We were fortunate enough to secure some Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership funding through GMCVO which we are using to run a series of sessions and events in the first 6 months of 2024. One of the sessions we are running is a 6 week “Support to Rest” Embodiment course with Alys.
These sessions will run each Wednesday at 3-4pm from the 24th January.
You can see more about Alys and the sessions here https://alysjenkins.co.uk/groups
These places are open to anyone who is a current Stockport ME Group member or who lives in Greater Manchester and either has ME/CFS, Long COVID or Fibromyalgia or cares/supports someone who does. People need to make a £10 contribution to reserve their place with the form below. Within the first week (from 7th Dec) or so we will be prioritising people who have not attended previous sessions. After that places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. There is a limited number of places and when we get close to being full up I will replace the form with a simple reserve list and contact people on the list in due course if a place is still available to see if they wish to take it.
Alys is also running a rest cafe which will give a little idea of what her sessions are like. See the flier at the bottom of the page if you are interested.
In Alys’ words:-
‘Support to Rest’ is a six week, live, online course on zoom.
Over the 6 weeks you will be guided through around 18 body based (“embodied”) practices to help you rest and feel calm. The practices help you to build skills around rest and can be particularly helpful if you are feeling “tired and wired” / “anxious and fatigued”.
The sessions are very gentle, offering a calm, relaxing, nurturing space, in which you can experience self-tenderness and self-kindness (including towards your ailing body).
The course also includes an overview (and accompanying PDF) of the autonomic nervous system, polyvagal theory and the vagus nerve, and how each of these relates to rest.
The small groups offers the opportunity for low level social contact, as well as space for questions. You are welcome to lie down for the whole session.
There is the opportunity to stay on the call for up to 15 minutes after the session, for questions or social contact.
After each session you will receive a follow up email, with a summary, and a link to the audio and video recording of the session, so you can continue to practice (no group participants are on the recording).”
We are almost full up for the sessions. If you wish a place then please email benwickens55@gmail.com. The remaining spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis as long as the person is either a SMEG member or a resident of Greater Manchester.
Rest Cafe
The Online Rest Cafe is an experiment!
My intention is to offer a space in which people with fatigue – especially those with limited social energy – can meet others, but without leaving the session more exhausted than you arrived.
Bite sized opportunities for conversation and connection (in zoom break out rooms), will be interspersed with regular guided rest practices (for the whole group, in the main zoom room).
I will offer a theme for discussion within the break out rooms, which I hope will help the conversation be steered away from sharing symptoms and towards sharing ways of living better with long term health problems.
During the years I was most ill I craved something like this – small bits of social contact, along with regular pauses for rest with others.
If this appeals to you, you are welcome to join this experiment!
To book: alys@alysjenkins.co.uk
