A guide to balance and relaxation from Lovely Massage

It isn’t surprising that in this soup of stuff we can easily override the physical signs of tiredness, muscle fatigue or burn out. But these sensations are our bodies communicating with us, telling us ‘whoah there, slow down, take a moment… I’m struggling’. Learning to listen to your body and pick up on its cues is one of the keys to wellbeing.

Signs your body is sending you a message
There are some common signals that you might experience but ignore. Although they might seem like nagging annoyances, inconvenient and bothersome these messages are your body asking for attention and care. Examples include:

1. Tight shoulders and neck tension from stress and desk work
2. Low energy, fatigue
3. Poor sleep
4. Muscles soreness
5. Tension headaches

Sound familiar?

How to start listening to your body
So here are some practival tips to start listening and stop ignoring your body.

1. Pause during the day and observe your body, scan down from head to toe and mentally note how your body is feeling.
2. Notice your breathing, is it short and shallow or relaxed and easy?
3. Stretch gently and move your body, how does it feel, is there any resistance?
4. Practice a mindful activity like yoga, journalling or meditation that offers you the opportunity to tune into your body.

Awareness of your body is the first step towards finding balance.

How can body work help you reconnect?
Supportive and holistic practices like massage, reflexology and yoga offer us the opportunity to pause, tune in and listen to our bodies. They also offer much needed physical relief from the build up of tension in the body. When you visit my lovely treatment room I hold space for you to slow down, reconnect, recover and relax. Massage helps to release the built-up tension in your body and encourages a deep relaxation. Reflexology is a holistic practice stimulating pressure points in the feet, hands and face to support balance and wellbeing throughout the body. Regular bodywork and mindful movement can help restore the natural connection between body and mind allowing the body to relax, recover and communicate more clearly.

Your body is always communicating with you. Learning to listen can help prevent stress and tension from building up. Small moments of awareness can improve your overall wellbeing.

If your body is asking for rest or release therapies like massage and reflexology can help to restore much needed balance. At Lovely Massge we can focus on creating a calm space where you can reconnect with your body and truly relax.

If you’d like to book some time to reconnect with your body. Do get in touch or use the button below to book some you time.

Easing into the New Year: Gentle Ways to Care for Yourself in January

As the new year unfolds, it’s easy to feel the pressure we place on ourselves. “Dry January”, “Veganuary”, “get fit this January” — these well-meaning intentions can quickly start to feel overwhelming. And let’s be honest, it can feel disappointing when our ambitious plans fall by the wayside by mid-month.

I love a new year’s resolution, but I try very hard not to heap pressure on myself. Instead, I frame resolutions as small, attainable habits — ideally things I genuinely enjoy. I focus on “do dos” rather than “don’t dos.”

For me, this year, that looks like:

• Taking time to stretch in the mornings
• Carving out pockets of rest
• Keeping in touch with my lovely friends more often

By giving ourselves permission to ease into the new year, we allow our nervous systems to reset and give ourselves — and those around us — a little more grace. There’s no rush; we can start slowly, gently, and intentionally.

Here are a few gentle ways to introduce mindful change this January:

• Start a meditation practice — it doesn’t have to be daily; even once a week is a beautiful start.
• Ease into your day with a few stretches — you can even do these in bed!
• Begin a gratitude journal — note down even the small joys.
• Add a handful of nuts to your morning snack — small, nourishing changes matter.
• Light a candle — create moments of calm and ritual.
• Try a sleepy tea at bedtime — encourage gentle wind-down routines.
• Book a gentle monthly massage — a nurturing way to care for your body and mind.

With the cold, sometimes dark days upon us, now is the perfect time to be kind to yourself. Wrap up, snuggle down, and move through your days gently. Before you know it, the daffodils will be peeking through, reminding us that growth and light are always on the horizon.

Peace and relaxation,
Laura

Eight in ten women experience symptoms in peri-menopause, so that is a lot of women in the UK struggling with anxiety, brain fog, hot flushes, loss of sleep, night sweats and more besides. Symptoms can last from four years to as many as twelve, so potentially for a long time. During peri-menopause hormone levels can become erratic, fluctuating wildly and increasing the likelihood of elevated cortisol and menopausal symptoms. Add on top of this young children, teenagers or young people leaving home, ageing parents, health concerns not to mention relationships, finances and work and it stands to reason that women are struggling.

But the good news is reflexology can help! Reflexology along with other lifestyle changes can help to improve your ability to relax during what a very stressful time. We know that reflexology can aid relaxation but what’s more evidence suggests that reflexology can be an effective therapy for sleep disorders (1) and be an effective technique for reducing women’s depression during the menopause(2).

Reflexology is effective at helping people to really relax and anything we can do to help reduce our stress and anxiety is going to be good for our health and well-being. Improving your sleep or having a good sleep routine, moving your body regularly especially walking and thinking about nourishing your body are other important self-help improvements you could make to support yourself.

If you think reflexology might help you do consider visiting me for a ‘Reflexology for menopause’ treatment. I encourage my clients to come to me for at least three regular appointments and see whether their symptoms improve.

During your treatment I will listen to you, observe your feet and discuss your symptoms. I work intuitively with you during the appointment and I will focus on the key menopause reflexes, endocrine, heart, lymphatics, adrenals, thyroid, ovaries and uterus. Book now!

