Life in Beijing can be exciting, but it can also be stressful. Sometimes we all need to take some time out, to turn off WeChat and focus on what’s really important. So we’ve rounded up some forthcoming opportunities to chill out and reconnect.

Healing Crystal Bowls Spa, Mar 17
Take a break from the relentless noise of the city, lie down and enjoy the sound of Himalayan and crystal singing bowls. This sound therapy, according to the organizers, can “achieve an altered state of consciousness similar to deep meditation.” After the singing bowl session participants can enjoy the relaxing sound of the hang drum, a tuned steel drum, and take advantage of a free medical consultation with specialist doctors. Bring your own blanket or yoga mat to chill out on.

Adults. RMB 60 (pre-booked), RMB 80 (at the door). 3-5pm. Free Spirits Sound Healing. 16 Liangmahe South Road, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区亮马河南路16.

Christian Marriage Retreat, Apr 5-7
Christian couples aim to spend their whole lives together, and to create a safe and loving space in which to raise children. But this can be a long road, and sometimes it helps to make time for each other and rediscover what makes your relationship work. This retreat is led by married couple Grady and Sandy, and is open to all foreign passport holders.

Adults (childcare available for kids 4 and under). RMB 2,200. Friday 9am to Sunday 1pm. Goose and Duck Ranch, Huairou. 怀柔区北寨.

A Professional Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion and Profits, Apr 13
Life coach Caneisha Berry promises to help women unblock their careers, discover their unique gifts, and learn how to turn them into successful careers, at this one-day workshop.

Adults. RMB 3,500 (early bird RMB 3,000). East Hotel, 22 Jiuxianqiao Rd, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区酒仙桥路22号东隅北京酒店.

A Woman’s Healing Journey Retreat, May 11-12
Also led by Caneisha Berry, “A Woman’s Healing Journey” gives participants an opportunity to get out of the city to the peace of Singing Deer Lodge, and to discover the “soul wounds” which are undermining their happiness and confidence.

Adults. RMB 1,500-2,400 depending on room, includes meals and workshops. Singing Deer Lodge, West Bailianyu Village, Fengjiayu Town, Miyun County. 密云县冯家裕镇西白莲峪村南地.

Photos: Pixabay, courtesy of event organizers

According to RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the US, one out of every six women have been the victim of sexual assault, fifty-four percent of sexual assault victims are under 34, and every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted.

The office for National Statistics reports that one in five of all women in England and Wales will have been the victims of sexual assault since the age of 16. This is the equivalent to an estimated 3.4 million female victims and 631,000 male victims. A shocking eighty-three percent (5 in 6 victims) of adult victims do not report experiences of sexual assault to the police. These statistics do not take into account the estimated 2.0 million adults aged 16 to 59 who experience domestic abuse each year.

According to UK Children’s Charity, NSPCC, one in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused, one in three children are sexually abused by an adult and did not report it, and 2,800 children were identified as needing protection from sexual abuse in the years 2016 to 2017.

These numbers are not only extremely shocking but speak of a wider and growing problem with domestic sexual abuse, rape, child sexual abuse, incest, and more, that permeates around the globe. This epidemic creates a number of challenges for local authorities, humanitarian organizations, and the very fabric of society.

The effects of trauma-based experiences, if not dealt with, can last a lifetime and some victims of sexual assault will experience debilitating symptoms that can interfere with daily life. The good news is, there is light at the end of the tunnel should you seek it.

What You Can Do

Recovering emotionally from disaster can be a long journey, but with time and perseverance one can overcome the emotional, physical, and psychological trauma caused by sexual abuse. Understanding the raw emotions and responses that follow traumatic events can help support healing and recovery, and offer coping mechanisms for difficult thoughts and behaviors. Seeking psychological intervention can be effective in preventing and dealing with existing long-term effects, as well as helping you on the path to recovery.

Support Group for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Abuse

Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) Psychologist Dr. Bojun Hu has initiated a support group for women survivors of rape, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse and incest. The small groups of eight to ten people will facilitate therapeutic discussion centered on the following:

• Managing disclosure
• Emotional regulation
• Self-esteem and body image
• Intimacy and sexuality
• Seeking support
• Self-care

This group will be completely confidential and is aimed at supporting women to cope with feelings such as grief, fear, loss, shame, self-blame, and anger. Together survivors of sexual abuse will be given the tools to start healing and issues regarding, power, control, body image, trust, intimacy, and well-being will be tackled using in-depth discussion and yoga practices.

The sessions will be a place for women to strengthen their cognitive and emotional processing, relax, and reconnect the mind and the body. This group will be a source of hope, comfort, and an opportunity for women seeking support to unite with other sexual abuse survivors as they usher in an era for power, autonomy, and wholeness.

To sign up please email fc-rec@ufh.con.cnto express your interest in joining the group or to ask any questions you may have. Female Adults. RMB 600 (per 1.5hr session). RMB 1,200 (mandatory one-hour pre-group interview). March 21 – May 9. Thursdays 6pm-7.30pm. United Family New Hope Clinical Center, 9-11 West Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District (www.ufh.com.cn/ 5927 7120)

I’m back with more winter remedies to help you fight dry skin and hair during Beijing’s winter and beyond. This week will feature a few new kids on the artisan block, and if you’re looking for inspired natural and organic products for your hair and skin, look no further.

Nuobelle, Whipped Shea Butter and Super Moist Leave-in Conditioner

Nuobelle’s premise is all about handmade products using natural ingredients native to Africa. This brand takes great pride in promoting all the gorgeous vitamin rich oils and butters from the Continent that help to heal, sooth, grow, and moisturize.

Their products are particularly good for folks like me, who have natural hair of the coily, curly, afro type but is equally good for those who just need to revamp their cosmetics shelves at home with earthy, nutrient rich staples for any hair and skin type.

