Stressed, tired, or just need a little TLC? Look no further...Thai Yoga Massage could be for you!

As those who know me can attest, I am a bit of a ‘massage junkie’ (that has previously been in the receiving rather than the giving)! I often feel cheated unless the therapist really ‘works’ on my body. I want to feel the knots and tensions melt away... none of that airy fairy gentle stuff for me!  I love the whole atmosphere of getting a massage; candles, relaxing music, the permission to ‘switch off’ and just relax for one whole indulgent hour. After a treatment, I expect to come out feeling renewed, rejuvenated, calm and fully pampered!! Bliss!

For Christmas my dad bought me a gift certificate for a Hot Stone Massage. It is said that by using the Hot Stone’s, we are meant to be able to relax 4-5x quicker (not sure how they measure that one but so be it!). Well, after my first Hot Stone treatment I literally felt like I was walking on clouds and for the next few hours nothing (even two energetic children!) could bring me back down to earth! At that moment I had thought that I had found the epitome of all massages.... but that was only until I had my first Thai Yoga Massage.

After taking Nick’s yoga classes for a few months (he is also fully train in Thai Yoga Massage), I decided to book an hour long TYM session (again - thank you DAD for the gift!!). This was a first for me and I wasn’t really sure what to expect, especially as there are many misconceptions swirling around the Western world about this type of treatment (sorry guys, there are no ‘happy endings’ given here!). For those of you have are not familiar with Thai Massage, it is deemed ‘Yoga for lazy people’. The therapist uses different parts of his/her body (thumbs, fingers, palms, elbows, feet) to dissolve problem areas or energy blocks in your body.  It is a very deep but relaxing way to open up the body, bringing physical and mental harmony and restoring the body’s natural balance.

When I walked into the room, the atmosphere was perfect:

ü  Candles

ü  Soft music

ü  Comfy mattress to lie down on (in Thai Massage you lie on the floor rather than on a massage table)

I was even brought a lovely cup of herbal tea! However there was one BIG difference....I was instructed to keep all of my clothes ON! (Thai Massages are done fully clothed so if you do decide to have one, make sure you wear loose, comfortable, clothing.)  I had never had a massage with clothes on before so felt extra dubious about how beneficial this was really going to be for me. However I must admit that it did put my mind at ease as I didn’t have to worry about how the upper thighs looked (girls, you know what I mean!) nor did I have to struggle to stay concealed under the miniature towel other types of masserus often give you to cover up with!  

So for the next hour, I lied down on the mat, completely LET GO and allowed myself to experience the MOTHER of all massages. From the minute Nick started working on my feet, I knew there would be no going back to traditional ‘rubbing type’ massages. I had found a truly holistic approach to massage therapy and it ticked all of my boxes:

ü  Energising

ü  Relaxing

ü  Restorative

ü  Healing

Could this get any better? Well...it does! The big surprise for me was that there was another box that had been ticked which I didn’t even know was important to me or could be achieved through massage.

ü Caring

When I got home, John asked me how the massage was? The only thing I could say (apart from AMAZING!) was that, "I felt very CARED FOR". 

The feeling I had is this: it is like when you are away from home for a long period of time (maybe for the first time after going to college/university or from being abroad) and you return to your parent’s house. Your mum gives you a hug, makes you a cup of tea, does your washing, cooks you dinner and runs you a bath. Then you just sit and relax in your cosy, familiar surroundings. Sounds amazing doesn’t it? Well, this is exactly how I felt after receiving my first Thai Massage (thank you Nick!).

I have to be careful not to promise too much! Please remember that this was MY experience and the feeling of euphoria that I had was due to a combination of factors.

·         Finding the right practitioner for YOU. It should be someone who you feel comfortable with and feel you can trust. 

• In order to get the most out the massage, communication is SO important (making clear how the pressure is, if you are experiencing any pain, etc..)

·         Being OPEN to what comes up during the massage and not judging any feelings, emotion or physical tensions that arise

·         And in my personal experience, staying PRESENT throughout the session. When the mind wanders bringing it back to focussing on the present moment (rather than planning what you are going to have for dinner that night!)

 I felt such a strong connection with this type of massage that I decided become certified in TYM! Now when I give a massage I feel that I am truly helping people by created a loving, caring and safe environment for them to release and relax. I get so much joy from being able to work away blockages and deeply held tensions. On a more esoteric level, I can often feel a process of genuine healing begin – for me, this is the beauty of Thai Yoga Massage.

I am only one-third of the way through my training, and so far it has been a real source of joy and inspiration for me. I never thought I would enjoy giving a treatment such as this (ask my husband, I huff even when asked for the slightest back rub!!), but I look forward to every practice session and always finish feeling more energized and refreshed myself (another unexpected benefit)!

If you feel inspired to book a massage, have a look at Nick’s website: www.nicholasbarrett.co.uk. And if you are a Tunbridge Wellian and wouldn’t mind being a guinea pig for me to practice on, get in touch and we can sort out a date!

Think well. Live well. Be well.

