Contrast Therapy & Functional Breathing
In addition to being a functional breathing coach, I'm also a menopause wellbeing practitioner, cold water therapy practitioner, and recently completed the online Thermalist Instructor training at the Soeberg Institute.
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Garden Spa Evenings for Midlife Women
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I started running Garden Spa Evenings for Midlife Women in November 2024 to introduce women to the benefits of contrast (hot and cold) therapy and functional breathing techniques for overall health and wellbeing, particularly during the menopause transition, as well as to aid recovery for enhanced sports performance. These 2 hour "Feel the Contrast" sessions have been so popular that I will continue to run them throughout the year.
​These Contrast Therapy sessions combine some of the science behind hot/cold therapy and functional breathing techniques, practising functional breathing exercises to take away and integrate into your daily life, and doing a contrast therapy session in the sauna, cold pool and cold shower in the Garden Spa.
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Come and experience the contrasting feelings in your body and mind after a sauna session, then feeling the cold air on your skin outside, before entering the cold water pool again. Tuning into these sensations brings us into the present moment, more in tune with our body and has a great calming effect. ​
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​Sauna Ritual Evenings for Midlife Women
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Having studied the science behind contrast therapy and offering the Garden Spa sessions and educating women on the benefits of heat and cold water therapy, I also wanted to learn more about traditional sauna rituals so I could offer this in my Garden Spa. I therefore recently attended a Sauna Master course at the Wild Spa Wowo at Sheffield Park (a must visit if you haven't been!) to learn how to deliver some of these techniques.
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I'm now offering Sauna Ritual Evenings which focus much more on a heat journey and awakening the senses with essential oils, cleansing the lungs with more steam, cleansing the skin with a salt body scrub, massaging the skin with a bamboo whisk to promote circulation, feeling your breath go deeper into your body, etc. We still use the cold shower or cold pool for a refreshing break between sauna sessions but the focus is more on the heat and relaxation in these sessions. So for those of you who are not keen on the cold water element, we start and finish the session in the heat rather than the cold, so this session may be more appealing!
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Next Garden Spa Events
Sauna Ritual Evening
Wednesday 14th May 2025, 7pm - 9pm
£45
Max. 3 women (minimum of 2)
Feel the Contrast Evening
Wednesday 21st May 2025, 7pm - 9pm
£35
Max. 6 women (minimum of 4)
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Heat Therapy
Most people look forward to the heat rather than the cold, however some find it overpowering, but there are ways to deal with this. For example, cooling the body with a cold shower or cold dip before allows you to stay more comfortable in the sauna for longer. You will also learn research-based protocols to follow for safe sauna use regarding how long to stay in the heat.
Cold Water Therapy
We tend to start and finish the contrast therapy session with a cold dip, as this boosts your metabolism by making your body work hard to warm up. We take it very gently if you are new to cold water immersion as it requires a process of gradual acclimatisation. When used in conjunction with the sauna, the contrasting health benefits are maximised and it is easier to submerge in cold water after coming out of the sauna. There is also a cold shower to try!
Functional Breathing
Before entering the cold water, you will learn how to use your breath to calm your nervous system and deal with the cold sensation as you enter. You will also learn how to breathe to lower your heart rate and blood pressure when sitting in the sauna or the cold pool, as both are a stressor on the body, but a good stressor if we are healthy. However, fast, upper chest, hyperventilation through the mouth will intensify the stress, so we need to learn how to breathe to trigger our relaxation response during these activities.
Annie O
Marianne, it was a great evening and lovely that everyone fully engaged with it all - a lovely bunch of like-minded women.
I found the breath work really helpful and interesting. I have been going through a stressful time at the moment and I've noticed my breathing has been shallow and not very effective.
Your knowledge and understanding of the body and the ease with which you part this information is a real asset to the experience.
The hot/cold experience was well managed and it was interesting to talk about practical ways that we could bring it into our everyday lives to see all the health benefits.
Claire M
The Garden Spa Evening with breathing techniques, hot sauna/cold water therapy, supportive and informative information and encouragement from Marianne's a literal tonic.
It was just the right length of time, the price was affordable and the facilities were excellent.
Jane S
Thank you Marianne Johnson: buzzing from an amazing evening...such as beautiful night for it!! Loved the cold and heat combo and would thoroughly recommend it.
Karen A
I'm one of the cold water newbies and with expert guidance from Marianne and the team spirit and encouragement of the other dippers, I was delighted by my bravery in the cold water!
Thanks to all and looking forward to 28th November for more....already booked!