Holistic and Deep Tissue Massage

Holistic Massage

This is an oil-based massage derived from the Swedish tradition, but more creative and flexible so that treatments are individually tailored rather than the same strokes and sequences being used for every client. I combine intuition and sensitivity with techniques firmly grounded in Swedish massage and sound anatomical and physiological knowledge, also drawing on a range of other healing traditions where appropriate.

The focus is on treating you as an individual and addressing all aspects of your needs; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, rather than treating the body as something separate which needs to be “fixed”.

Holistic Massage provides a caring, non-intrusive touch in a safe environment and can range from being very gentle to being extremely firm or deep (see Deep Tissue Massage).

Physical benefits may often include:

• • Relief of physical tension

  • Decreased heart rate and blood pressure

  • Improved circulation to skin and muscles

  • Elimination of accumulated toxins from skin, muscles and blood

  • Increased muscular tone and relaxation

  • Better digestion

  • Better sleep

The range of possible psychological benefits is wide. Some of those which holistic massage has been shown to provide include:

• • Decreased anxiety and stress levels

  • Increased mental clarity and focus

  • Increase in feelings of wellbeing and positive feelings such as security, balance and trust.

Holistic Massage, similarly to many other therapies involving the body, can be a valuable adjunct to talking therapies in that by releasing emotional/energetic blockages trapped in the body, it can often reach the parts that talking therapies do not, thereby boosting the healing process. It can provide the individual with space to go deeply inside if desired, and sometimes produces feelings similar to meditation or spiritual healing.

Deep Tissue Massage

This is also based on the holistic approach but more intensive. Here I use specific techniques to access the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. Also sometimes called Deep Remedial massage, its aim is to release deep-seated tensions accumulated through poor postural and/or emotional habits. An hour’s session might focus on one or more areas with deep-tissue, or cover more areas without such deep work, or be a mutually agreed combination of these things.