looking so green.  The humidity is certainly challenging though and temperatures have been high but this last bout of rain might make things a little cooler.

The monsoon also bring it's own problems for the body, what with the excess humidity.  Humidity causes increase in loss of water and salts from the body through sweating more and as a result we can feel more fatigue, muscle aches and cramping.

High humidity also thickens the blood and increases pressure in the blood vessels.  More effort is then required to pump the blood through the body and joint cartilage often doesn't get the necessary amount of fluid required which can result in aches and pain.  Everything just tends to hurt more in this high humidity as muscles and ligaments expand.

Reminder of dry needling
You may have seen on Instagram, one or two posts about the dry needling we offer.  We really love providing dry needling treatments especially in combination with the deep tissue massage and find it brings about great results.  

Dry needling allows us to get into muscular tension in a different way to deep tissue massage so that when their both combined together, their really helping to tackle the problem area from lots of different ways.  Together they seem to provide quicker results.

Massage and Meditation combo treatment 

Despite it being the off season, it's actually been a busy time at the studio, what with our massage therapy sessions, dry needling and meditation sessions.  A little reminder too of the massage and sound meditation combined session we now offer at the studio.  This is proving a popular treatment and a wonderful way to experience two popular treatments.

We begin with the massage to reduce tension and restriction and then flow into the sound meditation for 30 minutes of mind stillness and deep relaxation.  It's a great way to switch off and let go.

A free new guided meditation
We've been providing lots of sound meditation sessions recently both in conjunction with two great spaces - The Art Ghar (Shyam Nagar) and Yalloe Yoga (Civil Lines).  Both are well reputed spaces with big followings.  As always, we have been providing our regular sound meditation group sessions at the studio and both private sound meditation and guided meditation sessions.  In  my free time I also like to create recorded guided meditations.  It's been a while since I made one, but am sharing my latest one with you.  It's a restorative guided meditation that will leave you feeling uplifted and rejuvenated.

Restorative Guided Meditation

Wellness Day Out - Jaipur
Following on from all the meditation talk, we are excited to be collaborating with Find Your Fit.  A brilliant initiative to bring health and well being to the forefront and for us to start making our well being a priority, something we hugely believe in at J.R.T  

In collaboration with Find Your Fit we are running workshops on their Wellness Day Out.  Held on 10th August at Clarks Amer.  For both men and women, it's a brilliant opportunity to take some time for you, to focus on your health and well being and participate in the different workshops available.

We'll be offering our popular sound meditation session at the Wellness Day Out, as well as an opportunity to learn more about aromatherapy with our Aromatherapy Discovery workshop.  We'll look at a variety of oils, how they can be of benefit and you'll also get the opportunity to make your own room spray using a choice of oils, that you can make and take home with you.  Many of you have experienced the sound meditation sessions and find them very relaxing and restorative and so know how beneficial they are.

The whole afternoon is sure to be a brilliant experience.  You can check out Find Your Fit on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/findyourfit.in/.  There you can also find out how to sign up for the workshops and all the brilliant work they do.

Harmony & Healing: Sound Meditation Workshop for inner peace

https://zoma.to/live-event/46566

 💫 Aromatherapy Awakening: Make your own Pillow spray and experience the power of essential oils

https://zoma.to/live-event/46567

🎨 A Reflective Pause: Discover expression through art, let your emotions out on a canvas.

https://zoma.to/live-event/46568

Have attached the booking links here too.

Essential Oil collection
I know a lot of you have been interested in our essential oil range that we have available to buy at the studio.  We've added some more essential oils to the range so there's a wider choice of essential oils available to purchase.  These come in 15ml sizes and can be used for a wide range of needs.  Happy to advise regarding what oils can be used for which purpose.  Attaching the list of oils available.

Pillow recommendation
A lot of you ask me about the pillow i use during the sessions and ask for the link, so I figured why not share it here.  It is a great pillow as it is ergonomically designed to give the best support for the neck as it has a dip in the pillow so it has the support for the neck and then dips down for the head part, so it's not pushing the head up and is keeping the head in a neutral position.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0C4Q67T7Z/

It's an ideal pillow for those sleeping on their backs or sides, which is really the ways we should be sleeping.  Stomach sleeping is not ideal and is a position you want to get out of as it puts pressure on the lower back and causes the neck to be twisted to one side which shortens the muscles on one side and over extends on the others.

