Home and away - I went home for summer and then came back home.

The downside with self-employment is you don’t have holiday, but the upside is you have the freedom to take time off. For the last couple of years I taken a longer summer break and gone on a road trip “back home” to Sweden. It is a long drive and it feels far, but I love it, the journey gives you time to reflect and adjust. The transition from here to there is a gradual whilst traveling through different landscapes, crossing over bridges, going down through long tunnels and sometimes adding surprise diversions, both literally and metaphorically. The shifts and changes in the environment passing whilst meditating on where you are, where you going and where you’ve been. It takes effort and focus just like a meditation.

Many Londoners are like me, born in one place and moved from different counties or countries, stayed on and made a life here. Visiting your old home can throw you off kilter and bring up memories and questions. We might experience nostalgia and longing, or become reminded of why we left in the first place. The sense of being a different person or version of me in the different places, a bit confusing, conflicting or even frustrating. In my case there is a recurring questioning and pondering whether or not I want to or should return to live over there. At times an outsider everywhere and at times home is anywhere. These two polarities have become easier to encompass over the years thanks to my practice of yoga.
 
The word yoga has many definitions but ‘to yoke’ is universally used and can be take meaning to balance and that is a form of bridging. ‘Skill in action’ is another definition. Lately meditation has been the focus in my practice taking a seat every morning. This has built a greater confidence in belonging /feeling at home, bridging life here and life in Sweden. Meditation cultivates contentment and inner peace, but also builds resilience for opposing feelings and creates a capacity for space and inclusion.
The question of belonging is very current with the intense focus on identity. It is all prevailing in politics, media and popular culture. Earlier this year I heard and interview with Brene Brown talking about belonging and quoting Maya Angelou:

“You are only free when you realise you belong no place—you belong every place—no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great,”
She then explains:
“We confuse belonging with fitting in, but the truth is that belonging is just in our heart, and when we belong to ourselves and believe in ourselves above all else, we belong everywhere and nowhere.”

It may sound corny but home is where the heart is, when you are content you are at home. With inner peace we are at home wherever we are and with whomever we are. Instead of either or, us and them, this or that, there can be bridges, balance and acceptance. So when I long for home it might be the seat I am looking for.

It's great to be home.

When I chose to work in soft tissue therapy, I knew that I would be meeting a lot of people who were experiencing pain. I expected that clients would come to me with pain following an injury, surgery, or general imbalances in their body. From here, there would be several treatments and carefully curated exercises to ultimately ease the pain that sent clients searching for help.

For many people that I see in the clinic this is exactly what happens - we identify the physical imbalance or muscular weakness and work together to change it. With time and attention to detail the problem gets resolved. 

So, what happens when we’ve achieved balance and stability, but the pain persists? What do you do when a pain that arrived one day with no obvious cause or injury manifests into an unruly & unwelcome bodily house guest?

Persistent pain became a recurring experience for me as a practitioner, which inspired my investigation into what I could really do to help make positive and permanent change.

Firstly, I had to understand what pain is. In school we are taught that holding a hand to a flame prompts nerves in the hand to signal to our brain. Our brain responds by telling us to move our hand away. As this pattern repeats, we come to recognise that pain means damage. Through repetition we begin to accept a fundamental truth: the presence of long-term pain means that the body is slowly getting more broken.
I am here to tell you that this is simply not true! Nearly everybody that I treat describes their body as “broken” but I can assure you this is never the case. 

Pain recognition is a primal, instinctual response to protect ourselves against damage. What becomes challenging is altering the interpretation of pain’s origin. A flame hurts to touch, it is true, but the pain does not derive from our hand itself; the pain loop is triggered deep in our subconscious. This is because our nervous systems are a mechanism for survival. It is easy to forget that although we live in a complicated and fast paced world, we haven’t evolved any further than this need for safety.

The good news is that our brains are wonderfully malleable. We are constantly reorganising neural circuits and reinforcing these circuits through repetition. The way we talk to ourselves, handle our emotions, and perform our daily patterns all contribute equally. 
 
