River Holistic is a very busy Holistic Centre based in Raheny, offering a vast array of Alternative and Complementary health therapies and multiple weekly classes in yoga, pilates, meditation and Mindfulness to name a few. We are looking for someone special to join our team to help to run our front desk on a part time basis, 3 daytime shifts (monday, tuesday 9.30am to 1.30pm and Thursdays 9.30am to 3pm) with possibilities of further hours.
Responsibilities including, but not limited to:
Provide the highest level of customer service to all of our visitors with the goal of creating a positive and friendly experience for all of our clients.
Engage with clients in person as well as over the phone and online
Assist clients with appointments, information on the right therapy for them, class and workshop bookings.
Ensure that the centre remains immaculate at all times and that any necessary supplies are always stocked. (we do also have a cleaner so for the most part cleaning will be minimal)
Work as a team with all of the therapists and teachers as well as providing timely feedback to the centres owner on all studio issues
Willingness to perform all other duties assigned by the centre’s owner (which will include-bookkeeping, assisting with social media, general marketing, assisting with the online and in-person shop)
Requirements
• Must have a broad understanding of Alternative and Complementary health. • Customer service experience • Be committed, reliable and punctual • Be friendly, enthusiastic, courteous and a team player • Ability to multitask • Great organisational skills and attention to detail • Friendly and professional phone and email etiquette • Initiate tasks and perform duties with confidence and self-motivation • Strong computer skills and social media skills
Starting: July 2022
To Apply: Email your CV in Word format to claire@riverholistic.ie including in your email a cover letter letting us know what makes you a great candidate for this position
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?
We all have things that trigger feelings of anxiety and stress. Some are small and insignificant, such as being stuck in traffic, and others are life disrupters that turn our world upside down. The one thing that’s certain is that trying to avoid those things that stress us is like trying to walk in between the raindrops in a thunderstorm.
The world we live in is only getting more complex. We are surrounded by choices. From the close to 100,000 drink combinations at Starbucks to the 27 apps on a typical smart phone. At times it seems that our ability to innovate has exceeded our ability to cope with innovation. It’s simply overwhelming.
Its’ no wonder that prescriptions for anti-anxiety meds have increased by 50% in the last 20 years.
Mobile technology isn’t helping any of this.
50 percent of us check our e-mail or text messages before getting out of bed in the morning.
60 percent of us sleep with our mobile devices in or near our bed (up to 79 percent for those under age fifty).
30 percent of millennials actually sleep with their smart phone “in” their bed.
We spend on average of 5.5 hours on mobile devices daily, however 40 percent of 22-32 year-olds spend more than 13 thirteen hours a day on their mobile device!
It’s all pointing to the inevitable conclusion that we live in a world whose complexity, uncertainty, and volatility is increasing faster than our ability to cope. When the context of change exceeds your ability to cope it creates stress.
Since we’re clearly not going to slow down the overall rate of change in the world, there are only two ways to reduce stress. You either have to avoid the triggers or learn to better cope with them. Notice that I didn’t say you had to adapt to the change. The greatest myth we perpetrate in modern society is that we have a mandate to adapt and accept every change. While that sounds very progressive, it can actually create even more stress because now you are not only anxious about the change but you’re also setting a high bar that you have to hurdle by adapting to something your body and mind really do not like, which in turn creates even more stress.
The fact is that not all change is good change that contributes value and quality to our lives. Take my earlier example of driving in traffic. If I could show you a way to get to your destination that is faster, more pleasant, more scenic, and which contributes something positive to your life wouldn’t you choose that over adapting to the traffic?
Although we don’t like to admit it, that’s the way most stress works. We choose to stay in stressful situations because we actually adapt to the presence of stress and accept it as normal. That only makes stress a permanent part of your life. Chronic stress is not normal. It damages your body, dulls your mind, and depresses you emotionally. And then all of these in turn make it even harder to cope with the triggers that create the stress.
So how do you reduce stress? Here are 10 ways to start both eliminating the triggers of stress and anxiety and coping with those that you have no control over.