When it comes to body posture, we always want to keep our posture in the most neutral position, so not looking down lots, eyes at eye level, not crossing legs which pulls on the lower back and sleeping on the back so it provides the best support. Work on some postural changes and you might be surprised how that impacts the rest of the body.

That's all for this month but will update you all in August.  Enjoy the monsoon rains, the cooler weather and all the festivals to come in August!

March updates & UK travel dates

It seems the winter is over and the warmer weather has begun.  As someone who loves the heat, I'm happy! Plus it gives our bodies the much needed vitamin D which is important for healthy bones and our immune system.

I hope you're all having a great March and looking forward to this holiday weekend.  I know it's been a busy couple of months what with wedding season and plenty of social events happening in Jaipur, perfect opportunity perhaps to schedule a massage therapy session now that things are beginning to calm a little!  

Here's the latest updates from J.R.T.

News from the studio

It's been a busy time at the studio as Indi-ssentials has been very busy and I've been seeing lots of you for your therapy sessions too.

Thank you to everyone who has been patient whilst the shop renovation work above was going on.  It's finally almost complete and I appreciate everyone putting up with some of the ongoing work.  As a result of the renovation work, the meditation sessions had to be put on hold, however we are able to offer a Sound meditation session this Saturday our last one until i return from my Uk trip in mid May.  

It will be at 6pm on Saturday. So why not think of joining us!

Meditation range of candles 
Talking of meditation.  We're launching our new meditation range of candles.  There's four candles in the meditation range.  All designed for a specific purpose and blending using aromatherapy oils to aid you in these areas.

Serenity Meditation Candle – For calmness & stillness

Intentions Meditation Candle – For manifestation & creation

Intuition Meditation Candle – For clarity & awakening inner voice

Grounded Meditation Candle – For deep roots & earthing

They come in beautiful glass jars, with a subtle scent to enhance your meditation practice rather than overpowering.  You can use the candle flame to guide you into your meditational state.  You can drop me a message to purchase your candle or set.  These are available at an exclusive price to J.R.T clients at 800Rs. 170ml glass jar with wooden lid.  Ideal for gifting too.

3 month health goals

As we are coming to the end of the first three months of 2024, I personally like to set myself health goals every 3 - 4 months to keep my health and well being on track.  Do you set any monthly or 3 monthly health goals? I find setting time periods gives us goals within which to work and be accountable.  Perhaps this is the month to get on board with this.  To give you some ideas of the kinds of goals you can set, I have compiled some options.

** Drinking minimum 2 liters of water - Making sure to carry a water bottle everywhere so you actively drink from it (This is one of my goals for the next 3 months)
** Starting the day with warm water and a dash of lemon - To help kick start the digestive system.
** Importance of sleep -   Sleep allows our brain and our bodies to repair.  A lack of sleep affects our ability to function at our normal levels, can reduce our stress levels, affects our immune system and ability to bounce back post illness.  Sleep gives our bodies the crucial time to restore itself ready for the next day.
** Create 20 minutes of quiet time 3 x a week - This means finding somewhere quiet, alone where you can be still.  You don't have to meditate, perhaps simply sitting and enjoying a chai and simply being present.  No phone, no music, no distractions, just a chance to sit, observe, watch the world outside or to be still without any outside noises.
**Work on keeping stress levels under control - Stress truly is a silent danger and we can only push our bodies and minds so long, so perhaps commit to better balance in your life and finding ways to keep calms and not overdo it.
** Make time to get outside everyday -  To help you feel grounded and connected, whether it's going for a walk to help with fitness, or listening to the birds on an evening or a chance to enjoy some early morning sunshine in order to top up your vitamin D level.
**Harness the power of some of the superfoods - Such as mushrooms which are beneficial for vitamin B and D levels, reducing cholesterol levels and much more.  Or other super foods such as pumpkin, broccoli, berries and sweet potatoes.

Perhaps it's given you some inspiration for your goals for the next few months or you have some of your own to begin working on.

Upcoming UK trip - J.R.T closed for 6 weeks

You're still welcome to contact me whilst i am away if you are in need of any health and wellbeing related advice or any exercises sending through, am happy to help where i can.  I will remind everyone a week before i am due to return.
Lastly J.R.T will be closed from Friday 29th March till 15th May as I head to the UK once again to work with my UK clients for 6 weeks.  There's still time to book in over the next 9 days although there are very limited spaces left this week but several spaces for next week excluding Monday when the studio will be closed for Holi.

Have a great rest of March!

New Year, new beginnings

 Happy New Year! We welcome in another year and say hello to 2024.  I'm going to be back to writing a regular monthly blog post, with the latest round up of news at the studio including health & well being related tips in general.

Keeping warm in this cold weather
It's especially cold at the moment and in the winter months we all do have a habit of hunching our shoulders and tensing up to keep warm, however as you can imagine, this does not help our body or our muscles and tends to tighten things further.  So It's really important to stay warm and avoid hunching which tightens up the neck.

You can wear a scarf to keep the neck area warm, thermals and lots of layers so the trunk of the body is kept warm and stops excessive hunching.  

Muscles and joints tend to ache more in the cold weather (due to us contracting our muscles) and you can use heat patches on any areas that get especially tight or painful.  

Hot stone massage treatments available at the studio
With this ongoing cold weather, a little reminder that we have our hot stone massage treatments available at the studio.

This is always such a wonderful treatment in winter and gives a real blast of heat which goes deep into the muscles.  It helps to break down tension quicker and provides an overall super relaxing treatment.  The stones are used both to massage with and placed on the body.

You can find out more on our website - www.massagejaipur.com

Movement is medicine
One of the big phrases in the therapy world is 'Movement is Medicine' and it really is what it says.  It's so important for us to get up and move.  If you tend to spend a lot of time sitting, try to factor in breaks or set your alarm so you can get up and walk around, even if it means taking calls whilst walking, so that you have a break from sitting. 

 Excessive sitting causes weak glutes, tightness and restrictions in the lower back, weakening of the hamstring and tightness in the hip flexors.  In general our bodies always feel better with some movement.  So whether it's 10 minutes stretching in the morning, some walking during the day, joining a fitness or yoga class, make movement a part of your everyday life and simply move.  Make 2024 the year that you get up, get moving and get your health in its best possible shape!

Yoga with Georgia
We're very excited and pleased to have Georgia taking yoga classes in the studio.  She has even managed to convert me, someone who isn't naturally the biggest fan of yoga, to get on board and attend some classes.  I really notice the difference in my muscles post the class and it's rewarding to see the strength and flexibility coming into the body.  Her classes usually run on a Tuesday and Saturday morning - she is traveling after the 18th but will be back in a few weeks.  Classes run on Tuesdays at 9am and Saturdays at 10am.  She's putting on a class this Wednesday at 9.30am (so that people can have one more session before her travels!) so why not sign up for this Wednesday or make a plan to attend when she is back.

Indi-ssentials new products launched
It's been a busy start to the year at the studio with our Indi-ssentials product range.    We still have all your firm favourites but have listened to your requests and have added two additional room sprays in some of our most popular scents.  One is Winter Warmer room spray which is ideal for this time of year to create a warm, cozy yet winter scent within the home, containing orange, ginger, cinnamon & star anise it has a real warming January feel to it.  The other is the 'Grounding' scent that so many of you love.  It has an earthy, soothing yet subtle scent to it.

Alongside this we have added a range of body sprays that can be sprayed directly onto skin or as your everyday perfume/body scent.  We've added two new candles into the mix and will have a new candle range coming soon too.  It's lovely to see the growth and development of Indi-ssentials and so nice to see many of you being repeat buyers.

You can request a copy of the product brochure via Whatsapp.  I will also share it once again soon with everyone.

New Year, new possibilities, new mindset
The new year is a wonderful time to set new goals and intentions and you can definitely do this at any time of the year but there is something about the freshness of new year that makes you want to start all over again.

So perhaps take a little time to sit in meditation, to reflect on the year that has gone, without judgement and through quietening the mind in meditation.  Ask yourself the question, what do you want this year to look like.  Whilst sitting in reflection or meditation, try not to think too hard but continue to repeat the question almost like a mantra and observe what answers come up.  Receive what comes and observe it without engaging but watching to see how it unfolds in your mind. You can write this down after and reflect further on it or if something resonates with you, you can meditate further on this or put it into action what feels right.

Have a wonderful start to 2024.  Look forward to exploring more of the year with you.  Wishing you all a prosperous, happy and successful 2024.