Winter Updates

It's hard to believe we are almost at the end of 2025.  This last year has gone so quickly.  I know many of us feel the time passes so quick and the stresses continue to increase as the pace of our lives seem to speed up more each year.  It's why self care such as massage, meditation, exercise, eating well and taking time out is so important for our well being and for maintaining our health.   It's important to take the time out, to meditate and to reflect in order to keep that balance and to keep stress levels at a healthy level.  

Health, Well being & Meditations

At J.R.T we provide a variety of treatments to assist with some of that.  Our sound meditation classes are very popular and most sessions we have a full class, as a result we're beginning to run more classes and will soon be reintroducing our morning classes again.  We have a wonderful Morning Meditation Retreat happening this Saturday in Jagatpura on a farm, our first outside meditation session.

Our usual morning sound meditations are 90 minutes long and a combination of guided meditation and sound meditation.  Our biggest complaint at our sound meditation sessions is that it goes too quick and so our 90 minute session allows you to dive deeper into the relaxation and therapeutic journey.  From January we'll begin running our morning class once a month and increase dependent on demand.

We have our regular Full Moon Sound bath at the Art Ghar in Shyam Nagar.  A wonderful art space where you can create and paint your own pieces of art or bags, coaster and lots of other things, a chance to be creative and to switch off.  We have a Full Moon Sound bath happening at the Art Ghar on Monday 1st December from 6.30pm.  You can contact the Art Ghar to sign up.

Introducing Morning Meditations in Nature

We have a lovely farm space in Jagatpura that we're beginning to use for our outdoor events.  Introducing our sound meditation events in nature.  In the future we plan to host new or full moon sound baths out in nature too, to literally bathe in the moonlight.  The farm is a beautiful space, with several lawns, including the amla tree lawn, with birds flying over us.

Our sound bath this Saturday will run from 8am to 10.30am.

8am - 8.45/8.50am - Guided Meditation session

8.50 - 9.30am - Journaling under the trees or relaxing in nature and a light breakfast.

9.30am - 10.30am - Sound bath

A soothing and restorative program.  A chance for inner reflection.  For exploring the inner self and diving deeper.  

Beginning with a soulful guided meditation, then an opportunity for journaling under the trees and within nature or taking a walk through the gardens and a light breakfast.  Then an immersive sound meditation where we may even hear the birds flying overhead.

The cost is 1500Rs and includes a light breakfast.   Blankets, pillows and a mat will be provided so you can snuggle down and relax!

Winter ready in the studio

This winter season is feeling lovely.  It's a beautiful temperature right now and the city feels alive with lots going on.  The days will get colder soon but we are all prepared at the studio, with our heated blanket and heating within the therapy space.  The winter season is the perfect time for a hot stone massage treatment too!  Hot balsamic stones heated in our hot stone heater, used to massage with and bring blasts of heat to the muscles, penetrating deep within them to ease up tension and bring about that total feeling of relaxation.

Beautiful scrunchies from Saksham NGO

We have partnered with Saksham NGO which are an NGO in Jaipur that support children's education and a women's stitching unit.  Nitin and Deepti who set up Saksham, have nurtured it from the beginning to support the education of many children as well as teaching the women how to stitch clothes and bags amongst other things.

They have created these beautiful scrunchies for us in block print material which we have for sale in the studio.  All proceeds from the sales will go to the NGO.  I recently took them to the UK to sell and people loved them.

They are 50Rs each or four for 150Rs.  Why not check out the variety when you are next in and pick some up.

Launching our new Indi-ssentials soap range in conjunction with Saksham NGO

We've also partnered up with Saksham NGO's women's project to make the decorative bags for our new soap range that Indi-ssentials have launched.  Our handmade soaps, made with quality ingredients and scented with essential oils, are great for a touch of luxury or for gifting, especially thanks to these decorative bags made by Saksham which the soaps are packaged inside.  It's wonderful to see the work that Saksham do and how they are providing employment opportunities.

We have three different scents currently available with three more scents coming very soon.

Away 7th - 19th December

Some years come with more challenges than others and this last year has been a tough one for me what with frequent trips back to the UK to support my Mom.  I'm fortunate to report that she is so much better now and her issues are more age related. Jaipur Remedial Therapies will be closed from 7th to 19th December whilst I am in the UK visiting my Mom and giving my sister a well deserved break.  It will be Christmas period, so nice and festive but very cold!

There is still time to book in a session before I go and although this week is full, there's lots currently available for next week so everyone will have a chance to get booked in and I'm only gone for a short time.