Kelley x

Mens sana in corpore sano “A sound mind in a sound body”

Finding My Voice

We begin each yoga class by chanting three Om’s (pronouncedA-U-M) followed by the Invocation to Patañjali. This allows us to invite the presence of Patanjali into our practice and receive his blessing. The first time I did this, I found myself feeling very self-conscious. I am not overly familiar with Sanskrit (especially pronunciation!) and I always hate the sound of my own voice (despite having a career in public speaking, lol)!  As time has gone on, I now feel quite the reverse. The invocation has grown to be the grounding force behind my practice, always bringing a sense of calm and focus*.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I have a small but very powerful ritual that I do in the car on the way to class. Before doing yoga, I always set my intention for that days practice.  I do this for many reasons but primarily to focus my attention and create a purpose for my practice other than the purely physical.  My intentions are often as broad as ‘keeping an open heart and an open mind’ or can be as specific as dedicating my practice to someone that is going through a difficult time or who has inspired or influenced me.

 One of my most common dedications is to my beloved Professor from University, Larry Rosenfield who sadly passed away over the summer.

My Socrates, RIP L.W.R

Larry was my first true mentor and to whom I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude towards for being the first to teach me about the true meaning of ‘being present’. I mention Larry here for two reasons:
1) to introduce him to those of you who are not familiar with what an impact he has had (and continues to have) on my life. He will be featuring in this blog quite a bit over the coming year!
2) Larry taught me the art of living in the present moment and finding my ‘inner voice’. He was the main inspiration behind my pull towards discovering my SELF and opening to my passion for yoga.

Larry used to teach us the importance of reflection and of paying attention to the ‘Aha moments’ in life. You know the feeling...when the light bulb goes off and you see something clearly for the first time.  ‘Aha’ moments don’t always have to pertain to the BIG realisations in life, often the smaller realisations are the most powerful.

My first ‘aha’ moment of yoga tt is this:

My first actual teaching experience (I volunteered to lead the group in the first Sun Salutation) was a complete disaster.  I literally couldn’t speak never mind give direction on where to move the body or when to inhale and exhale!! I experienced a complete mental block and froze! I did manage to muddle through but it was completely disjointed and riddled with nerves. Here’s what struck me almost immediately...
When I do yoga, especially poses that I am fairly adept in, I DO NOT think (it’s taken me a long time to get here and a LOT of practice to do so). My brain switches off and I move into an innate way of moving, breathing and being – which to me is part of the essence of doing yoga. It may sound obvious, but I now realize there is a massive difference between DOING yoga and TEACHING yoga.

From this point forward I am going to have to learn how to think, and speak, while doing yoga at the same time. This might sound simple...but it’s like explaining to someone how to walk in very precise detail, it isn’t something that comes naturally to explain because it is something that we just ‘do’ without thinking. Finding my yoga teaching voice is my first challenge. In a way, I will be bringing the ‘inner voice’ that i’ve worked so hard to discover and start sharing it with others.

Just as the Invocation now comes naturally to me at the beginning of practice, I hope that my ‘teaching voice’ will one day come naturally too. When that day comes I hope that I can help others (as Larry helped me) connect with their Inner Being and learn how to come into a state of pure presence during practice and throughout their daily lives.

Namaste. x

(*coincidentially I wrote my first draft of this yesterday and then went to class directly afterwards, and for the first time since i’ve been attending Nick’s classes, he forgot to start the class with the Invocation!  All of his regulars noticed that the atmosphere in class was completely different than usual. Once we realised we hadn’t done the Invocation, and then stopped to do it, from that point forward the class was more visibly grounded and calm.)

                               

The beginning...

As my first yoga teacher training course approaches this Sunday (my wonderful teacher is: www.nicholasbarrett.co.uk/) I have many mixed emotions. Anticipation, excitement, a little bit of nerves, and a significant amount of self-doubt (this is always my biggest challenge!) but most of all I am extremely GRATEFUL for having this opportunity. This is something that I have wanted to do for so many years now, and it feels ‘one day’ everything just fell into place to make my ‘dream’ a reality. I couldn’t be more thankful for being where I am right now (and to those very special people who have helped to make this happen for me!).

My hopes for becoming a qualified yoga teacher are to deepen my own knowledge, understanding and experience of yoga and to then be able to share this sacred practice with others. As challenging as it may be, I am going to embrace each training session with a fully open heart and mind.

When the idea of creating a blog first came up my immediate response was, “there’s absolutely no way that I’m going to do that”. But after letting my thoughts settle, I have realised that this defensive reaction was simply down to fear. Fear of being judged. This is a very personal journey for me and sharing it is something that will take a lot of courage. But if an honest account of my experience can shed even a tiny ray of ‘light on yoga’ for even just one person, then it is worth it.

My hopes for keeping a blog are simple: I would like to share this experience with close friends, family, those interested in yoga teacher training, and anyone else who might like to discover a bit more about yoga in general. It will also be an honest platform for me to record my journey - a journal.

So my friends, if you are interested in reading, I ask you to please come with an open mind. You may not agree with all of my thoughts, reflections and discoveries, but I hope that by sharing my journey with you, a little bit of the inner peace that I find in yoga will be shared.  And please feel FREE to make comments or ask questions along the way!

Bring on Sunday....i'm ready!

Lots of love to you all. x