WEARSIDE MATTERS
Holistic Hub set to expand online
HECTIC modern lives can mean many people silently struggle to cope with balancing the pressures of work, family, and life in general. But a Sunderland mum, who believes she has the answers to a fulfilling and happy life, is taking her support on the digital waves, to help more people strike the perfect balance.
For Yvonne Bruce from Sunderland, a fascination with alternative therapies and the way they can enrich lives was the inspiration for her business, the Holistic Hub for Women, which has been improving people’s sense of wellbeing for more than ten years.
“I was a really early adopter when it came to holistic therapy,” she explains.
“I remember Reiki being virtually unheard of as a treatment when I came across it, and I was fascinated by the impact it could have on a person’s wellbeing. For years people have been practicing it, and it does make you think that there must be something in it, if people continue to invest their time and money into it. I thought I would train to become a Reiki practitioner and have been using it to help my clients since.”
A life at sea, as a crew member aboard the original Love Boat, was initially on the cards for Yvonne, before she returned to dry land and met her husband. Raising her two children, a son and a daughter, she decided that she would follow her passion, and retrain to become a therapist.
“I’d always been interested in neuro-linguistic programming, and the way that the brain can be supported to ‘tick’ in a different way. The mind and the body are amazing things – so adaptable – and I wanted to understand more about how I could help people rewire their brain and not only change their mindset, but even change their life through it.”
Now armed with a suite of complementary therapies, from Bowen – a special kind of massage that uses gentle movements to retrain muscles and ligaments to ease things like tension and muscular strains – as well as reflexology and acupuncture, the Holistic Hub was set up to support body and mind.
“I specifically developed the business for women. Often it is women who take on the lion’s share of family responsibilities, while still juggling their career and personal life, and I think – ultimately – something gives. Many of my clients appear to be coping brilliantly on the outside, but inside, they need some relief and support. That’s what I wanted to be. To help them cope through a range of treatment sand therapies that just help them to achieve a happier life.”
Many of Yvonne’s clients enjoy a mix of treatments, including coaching, as well as alternative therapy for the body. Yvonne has even introduced Pamper Parties to give women a chance to get some R&R.
“The Holistic Hub is a really feminine environment. I wanted to create somewhere that women feel comfortable, and where they can come to and switch off from the pressures of life. Relaxation is so important.”
Based in the Eagle Building, on Sunderland’s High Street East, the Holistic Hub is highly accessible for women on the go. Taking it a step further though, this month Yvonne is launching an online programme, The Fast Track To Getting Your Life Back, that will allow women to access support from the comfort of their home.
“People do lead such busy lives now, and I felt that there was an opportunity to support people in their home environment, allowing them to access my services discreetly and hopefully come away from it feeling the benefit.”
The online 30-day course trains people in mindfulness and meditation using videos and workbooks to support them to in switching off from their busy lives.
Yvonne adds: “Alternative therapy is not for everyone not everyone is open-minded enough to try it, but I do hope that by offering an online programme, I can introduce a whole new audience to the benefits I, and certainly my clients, have seen.
“From being something I was curious about, to becoming something I absolutely believe in and want to take to more people, I really do believe there is a world of opportunity for the Holistic Hub for Women to positively impact on many more people’s lives and that’s what I hope this course will do.”