As a Yoga teacher and massage therapist I’m fascinated by the body and neuroscience, and how the whole of who we are integrates and works! Let’s begin with Fascia because this is where the story starts in our bodies, this tangible part of ourselves that we can feel and move.
The Fascia is a seamless web of connective tissue that covers, connects, and holds the muscles, organs, and skeletal structures in our body. Fascia envelopes every structure in the body, each nerve, bone, muscle, organ of the body is surrounded by fascia. When we move, we move fascia!
A stiff neck and tension headaches can leave us feeling stressed out and worn out!
The Suboccipitals are the eight small muscles located at the base of your skull – find them now by placing your fingertips over your head and your thumbs into hollows right under the bony skull either side of your spine. Once you have found them, apply a little pressure and them move your eyes up and down and left and right – can you feel the small movements in the muscle? A tension headache can feel like a tight band wrapped around your head, or pain behind the eyes and a throbbing in the base of the skull…Continue reading “What causes a stiff neck and tension headaches”→
Thai Yoga Massage is a very ancient therapeutic bodywork combining acupressure, gentle stretching and applied Yoga. It can bring relief from pain, relieve stress and anxiety, and help with such diverse conditions as stroke recovery, asthma, back pain and frozen shoulder.
Crucially it brings about a deeply relaxing spaciousness in body and mind, so it is perfect for any nervous system disorders that can lead to pain and inflammation such as fibromyalgia and polymyalgia – these are often difficult to treat with conventional medicine.Continue reading “Thai Yoga Massage”→
In the lead up to Christmas I see many people getting more and more stressed out. There doesn’t seem to be enough time and there is a lot of rushing around – a definite increase in the Vata Dosha happening here!
Ayurvedic self massage, or Abhyanga, is a powerful part of your daily routine and is particularly helpful to ease the stresses and strains, helping you to feel more grounded and relaxed in the run up to the festive period. It’s free and it in your hands!
The effects of abhyanga are similar to being saturated with love and can give a deep feeling of stability, warmth and comfort. Take your time with your self-massage and use your hands with softness and kindness. Allow as much time as possible to do the whole body, this allows the oils to penetrate deep layers of tissue, relieving deeply held tensions. You don’t have to do the scalp if this feel like too much work – doing the body alone is soooooo soothing.
Also massaging the feet thoroughly before bed is an excellent way to improve the quality of your sleep – pop some socks afterwards to avoid slipping and snuggle down. This is an excellent way to ground your energy and get well needed rest. Continue reading “Ayurvedic Self Massage”→
The beginning of winter can be a hard time to manage for some, as the onset of the colder seasons can mean we are more vulnerable to illness. How many of us have been “under the weather” recently?
Thankfully nature has a wonderful healing pharmacy at our disposal…