 Recent studies have shown that emotional trauma can trigger the very same pain loops as physical injury. Stressful life events can reactivate old neural circuits, also known as pain loops, and cause physical pain to appear in the body. 

 In a body functioning with high amounts of stress including unprocessed emotional trauma, the nervous system is more susceptible to becoming fearful and hyper-vigilant of pain. When the frequency of stress increases in our lives, we are slowly reinforcing those fearful neural circuits into well-trodden paths. 

Once pain is established, someone might then become avoidant of certain movements in order to avoid physical discomfort. Repeated aversion of specific actions most certainly activates those pain loops. Eventually the brain begins to predict and recreate the expected pain even when there is no physical damage. Unfortunately, the pain almost always feels identical to real physical injury (you know what they say: the body keeps the score!)

Hopefully now you’ll understand that when people come to me and proclaim that they are “broken” I can often assess quickly whether musculoskeletal issues are present or they are actually stuck in a cycle of control and limitation due to their relationship with pain.

A big identifier for pain loops being triggered in this way is intermittent symptoms that come and go on different days. It is only natural that when pain is not consistent, we are more likely to be on the look out for its return. This very quickly becomes a stressful and isolating experience.

With this understanding, how can we change our relationship to this pain? From my ongoing research into pain and neuroplasticity, I always return to the following guidance:

• Making changes to the way we interrogate ourselves and the pain we feel

When we alter our perspective of pain, there is an opportunity to become curious about exactly what we are experiencing. Take the time to assess where stress shows up in your life, pay attention to the associated patterns and triggers, and do so as honestly as you can. Next, you can work towards changing your habits but also the tone of your internal monologue. Instead of ruminating with fear or frustration, aim for indifference. This is a slow process and uncomfortable to start. Imagine you are blazing a trail through a wild and uncharted landscape; the more you walk the path the clearer it becomes. Be kind to yourself! Encouraging a new thought process is the first step in rewiring those neural loops.

• Our bodies need to feel safe

Our nervous systems are crying out to feel safe, but have you ever considered what safety looks like for you? It could be as simple as telling yourself you are safe and that you are not in danger (changing the tone of your internal voice, as we explored above.) Affirming statements like this work to reroute the signals that are habitually bracing your body and causing tension. Remember, safety looks different for everybody. I recommend taking time to think about this and noticing the small signs in your body of both stress and calm.

• A steady breath creates a steady mind

The loudest sign that a client is frequently existing in a dysregulated state is a fast and shallow breathing pattern. The ideal resting breath is slow and low with the rib cage gently expanding in 360 degrees.
The unescapable digital landscape of the 21st century has led to a growing pattern of poor respiratory habits where we are often holding our breath unintentionally throughout the day. The most effective way to remedy this dysregulation is to first try and notice those moments. Give yourself five minutes a day to focus completely on slowing down your breath and imagining the air moving deep into your belly on each inhale using only your nose.

This technique is called resonant breathing. Resonant breathing is scientifically proven to provide us with so many physical benefits including the production of nitric oxide, which lowers blood pressure, improved levels of CO2 in the body, increased lung function, and so much more!

• Visualise pain-free movement

It has been proven that taking the time to calmly visualise movement that is completely free of pain is incredibly effective in rerouting pain loops in the brain. Like everything I have mentioned This will take time and practice. Starting with the visualisation of pain free movement, you can slowly build to following this with real movement. Step by step.

• Caring for your fascia

Fascia is the name given to the connective tissue that wraps around and connects everything within the human body. This connective tissue responds to stress, trauma, movement (or lack thereof), postural patterns, hydration, and diet. Seek out professional help to release and re-inform fascial chains through massage and soft tissue therapy.
It would be remiss at this stage to neglect the importance of seeking appropriate medical advice to first rule out nerve damage or contributing medical conditions. The work I do focuses on musculoskeletal disorders and disfunction; it is vital to identify the cause of pain, when possible, to find the most effective route to relief. 
It is a long journey and perhaps to some a daunting one, but I truly believe that is entirely possible to free yourself from those unhelpful neural circuits that convince you that your body is broken. Small changes that focus on increasing movement, getting curious about your discomfort, calming your nervous system, slowing your breathing, and improving the condition of your fascia are vital. Consider these the neuroplasticity pillars to support you towards a reality with less muscle tightness, improved functionality, less pain, and a whole new way of caring for yourself. 

