School of Shamanism

S2 EP2: Three paths, one purpose with Ana from Fairy Tale Therapies

• School of Shamanism • Season 2 • Episode 2

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In the first guest episode of Season Two Many Paths, One Mountain, Giada is joined by Ana, founder of Fairy Tale Therapies, to explore the healing practices that have shaped her unique approach to wellbeing.

Drawing on sound healing, shamanic practice and bodywork, Ana shares how these complementary paths come together to support physical, emotional and energetic healing. From the power of vibration and grounding in nature to the importance of human touch, this conversation offers practical wisdom for anyone seeking a deeper connection with themselves.

Together, we explore how different healing traditions can work in harmony, reminding us that while every journey is unique, they all lead towards the same mountain.

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About the Host

Originally hailing from the vibrant city of Milan, I’ve spent the past two decades traversing the globe in a quest for spiritual and personal growth and combined with 25 years of international corporate work experience. From navigating the vast landscapes of Australia in a campervan to finding tranquility living in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal, my journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Along the way, I’ve delved deep into Buddhist teachings, yoga, and shamanism, becoming Shamanic Teacher,  Forest Therapy Guide, Esoteric Numerologist, Shamanic and Integral Yoga Teacher and Ikigai Coach. In 2013 I settled in Edinburgh, where  I founded the Art and Spirituality Centre, a social enterprise and the School of Shamanism, where I passionately help others on their own transformative journeys.

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CHAPTERS

Welcome Ana from Fairy Tale Therapies

The power of sound, Shamanism & bodywork

Cleansing the chakras with your own voice

Pressure points and presence

Where to find Ana

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Ana

And now that we miss a lot of tut and connection between human and it's quite important to have this and like to feel that that connection is you know like human to human with the tut.

Welcome Ana from Fairy Tale Therapies

Giada

And I've got the pleasure today to um have with me as a first uh uh guest of our second season, uh, Ana from Fairy Tale Therapies. Welcome Ana. Uh she was actually uh originally one of my students of the shamanic practitioner training, and then she graduated, and then she continued uh graduated because it's not a university. The piece of paper, the plus piece of digital paper, and then she continued with her own uh journey uh in the in the healing world. So, would you like to let us know a little bit about yourself?

Ana

Uh uh we'll leave the microphone to you. Yes, thank you. Thank you so much for having me here today. Starting the second session, it's uh um a pleasure to be here. Yes, uh my journey obviously started a long time ago, and I will say, since I moved to Scotland in 2016, uh, once I left Spain, I left Spain around 2015 when as an operator to Ireland, and then it was always a connection to Edinburgh. And when I came here to visit, I feel like a pull core to move here, and it's been right because I feel my path has been here and it's been a long journey. So I decided to do my holistic therapy massage. When I found the meaning of holistic, I thought it was incredible because I always been massaging, I always got connection with the body, I always been very, you know, having that connection with human. Um I like connecting and bringing people together. And I think, yeah, I notice nowadays like it's a good skill that I have to live friendships and circles made everywhere where I go. So I'm trying to work more using that. Um then with the years, uh life unfolds, things happen. I had a normal life, normal job, like you know, a 40 hour uh nine to five job. That's so important. I had it in the in the Lois Bank, but it was as varista, but still it was a nice Monday, Friday for a few years. Then the pandemic came, things happened, the usual. Then I came back, returned, always never left them as such, and I always have in mind to do in my practice, but you know, I wasn't ready, I guess. And then started with Reiki, and that started moving a lot of things within myself, and then yes, through some teachers and staff, uh other I mean I learn about other practices, so I try bioenergy work and things like that on myself, and I I was actually impressed. I think I always had this connection, but I never experienced myself, so I was a bit like, what's all of that about? And obviously, like this journey unfolds for anyone who goes into this type of practices. Uh the more you dig in, the more you find. So this brought me to well, a lot of life changes. I'm trying to resume here because otherwise we stay here forever. Proper ADHD that I'm testing. I climbing circles. No, I'm learning the meaning of learning. I'm learning to go to the point slightly. So, yes, um, akashic records, then at some point my connection to music, I started with the sound healing because I experienced the Tibetan balls years ago. Uh and yes, uh shamanic practice, um, together with my Reiki, with everything I know, and I don't know, I bring everything to my own practice, and I created uh fairy tale therapies because I'm like a big fairy myself. I wanted the clinical work and clinical work that I do that actually help with injury recovering, with stress, with you know, tension, uh all of this that I know, the knowledge about the body, together with the brain and with the fascia, bringing it together with the energy, with the emotions, with all, because that's holistic, it means all. And I thought having a uh, you know, my own branch of who I am, showing who I am with my colors, with like real, rather than a clinical name, nothing against that. But I want to have my own, you know, my yes, my own energy into the work I do, combining the best of both worlds, the let's call it the upper world and the middle world, this one, the most grounded one. And I like bringing all together, so that's yeah, that's pretty much beautiful.

