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. 

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.

Seated Pilates

We are excited to launch our new weekly Seated Pilates sessions hosted by Leanne English from Mobilates. Join us Mondays from 10-10:30am. 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. 

Mind to Move

Join our Mind to Move virtual dance class for people with MCAS every Tuesday from 2:30-3pm hosted by Julia James- Griffiths from JJG Dance. Find out more about Mind to Move and Julia here. 

This inclusive and gentle class helps participants move more, at their own pace, while being mindful of varying abilities and energy levels. Whether you’re able to move a little or a lot, you can join in as much as you feel comfortable. The class offers a supportive environment where everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that suits their individual needs. Let the music guide you to reconnect with your body in a fun, non-judgmental space.

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

Virtual self-massage session with lymph drainage introduction

Due to it's popular demand, we are thrilled to announce that Ellen from Flexback will be returning to run a monthly Virtual Massage session for us. The next session will be on 11th December and you can book your place here.  

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. 

How to fight on in tough times - tools and tips to foster mental resilience

Join us on Wednesday December 18th from 7-8pm for an exciting new event about improving your mental resilience hosted by Deborah Bircham. 

Do you feel overwhelmed and stressed? Do you experience difficult emotions and thoughts, and find yourself not knowing how to move through them? Difficulty is impossible to avoid in life, one way or another. Life is difficult. We will all experience suffering and pain at some point during our lives.  How we respond to it, though, makes a huge difference to our wellbeing. Luckily, there are some simple tools that can help us all to navigate life’s ups and downs more skillfully, and we are going to look at these during this talk.

Find out more and book your place here. 

Diet and MCAS Virtual Session

Join us on Monday 13th January 7-8pm for an informative Q&A session with Chloe Hall and Alison Holloway, two leading dietitians and experts on Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). Chloe and Alison will be answering your questions on diet and MCAS

Chloe is a Dietitian with over 10 years of experience working in the NHS. She has also launched her own business, @‌thecalmgutdietitian, which specialises in gut health, and specifically histamine intolerance and MCAS. 

Alison is a UK based Dietitian with over 25 years of NHS experience and currently works as a specialist diabetes dietitian in the NHS alongside running a busy private practice, ‘The Unexpected Dietitian’. 

You can read more and book your place here. 

Long COVID and the Mast Cell Connection

Join us on Wednesday 15th January from 7-8pm for an event exploring the link between Long COVID and Mast Cells. This event will be hosted by Roselle O'Brien. Learn more about Roselle here.

The years since the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic have seen an increasing number of people of all ages, children through the elderly, with lingering systemic symptoms of brainfog, exhaustion, pain, and more. Research has pointed to mast cell activation in COVID-19 and long-COVID. Together we'll explore what current research has shown about the long-COVID-mast cell connection and what that may mean to managing symptoms as we support our health in challenging times.

Find out more and book your place here. 

Immune Health - How to Fight off Bugs and Viruses Naturally

Join us on Wednesday 29th January from 7-8:30pm for an exciting new event on immune health hosted by Deborah Bircham from Live Well with Chronic Illness. 

When we live with MCAS, we often find we have lowered immunity and catch colds and bugs more easily. In this talk, we will look at how the immune system works, and how we can support it to function optimally using diet and lifestyle measures. We will look at some natural ways to boost immune health, to keep us well and free from viral infections. 

Deborah is a Mindfulness teacher and Holistic Health Coach, and she specialises in supporting people with long-term health conditions through a combination of naturopathic health coaching, mindfulness and psychotherapy techniques. Find out more and book here. 

Vagus Nerves and Mast Cells

Join us on Wednesday 12th February from 7-8pm for an exciting new event exploring the connection between vagus nerves and mast cells hosted by Roselle O'Brien. Learn more about Roselle here.

The role that the vagus nerves play in regulating stress, inflammation, and mast cell activity is crucial. Let's do a deeper dive in understanding how the vagus nerves operate, how they communicate, why they matter, and their impact on our body systems and functions. Taking a vagus nerves and cell communication informed approach to managing mast cell activation symptoms can give us new tools for our toolbox as we learn this particular language of our body and talk some self-care to our cells. 

Find out more and book here. 

How to Sleep Well

Join us on Wednesday 26th February from 7-8:30pm for an exciting new event on sleep health hosted by Deborah Bircham from Live Well with Chronic Illness. 

We all know that a good night's sleep is important for our wellbeing, but MCAS can badly affect our sleep. In this talk we will explore what sleep is, why we need it, and how we can support our body to get as much good quality sleep as possible.

Deborah is a Mindfulness teacher and Holistic Health Coach, and she specialises in supporting people with long-term health conditions through a combination of naturopathic health coaching, mindfulness and psychotherapy techniques. She has a particular interest in the mind-body connection and how we can support our own wellbeing through self-care and self-compassion practices. You can read 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 till the 18th December which will be the last session for this year. 

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 new 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 January: Hope for 2025

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 Amie and Alice will be hosting these weekly sessions, along with our Community Engagement Coordinator, Charise and previous volunteer 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. 

Rest and Unwind Class

Update: These sessions are temporarily paused. We will post an update as soon as new sessions have been scheduled. 

These sessions are designed for people who have MCAS or care for someone with MCAS, these sessions will be gentle and inclusive. This is a 30 minute class that welcomes you to unwind from your day;15 minutes of gentle stretches to ease tension held in the body and 15 minutes of deep relaxation. 

Allowing ourself time to release tension that accumulates in our body can feel supportive to our nervous system and general overall health. 

Join us on Mondays at 6pm for these virtual sessions. Places are limited so if you wish to attend, please register in good time. Find out more and book your place here. 

How to be Heard - Advocating for Yourself in the NHS 

Update: this event is going to be rescheduled for later on in the year. Keep checking here for the new date. This event is hosted by Vicky Pearson, she was diagnosed by the NHS in December 2023, after a two year period of working with immunologists at Hull Royal Hospital. After a four year fight to be heard, she managed to push through referrals within the NHS, to finally be the first MCAS diagnosis that her immunologist had ever confirmed.

This event is designed to help individuals learn how to approach MCAS whilst accessing medical care within the NHS and how to advocate for yourself as a patient.The discussion will cover some basic steps patients can take at the moment, to aid in their own diagnosis, working with their doctors.