Why does it feel sooo good having a massage? What is it that creates that afterglow and gooey
buzzing well-being? What if we could have it on tap?

A yoga teacher friend of mine exclaims " you gotta participate, be receptive, open", when chatting
about good massage treatment.

The answer is: oxytocin - and yes, you can get it "on tap" in form of a spray. Tough that is not the
best option in the long run.

Oxytocin was originally discovered in 1906 by a British scientist Henry Dale in connection with
breast feeding and child birth and that might be where most of our general knowledge and
familiarity about it lays. More recently you might have come across oxytocin in popular culture being referred to as the "love hormone" advocating hugging.

Research by Swedish scientist Kerstin Moberg Uvnäs over the last thirty years, confirms that
oxytocin not a substance exclusive to mothers, but has much wider existence and importance as
an ingenious substance in all humans as well as in animals.

It's primary function and existence is to create and aid our ability to bond and develop social ties.
But it does have further additional functions that are rather incredible. Apart from a general sense of well-being it reduces fear and aggression, is relaxing and calming, increases pain thresholds and
deepens our relationships. It also supports out immune system, breathing, sleeping and wound healing. A long and impressive list of attributes.

Nature has given us the ability to produce this marvellous (but complex) substance and it is released into our bloodstream when we touch or are being touched. Even being in proximity with others that mean us well will stimulate production. That explains the joy of good company. But our production capacity has individual variations - in some oxytocin flows easily and abundantly, in others not so.

Like everything else nature hands us from birth we have different predispositions but our life
circumstances also play a significant part in this instance.

The last bit here is crucial and why administrating oxytocin as a bliss spray is not best option.

The missing component to experience self-produced flow of oxytocin and well-being buzz is trust.

Trust in being touched. Trust it is safe to be touched.

The 'formula' for wellbeing (and all benefits of oxytocin) is simply put:
Rubbing skin + trust = oxytocin production

You might have noted, if you are still with me, that oxytocin also increases trust and a feeling of safety. It's there for us to strengthen the bonds between those who means us well, but not to be reckless and unbounded. It can take some building up to, but in the long run it is preferable to encourage our own capacity by gaining trust rather than override our natural abilities with an external administration, better stimulate our own production. Massage is fantastic and a top choice for this and all body therapies are beneficial in encouraging the production, provided of course, the recipient feels safe and trusts the therapist.

The touching of soft materials, stroking animals, yoga, even singing in a group will also
have a positive effect and can be a place to top up your oxytocin and could be a starting point for
those who are not comfortable with touch.

I might be preaching to the converted here but it might be good to try to understand when others have reluctance and resistance to touch and how important it is to go easy, but also to remember how beneficial it is.

Returning to my yoga friend who has it worked out that for maximum benefit of massage she needs to be open to receive. In other words, to trust and the bliss will be there. This, I know, was not always the case but rather developed over time.

We are never alone truly.
We are born from two (biological mother and father), brought up by at least one if not half a village.
People do not choose solitude to thrive in life. It is their last choice for survival when they have been mistreated one too many times.

Or they choose it for the purpose of transformation. A form of challenge for spiritual cultivation.
 
Touch is medicine

Therapeutic touch is consensual structure in which the client and the therapist give each other space so the therapeutic qualities of change can emerge.
It is chosen and developed as a container, in which one can allow themselves to be exposed. To give up their thriving and fighting against discomfort.

True rest requires safety.

Just like yin and yang are complimentary, one needs a safe environment in which they can free up their defences (muscles and nervous system for an armour).
A good massage or Acupuncture treatment is based on non-verbal communication. Although the practitioner may seem to be in a place of power, it is their priority and responsibility to keep listening to their clients. Both via touch, sight and hearing.
A good session is like a non-stop dialogue in which the therapist gives just the right amount of stimuli, which allows the person lying down to fully relax. To dissolve into the new structure that is being co-created.
Of course this can look in many different ways. Yet, a firm and steady hand can provide so much relief.