Giada

So you mentioned

The power of sound, Shamanism & bodywork

Giada

several uh disciplines that you decided uh to uh go deeper into. So if you need if you need to choose and select uh three only, let's say three paths that for you considering despite of the fact that we are mixing up everything together and it's a combination of everything, but three paths uh, because you've got uh plenty on your plate, that for you are let's say the main ones that are going towards the mountain, which is healing, where you think you can give uh give the best of you to people, which one would be definitely the sound healing.

Ana

I'm really connected. I'm gonna say this is probably not relevant, but as a Libra, Libra, Libra, I'm really connected to music. I always been like I love dancing and singing, and like people can be talking anywhere. If it's a song I like, I'm gone. I'm definitely gone. Um like going to gigs, like live music is always being something, and I always love singing. I never thought I had that voice, but now through the soundboards and the sound healing, I earned like I ended using my voice, and actually people love it, and I find it very calming, and it's like a guidance, and I'm yeah, maybe using it in a different way, but the the power like I feel from the vibrations and showing this to different audiences of people, people who are more, let's call it, grounded, like they're not into the spiritual side, but they can feel that the physical uh reaction to these vibrations to the frequencies. It's really incredible to see like the healing physical and emotional, and how the reactions on the bodies when I'm sitting there in front of the people lying down, like when they feel something and they're you see ships into the bodies to reuse, which you realize that actually healing is happening. Yes. And using the the music and the voice and like being able to do music, even it's a different kind of music, like I'm not playing guitar and doing a song for but I mean one day maybe, I hope so, because it's it's part of it. You can use whatever instrument and it's always beautiful. Uh, but yes, it's and being able to do collaborations and even even combining with yoga, with breath work, within it is a very creative process. Yes, yes.

Giada

So the creative process, uh yeah.

Ana

So, number two, this is difficult for me because I'm in between the bodywork and but I think the shamanic practice. I don't know why. That brings me a lot to the ground for this combination between divine, high real, maybe that I got from Reike, and even the sound healing is in between both, but bring me a lot to the ground and to work what is in earth and to be again connected to nature because I love nature, I always did. I grew up going to the countryside. We were in Madrid, not in Madrid, like in a town, you know, but I'm from Madrid. In a small, smaller city, let's call it. And obviously, by then was a lot of green spaces and that, but every weekend go with the family to the countryside. I love being there, covering mods, getting, I don't know, collecting mushrooms, uh thistles, like eatable ones. Like we will peel with my granny and eat there and playing with everything around, with the ants, with whatever. I don't know. Going, you know, for hikes everywhere. I used I I used to be a scout as well. So I did a lot of hiking and being in the mountains and these activities, and yeah, yeah. It was a lot of discipline there involved, so it teaches me a lot. Not like the army, but that sounds cool.

Giada

But like if you consider, for example, the the Japanese shamans that go and walk in the in the mountains, uh, they are connected with the martial arts, so it's all discipline.

Ana

And I love martial arts as well. So when I did Kung Fu both, yeah, I'm I don't know if I'm in the shape for it now, but yes. Uh so the Samani practice show me that I don't know, that connection with nature and to use the elements, love like working with elements, and because we have the four within ourselves, like we always say no, the the breath is the air, like the heart is the fire, the blood is the water, and then the body is the the earth, the material relation. So I don't know.

Giada

I like yeah it's poetic, it's nice, it's uh is actually the in the Japanese aesthetics is uh all about uh the poetic way of living, which is finding the beauty, which not necessarily is the in the words, but the beauty in nature, the beauty in the imperfection of nature's all the trees and and uh flowers are not perfect at all, and still uh just uh sitting down and uh uh walking uh and admiring uh a tree that we meet, which is with always coming in front of us in the perfect moment. It's like that's something that then we need to apply to life as well when we meet someone, oh, it was too late, uh, we didn't have enough time. No, it was exactly perfect, but our mind say, I wanted it a little bit longer, I want it a little bit shorter, because we know.

Ana

Yes. And the third practice, yes, I think I will put it onto the body work because I don't know when like my way of doing massage and that clients actually notice this, is I just go into the body and I connect with it when I'm touching it. It's I mean, it's the largest organ we have the skin. And nowadays we miss a lot of toots and connection between humans, and it's quite important to have this and like to feel that that connection, you know, like human to human with the toots. Um I don't know, when I do this, I go somewhere else, I feel the body where it needs to, you know, the where is all the tension and stuff. Obviously, for a massage therapist, that's you you should know that it's not difficult because you feel it. Anyone will feel it, I think. But you know, like in a way, like going into the person's souls. I don't know how to explain it. I'm very intuitive, but I do obviously the work as I feel I need, and it's always unique experience with everyone, and I think people feel that, not just the the releases of their the tension, the stress, and or some injury or whatever in their body, but that connection between two humans basically or two souls. Um I really love working with it, it's it's hard work sometimes because especially when it's like this will go deep, you know, and I'm like doing some blessing on healing people. Some people like the pain. Um the important is like you just know I'm gonna do massage and I'm gonna do what I want. No, it's what the person wants. That's what that's a good practice. You you know, they want certain areas work out, they want the pressure lighter, or it's about what the neuropreceptors feel, the massage. So it doesn't matter how the pressure is or something, the important is the how the person perceives that pleasure from the massage, what does the work to release the tension? So that's been proved more in recent studies. Like doesn't matter, like deep tissue, you don't need to go deep, it's about the technique. So that connection, you know, like you get with the body is yes. Yeah, I love that word because just you know, the face when it changes after, and the people look so happy and like all the tension is gone, and they're like, Oh, I'm floating. Obviously, it helps you, gives you a gives you as well a boost of in the ego, you know, like oh, I'm doing my job well. It's nice, it's nice, like to know kind of you help, but I do it not just like people oh no for helping. That's very ego as well. It's more because I like it, I enjoy it. Yeah, and obviously it's nice to help.

Giada

Of course. Uh, and uh, if

Cleansing the chakras with your own voice

Giada

you have to give uh uh, let's say three pieces of advice is according to the practices that you mentioned for self-healing, what can we do daily or almost uh to heal our body? Something that not necessarily simple. Of course, I come to you, but then maybe I come to you once a month, once every two weeks. What can I do to heal my body? What can I do to heal my voice? And what can I do shamanically depends on which interpretation we can say it to heal my soul connecting with nature? So the three advice pieces of advice is uh that you could give uh for people that uh can practice by themselves.

Ana

Well, for example, something very simple that everyone knows, and it's the universal sound, it's the sound of the universe's own. Uh, you can use it every day, you can be literally with doing three every morning, for example. This is just an you can use it in many, many ways, and there is a lot of different sounds, and to be honest, I don't need to give you a masterclass, I and I don't remember all of them on the top of my head all the time. But there is Google, there is Chat GPT, you can find them everywhere. To find stuff to find what to find mandate mandas. The different chakras, for example, like a specifically you say for your throat, you can find the specific, I don't remember now the specific notes or sounds.

Giada

No, which is for example, when I do the cacao ceremonies, it's combined the two work uh uh on vibration connected, uh of course, to different sounds according to the chakras in which basically we are cleansing the chakras before receiving the cacao. It's one of the examples.

Ana

So you can do one for each chakra or or focus on one chakra, or you just can use the universal frequency ohm. That's like you know, if you cover like no, usually it's the ears, you cover your ears and you do the ohm so that goes into the body, and you can feel the vibration and where it's actually working on, and you can do it as long as you want. You don't need to be three times, it's like one of these numbers, okay, like minimum three times for everything to work, it's a trinity number, it's a holy number. Um, like you know, triangle that's going too far in this, but yes, you can be as long as you want sitting, you can mix this with some breath work, for example, four seconds breathe in. You can hold there another four seconds, you can throw it out, um breathe out for six seconds, hold again for six seconds, and you can go like that for a while. I wouldn't tell you to do the kind of fire breathwork like it's always your mouth, because if you don't have experience with this, it's not something to do at home. But something very simple, and if you want to combine that with the sound, great. If you have a little instrument at home, combine it, play it, and and just try to bring it along your body and use it. You have a little ball, you can, you know, lie down, put it over you, and just give soft, soft plays, soft beats, and just you know, close your eyes and feel what is going into your body. You can bring it in different areas, and you can feel if it's stock energy because the ball will stop playing.

Giada

So if that's interesting, you know, when uh when it's full the ball stops playing.

Ana

Yes. Let us know like what does it happen? The sound stops, the energy is stuck there, and it happens all the time, even in the soundbaz, group soundbus that I do. Uh the balls, like even the rings, plays very strange sounds when people just arrive, and through the session, when everyone's fit into one vibration, everyone reads that the same frequency, then everything plays smoothly again. So it's it's really, really interesting. And you can try that yourself. You don't need a ball for anything. Use the ohm, use the power of your voice, find different sounds like we say you can find them nowadays, all the information is available in one click. So that's that's one of the practices I will recommend related to sound. Uh let's see the most common practice uh related for uh to shamanic uh practice, it will be like grounding. Now that it's summer and slightly better weather at less some days, or even if you are in the office, whatever, here is grass everywhere. And for those who are in cities with no grass.

Giada

Just with our following podcasts from the desert, like Dubai, Buddha.

Ana

There's always a way to, you know, remove your shoes and socks for a second and put your feet there or go to a tree, sit down there and just you know, try to to get a connection to it. Or simply do a conscious walk, even it's in the street, trying to visualize and listening without um your earphones, you know, like just listening to your surroundings, any any sounds, the feel the air, feel the light, uh look at the clouds, and and be aware, be aware of what you do. Yes, I think I talk about this another time, like doing consciously things, like even drinking just a glass of water, but consciously seeing how it's going through the pipe, you know, like to your stomach, the sound of it, the taste. It's like people don't water don't have a taste. Well, for me, it doesn't. For me, actually does, and I differentiate one with other water. Like, I don't know. I I actually find a taste of in the water. Um so I don't know, just being conscious and how you perceive things, because we have all these senses, and nowadays, because everything is in a rust and all made easy for us, like with quick dopamine and stuff, we we're really not valuing and valuing, valuing that's that's what I can value, valuing, giving value, giving value. That's one of these words in English, like valuing, uh giving value, yes. To to the simple simple things in life, the small things. So that's another practice I will recommend. Easy, hopefully I think so. Because even in your house with your coffee, smell it, you know, feel it, be great.

Giada

We are doing some senses actually, there is a sensuality in the senses in experience in life uh through the different uh points of entrance uh in our body, definitely.

Ana

So that's another,

Pressure points and presence

Ana

and for the body work, well, you always can massage yourself.

Giada

Yeah, what kind of daily practice can I do? For example, I love a lot uh the hand massage, which I which of course I mean, like hand reflexology, something that is uh I find it uh quick, approachable uh also during a meeting, uh and uh it takes literally five minutes.

