In this article The Secret Is Out: We Can See Your Feet, it reminded me of my own foot-shame years past.  It started with my mother telling me that my feet were ugly, that they looked like my father's (obvious marital conflict coming out), and as a consequence, I just felt awful about my feet.

That feeling followed me well into my 20s, and it was really noticeable when I first started practicing yoga.  We were forced to be barefoot, on our mats, and moving into positions (like Downward Dog) where I had to stare at my feet!  The inner revulsion came up, time and again, but one day, after a particularly tough yoga practice, I looked down at my feet...and felt grateful!  Grateful that they were there, holding me up strongly and beautifully.  Since then, I have taken good care of my feet, acknowledging their connection to this earth.

A month or so ago, I started running.  I've never been a runner my entire life, but something called me to start.  Maybe it's my body's way of saying, "Prevent osteoporosis later on!" that got me pounding the pavement as soon as I woke up!  At any rate, I took to it, bought myself a pair of New Balance shoes, and promptly injured my left heel.  Ow.  Has anyone ever experienced heel strike?  Plantar fasciatis?  ANY sort of foot pain richochets throughout your entire body.  That's how powerful, important, and sensitive you feet are.

Your feet contain so many small bones, it's important not to squeeze them into tight-fitting shoes and compress them.  They need to breathe!  Your feet also contain many nerves that send prioperceptive feedback to your brain, informing you of your immediate environment, and any dangers (be it people, dogs, sharp objects, or cracks in the pavement, etc.).  To get an idea of just how sensitive your feet are, try walking around barefoot -- there's something about letting your toes out to play that really heighten the sensitivity! 

I'm still recovering from that plantar fasciatis injury, but after doing research, I bought a pair of Vibram FiveFinger toe shoes -- perfect for barefoot running.  The minute I slipped those on, they felt like heaven!  I was sensing all sorts of things from my feet.  Sure, the shoes aren't conventionally attractive, but they sure are a conversation piece!  I highly recommend them, and look forward to strengthening my feet -- my connection to this earth -- vis a vis my new toe shoes!

Pre-natal Thai Yoga massage helps align the woman's posture through applied yogic postures, progressive stretching, and breathwork.  This powerful combination is unlike any other massage or bodywork in that it ultimately helps prevent back labor.

Back labor is the painful condition whereby the baby is not in the optimal birthing position, and his/her spine rubs against the mother's during childbirth.  No amount of drugs can prevent this painful condition, and the woman usually complains of extreme back pain.  In the optimal childbirth position, the baby comes out facing towards the mother's rear.  With back labor (or posterior birth), it is caused by the mother's poor posture, so therefore, baby has not had the chance to fully rotate, and comes out face up.

Good body mechanics during the entire pregnancy term is necessary for preventing back labor.  Yet due to pregnancy weight gain and physical strain on the body, many expectant mothers' postures are compromised with slouching and/or poor sitting habits.  Hence, the baby is not given the chance to fall into the correct birthing position. 

Childbirth does not need to be a long and drawn out event, and by all means, we are here to provide a way to make it less painful!  Consistent Thai Yoga massage sessions rejuvenate the mother's energy, amplify circulation, but ultimately, ready the woman's body for childbirth.  Many woman ask me when it's best to start receiving this bodywork.  The mother-to-be can begin treatment after the first trimester, and, given how quickly the body changes and grows, It is best to continue receiving regular work all the way until end of term. 

I received a question the other day, “Does Thai Yoga massage help cold hands?”

I’ve had loads of experience helping people regain circulation and strength in their body.  For example, a client came to see me who always felt cold, and when I assessed her, did not possess the strength even to gently grab my wrist.  She wanted a therapeutic massage treatment which did not require the removal of clothes, simply because of her tendency to feel cold.  The wonderful thing about Thai Yoga massage is that it is given fully-clothed, and even though my client was sometimes under five layers of blankets, Thai Yoga massage is powerful enough to penetrate fabric and benefit her body. 

Though she was not physically ill, this woman’s system was clearly stagnant, which meant she constantly felt run down.  I gave her a series of very thorough, very comprehensive two hour long treatments.  We met weekly, and for over the period of one year.  Thai Yoga massage incorporates strong stimulation of meridian lines running throughout the body, warmed up with rhythmic palming and then precise thumb-work.  This type of stimulation is akin to an acupuncturist’s needle, sending a call and response to the brain to engage in healing.  I treated my client’s body holistically, so that all of her was stimulated and cared for.  Over time, she began to regain strength in her hands and she was able to grab hold of my hands when I pulled her into a forward bending stretch. 

As her energy levels improved, my client was inspired to take up activities like yoga and walking.  The yoga complimented my Thai Yoga massage, furthering each treatment’s effects.  The walking helped her get fresh air and to explore her neighbourhood.  Her muscles became more toned through this consistent conditioning, and she began to feel better and more herself again.  These twin physical activities worked to aid in calming her mind and to feel less anxiety.  She was carving out space for herself, and indeed, found that her digestion and the quality of her sleep improved.

