Virtual sessions for people with MCAS

We host regular exercise, creative and community Zoom sessions, as well as stand-alone, topical sessions.  If you have any questions, you can contact us here. You can view and book all of our virtual sessions here.  

Our virtual sessions are hosted through Zoom and are free to anyone with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or for those supporting someone living with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Our sessions are only suitable to those living in the U.K, this is due to our funding and due to the differences in medical systems, benefits, treatment and medications around the world. If you live abroad you are more than welcome to explore our free resources on our website or view our videos on YouTube.

Any donations received go towards us being able to provide more virtual sessions to those in need within our community. If you are able to donate, no matter how small, it will be gratefully received. You can donate here.

Accessibility

We host our sessions through Zoom, if you haven't used Zoom before and would like to learn then watch this tutorial video here. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment where everyone can fully engage with our content and discussions. If you have any questions/suggestions regarding accessibility, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Your feedback helps us continually improve our efforts to ensure that all participants feel welcome and supported.

We are committed to making our virtual sessions accessible to all and we understand that some individuals experience electromagnetic sensitivity (EMF) or prefer hard copies of materials for various reasons. For individuals who prefer/require hard copies of materials, we are happy to provide alternative formats whenever possible. Please reach out to us here. We will do our utmost to assist you and ensure your experience is as comfortable as possible.

Virtual self-massage session with lymph drainage introduction

Join Ellen from Flexback's twice monthly Virtual Massage sessions for us on a Tuesday and a Friday. 

Come along, meet Ellen, and learn some self-massage techniques to help you relax and spend some time thinking about self-care. This session will also feature an introduction to lymph drainage. All techniques will be optional, so feel free to join in with the movements that you feel comfortable with.

Ellen is a qualified Level 5 BTEC Clinical Sports and Remedial Massage Therapist and specialises in the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and pain – both sport and work-related.

You can read more and book your place here. 

Mast Cells & Relationships: The Garden of Self

Join us on Wednesday 23rd July from 7-8pm for a session hosted by Roselle O'Brien. Roselle is a psychotherapist, creative arts therapist, educator, holistic life, health & nutrition coach, and licensed nurse. She specialises in mast cell activation related issues and disorders.

Find out more about Roselle here.  

It's easy, when you have MCAS or other mast cell activation related issue or disorder, to find yourself drained and weary. Self-care is often challenging and we can lose sight of our anchors of hope. Join us--with the flowers of summer in full bloom--for an hour of self-care as we, together, explore, nurture, and support our garden of self.

Find out more and book your place here. 

Building Resilience with MCAS: Self-Care, Sleep, and Emotional Wellbeing

Join us on Wednesday 30th July from 7-8pm for a session hosted by Rebecca Fredericks. 

In this powerful one-hour session, you’ll learn how to care for your body, protect your sleep, and support your emotional wellbeing using evidence-informed, low-trigger techniques.

As a passionate health, wellbeing, and performance coach with over 11 years of experience, Rebecca specialises in helping people navigate their lives—empowering them to feel their healthiest, happiest, and most confident selves. Find out more about Rebecca here and here. 

Find out more and book your place here.

Gentle Seated Yoga

Exciting news! Yoga is back, we are trialling three sessions of Gentle Seated Yoga hosted by Meg Hughes on Friday 1st, 8th and 15th August from 2-2:30pm. 

Join us for gentle, slow, relaxing movement and yoga postures from your chair (or bed/standing if you prefer!) specially designed for people with MCAS. Ease yourself into the weekend, relieve pain and tension, and focus on your mind and body. There is absolutely no previous yoga experience required, this event is designed for all levels.

Meg will adapt to your needs, so if you need to join us from your bed, your wheelchair or need to stand, you will be supported and encouraged to listen to your body and find a movement that works for you.

Find out more and book your place here. 

Womens Health, Diet and MCAS

Join us on Wednesday 13th August from 7-8pm for a session on women's health with dieticians Chloe Hall and Cordula Henggeler. 

During this session Chloe and Cordula will answer any questions on women's health, diet and MCAS. This may involve questions about diet in relation to menopause, Endometriosis, PCOS, menstrual cycle and any other conditions, in relation to MCAS.

