Whilst the wellness industry has traditionally been dominated by young, white, affluent women, this tide is now turning. No longer are inner balance and clean living the exclusive pursuits of female vegans with their own yoga mats… Wellness has officially hit the mainstream!
In fact, recent stats showed a 30% rise in men attending yoga classes since 2015; older people are more open to exploring complementary medicine than ever before; parents are seeking more holistic ways to support the physical and mental health of their children; and approaches such as hypnobirthing, yoga, Pilates and natural therapies / remedies are being taken up by pregnant women / new mums keen to approach their labour and beyond in the most natural way possible.
Here at Seed, we wanted to harness this changing tide and reach beyond this traditional stereotype to make wellness accessible to everybody. With this in mind, we are proud to announce the launch of Seed Family, made up of teachers and therapists offering a comprehensive range of services to ALL women, men as well as children, addressing their individual needs at every stage of life.
Seed Pilates Teacher, Alice Milner, offers a range of classes for the likes of Pregnancy; Mum & Baby; Pilates for Children, Parent & Teen and more.
Said Alice, “As a mum of three, I understand the importance of being able to attend a class suitable to my changing needs. I am on a mission to help my local community reap the benefits of Pilates, from pregnancy and birth to children, teenager and the elderly.
“It is such a privilege to have helped 1000s of women stay fit and healthy throughout their birth, providing them with strategies and support to enable a positive birthing experience. My Mum & Baby classes help speed up their recovery, getting them back to their pre-pregnancy shape, size and strength, helping them progress to an Intermediate and Advanced level.”
Seed’s Hypnobirther, Irja Howie, offers group courses near Amersham and 1:1 sessions across South Bucks. Said Irja, “Having had two very different birthing experiences myself, this ignited a passion in me, a vocation born of conviction that all women deserve to be shown the way to a beautiful birth without fear.”
“My birthing classes are profoundly transformational, helping to show parents-to-be that no matter who they are, how and where they plan to give birth and what their fears are, they can have a calm and positive birthing experience. I also offer a 3-step rewind technique for mothers who have had a past traumatic birth, neutralising the negative emotions that they associate with the event. It can be done at any time – even years later.”
Sleep Coaching is another offering under the Seed Family umbrella. Baby & Child Sleep Coach, Emily Guiver, said, “Over the last couple of years, I have noticed a sharp rise in demand for sleep coaching specifically. Kids are experiencing sleep disorders at record levels and subsequently parents are reaching out for help far more.”
“When I meet families who are chronically sleep deprived and feeling overwhelmed, it is incredibly rewarding to help empower them to make positive changes and implement routines and techniques that make a significant difference almost immediately.”
Seed’s co-founder and yoga teacher, Kate Kirrane, recently launched a Men Only weekly yoga class in Beaconsfield. Said Kate, “I was constantly being pulled to the side by husbands of my friends at social events quietly admitting they’d always wanted to do yoga but felt too embarrassed to join a regular class. It became clear to me that there was a demand for a men’s class where they were all in the same boat.”
“At the end of the initial 6-week course I asked if anyone wished to continue and 95% of the students signed up. The class is now running weekly and growing all the time. I am seeing them experience such amazing benefits in such a short space of time, most significantly increased flexibility / mobility, reduced stress, reduced blood pressure and alleviated aches and pains.’
But yoga isn’t the only area of wellness being taken up by men. Seed’s Nutritional Therapist, Evie Whitehead said, “Where the majority of my clients were women, this is no longer the case. Men are understanding that their diet and gut health are crucial to their overall health.”
“A lot of my male clients come to me suffering from digestive issues and acid reflux and they are finding relief from making simple tweaks to their diet. It’s great to see them taking control of their health.”
And Colonic Hydrotherapist, Debbie Dean, says as much as 50% of her clients are male. Said Debbie, “I have lots of men from what are considered alpha industries, from builders to traders. It reflects this changing appetite from men across the board to access what the wellness industry has to offer.”
With issues for children around sleep, anxiety and self-harm at an all-time high, mental health is a strong focus at Seed. Counsellor, Helen Evans, works at a local secondary school and sees first-hand what pressures teens are facing daily.
Said Helen, “Stress and anxiety are major concerns for this age group due to exam pressure, peer pressure and the impact of social media. Counselling provides a safe place where young people can come and talk about how they are feeling and what they are experiencing without feeling judged. In being listened to, they can begin to hear their own voice and make a bit more sense of what is happening in their world.”
“There is now a government initiative aiming to place 5000 counsellors into schools across the UK. This reflects a growing need for mental health support among our young.”
Calm Little Minds is another service aimed to help support younger children. Said founder, Jayne Lindsay, “We strongly believe that early intervention is key to building resilience in children and their families. Our service enables parents to skip long NHS waiting lists and NHS criteria for treatment, offering speedy access to help for families in need.”
The likes of children’s yoga and Pilates are great forms of exercise that also calm the mind. Yoga and Breath Work Teacher, Kirsten Orchard, offers Ninja Yoga at her studio near Beaconsfield. Said Kirsten, “This method offers an ideal mix of yoga, martial arts, calisthenics, combat work, animal locomotion, meditation and mindfulness and it builds the strength of boys and girls together for a level playing field. It also helps build discipline, commitment and staying power.”
Seed Pilates Teacher, Nimisha Campbell, offers a weekly men-only Pilates class for the +60’s. Said Nimisha, “This class started a few years ago
and is still going strong. They are so dedicated and there is great camaraderie in the class. This is my favourite time of the week!”
Performance Kinesiologist, Craig Buchanan, treats lots of people in the older age category. Said Craig, “Kinesiology is a gentle form of bodywork that helps alleviate aches and pains as well as mental / emotional stress. This makes it a great all-rounder for the 60+ age group.”
At Seed we are committed to boost the wellness of the whole family. Join us on Saturday 28th September in Beaconsfield, where we’ll be running a half day interactive wellness event for parents and children to attend together. This will include a variety of workshops: yoga, Pilates, smoothie making, creating your own essential oil blends, coping with anxiety, nutrition and much more. Further details coming soon!
For a full range of services available from Seed Family, please click here. https://seedwellness.co.uk/seedfamily/
For specific categories, please click on relevant links as follows:
Pregnancy & Post Natal Health – https://seedwellness.co.uk/pregnancy/
Men’s Health – https://seedwellness.co.uk/mens-health/
Children’s Health (aged 0-5, 5-11 & 12+) – https://seedwellness.co.uk/childrenshealth/
60+ Health – https://seedwellness.co.uk/over60health/
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