ABOUT
About Zesty LIFE
Zest is vitality.
Zest is energy.
Zest is gusto.
Zest is your enthusiasm to welcome every day with the anticipation of a child. A child who embraces what comes and is fully present in the moment.
It is the spark that makes you going and having fun. It is the basic curiosity and awe for what life is with its meanders and blessings on the way.
Zesty life is about relations.
At the most fundamental level it is about the relation you have with yourself. It is about liking yourself and appreciating who you are with your talents and shortcomings. “Know thyself” as the Greek maxim says.
Zesty life is also about the cooperation between various aspects of the Self, be it Body and Mind, or be it Spirit and Soul. Health comes naturally when communication is open and effective between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual Selves. Only then a real transformation can happen to support growth.
Zesty life is also about your relation to the world, nature and other people. It is about the appreciation you have for life, the blessings you recognise and the difference and contribution you make.
Zesty life originates from gratitude.
About Zest ACUPUNCTURE
Stress is tension.
Stress is pressure.
Stress is emotional strain.
Ailments, aches and health issues develop when you are “pressed” too much or too often to fit in or to manage circumstances you do not know how, because you have not developed the skills yet.
Some stress is necessary in life. Too much stress has an adverse effect. Too little stress has an adverse effect. The key is to manage it in a flexible way.
The road to balance begins when you enter the Healing Space, defined by Light, Space and Potential. These are of course metaphorical concepts but they capture what is essential to be well.
Light provides a way in the darkness and allows you to see. Light allows you to notice the difference, discriminate and choose. Light marks an activity. Light is your vision, your goal and your purpose.
Space can be a mental space (the quality of your thoughts) , an emotional space (your beliefs and feelings) or a physical space (such as nature or a comfort desk to work on). The space offers you sufficient room to be who you are, to breathe freely and to be relaxed yet focussed. It supports you to be in the flow. Space is necessary to let you feel that there is a potential to grow.
Potential can be seen as favourable conditions or circumstances, or some specific features of the Space and Light that encourage you to take massive action in order to establish new habits, or grow your inner Self. Any road to wellness requires you to be in charge in order to get well and to become an integrated Self.
I welcome you to the Healing Space. I offer Light, Space and Potential for change. I will ignite your Zest for life.
Serendipity. Deep relaxation. Ease of pain. Breathing well. Feeling light. Feeling good, Being yourself. Exercising courage. Taking action.
The goal of the therapies offered here is to help you relax deeply and help your Body and Mind to ignite a working cooperation.
About Ela
I AM
Conscious.
Inspiring. Creative.
Results-oriented. Action-taker.
Researcher.
Teacher. Mentor.
Communicator. Coach.
Chinese medicine practitioner.
Since I remember I have always been emphatic and appreciative of healing touch. I was involved in hands on treatments to improve the well-being of others.
First, I used touch to heal my dolls and teddy bears. Much later, I learned specific massage techniques, which I practised diligently on family and friends. With persistence and experimentation, I have become effective.
I have an inquisitive mind which pushes me to question conventional knowledge, including my own. I love concepts which shake my foundations. I love concepts which challenge me to re-evaluate who I am and what I want. I love concepts which push me to grow.
Over the years, I have been through multiple crises when the earthquakes of novel thoughts smashed my carefuly built houses of ideas and beliefs. The whole world collapsed indeed many times, but I seem to survive and learn to adjust.
I am a tester, which means I put things to test. If I like an idea, a concept or a method, I will test it extensively and modify it both from and by experience. This is a fantastic fastline approach as it allows me to build skills, develop intuition, and constantly adjust the techniques in a relatively short time. As I have long abandoned my fear of social disapproval, I am eager to take risk in developing ideas and testing them.
I love asking questions and looking for answers, so if you want to see a probe of what puzzles me, look at www.elapekalska.com.
My path has led me through various healing modalities and approaches, some quackery too. Mostly self-learned. My main path was that of a scientist in pattern recognition, which was about recognising patterns by computer means.
I loved it deeply. I cherished it dearly. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I got a PhD degree (with distinction for my stubborn efforts to investigate off-beaten paths for non-metric spaces). I have worked at university for some years in the UK. If you are interested, you can glance through my publications here.
The arrival of three beautiful kids (in a year time) created an unpredictable chain of events in my life. The vision of life with sweet little babies proved to be untrue. Their health challenges questioned everything I imagined on how to be a mother. And, honestly, I was not prepared to be one. My thinking adapted from problem solving to helping the kids become well – proved unsuccessful. I was devastated. It was a failure for me.
The feeling of helpnessness was overwhelming. I lacked knowledge, understanding and guidance. I was running in viscious circles of ignorance. It was not a bliss. I could not see a way forward and I was stuck. My mind hated the difficulties my logical approach could not solve. Up and downs, with the majority of downs, was my daily bread.
I intuitively knew that it was possible for my kids to get better, but I did not know how. In my quest I began to test. I was on mission to find out a way forward.
