Sunday Sage: When Your Sage Says “DO IT” You’ll Know

The Isle of Wight is bathed in history, healing and magic. Whether on business, visiting friends, or taking a holiday, visitors and islands natives all report a sense of release as the ferry glides across the water towards the misty isle.
Known at the Fairy Isle, this otherworldly, healing energy seems to collect in certain areas.

One point is the southern tip town of Ventnor, whose patron Goddess, the Greek Hygeia, magically symbolizes health and well-being.

It wasn’t until my confrontation with my burnout Inner Sage earlier this year, that I was forced to go in search of the healing powers – and healing inhabitants – of my beloved isle. But I did- and thank goodness – because I got to make my way up this steep, leaf lined driveway, past this little sign …

Until the trees gave way to a sun dappled opening, a house, a courtyard and this welcoming stable door …

 

And I got to lie down on this Zenning couch and let everything melt away …

 

To me, Yasmin Collins, founder of Seven Sisters Serenities, has somehow tapped into the healing powers of Hygeia.

She balances this energy whilst grounded in professionalism.

The business is fairly young, in fact, it’s a mere fledgling in a community that is bursting with holistic therapists, yet somehow it is thriving beyond words.

Not long ago, I asked her to tell me the story behind her biz. As Yasmin relayed the tale, my hairs stood on end, for I quickly realised that it was through actively creating space for and nurturing her Inner Sage and then following her Sage’s guidance and combining her Inner Artist’s Vision and Inner Pro’s Professionalism that the business has so magically occurred.

“I never meant to do this!” was the first thing Yasmin told me. We are sitting in her therapies room, leaning back in wicca chairs and outside the autumn sun is dazzling.

“If you’d have told my mum that one day I’d have my own holistic therapies company, she wouldn’t have believed you!” she laughs.
Prior to Seven Sisters Serenities, Yasmin’s working background was eclectic and busy. She had worked in social services for many years, pausing only to start a family, whilst simultaneously looking after her small holding and (furry babies), house keeping and caring for the elderly.

“I’ve always had a very strong work ethic. I like to be independent, to have my own money and to work,” Yas tells me in her beautiful melodic voice.

“My grandmother used to own the Buddle Inn and so from age 5 I was standing on crates doing jobs and helping out. Later I desperately wanted a pony. My mum said that if I was to get one, I’d have to work the summers to pay for it. The lesson of grafting to achieve what you want was instilled in me at a very young age.”

The atmosphere of Yasmin’s therapies room is the polar opposite of the word graft.

Everything, from the colour scheme to the heart shaped wood and tea pot sitting on the table outside, whispers of relaxation and tranquillity. There is something nurturing and caring about this place and as Yasmin continues to tell me her story, this quality of being held begins to make sense.

“I started working in Social Services aged 17. I was untrained, but they took a chance and I was still there 11 years later.

My job involved home care for the elderly and – oh Bethan – I loved working with the people.

Their wisdom, their stories, their history, their life experience … I have so much respect and love for the elderly. After that I worked as an occupational therapist – another side of care in the community – but that’s not what I wanted to do. I instead went back to being a social worker, visiting people, interacting, making weekly visits, encouraging people and building relationships. I found that so rewarding.”
At this point Yasmin had begun to toy with the idea of doing an official Social Work training.  Up until this point her skills were completely experience based and she still had no qualification.

“I couldn’t work out what to do,” she recalls. “The office life was stressful and there was so much pen pushing. Also, there were struggles with finances so the services themselves were getting affected. There was animosity in the air, bad feeling, stress and people were going on the sick with depression.”

Then something happened that made up her mind. Still a keen horse rider, she was out galloping near Hoy Monument on the Isle of Wight, when the horse came to a sudden halt. Yasmin fell and as she did, her horse kicked her head.
“I had severe concussion, followed by amnesia. After that my values changed. I realised that I needed to create a life of happiness. I decided it was time to start my own family. I did return to work for a bit and I just couldn’t cope with the stress in that environment anymore and I knew that there was more to life. So I had my first baby … and oh that hit hard!”

I laughed. This wasn’t quite the idyllic doting mother scenario I thought Yas was going to paint!

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well,” she replied, “I loved my children dearly, but my God! The lack of independence, identity, people and interaction! I thought, “what have I done?!”

Yasmin tried to go back to work to balance her “mum/career woman” polarities, but found that her guilt over not being with her baby became too much.

Instead she gradually built up private home-care jobs for older people, keeping in hand with the people she loved to work with and earning her “pocket money”.

When Yasmin’s youngest daughter was due to begin Secondary School, Yas tell me, “something clicked inside.”
“Overnight I thought, I’m 40 years old. I’ve got loads of experience but I never did my Social Work Training so I have no qualifications. I was suddenly determined that I wanted my own business. I then went to have a reflexology treatment with a lady called Emma Webster. I’ve always believed that we need to look after ourselves and practice self care, and that day I was literally dozing off during my session. Something startled me. I sat up.”