Rest is so vital. Especially so today, when our society is geared towards productivity via burnout.
In a time when we feel challenged, burnt out or more sensitive than ever, therapeutic touch can make a world of difference. It can be a puddle of safety in the ocean of turbulence.

As we are approaching the energetic year of the Yang Fire Horse, it becomes even more important to tune into that quality of rest that our being craves so much.
We can find this in many different forms, in poetry, Tai chi, nature walks or massages.

A good thought to keep in mind, is that rest also requires effort. It is by far not the same as zoning out whilst watching digital content.
Rest is best described in the meditative world as “calm abiding”. A state where we are present yet simply abiding in peace. In the lake of consciousness undisturbed by thoughts and feelings.

I strongly advise you to put time aside for rest regularly. Whether it’s in meditation or during an acupuncture session, frequent ‘abiding’ makes a world of difference. It leads to deeper and longer baseline of a calm, safe, confident sense of self.

If you need some support with Rest in your life, do not hesitate to reach out to me or the rest of the fabulous WNT team.
 
PS: Perhaps Confidence is something you wish to work on this year? Please read my other article on Starting the year right: with positive emotion and community. 
 

We are thrilled to welcome Becky to the WNT folds this year and excited for her to build her base with us. She is qualified with a level 5 sports massage diploma and has quickly become a popular practitioner with rave reviews. Becky is working at WNT on a Sunday morning from 9am-1.45pm and we are happy to offer these Sports Massage Sundays as a convenient time for many to get your regular massage outside of work or training hours. 

Becky says:
I'm very proud to be part of the team at West Norwood Therapies! Having received excellent and effective treatment from Tessa, I knew the standard of treatment was very high! I’m excited to work alongside highly experienced specialists who are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of the local community in such a warm, inviting, and comfortable space.
I am passionate about treating those with chronic pain and long-term musculoskeletal issues; I aim to instill confidence, provide comfort, and lessen the strain on daily life. I strive to empower every client with a little more understanding of what is happening in their body and why things feel the way they do.
Each session is completely personalised to the individual in order to achieve the greatest results when targetting specific areas of discomfort or concern. No two bodies are the same and neither are their treatment plans. Specificity is key in finding the most effective improvements in each session and realistic results that last beyond. I'm looking forward to seeing and treating everyone bright and early on Sunday mornings before they enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Unfortunately I can't do pregnancy massage anymore, I used to love it! I love working with pregnant women so I now use facial reflexology which can help with symptoms and preparation for birth, and also facial massage to relax the facial muscles, especially around the mouth and jaw, as the mouth has an associated correspondence to the "birthing organs". So it's always good to remember that relaxing the mouth helps to prepare for birth!

Years ago, after my wonderful natural home birth experience, I wanted to share some of the tools I had used to prepare myself and my body for the birth of my baby in the smoother way possible, stretching to avoid tears. My daughter Desta flew out like a super hero, with her arm outstretched and so the midwives were expecting a bad tear. To their surprise, they found my body intact and immediately asked me: "Did you do perineal massage?". Of course I did! I mastered it! And in view of its benefits I had decided to share this knowledge and skill with as many women as possible. After all, it's not really something that they teach us, as they are so used to performing a rather painful episiotomy that scars us for life. 

Antenatal Perineal massage
Perineal self-massage is very important to prepare for birth. We can avoid perineal tear and unnecessary episiotomy.   Perineal massage helps you to know your body and prepare you for the feeling of pressure and stretching that you may experience as your baby is being born. It will help you to relax and take active part in the birth of your child with increased body awareness. It can help easing pain during crowning: can ease the "ring of fire" so often experienced while baby's head is emerging. It helps to gradually soften and stretch the perineum, ready for birth. It can promote closeness between you and your partner.  

Veronica offer guidance in a easy to read, instructive e-booklet and a Perineal Massage Oil (order one directly with Veronica).
download Veronica's FREE E-BOOKLET Perineal Massage in Pregnancy for a smooth birth

The older you get the quicker a new year seems to roll around, 2025 and suddenly a quarter into the 21st century. How did that happen?
 
