ABOUT EMMA

So Far.......

It’s a strange process having to write about myself, this is what I know so far.

I am a dedicated advocate of health, well being, self care and self healing through food, breath and movement. I am dedicated to this because I was seriously overweight for all of my childhood and young adult life. At the age of 21 I finally shed the excess pounds by joining a local slimming class. I then became a slimming consultant for a major national slimming company but became disillusioned with the restrictive eating plans and realised shortly after losing the weight that you don’t lose the mental white noise of food and weight obsession just because the weight has gone. I needed to educate myself in a more constructive way so studied and finally became an independent nutritionist. As I studied nutrition I became interested in growing my own food and the crucial connection between food and good health. However, I realised I could not have good health through simply eating the right foods, it had to be a package that encompassed exercise and mental well-being too.

Finding an exercise regime that you can stick too for a lifetime is somewhat of a task. The reason we give up on most things is because we don’t really enjoy them enough to start with. We think we enjoy them especially when we get that post workout adrenalin rush, but actually the next time we come round to exercise again we dread it. So we stick it out for a few weeks or months and then the first reason we get not to do it we promise ourselves we will do it next week, but before you know it months have passed. You maybe thought about it every week and made yourself feel guilty for finding the lamest excuse not to do it, sound familiar? Does this activity sound like something you loved to start with? NO! I’m just like you. It took years of going to gyms and trying every exercise class around to discover that I didn’t really love any of them. Over the years I honed it down to just doing what I love. I love being outdoors, I love walking, I love cycling. I discovered I loved things that calmed me down not whipped me into an adrenalin frenzy. I’m not saying you should love what I love, I’m saying you should only do what you love.

I discovered Qigong quite by accident, whilst searching for a yoga class online I came across a headline ‘Qigong - moving meditation’, I loved the idea of meditation but the reality for me was always disappointing, I could never get comfortable, could never really turn my thoughts off and always felt like I’d never quite done it right. Moving meditation sounded interesting so I gave it a go. I was hooked after just one session. The combination of connecting the breath with the gentle flowing  movements of Qigong was a breakthrough for me.  Qigong is not just good for mental health but physical health too, and after years of practise and feeling the numerous long term benefits I had a yearning to pass on this ancient centuries old healing practise to others. It’s very rewarding sharing my knowledge base and seeing people regain control of their health and mental well-being.

Even though Qigong is classed as a martial art I try and remove any preconceived ideas people may have about this form of exercise giving it a contemporary approach using language and metaphors that relate to today’s modern lifestyle and delivering it in a relatable way. The gentle breath and movement is so effective at increasing and maintaining good physical and mental health and can be practised by anyone, any age, any fitness, anywhere, no previous experience, no special clothing, and you only need a small amount of space to practise in.

I’m a student of life.

I never stop learning.

The rest I am still finding out.

If you want to turn the volume down on that incessant mental noise and see your physical & mental health grow then come and join me and Find your Flow

Emma