Aromatherapy for Christmas!

What do you smell of when you think of Christmas as a child? Odd question maybe but scent and memory are directly linked. Your olfactory nerve (smelling nerve)  is located just below the part of your brain that deals with memory. Smells can be a large part of memories.
For me when I think of Christmas smells I think of pine and cinnamon. We had fresh Pine Christmas trees every year and the smell spelled Christmas to me! Cinnamon because Fred & Janny (aka Mum & Dad) are originally Dutch and the traditional seasonal cookie called speculaas is packed with Cinnamon. I love stuffing myself on those things during the festive season!
But it's different for everyone. The most common scents associated with Christmas are probably
Cinnamon, Clove, Bay, Pine, Ceaderwood, Mandarin, Orange, Tangerine, Frankincense and Myrrh.

So how can we use these oils around the house for Christmas? 
I have been looking through a fantastic book called: The Complete Book Of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood and the following are some cute little ideas!

Christmas Tress Spray
Do you have a fake tree, or a tree that is not releasing beautiful hits of pine? Mix:
1 cup of Water
6 drop of Pine essential oil
Spray it on your tree and Voila! A beautiful smelling tree!

Christmas House Spray
Replace your synthetic scents and make your own spray to infuse your home with a warm and festive feeling.
Pine          4 drops
Mandarin  2 drops
Cinnamon 1 drop
Diluted in 1 1/4 cups water

Merry Christmas :)

Myrthe

Before, during and after care advice for your massage

Before:

• Try to avoid eating a large meal at least 1 hour before your treatment
• Make sure you go to the toilet! You don’t want to have to get up in the middle of your treatment!
• Arrive on time. This insures that you don’t arrive flustered and stressed. This means that you will get more out of the massage.
• Talk to your therapist. If you are concerned or anxious about anything to do with your massage let us know. We want to make sure you are comfortable.
• Let us know what you hope to achieve out of the treatment and any medical history you may have. Do you want just a relaxing massage or would you like to work out some your tension spots?

During:

First off I want to tell you a little something about our bodies’ reactions when we are receiving a massage, in particular a deep tissue massage. It can be like a workout on your body.
When a muscle is tight it tends to have restricted blood flow. This means that the efficient removal of waste deposits in inhibited causing stiffness, pain and dysfunction within the muscle tissue. Massage can help to break down this build up and encourage fresh blood flow to the area.
As a reaction to this your body also releases lovely endorphins, a natural pain killer. It’s a ‘happy hormone’ and can help you feel relaxed and happy! In order to insure that you are physically and mentally able to deal with this ‘manual breakdown’ of tension please keep the following in mind!

Instinctively the first thing we do when something feels sensitive or sore is tense up and hold our breath!

Body Awareness
Remain conscious of your body. If you feel yourself tense up try to visualise that the area is softening and relaxing, if that does not work talk to your therapist. It could be that a different technique needs to be used or that the area is simply too sensitive or overstimulated to relax.

Breath
your breath is the key to managing discomfort! Keep breathing! Often a few deep controlled breaths can dispel discomfort.
How to take a deep breath:  Breath slowly in through your nose (if possible). Imagine that you are first berating into your abdomen, when that is full and with the same breath, imagine that you are filling your ribcage. Your ribcage can expand front and back and side to side. When that is full and with the same breath fill your chest! When you exhale you can do it slowly through the nose or quickly through the breath!
It really helps to visualise breathing into the pain. Pushing into it and challenging it. And on the out breath, releasing it, letting it go. Sometimes if something feels quite intense I like to let the air whoosh out nice and fast! (I have a terrible pain tolerance so I tend to do this a lot when I’m getting a massage!)

Thought
If you find your mind racing with stressful thoughts try practicing a body scan. This is where you return your focus to your body.
First bring your awareness to your right toes, then to your sole of your foot, top of your foot, ankle etc. Working your way up to your right hip. Then return to your left foot. Carry this through to your whole body.
This works wonders for calming the mind and returning yourself to the present!

Speech
Some people find it relaxing to talk and some don’t! So the best advice I can give you is talk if you feel like it!

After

• Try to take at least 15 minuets before you go back to work or drive anywhere. You are in a state of relaxation although you might not realise it. This means    that you need to give yourself a bit of time to ease back into the normal flow of things.
• Drink water after your treatment. There are loads of toxins running around your system after a massage. By drinking a good bit of water you will help to flush them all out.
• If you are feeling a little achy (in deep tissue massage after pain can happen 1-2 days after your massage), go for a light walk or take a warm bath
• If you ever have a worry about an after effect of a treatment, contact your therapist. We are always available to answer any questions you might have!

Myrthe Wieler

Getting creative over the winter months on Hagal Farm

In the quieter winter months when there is not too much work to be done in the garden, it  is a great time for other projects. Even in the winter months you cannot help but become inspired by the wonderful surroundings of Hagal Farm and the surrounding Mealagh valley. Fred and Janny have been using this inspiration and down time to create wonderful pieces of art around the farm.

  Janny has been busy creating these wonderful patchwork quilts. 

Fred has been busy creating works of art to display on the walls throughout the farm.

In the garden, Fred and Frank have created a living willow tepee which is already starting to show green shoots.

 They have also cleared a section of the garden and planted a new fruit orchard.  

Competition time

View of Bantry Bay from Hagal Farm

We are running a competition on our Facebook page 

The winner gets a pampering treat of a full Body Massage with a Holistic Custom Facial in the beautiful surrounds of Hagal Farm. To be in with a change of winning simply like our fan page (if you have not already) and suggest our page to your friends in a status ensuring that Hagal Farm is tagged in your status update (you must first like and then tag to qualify)..so get liking and get sharing to be in with a change. Winner will be selected on Feb 28th!

Sitting room at Hagal Farm