We offer a wide variety of massage and bodywork courses:
Aromatherapy
Baby Massage
Indian Head Massage
Massage
Massage for women
On-site Massage
Reflexology
Shiatsu
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of oils from plants for their therapeutic properties.
The oils are used for treating medical and non-medical conditions.
Although it may appear to be a relatively new therapy, plant oils have been used for their health benefits for centuries.
Essential oils, extracted from plants, possess distinctive therapeutic properties, which can be used to improve health and prevent disease. Both their physiological and psychological effects combine well to promote positive health. These oils are readily absorbed into the skin and have gentle physiological effects. Aromatherapy is an especially effective treatment for stress-related problems and a variety of chronic conditions.
The name Aromatherapy dates from the 1920’s but different cultures and civilisations, such as the Ancient Egyptians and the Roman Empire, have used plants and herbs for religious, medical and cosmetic purposes, as well as in rituals, for centuries.
How Aromatherapy works ~ Aromatherapy works on the body in three ways:
Pharmacologically (chemically) ~ essential oils are chemical and so are humans. Once the essential oils have been absorbed into the body, either through the skin or inhalation, the chemicals in the oils enter the blood and other body fluids and interact with the chemistry of our bodies.
Physiology (physiology is the way our body works) ~ essential oils can affect this by changing the chemical messages and impulses sent around the body and thus changing the way the systems of the human body function.
Psychologically (effects on the mind) ~ the way essential oils affect our mind is more difficult to describe, mainly because everyone’s mind is different. However, our sense of smell is closely linked to our memory so that particular smellscan cause particular responses.
It is advisable that you do not shower immediately after an Aromatherapy session.
Baby Massage
Baby massage can help babies with sleep, wind, colic and relaxation.
Long before babies are able to speak, or even respond to sounds and sights, they communicate with the world around them through touch. The power of touch to soothe and heal is instinctive. If a baby cries, for example, we may cuddle them or rub their back. Massaging your baby is an extension of this natural impulse.
Indian Head Massage
Like many other therapies, it focuses on holistic care, concentrating on maintaining and improving health rather than just treating pain and disease.
Indian Head Massage is probably the most accessible holistic treatment available as it requires no undressing or use of specialist equipment and can be done almost anywhere.
It can benefit all age groups, from calming down over excited children and anxious teenagers to providing nurturing touch for the elderly. It is particularly suited to the busy office environment as it quickly relieves stress and can even be done in the office chair!
Also known as Indian Champissage it was developed by Narendra Mehta, founder of the London Centre of Indian Champissage International, and introduced into the UK in 1981. Champissage comes from the Hindi word ‘champi’, meaning ‘massage of the head’. Narendra grew up in India with head massage as part of his daily life with roots in the home and family and elements of the traditional health system - Ayurveda (pronounced eye-yer-vay-duh). He returned to India in 1979 and studied head massage across all the Indian traditions. After developing contemporary Head Massage and introducing it to the UK its popularity has spread around the world.
Modern Indian Head Massage combines the dry massage of the upper back, shoulders, upper arms, neck, scalp, ears and face, together with Chakra energy balancing.
The client is seated and remains fully clothed. The average treatment is thirty minutes.
It is a wonderfully relaxing therapy that can provide relief from aches and pains, stress symptoms, insomnia and can even promote hair growth.
Massage (holistic massage, Swedish massage, massage for women)
What is Holistic Massage? The holistic approach takes into account the person's whole being, and not just the physical symptoms or problems. Treatment thus takes into account the effect on the body arising from psychology, environment and nutrition.
Massage is a form of tissue manipulation which has evolved over 5000 years. Holistic massage thus treats each person individually in the context of their own life. The treatment enables the person to improve their health and re-establish their body's natural equilibrium, known as homeostasis.
Benefits of Massage
The benefits and effects of massage are twofold: physiological (relating to the physical structure of the body) and psychological (relating to the mind)
Physiological
Improve skin tone
encourage better circulation
encourage deeper and more relaxed breathing
encourage better lymph drainage and reduce swelling
relieve muscle fatigue, soreness & stiffness
relieve tired stiff joints
promote general relaxation
sedate or stimulate the nervous system (depending on the type of massage)
encourage sleep
balance the digestive system
Psychological
relax the body, thereby reducing tension and the effects of stress
relax the mind, thereby reducing anxiety and its effects
sooth and comfort the client
give a 'lift' to the emotions and increase positive feelings
increase energy by invigorating all the body systems and reducing fatigue
enable sustained relaxation of the body and mind
improve body image, awareness and general self-esteem
On-site massage
On-site massage is an effective way of offering the benefits of massage in the workplace and other public areas. A growing number of businesses are now providing this facility to their employees as part of an overall employee health and benefits programme. Employers believe that having healthy employees translates into increased competitiveness in the marketplace.
