LEARN HOW TO FEEL BETTER
BEE MOVED :)
“If you can’t feel it, you can’t heal it”
My aim is to provide people who suffer from chronic illness, stress and pain, with tools which can help them reconnect to their bodies.
Providing you with tools like qigong, yoga, somatic movement and manual therapy, in order to make lasting changes in movement and posture, in order to reduce pain and stress.
Chronic illness, stress and pain, can negatively impact your posture, and in turn this poor posture can perpetuate the pain. The good news is that a movement pattern that has been learned, can be unlearned. By combining manual therapy skills with movement therapies such as therapeutic yoga and clinical somatics, I offer a diverse approach to help address chronic pain and stress.
“The human body is not an instrument to be used, but a realm of one’s being to be experienced, explored, enriched and, thereby, educated.”
*** BeFORE YOU READ ON… ***
Please note that I am currently taking a break from teaching and private sessions so I can focus on creating a mind/body program designed for people living with chronic illnesses like IBD. I am planning to continue teaching and private sessions once I have finished writing. To stay updated on future developments, sign up to the newsletter here.
How can I help?
I am an advanced teacher of Therapeutic Yoga and have trained in Yin and Power Yoga and Qigong flow. I’m also a Clinical Somatics teacher and a certified Thai Yoga Massage and Myofascial Release Therapist. I have gained a deeper understanding of how all of these practices connect, and I want nothing more than to share my skills with others in their quest to feel better. The combination of these practices allows people to develop a better understanding of themselves; physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.
I believe that the combination of using hands-on techniques to remove restrictions, together with mindful movement practices as to retrain the brain into its optimum “neutral” posture, makes for a highly effective method of removing postural pain patterns.
How does it work?
During the initial 90-minute intake session we’ll discuss any physical issues and assess postural patterns, after which we can create a plan for any follow-up sessions. We can tailor the number and length of the sessions around your needs and budget. Willingness to practice the tools at home (homework) will further enable lasting changes.
Initial Session - Process
For more information on what to expect in the initial session is structured and for the consultation form, please click the button below.
MOVEMENT THERAPY
Therapeutic Yoga has tools such as movement (flexibility, stability and strength), breathwork, visualisation, meditation and mindfulness which can be combined into a custom made practice for specific physical and mental needs. Mixed with practices to increase coherence such as HRV biofeedback and emotional release through breathwork and energy yoga (with qigong). Tailoring the practice to the needs of the individual, making it an evolving process of awareness and discovery.
Clinical somatics is a practice which slowly retrains the brain as to “what is the neutral position”. Using slow purposeful pandiculation (active stretching) it helps to release tension and pain.
These long-held patterns often go together with fascial restrictions. Fascia is the connective tissue providing structure and tension for the body plays an important part in neural communication. Restrictions in this densely woven web (which covers and interweaves every muscle, bone, nerve, artery as well as our organs, spinal cord and brain) can cause issues elsewhere (like a yarn in a knitted jumper). This is where the Myofascial Release and Yin yoga can play important roles.
Qigong is rapidly becoming a staple favourite in my daily practice, having just finished my ‘Qigong for Yoga Teachers’ training. Slow, mindful movement linked with the breath in order to move energy in the body, has had a very positive impact on my own health.
MANUAL THERAPY
Myofascial Release (myofascia = the unit of muscle, fascia (=connective tissue) and nerves) release is a hands-on technique involving gentle and sustained pressure into the connective tissue restrictions to restore mobility and movement and relieving pain. Gentle pressure applied slowly will allow the denser fascia to lengthen and hydrate (“melt”).
Thai Yoga Massage is a fully clothed, floor-based whole-body treatment where pressure is applied (via hands, feet, elbows) to important points and energy lines in the body. It is an ancient healing art and is combined with gentle yoga stretching (it has the nickname of ‘lazy-person’s yoga’).
Click for more on
movement therapy
Movement Therapy;
Clinical Somatic Education
Therapeutic Yoga (Yin, Restorative, Qigong and all yogic tools; postures, breathwork, mudra, mantra, meditation, visualisation and more)
Click for more on
manual therapy
Manual Therapy;
Myofascial Release
Thai Yoga Massage
EXAMPLE oF A POSTURAL PATTERN
Imagine, every day you wear a bag across your right shoulder, leading to your right shoulder needing to lift -ever so slightly- to keep the bag from slipping. Over time, your body starts to help; it will keep the muscles which lift the shoulder (upper-trapezius, levator scapula) slightly contracted, so that you don’t constantly have to keep lifting. These muscles become short and tight.
Because of the tightening of these muscles, the opposite muscle group, the muscles which lower the shoulder (lower-trapezius, pectoralis minor, latissiumus dorsi) are being slightly lengthened. These muscles become long and tight.
So your right shoulder lifts itself -with or without the presence of a bag- and it will take an effort for you to release your shoulder back to its neutral position. This right shoulder lift, might result in a tilt of your head or torso trying to keep your body in balance.
Your body is constantly trying to help you in this way, so imagine the small (and larger) imbalances happening in your body. By the time we reach 30, most of us will have postural patterns in our bodies and suffer from tension and/or pain.
My experience with postural pain
My own experience with postural pain has been two-fold;
It started gradually through a stressful working environment. Seated behind a computer, continued and over many years it caused tightness and pain in my neck, shoulders and back
It was dramatically impacted through pain from chronic illness and multiple surgeries. Due to abdominal surgical scars I started hunching forward, causing more pain in my back and shoulders.
I was aware of where there was tightness or pain, but very unaware of how I myself was perpetuating it. I hadn’t been educated on how to keep a good posture or how it impacted my health.
I’m also wondering as to what effect my hunching, which was continuously compressing my abdomen, has impacted my inflammatory bowel disease. When you have an illness causing inflammation in your intestines, constant pressure on the area can not be helping the matter.
Over time yoga slowly started to unwind the tightly woven patterns in my body, and I started to become more aware of my posture and how I moved in everyday life. Through Thai Yoga Massage I discovered MyoFascial Release, helping me to release the deeper connective and scar tissues. Somatic Movement in turn made a dramatic impact on balancing out my body and releasing old (pain) patterms. It was the start of my journey towards better posture, less pain and tension and improved health.
Some of my library which have helped my learning on manual and movement therapy
