At Rest & Digest Deborah and Matthew Prosser share their knowledge, love and passion – encouraging you to make better lifestyle choices, naturally leading to better health, writes Katrine Anker-Nilssen
Tucked away in Gillitts, the Rest & Digest Wellness Haven offers relaxing retreats and inspiring workshops and classes – ranging from gentle cleansing health programmes and bread-making, to fasting, juicing and yoga. Having pooled their knowledge and resources together, Matt – a reiki healer and lifestyle coach, and Deborah – a Montessori teacher, Kundalini yoga teacher, reflexologist and colon hydrotherapist, have converted their property from a traditional garden into an eco-environment for all living creatures.
“Matt is the third generation living here. His grandfather established a working property with chicken coops and terraces where he grew avocado trees, pineapples and vegetables,” says Deborah. “As a child Matt played in the surrounding forests and helped milk cows at the dairy farm next door.
“Matt and I met through mutual friends five years ago, and it was an instant connection,” smiles Deborah – who spent most of her childhood on her grandparents’ farm. “This is where my love for early mornings, the land and the wisdom of our elders were sealed.”
On her life journey, Deborah was continually inspired and motivated to understand the nature of our earth and its relationship to our body. “I have always wanted to know what my place in the world holds. Through challenges and joys, my life has been filled with the richness that embracing all aspects brings. And every person who has come my way has been a teacher in some form.”
Deborah travelled to India to deepen her awareness of Hinduism and meditation, developed a candle product-line – her company growing to a staff of 23 people – and taught at Montessori, before moving into healthcare through natural means.
“I started a small business in 2011 called Sprout It, to share information about the interconnectivity and importance of living foods to the body,” she says. Along with permaculture gardening and healing plant medicines, Deborah’s extensive knowledge as a fermenteer and raw foodist is incredible. Her hands-on, captivating courses are hugely beneficial for anyone looking to improve their health and well-being. “Fermentation is more than learning about soil, growing food, storing food and cultures throughout our world.
It is understanding how the environmental bacteria and our own gut bacteria are connected. The health of our microbiome is determined by how we co-exist,” she says. “I have witnessed on countless occasions how someone’s healing journey is magnified when incorporating these » foods into their diet.”
People visit Rest & Digest to learn about their bodies whilst they either carry out a detox process, or a rest and restoration experience through eating plant-based meals and choosing a therapy that will assist their process. “Our clients sincerely want to change their lives, but have no idea where to begin,” says Deborah. “Being faced with a health issue is traumatic. Having the time and the space to work out what steps to implement in a holistic approach is paramount. We provide that place, as well as show people how to bring into their own environment these healthy practises, so that they become a way of life.”
Rest & Digest continues to grow in every aspect. “It is so much more than we expected. Our professional practice broadens as we continue to learn from our environment and those we meet,” says Deborah.
Going forward, Deborah and Matt want to move their focus towards young adults. “Over the years we have had the good fortune of working with this age group. It is distressing to witness the tremendous fear and overwhelm they carry. They are harming themselves without recognising the long-term effects that their actions have on both their body and mind,” says Deborah. “I would like to inspire youth in making informed decisions about their health lifestyle, and providing them with the means to implement their ideas.” *
Sprout It
Sourdough bread, kombucha tea, kefir dairy, kefir water, beet kvass, sauerkraut, kimchi/cortido, radish and honey mustard are available at the Mushroom Farm’s veggie shop – or you can order directly from Deborah www.restanddigest.co.za