An On-site massage can be both relaxing and invigorating, helping to relieve stress and muscle tension and to renew energy levels. It is a short (15 to 30 minutes) massage with the client sitting in a special portable massage chair. The client remains fully clothed and no oils are used.
Treatment is based on a traditional Chinese Acupressure sequence, which incorporates gentle movements and pressure, applied to areas of the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands.
Benefits and Effects
On-site massage has the same beneficial effects as other massage. It:
Relieves muscle soreness and tension
Helps alleviate stress
Improves flexibility and increases range of movement, reducing risk of injury
Stimulates the circulation, improving oxygen flow and toxin removal
Relaxes and invigorates
With today's high pressure living and working environment more and more people are suffering from stress-related illnesses, including back problems, repetitive strain injuries and other postural and physical problems caused by sitting at workstations for long periods of time. Receiving massage, especially in the workplace, helps create awareness in the recipient of their posture and their body in general making them more receptive to healthy attitudes and ideas.
Reflexology
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is a holistic science which deals with the principle that there are reflex areas in the feet and hands which correspond to all of the glands, organs and parts of the body.
Stimulating these reflexes properly can help many health problems in a natural way, a type of preventative maintenance as well as reacting to any new problems. It deals with the person as a whole looking at causes of problems rather than just the symptoms.
Why Reflexology?
Many people use reflexology as a way of relaxing the mind and body and counteracting stress, at the same time many doctors, consultants and other health care professionals recognise reflexology as a well established, respected and effective therapy.
How Can it Help?
Help reduce pain sensation
Help recover from sports injuries
Relieve stress and fatigue
Relieve existing aches and pains
Improve blood circulation
Improve body's immunity
Prepare the body for surgery and speed up healing post-op
Reduce pregnancy conditions such as morning sickness
Preventative action against everyday ills
To maintain a well balanced body and mind
Reflexology works on the body, mind and spirit, inside and out.
Response to Reflexology?
After one or two treatments your body may respond in a very definite way. Most people note a sense of well-being and relaxation; sometimes people report feeling lethargic, nauseous or tearful, but this is transitory and is a part of the healing process. The healing process should not last longer than 48 hours. This is vital information to feed back to your therapist as it shows how your body is responding to treatment. This will help your therapist to tailor a treatment plan specific to your needs.
Shiatsu
About Shiatsu
Shiatsu is a physical therapy that supports and strengthens the body’s natural ability to heal and balance itself. It works on the whole person - not just with the physical body, but also with the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of being.
Shiatsu originated in Japan from traditional Chinese medicine, with influences from more recent Western therapies. Although shiatsu means ‘finger pressure’ in Japanese, in practice a practitioner uses touch, comfortable pressure and manipulative techniques to adjust the body’s physical structure and balance its energy flow. It is a deeply relaxing experience and regular treatments can alleviate stress and illness and maintain health and well-being.
History of Shiatsu
Massage, along with acupuncture and herbalism, was for centuries an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine, which was introduced to Japan by a Buddhist monk in the 6th century. The Japanese developed and refined many of its methods to suit their own physiology, temperament and climate. In particular, they developed the manual healing and diagnostic arts, evolving special techniques of abdominal diagnosis, treatment and massage, which are used in shiatsu today.
However, the practice of massage known by the old name of anma (anmo or tuina in China) became gradually divorced from medicine and more associated with relaxation and pleasure. Certain practitioners were concerned to preserve massage and related techniques as an accepted healing art.
In the early part of the 20th century, one such practitioner, Tamai Tempaku, incorporated the newer Western sciences of anatomy and physiology and disciplines such as physiotherapy and chiropractic into several older methods of treatment. Originally he used the term shiatsu ryoho or finger pressure way of healing, thenshiatsu ho or finger pressure method. Now known simply as Shiatsu, it was officially recognized as a therapy by the Japanese Government in 1964, so distinguishing it fromanma and Western massage.