At this point Yasmin paused, looked at me directly in the face. “I don’t care if anyone thinks I’m mad here, because this is exactly what happened.” She then goes on to describe how, sitting up on the therapies coach, she’d looked up to see a shard of light coming from the corner of the room.

Then she heard a voice. It said “you need to do your training”.

At this point Yaz shakes her head and laughed. “My first thought was “training in what?”

Yasmin then relays how she left her treatment feeling extremely inspired. Arriving home she flicked open the local newspaper and the first thing she saw was an advert for an Open Day at the college to learn about training courses in holistic therapies.

“Days later I was sitting in the carpark of the college frozen to my seat and thinking, “I can’t go in! I’m not cut out for this!” Thanks to my friend, who I rang, I was persuaded and I met my tutor, signed up and di the enrolment. The whole time I just kept thinking I must be crazy.

By Christmas I was flying.

I completed the training with a distinction. I was the last one to receive my results. My tutor came over and went through my notes with me. She was in tears.

She said, “Yasmin, when you came here you had no confidence in yourself at all, but you truly do not believe your talents. You are more than a masseur, you are a healer.”

There is a pause as Yas sits and breathes through the moment of telling.

Recalling that moment clearly still triggers a huge feeling for her.

I smile, experience the moment, watch her as she closes her eyes then opens them again.

Deep breath.

“So. Me being me, I wanted my room ready and a date to set up. I really had no idea how any of this was going to work or how I could juggle everything. I thought I might get some clients now and again. I qualified in April and just wanted the room to be ready for May so I worked to that target.”

In May 2014, the doors of Seven Sisters Serenities opened.

“Because I have had many, many holistic treatments, I’ve also had lost of disappointments over the years. Nothing major, just little things like the treatment was cut too short, or I was cold on the coach, or the room wasn’t private enough. I am a deep believer that whilst finding time to nurture and care for yourself is seen as a luxury, it is actually a necessity. When someone is paying their hard earned money I want to make my service 100% worth it for them.”
Since launching the business, Yasmin says that the response has been overwhelming. Her first customer, outside of friends and family, wanted to book an entire years worth of treatments in advance.

“I thought, well, I must be doing something right, so I told myself to just keep following my intuition. After all, this is what had guided me right from day one.

Gradually I began to believe in myself. My self belief isn’t particularly strong. To be honest, at times I felt embarrassed about what people must think of me. After all, I’m known for being the mad woman with the small holding, chasing pigs around the village. I had this perception that people would think “she’ll turn up in her welly boots!”

When I asked what Yasmin she believes sets her aside to other therapists, she replied, “I take what I do very seriously. I quickly learnt that I have a lot to learn, so if someone calls me with an ailment I will do everything I can to find out everything I can about the health issue.
I will study, speak to other therapists, I’ll research online so that I have fully prepared myself in the best way I can. I am so open to being a learner and I don’t want to become complacent because I have very high standards.”

It seems to me that all of Yasmin’s skills, learned throughout her years of caring in the community, have been completely transferable to the business she’s been guided to create. And as our interview comes to a close, I learn how her deep love and respect for the elder generations has not been forgotten.

“I don’t want my love for the elderly to leave my life,” Yasmin told me. “I feel that there is an emotional need for older people that is not being fulfilled; and that is the care of touch. There is an old lady who I visit. She is 86. I give her a Thai foot massage. She has employed a number of people over the years, but now I go to her and she’s the highlight of my week! The day after her first session I rang her and she said to me, “You old witch! My legs (which were swollen) have gone down. I feel like I have been bottle brushed”. I’ve seen her confidence return, she’s back on her mobility scooter, she loves her treatment and the company and the touch of another human being.”

My next step for Seven Sisters Serenities is to take the art of massage to the older generations of people. I am not sure how this will happen yet, but I know that when it’s meant to I will get the calling. In the meantime, just watch this space.”

***

Back in September when I originally posted about the 3 Aspect Gorgeousness Coaching System and introduced you to your Inner Artist, Sage and Pro, I explained that the first step for exiting overwhelm is practising A LOT of self care for your Inner Sage .

Since then I’ve posted a weekly Sunday Sage article with Sage-Themed Stuff . in abundance for you.

Hopefully your Sage is feeling the LOVE.

Now it is time to take the next step.

As of this Wednesday we are going to allow the other two Aspects back onto the stage.

Get ready to welcome in your Inner Artist and Inner Pro.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to pop your email in the blog subscription box at the top of the right hand column and then all the juice will appear straight in your inbox.

And you will miss NoT-a-ThinG.

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