Rei- Flow, Hannah Bendall Reiki

03/08/2026

Not Zen… Yet

People often ask me if I’ve always loved flowers.

Truth be told… I’ve probably loved writing just as much.

Not the sort of writing where you sit in a matching lounge set, light a £40 candle and write beautifully in a leather journal while whale music plays in the background.

No.

Mine looks more like a woman who’s had six ideas before breakfast, can’t find a pen, writes on the back of a feed bill, loses it, remembers it three days later in the glove box and declares herself a literary genius.

I’ve done it since I was a teenager.

If someone annoyed me… I’d write.

If life annoyed me… I’d write.

If my children annoyed me… well… there wasn’t enough paper in Gloucestershire.

It wasn’t a diary because diaries involve dates and order.

I once found a note I’d written to myself saying, “Don’t lose this.”

I’d lost it.

So let’s do some maths.

Don’t panic. There won’t be a test. I failed most of those anyway.

Money and I have never really been mates.

When the children were little there wasn’t money for holidays, new cars or fancy coffee.

Some weeks there wasn’t even enough for the bridge toll to visit my brother in Bristol.

Back then my idea of retail therapy was buying the branded washing powder instead of the supermarket one and feeling outrageously extravagant.

As a single mum, spending money on myself sat somewhere below “buying new pants” on the priority list.

Then I hear people say…

“I couldn’t possibly spend £30 a week on the sauna.”

Fair enough…

But then…

How many coffees have sneaked into your week?

One after school drop-off because you’ve earned it.

One after food shopping because Tesco was emotionally exhausting.

One because Sandra fancied a catch-up.

One because it’s Tuesday.

One because… well… why not?

Before you know it you’ve spent enough to buy a small village in Costa.

And don’t even get me started on adding syrup.

Four quid for someone to sq**rt caramel into milk.

We’ve all lost the plot.

The funny thing is, we convince ourselves that’s normal, but spending money on feeling genuinely better somehow feels extravagant.

How does that work?

And while we’re on the school run…

Can we talk about parents in the rain?

Honestly, if there’s a single cloud in the sky you’d think the children were being dropped into the Amazon rainforest.

Cars everywhere.

Hazard lights flashing.

Parents attempting manoeuvres that would impress Formula One drivers.

All so little Freddie only has to walk twelve inches.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to squeeze through wondering whether we’ll get home before Christmas.

Then, once we’re finally walking…

Heads down.

Phones out.

If aliens landed tomorrow, half of us wouldn’t notice because we’d be replying to “OK xx” on WhatsApp.

Look up.

Honestly.

The trees are free.

The birds are having rows that make your family Christmas look positively civilised.

Flowers are quietly doing their thing without posting motivational quotes on Instagram.

Nature’s clever like that.

Now…

Five coffees at £4.

That’s £20.

Chuck in a couple more because life happened.

There’s your £30 or £40 gone.

A jar of coffee?

Six quid.

Boil the kettle.

Froth your own milk if you’re feeling fancy.

You don’t need a barista called Josh drawing a heart in your latte.

You need an hour where nobody asks where their PE kit is.

Or what’s for tea.

Or whether you’ve seen the dog’s lead.

That’s wellness.

The sauna.

The cold plunge.

The laughter.

The conversations.

The moment your shoulders finally realise they don’t have to live attached to your ears.

I never thought I’d be someone who says, “Ooh, I do love a chai latte.”

I definitely never thought I’d willingly climb into freezing cold water.

Yet here we are.

I’m still not Zen.

I still lose my keys.

I still walk into rooms and forget why.

I still buy plants with absolutely nowhere sensible to put them.

But I’m slowly learning that looking after yourself isn’t an expense.

It’s a necessity.

And frankly…

You’re far more important than a takeaway coffee.

Even if it does come with oat milk and a very pretty leaf on the top.

Hannah

02/08/2026

Why don’t you follow along?

You might find that you enjoy my ramblings and let’s call it wellness for now, but I don’t like that word I will think of another one before next week! Writing is a passion so blogging it is !!

Wellness? Me? You’re Having a Laugh…

I heard myself say the other day whilst I was sitting at The Self Centre in Lydney, “Maybe I should write a wellness blog.”

My own answer was a resounding…

“Hell yeah… no.”

Just to be clear, Angharad and I have worked together on different projects over the years. My design background has usually been at the forefront of anything I’ve done for her, so becoming a sauna host at this new venture definitely wasn’t part of the grand plan.

But I’ve hosted before, I had a few evenings free, and I thought…

Why not?

Most people who know me will know I discovered cold water swimming quite a few years ago. It all started after I had cancer in 2018. I wanted to raise money for Cancer Research because, after everything they’d done for me, it felt like the very least I could do.

