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.

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.