A new practice based in the heart of Bradford on Avon is offering bespoke massage treatments to clients, including one that is designed specially to help alleviate common symptoms of pregnancy.
Bradford on Avon Massage is owned and run by local mum Lindsey Furness, who is committed to ensuring that the treatments she offers are as sustainable and eco conscious as possible.
“I trained at BCMB and I am a MTI registered, Holistic Massage Therapist, with a specialism in pregnancy and postnatal massage,” she explained. “I offer bespoke treatments specifically tailored to suit the clients individual needs, drawing from a wide range of techniques, from subtle energy work to deep tissue methods; from stretching and mobilisation to gentle holds. By working in a client-centred way and taking into account the emotional as well as the physical, I treat my clients as a whole, offering treatments that leave you feeling relaxed, revived and invigorated.
“Pregnancy massage can be a wonderful way to offer physical and emotional support for the expectant mother. Through nurture and relaxation, tiredness is eased, nausea can be alleviated and you may find you get a better night’s sleep. As a mother myself, I find I am able to empathise and connect with expectant mothers, in way that helps me provide them with the very best support and care.
“Some mothers see pregnancy massage as a way to celebrate their pregnancy and to slow down in a fast paced world, to take the time to acknowledge the miracle happening inside them. It really is an absolute honour to be a small part of that celebration.”
Listing the benefits of pregnancy massages, Lindsey explained:
• Having a regular massage can help to heighten your awareness of your own body and of your baby growing inside you.
• Massage offers relief from muscle cramps, spasms, and myofascial pain, especially in the lower back, neck, hips, and legs
• The massage strokes and meditative techniques can help reach an inner calmness to help de-stress and relax. This is very important throughout your pregnancy and especially when it comes to labour, as studies show that high levels of maternal cortisol (the stress hormone) may lead to complications throughout pregnancy and birth.
• Massage helps to reduce stress on weight-bearing joints
• Breathing techniques that are used during a massage can calm your nervous system, creating a sense of grounding and of self-control.
• Stimulated circulation of blood throughout your body can distribute essential nutrients to all your vital organs especially the placenta, the source of nourishment for your baby.
• Massage also encourages the release of relaxin into the blood stream, relaxing the intrauterine ligaments, helping to soothe those aching pelvic joints and other sources of discomfort that are experienced during pregnancy.
• The endorphins released during a massage will help you relax in body and in mind, giving you a natural high which is passed on and shared with your baby. This can also help to relieve depression or anxiety caused by the huge hormonal changes taking place in the body.
• Through nurture and promotion of the parasympathetic mode by massage tiredness can be eased, the digestion system can be optimised and our immune system functioning to the max.
• Increasing the blood and lymph circulation by massage can help to reduce and ease any swelling.
For full details of the treatments available the costs involved, contact Lindsey at email hidden; JavaScript is required or visit her website at Bradfordonavonmassage.co.uk