Little did I know I’d end up dipping far more than just my toe into that world.

I was helped (or perhaps encouraged beyond all reason) by some of the most wonderful friends. They’d happily stand in muddy fields, on riverbanks and beside freezing lakes filming me throwing myself into water that most sensible people were actively avoiding. My travels even took me as far as Switzerland and some of the places I swam were so breathtaking they almost made me forget how utterly freezing they were.

Almost.

I can’t really explain what cold water did for me.

I felt alive.

I laughed more.

I lost weight.

I had a purpose.

Together we raised an incredible amount of money in just one month—something I still haven’t quite got my head around. People’s generosity never ceases to amaze me.

Thankfully my treatment was relatively straightforward compared with so many others. A hysterectomy later, I was lucky enough to move on with life.

Sadly though, like so many good habits…

Life got in the way.

The swimming gradually stopped.

But I never really fell out of love with cold water, and somewhere along the line I discovered something equally wonderful…

The sauna.

Now, after surviving surgical menopause, you’d have had good odds betting I’d never voluntarily sit in a hot room again. I spent years permanently overheating.

Not the glamorous sort of hot.

More the “Is someone cooking me from the inside out?” variety.

Yet here we are.

So, if you fancy it, join me on what will probably be a sometimes manic, often slightly chaotic blog about real life and the little things that can make us feel better. We’ll chat about contrast therapy, gardening, cold water, flowers, people, the odd tangent that appears out of nowhere, and whatever else life decides to throw at us.

I won’t be preaching.

I won’t pretend to have all the answers.

I’ll simply share the things that make me laugh, make me think and, every now and then, make me feel a little bit better.

That phrase, “wellness journey,” always makes me imagine someone called Moonbeam drinking celery juice whilst hugging an oak tree.

I’ve simply found something I genuinely enjoy, and somehow I look and feel better because of it.

The proof came completely by accident.

Earlier this year I accidentally took the world’s least flattering selfie after my phone camera flipped around. Naturally I nearly deleted it.

Months later I did exactly the same thing. When I looked at the two photos side by side, I genuinely couldn’t believe the difference.

No clever filters.

No dramatic “before and after” plan.

Just… life quietly changing.

That’s probably my point.

Nobody should tell you not to drink.

Nobody should tell you to walk 10,000 steps.

Nobody should tell you to eat more salad. Believe me, if salad alone worked I’d have disappeared years ago.

What I can do is share what’s worked for me.

If it makes you smile, brilliant.

If it makes you curious enough to try something new, even better.

If it simply reminds you to stop for five minutes, that’s enough.

Now here’s the bit that surprises people.

I’m also a Reiki Master.

Apparently I’m quite good at it.

I still can’t really explain it.

It certainly isn’t as “woo woo” as people imagine. Whether it’s energy, deep relaxation or simply giving yourself permission to switch off for an hour, I honestly don’t mind.

What I do know is that people leave feeling lighter than when they arrived.

And that’s good enough for me.

The irony is I’m probably one of the least relaxed people you’ll ever meet.

Put me in a garden—which is my job—and I’m everywhere at once. W**d something… spot another job… wander off… deadhead a rose… remember I was supposed to be watering… disappear into the greenhouse… come back wondering where I’d left the wheelbarrow.

It’s exhausting being inside my own head sometimes.

These days ADHD gets mentioned everywhere. Whether I’d ever seek a diagnosis I don’t know, but I certainly recognise plenty of those traits.

What frustrates me is when organised people treat someone else’s busy brain as though it’s a character flaw.

It isn’t.

It’s just wired differently.

What I’ve discovered is that when I sauna and ice bath two or three times a week—usually on my own—I stop.

Not completely.

The thoughts are still there.

They’re just… quieter.

For me, that’s probably the biggest gift.

Science tells us cold water can increase dopamine dramatically.

I just know I come out smiling.
I am lucky I have access to some fantastic ice baths, you can too if you come and join us.

But in the meantime.

Jump in a lake.

Go for a sea swim.

Finish your shower cold.

Or just stand outside in Britain wearing shorts. That’ll probably do it.

Earlier this year I looked at a photograph of myself and realised my face had changed.

The puffiness had gone.

The tiredness had eased.

It was almost as though someone had quietly turned the lights back on.

Not because I’d become some wellness guru.

Far from it.

I’m still the woman who talks too much, laughs too loudly, starts seventeen jobs before finishing one and can somehow lose my phone whilst talking on it.

I’ve simply found something that makes me feel more like… me.

So…

“Follow You Follow Me.”

Didn’t Genesis write a song about that?

They did.

Who knows where any of this will lead?