1) Get off of Social Media
I know, I’ve started with one of the hardest and most difficult stressors to eliminate. With smartphones we are tethered to social media like tagged wildlife. Worse yet, studies have shown that social media triggers addictive and obsessive responses in the brain. But it’s not just what social media does to your brain but also what it does to your workload. Eliminating social media is exceptionally effective at reducing the stress of not having enough time. We spend nearly 2 hours each day on social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, and exponentially more right now. What would your day feel like if you had two extra hours to do things that you really needed to do? Well, guess what? You just got those two hours. It’s up to you how you use them.
2) Take a Break
Small breaks every 15 minutes have been shown to have a tremendously positive effect on productivity and well being. The key here is to avoid falling into the trap of believing that simply bumping up against an obstacle repeatedly will cause it to give way. In many cases that’s only going to increase your stress and frustration. Imagine your car being stuck in deep snow while you just keep spinning your wheels and digging deeper and deeper into the snow making it harder and harder to get out. Instead take a step back. Clear your mind. And then revisit whatever it is you’re dealing with from a new perspective.
3) Talk it Out
Depending on what type of personality you are this may appear to be very natural or very painful. This of us who like to retreat into the confines of our own mind believe that we can somehow will our way out of just about anything by focusing hard enough without interruption. In fact the worst thing in the world you can do to me when I’m stuck and stressed is to try and talk to me. My instinct is to shut you down faster than I’d swat away an annoying fly. Yet, conversation is one of the most therapeutic forms of problem solving. Keep in mind that I’m not suggesting someone else has the answer, but that your talking it out will help you find an answer. Although I’ll admit to being the last one to take my own advice on this, I can attest that as a holistic practitioner I’ve never ceased to be amazed at how people usually figure out their own problems with nothing more than encouragement and a bit of objective perspective.
4) Take a Walk/ Workout
Cliche, right? Perhaps, but walking actually release the feel good cocktail of endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin which stimulates you brain and causes you to feel better about yourself and your situation. Again, the challenge is that we want to believe we can “deal” with the stressor and we see walking away as a loss, when the greater loss is in spending much more time than is needed or warranted trying to “figure it out.”
5) Read
This is another one of those activities that we often see as distracting us from the task at hand. Yet, I’ve found that few things stimulate my ability to think through a problem more than the simple act of reading. Sometimes I’ll stumble across a nugget of wisdom that is tangentially or even directly applicable to my challenge at hand. But most times it’s just a way to get my mind to divert from a train of thought that has been holding it hostage. We don’t want to admit how easily we can become near sighted and lose peripheral vision necessary to think creatively.
6) Write, But Don’t Judge
This is one of my favorites. Our brains are muscles. They work best when we exercise them. But they also need time to recover and rebuild. I’m convinced that moderate amounts of acute stress are a good thing. If you’re a small business owner it’s just part of your life. Yet, the periods of recovery in between the stress are critically important. One way to give your brain time to recover is to write, I’m not talking about writing anything deeply meaningful or, for that matter, even remotely interesting. Instead, my suggestion is to simply write with no judgement about what you’re writing or how you are writing it. When you’re done writing just toss it in folder of random thoughts and streams of consciousness. It’s no different than going to the gym to workout. You’re not doing anything permanent. You’re not building a stone wall when you lift weights. You’re not going anywhere on that treadmill, or exercise bike. But you do it because it has a long term impact on you. Same with writing. Just do it for 5-15 minutes — no judgment, no proofing–and see how much sharper you are
7) Take a Nap
“And just when am I supposed to do that?” you’re asking. Well, that is exactly the problem. Most of us do not get enough sleep to begin with. Short power naps are one way to improve that. According to WebMD, “Research shows longer naps help boost memory and enhance creativity. Slow-wave sleep — napping for approximately 30 to 60 minutes — is good for decision-making skills, such as memorizing vocabulary or recalling directions. Getting rapid eye movement or REM sleep, usually 60 to 90 minutes of napping, plays a key role in making new connections in the brain and solving creative problems.” Yes, I know, the guilt of daytime napping is a hard one to cope with, which may contribute its own form of stress. Then again, if you haven’t tried it you may be very pleasantly surprised at its benefits.
8) Meditate
People fall into two categories, those who meditate and those who haven’t yet. Once you do it’s amazing how drawn you will be to it whenever stress shows up. I’m not going to give you a meditation method here. You need to study it and develop your own approach to meditation What I will share is something a good friend once told me. Meditating is not about trying not to think, instead it’s about allowing your mind to wander where it will while you observe calmly and without judgment. All I can say is, try it.
