After an absolutely incredible experience presenting at The Big Retreat 2023 I was invited back to present again this year – and the energy was off the scale.
The Big Retreat Festival is the cleanest, most wholesome and nurturing festival that I have attended (and I have been to a fair few!). The wellbeing sessions were curated with such love and attention to detail that there really was something for everyone.
Whether it was trying a new Yoga class, learning how to cook up a very healthy storm in the kitchen, wild swimming, cold tub plunges, hot saunas or dancing to the headlining performances – the ethos of self care was felt throughout.
On Friday I presented Quantum-Touch energy healing to a packed out large crowd in The Ganesh Tent. Only one lady had heard of QT (she was at my talk there last year), and she had since attended 2 live QT workshops with me. I love that she returned to hear about QT again and run energy with the group.
As I asked if anyone in the audience had any hip pain a lady called Natalie raised her hand. She had had a hip replacement several years ago and had normalised her pain at a level 6.
Her discomfort was so intense that she couldn’t stand on the stage and had to sit. Within minutes her pain was down to a 3 and then a 2. You can see in the picture how quickly the tension in her body wanted to release and to let go.
Natalie went on to tell us all that it had been YEARS since she had felt so released in her body like that. I told her to take it all in, in her own time – allowing the tension to fully release. Natalie wanted to continue to stay in the seat and to absorb the rest of the energy in comfortably and she did so as I continued the rest of the talk.
At the end of the presentation people were coming up to me to tell me about the shifts they had that they hadn’t wanted to say publicly.
One man said he had had a heart bypass operation some time ago and had a numb index finger ever since. As a paramedic he uses his hands all the time and he had no sensation at all in his finger. During the guided body awareness process in the session he started to feel sensation in his finger for the first time since his surgery.
His friend that is a foster care consultant said she felt many insights coming to her during the QT talk about her client’s trauma experiences and body pain. She was keen to understand how she can bring in Quantum-Touch to her own work supporting people.
As the talk came to a close I invited people to join me on Sunday for a Chakra Balancing meditation and experience even more healing energy….
Chakra Balancing Meditation
On Sunday morning I arrived at The Ganesh Tent to an even more packed out crowd that who were ready to go on a colourful healing journey through the chakras. For many people in the audience this was their first experience of chakra balancing. It was helpful for people to learn about how a chakra balancing session is like a healing multi vitamin – creating a space for the energy flow across the entire body as it charges up each chakra.
I shared an example of a client healing story where I facilitated weekly chakra balancing sessions to Kate – who overcame Lyme’s disease within a few months. I shared this example to open up the group energy to new healing possibilities – self healing chakra healing can be very powerful.
As we spent an hour on a journey through each of the 7 chakras the energy in the tent dropped into stillness and you could literally feel an electric energy in the air.
At the end of the session many people shared their feedback some of it was jaw dropping – literally!
“I haven’t been able to open my mouth without my jaw clicking a lot and feeling all this tension there since I was a teenager. This is the first time I can open my mouth normally in decades!”
“I slept in the car last night as it was too wet to put my tent up. I had a banging headache at a level 10 when this started. It is totally gone.”
“I feel total peace in a way that I have needed for so long. Thank you so much.”
“I have no cartilage in my knee and it is generally sore a lot. It has been really sore since Thursday and all the pain has totally gone. I have never felt anything like this before. I don’t understand where the pain has gone or why?”
The beautiful feedback kept on flowing for many people. This was a chakra balancing session to remember!
Quantum-Touch Energy Boost workshop
An hour later I began teaching a 2 hour Energy Boost workshop in The Shakti Tent. We literally dived into the energy and the group were already revved up after the Chakra Balancing so the energy was high from the get go.
As I explained the purpose of training ourselves to keep our attention fully inside our own body and how healing the QT body sweep is, I could see people having big “lightbulb” moments.
A inspiring husband and wife that are GP’s on a quest to bridge western medicine with a more holistic approach explained how useful the body sweep is for them. With 13 hour shifts working with dozens of people in a day, their energy can easily become depleted. They were amazed at how much more physical energy they felt just from learning how to direct their attention through the body.
The comments in the self healing practice were truly exceptional. To the point where one lady asked “if it is this easy to help myself then how easy is it to help someone else? When can I start learning that?”
Those of you that know me know that my instant reply was “right now!”
Everyone got into pairs and I guided them through a basic energy boost sharing process. People rated an ache or pain out of 10 before the session, received some QT healing for 10 minutes each and then rated it again out of 10 after. Numbers were significantly lower as expected. One lady shared that she usually has stomach issues and this was the first time in a long time that her stomach felt relaxed and wasn’t gurgling. She was surprised that this had happened so quickly.
A couple of Energy Boost magic moments for me were…
Seeing a Mother and daughter giving each other healing.
The lovely husband and wife GP’s giving and receiving healing with their 10 year old daughter.
Other festival highlights
The food at The Big Retreat had a healthy vibe. A highlight for me was hanging out at the Boundless snacks stand. As well as the crisps being made from activated sprouts and contributing to healthy gut flora, the lovely team had a naturally high energy too. If you fancy a healthy and delicious snack that gives you the crunch factor, then I highly recommend trying these out.
The mental health charity Blink had a wellbeing tent that offered a mindful space for people to simply “be” and to book a free therapy session. As well as quiet activities for children, people could lay down comfortably and take as much time as needed to talk, relax and feel heard. I had a lovely chat with Mike, the founder of Blink and I really take my hat off to him for the space that Blink provide in festivals to people of all ages.
Mr. Motivator! What a fun exercise session that was with “fun” being the emphasis. I am all about bringing as much fun as possible into everything. As I looked around the large field in front of the main stage I noticed how comfortable people with all levels of fitness and ages were to join in fully and happily.
A massive thank you to Amber, Deepika and all the crew at The Big Retreat Festival for lining up a weekend of absolute delights. I left feeling refreshed, buzzing from all the wonderful QT healing stories and already excited at the prospect of returning next year!