Chloe is a Dietitian with over 10 years of experience working in the NHS. Learn more about Chloe here. Cordula is an experienced Dietitian with a master's degree in nutrition and dietetics. Find out more about Cordula here.

Find out more and book your place here.

Compassion as a healing tool

Join us on Monday 8th September 7-8:30pm for a session on compassion hosted by Deborah Bircham from Live Well with Chronic Illness. You can find out more about Deborah here. 

It is natural for us to want to avoid suffering, but it is inevitable that we will experience suffering in life and it's unavoidable that difficult things happen to all of us.

In this session, Deborah will explore, what actually causes us to suffer, and how can we learn to approach suffering from a different perspective, using compassion-based practices? What is compassion, and how does it help us, mentally and physically?

Find out more and book your place here. 

Hypnotherapy - what is it and could it help with managing MCAS symptoms?

Join us on Thursday 11th September from 1-2pm for as session on hypnotherapy hosted by Liane Reeves. Liane will discuss how hypnosis can be used as a therapeutic tool to help individuals manage their physical symptoms.

She will explain what hypnosis is (and what it isn't!), how it is thought to work, symptoms it can help with.

Liane will also share how she and colleague Hannah Coleman use gut directed hypnotherapy to help clients manage their Irritable Bowel Syndrome through The Contented Gut courses and individual sessions. Find out more about The Contented Gut here. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

Mast Cells & Relationships: Navigation and Education

Join us on Wednesday 17th September from 7-8pm for a session on relationships hosted by Roselle O'Brien. Find out more about Roselle here.  

Maintaining personal relationships can be a bumpy road. People don't always understand the ups and downs of life with MCAS, or other mast cell activation issue or disorder, and what sharing living spaces and sharing life spaces in the mast cell universe entails. Join us!

Together we'll explore some of the challenges we often face and, most importantly, some positive strategies to add to our personal toolbox for navigating mast cells and relationships.

Find out more and book your place here. 

6 Facts Every Parent Should Know About Managing MCAS and Histamine Intolerance in Kids

Join us on Monday 22nd September from 7-8pm for a session exploring diet and MCAS for children hosted by children’s dietician, Nishti Uddeh.

Are you feeling overwhelmed and worried because your child has strange, unexplained symptoms like rashes, tummy troubles, or sudden reactions —but no clear diagnosis yet? Maybe you’ve heard about MCAS or histamine intolerance but aren’t sure what they mean or how to help your child.

In this free, easy-to-follow webinar, we are going to share practical, evidence-based strategies to help you better understand your child’s symptoms and take confident steps toward reducing their reactions — even if you’re still waiting for a diagnosis. Find out more and book your place here. 

Mastering Menopause: Working through Menopause for those with MCAS

Join us on Wednesday 24th September from 7-8pm for a session on mastering the menopause hosted by Rebecca Fredericks. Menopause is already challenging — and for those living with MCAS, the hormonal shifts of midlife can feel like a minefield. This webinar is for people with MCAS who are going through perimenopause or menopause (or suspect they might be), plus carers, supporters, and healthcare professionals.

As a passionate health, wellbeing, and performance coach with over 11 years of experience, Rebecca specialises in helping people navigate their lives—empowering them to feel their healthiest, happiest, and most confident selves. Find out more about Rebecca here and here. 

Find out more and book here. 

EDS and MCAS from an Osteopathic perspective: How can Osteopathy help you?

Join us on Monday 29th September from 7-8pm for a session exploring EDS and MCAS and how Osteopathy could benefit you, hosted by Osteopth Rory Boggett. Find out more about Rory here.

Osteopathy is a practice of hands-on treatment for the management or resolution of joint pain and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, using a whole body unity approach. With EDS and MCAS, people may feel that they are juggling a range of symptoms that don't make sense, or feel normal, often feeling like they are not listened to. Osteopathy can be a beneficial addition to therapeutic approaches for EDS and MCAS as well as a range of other medical conditions. In this session we will explore what Osteopathy is and how it can benefit you. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

Treatments: Meds, Reactions, & Being Brave to Try

Join us on Wednesday 22nd October from 7-8pm for a session exploring how to overcome fear with new medications hosted by Roselle O'Brien.  

Roselle is a psychotherapist, creative arts therapist, educator, holistic life, health & nutrition coach, and licensed nurse. She specializes in mast cell activation related issues and disorders. Find out more about Roselle here.  

Taking medications can often be an area of challenge for many people with MCAS and/or other mast cell activation related issue or disorder. It can be hard to figure out triggers and make sense of reactions. Join us as we take a closer look at what's going on in our bodies, common MCAS and mast cell activation medications, and some strategies for symptom management. Find out more and book your place here. 

Seated and Bed Pilates

Join our Seated and Bed Pilates sessions on a Monday and Tuesday morning hosted by Leanne English from Mobilates. We are waiting to see if we are successful in our application for more funding to run these sessions from July onwards. These sessions will be gentle, accessible seated movement classes that focus on the key principles of Pilates including alignment, breathing, focus and moving with control.

The classes will aim to help you strengthen your joints, ease your aches and pains, enable you to move more freely, and give you the confidence to show you what you can do and how you can exercise safely.  Leanne will adapt to your needs, so if you need to join us from your bed, your wheelchair or need to stand, you will be supported and encouraged to listen to your body and find a movement that works for you. 

These sessions have been made possible due to funding from Sports England. Find out more and book your place here. 

Mindfulness Drop In

Join us on Wednesdays from 1-1:30pm for a half hour session of you time to relaxed and friendly mindfulness session hosted by Ann Garratt. These sessions will be running every Wednesday with regular breaks.

Bring along a cuppa and get yourself comfortable, as you completely unwind, restore and feel supported. Included will be a short guided meditation, mindfulness practice or breathwork practice each week.   

Each week, Anna Garratt will guide you through a wellbeing practice. Subjects covered will include mindful awareness of the body, self-compassion, forgiveness and breathwork. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

Weekly Qigong sessions 

We are delighted to share our weekly Qigong sessions with you! These sessions are open to anyone with MCAS or caring for someone with MCAS (or suspected MCAS).

Qigong (sometimes alternatively spelled Chi Gong or Chi Kung) is an ancient practice that makes up one of the branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, alongside acupuncture. Check out our YouTube video for more information about Qigong.

Come along and meet Duncan and enjoy a session of deep breathing, mindfulness, and removing energetic blockages, to help energy flow more smoothly throughout the body and create an overall sense of well-being. 

You can find out more about Duncan and Qigong here or book your place here. Please book a place for each session you would like to attend. 

Unleash Your Creative Spark!

Are you someone with a passion for creativity or perhaps you've been wanting to ignite that creative spark within you? Mast Cell Action are excited to share our Creatives with MCAS sessions, which on the second Tuesday of each month at11am-12pm. 

This is your chance to express your artistic talents, whether it's through the magic of poetry, the strokes of a paintbrush, the moulding of pottery or any other form of creation that stirs your soul. Come along and share your creations with a like-minded community, whether you're a seasoned artist or someone just starting on their artistic journey. There will of course be an opportunity for lots of chat, MCAS or otherwise while we get crafty! You can read more and book your place here.

Theme for July: Write about a family member or friend, and create a bird either real or mythical.

Weekly community zoom sessions

We are delighted to launch our weekly community zoom sessions for those living in the UK. The sessions will run every Thursday from 7-8:30pm.

Our Community Champion volunteers Roselle, Amie and Alice will be hosting these weekly sessions, along with our Community Engagement Coordinator, Charise and Community Support Coordinator Deborah Bircham. The sessions will be informal meetings that create an opportunity for people living with MCAS to connect with others, share stories and experiences and seek support from each other. We will be running this session virtually through zoom, so feel free to join us to chat about all things MCAS! Find out more here and book your place here.

Join our WhatsApp Group to connect with other members of our Community Zoom Sessions. The WhatsApp group is a space to continue conversations from the sessions, speak to others who attend and seek/give support. Please note, this WhatsApp group is not moderated. Please report any issues by email.