Meet the gorgeous, creative and passionate Melissa Farrugia, holistic kinesiologist, mentor and writer…
Mel, Can you tell us about Kinesiology?
Kinesiology literally means the study of movement: the movement of your body, your energy, your emotions, your biochemistry and the movement of your life.
Kinesiology is all about being in flow, in balance and bringing you to a place where you are in alignment with your truth (the stuff that lights you up & makes you smile), and living up to your potential.
Kinesiology works directly with your body via muscle testing: connecting in with your body’s biofeedback system, which pinpoints stress and energy blocks by accessing your cellular memory. Each of the trillions of cells within your body has its own memory bank, which is how you’re able to remember repetitive actions, recognise familiar places etc.
Once we’ve found where the energy block or stress is, muscle testing also shows what is required to diffuse the stress and bring you back to balance – it could be an acupressure point, a chakra clearing, a specific emotion released, stress around a memory cleared or any other holistic technique that is required.
I like to think of Kinesiology as being a door to your conscious & subconscious self, where out-dated beliefs, behaviours & stresses, are unlocked and released from your body, your mind and your energetic self. Most of the time, when you go to see a Kinesiologist, you’ll be working towards some kind of goal.
How do you want to feel? How do you want to live? What do you want to achieve?…You can think big here.
I’ve worked with people to clear Achilles heel pain, banish diverticulitis, bring in streams of insight & creativity and come up out of the fog of ‘ruttness’ (amongst other things).
Here are a few other examples:
- If you’re feeling out of whack though aren’t sure why
- Lack of clarity & connection to self
- You need better quality of sleep
- You want to reach bigger & better goals for yourself (think money, fitness, career, personal development, life development etc.)
- Boost confidence & self-worth
- Bust through self-sabotage + break old cycles and nasty habits
At the end of the day, everything is energy, and if there is a block in that energy flow creating stress for you and in your life, Kinesiology will help to clear that stress and move you to a more positive place.
How is it that you became a Kinesiologist?
The path to becoming a Kinesiologist really began when I was 24, shortly after I realised that my life was completely out of whack.I’d battled severe symptoms of carrying two large fibroids in my uterus, and after 12 months, ended up in hospital to have them surgically removed. Simultaneously, the strings that had been precariously holding my life together, began to snap.
As my body stopped me in my tracks, the destructiveness of my relationships came to the fore, and I realised that on many levels I had been living the life of a person I thought I should be, as opposed to who I really was. It was a pretty distressing time in my life because I didn’t really know how I’d managed to fall so deeply without realising it was happening.
Over 6 weeks (the post-op recovery period) I observed my body as it healed. It was a pretty magical experience, though it also raised some fairly big questions. In my search for answers, I stumbled upon Kinesiology. I began searching the internet for anything related to holistic health, natural medicine and health sciences, to gain clarity and understanding around my own experiences.
Without fail, the first search result would have something to do with a modality called ‘kinesiology’, and an intense rush of tingles would roll over my body. So, just like any inspiration fuelled step in the direction of truth, I enrolled to study, even before having my first session.
It took me a few years until I was actually ready to devote myself to full-time study (there’s so much to be said for trusting the process and allowing space for correct timing) though from the point of discovery, I always knew becoming a kinesiologist was an important part to my purpose.
Have you always been conscious of your own health and wellbeing?
Not so much, no! Growing up I was always sick. I had constant colds and eczema that covered my body in patches, so I felt like my body was more of a burden than a gift. Also, because of the eczema on my body, doctors were concerned about physical activity, so physical movement was kept to a minimum.It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I began to become conscious of my health and wellbeing, and not just from a physical perspective, though from an emotional and spiritual one too.
After the operation at 24, was when the most significant shift happened, because through my healing, I developed a reverence and respect for my body, unlike anything I’d experienced before. I’ve known from that point onwards, that my body has all the answers, and it’s my responsibility to take the best care of it that I can.
Bree and I have found there is a huge focus on the physical, that most of us want to look fit and healthy, and yet we seem to have neglected the health of our mind. There is a enormous increase in mental illness particularly amongst young people. What do you believe is happening? Is it social media? Is it societies expectations? What are your thoughts regarding mental illness?
This is a hugely complex issue, though I do believe that a lot of our non-acceptance of self is based in the investment of believing that we need to be a certain way: be it to look a certain way or live up to the life expectations of others.