After one year of recuperation, my client surprised me by enrolling into a diploma programme for Ceramics.  It takes a great amount of arm strength to throw on a potter’s wheel – one must have the power to steady the moving lump of clay, to balance it, and then the manual dexterity and control to pull the clay into a beautifully symmetrical vessel.  It was my client’s lifelong dream to pursue ceramics, and through my treatments, she was strong enough to throw clay.  She is now in her second year of her diploma programme.

We had a recent query, “Is Thai Yoga Massage beneficial for ballet dancers?”

The answer is, “Yes!” Most emphatically, yes. 

Most ballet dancers we know live, breathe, smell, taste dance – such is their passion.  Dancers live in their bodies.  They are 100% present – connecting their mind and body as one.  They feel and express themselves through beautiful movement.  To be able to maintain this level of coordination and grace, keeping their bodies in tip-top condition is paramount. 

The path towards being a ballet dancer and the training that goes into producing a great performance is tough but oh-so rewarding.  Physically, the body is taxed with the amount of practice necessary.  As a result, injuries may occur with pulled muscles, overstretched tendons, and muscular fatigue from repetitive use.  Further impact upon old injuries can lead to chronic issues and eventually wear down the dancer’s body, particularly the feet, to be fully mobile, thereby shortening the lifespan of one’s career.  With postural imbalance, the body starts compensating and this snowballs into incorrect stance. 

Thai Yoga massage is based upon dynamic, progressive stretching, which enable very flexible people like dancers to feel the benefits of the treatment right away.  Unlike other types of massages, the technique behind Thai Yoga massage is aimed at moving all the joints to achieve optimal mobilisation.  It is also based upon lengthening the muscles and tendons progressively, so that muscular functionality is restored from overuse, tension, or contraction.  This is very useful in helping prevent injuries.

At Melt Therapy, we take each individual’s body to its limit, and then gently elongate the muscle into a beautiful, lengthening stretch.  It’s this optimal point that release starts to truly happen, and the body can begin to recover itself and restore balance.  We repetitively move each joint so that the brain engages with the new sensation within the body, enabling the mind to remember and recall an improved level of mobility and function.  When ballet dancers leave our hands and go perform, they will feel their performance and ability to focus boosted.  We treat retired ballet dancers as well to help preserve their bodies.

It is believed by those who study motor learning that the body stores movement patterns in the brain.  Think about people who’ve suffered a stroke, and need to undergo functional training in order to regain motor control.  The simplest movements once taken for granted then must be broken down into basic chunks for the brain to register and integrate into one whole fluid movement.  Therefore, learning correct movements is key to maximum joint mobility and muscle motion because it’s harder to unlearn bad habits than it is to learn new ones.

Static stretching is defined by prolonged holding positions.  For example, for a left side neck stretch, one might place the right palm over the left ear and gently pull the right ear towards the right shoulder, holding the head in place to feel the stretch.  These types of static stretches have been traditionally prescribed for athletes to warm up, however, this stretch can actually put the muscle to sleep, which is not ideal for sports performance!  The muscle is being elongated without the brain engaging and noticing the length change. 

For example, if one tries to go out and play a game of golf after having done a series of static stretches, the brain and the muscles it’s trying to activate are effectively out of sync.  You might notice a slowed down reaction, and not know why or how to fix your performance.  Control is lost and the potential for injury increased. 

Dynamic stretching, which is a critical element of Thai Yoga massage, is designed to stretch the tight areas without ever stopping.  The body is moved into and out of the stretch position repetitively until you loosen up.  When one’s body is moving, the brain constantly monitors the changing length of the muscles.  Thus this prevents experiencing joint destabilisation and coordination deficits that can come up from stretching with prolonged static holding techniques. 

Our clients repeatedly report feeling calm in the mind, but rejuvenated in their body.  They go on to perform better than they ever did at their game.  This is because Thai Yoga massage utilises dynamic stretching and the “rocking” of the body in a variety of ways.  The muscles are properly awoken and stretched out.  The body is warmed up and ready to go. 

Depending on the need of the client, we’ll work comprehensively to allow maximum joint mobilisation, thus subtly reprogramming the body and brain into correct movement and posture.  We provide dynamic stretching that the client may not be able to get into him or herself.  With correct body movements, one regains proper mobility and hence overall sports performance is improved – which is something all athletes, from professional to amateur, want!

Dynamic stretching – which is another definition of Thai Yoga massage – allows the development and maintenance of optimal joint range of motion in a golfer’s body.  This is important since an effective golf swing depends upon the ability of the golfer’s joints to move through the necessary planes of motion.  Optimal joint range is a prerequisite of the golf swing; it’s the very foundation.  Unfortunately our muscles and tendons have the ability to shorten, which are undesirable in a golfer.  When this happens, the body starts having to compensate, progressively disrupting the golf swing.  The more a golfer has to compensate, the less consistent and more faulty the golfer will be in his/her game. 