All I know is there’s a lovely little space in Lydney where you can spend an evening in peace and quiet, warm yourself up, cool yourself down if you’re brave enough, meet some lovely people, or quietly avoid everyone if that’s more your thing.

And it’s only going to get bigger and better.

We’ve got a busy winter ahead and some seriously fantastic therapists joining us over the coming months, which is really exciting.

Until then…

Take your shoes off.

Stand on the grass.

Look up at the sky.

Watch the clouds for a minute.

They’ve been there a lot longer than your emails.

And this isn’t me turning all mystical.

It’s simply me saying…

It works for me.

Before you scroll on…

Roll your shoulders back.

(Unless you’re driving or standing in Tesco. People will wonder what you’re up to.)

Unclench your jaw.

Take your tongue away from the roof of your mouth.

Leave your lips slightly apart…

…and breathe out.

Funny, isn’t it?

You probably didn’t even realise you were holding all that tension.

Now go and enjoy your day.

Or at the very least…

Make it five percent better than it was five minutes ago.

I’d call that wellness.

Even if I still don’t like the word.

02/08/2026

Read my blog here follow along for a bit of a giggle about the real side of wellness cutting out the crap making sure it’s accessible to us all.. The SELF Centre

Wellness? Me? You’re Having a Laugh…

I heard myself say the other day whilst I was sitting at The Self Centre in Lydney, “Maybe I should write a wellness blog.”

My own answer was a resounding…

“Hell yeah… no.”

Just to be clear, Angharad and I have worked together on different projects over the years. My design background has usually been at the forefront of anything I’ve done for her, so becoming a sauna host at this new venture definitely wasn’t part of the grand plan.

But I’ve hosted before, I had a few evenings free, and I thought…

Why not?

Most people who know me will know I discovered cold water swimming quite a few years ago. It all started after I had cancer in 2018. I wanted to raise money for Cancer Research because, after everything they’d done for me, it felt like the very least I could do.

Little did I know I’d end up dipping far more than just my toe into that world.

I was helped (or perhaps encouraged beyond all reason) by some of the most wonderful friends. They’d happily stand in muddy fields, on riverbanks and beside freezing lakes filming me throwing myself into water that most sensible people were actively avoiding. My travels even took me as far as Switzerland and some of the places I swam were so breathtaking they almost made me forget how utterly freezing they were.

Almost.

I can’t really explain what cold water did for me.

I felt alive.

I laughed more.

I lost weight.

I had a purpose.

Together we raised an incredible amount of money in just one month—something I still haven’t quite got my head around. People’s generosity never ceases to amaze me.

Thankfully my treatment was relatively straightforward compared with so many others. A hysterectomy later, I was lucky enough to move on with life.

Sadly though, like so many good habits…

Life got in the way.

The swimming gradually stopped.

But I never really fell out of love with cold water, and somewhere along the line I discovered something equally wonderful…

The sauna.

Now, after surviving surgical menopause, you’d have had good odds betting I’d never voluntarily sit in a hot room again. I spent years permanently overheating.

Not the glamorous sort of hot.

More the “Is someone cooking me from the inside out?” variety.

Yet here we are.

So, if you fancy it, join me on what will probably be a sometimes manic, often slightly chaotic blog about real life and the little things that can make us feel better. We’ll chat about contrast therapy, gardening, cold water, flowers, people, the odd tangent that appears out of nowhere, and whatever else life decides to throw at us.

I won’t be preaching.

I won’t pretend to have all the answers.

I’ll simply share the things that make me laugh, make me think and, every now and then, make me feel a little bit better.

That phrase, “wellness journey,” always makes me imagine someone called Moonbeam drinking celery juice whilst hugging an oak tree.

I’ve simply found something I genuinely enjoy, and somehow I look and feel better because of it.

The proof came completely by accident.

Earlier this year I accidentally took the world’s least flattering selfie after my phone camera flipped around. Naturally I nearly deleted it.

Months later I did exactly the same thing. When I looked at the two photos side by side, I genuinely couldn’t believe the difference.

No clever filters.

No dramatic “before and after” plan.

Just… life quietly changing.

That’s probably my point.

Nobody should tell you not to drink.

Nobody should tell you to walk 10,000 steps.

Nobody should tell you to eat more salad. Believe me, if salad alone worked I’d have disappeared years ago.

What I can do is share what’s worked for me.

If it makes you smile, brilliant.

If it makes you curious enough to try something new, even better.

If it simply reminds you to stop for five minutes, that’s enough.

Now here’s the bit that surprises people.

I’m also a Reiki Master.

Apparently I’m quite good at it.

I still can’t really explain it.

