HARP FOR RELAXATION, MEDITATION & WELLBEING

Hi, I'm Julia Mitchell. Welcome to Peaceful Strings. 


I'm a certified harp therapist through the International Harp Therapy Programme and have studied Arpaterapia Immaginativa with leading Italian harp therapist Ludwig Conistabile. I have a special interest in playing for people who can benefit from the unique sound the harp makes, be it in hospital and hospices, for yoga, meditation or relaxation sessions, or for one to one bespoke sessions (see Connect to your Calm, below). I also play classical harp and offer background music for weddings, birthdays and other events.


Therapeutic harp is all about playing the right thing at the right time, with the focus on the listener rather than the performer.  In relaxation sessions, the music is much simpler than in a traditional concert, and is designed to take the listener through different stages of relaxation, holding them in a ‘cradle of sound’. 


Thank you for visiting my website and I hope you enjoy it. Please get in touch to learn more.

Deep Harp Relaxation: Enjoy 15 Minutes of Pure Peace

Do you struggle to relax or even fall asleep? Do you feel overwhelmed and find it harp to switch off your brain?

Discover the beauty and gentle power of the harp through my guided meditation. In just 15 minutes this practice will help you let go of stress, ease your mind and prepare your body for a restorative night's sleep.


click here to enter your email and receive a free 14 minute relaxation download.

Click here for more information about the Connect to your Calm service.



"I feel very relaxed. As I listened all these beautiful images came into my mind that I wasn't thinking about before. I could easily have fallen asleep...the sound quality was excellent and I really think it just brings good things to mind"


"I just want to do it again! I was slightly apprehensive but there was absolutely no need. I came back to the beach at the end, the sand was warm and the sun on my face - bliss! 

After I had a bath (candle and wine!) then straight to bed and slept so well!"


"Julia - I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I slept better than I have in years! And I feel so positive this morning."

Click here to enter your email and receive a free 14 minute relaxation download.

Click here for more information about the Connect to your Calm service.


Noticeboard: what's coming up....

Winter/Spring Online harp relaxations 

Fortnightly (usually!) half hour sessions of pure live harp music, played specifically to help your mind switch off and your body relax. Cameras are off and there are no demands on you whatsoever.


Friday 7th February

Friday 28th February

Friday 14th March

Friday 28th March


Tickets are available on Eventbrite now. You can choose to pay £5 or £8 or take a free ticket if things are tight right now.
Book via Eventbrite

Retreats

Are you planning a retreat, perhaps with yoga, pilates or meditation? 


You'll be giving so much thought to every detail - the location, the number of people, the food, the activities, the bedrooms and facilities. For a retreat to be the relaxing haven that your guests are hoping for, everything needs to be perfect.

Live harp music is that extra thing that adds another dimension of relaxation and sets your retreat apart. 


Some ideas:

  • background music at mealtimes, 
  • a group Drift Away (pure harp) or Mind Painting (harp and guided imagery) session scheduled at the end of a pilates or yoga session, 
  • or individual one-to-one harp therapy sessions for your guests. 

Please get in touch to discuss dates and requirements.

"Bliss"

"At the end I had that feeling you get when you fall asleep on a beach on holiday"


"Thank you for a lovely, relaxing evening...just what we needed after a busy week. Will be back again!"

"Extremely relaxing, tranquil way to clear the mind after a hectic week"

collaborations

The harp combines extremely well with other wellbeing modalities, such as breathwork, yoga, mediation and sound therapy instruments such as crystal singing bowls. 


I really enjoy the opportunity to work with others, combining our skills to create something beautiful and original.


If this is something you would be interested in please get in touch and let's talk! I'm based in North Hertfordshire.

Harp therapy for nursing homes, hospitals and hospices

Therapeutic harp is well established in America as a valued service within hospitals, hospices and nursing homes and there are an increasing number of us working in Europe and worldwide. I am the UK representative of the International Harp Therapy Programme.

Playing the right thing at the right time for an individual, their visitors or their carers can be a powerfully effective therapy, whether it is bringing back a happy memory, providing a much needed distraction or using the resonance of the harp to calm and soothe at difficult times.

I play regularly at the Lister Hospital and  Garden House Hospice . Please get in touch with me if you are interested in this service. I cover North Herts, South Cambs and East Beds 

                                              community harping 

Community wellbeing hubs, for example for people living with Dementia or Parkinsons, are another place I play, and I am a regular visitor at hubs throughout Hertfordshire. 

For these sessions, I play some familiar pieces (usually a mix of styles), talk a bit about the harp, and give people an opportunity to try it for themselves. Some of the responses are wonderful!


