Blog

• Practice Timer App
• New Practice Venue
• Immune boosting massage
• Tiredness
• Backache
• Stress
• Wellbeing
• Meditation
• Chi Kung
• Stillness Therapy - What is it?

Practice Timer App

18 February 2019

Driven by my own need for a simple app on my phone that would be timer for my personal practice i have created an app. Find out more about it and get a copy for yourself..

New Practice Venue

13 February 2019

I am very exctied to announce that i am now part of the team at Kingston Natural Health Centre.

Could massage boost your immune system

18 January 2019

Researchers at the University of Roehampton are investigating the benefit of massage and have had some very positive results.

In a trial done on the BBC program, Trust me i am a Doctor, the volunteers' white blood cell count increased by nearly 70% after an hours massage. White blood cells are key for healing and repair so this suggests that massage could have a positive effect on the immune system.

Watch the program on IPlayer if you have a TV licence.

Read more about the experiment on the BBC website

Tiredness - sleep or the lack of it

Prior to the Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb the average American slept for 10 hours a night, the average now is less than 8 hours. Why is this; we live in a culture where sleeping is considered to be at best a luxury and at worst a sign of weakness

A lack of sleep can have wide ranging negative effects on your health and can increase your risk of:

• accidents
• weight gain and obesity
• diabetes and heart problems
• psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse

Sleep deprivation can have many different causes, insomnia, parenting, juggling work life balance to mention just a few. Our world is constantly stimulating us, we are chronically over worked and as a result we struggle to unwind. It is no wonder that we are not getting enough sleep.

How can i help

I can offer you a series of sessions that will use a mix of coaching, body work and training to help you help yourself get more sleep. Contact me to book.

The Sleep Challenge

Can you find more time in your week for sleep, watch a bit less telly, spend less time online, work from home AND still start work at the same time, take a nap at work, encourage your employer to install a nap pod

Why don't you see if you can get to bed 1 hour earlier three nights a week for a whole month and see what difference it makes to your life. I would love to hear your feedback!

Insomnia

Insomnia is estimated to effect about 30% of the population and is a condition where you cannot fall asleep or stay asleep. A common trigger for insomnia is stress and learning a meditative practice or restorative yoga may be helpful.

Here are some simple suggestions that might assist you:

• keep a regular bedtime pattern
• reduce or cut out caffeine
• make time for moderate physical exercise during the day, for instance a 30 mins walk
• don't eat too much especially close to bedtime
• take some positive steps to relax before going to sleep: take a hot bath, do some restorative yoga, mediate, listen to gentle music, have a warm milky drink, whatever works best for you
• only use your bedroom for sleep or sex
• have a comfortable sleeping environment, warm enough but not too hot, comfortable bed, shut out light, wear ear plugs if you cannot stop noise
• if you cannot sleep don't lie there and stress get up and do something gentle until you feel sleepy again

Backache

Backache can have many different causes

• stress
• tension
• pregnancy
• poor posture
• too much gardening
• poor muscle tone in the core muscles
• wear or damage in the structure of the spine

just to name a few. You may not even know the cause of yours!

How can I help

The solution to your backache will depend on why it is aching in the first place.

A stressful life can give you a bad back. When you are stressed you unconsciously tense your muscles, if this continues for long periods the muscles stay tense and never relax. You then "learn" that is your normal state and over time this leads to discomfort and pain.

Our core muscles are essential to the smooth function of our bodies and especially the health of our spine. Our modern lifestyle of slumping in chairs and hunching over laptops is not good for our core muscles and can lead to a weak core.

A regular exercise practice like Chi Kung or Yoga can help you improve your posture, strengthen your core and release unwanted physical tension. Thai Massage can help you discover where you holding tension and guide you to let go.

Pregancy

Thai Massage is a wonderful massage for pregancy and is safe to receive in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. The whole sequence is adapted to work on your side and propped up both to care for you back and ensure that it is as relaxing as possible. Reiki is a lovely soothing treat during massage and totally safe for the whole of your pregancy.

Contact me and we talk about the options. If I cannot help you I have a range of excellent local contacts and won't hesitate to refer you.

Backache can be a symptom of a serious condition and if you are unsure of the cause or concerned then you should see your GP.

Stress - The 21st Century Epidemic

Are you suffering from stress? Do you experience any of the following symptoms:

• not able to concentrate
• up tight, irritable, you get angry easily
• irrational moods
• inability to mentally relax
• not sleeping well - insomnia
• digestive complaints (IBS)
• allergies or skin complaints
• excessive sweating or feeling too hot
• heart beating too fast
• aches and pains especially backache and tense shoulders

How can I help

Ancient practices applied to modern day living - helping you to deal with a stressful busy life.