9) Listen to Music
In the age of mobility it seems as though each of our lives has a soundtrack. It’s a good thing and it can help reduce stress significantly. A group of neuroscientists at Mindlab International in the U.K have come across a piece of music that they claim reduces overall anxiety by 65 percent and reduces physiological responses to anxiety by 35 percent. I’ve often found music, in general, to be a wonderful way to help my mind get into a sort of creative zone where ideas flow smoothly and that same feel-good brain cocktail gets released. After all, who among us hasn’t been caught coping with rush hour traffic by performing a bit of carpool karaoke?
10) Stop Asking “What if?”
Lastly, it’s one thing to deal with the stress of the present without adding to it the stress of the past. While there are many episodes in each of our lives that we carry forward, the worst sort of stress is the “what if” games we pay about the past. I’m going to be very blunt here. The only reason to second guess the past is because you are unhappy with where you are now. If that wasn’t the case there would be no reason to questions how you got here. So, if that’s the case what you really need to focus on is your situation right now, right here. Do that and the what if games come to an end. Don’t do it and I will guarantee you one thing. Several months or several years down the road you will say “what if” about today as well!
Will the ten ways I’ve described eliminate your stress? No. Some degree of stress is a normal response to the world we live in. If you weren’t periodically stressed you also would likely not feel much of anything else. We need the occasional thunderstorm in our lives. Most of us just don’t want to live in a perpetual monsoon.
Peppermint oil has been used as a tonic for centuries, and its fresh aroma is evident in toothpastes and mouthwashes today.
Peppermint is a powerful digestive stimulant; it aids the digestion of fats and strengthens liver function. This makes it an excellent oil for relieving indigestion and treating gastric fevers and diarrhoea.
Decongestant properties
Peppermint stimulates the circulation, reviving aching muscles and joints. It is also a powerful decongestant and can be used to help with fevers and respiratory infections. Additionally, it acts as a good deodorant.
Peppermint complements other decongestant oils, especially eucalyptus and thyme, which work to boost the body’s immune system. Its aroma can also help to cool feelings of anger, hysteria or emotional burnout.
Focus your mind with Peppermint
Refreshing Peppermint oil invigorates the mind, acting as a nerve tonic and stimulant.
~ To sharpen concentration and alertness, simple combine 5 drops each of peppermint and basil oil with 10 drops of lemon in a room vaporizer.
~ To fight mental fatigue and emotional burnout with a stimulating whole body massage. Add 50ml sweet almond oil to 4 drops each of peppermint and geranium and 10 drops rosemary.
~ Clear headaches with a soothing neck massage using peppermint and lavender oils.
Digestive Disorders
Use Peppermint’s digestive and antiseptic properties to help with common digestive disorders.
~ For relief from constipation, dilute 3 drops of peppermint, 5 drops lemon and 7 drops rosemary in 25ml of grapeseed oil. Massage gently over the abdomen in clockwise, circular movements every couple of hours.
~ Help with diarrhoea with an aromatic compress. Mix 5 drops each of peppermint, ginger and marjoram in hot water. Soak a facecloth in this, wring and apply to the abdomen.
Revive tired feet
Just what the doctor ordered after a long day on your feet.
~Relieve aching feet in an invigorating foot spa that contains 4 drops each of peppermint and geranium along with 3 tablespoons of Epsom Salts.
~Combine 3 drops each of peppermint, rosemary and lavender with 25ml of grapeseed oil for a invigorating foot massage. Firm, brisk strokes will increase circulation.
~ Make your own antiseptic foot powder to treat athletes foot. Simply add 5 drops lavender and 3 drops peppermint to 2 tablespoons or corn flower.
Cold and flu remedies
~ Add 2 drops each of peppermint, rosemary and lavender to boiling water.
Place towel over your head and inhale steam for 5 minutes.
~ Treat feverish colds by putting a few drops of peppermint, eucalyptus and pine in a room diffuser or oil burner.
Joanita will be holding a stunning class for all of our front line workers on Sunday the 19th at 1pm. She is looking forward to creating the perfect class for you to help you settle into yourself again. We are taking names now.
