orematherapy

There are moments when you find yourself somewhere slightly beyond.

You don’t quite know where or why, something simply shifts, almost imperceptibly, and for a moment the world is different.

Perhaps it is the fog that lingers among the spruce trees for days, autumn rain, snow on the black branches of pines, the smell of lichen after rain, the shadow of stone memory, lynx tracks in the gloom.

Orematherapy grew from such things. It is woven from mountains, their mists and autumns, from scents and old sounds, from touch and movement, from the whisper of peatlands. And also from whatever has no name yet.

Perhaps it begins with a smell.

Something rises from the earth, from a crushed leaf, a piece of bark, a drop of resin, from smoke slowly curling into the air. We breathe it in before we have time to think.

And then, sometimes, something appears, birches in spring rain, a carved wooden cabinet in a cottage by the stream, an autumn campfire beneath Orion, grandmother’s ancient powder compact, the mossy rock at the end of summer…

Sometimes a smell finds its own way.

Tuina, aromatherapy, botanical perfumes and incense naturally meet in my work.

Touch can open a way to places where words sometimes cannot reach. Scent can change the way we experience our own body and the space around us. Plants bring something that does not need to be explained. Their scent, their presence, their memory and their own character.

I do not see these approaches as separate worlds. I am interested in what happens between them. When the touch of Tuina meets the scent of plants, when aromatherapy meets botanical perfumery, or when a space is filled with the smoke of incense.

Sometimes the body needs to soften. Sometimes what is needed is a change of pace, of space, or simply of the way we are with ourselves. Scent is not simply an addition. It can be a path in itself, leading towards attention, memory, feeling and mood.

It is a beautiful place to be, somewhere on the threshold between these worlds.

Let’s be clear, it’s not like I’ve always known I wanted to be a therapist (with perfumes and scents, it was a little different, although I didn’t know it at the time). I have tried and studied many different things, from geology, literature, permaculture, to theology and beyond.

That said, when I first started to study tuina in 2017 not just me, but close people who knew me saw that I have found where I wanted to go deeper, further.

For that reason I constantly better my technique, right now in form of Chinese Medicine related to physical therapy, following the best in our country (Andao Institute) as well as herbalism (Popham), perfumery and aromatherapy (The School For Aromatic Studies, Jade Shutes, Institute of Aromatherapy).

Aromatherapy first came into my life around 2008. But even before that, I remember a mysterious little brown glass bottle from my early childhood, more than three decades ago, filled with a thick, fragrant substance, something rare and unknown. Years later, while studying perfumery, I came across the scent again and discovered that it was amyris, passed off as sandalwood.

Scent has long been one of the ways I make sense of the world. Making perfumes and oils, preparing tinctures and creating smudging blends have become an essential part of how I work with plants and their aromas. This eventually led me to formal study, and in 2017 I began studying at the Institute of Aromatherapy.

The most natural oils come from different suppliers, depending on where I find the quality I am looking for. Sadly, there is no single supplier who carries everything at its best. Most of the other ingredients I gather myself, by hand, at home, in the Ore Mountains, and in other mountains I wander through.

I hope to bring you some of the energy I receive from these mountains every day, and perhaps give back a little of what they give me by helping people who need it.

Alright, but what to expect?

Over time, several things have come together in my work: Chinese Tuina, Zuliao foot reflexology, aromatherapy and botanical perfumery.

Chinese Tuina is at the heart of my therapeutic work. I have explored other approaches to massage and bodywork over the years, but I have chosen to stay close to a few practices that I know deeply rather than collect a long list of techniques. Each session is different, and I may combine Tuina, foot reflexology and aromatherapy according to what feels appropriate.

Aromatherapy can take many forms, from essential oils and herbs to incense, aromatic massage and other ways of working with scent. It is not always about treatment. Sometimes scent is simply a way of slowing down, becoming more attentive and experiencing something directly through the senses.

And finally, I leave something very close to my heart for last. In recent years, botanical perfumery has gradually become the most essential part of my work.

I create perfumes from natural aromatic materials, working with essential oils, absolutes, tinctures and other plant-based ingredients. I am interested in perfume not only as something to wear, but as a way of experiencing plants through scent, and of carrying a place, a memory or a feeling with you.

You may come because there is something you would like to work with, or simply because you want to feel good. You may want a Tuina session, spend some time exploring scents, or find a botanical perfume to take with you.

There is no fixed formula. You might come for tuina, for scent, or simply to enter a space where the more-than-human meets the human.

Testimonials

You know what they say - it´s a cliché - I am sorry I did not do this earlier and waited so long. I was hesitant to medicate with chemistry and even more reluctant to see a therapist.

Eva helped me - almost immediately I have felt big relief after the massage, which gave me one or two day window from anxiety - never experienced that before, as it used to be a constant drone.

I was always close to what we call "alternative" medicine, but still did not believe it could really solve my problems. Of course, your problem is always the worst, right? Wrong - it is gone now and I enjoy the exercising regime. Maybe if I toned it down, it would return, who knows? But I don´t have to find out as I love the new me.

Thank you so much! 

- Miroslav Bárta

contact

Contact me by email form below, please, I check it daily. You can write me in English, Spanish or Czech.

I generally answer within one day and tell you where we can meet.

I'm often in the Ore Mountains (or in North Moravia Region, Jizera Mountains, or Prague...), but I travel and from time to time we can meet in other parts of Europe.

If you dislike forms, just drop me a line at:

[email protected]

Anything you write might be helpful - what are you looking for, why - even when not sure, don´t worry, we´ll work it out together.