Self-care for healthcare professionals
A movement and self-care series to support healthcare professionals, practical techniques and somatic movement to release tension and stress.
This is a unique offering that supports the physical, emotional, cognitive, and mental health of adults through a creative approach to wellbeing.
Creative Health is key to our personal wellbeing- the body responds to imagery and its first language is movment. When we reconnect to the body we give ourselves an opportunity to gain new perspective, refresh our nervous system and discover something new about ourselves.
The embodied approach of these workshops helps people release anxiety, find grounding and discover physical, mental and emotional ease.
The somative movement journies support cognitive health through body puzzles, observing habitual movment patterns and exploring something different. This creates expanded range of mobility, stimulates neurological connections that have faded over time and habit, refreshing the body from the inside out!
Creative Wellbeing workshops support:
- Neurological Ease through somatic movement
- Reduce the impact of aging (neuro muscular amnesia which happens as we age.
- Supports cognitive health and memory through the stimulation of connections between the brain and body.
- Reduces anxiety, restores greater balance to the nervous system.
- Relieves chronic pain and tension as we bring awareness to habitual patterns and find new ways of moving differently.
This movement and self-care series to support healthcare professionals includes-
An Introduction:
Each workshop introduces a new self-care skill for the initial 10 minutes of the session followed by a somatic movement journey.
You can enjoy these sessions with your eyes closed, without needing to look at the screen as it is verbally described.
Creative Wellbeing for Healthcare Workers: Introduction
Session 1: Tension Release from Hips and Shoulders
Movement -Tension Release for Hips and Shoulders
Selfcare Skill – Restore Calm with a Breathing Technique
Session 2: Soothe Anxiety and Restore Ease
Movement – Creating Ease through the Spine
Selfcare Skill – Soothing Anxiety through Sound
Session 3: Refresh and Renew your Energy, Eyes and Whole Body
Movement – Finding Lightness in Standing
Selfcare Skill – Refresh and Renew the Eyes and your Energy
Tension Release from Hips and Shoulders – Wellbeing for Healthcare Workers, Workshop 1
Soothe Anxiety and Restore Ease- Wellbeing for Healthcare Workers, Workshop 2
Refresh and Renew your Energy, Eyes and Whole Body – Wellbeing for Healthcare Workers, Workshop 3
Workshops have been created with the support of the Arts for Health partnership programme based in West Cork, Uillinn – West Cork Arts Centre, Cork County Council, Cork City ETB, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, and the Arts Council of Ireland.
Laura is a Dance Artist and Creative Wellbeing expert providing online programs and in-person retreats that empower people with practical skills to release chronic pain, tension, stress, and anxiety through somatic movement, yoga, dance, meditation, life coaching, hands-on bodywork, and one to one holistic therapies.
Contact: laura@HealingYoga.ie
In the media: Irish Independent, the cover story of the Health Supplement: “Dancing in the dark”
A vast background of professional training and experience informs the methodology behind the Movement for Wellbeing approach, this includes-
- Extensive training and work as a professional dancer in multiple dance disciplines
- Yoga Teacher with a therapeutic approach, Healing Yoga (established in 2010) tailors to people of all needs, abilities and experience
- Study and work as a holistic practitioner integrating Reiki, Tension and Trauma relief, Life Coaching, Clinical Somatic Movement and Family Constellation Work
- Community artist working in arts and health supported by Create Ireland, Arts Council of Ireland, South Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Dublin Bus Community Spirit Award and the Social Entrepreneurs Academy
- Founding of the Running Blind Dance Project in 2015 to research and develop accessible dance practices for people who are blind, deafblind and with low-vision as well as inclusive dance performance
- Development of this program has been informed by collaborative practice and focus groups stemming from workshops in Rua Red in 2017, Dance Theatre of Ireland in 2018, and Rhythm Club in 2019.
- Mentorship, inspiration and resilience in the development of this body of work has been supported by international artist and advocate for the deaf- Amanda Coogan, innovators in deafblind studies- Riitta Lahtinhen (Deafblind researcher) and Russ Palmer (Deafblind musician) who developed social haptic communication, and international dancer and theatre director, Tom Pritchard.
- Integrated workshops to date have been attended by participants who are blind, low vision, deafblind, deaf, wheelchair users, guide-dog users, people who are at the initial stages of sight-loss and those with full vision.
- People from all backgrounds have attended workshops including, the elderly, parents with babies, medical doctors, social workers, therapists, artists, musicians, guide dog users with their dogs, and members of the community.
Further References:
