International Women's day

Today was a day for celebrating women and women's achievements. As a woman and a therapist I am of course interested in anything that can make us feel more confident and happy in ourselves and have a particular interest in health issues related to hormonal changes and the menopause.

I recently read a wonderful biography of the artist, Rosa Bonheur. She rose to incredible fame during the mid to late 1800's in France at a time when only men were recognised at the highest level. Her greatest accolade was being awarded the Officier de la Legion d'Honneur, the first woman ever to be deemed worthy of this. She became an icon for the early feminist movement in France but had no interest whatsoever in this. Utterly devoted to her art, Rosa was hard working and determined to prove herself not because of or even inspite of being a woman, but simply because this was what she wanted to do. She ploughed her own path and did things in a highly unconventional way because she was being true to herself, and this is something that I love about her as a person, brought to life vividly, inspiringly and movingly by the author, Catharine Hewitt.

It's a reminder that it's a wonderful thing to be a woman and to celebrate who we are, as well as to stand up for our rights, our dreams and our hopes in a world that is still unequal in all sorts of ways and controlled to a large extent by male opinions and structures. It's important not to be put off by invisible rules and social barriers and to support and celebrate determination, kindness and creativity.

Being kind to yourself and others and true to yourself, whatever path it is that you want to follow in life is probably the most important thing you can do.

I hope to be back to have these chats with people soon, and help them to feel more balanced and whole again with Bowen therapy. Its a wonderfully calming, soothing and rebalancing modality, that is gentle enough to help with conditions such as fibromyalgia, anxiety and menopausal issues as well as physical problems such as back pain and neck/shoulder tension.

Hopefully from the 26th of April when we return to the tier system here in Scotland I can begin to treat again. Till then, be strong and enjoy your ideas, natural strengths, compassion and creativity and follow your dreams.