By Melissa Corkhill
02nd June 2017
It started with The Big Chill in the late 90’s. I was lounging around a large tipi and people were getting massaged. There was no cost, no structure, just a feeling of shared positive touch and I thought “I want to do that”. I was training in massage at the time so it wasn’t such a pipe dream.
Healing areas at festivals have become an integral part of the festival itself and I’ve loved seeing the development from both sides, as a punter and as a therapist and teacher.
Working behind the scenes is really great fun and a lots of hard work. You can work as part of a collective or on your own with your own structure (bell tent/yurt/gazebo), depending on how the festival is run. Festivals are a brilliant opportunity to try a treatment or attend a workshop in something you’ve never done before.
Over the years I’ve attended workshops in singing, animal spirit meditation, shamanic healing, whirling dervishes and sound healing. The ceremonies that come as part of the experience of working in the healing areas at festivals commit you to working as a team for the collective good.
I thought I’d write a few anecdotes about my experiences over the years.
My first festival was as an excitable ‘professional’ therapist. I was ready to give as much as I could to everyone I met. This was until I was physically sick after the first day massaging for 7 hours straight! I’d taken on too much, both physically, emotionally and energetically- this was a big lesson. We also partied on after working (note to self, don’t work then go and party like you’re a paying punter) and I made some excellent friends.
We were often water logged. Glastonbury 2004 if I remember rightly was a wash out on the Thursday and Friday. My friend’s tent had a river running through it and we had to open the main massage tent to the ‘festival homeless’. This was also my first time working as donation only and people were so generous. I also found myself leading the opening parade for the healing field- magic!
Beautiful Days festival was another hilarious washout. I was working with my sister, Claire (she runs family foraging workshops now under MindBodyBread). It rained for 4 days solid but we still managed to keep our bell tent warm and cosy for those with ‘camper’s back’. At the end of the festival we had to get our van towed out of the mud. Still, we managed some fantastic picnics complete with tablecloth, candles and 3 course meals. We didn’t drop our standards because we were in a field.
I moved on from doing massage to teaching workshops after my son Beau was born in 2007. He came to every festival with me. Don’t be put off if you have a young baby- they are really very adaptable.
At Camp Bestival, (this time in an old caravan which I’d bought off a family who’d had it for 3 generations) I opened my Baby Bell Tent, a space for Mums and Babies. It was a lovely, cool space on what was a really hot weekend for mums to come and do some baby massage, feed, chat and just take some time away from the festival. It can be exhausting with a young family, enormous fun yes, but time away from the heart of the action is vital. One mum said her little nap with her toddler (who NEVER used to sleep during the day) was the highlight of her festival. That made it for me.
As the years went on, my son got older and my training continued. Birthlight toddler yoga and Rainbow Kids Family yoga meant that everyone could enjoy yoga, massage and relaxation. I love these workshops. Everyone piles in and off we go. At Starry Skies festival I had about 25 families so we spilled out of the huge tent onto the lush green grass overlooking the valley and I facilitated a camping theme yoga session. Kids love climbing on their parents backs and this is often the first chance to experience acroyoga which has grown in popularity over the years.
It’s the relaxation that I love the best. Apart from snuggling up on the sofa and watching a film, where do you get the chance to do this with your kids without being up against the competition that technology poses? There’s often an emotional release during this part of class and it’s a safe space to cry and allow this to happen. Some parents find this the hardest part but also the most beneficial.
So next time you’re at a festival, see if there’s a family yoga session on, or try out a treatment for yourself.
Julie is a Birthlight Pregnancy Yoga teacher, Certified Infant Massage Instructor, a Birthlight Baby Yoga teacher, SMART (Stretch, Move and Relax Together) Toddler Yoga Teacher, Post Natal Yoga Teacher, Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher (yoga for children and families). Her aim is to support and nurture you throughout pregnancy and early motherhood so you can find some peace amongst the chaos! Find her classes and more information at babynomad.net
