Introducing New Moon Holistic Therapies
January 22nd 2020
Alison has been running a complementary therapy clinic from her home in Nottinghamshire since 2016. Working alone, she offers clients a range of treatments, from reflexology and Indian head massage to Reiki, ear candling and Rose quartz hot and cold stone therapy.
Step into her tranquil therapy room, with its soothing music and calming aromas, and you’re suddenly a million miles away from the daily grind and its accompanying stresses and strains. However, it was a mundane prang on the road that initially put Alison on the path to enlightenment.
The road to Reiki…
Alison explains, “I had an old whiplash injury with recurring neck and shoulder pain. One day my mum suggested I try Reiki so I did and I had a ‘Wow!’ moment. It worked straight away and I was instantly fascinated, and grateful. That was in 2001 and by 2003 I had decided to train in the discipline myself.”
Reiki – for those unfamiliar – simply means ‘universal life force’, or energy.
“I had an old whiplash injury with recurring neck and shoulder pain. One day my mum suggested I try Reiki so I did and I had a ‘Wow!’ moment.
Practitioners use a ‘palm-healing’ technique to channel energy from their hands to the patient to help them heal. Patients simply lie down or sit (fully-clothed) during the treatment.
After spending over a decade doing her Reiki training, Alison is now a qualified Reiki master and works with babies, children, adults and animals. “I love working with children,” she says, “They’re usually more receptive than a lot of adults are at first, because they have none of the scepticism.” Saying that…
“My husband, the sceptic, is my guinea pig!”
Alison says, “My husband is the world’s biggest sceptic; he’s very logically minded and when I first got into Reiki, he was like ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever. You believe that it does something, that’s what’s important’ – but now he receives regular Reiki from me he’s seen first-hand how it works.”
She explains, “My husband was diagnosed with a kidney condition in 2012 but with regular Reiki we’ve managed to contain the condition. I put my hands on his back, over his kidneys, for 10-15 minutes and that’s all he needs – he’s not on any other medication.”
Practice makes perfect…
Along with being a Reiki master, Alison is a Level 5 Reflexologist (the highest level) and a Level 4 aromatherapist, and a professional member of the Association of Reflexologists (AOR) and International Federation of Aromatherapists (IFA).
She also practices the Native American practice of Hopi Ear Candling, from her clinic, and has recently trained in Elemental Healing – a discipline, similar to Reiki, which sees the practitioner draw on the energy of the four natural elements. “I’m so excited about Elemental Healing and will be doing a big push on that soon.”
In stormy weathers…
So do turbulent times bring more clients through the doors? An increase in brought-on-by-Brexit stresses and strains, for example?
“No, whatever’s happening out there in politics or society doesn’t really impact my business in that way,” Alison says. “Your health is your health and that’s why people come to me. Sadly, Brexit or no Brexit, we live in a stressful society, which means I’ll always have a steady stream of clients.”
Space and time…
It’s important for Alison that she leaves breathing space between appointments so she never experiences overwhelm.
“I made the choice to see no more than three or four clients in one day,” she says. “Practicing Reiki or Elemental Healing can be very draining as you’re drawing in another person’s energy, so I only ever do one of those healing practices a day. I will balance it out with reflexology, or aromatherapy sessions. I also have one client who travels to see me for chakra balances.”
The power of meditation
Alison extols the virtues of daily meditation and believes it’s something many small business owners could benefit from.
“You only need to do it for 5 minutes a day if that’s all you have time for,’ she says. “You don’t even need to sit down. You can meditate while you’re walking to work by focusing on your breath or your footsteps.
“Every time your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath or your footsteps,” she explains. “I think some people feel intimidated by the idea of meditation but it can be as simple as that.”
And that’s where Bionic comes. Alison uses us for her broadband and says, “I always look at Bionic first. You never know, they might have had a new supplier come on board that wasn’t there before, so if I don’t check regularly I might miss out. It’s a really handy service – and means one less job for me!”
“You only need to do it for 5 minutes a day if that’s all you have time for."
Mindful business
For Alison, meditation is an essential tool for helping to bring presence and balance to all the different elements of her work.
“It’s really important for me to keep learning, keep training and keep evolving my business,” she says. “Being a member of AOR and IFA helps me stay in the loop with business-related matters. When GDPR came out, for instance, I learnt all about how to stay compliant. That was really important as I do all my website and social media myself.”
And relax…
So with running her treatment clinic, training in new disciplines, and managing her own website and social media, does Alison ever get chance to switch off?
“Yes, I do,” she laughs. “I get wonderful monthly massages from my old aromatherapy teacher, and in the evening I like nothing more than having a long bath.
“When you run your own business there’s always something you could be doing, but it’s really important to make the effort to switch off and make time for yourself. It’s why I meditate in the morning, every day, without fail.”
And with that, we’re off to practice our mindful walking meditation!
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