A series of sessions that will use a mix of coaching, body work and training (Yoga, Chi Kung and Mediation) to help you reduce your stress and learn to unwind. Contact me to book.

What is Stress

When we are placed under pressure or feel in danger the body responds to help us cope. Adrenaline is produced by the adrenal glands which give you a physical boost so you can focus, run or do what ever is needed to quickly solve the situation.

It has the following effects:

• raises the heart rate - pumping blood faster
• contracts blood vessels - redirecting blood to the heart, lungs and large muscles groups
• dilates air passages - allowing more oxygen into the body
• strength is increased and sensitivity to pain decreased
• Visual and auditory senses are heightened
• glucose is release into the blood to give energy
• secondary functions like digestion, reproduction, immune system and repair are reduced or stopped

This is very useful when you need to run away or get something done quickly but if this goes on without relief you can start to suffer long term physical and mental ill effects, Backache, IBS, skin complaints, infertility, ongoing niggly illnesses, insomnia, depression, the list is endless.

Food Issues

Could your issues with food be caused by stress? Do you suffer some IBS or non-specific digestive complaints. Does your condition get worse when you are very busy, rushed or under pressure? The underlying physical state of stress is to put the whole of the digestive track onto the back burner which ok while you run away from a tiger but not great if this happens day in day out.

Contact me to discuss how we create a treatment program to help you relax and improve your wellbeing from the inside out.

Check out this simple little video from the BBC for an informative and light hearted explanation on stress you tube

Well-being

What is well-being, it is a phrase that we hear bandied about so much and means different things to different people. It is a measure of the quality of your life, do you feel you are living well?

We work longer hours in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, grab lunch on the run or not at all, drink coffee to keep going. We juggle work life balance to try and do it all and many of end up making ourselves ill with stress.

Are you working too hard to take time out for you own wellbeing. Book a session with me to look how you can improve your wellbeing.

Stillness Therapy Training you to be still in a moving world

Meditation

Meditation has been receiving lots of attention by the media recently highlighting its diverse benefits. In studies regular meditation practice has found to give mental and physiological

Possible benefits include

• Stress reduction
• Improved cardiovascular and gastrointestinal function
• Increased levels of serotonin. (Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, headaches and insomnia.)
• A noticeable reduction in the levels of anxiety
• Improved general wellbeing

For many, meditation is part of religion or yoga and unapproachable but meditation is the simple act of calming the mind. Calming the mind is rarely a simple matter and something very few of us manage. Meditation is a life skill that can help you deal with stress and take control of your work life balance.

One to One Sessions

Meditation takes many forms and can be, still, dynamic, silent, focused or noisy. I have experienced meditation through many different paths, yoga, chanting, sound work, thai massage, Chi Kung and shamanic practices and bring together all this experience to offer an accessible meditation practice that will help you to relax and find a quieter way to be.

Contact to book an individual session with me.

Chi Kung

Chi Kung translates as vital energy work and is an ancient Chinese form that is still popular today. In many parks in China you will see groups gathering together to practice. It has much in common with Tai Chi and to the casual observer they appear very similar.

Chi Kung or QiQong combine breathing, movement and stillness into a powerful practice that will help to keep your body and mind in balance. The movements are simple to learn and suitable for all ages.

A Chi Kung practice can help

• increase your balance strength and flexibility
• improve you concentration
• regulate your immune system
• calm the mind and centre you

Chi Kung is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is used in hospitals in China with great success. There is ongoing research in the west which is finding many health benefits, for instance in Switzerland your medical insurance will pay the cost of Chi Kung classes for you.

To find out more Wikipedia has a very article which can be found here

The Telegraph reports health benefits of Tai Chi.

One to One Sessions

I teach Chi Kung with an emphasis on connecting with yourself and nature. My chi kung is based on the five elements and classes focus on the season in hand and the work will help us bring ourselves more into alignment with the turning of the seasons. Where ever possible I teach outside and I offer individual sessions in the local area.

Contact to book a private session with me.

From a place of stillness we can connect with our true nature.

A modern approach to harnessing the body's natural ability to heal itself. With skilful gentle holding using many years of experience and training I will guide and assist you on your journey towards being at peace with yourself.

Why Stillness Therapy

The human body is supremely intelligent and has the capacity to repair itself. We are constantly doing maintenance, recovering from injuries, fighting infection, clearing out pollutants etc. For this to function well we need to be rested and not stressed.

A Stillness Therapy Session

Stillness Therapy has been developed from my experiences and extensive training around the world with masters of many traditions. It is a holistic approach taking into account the physical body, the energetic body and the mind.

The exact structure of any session will depend on you, what you need and where you are at. We work as a team to enable you to take control of your own well being.

The Plan

• activate your body's repair functions
• create new healthy patterns
• move towards wellness
• be empowered