Bodywork
“Someone busier than you is getting a massage right now.
Make the time for yourself!”
The bodywork sessions
The bodywork (massage) sessions are influenced in part by my interest in and study of Myofascial Energetic Release (MER), about which more below.
With my massages, I want to invite you to fundamentally feel and listen to what is happening within.
All your memories are stored in your subconscious. Its job is precisely to give you escape routes: to survive. Your subconscious mind therefore assumes that it is more dangerous for you to face your emotions than to experience pain. By fighting symptoms, by taking away pain, we often ignore the cause.
What if you stand still and really feel? Become aware? When patterns from your subconscious become clear, you can break free of them with more ease.
By combining deep, attentive soft tissue manipulation, joint release and by breathing consciously, together we can discover the spots where (repressed) feelings could have gotten trapped in your body.
Myofascial Release is a technique that helps to be free of all the tension, pain and discomfort.
No less than 80% of people suffer from chronic pain. The human body is a master at remembering and holding emotions and experiences under the influence of the nervous system. Everything that happens to us and the feelings they inspire is manifested in your physical body.
Patterns of thinking, and behaviours that often do not serve us anymore, are stored in our bodies. Feelings that are being denied or repressed are simply hidden in the unconscious. Your brain keeps sending this information to your muscles and to the fascia that surrounds them.
One of the first defences of the body is to contract its muscles: getting ready for flight, fight or freeze. When this situation is long term and ongoing, the muscles will remain tense, holding the contraction until it becomes a chronic habit or pattern frozen in spasm.
These spasms can cause poor blood circulation, so it becomes harder to transport essential nutrients like oxygen to the cells. The muscles and fascia get polluted with toxins, overworked and undernourished. They shorten and harden and this can inflict quite some pain.
At a certain level of contraction our nervous system shuts down to sensation and we do not experience that part of our body. We lose sensation, become numb. But if we suddenly take on an additional load of stress, for instance, the muscles will contract even more to the point where they register as pain.
Fascia is a thin layer of connective tissue that covers, supports and connects all muscles, organs, blood vessels, bones and nerves in the body. The point of Myofascial Release is to stretch and thereby relax the fascia. The sustained soft but deeply applied pressure can be painful at first, but your will notice that once the fascia starts to relax, the pain slowly reduces and the blockage releases.
The result of a bodywork session is an increased blood flow, improvement of range of motion, healthier organ function and a good mood.
Breathwork
“The wisest one-word sentence? Breathe.”
– Terri Guillemets –
The breathwork sessions
Before we commence with your breathing session, we have an extensive and frank intake conversation. I will ask you questions about the reason for your visit, your health, your background and important events in your life. Then I give you a brief explanation about the session and we start with a small breathing analysis.
Connected breathing means breathing without pausing in between. The inhalation is longer than the exhalation. This raises the frequency of our whole electromagnetic field and consequently clears blockages (which have an energetically low frequency). During the session, I touch pressure points on your body as a means to increasingly allow you to breathe more freely and fully.
Changing your state of being with connected breathing.
Breathing. It seems so obvious. Strangely enough, the majority of people do not even use 30% of their breathing capacity. Therefore, our body usually does not get enough oxygen for optimal health. Often, the cause is a disturbed breathing pattern due to, for example, illness, a wrong posture, stress, pain or – literally – by holding back emotions. The good news is that it also works the other way around: by breaking and improving your breathing pattern you can bring about significant physical, mental and emotional changes.
By using the technique of conscious and connected breathing, we fill our bodies with oxygen and vitality. More and more, you will start to see breathing in a different light. As fuel. Life energy! It is a powerful and safe way to recharge our engine and activate our self-healing ability. Moreover, it facilitates opening up to higher levels of consciousness and to the realm of the subconscious, where traumatic memories have sometimes stuck to your cells like glue. By giving (breathing) space to this, you can experience a deeper relationship with yourself and get more joy and satisfaction from your life.
Breathwork is a wonderful tool that can help you to:
- alleviate breathing problems
- connect with your emotions
- align your body, mind and soul
- experience deep relaxation
- boost your energy levels and immune system
- liberate you from blockages
- explore limiting thought patterns
- safely manage or release your traumas and their symptoms, such as pain, stress, addictions, panic, anger, fear, depression and insomnia.
It is very special and healing for people with:
- stress
- burn-out
- lack of self-confidence
- COPD
- Asthma
Change your breathing, change your life.
Foot Reflexology
“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”
– Leonardo da Vinci –
The foot reflexology sessions
Prior to our session, we will complete an intake form which contains medical and physical questions as well as questions with a social context. Then we get to know your feet.
How do you stand on your feet? How do you experience them? Do they have a story to tell?
Reflexology is so much more than a foot massage.
On each foot, there are over 7000 nerve endings called reflex points that correspond to specific glands, bones, tissues or organs within your body.
Painful points can indicate an imbalance in energy flow in the corresponding area. By applying pressure to these points you stimulate the nervous system and open energy pathways that may be blocked or congested.
Some of the benefits:
- relaxation: especially effective to cure sleeping problems
- regulates hormone functions
- excellent results in treating headache and digestive issues
- promotes self-healing and regenerative powers in the body
- improves circulation and the elimination of toxins
- particularly suitable for children
- relief of pregnancy discomforts (after the first 4 months)
Preparation & Self-care
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.”
– Charles Bukowski –
The purpose of your session is to fully disconnect from the outside world for a moment, like a mini holiday.
Unwinding starts with making an appointment!
- A session can have an after-effect for a while. If possible, plan some extra time afterwards to relax your body and mind and let everything sink in before exposing yourself to all the stimuli of the outside world again.
- Many people like to plan their appointments in a way that they don’t have to return to work or other commitments.
- Eat something light about two hours before you arrive. Both an empty and full stomach can distract from your session.
- Massage is a great way to improve the quality of your sleep, so you may feel tired afterwards.
- During a breathing session, easy, loose-fitting clothing is most comfortable. Also pay attention to collars, buttons, zips, strings, sequins, etc..
- Make sure that you keep your fluid balance at the right level by drinking enough water.
- If you have the opportunity: see what a digital detox or a short walk can do for you after your session 😉
This post is also available in: Dutch