The journey of each yogi into yoga begins for is very special. For many, yoga provides that relief from physical, mental, emotional pain or otherwise.
I am a very long-time yoga practioner and was trained by some of Ireland most senior Yoga teachers. My ultimate yoga journey always leads me to create a yoga practice accessible to anyone, regardless of age. That is why I have introduced that most popular class at the studio called the Art of Gentle Practice. It is New, it is Modern and it has allowed the most insecure individual to walk into that class and be at ease with his/her own practice.
I’m so delighted to be able to offer a kundalini yoga class for the River Holistic weekend for all the frontline staff in July.
I will design a very special kundalini class to help you deeply relax and restore your energy using breathing techniques, restorative postures, guided deep relaxation, chanting and meditation.
My aim will be create space to allow yourself to completely let go and allow natural healing to take place to your energy field, body and mind.
This class is open to beginners as well as experienced yogi’s no previous experience of kundalini yoga is needed, I will guide you gently through each of the postures allowing you to have a full & beautiful experience.
Running is great exercise. It is not only an intensive cardiovascular workout, but also involves other systems in the body, such as circulatory, respiratory, endocrine, muscular and lymphatic. Whether you’re a dedicated marathon runner or someone who only has time for a short jog at the weekend (like me), we’d all like to improve our performance, maybe increase our speed, distance or stamina and we’d certainly all like to be able to recover from a run quicker, decrease the muscle stiffness and avoid injuries.
How can this be achieved in a natural way? One answer could be Reflexology.
Reflexology uses specific techniques to pinpoint areas of stress before they manifest physically as pain or weakness and so it reduces the likelihood of injury. It takes the holistic approach – by working the entire foot and its reflexes, it stimulates the body’s own natural healing abilities and addresses imbalances throughout the whole body. Current research shows that Reflexology can help runners improve and stay injury-free and there are 10 important reasons why:
1. Lymphatic drainage – research provided by Monash University in Australia shows that Reflexology removes lactic acid from the legs four times faster than a regular massage. Lactic acid builds up during a run and it’s what causes muscle cramps, especially in longer runs such as marathons.
2. Circulation boosting – blood carries oxygen, nutrients, minerals and enzymes to all parts of the body. Stress and tension tighten the cardiovascular system and restrict blood flow, causing it to become sluggish. This results in the tissues becoming oxygen-deprived – the energy in the body becomes depleted, making all body systems suffer. Reflexology can keep the body’s circulation flowing smoothly, which rejuvenates tired tissues. It improves circulation to accelerate the healing process and reduce recovery time. This encourages all systems to return to a state of balance and harmony. Increased blood flow to muscle cells also increases their flexibility and so further reduces the risk of injury.
3. Reduces inflammation – Reflexology can be used to stimulate the adrenal reflexes on each foot, which in turn, encourages the body to release the hormone cortisol (a completely natural form of hydrocortisone), which has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, reducing swelling and inflammation from injuries.
4. Pain reduction – unfortunately all runners will be faced with an injury at some point and we all understand how important recovery is. As more of us are beginning to take a holistic approach to our health, avoiding drugs for pain relief, Reflexology can be a valuable tool because it can help to manage pain and accelerate recovery. It stimulates over 7,000 nerves in the feet and encourages the opening and clearing of neural pathways. It interrupts these pain pathways and reduces pain from sore muscles and joints. Reflexology also helps to stimulate endorphins, which promote our sense of wellbeing and decrease our perception of pain.
5. Deep relaxation – exercise is a stress, a positive stress, but still a stress. During a run, the body will trigger the production of adrenaline, which is the “fight or flight” hormone, allowing us to push ourselves. Reflexology balances that stress with a rest, which triggers the “rest and digest” response, allowing the body to reduce the level of stress hormones and recover physically, emotionally, and mentally. It relieves the body of tension, which promotes healing. The emotional and psychological impact of injury should never be underestimated. It is just as important to balance the mind as it is to balance the physical body.
6. Greater focus and concentration – Reflexology supports the central nervous system and targets specific stress reflexes on the feet to bring about a deep state of relaxation and inner calm. Many people report that they feel more focused with greater mental clarity after a treatment.
