The joys of studying with Kevala.

Leaving the rat race

by Sandy Beaunay

About a year ago my other half and I were in a bookshop browsing through their shelves and discussing our future. Both fed up with the rat race, we wanted something new, we wanted to do what made us fulfilled, something we would be happy to get up for and look forward to. I was in the Health section saying that I had always wanted to work in complementary therapies but there was so much around I was not quite sure about what to do. My other half picked up The Reflexology Handbook by Laura Norman and suggested that I’d give it a try. From the moment I opened the book later that morning in a coffee shop I was completely hooked. The holistic approach, the mysteries of meridians and energy flow, everything appealed to me.

The next question of course was to find a reliable teaching institution to enrol with while unfortunately still having to work in a corporate environment in the middle of London. I obviously could not give up my job for full-time studies so distance learning at my own pace was my only option. Googling reflexology on the net, the Kevala Centre stood out of the other colleges straight away. The extensive list of courses, the quality of their contents had a major impact and I finally signed up for the reflexology diploma course in May. From that point on I was totally hooked. The course is extremely in-depth and although I am not going to college everyday I feel I am learning a tremendous amount and that I am going somewhere. I am confident that I am given all the tools I need to be able to open my own practice when I finally qualify. It encouraged me to look further into the matter and to finally experience myself reflexology treatments – which confirmed my idea to pursue this career.

Fascinated by the holistic approach complementary therapies advocate, I felt that studying one discipline was not enough and after spending some time in the forums reading about others experiences in Nutritional Therapy I finally decided to sign up for this course as well in November. I have to admit the amount of work required for this particular course took me by surprise. The first module was so in-depth I could not believe how many hours I put in it just doing the research for it. It is thought provoking and one question leads to another and another! It lead me to reassess my lifestyle deeply and to make necessary adjustments. I am much more aware of what I eat, how I eat it and how I look after myself. I used to wolf down my food, now my other half is surprised to notice that I actually finish my meal at the same time if not after him! My head is buzzing with ideas and the more I learn both with reflexology and nutritional therapy, the more I want to do. I have a clear idea of the type of business I wish to run later and what I want to become involved in. Reading numerous success stories on the Kevala’s website and in the Newsletter encouraged me to pursue my dream and do whatever is necessary to get where I want to be. Giving my first reflexology treatments to my boyfriend and my mother and realising the deep effects it had on them also proved to boost my confidence.

I am considering signing up for the holistic stress management diploma course next year. While browsing the Testimonial pages I found a very amusing note by one of the students asking if the Kevala website was considering offering a brain expansion pack given the amount of reading each course was generating and the depth of knowledge that transpired from each module. I couldn’t agree more! The courses are stimulating and challenging and I know that at the end of my studies, I’ll be fully prepared to become the therapist I want to be.