As the weather warms up and we head towards the traditional “summer holidays” of July and August, do you feel a surge of energy—or a wave of exhaustion just thinking about the months ahead?

Maybe you’re facing a looong summer with limited childcare.
Perhaps work ramps up at this time of year.
Or you might be juggling the needs of younger or older family members.

Whatever your home life looks like, it’s easy to say yes to every sunny social invite, then finding yourself burnt out and frazzled before July has even ended. I know, I’ve been there. Many times!

What if you could feel rested, replenished, and truly ready for the summer ahead?
What if you had simple, effective tools to help you protect your energy and find calm amidst the chaos? In all authenticity, I’m not going to tell you this will work ALL the time. I am a woman in my mid forties with hormones starting to talk to me, two kids that bicker frequently, and a busy, busy home. AND deep rest yoga nidra gives me time, again and again. When I practice, time expands. I feel rested. Replenished. Able to take on the world – or the next client, load of laundry or kid-fight!

My deep rest yoga nidra classes offer you:

• Deeper, more restful sleep
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Greater clarity and emotional balance
• A reset for your nervous system
• Enhanced creativity and focus
• More patience

My 75-minute guided sessions — delivered with care, expertise, and thoughtful detail will leave you feeling grounded and refreshed, but also with take-home tools and a recorded version of the practice to revisit anytime you need it.

Many people use my recordings to:

• Drift off to sleep more easily
• Take a restorative pause during a hectic day
• Re-center before a challenging meeting, phone call, or school run

This is deep rest you can return to, again and again.

Ready to step into summer with calm, clarity, and energy that lasts?
Come rest with me in my beautiful cabin overlooking my garden – a hidden haven of rest and tranquility in Headington! You deserve this time. All details of classes here, advance booking is essential. £18pp including the session itself, foot massage, recording, herbal tea, all the props you could possibly want, poems and resources to support you further at home. Ask any questions you like: 07739 460676, katie@katiewheaterwellbeing.co.uk

What people say:

“I forgot where I was, I was just me, at peace”, Oxford mum and nurse

“I think this is the perfect experience”, Oxford mum and teacher

“Excellent breathing exercises”, Oxford doctor

“I felt very comfortable, the room smelled wonderful, was the perfect temperature and I felt very serene”, Oxford mum and HR manager

“Cosy vibes, lovely ‘props’ of bolster and eye mask, Katie’s soothing voice”, Oxford lecturer

“Loved the experience of meeting the ‘self’ – thank you. Keep offering these!”, Oxford GP

“I love it. Love the poems, love the deep rest. I really appreciate your recordings when I can’t sleep”, Oxford teacher

“Such a beautiful room, welcome, setting. Katie you have a wonderful soothing presence”, Oxford homemaker

What is “deep rest yoga nidra”?
Yoga nidra is a fusion of Eastern and Western practices which take the brain into a deep rest state, between being awake and asleep. As many people don’t know this, I call it “deep rest” to make it more accessible. The process takes the mind into a state of consciousness where we can be free from the frazzle of daily stresses and can rest and relax our bodies and minds deeply. Deep rest yoga nidra in my classes has no religious elements and no chanting or physical yoga poses. This is guided deep, nourishing rest. It is similar to meditation but most people find it easier to access than traditional meditation. You don’t need any special clothes or to sit in a particular way. There is no “performance”, right or wrong way to practise, just the opportunity for your own experience to connect with yourself. Clients report feeling deeply replenished and as though they have been on holiday  – see testimonials page and instagram (search Katie Wheater Wellbeing).

Benefits of deep rest yoga nidra:

• Improved sleep
• Improved clarity, creativity and flow state 
• Awareness of your body and your own needs
• Feeling of calm and stillness, sense of perspective from daily stresses

What to expect in my in-person classes:
A warm welcome to our beautiful gently lit space. A few minutes to arrive in body and mind, with some guided journalling questions to help you get out of your head and into your body and really become aware of your own needs. Once we’ve noted down as much as we can to clear our minds, we get even cosier with blankets, pillows and cushions supporting your body to begin to let go of physical tension. The session can be experienced siting or lying down. We then begin the guided experience where I will talk you through a carefully curated session, suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. Each session has a different theme, written by me, tailored to the group attending. It will include breathwork, visualisations, body scans and relaxation techniques. As we come back into a wakeful state, I will offer you a cup of tea and additional notes to help you get even more from your experience. You take home all your notes (we don’t share these) and afterwards receive a recording to listen to at your leisure.

