Program
What exactly do we mean when we use the word stress? How does it affect
us individually and is there something we can do about controlling it?
We can take the responsibility to make changes in our lives rather than
take the easy option and remain the poor 'victim' of stress. To manage,
reduce and focus on physical wellbeing complements and increases a total
integration of mind/body performance. The Physical Enhancement Program
is designed to reduce stress in the workplace, augment and support productivity
of your company and balance your life.
Modules
1. Mind Space
2. Reflexology
3. Yoga and Tai Chi
4. Remedial Massage
5. Alexander Technique
6. Fendelkrais Method
7. Ayurveda
8. Diets, Water, Minerals and Vitamins
Outcome
Benefits of the program include: Mind Space (mind relaxation
techniques for stressed business people); Reflexology (alleviates
effects of stress by inducing deep relaxation, assisting the body to regain
it's natural balance); Yoga and Tai Chi (creating peace,
balance, flexibility and relaxation); Remedial Massage (relaxes
mind, relieves body tension); Alexander Technique and Fendelkrais
Method (techniques for alleviating stress, pain, anxiety, and
enhancing performance ability in the workplace); Ayurveda
(author of ancient Ayurvedic texts Charaka wrote, "The healthy life
has three main pillars - a balanced diet, proper sleep and a healthy sex
life, and mental hygiene"); Diets, Water, Minerals & Vitamins
("Mediterranean Magic" Diet for suggestions for a 14 day plan,
natural versus processed executives-recipes, foods etc).
2.
Reflexology
The word 'reflex'
means to reflect. Pressure points on your feet and hands reflect all the
parts of your body, both external and internal: organs and glands as well
as limbs, torso and head. Each point actually reflects the activity of
another part of the body. By learning to read the right signs and act
accordingly, it is therefore possible to affect a wide range of cures.
Reflexology is a "pressure therapy" and involves applying focused pressure to certain known "reflex" points located in the foot or hand, which correspond to certain other areas in the body, including organs and glands. This helps the body to maintain its natural state of balance.
Some of the recognized benefits from receiving a reflexology treatment include increased circulation, relaxation, and release of tensions and mild anxieties from everyday living.
Module
1
This module will explore and provide knowledge on the following:
•
Principles and theories of reflexology
• How reflexology has developed over time from its beginnings in
the massage and pressure therapies of ancient cultures
• How reflexology exerts its effects by looking at the workings of
the Nervous, Skeletal and Muscular systems
• How reflexology works on the Cardio-Vascular, Lymphatic, Respiratory,
Digestive, Urinary, Endocrine and Reproductive systems
• How it fits into a contemporary, holistic approach to health and
self-maintenance incorporating diet, exercises & lifestyle
Module
2 (Prerequisite Module 1)
This module will develop participant's skills including the practice of
foot reflexology covering:
• Basic pressure techniques, grips, and support hold
• A typical treatment session begun by using preliminary relaxation
exercises to relax the limb prior to using pressure treatment
• Self-help treatments for a number of common complaints such as
headaches, earaches, nose problems, neck stiffness and sore muscles
• Specific reflex points and areas to be used for particular groups
such as women, men, children and the elderly.
Individual sessions with accredited reflexologists can be booked via the ACCA for its members. For further information please call us on 1300 137 038 or email info@ac4ca.com
3.
Yoga and Tai Chi
Alchemic Yoga
Psychoanalyst Carl Jung illustrated yoga as a form of physiological
and psychic hygiene, snapped up by the scattered and undisciplined mind
of the Western world. Yoga is the most widely practised form of exercise
in the world.
Anyone can benefit from practising yoga. Busy people use it to manage stress in their hectic lives. Pregnant women use it to prepare for the birth of their children. Elite athletes use it to focus themselves toward a high level of performance and to recover from injuries. You can use it too, no matter your age, condition or cultural background.
Most of us tend to hold in patterns of tension arising from everyday cares and worries. These patterns make us feel stiff and unbending, and directly interfere with our movements. Inflexibility within our bodies can in turn affect mental flexibility, and we can become stuck in thought as well as in action. Regular yoga exercises free our bodies, allowing us to move easily. They can also help us transcend the restrictions of the body and the mind.
Alchemic yoga is built on alchemic 'parachemical' principles. One of the major goals of the mystical art of alchemy was to find the "elixir of life": a panacea that could make humans immortal or semidivine. Alchemic yoga put you in control of your body's resources through the regular practice of asanas (posture), pranayam (controlled breath) and meditation (or contemplation). This practical maintenance of internal alchemic processes that takes place during a class is the objective of Alchemic Yoga.