That wraps up 2025!  We're looking forward to the new that 2026 brings.  I look forward to finally launching the cupping treatment and there are some further training courses planned for 2026.  Wishing everyone a wonderful last two months of the year.🌟

Monsoon updates!

 Monsoon season is in full swing and I'm sure many of you are enjoying the cooler temperatures although the rain has been a little challenging at times.  Here is the latest blog post to keep you all up to date.

Yoga with Anna

A few of you have been asking about the yoga class, so here is a reminder.

Anna is our brilliant yoga instructor who runs a regular Tuesday class at the studio as well as regular classes at Salt, on Wednesday and Friday mornings.  Her class at JRT is on a Tuesday morning at 11.30am.  Class size is kept small at all locations so there is a focus on personalised attention.  Anna lives and breathes yoga and is an exceptional teacher, I've even attended some classes with her myself and found them hugely beneficial.  

Definitely worth exploring one of her classes either here at J.R.T or at the Salt studio.  Her Friday class especially focuses upon women's health and is a more soothing and restorative class.  

You can message Anna for further details via Insta:anna_burrell_yoga

Sound meditation schedule and private sessions

Sound meditation has been a little difficult to run recently due to the monsoon season and the persistant rain which I know makes it challenging for some of you to attend as it can be hard to reach on time or get cabs.  We hope to offer a class soon once the weather is a little more predicatable.  

In the meantime you are welcome to organise your own private session either just for yourself or for a small group of you.  This way you get a more personal experiece and at a time and date to suit.  For a group of 3 or more people the cost is 650Rs per person so it's a wonderful way to experience sound meditation with friends and family. 

Also a reminder, we do offer therapy sessions where you receive 60 or 90 minutes of massage followed by a 30 minute sound meditation session.  It's a very relaxing treatment and really helps to clear the mind.

Traveling from 7th to 15th August

I will be traveling from 7th to 15th August, over the Rakhi and Independence holidays as I am taking a trip to Vietnam. This is some time away so I will remind you closer to the time but it may help with planning your sessions.

 I'll be looking forward to experience the massage treatments there and seeing how they differ!  It's always a good time to receive a treatment😀 

 

Reminder of the cancellation policy

So that it stays fresh in everyones minds and to create transparency, a little reminder of the cancellation policy.  Understandably things come up and plans can change, however to ensure fairness all round, it's necessary to give 12 hours notice otherwise the cancellation fee, which is half the session, will be charged.  The twelve hours notice allows enough time for the session to be filled by someone else and to continue a harmonious working relationship.  I know many of you are aware of the cancellation policy and we're fortunate to get very few cancellations but this is a simple reminder for those who may have forgotten or who may be new to the service.

New products from Indi-ssentials and updated product brochure

Aside from the various treatments we are offering at J.R.T and our classes, we have our Indi-ssentials natural aromatherapy and skin care range, made with natural ingredients, harnessing the goodness of essential oils.  We're currently working on some lovely new products including a revitalising facial oil which leaves skin feeling silky soft and rejuvenated and a new hand made soap range.

Several of you have asked for the product brochure and I am currently adding our new products such as the Dreamer pillow spray and Summer Fresh body oil to this but will share in the coming week with everyone.  We make all our products here in the C scheme studio, hand made by myself and my team.

Importance of exercise

Massage is a wonderful way of looking after ourselves physically but it's really important to get that balance right, which involves regular exercise.  Exercise increases mobility and range of motion.  It increases strength in the muscles which support the neutral alignment of the body and strengthens key areas which may be weak and are causing pain and compensation from other muscles and affecting the mechanics of our body.

When we initially start working out again our muscles can feel more sore.  This is a reaction to the exercise and the body and nervous system will begin to adjust within a few days.  It's important to perservere and keep going with the exercise as the long term benefits allow a stronger more supported body.

Ideally it's most beneficial to do a mixture of cardio, strength and stretching. 

 So for example, with cardio you want to be getting your heart rate up, this could be done with brisk walking (it must be brisk or light jogging, not a gentle walk), running, cycling, swimming, working out in the gym, HIT classes, pickle or paddle ball, zumba or dance classes.

Strength, then you need to be doing weight based exercises which are either using your own body weight and resistance, such as push ups, plank, squats, mountain climbers, bridge & lunges.  Alternatively by using weights to carry out various exercises such as bicep curls, dumbell bench press, dumbell chest press, dumbell lunges & dumbell overhead.