I’m a huge fan of shea butter, which is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea (karite) tree. In its raw form it is usually the color of Ivory. I would advise staying away from the processed versions, which will look whiter in color. Shea butter is completely organic, adds shine, soothes the skin, and helps with hair breakage while adding nutrients to the scalp.

With all its benefits, I have sometimes personally found that shea butter, in its raw form, would often fail to penetrate the skin or have a lasting nourishing effect throughout the day. Instead a translucent or oily residue would settle on the surface of the skin and quickly evaporate under clothing, so you can imagine my delight when I tried Nuobelle’s Whipped Nkoto, which delivered on calming and moisturizing dry patches.

Light as a mousse, Nuobelle’s Whipped Nkoto is exactly that, whipped into a cloud that’s a joy to use. When placed in the hands, little air bubbles collapse into a less heavy oil that’s easy to apply and soaks directly into the skin. The butter, which has been created using grape seed oil, coconut oil, and almond oil is fragrance-free, and as described on its packaging, definitely contains love.

The Super Moist Leave-In conditioner is super in more ways than one. I have genuinely struggled to find the best product for my naturally coily hair and previously spent many months out of the year speed-dating all kinds of products that draw you in with promises of softer tresses. Made with raw honey, green tea, mint, and other essential oils, this sweet concoction (it literally smells like a candy store) hydrates and is one of the best detangling products I’ve had the pleasure of using.

Handmade with African pride. What’s not to love? WeChat: ahneetah11

M.E Soufflé, Sensitive Skin Edition

Hair and skin care company M.E is all about Mother Earth; her goodness and love, which manifest in the way nature is a gift that keeps giving. All around us are all the essentials we need for outer and inner well-being. M.E. is an acronym for Mother Earth or the Shona derivative “Amai” Earth. All their products are one hundred percent natural and organic.

Their mission is to seek out the best natural and organic oils from around the world; help their customers feel empowered, beautiful, and confident; and provide necessary and essential care and information throughout a customer’s natural hair journey. The premise of your journey may be for longer, stronger, softer hair, or a combination of all the above. Whatever your needs may be, M.E will have something to support you getting to your personal hair destination.

The Sensitive Skin Soufflé is made using shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and almond oil and can be used for the body and hair. The fluffy and light moisturizer is natural and sensitive enough to use on babies’ skin and was perfect for use when fresh out of the shower, while the skin is still a little damp. If using on the hair, apply to damp or dry hair, comb through and style. If you have a sensitive or dry scalp, I would apply some directly to the scalp and massage in after washing your hair.

This product when used on the hair is designed to add moisture and works specifically well with natural hair. If you don’t need to add oils to the hair, stick to using this awesome soufflé on the skin! I really enjoyed using this on the hands, neck and chest area, and also after a salt sea scrub (see below) on the feet.

The cream was soufflé-like and really added a nice sheen to my skin as a soothing edition to my morning routine. It was warming with a nutty scent and indulgently rich texture that melts into skin for hours of ultra-rich moisture.Check M.E. out on their website www.official-me.com or WeChat: puricake208

Enjoy Mother Earth and all of her gifts.

Soap Fresh So Clean, Artisan Baby Face and Diaspora Soap, and Foot Scrub

I’ve been a fan of Soap Fresh So Clean, ever since I saw these goodies on the vendor circuit, featuring in all the best-known and loved artisan markets. If you don’t know, you better get to know, because these soaps and scrubs are pure Beijing-winter-fighting essentials, that leave skin clean, refreshed, smelling great, and soft.

The company is dedicated to bringing you “bath products that clean the body and soothe the soul”, they have bars of luscious soap for sensitive, dry, and cracked skin. Whether you need a bar that exfoliates, moisturises, or both, Soap Fresh So Clean will have what you’re looking for. Each of the line’s artisan soaps specialize in an area to help with common skin problems. This brand offers products that are free from perfume, dyes, and other harmful ingredients that can lead to irritable skin, dryness, rough patches, and blemishes. They soothe and over time support reviving the skin, making it supple and gleaming with nutrients.

Both the Baby Face and Diaspora Soap add moisture, and the Diaspora edition is particularly good at exfoliating the skin. Each one can be applied directly to the skin or used with a loofah, flannel, or sponge of your choice. They lather up pretty nicely and rinse off, leaving squeaky-clean skin that’s soft to the touch. The marbling effects on the soaps are gorgeous and the natural fragrances are earthy and pleasant. Layers of nutrients, essential oils and butters make for indulgent showers or baths and of course make great little gifts. The soaps use generous amounts of olive, coconut and almond oils, not to mention natural butters that are rich in vitamin C.

The piece de resistance has to be the Soap Fresh So Clean foot scrub. Made using Himalayan sea salt, turmeric, olive oil, shea butter, peppermint essential oil, and avocado, among others, this alchemic remedy for tired and dry feet is everything a foot scrub should be and more. The peppermint and bergamot oils heal and sooth the skin, while the Himalayan sea salt helps to scrub away dead skin cells and calluses on the heel and balls of the feet. Yes!

I loved using this foot scrub on an evening, followed by generously moisturizing the feet with M.E’s Sensitive Skin Soufflé or Nuobelle’s Whipped Nkoto. Whip on a 100 percent cotton pair of soaks, and wake in the morning to gloriously smooth and supple feet!

Top Tip

Try and keep shea butter products in a dry and cool place in the home. This helps the butter to keep a balanced consistency that’s easy to apply to the skin. Apply to damp skin and if using at night on the feet or hands, wear a pair of cotton socks or gloves for a deep conditioning night routine.

Photos: Anita Maala, London Treece, Olivia