#restival

Restival is a virtual wellness festival organised by The Little Surprise Company, designed to bring joy to its participants during lockdown.

During this challenging past year it has been more important than ever to take care and focus on yourself, your wellbeing and your health; that is exactly what Restival encourages!

For the third edition of the festival, the organisers selected 10 fantastic workshops across a day-long festival, so everyone could find something for themselves. The participants were able to mix & match sessions customising their ideal festival day and all in the comfort of their own home.

I decided to join the ‘Calligraphy Class’, which was a workshop encouraging mindfulness by drawing beautiful letters. In preparation for the session, we printed out some practice sheets. However, I must admit, I cheated a bit and used an iPad, pen and Procreate to create my own Digital Calligraphy workshop. This session was a great start to the day and really built the excitement for what was to follow…

I next attended the ‘Power of Plants’ panel discussion and enjoyed listening to the different speakers talking about their experience with plants and their effect on our wellbeing.

The reflexology workshop was very educational as well as relaxing, teaching us how the application of pressure on our hands can help us reduce some of the physical symptoms of anxiety.

In the ‘Virtual Spa’ we were taught techniques for face massage including a way to massage your eyes if they are tired after a full screen day.

HOW TO: 1. Make sure your hands and face are clean & then warm a face oil or serum between your palms. 2. Close your eyes and use your middle finger to massage, starting from the bridge of your nose, along the top of your eyebrows outwards. Repeat that movement a few times. Make sure to apply gentle pressure to pressure points that are placed just below your brow bone, on the bridge of your nose and to your temples. 3. Use your thumb to softly press on the area above the inner corner of your eyes and slowly release the pressure. Repeat this process for a few minutes. Afterwards, using your middle finger, massage your temples located at the sides of your face in an up and down motion. 4. In the end, rub the remaining oil/ serum into your neck using light strokes.

I am sure I will be putting that knowledge to use many times in the future!

The last session of the day was ‘Yoga Nidra’, also known as ‘yogic sleep; a form of guided meditation’. It was my first time practicing yoga nidra, and I can confidently say is was my favourite workshop. We were asked to get comfortable & dress warmly. Slowly your relaxed body’s temperature began to drop with the beginning of each breathing exercise. The whole session was guided by warm instruction. After the full hour the feeling of relaxation had fully crept in and I was ready to wrap myself in a blanket and head to bed.

Restival is a great opportunity to take some time for yourself...to just STOP and RESET. You have the opportunity to learn useful and exciting new skills, make use of the ones you have and even discover new hobbies. If you are in need of some self-care or know anyone who does, we at AMTEvents highly recommends the next edition of Restival, which hopefully will happen in person….stay tuned!

Inspired by the festival, we thought it would be great to share with our readers our favourite wellness apps! 1. Calm will help you meditate & sleep. 2. Headspace is another great option for meditation. 3. Sleep Cycle will track your sleep. 4. Deliciously Ella will offer you plant-based recipes & exercises videos. 5. Tangerine will help you track your habits, moods and gives you a space to journal. 6. Yoga | Daily Yoga will provide you with guided yoga classes. 7. Fabulous will help you build better habits & reach your goals. 8. Forest will not only help you stay focused but also will plant real trees for you on Earth.

SEEDS and the MRC present RESTival: Rest as Resistance 2020, a month-long event facilitating rest and reflection in the Reed community. With a focus on varied forms of care, community, and healing, RESTival will feature "practitioners of yoga, sonic meditation, and educational accounts of the merits of napping."