I began to learn from books and online courses at first. I have slept very little for a number of years and survived thanks to yoga nidra and Rod Stryker (I truly recommend it, listen e.g. here to experience it). I read like crazy. Then I tested the approaches on myself when I could, and later on kids. It was largely a trial and error with some guided intuition.
I tried a number of therapies. I paid professionals and I was learning from observing them. Some were more beneficial than others, but it was all way too little to have a breakthrough. I needed something on daily basis.
In my searches I discovered a few promising directions: Chinese medicine, herbal medicine and osteopathy. So I began to learn these and apply them to kids.
Over time my kids have tremendously benefited from the treatments. Not only their health improved but also their learning difficulties were solved. I was astonished. In comparison to many holistic approaches, Tui Na medical massage, acupressure and herbs certainly stand out.
Yay! I was pleased. I wanted to learn these professionally in order to be in charge of the health adventure I was in.
As I have learned and grown in understanding what well-being was about, I felt encouraged to switch the paths, from a scientist to a therapist. First, involuntarily and with hesitation; now with dedication :).
The mental shift occurred when I allowed my mind to enjoy a full exploration and to replace the joy of contribution by creative thought by the joy of helping others to become integrated Selves.
As a therapist, I am a scientist inside. I can move both at depth and at width, consolidate approaches and combine paradoxes from different healing methodologies. This is unique what I offer to help you heal.
Learning EXPErience
and qualifications
I am a fully qualified Tui Na practitioner, which means I use therapeutic medical massage, cupping gua sha and heat therapy in my treatments. I also hold diplomas in classical massage and singing bowl massage (which is a great top up to the Tui Na experience). In addition, I trained as a life coach. This allows me to inspire people for a change.
I am a fully qualified and insured acupuncturist (Shulan College + XianTan College). I am licensed to practise in High Peak.
I am a registered acupuncturist with the Acupuncture Society, which ensures all its members adhere to a high standard of practice and patient care. I am a member of the British Acupuncture Federation.
I am a fully qualified an insured Chinese medicine herbalist (Manchester Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine). I trained with prof Mei Xing.
My foundation is in the Chinese medicine, but I have been exploring other avenues as well. These are the Japanese approach to acupuncture, Tan and Tung acupuncture, abdominal acupuncture or dry needling. I am also fascinated by the possibilities of electro-acupuncture.
I keep learning and extending my skills all the time. I have done numerous CPD courses, including paediatric massage, abdominal acupuncture, gua sha, cupping and cosmetic acupuncture. I am an active member of forums and groups that aim to share the most effective approaches in the realm of Oriental Medicine.
As healing starts with a relaxed mind, as David Hamilton discusses here or there, the main goal of my treatments is to create a Healing Space for your Body and Mind to collaborate into your wellbeing. I will help you to remove stagnation, ease pain and encourage you to consciously be in charge of your life.
Come and experience how Chinese medicine can get you unstuck and get moving. Welcome your Zesty Life.
MY VISION
I am a life-long learner. I cannot imagine life without books. While many women love shopping clothes, I simply adore books. I spend a ridiculous amount of time and energy on educating myself.
I read. I explore. I develop skills.
I take part in courses.
I practise what I learn.
The more I learn the more I appreciate how healing needs time, space and light. While I know more and more techniques and approaches, I realise that these are just the tools. They are only as effective as whom the therapsit is.
Therefore, in the process of growth, I continuosly aim to become a better Self, a more empathic and effective healer.
This work is not only my passion but my life purpose to:
- reach the Core (of the problem)
- spark an authentic transformation and
- help others heal and grow.
MY Purpose is to:
- Live consciously and authentically
- Grow tremendously, especially by embracing fears
- Resonate with compassion and love
- Inspire transformation and help others heal
- Learn and teach
- Take massive action,
- Spread passion and abundance and
- Live by co-operation and co-creation.
Let you and me embrace our Lives and make it Zesty.
In fact, there are many ways to walk through the woods. All of them begin with the courage to be yourself, to know yourself and cultivate the patience to grow. The intention to explore and grow must be there. This is the spark.
You just need to trust and walk it.
You will discover that Zesty Life includes both the path and the destination.
The blessings and the hardships.
The lovely surprises and the nasty disappointments.
The sudden turns and the snail-paced tracks.
The progress and the regress.
Zesty Life boils down to living with the principle of rhythm. Appreciation. Anticipation. in the moment.
I have the tools,
THE SKILLS and
the Guiding Intuition.
let ME Help You
Body-Mind Practices and Herbal Medicine
Acupuncture in High Peak and Manchester area
2 The Sidings
SK23 7HE Whaley Bridge
mob: 0777 580 6677
email: [email protected]
Acupuncture, complementary to physiotherapy, in High Peak and Manchester area:
- Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale
- Bugsworth and Chinley
- Chapel en le Frith
- Disley, Hayfield and New Mills
- Buxton
- Glossop
- Hazel Grove
- Manchester
as well as in Stockport and Greater Manchester.