Ana

Yes, yes. Or I don't know your your ritual for well this could be for everyone. Your morning ritual with your face, like instead of just putting your cream, why you don't you know touch your face, feel it like past the palm of your hands, and that is pretty pleasant actually. Like you know, in in doing like circles like the directions of the you know, like here you can or even using these fingers, you can kind of softly give me like massage, it's not here in the third eye, like that, and your jaws, because we are very stressed, and I feel a lot of tension here, so you can squeeze a bit as sometimes opening up when you realize it is uh so blocked here. Even feeling your you know, your ganglios here, like to see if there is any swell or something, even or even your stomach, like just going in the way of the context of the energy. So that's very nice, especially like we bloat a lot and as well for women with endo matriosis or things like that.

Giada

Yeah, I do I do um a technique of self-massage as well every evening, uh, and it's softening a lot, it's been uh really huge, uh huge help.

Ana

And we work as well a lot if you are in computer all day, or or if you do like man on your hands and your wrist, that's why, yes, so you can just you know, like following the lines of the muscles, you can feel them. As well, I know like here the sternoclade mastoid. Have headaches, you can pull it like this and give it some massage. And of course, I use some palm reflexology. For example, all of this line is our back. Depends if what which side you can use one or other hand. But you just go squeezing your finger a bit strong. Which I always do in this time. Try with the yes, with the you know, uh the fingerprints rather than this part because it's harder. But you see, when we do this, here is like the brain and stuff. So I think that's why in the meditations they're like this, because actually that's how I've been removing for years my headaches, and it takes a while, but it's better than having a tablet, a pill, probably 40 minutes. Like you have to be very slowly and then do like this little push to activate it. And I do it to my clients in the practice with massage when they want relaxation, and some of them has feel it in their brain and their toes, and because it's on the feet, it's the same.

Giada

Yeah.

Ana

So there, and another point is here in the middle, is like the diaphragm. And if you just slowly, because otherwise you make the opposite effect, which is making yourself nervous. It's very good if you need to relax, if you have some important, I don't know, meeting or or performance or whatever, and you need to relax, it works a lot. Obviously, your breath as well, always, you know. If you feel nervous, try to slow down your breath. It helps, but yes. And if you use this for your back, you will feel the pain in the hand, but that's the reflect on your back. And you can, you know, you go in the bus wherever you are bored, you are watching television of the series. Well, use the chance and do a little touch.

Giada

Exactly, which is what I do. Yes, beautiful.

Where to find Ana

Giada

Thanks so much. Ana, and where can people find you? Website, uh social media, where can they find you if they want to reach out for one of the many things that you offer?

Ana

Everywhere. I'm in Google. I'm in Google as fairy tale therapies. I'm based on Leeds just now, work like three days on the week, but for private practices like soundbats or you know, uh cermanic work and stuff, uh you have to contact me. In Google I have my own website, but I don't know why the button brings to treat well. But I have my fairyteltherapies.co.uk, so there is as well a click for it. Um, then in social media I'm like uh fairy tale therapies UK in Instagram, like all with dots in between, fairy dote dot therapies.

Giada

We will put all the details uh in uh in the in the Spanish show.

Ana

Okay, in Fairy Tale Therapies, and there is a click to my WhatsApp to my I'm as well on Evenbrite, and all all the links appear in my Instagram as well.

Giada

And so few beautiful many paths uh to Ana to the mountain, Ana.

Ana

I hope I hope this fellows through something.

Giada

Beautiful. Thank you so much. Uh thanks so much for uh for being with us today, and we look forward uh to maybe season three, uh, with a new topic, uh, inviting you back again and see maybe you will have uh added a new discipline uh a new path uh to all the ones that you're offering to people, and uh I am I am and discovering, yeah, because it's always a process of learning.

Ana

Uh yes, thank you so much for having me today. I look forward to to come back. Always I love this space. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you, thank you so much, Ana. Thanks. Thank you.