A FARMER'S wife has taken the idea of a healthy holiday a step further by teaching a self-healing technique from her bed and breakfast.

Julie Watson runs a B&B from Low Lidmoor Farm, in Bransdale, near Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, which she farms with her husband, Philip.

She has just completed a training course in the metamorphic technique, which administers light touches to spinal reflex points on people's feet, hands and head.

Practitioners believe it encourages self-healing, and Mrs Watson is planning to teach the technique from her B&B.

She said: "I have been practicing the metamorphic technique for the last 20 years, either on its own or alongside conventional medicine or alternative and complementary therapies.

"It is a simple technique, but the benefits can be huge.

"It is not a therapy or a treatment, but a non-invasive technique, with no diagnosis or need to discuss personal problems or medical history. It helps trigger 'inner life force', which enables people to realise their potential by removing old energy patterns and replacing them with new, beneficial ones which, in turn, help people to move on and make positive changes in their lives."

Mrs Watson will also hold a series of metamorphic technique workshops and open days at the Natural Health Centre at Kirkbymoorside, which she has co-run for the past four years, practising reflexology and aromatherapy.

She completed her training course with the help of a £1,095 grant from the Department for Food and Rural Affairs' vocational training scheme.

It provides up to 75 per cent of the cost of vocational training for people involved in farming or forestry who want to broaden their skills.