Being a Massage Therapist is great! Obviously, I can only speak for myself here but there are so many positive people in the massage world it has to "rub off" on you at some point! I should mention here that really, really bad puns will probably feature in these blogs - please find it in your heart to forgive me!

I was introduced to massage by Anny Cooke, who also happens to be my mum. She has been a Bowen practitioner based in Bexhill & Hastings for over 10 years, and a body worker for at least another 10 on top of that. If you are based in that area, check out her profile to find out how she can help you. Her words of wisdom played a large part in my decision to follow the path of a body worker and I haven't looked back since!

Being a qualified Sports Massage Therapist stands you in good stead for a good all round general knowledge of the body. It is a versatile modality and has enabled me to adapt my style to suit all manner of clientelle. It seems that it's usefulness is pretty common knowledge though, as there are just so many Sports Massage Therapists! Realising this lead me to seek out that special something to separate me from the rest of the crowd and luckly, my sage-like mother came up trumps again by introducing me to a man called Ray Smith, Deft Bowen and a cheeky little number known as Emmett Technique. I can safely say that it was whilst watching Ray relieve the serious discomfort in my other half's calves after she'd pushed herself way to far on a run the previous day, in less than 5 minutes, that I knew I wanted to learn what he knew!

Deft Bowen, Ray's adaptation of Bowen technique, is a gentle and elegant therapy that can help release tight muscles and provide a relaxed and calm state of body and mind. This technique can also assist in releasing emotional trauma that may be held within muscles. Many people may have never associated the tension or discomfort felt in their body with an emotional or stressful event. Sometimes just making that connection is enough to help start relieving any pain.

Take the Deft Bowen and throw in some Emmett and you're on to a winner. This technique, like Ray, is from Australia and put together by a man called Ross Emmett. It works by giving the therapist quick, easy and effective points and switches, found on the client's body, with which to release tight & sore muscles. It's pretty safe to say you'll feel a difference in 5 minutes, and get this, you can apply both of these techniques through light clothing which makes everyone's life that little bit easier! I will be writing a more in depth post on Emmett soon, so hit that orange RSS button and subscribe to keep up to date.

It is worth noting that Bowen can sometimes promt stronger effects approximately six hours after treatment, be that muscle soreness, feeling light headed, "like I've been hit by a bus", so it's worth noting the time and just making sure a glass of water and a comfy chair are to hand! This is just your body realigning itself & processing the information. Don't worry, you'll soon feel better!

As far as I'm aware, no one else in Hertfordshire is trained in Emmett Technique or Deft Bowen which is what helps my massage therapy business, Muscle Solutions, stand out from the rest (find me on Twitter & Facebook). If I'm wrong then please get in touch as I'd love to meet others and share ideas and experiences! Hey, get in touch anyway - I am very happy and excited to be on this journey and to be able to help people in this way, and the more like minded people i meet along the way the better! I'm a firm believer in the law of attraction and "you get what you give", so bring it on world; I've got a whole sack of "give" with your name on it!

So what was your last professional massage experience like? Did you come away from it in a positive light?