I’m Pat Irving an acupuncturist with a practice in Deanscales, Cockermouth. I also teach yoga, somatics and qigong.
My aim for East to West Wellbeing is to support clients towards health and provide them with the knowledge and tools to look after themselves.
Why East to West Wellbeing?
The name East to West Wellbeing emerged while I was doing my yoga teacher training in 2015. Already an acupuncturist, I looked for a business name that reflects the eastern origins of acupuncture, qigong and yoga and my base in west Cumbria.
‘Wellbeing’ is close to my heart as own my wellbeing took second place to building a successful career. I worked my way up from a research assistant to a company director by going ‘above and beyond’.
Now I appreciate that the lessons that I learned while building my career gave me experience of the stresses and strains of evolving working practices and juggling work / life balance.
It’s taken me a while to realise that I feel better if I treat myself with a little kindness and compassion. I don’t always get things right but I’m getting much better at noticing when old habits emerge.
My aim for East to West Wellbeing is to support clients towards health and provide them with the knowledge and tools to understand what's right for them. When I started East to West Wellbeing I was guided by the following words 'eastern practices to find your way in western life'. These words continue to guide me.
About me
I spent more than 25 years in research and consulting working for local, regional, national government and the European Commission and its agencies.
Acupuncture and yoga were tools I used to help me keep me healthy when things got a little hectic at work.
I practice Five Element Acupuncture. I completed a BA Honours in Acupuncture (Oxford Brookes University) at the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Leamington Spa (superseded by The Acupuncture Academy). I qualified and gained my License to practice in 2008. I completed a two year acupuncture graduate programme in 2018 with Niki Bilton and continue to study with her on a regular basis.
I am a member of the British Acupuncture Council and was a member of their research advisory committee for six years.
In 2022 I turned my attention to Yang Sheng - self help techniques including Chinese Dietary Therapy, acupressure, culinary herbs and qigong to empower my acupuncture patients and yoga students to help themselves. As part of this I've completed Alex Jacob's Yang Sheng Mastery course, Mimi Kuo-Deemer's Five Elements qigong training and subsequently her Qigong Mentorship programme. I'm now focusing on the food element of Yang Sheng and have recently started a Diploma in Chinese Medicine Nutrition at the Northern College of Acupuncture (October 2023).
I'm more than half way through a course on Huang Lao, Daoist Acupuncture that explores time and space in acupuncture with Roisin Golding and I'm returning to work with Alex Brazkiewicz on treating musculoskeletal conditions.
I came to yoga late, in my early 30s, thinking – like many others – that I wasn’t flexible enough to practise yoga. Twenty years on in 2015, and nudged by Krishna Hassomal, I started my yoga teacher training with Sally Parkes.
Since completing my initial training I’ve explored how yoga can help manage a variety of mental health issues (anxiety, depression, stress and burnout), insomnia and understanding how alignment works for individuals.
I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best embodied movement practitioners in the world: Donna Farhi, Lisa Petersen, Max Strom, Mimi Kuo-Deemer, Tias and Surya Little and Zephyr Wildman.
Since 2018 I've been exploring somatics and how this complements yoga. I'm a certified Prajna SATYA teacher and a Somatics Exercise Coach. I'm also a Yoga In Healthcare Alliance and a Menopause Yoga certified teacher.
In 2023 I've completed training with Doug Keller (Pranayama is More than the Breath) and I'm revisiting and completing training with Tias Little . I assisted Lisa Petersen on her Somatics Exercise Coach training in Manchester earlier in 2023.
Traditional Acupuncture
Traditional acupuncture is a tried and tested system of complementary medicine based on Chinese medicine principles that have been researched and refined over 2,500 years. It is holistic and works to maintain the body’s equilibrium with treatment aimed at the root of your condition as well as your symptoms.
The British Acupuncture Council have prepared a research digest and are updating a series of research fact sheets that provide unbiased information on whether acupuncture might help alleviate your symptoms. I work with a wide variety of clients including those requiring fertility support.
If you think traditional acupuncture might help you, I’m registered to practice at the following addresses:
• 3 Cragg Close, Deanscales,
Cockermouth, CA13 0RL
• The Senhouse Centre, Senhouse Street,
Whitehaven CA28 7ES
An initial two hour session is £75 and follow up is £50 for each session. 50% of the fee will be charged for sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. If you fail to attend a session with no notice, the full fee will be charged.
Why practise yoga?
‘Words cannot convey the total value of yoga. It has to be experienced’, B S K Iyengar
Regularly practising yoga can improve flexibility and strength. It strengthens bones, eases pain, improves posture and eases joints through their range of movement. Yoga also helps oxygenate the blood, increase lymphatic drainage, lowers blood pressure, the risk of heart disease, cortisol, blood sugar and LDL (the so called ‘bad’ cholesterol). It can encourage relaxation, improve proprioception (the ability to feel what the body is doing) and improve the immune system.
Yoga is about listening to your body and breath. Doing what is right on the day. No forcing, no pushing, simple gentle enquiry. Gentle encouragement, coaxing limbs and joints into movement and rest. Noticing tension and tightness. Learning to work in a way that's right for you. And, taking what you learn off your mat into day to day life.
The breath is the thread that guides the practice of yoga. Maintaining smooth, even breathing is key. It provides clues to understanding what to do to release tension and stress.
I offer public classes and corporate sessions. As well as my regular public classes I've worked with Allerdale Borough Council and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and I'm currently working with Ramblers Holidays and have been retained for their 2024 season.
If you want to try a yoga class, your first class is free. Thereafter 90 minute face to face classes are £15.00 drop in, £12.50 per class for a flexi-pass or £10 for per class for blocks paid in advance. Online classes are £8.00 for 90 minute classes.
Yoga, Somatics and Qigong for all - suitable for beginners - your first class is free
Classes are as follows:
Tuesdays: 9, 16, 23, 30 January; 6, 13, 20 February
Wednesdays: 10, 17, 24, 31 January ; 7, 14, 21 February
Thursdays: Qigong 11, 18, 25 January; 1, 8, 15, 22 February.
If you have any questions or would like any information please get in touch using the contact form below.
Regular class times / venues
Tuesdays: 10.00 - 11.30am Lamplugh Village Hall and zoom
Wednesdays: 10.00-11.30am Eaglesfield Village Hall and zoom; 6.00-7.30pm Lamplugh Village Hall and zoom
Thursdays: 10.00-11.00 Eaglesfield Village Hall
Contact
Phone: 07962 127 812
Email: pat@easttowestwellbeing.com
‘The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet'
Chapter 64, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, translation by Stephen Mitchell
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