Please get in touch with any questions, to book or to receive future dates via my newsletter: 07739 460676 katie@katiewheaterwellbeing.co.uk

Upcoming deep rest yoga nidra sessions: all 7 – 8.15pm

• Thursday 7^th November: starlight – FULL, JOIN WAITING LIST
• Sunday 17^th November: self compassion – FULL, JOIN WAITING LIST
• Thursday 21st November: resilience – FULL, JOIN WAITING LIST
• Friday 5^th December: well rested woman – 4 SPACES LEFT

Firstly, with less/no sun on your skin, I hope you are all taking your NHS recommended vitamin D supplements (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/), firstly to help your immunity and secondly improve bone, tooth and muscle health and strength. We absorb vitamin D from the sun during the warmer months (although given the British weather, personally I take it year round), but from autumn to late spring, we really need to supplement to ensure we’re getting enough. Although vitamin D is found in food (eggs, dairy, oily fish, red meat, fortified cereals), it is really hard to absorb adequate amounts from food sources alone. So next time you’re in the supermarket, pop some vitamin D supplements into your basket – there are options available for all budgets.

As I’ve mentioned above, vitamin D plays an important role in immunity – something we all want to improve especially at this time of year. Supplementing with vitamin D, and ensuring your iron and vitamin C levels are well bolstered, will improve your chances of fighting off the bugs and speeding recovery if they do strike. Reducing stress and improving sleep will help significantly too – deep rest yoga nidra can improve both of these so do book in for an upcoming class.

Improving iron and vitamin C to support immunity:

Iron is found in highest densities in red meat and this is the form that is easiest for the body to absorb. It is also available in eggs, fish, dried fruit (dried apricots have the highest quantities but be careful with these are high in fruit sugar), beans and legumes, green leafy veg and nuts and seeds. The best way to enhance iron absorption is to eat your iron source alongside a vitamin C source as the vitamin C helps improve absorption into the body. So in practice, this could look like something you may well have on your food roster already: bolognaise is a perfect example of bringing together iron (red meat) in a vitamin C rich tomato sauce. If you want to increase the nutrient density of this meal, you could add chick peas (more iron, fibre and vitamin C) and chopped/blended carrots and peppers (vitamin C, fibre) into the sauce. A favourite iron and vitamin C rich autumn meal in my home is my salmon noodle soup recipe which I’m sharing with you here:

Nutrient dense salmon/tofu/chicken noodle soup:
Roast/bake/pan-fry your salmon – roughly one fillet per person (iron) In a deep soup pan, cook up some tenderstem brocolli, asparagus, mangetout (vitamin C) and some egg noodles (more iron) in bone broth or just hot water. I tend to cook the egg noodles in with the green veg so they can be cooked in that vitamin C rich water – even better if cooked with bone/mushroom broth. Pan-fry some onions, garlic and mushrooms (super prebiotics – you can read about those in an upcoming blog). Combine all the above into the deep soup pan and season to taste with soy sauce. You can serve this without the water or as a broth, depending on your personal preferences. I chuck in whatever veg we have in the fridge so this might also include grated carrots, kale or green beans. And you could also replace the salmon with chicken or tofu.

Enhance your iron absorption:

You can further enhance iron and vitamin C absorption by avoiding drinking tea/coffee/milk at the same time as the phylates in tea and coffee and calcium in the dairy reduce absorption.

Get your personalised nutrition consultation:

If this was helpful, and you’d like to further optimise your own nutrition, do get in touch to book a nutrition and lifestyle consultation. Priced at £120, you receive:

• 15 minute telephone consultation in advance to check your aims and our compatibility
• Questionnaire for you to complete in advance so I can understand your current diet, lifestyle, aims and any restrictions
• One hour telephone consultation (day/evening): we use this to go into greater detail of your questionnaire, you get some immediate suggestions and can ask all your questions
• Fully personalised nutrition and lifestyle report including tailored meal plans and holistic lifestyle suggestions to optimise your health:you receive this by email within a week of our telephone consultation
• Complimentary general lifestyle guide including how to understand your own needs and motivations, sleep tips, recipes and recommended reading

So after a busy first day on Monday when I was delighted to meet some new clients (and receive their lovely feedback), I took some time out for myself on Tuesday to feed my own wellbeing! Paddle boarding from Abingdon to Clifton Hampden and a short swim in the river afterwards were wonderful ways to start the day, especially when the cloud and mist melted away to reveal beautiful blue sky! The water is definitely getting chillier now but a brief (8 minute!) float in the current and swim against it really sets me up with such a physical and mental glow and sense of joie de vivre!

We saw two kingfishers, numerous herons, red kites and swans along the way. Being in nature really helps me to stay calm, relax and be present – all skills that help me to be a better massage therapist!