It certainly isn’t as “woo woo” as people imagine. Whether it’s energy, deep relaxation or simply giving yourself permission to switch off for an hour, I honestly don’t mind.

What I do know is that people leave feeling lighter than when they arrived.

And that’s good enough for me.

The irony is I’m probably one of the least relaxed people you’ll ever meet.

Put me in a garden—which is my job—and I’m everywhere at once. W**d something… spot another job… wander off… deadhead a rose… remember I was supposed to be watering… disappear into the greenhouse… come back wondering where I’d left the wheelbarrow.

It’s exhausting being inside my own head sometimes.

These days ADHD gets mentioned everywhere. Whether I’d ever seek a diagnosis I don’t know, but I certainly recognise plenty of those traits.

What frustrates me is when organised people treat someone else’s busy brain as though it’s a character flaw.

It isn’t.

It’s just wired differently.

What I’ve discovered is that when I sauna and ice bath two or three times a week—usually on my own—I stop.

Not completely.

The thoughts are still there.

They’re just… quieter.

For me, that’s probably the biggest gift.

Science tells us cold water can increase dopamine dramatically.

I just know I come out smiling.
I am lucky I have access to some fantastic ice baths, you can too if you come and join us.

But in the meantime.

Jump in a lake.

Go for a sea swim.

Finish your shower cold.

Or just stand outside in Britain wearing shorts. That’ll probably do it.

Earlier this year I looked at a photograph of myself and realised my face had changed.

The puffiness had gone.

The tiredness had eased.

It was almost as though someone had quietly turned the lights back on.

Not because I’d become some wellness guru.

Far from it.

I’m still the woman who talks too much, laughs too loudly, starts seventeen jobs before finishing one and can somehow lose my phone whilst talking on it.

I’ve simply found something that makes me feel more like… me.

So…

“Follow You Follow Me.”

Didn’t Genesis write a song about that?

They did.

Who knows where any of this will lead?

All I know is there’s a lovely little space in Lydney where you can spend an evening in peace and quiet, warm yourself up, cool yourself down if you’re brave enough, meet some lovely people, or quietly avoid everyone if that’s more your thing.

And it’s only going to get bigger and better.

We’ve got a busy winter ahead and some seriously fantastic therapists joining us over the coming months, which is really exciting.

Until then…

Take your shoes off.

Stand on the grass.

Look up at the sky.

Watch the clouds for a minute.

They’ve been there a lot longer than your emails.

And this isn’t me turning all mystical.

It’s simply me saying…

It works for me.

Before you scroll on…

Roll your shoulders back.

(Unless you’re driving or standing in Tesco. People will wonder what you’re up to.)

Unclench your jaw.

Take your tongue away from the roof of your mouth.

Leave your lips slightly apart…

…and breathe out.

Funny, isn’t it?

You probably didn’t even realise you were holding all that tension.

Now go and enjoy your day.

Or at the very least…

Make it five percent better than it was five minutes ago.

I’d call that wellness.

Even if I still don’t like the word.

Hannah

15/07/2026

✨ Book your Reiki Session Today ✨
Appointments are now available at the Self Centre, Lydney, with evening and weekend sessions offered by prior appointment.
📞 Call or message: 07818 083690
With 8 years’ experience providing Reiki for both people and animals, I combine Reiki with sound, colour and crystal therapy to create a deeply relaxing experience and help restore balance to your mind, body and spirit.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed—it simply changes form. We are all made of energy, and at times the natural flow of that energy can become depleted, blocked or stagnant. These imbalances may leave us feeling physically, mentally or emotionally out of sync.
A Reiki session is an opportunity to slow down, reset and encourage your body’s natural energy to flow freely again, leaving you feeling calmer, lighter and more balanced.
✨ Take time for yourself. Your wellbeing matters.
Evening and weekend appointments available by prior booking.

20/04/2025

Did you know that therapeutic music has been proven to improve sleep by up to 45%?

Sleep related difficulties affect over 50% of people worldwide. Getting a poor night’s sleep affects all areas of your life, work and relationships, as well as your mental and physical health and wellbeing.

As part of our therapeutic music programme LifeSonics, we offer a dedicated sleep collection to help you drift off and improve your overall wellbeing. Try it for 7 days free of charge at Lifesonics.com.

17/04/2025

Happy 4th Birthday to Huquine Sports Therapy today!!

What a 4 years it has been ... own clinic, new students, reiki in the clinic and a client list that is forever growing. I want to thank everyone who has been involved with the success of bringing Sports Therapy to the Forest of Dean and all my incredibly supportive clients - without you none of this would have been possible.

We are forever finding ways to grow and build a better service ❤️

Here's to the next 4 years and whatever it may bring!!