INDEX sport And relax


Faversham and Whitstable; they are social and attract a large age range. You can expect improved breathing and decreased tension and pain. “It’s an antidote to the rush of our everyday lives, says Matthew, “and the skills stay with you when you leave.” Contact Matthew Brewer on 01227 365236 or see www.taichi.uk.com.


Yoga


The need to relax is not a modern phenomenon; even 5000 years ago ancient texts referred to yoga.


Tai Chi


The classic image: a figure holding a graceful, controlled posture on top of a mountain. But can that inner peace be achieved in Kent? Matthew Brewer of Daoist


Internal Arts believes that “anyone can do it. We are 70 per cent fluid,” Matthew explains, “and tai chi benefits our circulation with the movement of liquids. Think of it like electricity. A problem area will break the whole circuit. Tai Chi helps smooth it out, softly, with turning movements.” It works on the inside of the body and opens the spine, particularly helpful to sufferers of lower back pain. Gentler than yoga, Matthew also ensures there are tea breaks in a class to enable the mind to assimilate the movements.


Can you still do other


vigorous sport or exercise? “Tai chi benefits your other sports,” Matthew believes.


Classes take place across the region, including in Canterbury,


10


“It is for your mind, your body and your spirit,” says Emma Slade from Whitstable Yoga, “and can help with stress, headaches and insomnia.” Emma’s classes include a variety of ages, and a quarter of participants are men. With movements in four directions (unlike gym treadmills and exercise bikes) it keeps you supple. It’s also known to decrease blood pressure and heart rate, and is calming for the nervous system. “This comes gradually,” Emma explains. “You can’t simply tell someone anxious to be still, and beginners will start with body postures.” Emma’s advice is to find an


insured British Wheel of Yoga teacher. There are different styles of yoga (ashtanga is a more cardiovascular variety). It complements other exercise too; use it before for flexibility. “The only purchase is possibly a mat,” says Emma. “You can get the basics and do it anywhere”


Contact Emma Slade on 07968 367783 or through www.whitstableyoga.co.uk.


Sophrology


Have you heard of Sophrology? “Everyone knows it in France, says Florence Parot. “French GPs often refer patients to a sophrologist in cases of insomnia, stress or burn out, or if they simply feel run down. At her academy in Faversham, Florence demonstrates ‘dynamic relaxation’. I’m pumping my arms and breathing out and then mimicking the firing of an arrow – aiming, pulling back, throwing forwards; it feels cathartic, my tense shoulders release, but I’m also aware and grounded in the here and now. “Our modern lives can be


so crazy,” Florence explains, “that we are all over the place. Sophrology helps to bring us back.” Florence asks how I feel. I


express a strong need to repeat the exercise with the other arm and Florence is not surprised. “It is about balance, and not simply relaxing.


“Sophrology introduces a toolbox of techniques including yoga, meditation, visualisation and guided relaxation, which empower participants to manage their stresses.” Developed in the 1960s by a Spanish neruo-psychiatrist, Sophrology is popular across


Work, bills, deadlines! Not sleeping, feeling run down?


Too often modern life leads to ill health, stress and unhappiness. What can we do to feel better? asks Kaz Russell-Graham


continental Europe in tackling weight loss and emotional problems – as well as pain and depression. “It is not interested in digging into your past,” says Florence, “but in helping you cope. Little by little your habits change. Your mind helps your body and your body helps your mind.


Florence Parot can be contacted on 07861 420 059 or through www. sophrologyacademy.co.uk.


Meditation


Another method of stilling the mind is meditation. Collin Beckley, director of the Birchington-based Meditation Trust, says: “Early research on meditation in the 1970s showed that there are levels of relaxation beyond those normally experienced which are only available when the mind settles into silence (‘transcending’ or yoga).” He adds that the effect can be very potent: “It elicits in the body the opposite of the ‘fight or flight’ response, a release of stress so powerful that life can be significantly changed on a personal and a collective level. The trust teaches


transcendental meditation across the area. See www. meditationtrust.com.


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