Golfing requires the ability to rotate almost every joint in his/her body, namely the shoulder girdle, torso, and hips.  Should this movement be compensated, faults will appear in the golf swing.  Also this compensation may express itself in pain or injury. 

Tightness in the shoulder joint will increase the chances of hooking or slicing the ball. 

Restricted shoulder range of motion often results in excessive spinal rotation to compensate.  This however frequently leads to back injury.  With these two issues combined, the golfer commonly has problems with excessive head motion or maintaining an optimal swing plane.  S/he will frequently hit too fat or thin.

Should hip joints be restricted, the whole golf form is compensated.  Combined with a lack of rotation in the spine and shoulders, this leads to wrist injury in golfers.  A lack of motion in the hips and back leads to excessive elevation onto the toes of the left foot during the back swing.  The result is fat shots due to a chopping action on the down swing.

Without flexibility in the body, a golfer’s power is reduced, which means less distance in the drive.  This is something no golfer desires. 

The type of treatment Melt Therapy provides is aimed at progressively stretching the shoulder girdle, torso, and hips.   This helps re-introduce suppleness in the golfer’s body, thereby reducing injury and improving game performance in almost every aspect.  Dynamic stretching serves to reprogram the nervous system by taking the body through its optimal joint range of motion, and breaking old habits.  Without this reprogramming, no amount of lessons will be effective in the long-term. 

We have been able to help the serious golfer achieve new levels of performance through our consistent treatment programmes.  One client made it a point to book his treatment before a game, and the dynamic stretching energised his body enabling him to play the best game he’d ever played.  Over a series of treatments, he was able to stay present, focused, and win his golf game – a result all golfers want!

Recently I was asked to give a talk about the benefits of Pregnancy massage.  This is a subject that is very near to my heart because a) I rank motherhood as one of the world’s hardest jobs, and b) I recall how my own mother did not receive the emotional and physical support during her pregnancy with yours truly.  So you could say that whenever I am in the presence of treating an expectant mother, it’s homage to my own mum. 

Pregnancy massage takes two forms: ante-natal and postpartum rejuvenation.  This type of therapeutic massage is designed to optimise pregnancy and the woman and foetus’s health and wellbeing, thereby minimising knock-on physical and developmental effects that effect mother and child later on in their lives.

Had my mother received therapeutic massage during her pregnancy, her bodily pains, tiredness, constipation, and circulation would have been sorted out.  She would have received nurturing emotional support and reassurance, which is ever so important when one’s hormones are fluctuating, causing mood swings.  The massage would have relaxed her in order to endure childbirth.  Due to her anxious state, she struggled with thirty hours of labour before the doctors said, “Hmm, let’s do a Caesarean.”  After her operation, she had not the strength to care for me, but was nonetheless expected to perform and be on her feet.  Postpartum massage would have quickened her body’s healing, boosted her energy levels, soothed frayed nerves, and promoted tranquil sleep. 

In this age, when women are putting off pregnancy until later, ante-natal massage is necessary for promoting blood circulation, and ridding chronic physiological issues that can hamper even the healthiest pregnancy.  Ante-natal massage physically and emotionally helps women who are in high-risk pregnancies or have suffered miscarriages.  This continuous care ensures proper blood volume and stable hormone levels, so that the foetus will receive nutrients critical to its development.   For example, I worked with a client who had oedema of the wrists and a fibroid located inside her uterus.  It was her first pregnancy, and she was fearful.  With careful physician’s monitoring of her fibroid growth, my massage helped her feel less bodily discomfort whilst boosting her circulation and energy.  On a hormonal level, ante-natal massage smoothed out her anxiety by boosting the body’s natural happy hormones.  It is always given after the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy.

Studies have shown that mothers who receive massage during pregnancy are more likely to give their babies massages, thereby nurturing their bond and promoting the child’s development.  Babies born from less-stressed mothers are calmer, less fussy, and perform better on infant development. 

In Western medicine, little care is given to the mother’s body after childbirth.  In this missing link lies a very critical stage for the mother, who is now responsible for a newborn and having to be on alert and on her feet for her baby’s every need.  There is little to no recovery time, and the pelvic floor muscles are weakened.  In Ayurvedic tradition, the woman has the right to forty days of massage.  Postpartum rejuvenation massage is critical for alleviating musculoskeletal complaints, providing emotional support, and reorienting the new mother back towards her body.  The skin of the abdomen can be treated immediately after birth to minimise distortion of the connective tissue that often follows after pregnancy.  Last but not least, postpartum massage helps in preventing or recovering from postpartum depression.

With cellular development happening at such a rapid rate with a foetus, my pregnancy massage seeks to provide continuous care to mother and child, enabling both to receive the best for their health and growth.  Women need not face pregnancy alone or with anxiety, and stress-free mothers give birth to healthier babies, feeling more able, fitter, and calmer as they take on one of life’s most profound journeys.