Therapeutic Massage and Body Work
Therapeutic massage and bodywork is a massage technique that involves working with your body and your breath, and quietening your mind which assists you in 'tuning in' to your body to become more aware of the holding patterns which shape your physical self.
Therapeutic massage and bodywork techniques not only promote deep relaxation and a sense of well being but help you to become aware of your body-mind-spirit connection to encourage healing on all the levels.
I enjoy working very flexibly, responding to how you are at the time of your appointment and to what you want, integrating different techniques during your treatment as needed. If you find lying on a massage couch difficult I am able to provide back, shoulders and neck massage in a seated position. Please let me know at the time of booking if you would prefer this.
Therapeutic massage and bodywork techniques not only promote deep relaxation and a sense of well being but help you to become aware of your body-mind-spirit connection to encourage healing on all the levels.
I enjoy working very flexibly, responding to how you are at the time of your appointment and to what you want, integrating different techniques during your treatment as needed. If you find lying on a massage couch difficult I am able to provide back, shoulders and neck massage in a seated position. Please let me know at the time of booking if you would prefer this.
Deep Tissue Massage
A deep tissue massage is not a ‘hard’ massage. There is no definitive line between a ‘regular’ massage and deep tissue work. It is a technique where by I use my understanding of the deep tissue layers of your body to work with the tissue rather than on it in order to relax, lengthen and release holding patterns in the body.
Swedish Massage
Swedish Massage is the most widely recognized and commonly used category of massage. The Swedish massage techniques vary from light to vigorous using five styles of strokes. The five basic strokes are effleurage (sliding or gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction (cross fibre or with the fibres) and vibration/shaking.
Stress Buster/Nurturing Massage
Lets face it, sometimes life can get a bit much! Perhaps you need a session which allows you just to soften your body, feel calmer and reconnected and leave with a sense of being more relaxed, resourced and ready to take on life. This rhythmical, sensitive full body massage could be exactly what you're looking for, not too heavy, not too light, just deeply rewarding and soothing.
Indian Head Massage
Indian head massage is based on the Ayurvedic system of healing which has been practised in India for over a thousand years. The treatment focuses on the head and scalp, neck, shoulders and upper back, arms, and face.
Indian head massage helps release the stress that has accumulated in the tissues, muscles and joints of those areas and it is especially helpful in relieving stress, tension, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraine and sinusitis. The experience is deeply calming and relaxing, and I aim to leave you feeling revitalised and better able to concentrate.
You remain in a sitting position and fully clothed during the treatment. I use a range of different movements including kneading and compression movements over the neck, shoulder and scalp areas and also gently stimulate and stroke the pressure points on your face. The session will usually last about 30 to 40 minutes.
Soft Tissue Release
Soft Tissue Release (STR) is a dynamic, highly effective technique that has an immediate and powerful effect on muscle and connective tissue. STR is a combination of Myofascial Release, Therapeutic Massage, and Active Assisted Stretching. The technique involves applying precise pressure during a specific stretch performed in multiple planes of movement. As the therapist works the client participates with gentle,slowly movements, massage with movement so to speak to encourage the muscle fibres to adopt a 'new normal', lengthened position. The goal is to appeal to the autonomic nervous system in a way that leads to spontaneous release of the injured muscle, thus regaining the original resting length of that muscle. The result: fast and permanent reorganization of scar tissue, the targeted muscle(s) return to the proper resting length, muscle imbalances are corrected, associated pain is decreased or eliminated altogether, and muscle performance is improved. Results are often obtained quickly and permanently. These techniques can be applied to soft tissue injuries in both acute and chronic situations.
Muscle Energy Technique
Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a technique used to help release and relax muscles which in turn promotes healing. Muscle Energy Techniques are unique in their application as the client provides the initial gentle effort and the therapist facilitates the process which is then used to correct the presenting musculoskeletal dysfunction.
The benefits of Muscle Energy Techniques:
Myofascial Release
Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that wraps, like a continuous web, around most structures within the human body, including muscle. Fascia plays an important role in the body as it supports and protects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels.
When one experiences physical injury, trauma, or psychological/emotional distress, the fascia loses its pliability and becomes ‘stuck’ almost like Velcro gluing the tissues together restriction tissue function and becoming a source of tension in the rest of the body. Traumas, such as a fall, car accident, whiplash, surgery, or just habitual poor posture, repetitive stress injuries and physical/emotional ‘holding’ patterns have cumulative effects on the body. Fascial restrictions can exert excessive pressure causing all kinds of symptoms producing pain, headaches or restriction of motion affecting our well being, flexibility and stability. Myofascial Release involves a deep, slow stretch enabling the ‘stuck’ tissue to be released.
Remedial/Orthopaedic/Sports Massage
Remedial massage addresses common orthopeadic problems, soft tissue pain and injury conditions which can occur as we carry out our everyday lives, working, playing sports or perhaps due to an injury or accident. We can focus in on one particular area during a treatment utilising a variety of techniques to optimise the treatment.
A variety of specific techniques are used to address the problem with a view to:
A deep tissue massage is not a ‘hard’ massage. There is no definitive line between a ‘regular’ massage and deep tissue work. It is a technique where by I use my understanding of the deep tissue layers of your body to work with the tissue rather than on it in order to relax, lengthen and release holding patterns in the body.
Swedish Massage
Swedish Massage is the most widely recognized and commonly used category of massage. The Swedish massage techniques vary from light to vigorous using five styles of strokes. The five basic strokes are effleurage (sliding or gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction (cross fibre or with the fibres) and vibration/shaking.
