Hey! You with your face in your phone! Do you ever feel like a floating head, stuck in a world that is mostly isolated to the space between your ears? You're not alone. Yoga therapist Cléo Burke says that when she teaches mind-body awareness workshops the first thing she does is help folks remember that they have a body. If it's been awhile since you've tapped into the plethora of wisdom located below your neck, these unique local wellness experiences will help.
Chakradance According to instructor Brenda Mailer, Chakradance involves spontaneous movement, guided visualization and music that resonates to the frequency of each of the seven chakras. Dancers let go of their inhibitions and discover a deeper self-connection and gain insights about their lives, allowing their bodies to take the lead. seabrightspirit.ca/chakradance
Painting dot mandalas Ginger LeBoutillier, the owner of the local social enterprise Travelling Kindness Rocks, leads workshops in the surprisingly easy but strikingly beautiful art of painting dot mandalas on rocks. Creating dot mandalas is meditative, focusing your thoughts and allowing your worries to fall away. Sign up for a workshop, or purchase everything you need to get started, including instructional videos. travellingkindnessrocks.ca
Yoga therapy Cléo Burke is a Halifax psychotherapist who uses somatic and body-based methods to enhance the therapeutic experience. "Yoga therapy is about including our bodies as a source of support and information for creating change in our lives—whether it's dealing with life transitions or mental health issues," says Burke. "We spend a lot of time managing our thoughts, rather than looking at our whole selves." Yoga therapy helps folks notice the physical experience of their emotions, and to connect to the wisdom of their bodies to support healing.
Reiki Reiki master Nicole Clarke describes reiki as "an energetic healing modality that cleanses and clears on a mental, emotional, spiritual and physical level." Whether or not you channel regular updates from your root chakra, reiki is beneficial for stress relief and relaxation, and leaves the recipient with a feeling of renewal and clarity. There are reiki practitioners aplenty in our fine city—head to the Canadian Reiki Association website or the Atlantic Association of Energetic Healing Modalities for a listing of some local practitioners. reiki.ca, aaehm.ca
The Salt Room An unassuming space off of busy Joseph Howe Drive, The Salt Room is a small room filled with thousands of pounds of Dead Sea salt on the floor, clinging to the walls and vaporized into the air. Salt therapy, or halotherapy, is especially effective in easing respiratory issues ranging from the common cold to cystic fibrosis. Visitors to the salt room also inhale negative ions, thought to increase oxygen delivery to the body and make you feel energized. thesaltroom.ca
Sauna Nova Scotia Sweat your way to bliss this winter. Tucked off of Windsor Street, Sauna Nova Scotia is the brainchild of Erica and Devin Brook, who built the mobile wood-fired sauna structure themselves. Time spent sweating in the beautifully appointed space is great for relaxation and relieving aches and pains. Brook says that being in the heat encourages sitting still and really paying attention to what your body is feeling. Sweat-ers can purchase a membership and get a schedule at the website. saunanovascotia.com
