Thanks so much for visiting the website! My name is Alex (also known as La) and I’m so glad you’re here. Here’s a bit about me and how I came to the wonderful world of wellness and creating Balanced Body and Retreats.
I spent many years living and working in London, running corporate events for blue chip companies, getting married and having my 3 children along the way. But in 2017, I was devastated to be diagnosed with breast cancer. It was found purely by chance and I know how lucky I am that it was - my story could have been so different. But I believe cancer was given to me for a reason. I wasn’t taking the best care of my mental or physical health. Things needed to change and this was a dramatic way of ensuring they did!
I embraced my wellness journey with one goal in mind - to never have cancer again. I began with lymphatic drainage massage, as this would ensure I didn't suffer with lymphoedema, a condition that can occur after lymph nodes have been removed during cancer treatment. The effects were incredible and I quickly felt like a different person, with reduced swelling and revived energy.
I realised I also needed to do a lot of work on calming my nervous system, as the cancer treatment had very much stressed my body and there was much healing to be done. I took great comfort and relaxation from reflexology, acupuncture, a regular yin yoga and stretching practice, as well as reformer pilates and qi gong. From here, I moved deeper on to a path of healing past trauma stuck in the body, that could have contributed to me getting cancer in the first place. These techniques included tapping (EFT - emotional freedom technique), breathwork, Reiki and TRE (trauma and tension release exercises). I also went on to train in Reiki in order to bring deep energy healing to myself and others. More recently, I've discovered red light therapy which is incredible for reducing inflammation, as well as ice baths and cryotherapy.
With this toolkit of powerful techniques and practices, I wanted to share what I'd learned with as many people as possible. Drawing on my experience of running events, I put together my first wellness retreat, incorporating yin yoga and stretching, EFT, breathwork and sound healing. It was a huge success with participants saying it was literally life changing and I’m excited to keep offering bigger and better retreats that help bring people life changing improvements to their lives.
Alongside the retreats, I offer a selection of some of my favourite treatments and therapies. Lymphatic drainage massage, Reiki and red light therapy can all be booked via the link on the home page.
Please feel free to reach out and ask any questions and I look forward to treating you in the near future.