Danielle – Yoga
In the summer months when doing your yoga (or any) practice your body heats up, your breath speeds up and your heart beats faster. To keep an easy flow between the physical, mental and breath body try to maintain your awareness by not only focusing on your inhalation but also focus on your exhalation. Try to keep them even. It is the letting go of the breath that cools the body, slows down the heart beat and taps into your parasympathetic nervous system, your soft quieter side.

Damien Schofield – Health & Fitness
The festive season is upon us once again and a vital key to maintain good health is to maintain consistency with our physical fitness regime. Do something every day – a 30 minute brisk walk or a high intensity workout. Just keep it consistent!! My tip is to always have fun and enjoy what you do.

Weekly Routine Tip

Mon: Run, fast walk, swim or ride, followed by push ups and Abs – drink plenty of water
Tue: Morning 20 min Weights or Body weight workout – Arvo 20min cardio session – drink plenty of water
Wed: Run, fast walk, swim or ride, followed by push ups and Abs – drink plenty of water
Thu: Morning 20 min Weights or Body weight workout. Arvo 20min cardio session – drink plenty of water
Fri: Run, fast walk, swim or ride, followed by push ups and Abs – drink plenty of water
Sat: FAMILY fun day with some fun activity – drink plenty of water
Sun: FAMILY fun day with some fun activity – drink plenty of water

Have a safe and merry Christmas and as you can see I highly recommend keeping you intake of water up.

Lil – House Keeping
Back in the day when stain remover was not on the shelves, people had to be far more creative with those annoying little greasy spills. A great old secret was to put brown paper on top of the stain, take a hot iron and place it over carefully, holding for a few seconds, remove and see the oil transfer to the brown paper. Then wash garment.

Red wine spillage can also be very trying. On carpet use generous amount of Bi Carb and then vacuum. If still visible, use a small amount of Bi Carb and a little vinegar, scrub with small brush then vacuum.

Dan – Head Chef
Some tips for mindful eating over the holiday period.

• Make sure not to overindulge over the Christmas period. Consume foods and beverages in moderation.
• Choose foods from the base of the healthy eating pyramid, such as whole vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes.
• Steer clear of high sugar snacks and sweets.
• Make sure you maintain your exercise regime.
• If attending a party try to eat healthy food beforehand, so as not to fill up on poor quality food.
• And as always make sure you stay hydrated with water!

Jeff – Grounds Manager
‘Tis the season to be jolly not itchy! Midges & mozzies can be annoying this time of year. Spray a natural repellent well to stay well. Mozzies don’t like fresh Basil so be sure to nurture your veggie patch. Sandalwood coils are also really good at keeping mozzies away.

Susan – Front of House
Taking time for ourselves may appear selfish, but I believe it is essential. It could be as little as taking 5 minutes out of your day, or taking a break at Gaia Retreat and Spa. Taking this time will give you an opportunity to “let go”, of what is happening right now, perhaps the ability to learn and try new things and expand your horizons. My favourite things that I have tried this year at Gaia are; Sound Meditation with Vasudah, Kahuna massage with Tim and understanding more about the small dietary changes that can easily be made, that make a huge difference to your overall wellbeing, with the help of our team of expert Chef’s. Doing something you love, or would love to try and the gift of embracing a new you. I’ve seen the positive results at Gaia and shared in our guests journeys of expansion and letting go. It truly has been a shared experience and a wonderful year. My mantra for the new year is this; “In the end only 3 things matter; how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of the things not meant for you”.

Hayley – Naturopath
The festive season liver helpers!

• For every glass of alcohol you drink, you need a glass of water to rehydrate yourself.
• Dandelion Root coffee can be a good alternative to coffee and is a liver tonic, turmeric can reduced inflammation, and St Mary’s Thistle can protect the liver.

Mel – Day Spa Manager
Summer is almost here and this is a great time to enjoy a massage, treat yourself or a loved one or why not have a couples massage? Massage therapy not only helps you to relax but modern studies have shown that massage can be used to successfully treat a variety of disorders:

• Improves joint mobility including arthritis
• Alleviates back or neck pain
• Speeds of healing of soft tissue injuries
• Reduces chronic pain
• Reduces depression, anxiety and stress
• Releases endorphins and enhances mood
• Boosts energy and increases circulation
• Reliefs headache/ migraine pain
• Lowers blood pressure
• Stimulates movement of lymphatic fluid
• Helps with insomnia

During our summer months, it is important to look after yourself now that you may be enjoying more physical activities. Massage can help to reduce inflammation as well as improving joint mobility. Summer is also the time where we spend time in our garden and this may cause some sore lower back and or shoulders from spending time hunched over. A deep tissue massage or a Kahuna massage are wonderful treatments to help your muscles relax and alleviate pain.

The summer months can be quite stressful for some with Christmas celebrations as well as school holidays and some of you may be working in the hospitality industry which means this is a very busy time of year. Massage is a great way to help feel you relaxed as it helps with reducing stress and anxiety and helps with reenergising your body and mind.

During the hot and humid summer months, some of you may experience some swelling are great treatments to help alleviate any edema signs.

At Gaia we have wonderfully skilled therapists available and we offer an extensive range of massage therapy. We also offer Gift Vouchers if you wish to treat a loved one.

Please have a look at our spa menu or call (02 66 871 670) our friendly spa receptionists for more information about any of our treatments on offer.