Peaceful Strings Harp

Peaceful Strings: Harp for Relaxation, meditation and wellbeing

In person and Online

The gentle, resonant sound of the harp is uniquely suited to therapeutic work.

Retreats, away days and wellbeing festivals are all enhanced by its beautiful tone.

Online group sessions allow people all over the world to wind down at the end of the week.

Connect to Your Calm, a unique online one to one service delivers personalised therapeutic harp and guided imagery meditation

Read on to find out more.

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.

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Below are some of the ways that I can deliver harp relaxations. All of them are available online and in person.

Connect to your Calm is a very special one to one service in which I use music and optional guided imagery to help you relax and rediscover your sense of balance and peace.

We start with a free session in which we will talk about what the harp can offer and whether it will meet your needs.

I will play to you so you can experience for yourself what the sessions will be like. There is no obligation whatsoever to do further sessions.

If you choose to continue we will arrange a further 3 sessions (spaced fortnightly). At the end of the course you will receive a recording of your own personal relaxation, using all the elements which worked best for you.

For a free download and more information click on the logo above.

"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."

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. It can be background music at mealtimes, a group Drift Away or Mind Painting 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. I'm currently taking provisional live bookings for 2022 and online ones for 2021.

"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"

Festivals

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 company 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

Figures in recent years have shown a sharp increase in levels of work-related stress.

According to the Health and Safety Executive’s report ‘Work related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2018’, in 2017/18 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases and 57% of all working days lost due to ill health. That is 15.4 million working days. According to Acas, mental ill health costs employers in the UK £30 billion every year through lost productivity, recruitment and absence.

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

"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!!"

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

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)

If you have recently experienced a Mind Painting or Drift Away session I'd be grateful if you would fill in this form so I can increase my understanding of the effects and make improvements