A step back in time
This was an interview from the grand opening of the centre in September 16th 2013. Looking how far the centre has grown and to be honest how much I have grown as a person and a business owner still amazes me. From a simple dream to what is now a thriving hub of wellness.
Thank you for growing with me over these years.
Claire
“Congratulations on the launch party, it seemed to be a great success! What made you decide to open your own centre?
Thanks it was a brilliant success, I am so proud of all the therapists for all their hard work and enthusiasm throughout the day. I always wanted to open a clinic It’s something I always dreamed of doing, but there was never the right property, or the right time. I stumbled upon 10 Main Street by accident. I was taking a break from doing some work on the computer so I just decided to go onto to have a look at commercial properties in the area, and saw this space for rent. I rang up on the off-chance to have look the next day, came along and from the second I walked through the door, I just knew this was the clinic and now was the time. That was the second week in June, I was in the building by the second week in July and just went from there. I have been a therapist since 2002 and self-employed since graduating. It hasn’t always been easy, especially when you are out on your own and sometimes paying quite high rent with no extra support. This is where the idea of River Holistic came from, I wanted to create a space for other self-employed therapists where they can use as their own clinic with the added support of having other therapists there for advice, support, clinic support (website, reception, social media and advertising) and in-house referrals. It can be a lonely world when you work for yourself so this way it gives the encouragement that some people need to stay in this business and build a busy practice.
You have diplomas in such a wide range of holistic therapies. Do you have a particular favourite?
I love all my therapies, I think they choose me from time to time. Some months I can be inundated with Fertility and Pregnancy clients, and they are so dear to my heart, I really try to make these women feel as comfortable and safe as possible. This is another reason for opening the clinic. To assure that the space where my clients are coming feels safe and secure. Following months I could have 8 clients a day for massage of some description. So to answer your question; my favourite therapy is whatever suits my clients needs the most. I make sure I only do what I would like to receive.
What is your vision for River Holistic Centre?
I would love to see River Holistic Centre celebrating its 20th year in business with the same clients that were there on the grand opening. My vision is to create a completely integrated complementary and alternative health centre to cater for north Dublin and beyond, for every walk of life and every situation in life. I feel we are almost getting there with 14 therapists offering such an extensive list of therapies, treatments and classes.
If you could choose anyone at all to give a holistic treatment to, who would you like to get your hands on?!
My Husband, Bless him! He hasn’t had a massage off me in probably 10 years! They say never bring your work home with you and unfortunately for him this is the case.
I know you’ve been really busy getting the centre opened while still keeping on your regular clients, how do you like to relax/spend your down time?
My down time is very precious to me, I love spending as much time as I can with my 2-year-old son Flynn and my husband Carl, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them, so be it grabbing an hour to go down to the park and splash in some puddles, or just getting home in time to put Flynn to bed then I’m happy.
What three words would you use to describe the River Holistic Centre?
Welcoming, safe, home.
August Full Moon
Sturgeon Full Moon on the 22nd of August.
Another full moon in Aquarius! The July full moon is also in Aquarius, so this is the second in a row. That usually means the two Moons are linked, and what was focused on around the first one in July is again focused on with this second one in August. It may be that something started in July and finishes in August, or we get an idea of things in July and see culminations in August. This can be the best time for culminations and results, and this may focus on change, the future, our dreams, or the masses. We may gain independence, make strides with innovation, or realize invention and it’s going to bring positivity our way.
FULL MOON RITUALS STURGEON MOON RITUALS:
Water Ritual:
• Take two cups, one with water, one without.
• On the cup with water, pop a post-it note saying what you want to release.
• On the empty cup, pop a post-it note saying what you want to embody and welcome.
• Take the cup with water, and say thank you for the lessons and what you’re being shown to release. Then pour the water into the other cup.
• Visualize yourself becoming all you want to be and drink the water.
Smoke and Sage Ritual:
When doing a full Moon ritual, you will need very simple tools, your sage and or palo santo wood, your shell and stand, a bowl of water, a candle and three pieces of blank paper to write down three things you want to let go of.
Make sure you are doing this in a comfortable space and somewhere that is safe to burn your sage or palo santo wood. Remember to open the window in the room you are in, so the negative can leave your home.
Write down 1 thing you want to let go of on each piece of paper and fold them up.Light your candle and place beside the bowl of water.
Choose 1 piece of paper at a time and set your intention to let this go from your life, take a deep breath and light it from the candle, then place in the water.
Do this for each thing you want to let go of and each time setting your intention.
Once all three things have been released from their hold on you, light your sage and smudge your head and heart and direct it out the window.
This is such a simple technique that you can do anytime you feel a little overwhelmed.
Let’s all release and welcome this full moon.
xx
Claire
Chakra cleansing with crystals
Before you begin to balance, rinse your crystals under cold running water. This removes any contaminants. You can also take notes and write down how you are feeling prior to the balancing process. Using your sage to clear your crystals releasing any negative energy and also clearing the space you intend to do this in. Before you place your crystals make sure to set your intentions of love and balance into them.
Relax and prepare to balance your chakras. Go to a quiet place and lay on your back. Take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly to relax. You can also set the mood with anything else you find relaxing such as music, nature sounds, light some incense or a candle.
- As you inhale, imagine that you are breathing in a healing white light. As you exhale, imagine that you are breathing out all of your stress and negative emotions.
- Your energy is connected to your thoughts. It is important that you have positive thoughts when you are trying to balance your chakras.
A very simple affirmation to have in your head is:
I am happy. My life is full of amazing people, opportunities and love. I am healthy and I have everything that I need. When I take a moment to pause and look at my life, I can see just how blessed I am for all the wonderful things that have formed in my life. I am beyond grateful and my life is full of abundance
Place the crystal on your chakra. Take the crystal that corresponds to your chakra and place it on that chakra. The energy of the crystal will vibrate and restore balance. Imagine that the crystal is glowing and spreading throughout your chakra.
You can place the crystals directly on your skin or on top of your clothes.
Start at the root and work your way up. Place the crown chakra crystal right above your head instead of directly on your head
Allow the crystals to work. The crystals work on their own. You do not have to do anything extra. Leave them in place between five and 10 minutes, and then evaluate how you feel. Make mental or handwritten notes about how you feel. If you feel more balanced, remove the crystals. If you do not feel better, leave the crystals on for another five to 10 minutes.
Remove the crystals. Once you are finished with your session, remove each of the crystals. Start at the crown and work your way down. You do not have to deactivate your crystals.
- Drink a lot of water after your session to continue the balancing process.
Other ways to use your chakra stones:
Sleeping with your crystals:
- Sleep with a chakra bag. Clean your crystals and place them in a small bag. This bag should only be used to hold your crystals. Place the bag under your pillow when you go to sleep at night.
- Before you go to sleep, ask the stones to balance you as you are sleeping.
- You can use the affirmation from above or you can do a visual meditation before you go to sleep. Doing a body scan visualize each chakra at a time starting at the root chakra and working up. You can either see visualize the colour while doing these or send warmth and light to each chakra as you move your way towards the crown chakra.
Carry your crystals.
You can carry your crystals with you as you go about your day. You can carry all seven of your crystals with you, or you can just carry a few that you would like to focus on. Place the crystals as close to your body as you can
- For example, if you are having problems in a relationship, you may carry aventurine crystal around with you to balance your heart chakra.
- You can carry your crystals with you all day or for a specific situation. For example, if you are dealing with anxiety about a presentation you have to do, you may keep a obsidian (Root Chakra) and Sodalite (throat chakra) crystal in your pocket during your presentation. The obsidian will help you with your confidence and the Sodalite can help you with your communication.
- Keeping crystals that correspond with each chakra in your pillowcase, under your pillow or under your mattress can help balance the chakras. You may experience more vivid or even lucid dreaming.
- It helps just to keep the crystal close to you when sleeping and awake.
Selenite, should be cleansed with alternate methods (smoke, sound, moonlight, sunlight), as water will cause them to dissolve. Selenite can naturally charge your crystals for you.
Every full moon be sure to place your cystals somewhere that that they absorb new energy each month.
Self Care is your hands ~ Part 4
Welcome to the fourth installment of the ‘Self Care is in your hands’.
This video will show you how to use hand reflexology points to help with Migraines and headaches. We all know that the route cause of migraines can differ greatly from person to person and the symptoms can be mild to severe. These points are all about maintenance, keeping the muscles loose around the head and neck, working on your stress levels and just learning to connect back into your body and breathe.
I do recommend that you work these points along with the stress points and spine moves at least once a day if you are prone to migraines.
Remember if you are pregnant you CANNOT work the downward release point in this video.
I hope you get something from this installment and the next issue will be about healthy reproductive system.
Claire
Self Care is in your hands ~ Part 3
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to the next installment of Self Care is in your hands. Today I will be showing some very simple hand reflexology points for sinus congestion and the upper lymphatics.
More now than ever looking after yourselves should become part of our daily routines, not just when we are feeling unwell. By using these points in the video you can really help relieve that heavy feeling in your head and eyes you get when your sinuses are congested.
These points can be worked as often as you need.
I hope you enjoy and if you would like to look back at the previous videos on Neck, Back and shoulder tension and the Stress and Anxiety points, you can add them into your daily routine of self care.
Please just ask if you ave any questions
How to sage (smudge) to create a safe space in your home.
How to sage your home correctly
Before lighting up your sage, you should do a quick lap through your home and remove any excess clutter. Open all windows, closets, and doors in your home.
Then, head to your favourite space in your home and place your sage into your shell. Burn a candle, set an intention, and then light the sage using the candle. Blow it out so the embers are glowing. With both hands, bring the smoke into your heart, over your head and down the front and back body to cleanse yourself.
Next, it’s time to get your smudge on. Starting on the lowest level of your space, move room to room and use your feather (if you have one) to waft the smoke into all four corners, where the ceiling and walls meet. Then, direct the smoke out through windows and doorways.
Once you’ve finished smudging, extinguish your sage by rubbing it in dirt or sand, on concrete, or stamping it out in a ceramic bowl. (Whatever you do, just don’t put sticks out in water—you won’t be able to use them again.) Return the shell and sage to your favourite space and give gratitude to the plant for its healing.
After the smoke clears
Once we’ve cleansed a space, the energy often neutralizes. At this moment, it’s important to fill the space with the energy of love. This is where I recommend using the Palo Santo wood in the exact same process to welcome the positive energy into your home and heart.
You can choose to use either or both the Sage and Palo Santo, use what your heart tells you is right for the day.
I believe you should sage once a week. But like any kind of wellness practice, the more frequently you do it, the better. Morning time is the best however for the likes of a full moon ritual then you would practice this in the evening of the full moon.
Full Moon Ritual
The full moon is a perfect time to let thoughts and feelings go from your life that you no longer need, as it symbolizes a new phase in the world.
When doing a full Moon ritual, you will need very simple tools, your sage and or palo santo wood, your shell and stand, a bowl of water, a candle and three pieces of blank paper to write down three things you want to let go of.
Make sure you are doing this in a comfortable space and somewhere that is safe to burn your sage or palo santo wood. Remember to open the window in the room you are in, so the negative can leave your home.
Write down 1 thing you want to let go of on each piece of paper and fold them up.
Light your candle and place beside the bowl of water.
Choose 1 piece of paper at a time and set your intention to let this go from your life, take a deep breath and light it from the candle, then place in the water.
Do this for each thing you want to let go of and each time setting your intention.
Once all three things have been released from their hold on you, light your sage and smudge your head and heart and direct it out the window.
This is such a simple technique that you can do anytime you feel a little overwhelmed.
Self Care is in your hands
This is the first in a series of hand reflexology self help videos that you can use anytime anywhere.
The first video is all about back, neck and shoulder care. These points are perfect for helping with tension that can build up in these areas, especially at the moment with everyone working from home and not having the proper desk or chair at home.
I would recommend doing these simple moves at least three times a day with 5 minutes per hand.
Trust how it feels and don’t be shy of your pressure.