Stress Buster/Nurturing Massage
Lets face it, sometimes life can get a bit much! Perhaps you need a session which allows you just to soften your body, feel calmer and reconnected and leave with a sense of being more relaxed, resourced and ready to take on life. This rhythmical, sensitive full body massage could be exactly what you're looking for, not too heavy, not too light, just deeply rewarding and soothing.
Indian Head Massage
Indian head massage is based on the Ayurvedic system of healing which has been practised in India for over a thousand years. The treatment focuses on the head and scalp, neck, shoulders and upper back, arms, and face.
Indian head massage helps release the stress that has accumulated in the tissues, muscles and joints of those areas and it is especially helpful in relieving stress, tension, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraine and sinusitis. The experience is deeply calming and relaxing, and I aim to leave you feeling revitalised and better able to concentrate.
You remain in a sitting position and fully clothed during the treatment. I use a range of different movements including kneading and compression movements over the neck, shoulder and scalp areas and also gently stimulate and stroke the pressure points on your face. The session will usually last about 30 to 40 minutes.
Soft Tissue Release
Soft Tissue Release (STR) is a dynamic, highly effective technique that has an immediate and powerful effect on muscle and connective tissue. STR is a combination of Myofascial Release, Therapeutic Massage, and Active Assisted Stretching. The technique involves applying precise pressure during a specific stretch performed in multiple planes of movement. As the therapist works the client participates with gentle,slowly movements, massage with movement so to speak to encourage the muscle fibres to adopt a 'new normal', lengthened position. The goal is to appeal to the autonomic nervous system in a way that leads to spontaneous release of the injured muscle, thus regaining the original resting length of that muscle. The result: fast and permanent reorganization of scar tissue, the targeted muscle(s) return to the proper resting length, muscle imbalances are corrected, associated pain is decreased or eliminated altogether, and muscle performance is improved. Results are often obtained quickly and permanently. These techniques can be applied to soft tissue injuries in both acute and chronic situations.
Muscle Energy Technique
Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a technique used to help release and relax muscles which in turn promotes healing. Muscle Energy Techniques are unique in their application as the client provides the initial gentle effort and the therapist facilitates the process which is then used to correct the presenting musculoskeletal dysfunction.
The benefits of Muscle Energy Techniques:
- Restoring normal tone in overly tight muscles
- Strengthening weakened muscles
- Preparing muscles for subsequent stretching with a view to increasing range of motion in joints
- Increase joint mobility by relaxing the constraining muscles around the joint
- Boosting blood flow to the dysfunctional area and
- Improving overall musculoskeletal function
Myofascial Release
Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that wraps, like a continuous web, around most structures within the human body, including muscle. Fascia plays an important role in the body as it supports and protects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels.
When one experiences physical injury, trauma, or psychological/emotional distress, the fascia loses its pliability and becomes ‘stuck’ almost like Velcro gluing the tissues together restriction tissue function and becoming a source of tension in the rest of the body. Traumas, such as a fall, car accident, whiplash, surgery, or just habitual poor posture, repetitive stress injuries and physical/emotional ‘holding’ patterns have cumulative effects on the body. Fascial restrictions can exert excessive pressure causing all kinds of symptoms producing pain, headaches or restriction of motion affecting our well being, flexibility and stability. Myofascial Release involves a deep, slow stretch enabling the ‘stuck’ tissue to be released.
Remedial/Orthopaedic/Sports Massage
Remedial massage addresses common orthopeadic problems, soft tissue pain and injury conditions which can occur as we carry out our everyday lives, working, playing sports or perhaps due to an injury or accident. We can focus in on one particular area during a treatment utilising a variety of techniques to optimise the treatment.
A variety of specific techniques are used to address the problem with a view to:
- Normalising soft tissue function
- Improving flexibility
- Restoring proper movement patterns
- Strengthening and conditioning the area
Some of the most common injury conditions that can be successfully helped with massage:
- Ankle sprains
- Achilles tendonitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Morton’s foot
- Ligament sprains
- Hamstring strains
- Piriformis syndrome
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
- Kyphosis
- Scoliosis
- Spinal disc herniation
- Whiplash
- Frozen shoulder
- Rotator cuff strain
- Shoulder impingement
- Carpel tunnel syndrome
- Tennis/ golfers elbow
- Repetitive strain injuries
The Benefits of Therapeutic Massage & Body Work
What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? There is a large body of research that supports the view that massage and body work can have a wide range of health benefits. Massage can contribute to:
- Alleviating low-back pain and improve range of motion.
- Improving blood pressure
- Reducing chronic pain
- Enhancing immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defence system.
- Exercising and stretching weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
- Helping the body prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
- Increasing joint flexibility making movement easier and less painful
- Lessening depression and anxiety
- Promoting tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks
- Pumping oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation
- Reducing post surgery adhesions and swelling
- Reducing spasms and cramping
- Relaxing and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles
- Releasing endorphins—amino acids that work as the body's natural painkiller
- Relieving migraine pain
- Increasing your awareness of your body and physical 'holding' patterns
- Reducing fatigue
- Improving your understanding of your body
- Improving mood and sense of well being
- Decreasing stress reactions and anxiety
- Enhancing sleep quality
- Improving personal energy
- Improving concentration
- Reducing fatigue
- Massage can complement the effects of chiropractic treatments by prolonging the effect of the adjustment. As muscle tension is released, an overtight muscle is less likely to pull the joint back out of alignment.