Stretching is necessary to stretch out the muscles which get tight from all the above exercise and it's helpful to regularly use a foam roller on muscles post exercise to break down any tension within the muscle.  Stretching might be as simple as putting together your own stretching routine of various stretches or attending classes such as yoga and pilates.  Both help to elongate muscles, increase flexibility and work muscles in a way that the other two forms of exercise don't.

So if you want to keep those aches and pains away and stay stronger for longer, think about incorporating the three forms of exercise into your regular routine.  One form alone is not enough.  These days in Jaipur we are fortunate to have several different places/classes for exercise.  

We're always happy to go through exercises with you here at J.R.T and recommend a range of exercises that may be helpful.  I know many of you ask for exercises and in the coming months we will be recording specific exericses so you can see how to do that at home too.  We also offer rehab sessions at the studio for anyone who want to be shown how to do exercises.  I'll provide more information in the next blog post.  In the meantime here is a website with a range of videos showing you how to do the exercises so you can get started straight away.

https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/best-dumbbell-exercises-rcna17936

Many clients who work out often have regular massage as muscles do get tight as a result of the exercise and do need releasing from the work outs but the muscles are stronger, their fitness is better and they are keeping their heart healthy and supporting the joints.  So massage and exercise go wonderfully together.

Have fun in the rain and enjoy those cooler temperatures!

Happy Holi and recent updates

Hi All.  I hope everyone had a good February and made the most of the last of the plesasant weather.  Jaipur has certainly got warm once again.  Summer is almost here and the busiest period coming to an end.

 Holi festivities

Before all that though we have Holi! Happy Holi everyone.  I hope you all have a great time celebrating.  Have a briliant time!

The Indian Wedding

As many of you know, February was a busy month for me and I got married.  I haven't had an opportunity to share photos with everyone till now so am putting some here.  Dhruv and I got married over the 14th & 15th February.  It was a fun and special occassion and lovely to have our friends and loved ones there.  

 We have decided not to take our honeymoon now and will take it in the summer time instead.  It was a busy time getting organised for the wedding though and I took 10 days off which included spending some time with my sister and friends who visited.  I've been back massaging since February 20th.  It's been a busy time catching up with you all.

UK travel dates

The season is coming to an end!  I know many of us are especially busy in these winter months and when summer comes along it's time to take a step back, prepare for the next season and take some time to do things we've been putting on hold.....perfect time to look after our health and fitness.

For me, that time of year will be here once again and i will be heading to the UK for my therapy work, along with time with my Mum to help take care of her.  

I will be away from 3rd April till 21st May, just over six and a half weeks, whilst I attend to my UK clients and help care for my Mum.  We will have a mini celebration in the UK with my Mum who was too unwell to travel.  There's still three weeks to go so there's time to book your sessions in and to enjoy all the different treatments that we offer at the studio.

Dry needling

We've been providing a lot of dry needling within our treatments recently, as we continue to see more people with specific injuries, tightness and areas of restriction.  It's been great to use the needling to get in there further and to enhance the massage therapy especially when working into some complex issues.

Dry needling and massage therapy work well together as the needling allows us to get deeper into a muscle, and to hit trigger points in a way that is different from massage.  We need the massage element to warm up the muscles, break down the specfic tight spots and then the needle to be used after to target the problem area further.

Healthy smoothie receipes

With summer almost here, it's a great opportunity to cool yourself down with a healthy smoothie.  Smoothies are a brilliant way of getting your daily fruit and vegetable requirements met as you can pack lots in to one smoothie, not to mention how filling they are, so can be used as a meal replacement.  Their simply a cup of tasty goodness.

There are some basic and easy recipes in this link and you can move onto trying to make your own or explore some of the more complex smoothies on this second site.  

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipes/smoothie/

https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/breakfast-smoothie-recipes/

The first link allows you to get a flavour for smoothies and is simple however it's even better if you can pack your smoothie with lots more fruit and veg.  Spinach and cucumber are great to add to smoothies

https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/vegan-healthy-superfood-smoothie/

I know I'm going to be enjoying a lot of smoothies over this warm weather.

Importance of sleep

We all know sleep is good for us but do we know what sleep really does to help us?  