I recently listened to the Radio 4 program ‘25 Years of the 21st Century’ discussing pivotal events that shaped the world we live in today. Life is remembered backwards but lived forward as Kirkegaard said. I find it useful to orientate myself in time this way and get some perspective as years often blur together. Good to be reminded and reflect on events and their impact.
The new year can be a good time to do some of that and let that be the starting point for plans, hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Perhaps a time to initiate and implement new routines that shape into habits down the line.
 
Admittedly this is not my strongest point. Last year at around this time a friend sent me a lovely compendium/work book to help. It guides you though various questions prompting memory of what was good, challenging, accomplishment, discoveries, who influenced you and who did you influence/impact. Before you move to the year ahead you forgive yourself for shortcomings and let go of last year. Then you move on to the year ahead. A very good resource and while I didn’t engage with it as much as it called for it was nonetheless useful. Writing this might just spark a revisit.
 
Apparently at this point in January many resolutions for the year or month are given up on, that might make all this sound like nonsense and waste of time.
 
But we could instead view it as an opportunity for deeper insight and understanding of ourselves. Giving it thought and examining what happened and how we felt when we gave up could lead us to make better choices next time. It might just have been unrealistic and needed adjusting or it could show what we do when met with resistance or difficulty. It could also be the complete opposite and a form of self-sabotage if things were going well. Chances are there is a pattern and if we take a softer approach, be amused rather than accused, it can allow for change.
 
I finish this with a lovely example of a New Year’s resolution. Recently at dinner one of my friends declared he has had the same one for a good few years. He claims he keeps it and is keeping it. The resolution is to remember peoples’ birthdays. He does this by sending or giving a everyone a humorous birthday card. At the beginning of the year he transcribes from last year’s diary all birthdays into the new year’s diary by hand. Cards are bought in batches whenever he finds amusing ones as well as keeping a supply of stamps. Every week he looks ahead at what’s coming up. Initially I thought that is sweet and simple but on reflection it is quite profound. A lovely expression bringing love and joy to people in your life and keeping in touch. The act of transcribing is a reminder of who and what last year contained and provides a moment for reflecting on that, simultaneously putting nice events and people into the plans for the year ahead.

NB: Erika's existing clients can enjoy £10 off a treatment in February with her - please mention this offer when booking either online or directly with Erika

We are lucky at WNT to have 3 fantastic massage therapists, each with a different approach. You can see Erika for relaxing, therapeutic deep tissue massage and pregnancy massage, Miha for tuina massage and Tessa for sports and remedial massage. Read on to find about more about how and why they do what they do and the love and compassion that goes into their work.

With AI swooping in to take over many jobs and roles I feel lucky to be confident that there is nothing that compares – or could compare – to the interpersonal connection and physical contact of a massage. The relationship with your therapist is part of this, a person you share with and ask for help – this can be a vulnerable and fairly intimate action, especially when it is followed by undressing! You place your trust in the therapist and the therapist – good ones anyway – will respond by basing their massage on the information you gave them and the feedback you give them through the treatment, from direct questions about the pressure to intuitive sensing of where you are holding tension that you are not even aware of.

This relationship may be a one off or it may be one that lasts over many weeks, months and years. I have left massage sessions feeling enlivened, enthused, exhausted, delighted, excited, understood, supported, connected, soothed and sometimes pummelled 😊 Sometimes I am sore, sometimes I feel like I’m hungover the next day or two, sometimes I feel like I could run like a gazelle and sometimes like I could sleep for a week. I always get something from the session, often disproportionate to the hour that I spent having it. I learn about my body, I enjoy some rapport with some therapists and rare silence with others.
I will never stop getting massages from a good therapist and I am looking forward to getting back to the privileged position of giving them next year after a long hiatus having children and relocating.

