Discover 6 ways to prioritise yourself this year!
To find rejuvenation on your doorstep, look no further than these local gems for the wellness trends set to transform your 2024
Strength training
An accessible workout focusing on strength not only brings the obvious benefit of building muscle, but it can also burn body fat, increase bone density and improve core strength.
Nicole Wright is a personal trainer at Fresh in Ely, and teaches its Fresh Strong and Kettlebells classes. “Many of the moves you’ll find in a strength programme will be targeting those abs without you even realising,” she says.
Classes such as Nicole’s offer a beginner-friendly, low-intensity workout, starting with light weights that can be built up over time.
The emphasis is entirely on slow movement and control. “Find yourself a great class or trainer so you can be given the correct support.
The key is to be executing all the moves with proper technique, this way you’ll get the results you’re after in no time!”
Sound baths
A meditative experience whereby you allow yourself to be ‘bathed’ by waves of sound, gong baths are an increasingly popular phenomenon.
Local coach Emma, from Sound Our Souls, came to the experience after finding herself unable to commit regularly to traditional meditation.
“I was drawn into working with sound as a pathway into meditation and healing because I had developed the belief that I couldn’t meditate, based partly on a stereotype of what a meditative state is and also from ‘failing’ at the methods tried,” she shares.
The beauty of the experience is its simplicity – all you have to do is lie back or find a comfortable position and feel the vibrations of sound as they wash over you.
“There is no such thing as a typical experience,” Emma says. “Each individual will process their emotions differently, holding tension and trauma in the body in their own unique way.”
The most commonly reported benefits from sound bathing include achieving a state of deep relaxation somewhere between awake and asleep (with many actually falling entirely asleep during the process!), a sense of peace, reduction in physical pain, stress, depression or anxiety, creative insight and a really good night’s sleep.
Rasul mud treatment
A traditional Arabian cleansing ritual, Rasul entails covering your face and body with nourishing muds before you are placed in an environment of steam and heat to cleanse the body of impurities, release toxins and soothe tense muscles.
A warm shower at the end leaves you with smooth skin, and more often than not, a clear mind. A full treatment package can be experienced at Newmarket’s Bedford Lodge Spa.
“Our Rasul chamber is the perfect way to unwind, relax and revitalise,” according to spa manager, Kate Lake. “The combination of the self-administered mud treatment and a relaxing steam have been used for thousands of years, using natural materials and philosophies. Why not try it out for yourself? Silky-smooth skin awaits!”
Meditation
“The average person has over 60,000 thoughts a day (according to Dr Fred Luskin at Stanford University).
A significant portion of them – around 90% – follow cyclical patterns, with 75% leaning towards negativity.
This highlights a tendency to be bound by repetitive and pessimistic thought patterns, affecting both our wellbeing and mental or physical efficiency,” shares Sarah from learning centre Inner Space Cambridge.
“Redirecting our thoughts towards the inner realm of peace and joy creates an internal environment of wellness. This, in turn, enables us to contribute the best of ourselves to life and play a role in fostering a positive external atmosphere for the wellbeing of others.”
Offering free events and online/in-person talks, courses and retreats, Inner Space is the perfect place to embark on your meditation journey and equip yourself with the mental tools to navigate life’s challenges positively.
CBD health
Natural CBD products are set to continue captivating consumers into 2024, and Peterborough-based Hapi Hemp is poised to answer the demand as a trusted brand that offers products which are fully tested and traceable from seed to bottle.
Founded by Lorraine and Sam, two women whose lives were transformed by CBD, Hapi Hemp epitomises the intersection of personal passion and wellness innovation.
“CBD’s appeal lies in its multifaceted wellness benefits. It’s more than a trend; it’s a lifestyle choice and more and more people are finding out just how effective CBD is,” says Lorraine. As the brand’s newest product, CBD patches have become a bestseller.
“Our patches deliver ingredients directly into the bloodstream, ensuring no wastage and providing benefits for 24 hours,” Sam explains.
The CBD+ patch is a powerhouse of wellness, featuring turmeric, resveratrol, omega 3, 6, 9 and menthol. “It’s rare to find such a diverse range of beneficial ingredients in one supplement. So many people now take CBD, turmeric and omega oils, so to have them in one transdermal patch is a game changer!”
Breathwork
Breathwork is emerging as a powerful antidote to the stresses and anxieties so many of us live with.
Cambridge-based breathwork coach Katie Matthews guides group breath practices and one-to-one sessions in conscious connected breathwork – an embodied somatic practice that gently activates the nervous system to aid the release of suppressed negative energies and traumas (and no, it’s not Wim Hof).
“Breathwork is growing in popularity, and for good reason. The world can often feel like it’s gone crazy, life is moving fast and our attention is being pulled in a million different directions,” says Katie.
“By working with the breath, we can breathe into and release a lot of the suppressed stress, tension and emotions we’re holding onto. And the result is that our natural vitality becomes available to us once again – we start to feel lighter, brighter, more expansive and connected with ourselves. Because when we expand our breath, we expand our capacity for joy.”
To give breathwork a go, Katie is offering Edition readers 10% off your first one-to-one session with the code ‘Edition24’.