Module
Available for one-on-one sessions, or group sessions at your work premises
with Accredited yoga teachers and can be booked via the ACCA for its members.
For further information phone 1300 137 038 or email us at info@ac4ca.com
Class
duration: 45 mins. to 2 hours negotiated according to needs
Facilitator: Elena Rabuda B Ed. (Adult Ed.), D.N., D.T.M., (Yoga)
Teacher
We are very trained to observe nature from its exterior. We do not usually look at natures' hearts and rarely pursue the study of its soul.
'All being is a manifestation of energy' (Roberts,1993:245). This concept is the core belief of ancient Hermetic and modern Theosophists. They also said that we are intimately connected with all of natures' manifestations. That our psyche is 'quite aware of the inner sweep and flow of our life and its relationship with every other creature alive' (p,253).
Traditional religions and older ones have implied in various ways, that our relationship with nature is as 'children of the Universe'. Through the evolutionary process of our civilisation, we have learnt to divorce ourselves from nature and spirit. To some extent, our civilisation, we have learnt to divorce ourselves from nature and spirit. To some extent, our culture has allowed us enough freedom to trust our bodies while they are growing towards adulthood. Yet, "intuitively, each person is born with the knowledge that he or she is not only worthwhile, but fits into context of the universe in the most precise and beautiful of fashions" (Roberts, 1993:253).
Alchemic Yoga helps us align the body and the mind. It provides useful tools to 'tune-up' the body to reconnect with the most powerful psychic contours of our relationship with life.
Roberts, Richard (1993), "The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events" A Seth Reader, Vernal Equinox Press, USA
T'ai Chi
T'ai chi ch'uan is an ancient form of slow, graceful and rhythmic exercise
which originated in China, often being performed in public parks. It has
roots in Taoist philosophy. The movements of the t'ai chi form gently
tone and strengthen the organs and muscles, improve circulation and posture,
and relax both mind and body.
T'ai chi has been variously described as a system of health, medicine, physical co-ordination, relaxation, self-defence and consciousness raising, as well as a means of exercise and self development. It is the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of today's modern lifestyles.
Module
Available for one-on-one sessions, or group sessions on location at your
work premises with accredited t'ai chi teachers and can be booked via
the ACCA for its members. For further information phone 1300 137 038 or
email us at info@ac4ca.com
Duration:
45mins.-1 hour
Facilitator: Horacio Paz Member of the World T'ai Chi Boxing Association
Founding Member of the T'ai Chi Association of Australia
4.
Remedial Massage
Do you come
home at the end of a hectic day's work with your neck and shoulders feeling
as if they were set in concrete? Most of us almost unconsciously rub such
tense, aching spots to get some instant relief; correctly performed, massage
can have a wonderful effect, not just on the muscles themselves but on
our whole sense of wellbeing. Touch is one of the most crucial, and yet
often neglected senses, and the need for human touch remains constant
throughout life.
Systematic, caring touch through massage has been shown to encourage the release of endorphins-chemicals that affect emotional and physical wellbeing in adults. In addition, a massage can be an effective treatment for a range of physical problems, and is a wonderfully relaxing experience.
Remedial massage utilises skilled techniques to target deep tissue muscle, thus allowing individuals to treat specific injuries and problem areas.
Module
1
This module will explore and provide knowledge on the following:
• Applied study of the structure of the body and its functions together
with diagrams of the human body, including muscle and bone structures
with their proper names
• Understanding the problems that cause aches and pains
• How to treat specific health problems that can benefit from remedial
massage and exercises for clients
• Demonstration of basic massage movements and how to perfect your
massage techniques
Module
2 (Prerequisite Module 1)
This module will develop participant's skills including the practice of
remedial massage covering:
• Demonstration of advanced remedial massage techniques
• Neck & shoulder massage, deep tissue massage and stretching techniques
• Assessing and treating dysfunction and injury, understanding treatment
adaptations and the value of massage in alleviating symptoms and promoting
the body's own curative powers.
Individual sessions with accredited remedial therapists can be booked via the ACCA for its members. For further information please call us on 1300 137 038 or email info@ac4ca.com
5.
Alexander Technique
Many
of us carry ourselves in a way that causes physical and mental tension.
Do you have poor posture? Is it a part of your body in pain? The Alexander
Technique helps you to look at how you move, consciously re-educating
your body and mind to achieve a more natural and relaxed posture.
