As a blogger with a full-time job I am very familiar with the feeling of being overwhelmed with big “to do” lists and day-to-day stresses, and trying to find the time to genuinely relax can be really difficult. Short periods of downtime don’t always help because sometimes the mind just does not want to switch off! So I was really happy to be invited along to a relaxation event hosted by Ocean Finance last weekend. I had high expectations of 4 blissful hours purely dedicated to relaxing my body and mind.
The event was held at the wonderful Victoria Warehouse hotel, and first up was a yoga class in their gorgeous yoga studio. I’ve done some yoga previously but not for a while and I’m not great at it. I didn’t need to worry though – I loved this class, which was particularly focussed on relieving shoulder tension (our instructor quite rightly assumed that bloggers spend a lot of time sitting at computers). The class was a great level for me – challenging but without assuming too much knowledge and the team guided us through the positions well. In fact, I loved this class so much I’m considering coming down for their regular classes.
Then we were invited to try some of the hotel’s taster spa treatments, and I happily stepped in to enjoy a neck, shoulder and back massage. Blissful, obviously! Following this we absorbed the advice of Rachel Watson from The Wellbeing Programme, with tips on how to relax the mind and sleep better. She also guided us through various meditation exercises, which I think will be really helpful on those nights before particularly exciting holidays (I didn’t sleep a wink the night before Disneyland!). After this I really did feel relaxed, almost to the point of falling asleep right then and there! But I managed to keep going just enough to enjoy some super healthy Thai food to finish.
So thanks to Ocean Finance, Manchester Yoga and Victoria Warehouse Hotel for a lovely chilled Sunday, which was a great way to unwind after a lot of driving and a wedding the day before. I really did feel refreshed afterwards, which I think says a lot about the power of dedicating some time each day to relaxation.
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English Rose from Manchester's Blog 
I’m so gutted I didn’t make this! Looks like a wonderful event 🙂 Glad you had some time to chill out x
Miss Pond | Manchester Based Lifestyle Blog
Awww it was a shame not to see you! It was a very chilled affair 🙂