Between working longer hours, being divided by politics and watching the planet going up in smoke, it’s no secret that as a society, we’re all pretty stressed. As a result there’s been more of a focus on mindfulness and wellbeing than ever before. For some people, that means going to a yoga class, meditating or just slapping on a face mask before bed #selfcaresunday. But if that’s not cutting it for you anymore, there are a load of alternative therapies on offer in London. They might sound a bit ‘out there’ but don’t knock it ’til you tried it.
Light Therapy
Light therapy can be used to treat a range of conditions, both mental and physical, by using different colours and patterns of light to stimulate various areas of your brain as well penetrating into your body. At Nimaya MindStation there’s an advanced red light therapy bed, which uses red and near-infrared light to accelerate healing in the body and to relieve depression and PTSD; a red light sauna, which aids detoxification; and a PandoraStar machine, which uses trippy patterns to take you into a deep meditative state.
Crystal Healing
Depending on the mineral content, crystals possess different energies and as such, can be used to target different aspects of your life – crystal healing can help alleviate stress, increase concentration and improve sleep. At Holistic Health, various crystals are placed on and around your body to balance your seven chakras and redirect energy to where it’s needed.
Sound Baths
Sound baths use different vibrational frequencies to bring about a peaceful state of mind and body by stimulating your alpha and theta brainwaves (present during various stages of relaxation and sleep) and by impacting your nervous system to slow your heart rate. Sound Awakening baths feature planetary gongs, crystal singing bowls, Tibetan singing bowls and other instruments to induce a state of deep relaxation.
Breathwork
Did you that most people only use about 25% of their full respiratory capacity? The Breathing Room aims to get you breathing properly, right into the diaphragm, through transformational breath practices. These sessions can help reduce stress and anxiety, stimulate circulation, unblock muscular tension, enhance meditation and more.
Reiki
Re:Mind, the meditation and healing studio in Belgravia, offers reiki (where the practitioner transfers energy from their hands to the patient) as a stress reduction and relaxation tool but their Re:Heal class also includes shamanic healing, which clears old energies allowing you to move into a new way of being, and vortex healing, which channels divine energy and consciousness to work on your emotional state.