7. Improved sleep – healing is important after a run, no matter what the distance. Although going to sleep feels as if we’re switching off, it is a very busy time for the body because as we sleep, our bodies actually repair and restore themselves. While we sleep, our brains trigger the release of hormones that encourage tissue growth. This can help us recover from sports injuries such as sore muscles and sore joints. Reflexology can help because it increases the production of serotonin and melatonin – two important hormones that regulate sleep.
8. Boosts immune system – as a runner, I want to stay healthy and free from illness, so that I can be at my best. Reflexology stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps us fight infections. It helps remove toxins and increases our immune system’s effectiveness.
9. Lowers pulse rate – Reflexology has been shown to increase the carbon dioxide exhaled from the nose by 9%, which helps to lower pulse rate, which means the cardiovascular system is working more efficiently. Happy days for those hill runs or for those of us trying to improve our stamina!
10. Nurtures the feet – the force exerted on the feet during running are the equivalent of up to 10 times our body weight. So our feet, which are a relatively small in relation to the rest of our body, are exposed to hundreds of pounds of pressure during a run. Although the rest of the body, especially the knees, absorbs some of the impact, our feet deserve at least some attention and help. Reflexology can help to soothe away the tension in the feet and make them feel refreshed and ready for that next challenge!
Sunday April 28th 10:00 – 17:00 The River Room, River Holistic
Price €120
In Peace and Silence the Divine manifests. Allow nothing to disturb you and All will manifest.
You should not put to much effort into your ‘seeking’; into what it is you are truly looking for. With too much effort, or ‘trying’, a veil develops or thickens.
It is through allowing that All Manifests.
To quietly await in total trust is the simple secret to finding the sweetness!
Easy for me to type, easy enough for you to read, but how, humanly how?
The only way how is to go inward.
There is a Self in you capable of so much. The outer consciousness is the physical consciousness tied to human mind body limits. The inner consciousness is where the soul is seated and moving within and allowing is where you will see the magic manifest.
The Upanishad says; “in men the self existent has cut the doors of consciousness outward, but a few turn the eye inward and it is these who see and know the Spirit and develop the spiritual being. Thus to look into ourselves and see and enter into ourselves and live within is the first necessity for transformation of nature and for the Divine life.”
What happens through Meditation? Difference in Contemplation, Concentration and Meditation! Difficulties in Meditation! What is True Meditation?
Just some of the topics we will cover throughout this day, along with time together in Meditation.
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle hands-on therapy which originates from osteopathic medicine. It was developed by Dr. John E Upledger who was a Doctor of Osteopathy, a Professor in Biomechanics and a Researcher in Osteopathic Medicine.
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, non-invasive therapy which is simple yet powerful and effective.
This gentle therapy can benefit everyone from babies, infants and children to adults and the elderly. It assesses the functioning of the body’s physiological system. Using a gentle touch it releases the body’s restrictions in the Craniosacral system.
It enhances and may help the functioning of the Central Nervous System. It is a holistic therapy which can help the client to employ their own body’s healing capabilities to bring about change, restore balance and create equilibrium within the body.
Craniosacral Therapy has been shown to benefit many conditions and systems in the body including:
Headaches
Digestive problems
Back problems
Behavioural issues
Learning difficulties
Immune
Hormonal and Endocrine
Musculoskeletal
Each 50-minute to 1 hour therapy session takes place in in a quiet, calm setting.
This is a one off class where you will learn all the best “do’s and don’ts” when it comes to foam rolling.
Foam Rolling is widely know to be very effective and used to prevent, treat and preempt injury related to exercise. If you run, cycle, swim, walk, gym, or go to circuit class you will inevitably carry some tightness, tension or discomfort. These distractions can be successfully compared with regular use of a Foam Roller.
In this class I will address common injuries and discomforts in the lower back, hips, thighs, and feet. At home it takes about 10-15 mins once or twice a week to keep these niggles and injury at bay. Anybody can use a Foam Roller and everybody can benefit from it’s therapeutic effect.After attending this class the person should feel they have the necessary tools and knowledge to combat their discomforts.
The class is 1.5 hours long. It will begin with an introduction to foam rolling, then an exploration of the techniques for specific areas and it will finish with a Q&A session.
All participants need to bring a Foam Roller, some water and a work out mat. The class will be help in River Holistic on Wednesday the 20th of March from 8-9.30pm
