What is holistic massage?
Holistic massage is a type of therapy that involves looking at the whole person. In my practice, I work with each client individually to treat their physical and emotional health.
It is not a set routine, and the massage is always tailored to how the client is feeling on the day, and what they require from the session. While regular clients may come with similar needs each time, the approach can be flexible and evolve as the treatment progresses. Every session can be different.
It's an approach that treats the body, mind, and spirit as interconnected. Our emotional stresses affect our body, and having an awareness of this can help release those tensions, while also restoring balance and promoting overall wellbeing. In my case this involves using techniques and methods from the various forms of massage I have studied, and applying them within the context of each session.
What is a holistic massage session like?
Each client’s first holistic massage begins with a short consultation, where I find out what the client would like from the treatment, which areas they want to work on, and how they would like to feel at the end of the session. Subsequent sessions have a shorter catch up time where the client can let me know anything that's important and how they are feeling on the day.
Some clients let me know the physical pain they’re in, and I will work with that. Some clients share their emotional stresses, and we consider this too. They are free to share as much or little as they are comfortable with, and together we build a treatment to fit their needs. During the treatment, I will ask for feedback on the pressure, checking in about the levels of comfort.
I blend different techniques from the various training and massage approaches I have studied over the years. This can often look like slow focused, deep tissue work, and I like using holds and a few words at the beginning to help the client enter a relaxed state and settle into their body.
How did I get into massage?
When I was 17, I signed up for a course with Bristol College of Massage and Bodywork (BCMB) for a holistic massage weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. It felt really right for me, and I felt completely at home.
However, still being so young I was unsure of what I wanted to do for the next few years of my life, I decided to go to university to study performance. The course was alternative and contemporary, and I absolutely loved it. We did a lot of movement, dance, tai chi, meditation, and bodywork, and all of this ultimately lead me back to massage and BCMB, where I trained for a year after university.
I loved studying anatomy and physiology, but more than this, I connected with the care, respect and consideration that the course encouraged. It wasn't just massage techniques, it was self-reflection and how to embody being a holistic massage practitioner. How to listen, and how to hear what somebody is saying without the need to speak. This is why, many years on from my first training, I'm still so passionate about holistic massage and feel very lucky that it's the career I have.
Who can benefit from holistic massage?
Almost anyone really! From those dealing with physical aches and pains to people who are seeking relief from stress or emotional tension. It’s especially helpful for those looking for a treatment that goes beyond addressing just the physical body and instead considers their overall state of wellbeing.
