This time of year often heralds the season of viruses which diminish our energy and mood. The stress of the current economic situation combined with the busy-ness of the run-up to Christmas can deplete our resources.

Can we avoid those bugs or at least reduce the impact they have?

We can help boost our immune system and look at what we do to ‘give ourselves a lift’ which might, conversely, be compromising our healthy body balance – some chocolate, alcohol, cigarette, or perhaps something stronger?

How can we find healthy, safe, legal antidotes to the poisoning of our body and spirit?

Eating and drinking sensibly is an obvious first so that we don’t overload our body systems.

Exercise improves our mood by stimulating the release of endorphins which create euphoria and pain relief. Doing both appropriate aerobic and resistance exercise provides not only obvious physical benefits but while you’re concentrating on those activities, particularly if you do it with a friend, your mind is diverted from what may be worrying you. Focussing on your breathing during exercise will increase your lung capacity and help oxygenate the tissues and improve your energy and alertness.

Perhaps we can copy the unselfconsciousness of children enjoying themselves – be open, present and curious: we could try new things – keep our mental flexibility; we can stay aware of the natural world – keep our senses alert; appreciate our friends and partners – keep our heart open.

For fast-acting relief try slowing down. By allowing ourselves some quiet ‘down’ time each day and focussing on stilling our thoughts, the brain activity vibrations slow down towards the relaxing ‘alpha’ or possibly meditative ‘theta’ state.

Touching, for example sharing a hug or having a massage, nurtures our body and soul and, like exercise, raises our endorphin levels. It may also increase levels of other hormones such as DHEA – an anti-ageing, energising, anti-stress hormone.

It can be quite daunting to decide what kind of bodywork treatment you might want or need and where to find the appropriate professional therapist.

Internet research will highlight the essentials of each discipline and then it’s down to you, perhaps in discussion with your GP, to choose the most effective therapy for you. Many of the professional websites have a search facility on which can find the nearest therapist; you may be recommended a therapist by your GP or a friend.

It’s important to be able to trust that the therapist is well-trained, continues with their professional development and adheres to their professional body’s ethics. In addition you need to feel comfortable with that therapist, so take time to talk to them about what you can expect during a treatment, before you book an appointment. The range of therapists’ skills and treatments offered varies widely, so check what kind of techniques the therapist uses, to be assured that they will provide the kind of treatment you need.

You may want to enjoy a relaxing ambiance, some aromatic oils, with no demands on you to talk (once the initial consultation is done) and a treatment which encourages you to unwind and let go of body and mind tensions.

However, you may have body stresses and strains which have become habitual and ingrained. These conditions need more focussed, deeper bodywork on muscle, fascia, tendons and ligaments. This requires communication between the client and therapist during treatment, to pinpoint areas of tension and referred pain, so the remedial techniques will work at a deeper, stronger level, and may be ‘sandwiched’ between initial palpation assessment and a closing relaxation massage to soothe muscles and nerves.

Once you are clearer what you need, the choice will become easier.

Warm wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

The mind/body connection is well documented; if we are feeling low emotionally, not only do we have less incentive to look after ourselves, those emotions can affect our hormones, which govern our body systems – stress-related symptoms being those that we are most familiar with.

Take a moment to think about things we may say when we’re feeing overloaded and what the physical effect might be, for example – “This (problem) is a weight on my shoulders”, “He/She’s doing my head in”.

I recently had cause to feel annoyed at the unfairness of being let down by a hotel booking firm. The energy of my annoyance drove me to take action – phone, email and write, not to seek compensation, but to express my feelings and disperse that emotional energy

There would have been a time in the past when I’d have grumbled to myself but not done anything about it, thinking it was tough luck and I couldn’t fight the system. But this annoyance wouldn’t have magically gone away – it would have been stored somewhere – emotionally and physically. I used to suffer regularly with sore throats and I now wonder if this was the dis-ease of not having the courage to speak out when upset.

It is said that ‘Feelings buried alive never die’¹ and that their repressed energy can result in actual physical pathology.

I see many clients who are aware that their tense, aching muscles are not necessarily induced by some physical activity or postural habits, but because they are having difficulty coping with a particular situation and perhaps feeling ‘stuck’ because they can’t work out a way to resolve it.

Massage can help with working out the muscle tenseness and may also give quiet, creative time to reflect, get things in perspective and look for creative solutions.

¹ Karol Truman

I’ve no intention of hijacking Jonathan’s gardening column, but I can see an analogy between tending a garden and looking after ourselves.

Given good soil, feeding, some rain (no problem!), some sun (rather more elusive!) and some maintenance, plants will generally flourish, although outside influences such as pests can intervene to sabotage our efforts.

Nature has programmed plants to have dormant periods and although as humans ‘quiet’ periods can’t be for a whole season, some degree of non-activity can encourage our bodies to re-balance.

