Lifestyle & Health Courses
A wide variety of lifestyle courses are offered in Andalucia. The Costa del Sol is really the centre of activity as so many people from so many countries, representing so many cultures and ideas, are living together.
Following is a sampling of the type of courses you can find being offered at different locations throughout the Costa del Sol and by various providers, at any given time. Do take the time to check the credentials of instructors, practitioners and therapists before committing yourself to a course of study:
course Venues
Aikido
Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba often referred to by his title "O Sensei" or "Great Teacher". On a purely physical level it is an art involving some throws and joint locks that are derived from Jujitsu and some throws and other techniques derived from Kenjutsu. Aikido focuses not on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using their own energy to gain control of them or to throw them away from you. It is not a static art, but places great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement.
Alexander Technique
"The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and co-ordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities. It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a reeducation of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, and other daily activities..." (from "Changing the Way You Work: The Alexander Technique")
Alternative World Healing
This alternative method generally focuses on four different types of "healing circles". The first encourages people to come forward and talk about the illness they are experiencing. The second encourages members to "talk their walk" and try a variety of healing strategies. The third reminds healers and therapists to remember to look after themselves. The fourth can connect members with individual healers.
Art of Living Courses
Courses designed to offer a variety of ideas and techniques for better living. These are often taught by life coaches, which can be certified by a variety of organisations.
Chakra Courses
Participants learn about chakras - the seven key centres of energy in the body. These chakras are concerned with important life functions. According to ancient texts, the seven chakras are located in the following areas: the first is near the anus, the second is near the genitals, the third is near the navel, the fourth is in the centre of the chest, the fifth is in the throat, the sixth is in the brow or the third eye, and the seventh is at the top of the head. Examination of the chakras is believed to give a vast amount of information about our lives, our blocks, and ourselves, and put us in a position to empower ourselves enormously.
Expressive Painting
A variety of expressive painting courses are offered from time to time. These courses tend to go beyond simple painting techniques to focus on the therapeutic aspects of painting. Often you will find Andalusian course offered in isolated, rural resorts.
Face Reading
This is an ancient Chinese art that teaches you to interpret various facial expressions as well as physical parts of the face in order to learn more about those around you.
Familiar Constellation Workshops
These courses may be based on Bert Hellinger's methodology. They are focused on solutions and personal development and meant to be therapeutic. You might find on of these in the Fuengirola area of Málaga province.
Homeopathy Workshops
Those studying homeopathy will learn about a complete system of medicine, which assists the natural tendency of the human body to heal itself. Homeopathists tend to acknowledge that all symptoms of ill health are a mere manifestation of the disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient that requires treatment and not the disease. Homeopaths therefore understand that symptoms of disease are evidence of the body's natural immune system's response to healing itself, and these clues are used to guide them when prescribing a remedy.
Hummingbird Medicine Worships
Hummingbird Therapy is a spiritual science that offers processes to awaken intuitive awareness as a spiritual path, learn the stages of higher knowledge and develop clairvoyance with hands-on individual healing and personal guidance. In the Hummingbird workshops you may experience and participate in several or all of the following: Ren (divination through a name reading); past life regression therapy to release physical /emotional ailments, either individually or as a group; facilitation of emotional release and activation of the inner witness; removal of spirit attachments through light techniques; and Soul Retrieval. You will learn clearing techniques for bodyworkers / healers / therapists, which is vital for the release of negativity in your environment, your house and yourself.
Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy
A number of practitioners from a variety of backgrounds offer hypnosis and hypnotherapy especially on the Costa del Sol and some do workshops and run courses.
Kinesiology Workshops
Kinesiology borrows from many different disciplines and through the use of accurate, scientific muscle testing, in addition to the basic knowledge of the practitioner, helps direct the care to exactly what the patient's needs are instead of what the practitioner does. Kinesiology involves both diagnosis and treatment.
Life Coaching Workshops
This is a rapidly growing profession that includes aspects of psychology, consultation, philosophy, mentoring, spirituality, business leadership, career development, finances, transformation, motivation and personal change. A life coach is similar to a personal fitness trainer, only the goal is for you to live your whole life to the fullest and to the best of your abilities.
NLP - NLP (NeurossLinguistic Programming)
Is a constantly evolving set of models, presuppositions, patterns, techniques, and observation-based theories resulting from the study of the structure of subjective experience, behaviour and communication. Beyond understanding, NLP seeks to enable remedial and generative change quickly and ecologically.
Nutrition Courses
Learn about nutrition from a variety of perspectives ranging from conventional to alternative, depending on the leanings of your course instructor. Lessons in nutrition often form part of many different holistic courses of study.
Meditation
Offered mainly by individual teachers and alternative health and lifestyle centres, a variety of meditation courses are always being offered on the Costa del Sol.
Past Life Regression Lessons
A past life regression provides a tool for reliving just about any event that is the root of a pattern. The pattern can be mental or physical. It can be something that needs to be changed or merely understood. A past life regression also provides a gateway to a vast resource of information on previous times, places, and cultures. So a past life regression can be very entertaining.
Permaculture Courses
These courses teach you to live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. You also learn about organic gardening and ecological "finca" (farm) design. The local permaculture organisation usually offers classes in the Coín area of Málaga province.
Pilates
The pilates system was founded in the early 1900s. A German man named Joseph Pilates began developing a system of exercise to strengthen his own body, which was frail and weak from diseases suffered as a child. In WWI, as a nurse, he helped injured prisoners of war to do strength training. He attached bed springs to the hospital beds to develop a system of progressive resistance to help patients recover their strength and mobility faster. This system, which Pilates named "The Theory of Contrology," focuses on training the mind and body to work together toward the goal of overall fitness.
Psychic Awareness
As the title suggests, these courses focus on helping people become more aware of the psychic dimension.
Reiki
Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that allows everyone to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve health and enhance the quality of life. An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student by the Reiki Master. Its use is not dependent on ones intellectual capacity or spiritual development and, therefore, is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds
Reflexology
Reflexology is the gentle massaging of the hands, feet and ears to stimulate the body's natural healing power. It is often used to alleviate tension which clear crystalline deposits under the skin which may interfere with the natural flow of the body's energy. By applying pressure on specific areas of the feet or hands, a reflexologist can stimulate corresponding organs or glands. For instance, pressure is applied to the big toe to affect the pituitary gland and the four other toes are stimulated to affect to the brain, sinuses, eyes and ears. Because internal organs like the lungs and the kidneys can not be directly massaged, reflexologist believe that the foot and hand reflexes are an appropriate alternative.
Time-Line Therapy
Time line therapy is a process that allows freedom from undesired negative emotions; such as fear, anger, sadness and anxiety, by releasing these emotions from the memories that harvest them. You are then able to react freely to future situations - without the emotional baggage of the past. This is often related to NLP and hypnosis.
Tai Chi - Tai Chi
Literally means "Supreme Ultimate", in reference to a concept in Taoist philosophy. Its symbol is the swirling "Yin-Yang", which represents the complimentary opposites, such as day and night, male and female, sky and earth, but not conflicting, such as good and evil. Usually, when talking about courses, people are referring to "Tai Chi Chuan" (Supreme Ultimate Hand/Fist), the Chinese practice of specific, slow moving exercises that promote health by improving and adjusting the circulation of breath (Chi / Ch'i) as a whole body experience.
Thai Massage
Traditional Thai Massage is based on an energetic paradigm of the human body/mind. This bio-energy travels on pathwaays throughout the body that are designated as 'Sen'. Specific locations (points) of energy are called 'nadis'. Traditional Thai Medicine has been informed historically by the rich, ancient traditions of India and China.
Yoga
Especially on the Costa del Sol, you will find courses teaching all types of yoga, for example Astanga, Hatha, Kungalini, Lyengar, Oshopower, Vinyasa yoga, post-natal yoga and power yoga. These are offered by individuals and alternative health groups as well as municipal "polideportivos" - or public sport centres.