Reflexology is a holistic therapy that treats the person not the condition. I do not treat ‘menopause’ but rather support women on their journey through relaxation and reflexology massage. If you are concerned about your health in any way always seek help from your GP.

References:
(1.) Maryam Asltoghiri; Zahra Ghodsi. The effects of reflexology on sleep disorder in menopausal women. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences. Volume 31, 2012 pp. 242-246.
(2.) Mahdavipour Fatemeh; Rahemi Zahra; Sadat Zohreh; Ajorpaz Neda Mirbagher. The effects of foot reflexology on depression during menopause: a randomised controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. Volume 47, 2019.

Massage has been around for thousands of years, and its benefits are well documented. But put simply, massage is good for us, good for our well-being and good for our health. In this blog post I am going to touch on some of the clear reasons why getting a massage is so good, not just because it feels great but because it is also good for our health.

1. Relieve muscle pain and stiffness. By working gently and at times more deeply in the muscles, tissue and fascia, massage therapists can help to relieve general aches and pains and stiffness that can occur in our daily lives. Knots and tension in the shoulders, neck and lower back are very common for a variety of reasons, stress and sitting all day at a computer being primary contributors. By working the muscles in these areas, clients generally feel an almost immediate sense of relief. Regular massages will help you to stay on top of these aches and pains enabling you to enjoy movement more freely.

2. Aid relaxation and relieve anxiety. Of course massage is a fantastic way of relaxing because it helps us access our para-sympathetic nervous system. Taking time to breath deeply and receive massage will help you to feel much more relaxed. Your therapist should provide a really calm and relaxing atmosphere and for an hour in your day you can feel relief from day-to-day worries. And this isn’t just about feeling good, we all know that stress is bad for us, bad for blood pressure, bad for our hearts, bad for our brains. So in reducing stress and anxiety we really are doing something tangible for our health.

3. Improve sleep. Why does massage help sleep? Well because stress and anxiety are up there as major causes of disrupted sleep it stands to reason if massage helps to reduce stress then it will also help us sleep. Not only this but a massage can also help you produce sleep hormones like serotonin and melatonin which are so important for getting to sleep and regulating sleep. Plus if some of those niggly aches and pains are also feeling better then all the more reason why you might sleep well. Win-win-win!

So, three amazing reasons why getting a massage is good for us. With busy, stressful, full-on lives it becomes increasingly important to take time out for a bit of self-care and relaxation.

If this has persuaded you that getting a regular massage is a good idea then please do book online or send me a message to book now.

Peace & relaxation,
Laura

It’s been a busy few weeks here at Lovely Massage with local events, trips to St George’s to run well-being days for staff and bookings at my home treatment room. It’s been a joy to welcome new clients and old and I have decided to add extra days to my availability.

Peace and relaxation, as ever,
Laura
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You will even be able to take away a pot of your own lotion to use at home.

To book just visit the booking page of my website.

First and foremost it’s really important to say that reflexology is a holistic treatment that promotes a deep feeling of relaxation and well-being. It is absolutely not an alternative to medical care and if you have any concerns about your health you should seek help from your GP. As a holistic treatment reflexology is, however, a really good way of providing a gentle way of reducing stress and helping you to find a little bit more peace in our busy and hectic modern lives.

The theory of reflexology is that our body is divided into zones which can be mapped onto the feet, hands, face and ears. These points can be touched or worked to focus on that area of the body. Regardless of whether you believe this to be true it is indisputable that reflexology is really, really relaxing, it can really help us to access the para-sympathetic nervous system and benefit from all that it has to offer. The client has the opportunity to relax in a supportive, calming environment with a professional reflexologist who knows how to provide the best possible access to a deep state of relaxation.

Reflexology is an ancient touch therapy, it’s been around for thousands of years and it has a long history. It wouldn’t have survived as a therapy if it didn’t make us feel good. Humans love touch, and we love to relax. Anyone can have reflexology, from babies to the elderly but occasionally there are certain circumstances where you may not be able to be treated.

I don’t know about you but I find life is so busy, hectic and at times stressful that carving out time for relaxation at home has become increasingly difficult. Stepping outside your life for an hour or so to fully relax and unwind is definitely something easy and lovely you can do to optimise your well-being right now.

If you’re not sure whether reflexology is for you please feel free to send me an email and ask any questions you may have.

The Association of Reflexologists has a great interactive foot map which really helps to explain the theory of the zones.
Interactive Foot Map

You can book a reflexology appointment with me here.

Peace and relaxation, Laura x

So from now on my lovely existing and new clients can now book their treatments with me via my website. At the moment the system works for my treatment room at Integrated Physical Medicine on Thursdays and for my at home treatment room on Fridays. If you would like to book me for a treatment in your home or for a corporate event do continue to contact me in the usual way via email laura@lovelymassage.co.uk or my sending me a WhatsApp on 07766313626.

I currently ask for a non-refundable deposit of 10%. If you need to cancel please let me know 24 hours in advance and I will try an reschedule your appointment for another time. If you cancel less that 24 hours in advance I will retain the deposit.

Hopefully this system will make it much easier for you to book your treatments making the whole experience even more relaxing!

Love and relaxation, Laura x