A chill in the air is heralding autumn, shorter days, less sunshine (if that’s possible!), and possibly less activity, so including some holistic treatments in our winter plans could help keep us uplifted and see us through the winter.

In the same way we clear the garden and prepare for its dormant period, I would propose that you prepare yourself for a massage appointment – eat only a light meal up to a couple of hours previously, plan only to eat lightly later and set time aside afterwards to savour the benefits and allow your body to respond to the continuing effects of the treatment. Most importantly, you may well feel energised, but resist the temptation to rush home and launch into strenuous activity. During this period your body will be getting rid of waste (this doesn’t even involve a trip to the tip! – nature will take its course, eliminating toxins which have been squeezed from body tissues.)

In my turn, I as therapist, will create a warm, welcoming environment, encourage you sink into the couch and give yourself up to the experience of therapeutic relaxation.

Afterwards, just as we like to admire our toils in the garden, you can then sit back, take a different view of the world – being aware of your sense of well-being in mind and body.

The poet Robert Browning used this motto in his poem about painter Andrea del Sarto and later Mies van der Rohe applied it to his minimalist architecture, but it can be applied in all kinds of spheres in our everyday lives. For example, if we drive more slowly we use less petrol, are less stressed and less likely to have or cause an accident.

German military chief General von Manstein said intelligent and lazy officers are destined for high office. I struggle with the word ‘lazy’, having a strong work ethic, but I can appreciate that through planning activities intelligently, more effective results are available for less effort.

People often ask if I get exhausted doing bodywork treatments as it is such physical work, but I find I am energised by my work and only feel tired if I’ve not planned my time sensibly.

Through experience and training, I have learnt to work ‘smarter not harder’ – with more intelligence and less effort. By using my body weight, I use less effort but have more strength and energy to give a beneficial massage treatment when a firm, remedial type of bodywork is needed.

By contrast, using slow, focussed pressure at particular points can also be tremendously powerful as it works on the fascia. This seamless web of connective tissue in our body covers and connects muscles, organs and skeletal structure but can become knotted and tight. Manipulating this fascia will allow the connective tissue fibers to reorganise themselves in a more flexible, functional fashion encouraging the body’s inherent ability for self correction to rebalance the body. Clients report they experience an ‘unwinding’ or opening up at a subtle level which continues to work after the treatment.

Depending on a client’s needs and preference, a combination of the more traditional massage techniques and this less energetic myofascial work results in a very beneficial and remedial treatment.

Harsh proposals for withdrawal of treatment from smokers and obese people were rejected by ministers for inclusion in Lord Darzi’s recent draft NHS constitution, but it includes the patient’s right to stipulate the type of treatment they want – aiming to increase  the patients’ responsibility in managing their own health.

In addition, increased medical technology, in the field of genetic testing for example, allows further choice and the moral dilemma of how to deal with the knowledge that we, or our future family, may be predisposed to a particular condition.

Armed with the knowledge that we could be at a higher risk of compromised health, we can choose to take steps to mediate that risk if possible or alternatively, to optimistically keep our fingers crossed and hope we are statistically lucky.

I like to be fully informed about my body and its health; I really enjoyed studying Anatomy and Physiology during my massage training, so I could understand how to ‘run’ this sophisticated biological machine as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Being ‘body-aware’ – noticing how we feel on a day to day basis – gives us the opportunity to pick up on any imbalance and make a choice to take necessary steps to get back on track. I find yoga sessions very fruitful, when the stillness and peace of the class allows me to focus on my body.

A massage session can also be a good opportunity to do a ‘body-check’ when I and the client become aware of areas that need attention – either physically because of tension or stress which manifests in muscles or mind, or behaviourally because of lifestyle issues, such as posture or diet. As we become more attuned to the workings of our body, this self-assessment can be a useful tool towards preventative healthcare.

During the Dalai Lama’s visit to Nottingham many people who heard him were struck by his simply stated philosophies particularly his ‘the art of happiness –“ Happiness is determined more by the state of one’s mind than by one’s external conditions, circumstances, or events—at least once one’s basic survival needs are met”.  In the civilised Western world our basic survival needs have become more and more sophisticated so that acquiring and maintaining these may detract us from feeling that happiness.

When the current financial situation is restraining our spending and rising oil prices are curtailing our travel, the need to economise and recycle could encourage us to let go of what we don’t need. This might include not only clearing material surpluses from our life but also letting go of unneeded thoughts about the past and worries about the future from our mind in order to enjoy being ‘in the moment’.

This can also be applied to our body. We often hold tension in our body related to emotional trauma in our past or concern about the future. I avoid asking clients to relax in preparation for a treatment, preferring to suggest they allow themselves to sink into the chair or couch or feel it supporting them. Being told to relax can require concentration, unless you’ve been preparing towards it, such as at the end of a yoga class. Receiving a holistic treatment allows you to ‘let go’ of muscles that are not needed during that time and gives them the chance to ‘breathe’ and receive new lifeblood.