In between massages I crave more and I also sometimes have to go longer periods between them when funds and/or time are tight so I have built up an array of things to see me through. I can do some self massage of course and often do on my forearms especially, but I often just wish it was someone else's hands and prefer to use tools, especially for getting into trickier to reach spots. These are my favourites (and links are just to show where I bought them, no affiliations!):

And now in getting the links from this blog I've spotted a foot massager so my birthday money might have a new purpose...that's one for next time!
Happy massaging!

With Karen joining us this month it felt like a good time to reflect on the range of therapies we now have on offer at WNT. It is our 10th anniversary this October – wowee 😊😊 – and over the decade we have had an alphabetic spectrum of treatments and classes from Acupuncture to Yoga with everything from Feldenkrais to Sports massage in between.

So what do we have on offer now?

Well, starting with massage where WNT began, we have a great range to choose from

Sports and remedial massage with Tessa – Advanced booking required to see popular Tessa with her highly adept intensive treatments. She works with all sorts of athletes and desk-bound bodies to help free up stubborn tensions and encourage freer, more efficient movement. Tessa really is a master of her trade working with a range of deep tissue and trigger point techniques and using acupuncture needles in some sessions.

Relaxing deep tissue massage with Erika – Erika has been in the massage business for over 20 years and her lovely strong hands work intuitively around the body, their experience meaning your body has easy confidence to relax and feel some relief. You can read Erika’s blogs and see how thoughtful, interesting and considered they are and her massage treatments are in the same vein, very nourishing.

Tuina massage with Mihaly / Mike – Mihaly (also known as Mike) is a more recent addition to our team and we are so glad he joined! Mihaly has a lovely, peaceful, warm presence and his Tuina massage is very careful and intuitive. Tuina takes placed fully clothed and works along the meridians like acupuncture (which Mihaly also practises). This is a great treatment with Mihaly since he is a natural therapist and can help you work with acute and broader issues alike, often helping with lifestyle support.

Philippa  also practises tuina massage and tends to incorporate it into an acupuncture treatment when she feels it would benefit rather than offer it as a stand-alone treatment.

And now we have another experienced pair of hands in Karen with Shiatsu. Similarly to tuina, Shiatsu works with meridians to open up stuck energy and uses stretching and pressure on points to help release and find relaxation and ease. Karen has been working in South London over the past 2 decades and her experience and skilful practice is a welcome addition to our team.

And then we have a wealth of Acupuncture on offer too, which you can read more about in our blog, Acupuncture at WNT - three different approaches, who should I see?

In brief, we have Philippa with a traditional TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) background and almost three decades of experience working in a broad range of professional settings, both privately and with the NHS. Philippa works a lot with women’s health, including menstrual issues, fertility through to post-natal recovery and menopause. Philippa’s treatments tend to be primarily pure acupuncture though she often incorporates some tui na massage into the treatment.

Mihaly is also TCM trained and his treatments tend to be more of a blend of acupuncture with tui na massage and incorporates his background in martial arts into his approach. Mihaly’s interest is in the mind-body connection and developing this this both informs and is an outcome of his practice.

Tessa uses acupuncture needles in a different way, her training is in Medical Acupuncture or Dry Needling which can be useful in treating musculoskeletal issues and helping to release stubborn tensions. Tessa uses these as an addendum to her sports massage treatments, incorporating them when she feels they’d be beneficial and the client is keen.

And then we have some other treatments which are currently all offered by lovely Laura on a Saturday:

Reflexology is Laura’s main practice, her warm and welcoming presence is popular with clients who report feeling the benefits of her kindness and empathy as well as her knowledgeable treatments. This foot treatment has an uncanny way of working on the whole body and can be profoundly relaxing and restorative as well as effective on specific aches, pains, digestive and menstrual challenges.

Reiki is another of Laura’s offerings and clients find this energetic work helpful in encouraging the body’s own healing capacity, a nourishing hands-off treatment that helps support the body emotionally and spiritually.

And last but by no means least, Laura’s other skill is in sound bath healing and she offers one on one sessions at WNT – amazing sensation having bowls placed on the body and ‘played’ so you feel the vibrations and benefit from the deeply resonating sounds. This is a pretty special thing to have on offer and worth checking out if you have never experienced it.