I’m Pat Irving an acupuncturist with practices in Cockermouth and Whitehaven, west Cumbria. I also teach yoga.
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 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 it's agencies. I left research and consulting in 2015.
Acupuncture and yoga were tools I used to help me keep me healthy when things got a little hectic at work. When I looked to change career I started with acupuncture, then added yoga more recently.
I practice 5 element acupuncture. I completed a BA Honours in Acupuncture at the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Leamington Spa (superseded by The Acupuncture Academy). I qualified and gained my License to practice in 2008 and recently completed a two year acupuncture graduate programme. I am a member of the British Acupuncture Council and was a member of their research advisory committee for six years.
Alongside acupuncture I’ve completed training in Tui Na (Chinese massage therapy) and I’m currently working on a diploma in Chinese Nutritional Therapy.
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 deepened my practise with Lisa Sanfilippo (and I am eternally grateful for her work on insomnia) and I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best embodied movement practitioners in the world: Donna Farhi, Matthew Cohen, Max Strom, Mimi Kuo Deemer, Tias Little and Zephyr Wildman.
The next stage of my evolution is somatics - I start my somatics exercise coach training with Lisa Petersen in October 2020.
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.
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
Yoga
My self-practice is now influenced by yoga, Qi Gong, somatics and mindfulness. I’m learning to tune in on how my practice feels both on and off the mat. As my self-practice develops, this in turn informs my teaching. The next stage of my evolution is somatics - I start my somatics exercise coach training with Lisa Petersen in October 2020.
I offer regular public classes (on line and face to face), one to ones and work with businesses.
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 (that’s your range of movement, not what the person on the mat next to you is doing).
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.
If you want to try a yoga class, your first class is free. Thereafter 1.5 hour face to face classes are £12.50 drop in or £50 for a block of five classes; online classes are £5 drop in.
Yoga for all - suitable for beginners, your first class is free.
Tuesdays 10.00-11.30am
Lamplugh Village Hall, Lamplugh,
Workington, CA14 4SF
Tuesday 29th September
Location to be confirmed:
Tuesday 6th October
Tuesday 13th October
Tuesday 20th October
Tuesday 27th October
Wednesdays 6.30-8.00pm
Lamplugh Village Hall, Lamplugh,
Workington, CA14 4SF
Wednesday 30th September
Location to be confirmed:
Wednesday 7th October
Wednesday 14th October
Wednesday 21st October
Wednesday 28th October
Zoom classes online
Thursdays 9.30 - 10.30am,
Thursdays 6.30-7.30pm
£5 per class drop in
Thursday 1st October
Thursday 8th October
Thursday 15th October
Thursday 22nd October
Thursday 29th October
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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