If I ruled the world

If you were in charge, what are the first three things you would do?

I’m Nahid, an Author and a Somatic Movement Educator. My clients call me the “nervous system whisperer”. I teach clients to rewire their brain through movement for better emotional health. I specialise in chronic stress, anxiety, burnout and trauma issues. I offer The Soothe Programme, an online 12-month course of private sessions for powerful results. I also teach in depth, in person on The Soothe Retreats for day, weekend or week retreats.

Once a month, to give you a break from my thoughts, and to hear from hopeful people, I invite a guest in to tell us what they would do, “If I were in charge.”

Who are you?

My name is Farzana. I’m a sound therapist, wellness expert and now author of Sound Healing: How to Use Sound to Beat Stress & Anxiety

What’s your mission?

To help busy and stressed out people relax and to show them how to do it with minimal effort on their part.

I used to be an active participant of hustle culture – burning the candle at both ends and scorching the middle. But I now know that rest and resting adequately helps you build the life you want and so I want to share that with others now.

How do you do it?

My chosen modality is sound. I believe sound is a fully somatic, spiritual, mental, emotional practise. I use therapeutic-grade instruments such as crystal singing bowls, Himalayan singing bowls, drums and gongs to induce a calmer mind and body for my clients.

What are the first three things that you would do if you were in charge?

1.     Make the weekend 3 days. Two days isn’t enough for all the types of rest we need and time to do chores.

2.     I’d also make it easier to spend time in nature for everyone. I’m lucky enough to live by the river, and so enjoy the sounds of the water on walks home. While listening to bird song has also been shown to help relax us.

3.     Finally, I’d insist on forest school for every child under 7. We weren’t designed to spend so much time indoors.

Please recommend a book, a podcast/radio and a film/TV programme:

1. Breathe by James Nestor. Pretty much everyone is breathing incorrectly. This book will change your life. It’s so eye-opening and well-researched.

2. Diary Of A CEO – I know it’s super popular now, but I love hearing different perspectives from such a wide range of people. Steven’s such a great host too and not afraid to mix business with more spiritual modalities.

3. Bridgeton – Season two had such beautiful South Asian representation. I loved it.

What must we know about what you do?

That you can see and feel the benefits – such as after one session (sessions are called sound baths). But if you build up a regular practise then the benefits are limitless – from dealing with grief, and reducing pain to addressing self-limiting beliefs – sound healing can do so much.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Farzana. For paid subscribers, I have dropped below a lesson exploring the floor with your feet, which will help to release your hips, knees and lower back.

Stay human,

Nahid x