It's an efficient tool that helps promote muscle tone and general wellbeing while encouraging poise and flexibility. The method has proven to be especially powerful in dealing with stress and stress related illness, asthma, fatigue, insomnia, circulatory problems, digestive disorders, anxiety, and neck, back, and joint pain.
Module
1
The Alexander Technique is taught through a series of individual lessons.
In each lesson the participant experiences standing, sitting and moving
with less and less effort as those reflexes which balance the pull of
gravity are reactivated. This is accomplished through a combination of
verbal instruction and gentle hands-on guidance.
Participants learn for themselves how to recognise and release habits of tension interfering with the good posture and effortless movement of which we are all capable as well as learning how to prevent such habits from forming in the future.
Private Alexander Technique consultations are available to ACCA members and can be booked through the Centre. For further information please call us on 1300 137 038 or email info@ac4ca.com
6.
Fendelkrais Method
Moshe
Fendelkrais created a new teaching method, the Fendelkrais Method which
aims at a deep understanding of body movement and its relation to gravity,
to the self-regulating processes of the nervous system and to the integration
of the being as sensuous, emotional and intellectual organism in his relation
to his environment.
This specific body technique helps you awaken sensibility and observation, making learning easier and enlarging the scope of knowledge. It aids the corporal organisation to improve the quality of life and the range of movements.
Module
1
The Fendelkrais Method consists of two modalities:
• Awareness Through Movement; where you work in a group and the participants
can explore their perceptions, feelings and thoughts through the tasks
proposed by the practitioner to reach a better and clearer organization
of movement.
Module
2
• Functional Integration; where lessons are individual. Through gentle
touches in the body the practitioner helps the learner discover a full
range of often restricted movements.
You can improve suppleness, posture, range of movements, physical skills, breathing, stamina, general feeling of wellbeing and easiness in movements.
You can relieve muscular tension, stiffness, headaches, waist, neck, shoulder and jaw pains, joint pains and stress.
Private Fendelkrais Method consultations are available to ACCA members and can be booked through the Centre. For further information please call us on 1300 137 038 or email info@ac4ca.com
7.
Ayurveda
Thanks
to the credit of best-selling author Deepak Chopra, Ayurveda has now become
the latest fad. Thousands of years old, Ayurveda meaning "science
of life" is the oldest complete medical system in the world. There
are many different branches to Ayurveda because it covers so many different
aspects of health and wellbeing.
Ayurvedic medicine (which is only one branch of Ayurveda) is founded on the belief that all diseases stem from the digestive system and are caused either by poor digestion of food, which is the body's major source of nourishment, or by following an improper diet for your dosha (nature). Its main focus is nutrition, supported primarily by the use of herbs, massage and aromatic oils. Even The Body Shop is cashing in on the latest trend.
The basic Ayurvedic approach will help you to develop some simple ways to keep yourself balanced in these days of increasing worry and stress. Identify your dosha, learn how you can at last begin to heal your vikruti (current emotional, physical or mental health conditions) with the use of Ayurvedic methods.
Module
1
This module will explore and provide knowledge on the following:
• Principles of Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Medicine and the aim of Ayurveda?
• How does it work?
• How to identify your metabolic body type or 'doshas' that govern
your physical structure and function
• How this all encompassing technique involves purification, commonly
beginning with a change in diet, if necessary combined with meditation
and yoga/exercise, and special attention is paid to posture, sleep and
other lifestyle factors.
Private Ayurvedic consultations are available to ACCA members and can be booked through the Centre. For further information please call us on 1300 137 038 or email info@ac4ca.com
8.
Diets, Water, Minerals and Vitamins (Mediterranean Magic Diet)
Module 1
This module will offer recipes and suggestions for busy executives. An
introduction to the Mediterranean diet including:
• Hands-on interactive cooking workshop with emphasis on preparation
of the wonderful 'NAPOLETANA' sauce as a base for 4 easy to prepare delicious
sauces that can be stored and used as required.
• While preparation is taking place the health benefits of each ingredient
used in the sauces will be explored (olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes,
continental parsley, basil, eggplants etc.)
• Various produce currently available on the Australian market will
be discussed.
• 3 exciting and timesaving salads will be offered to complement
the sauces.
• At the end of the workshop participants will take part in sharing
what has been prepared throughout the evening.
Duration:
3-4 hours
Venue: Contact the Centre for the next module at your nearest location
Facilitator: Alfonso Fanelli Master of Arts, Grad Dip Ed Proprietor
and Chef at Favoloso Caffe Ristorante Italiano
*Two follow-up modules will be offered at a later date.