Living like this is investing in and striving for an unattainable goal, one which is constantly based on how others perceive you. This comes from all sorts of places, like social media, family, partners; many of whom aren’t conscious of the impact they’re having. I also believe that depression is a suppression of our individuality and creative expression.
I’ve seen a huge disconnect from creative expression over the course of my time in practice, and on the flip side of that, how sense of self blossoms once people begin to be creatively expressive again. It seems such a simple thing, though the results I’ve seen are extraordinary.
When do you feel most balanced?
These days I feel more balanced than I do un-balanced, though I’d have to say I feel most balanced after a Kinesiology session (no surprises there!) or after an Ashtanga yoga + meditation session. I’m a big believer in living my craft, and I know that this combo keeps me feeling pretty grounded and inspired.
What do you want your clients to feel after a session with you?
I want my clients to feel more aware of their bodies, to feel connected to the wisdom that rises from their bodies.The most empowering experiences are the ones where we’re fully embodied and present within ourselves, so if clients can feel a sense of this after their balance, I’m pretty happy.
What values are most important to you?
I’m big on values guiding my life, so my top 3 values are freedom, integrity and community. Freedom is all about expansion, adventure, creativity and expression. It’s the flow of ideas in form, intuition guiding my life and taking me beyond my comfort zone. I get a buzz from living life in this way.
Integrity is all about dipping into my heart and my body, and living from this space. I know now that if something doesn’t feel right, then there’s an element that is out of alignment, or it’s simply not for me. Integrity keeps me living in my own lane, and on purpose.
Community is all about being with people who fully and completely support and celebrate one another. This is a biggie for me, because when we surround ourselves with these types of people, we thrive.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, it all comes back to the question, “what do I need?”, and letting the feeling or inspiration drop in. I love to do a range of things though, like watch documentaries, read books, have baths, paint, draw, hang out with friends, dance, go on photography walkabouts… It’s a pretty mixed bag!
What are the most important things you’ve experienced so far?
The big moments of my life stand out as the most important, though I also know it’s been the small incremental steps that have been just as important. I’d say the most important things I’ve experienced so far is the operation I had which led me to discovering Kinesiology, living in Vancouver for a year without knowing a soul or having any plan (when I initially landed), and my marriage and subsequent divorce. Each of these moments have been profound teachers. I’ve learned about the depth of my resilience, my passion and fire for life, and my devotion to my self-truths….These are some of the greatest gifts of my life.
What do you believe is the most important change people should make if they want to be kinder to themselves?
Simplify. Take the pressure off. Look up every now and again. Breathe. Accept where you’re at, and understand there is gold in every single life moment, if you dare to take a closer look. We’re so judgmental of ourselves. We’re constantly wishing we were somewhere else, something else, or better in some way.When you’re in that space, you miss the moments of magic that are available right in the moment, and often these are the moments that fuel your sense of self.
You have already achieved so much, running your own practice and continuously building new programs; can you tell us where you see yourself in a year’s time?
This is such a good question! I honestly have no idea where I’ll be in a year’s time, though I do know that anything is possible! When I flash back to where I was this time last year, everything is different, so I know not to project too far forward, and focus on being in the flow of my life instead. The only constant over the years has been Soul Wellness, and I’m pretty happy about that.
We love that you support charity One Girl, can you tell us a little bit about it, and why its so important to you?
One Girl is an organisation that provides support and education to girls in Sierra Leone who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to attend school. They also focus on empowering women and girls so that they can create and lead change in their communities.This is pretty important to me, as I’m innately passionate about learning and knowledge. I also grew up the daughter of a woman who fought to further her education, so she could return to work and fulfil her desires.
This was a time that deeply shaped my childhood, instilling belief in dreams, resilience, self-responsibility, independent-thought, and the knowing that just because someone says you can’t, doesn’t mean you have to listen. I know that my life could have turned out very differently, so in my own small way, supporting One Girl is an extention of what my mother did for me.
And lastly, what is one of your favourite quotes?
“If something I say resonates with you, it’s because we’re branches of the same tree.” I love this quote because it connects us to one another, when so often we feel separate.
Head over to People + Profiles to read 26 things about Melissa…
www.soulwellness.com.au
Email directly:
Where to visit Mel…Lower Ground/69-71 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC 3000