Sleep allows our body to heal and repair and this includes our brain and memory.  It allows our tissues to repair and so sleep is crucial for keeping ourselves healthy both physically and mentally.  Lack of sleep can leave you feeling emotional, unable to concentrate properly, lead to more aches and pains as the body hasn't had enough time to rest and a weakened immune system.  It can lead to elevated levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

The phrase good sleep for good health is so true and with the right amount of sleep, which for most people is 7 - 9 hours, you boost your immune system, allow the body to repair itself which means quicker recovery, improve concentration and reduce stress levels.  Reducing our screentime and setting up healhty night time habits can help to have better sleep which in turn will affect how you physically and mentally feel.

As a reminder, I will be heading to UK on 3rd April and return 6 and a half weeks later on 21st May.  It's a long trip but it's important I spend time with my Mum whose health still continues to be problematic.  

So if you'd like a session before i go then we have several weeks but letting everyone know in advance so you can book in what you need to before my travels.

Have a wonderful Holi, full of light, fun and positivity!

Fit and Fab in Feb

 I'm late with the belated New Year wishes!  Hard to believe already a month of the year is over.  I hope everyones year is off to a good start.  That you've set some nice goals and intentions and are ready for a great year ahead.

It feels like winter is coming to an end and the warmer weather has already begun.  The warmer weather will certainly be benefical for all those aches and pains as the cold tends to make things worse.  

The new year is a great opportunity to start putting the health first.  So why not take up the challenge of getting Fit in Feb and by fit we mean not just phyiscally but mentally too.  It's time to give yourself an overhaul.

Yoga Class

At J.R.T we offer a regular Tuesday morning yoga class.  Several of you have expressed interest in attending, so maybe this is the month to do so.  Anna runs a class at 11.30am every Tuesday and is a very experienced yoga teacher with a real passion for yoga and well being.  She finishes with a lovely little meditation at the end after a thorough yoga workout.

Sound Meditation

Our regular sound meditation session has moved from the Saturday evening to Thursday evening.  It runs every three weeks.  If it's a little too long to wait inbetween sessions, you can also organise your own private group or individual session.

Sound meditation is a wonderful way of soothing the mind and body.  A way to switch off, to let go, to clear the thoughts and find that inner stillness.  Through the range of different instruments being played, it creates a rhythmical and cleansing space.  Sound meditation is ideal for people who struggle to meditate as before you know it, you've drifted off to a floating calmness.  It's ideal for people who've never meditated before or find it hard to switch off.

Benefits of Meditation - How to get started

I think many of us know the benefits of meditation, that it helps to reduce stress levels, provide mental clarity, enhances self awareness, allows you to think better and be less consumed and controlled by emotions.  Clients often ask me about how to meditate, as although they like the idea of it, they find it hard to do.  

To get started with meditation, it can help to have something to focus upon, some people use a candle flame others use an image on the wall.  By looking at the object and staying focused upon it, so that you are in the moment, the mind can begin to clear.  If you're struggling, you can focus on the breathing.  It can help to set an alarm so that you're only meditating for a few minutes to begin with and by having the alarm you can resist the temptation to see how long you have been meditating for.  In the beginning, meditating can feel long when it has only been 2 minutes.  

Setting yourself the intention of meditating for 5 minutes to begin with and three times a week are more realistic plans than trying to meditate everyday and so you're more likely to stick to this.   You can then build it up as time goes on. Music can sometimes help and it's always best to find a quiet place where you're not likely to be interrupted.

Goal Setting

Whilst January is often a key time for setting those goals and intentions, February is the perfect time too.  Pyshologists say that we are more likely to keep up the goals we set in February as opposed to the ones we make at the beginning of the year.  With goal setting, it's always best to set goals that may push you somewhat out of your comfort zone but are also realistic, so no goal setting that you'll go to the moon this year!  

If you set yourself between 5 - 7 goals for the year, it gives you a more achievable time limit to complete them within and doesn't leave you feeling overwhelmed.  You can review the goals on a monthly or regular basis to see how you're progressing towards completing them and if any need changing out as sometimes the things we thought we wanted, we no longer do. It helps to set monthly steps to work towards your goals so that you are making the practical steps to achieving them.  Perhaps there are goals and intentions you've had that you've been putting off and you could make them your target for the year.  Mine will be to work on my strength and flexibility as overall strength is so important for us.

Finishing for the wedding

As many of you know, i am getting married this month.  It's been a busy and hectic time to get here but we are looking forward to the celebrations ahead.  This will be my last full working week before i finish on the 9th Feb.  It will resume work from 21st Feb.  So if you do want a session before the wedding and my 10 days off, then send me a message and will get you booked in.  Sessions are filling fast.

That's all for this month.  Hope everyone has a great February😊