It was lovely to welcome so many local people at our Chill Out Zone at the Folk Festival – where despite the background of lively music and general buzz, people seemed able to ‘let go’ during their taster treatments.

Oscar Hammerstein’s popular and inspirational song, probably more popularly known as Liverpool Football Club’s anthem, goes on to say “you’ll never walk alone”, but ‘holding your head up’ high can bring other benefits.

Psychologically, by looking at the world straight on, not only will you meet and greet others more assertively and feel graceful, poised and balanced, you’ll see the bigger picture which helps put things in perspective, encouraging calmness and confidence. You might miss the occasional dropped coin!, but you’ll find greater treasure in people and situations which may bring healthy encounters and opportunities.

In physical terms, by lifting your head up you open your body up and you become more aware of your posture. The Alexander technique, which promotes good postural habits in all different situations, was developed by Frederick Alexander in the 1890’s who found that the functioning of his voice depended on the correct balance of tension in his entire neuromuscular system, from head to toe. See further information on the Alexander technique on http://www.stat.org.uk.

I see the effects of poor posture in chronic back, shoulder and neck pain in many clients and my massage techniques can help people feel where the ‘trigger’ for the pain might be and then through discussion to identify what in their lifestyle is contributing to ingrained poor postural habits. Good posture particularly focuses on how the head neck and back work together and being aware of how we hold the heavy weight of our head – which may be between 4 and 5kg – so that is doesn’t compress the spine or strain the neck muscles.

Good posture brings many benefits and according to STAT’s survey in 2006 – “You feel an amazing lightness, like you’ve been suddenly given the body of someone ten years younger”. That sounds like a healthy goal we can work together on.

I hope to see you at the ‘Chill Out Zone’ at Southwell Folk Festival.

IKEA’s latest slogan is that ‘regardless of where you live or who you are, home is the most important place in the world’. This has been brought home (excuse the pun!) to me following the flooding when I doggedly remained in my house while reparation work has been carried out. Despite the condition of my house, it’s still my home and staying here has helped me to continue to live as normally as possible. I needed to have ‘blinkered vision’ about the state of my house, while holding the dream of lovely new décor when it’s finished. Interestingly the one thing I’ve found hard is not having a comfy chair to relax in!

It led me to wonder what makes a house a home and how do people cope who are homeless, vulnerably housed, or housed away from their home hearth as in refugees, or not living in a safe place? Ideally, home needs to be a space to feel safe in, a foyer to welcome friends and a secure base to venture out from to explore the world.

But there’s also a ‘homespace’ within ourselves which we may reach when we are engaged in an enjoyable activity or ‘allow ourselves to be ‘still’ – perhaps meditating or relaxing during a bodywork treatment. This ‘homespace’ is our true self, not the ‘constructed’ one we may present to the world, when the chattering mind creates its own reality and interferes with who we truly are and what we really need and want.

Many clients comment how they experience a particular peace during a bodywork treatment when subtle, creative or healing thinking may happen in this ‘homespace’. Experience the physical and emotional benefits of a Touch Therapy treatment or come to Southwell Folk Festival on Saturday 6^th or Sunday 7^th June and try out one of the many treatments I and fellow therapists will be offering in the ‘Chill Out Zone’.

I love this time of year when the snowdrops are open and the days are drawing out. I may have made (and probably not kept!) resolutions and the dark January days send me into a kind of hibernation, but now I can feel truly motivated to open the door and step outside with a spring in my step.

In the words of Thomas Dewar – “Minds are like parachutes, they work best when open”. With the longer daylight hours there is more opportunity to open our eyes – not only in the physical sense for the sunshine to help our Vitamin D absorption – but to really see and be open to experience the natural beauty surrounding us which can be so uplifting emotionally. This in turn can help us tune into our inner experience, take stock of what needs attention in our life, what we need to put behind us so are ‘open’ to look at future opportunities and challenges.

Alexander Graham Bell said, “When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us”. His experience of having a mother and wife with hearing impairments, inspired work which led to his invention of the telephone.

Mandy, a skilled and perceptive Yoga teacher, encouraged us in our first class back after Christmas, to open up our bodies. We, gently but with ‘intent’, stretched our muscles, which have often been ‘hunched up’ and tight when it’s cold and we’ve perhaps been less mobile. We did focussed breathing exercises to encourage oxygen into the furthest recesses of our lungs – the alveoli –where the actual exchange of nourishing oxygen and waste carbon dioxide happens. This very refreshing exercise both relaxes and energises.

‘Opening up’ has tremendous physical and emotional benefits and if you need support in helping to stretch out winter-tight muscles, phone me to book a Touch Therapy massage.