This service has a special 'community rate' of £55 for an hour, plus travel if it is over half and hour away.

"Our groups have been working with Julia for some time and absolutely love the harp therapy. Everyone gets the opportunity to learn and listen to something new and everyone is focussed. This allows people the chance to reminisce over old favourite songs and even experience the melodic sounds made from plucking strings on a harp themselves. 

Time is taken to see that people get the chance to try playing a new instrument and this brings great joy to both the person living with memory loss and their carer." 

Group Facilitator at Alzheimer's Society in Hertfordshire

Festivals

A harp relaxation is a lovely and unusual addition to a wellness festival. Please get in touch if you would like Peaceful Strings to be part of your event, either live or online.

If your event has a particular theme I can work with you to create a harp meditation which is perfectly suited. 


Below are a few comments from the harp meditation which was part of  the Love Trails/Be More You Virtual Race and Wellbeing festival:

Wow, wow, wow --- Incredible!!!!!!

I got goosebumps...Lovely playing and great guidance.

How special is this?

That was incredible. The pace and tempo took me through so many emotions

CORPORATE wellbeing : ONE-off events for wellness festivals or regular sessions

Loved the harp meditation delivered by Julia for us, it was extremely well executed and relaxing. Excellent. 

Steve Hill, Territory Manager, AzkoNobel UK


Just to say a big thank you from everyone at CSA for a memorable day last week. It was so cleansing and beautiful.

Clive Self, Managing Director, CSA Environmental


It is widely recognised that giving the brain a proper break at some point in the day can help prevent burnout, refresh the mind and improve mood. People relax in different ways and an effective wellbeing offering needs to reflect this. For those who relax best by staying still, closing their eyes and meditating or drifting off, a  Mind Painting or Drift Away therapeutic harp session is ideal.

The final section of the session can be tailored  to suit what is following. It can be 'end of day', which will be quiet, peaceful and not disturb the feeling of rest that has been created. Alternatively it can be 'get up and get on', in which the tempo of the music, the tone of my voice and the instructions participants are given brings people back to full (though rested) consciousness. Either way, participants are left with a collection of positive feelings and images which they can return to at any time.

Sessions can be delievered online or in person depending on location.

To find out more and to discuss options please contact me


For relaxation work, I use 2 main approaches, just the harp which I call 'Drift Away', and harp with Guided Meditation, which I call 'Mind Painting'. Often it can be a combination of both.

Mind Painting

Mind Painting is a beautiful combination of live harp and speech. Starting with a deep relaxation, participants are then led through a series of visualisations. The mind creates its own individual lovely images in response to the vocal prompts and gentle music.

The mind's eye can travel whereever it wants to go and at the end of the session participants are left with a collection of peaceful images and feelings to be returned to at any time. 

"Just what I needed in these times of uncertainly. It has been a week since my session and my mood is still perky and constant. I don’t feel the need to be doing more. I am finding enjoyment in doing one task at a time. When in silence I find myself humming. I am content. This was such a blissful experience."

Drift Away

A Drift Away session is pure harp with little, if any, speech. I use melody, harmony and rhythm to help your mind switch off and your body to relax. 

The harp travels through three different modes, or moods of music (known in Harp Therapy as the Celtic Circle) while the participants drift away to the peaceful sound  of this lovely instrument.

The harp has been used throughout history to calm the mind and relax the body and this is a continuation of that beautiful tradition. 

"I could not be more delighted.... The music flowed so organically and it was a thrill and a pleasure to hear it. This is a must for all stressed out people!!"

A gift to you - a mini drift away

Originally played for World Meditation day, this MP3 is about 12 minutes of music for meditation or relaxation. It passes through 3 different modes, or moods, of music to help you travel through 3 stages of relaxation. In harp therapy we call this the Celtic Circle, and it uses Celtic words to describe the states. It begins in Suantraighe, which is soothing and sleepy, moves into Goltraighe, which is more reflective, going deeper, and finally ends in Geantraighe, which is positive and outreaching - the perfect state in which to end. You may or may not be aware of the changes and it doesn't matter either way.You don't need to give me your email address to access this download - it's a gift to anyone who would like it. However if you would like to receive emails about my work including promotions and to be first in the queue for booking opportunities please fill in the form below.


Download 12 Minutes of Peace (25MB)

Mind Painting / Drift Away Feedback form

yes
no
couldn't say
yes
no
Yes, but anonymously
Yes, with my name
No

Contact Peaceful Strings

    Alternatively please call 07817 961703  or email julia@peacefulstringsharp.co.uk

Share by: