Balance February 18 - 45

sex life. Tantra Therapy is, as the great Marvin
Gaye might have said, all about sexual healing.

IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
And so things move to the tantric room,
which is predictable in its appearance, in the
most reassuring way possible: it's dimly lit,
a sprawling square cushion dominates the
floor space, there's a giant yin and yang
symbol on one wall, a Buddha painting on
another and soothing music plays quietly in
the background. It's impossible not to feel at
ease, which is just as well. I'm asked to strip
down to a sarong. 'Do I keep my boxer shorts
on?' Nope. Sarong only. It's actually a relief,
given I'm wearing Star Wars boxer shorts. I
am 39.
I start cross-legged as Barbora begins the
initial exploration of my body with her hands,
first with my eyes closed and then with eyes
open. I'm asked if I could tell a difference.
Sweet, sweet nerves get the better of me and
I am clueless. I go from sitting, to standing,
laying on my back, front and back again while
being caressed, rubbed (not like that) and
repeatedly repositioned across the session.
Things get rigorous yet, as long as you
remember to breathe deeply and relax,
Tantra Treatment reaches the spiritual parts
a massage cannot. If a massage is about
muscles, then tantra is about energy.
Make no mistake: Barbora touches your
entire body. 'What, including your...' As I
say, entire. If you have a mature approach
to sex, you'll take a great deal from the
treatment. If you don't, I doubt you'll have got
beyond my opening joke about Pep Guardiola.
As a happily married man, I don't want
to have sex with anyone other than my
wife (plus, you know, the occasional solo
performance. I maintain that Paul Simon did

some of his best work without Art Garfunkel).
And, thankfully, that's not what Tantra Therapy
is about. This is a physical reminder that
pleasure is about the whole body, rather than
just the mind and groin; Tantra Therapy is
engineered to help you have a more spiritual
connection with your partner and, given how
key continual deep breathing is, yourself.
What's more, as Barbora points out a
number of times, if there's anything you're not
comfortable with, then simply say. During the
treatment, for example, I'm asked if I want the
sarong removed. Dear reader, please know that I
did this just for you. You're welcome.
Some people have been known to ejaculate
just from having their body touched. In some
instances, twice. As Barbora says, there is no
shame in that. However, anyone who turns
up expecting a 'happy ending' will politely be
shown the door. It's not that sort of thing. As
with a massage, I remained a motionless lump of
clay which, it turns out, is the correct approach.

TURNED OUT NICE AGAIN
Once the treatment is finished, what was
instantly telling was how I felt. During our initial
chat, partly because I am British and suppressed,
I'd struggled to maintain eye contact with
Barbora while yammering nervously about
my private life. However, post-treatment, I felt
infinitely more at ease and confidently held her
gaze. I've gone from over-eager George Formby
to meditation-era George Harrison.
Indeed, the experience has stayed with me
and I can understand why Barbora has repeat
clients (once a month is the norm).
So, has it helped the Gills' sex life while
bringing them closer together? Well, I couldn't
possibly comment. But Pep, if you're reading
this, you're welcome to join me on an open-top
bus journey through Elephant & Castle any time.

DESKTOP DETOX: AIR QUALITY

Fans for the memories
Spreading germs across the office?
No thanks.

Footnotes: 1 who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/; 2 Berryman CE, West SG, Fleming JA, Bordi PL, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of Daily Almond Consumption on Cardiometabolic Risk and Abdominal Adiposity in Healthy Adults with Elevated LDL-Cholesterol: A Randomized Controlled
Trial; 3 Threapleton Diane E, Greenwood Darren C, Evans Charlotte E L, Cleghorn Christine L, Nykjaer Camilla, Woodhead Charlotte et al.' Dietary fibre intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ 2013; 347 :f6879, Lockyer S, Spiro A, Stanner S,
Dietary fibre and the prevention of chronic disease - should health professionals be doing more to raise awareness?, British Nutrition Foundation 2016; 41, Issue 3, 214-231.

BALANCE
PROMOTION

Look after
your heart
Dietitian Lucy Jones
looks at the benefits
of eating almonds
in Heart Month
February - Heart Month - is
a good time to remember
that 80% of deaths from
heart disease could be
avoided with simple diet and
lifestyle changes1.
Dietitian and California
Almonds ambassador Lucy
Jones recommends showing
your body some love by
rebalancing your snack plans
and opting for a daily handful
(28g) of crunchy almonds.
We know reducing belly fat
and lowering cholesterol are
lifestyle factors to improve
cardiovascular health and
a study has found those
who snacked on a handful
of almonds (as opposed
to a high-carb snack
with equivalent calories),
experienced reduced
belly fat and reduced
waist circumference2.
DY
HAN
TIP

Lucy says: 'As well
as snacking on almonds,
up your fibre intake
by eating wholegrains,
pulses and brown rice.
Eating plenty of fibre is
associated with a lower
risk of heart disease,
strokes, diabetes and
bowel cancer3.'

And Awair we go...
Awair syncs with an app to give the
lowdown on air quality and more.
£179; getawair.co.uk

February 2018 BA LA N CE

http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/en/ http://getawair.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance February 18