The Cleansing Ritual is a ritual where for a long time in Ireland and the UK we would massage the body in separate parts, the arm, the leg, and the back of the body and we would always ignore the abdomen simply because it’s such a private intimate space and we as a culture are particularly prudish! So, it has been ignored for a long time and yet this space in our body is central to our wellbeing, our balance, our digestion, our metabolic health and the longevity of our organs. It’s so important because it’s our second brain that speaks and feels energy through this world, and it makes the energy for our bodies, for us to sustain ourselves every day.
So, to answer the question what inspired us is really with GROUND, we take the whole mind and body, the head and the body in unison when we’re working on our massage rituals. We work from the foot to the crown, the top of the head, and really including the abdomen is key but it’s not for everyone. So, for people who are interested in detoxifying, energising and looking after their gut health this is a space that physically we need to look after as well.
The treatment begins on the back of the body where we apply castor oil, the abdominal cleanse oil, to the back of the lower abdomen so that the castor oil and the essential oils can begin penetrating. The castor oil has great detoxifying effects for the liver, and the kidneys and then the essential oils blended into it which include peppermint, ginger, marjoram, caraway, cardamom and fennel, they’re all wonderful for the digestive system. They’re really soothing, they’re anti-spasmodic and they just really help with the digestive process. We then work the upper back, neck and shoulder area whilst that’s penetrating and then we do a beautiful abdominal massage, entering from the back of the body at the side. From that point, we turn over and apply the same castor oil almost like a mask, it’s a very thick oil, and it goes on the front of the abdomen for 10 minutes. We then apply our little heat pack with flax seed to help with the penetration of these oils, we then work the face neck and shoulder on the front of the body, working acupressure points for digestion on the face.
It’s then we focus on the abdomen doing a beautiful cleansing ritual, really working the area from two levels. From a physical level, we are working the blood, the lymph and the nerve endings. Everything has been soothed and communicating as well as energetically, on blocking energy in the space. For some people, it’s where they carry their stress, so it’s such a lovely space to soothe and comfort.
Really, it’s a space in our body we need to honour, we need to look after, listen to and tune into. Our body will whisper until there’s a serious problem and then it begins to scream and shout, but, if you can tune into your abdominal area, a bit like a radio station, you’ll get better at tuning into it, but, when you listen to your digestion and tune into it, and listen to your appetite and your hunger, we become more primal and we become more in tune with our body’s.
Really, it’s just keeping a food diary, it’s finding out what suits you the older you get. I’m in my midlife, so I’m menopausal and I have to be very careful. My abdomen and my gut health are much more sensitive now. It’s not as forgiving as it used to be, so it's adapting to that and just making friends with it. It’s really, important because, at the end of the day, this is where we produce our energy to get through the day so it’s really important that it’s on our side and it’s really just connecting to how we feel after we eat certain food. For example, when I eat eggs in the morning or fish I feel better for the whole day and I sleep better at night. What we do for the whole day will affect our sleep by night and that includes what we eat, so it’s just a very interesting space.
It is a very holistic treatment; it is very much about soothing and comforting our digestive system whilst also making space for energy and intuition. It brings about a cleanse, which is why we call it the cleansing ritual. The focus and objective is to detoxify in order to energise. Therefore, you will hear a lot of digestion when you’re having the treatment. The castor oil, for a number of hours after having the treatment, you will feel and hear movement in your abdomen. Really the feeling after the treatment is you feel lighter and cleaner and more energised.
Really in GROUND Wellbeing, and me, myself personally, burnout is something, it’s really important. It’s different for everyone and you have to look back on times when you’ve been deeply fatigued and had a really low motivation for life and appetite for work and everything had changed for you, and really, it’s looking back on those times and isolating what the triggers were. I find for myself, and for a lot of people, the triggers for deep fatigue and exhaustion can often come from times when an emotional energy resource is being drained.
It can often come from the company we keep, the relationships we have, who we sleep in the bed with, our families, our children our elders, that we can be giving too much of ourselves. I do think a lot of people think that they are burnt out from work, but work is where we put in long days and long weeks, 8-hour days and 40-hour weeks, and it is where you will feel the tiredness, it's where the fatigue will set in, but it’s not the cause of the tiredness. You have to get to the actual reason why you’re so fatigued and often times it might relate to financial issues. It might relate to body image. It’s different for everyone, but there’s something draining you emotionally that you’re overthinking about, and you need to figure that out and find a resolution. Possibly counselling but, also habitually look at what you’re doing and who you’re keeping company with and see if you can manage and improve that.
At the menopausal stage of a woman’s life, the body is not as forgiving, they need to be more careful and in-tune with digestive health as the abdomen and gut health are much more sensitive.
The abdominal area of our body is central to our wellbeing, our balance our digestion and our metabolic health and the longevity of our organs. The essential oils blended into the GROUND abdominal oil include peppermint, ginger, marjoram, carraway, cardamom and fennel, all wonderful for the digestive system with their soothing and anti-spasmodic properties. Peppermint may ease symptoms like bloating, gas, and indigestion, which can be more pronounced during menopause whilst Marjoram essential oil has calming properties that can ease muscle spasms, including those in the digestive tract. This can be particularly helpful in reducing abdominal cramping, a common concern during menopause.
Menopause often comes with hormonal changes that can affect the body's ability to process toxins. Often leaving you feeling sluggish. The focus of the cleansing ritual is to detoxify in order to energise the body and to help to stimulate the lymphatic system and support detoxification, helping the body eliminate harmful substances more effectively.
In conclusion, the cleansing ritual combines the benefits of therapeutic massage and carefully selected essential oils which can address the unique challenges women face during menopause. It offers physical, emotional, and digestive support, helping women navigate this natural phase of life with greater comfort and vitality.
Yes, we are producing a beautiful heat pack to support the abdominal cleansing oil and that should be out in January so that’s exciting. Otherwise, we are all the time testing new treatments and new products. We have a focus on skin wellness next year which is brilliant. So, it’s all to play for, it’s really exciting!
Book the cleansing ritual below. Available from November 6th.
To celebrate World Water Day on the 22nd March and our work with our long-standing partners Belu we thought we would take you on a journey through Lime Wood to see how we support the fantastic work Belu do.
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Embark on a journey from the frosty whispers of winter to the warm embrace of spring at Lime Wood. The New Forest beckons, and as the days grow longer, we eagerly anticipate the magic that unfolds with the changing season.
Gut health is a hot topic and something many of us want to improve, however, it can be a challenge to know where to start. With a degree in Nutrition and a passion for eating healthily to positively impact your overall well-being, our Raw & Cured manager Ria shares her five simple tips to help support good digestive health.
