The Ancient Art of Relaxing

Aromatherapy, Reflexology

and

Bowen Technique

Pictures loading …

Therapeutic Treatments for a Detox of Your Mind and Body

Anxiety, Stress, Tension, Aching, Painful Muscles and Joints

Telephone 01892 518 670

Melanie O'Brien

BA (hons) ITEC ISPA CBRP IFR GCP ThAT OCR LEVEL 2 MIPTI FE AND ITEC TUTOR BABY MASSAGE AND P1LATES INSTRUCTOR BOWEN THERAPIST

ARTICLES & REVIEWS QUICK LINKS:

Mind Over Matter Pilates as the Perfect Exercise Pilates with Melanie

The Power of Touch Baby Massage Reflexology & Acupuncture

A Case of Mind Over Matter

Pilates as the Perfect Exercise

Back to Top

Pilates as the perfect exercise. (Continued)

Osteopaths have referred to it as one of the safest forms of exercise because muscles are worked but not fatigued. The English cricket team uses aspects of Pilates in its training because as focuses on abdominal and back muscles it helps sportsmen to recover quickly from sports injuries.

My own experience is that I have practised classical Pilates for more than 10 years for about two hours a week at various classes, mainly favouring ballet style background of tutor as not so keen on the fitness industry take on most exercise forms as more interested in general mobility. As a complimentary therapist practicing such as deep remedial massage, aromatherapy, manual lymphatic drainage and reflexology this gentle stretching of the whole body and the strengthening of the torso-abdominal and back to produce what is knowingly referred to as “core strength” and “core stability” has prevented me from incurring strains and sprains and general work related injuries.

Pilates greatly improves suppleness and strength whilst breaking poor postural problems and alleviating back pains. Poor posture I feel is the cause of so many physical problems from back pain to headaches and digestive disturbances.

The general confusion about Pilates, is evident in the general market immediately you ask people what it is with most people thinking it refers to a type of exercise whilst it really refers to the man who invented it.

Joseph Pilates was a German born man in the 1920’s who having had rickets and other health and posture problems devised a series of exercises (34), to keep the body strong and flexible. His work was favored by dancers and in the 1930’s he had a studio over the New York Ballet studio and it was the improved strength of the core muscles of the dancers that drew attention to Pilates work and ideas.

Joseph Pilates theorised two main ideas;

1. That imbalances in the body and habitual patterns of movement could lead to injury.

2. That if a person has a weakness or is misaligned in a certain area they tend to overcompensate or overdevelop another area.

Joseph Pilate’s method for solving this problem was;

1. To stabilise the trunk – neutral position of spine.

2. To develop and strengthen two primary control centres; the Rectus abdominis and the Transversus abdominis and the muscles of the spine (multidifidus).

Pilates provides good postural alignment and safe and effective exercise which strengthens the body for everyday use. Pilates, unlike so many other exercises uses the muscles and joints in accordance with their natural movement patterns rather than bouncing etc. where results only are important. Instead Pilates favors isotonic contractions; an even mixture of concentric and eccentric contraction through a full range of movement. For this reason it is often compared to a wheel, with movement being constant and flowing. It is this isotonic work that streamlines and strengthens the body evenly, which we so associate with Pilates or dance rather than the bulking as it strengthens in one position as has so often been the problem with gymnasium based training.

Pilates also takes a step away from modern gym work by introducing lots of rotary, ball and socket work whilst the gym tends to offer only angular type movements of flexion, extension, adduction and abduction. This helps to provide good joint mobility.

Produces a streamline, efficient and correctly aligned, strong body which is easily able to cope with day to day physical tasks.

Joseph Pilates devised eight principles for his Technique:

And they remain as relevant today whether you do matwork or machine Pilates.

1. Concentration

With Pilates every movement is a thought process and every movement is controlled by thought. Whereas with most other forms of exercise you can switch off and training with Pilates the ‘mind body’ side of this technique is that you block out other thoughts whilst focusing on the movement. Often referred to as the thinking way of moving.

2. Breathing

Breathing is a huge part of this technique, the hardest to achieve and the most important part to be achieved. Pilate’s demands that we contract our deep core muscles to 30% throughout and breath lateral thoracically, thus expanding the rib cage sideways rather than breathing into the abdomen.

3. Centring

In Pilates your centre or core, is your powerhouse with all exercises being controlled by the contraction of the abdominal muscles. Pilates makes the Body really work as a unit, much in the same way an Orchestra rehearses together, not separately as in just the flutes or violins on their own.

4. Control

Working against gravity with the Pilates based exercises strengthens the body the slower movement the greater strength we gain.

5. Precision

To place the body in a certain exact position at the beginning is difficult but routine in the technique leads to control of the movement and therefore exact execution of the exercise.

6. Flowing Movement

Pilates based exercises are a continuous movement as in a wheel turning continuously with the same speed through the cycle and range of movement.

7. Isolation

The Pilates based exercises challenge each person differently as with the different body types and training programs we all have different strengths and weaknesses. The technique serves to educate us about our particular weaknesses and strengths and how to rebalance them.

8. Routine

As with any principal repetition and frequency leads to the skill level rising. The technique is not meant to be a replacement for any other activity but an addition, to strengthen your body for whatever activity you need it for.

One of my favourite classes, which I attended, lost a lot of validity for me when the instructor said, “we don’t to the original exercises any more because they would kill you!” We do, but we layer them up slowly because unlike Pilate’s students we are not gymnasts or ballet dancers when we begin.

The original movements are broken down so as not to compromise the movement and the 8 principles of his previous based exercises then layer them up as we strengthen.

One of the advantages of Pilates classes is that it is possible to have many levels of student in the same class because as mainly mat work each can be working to their own level. And as devotees will tell you your strength and flexiblty can vary from day to day as to how you are feeling and they may themselves fine that they may not want to always practice at intermediate or advanced level.

Possibly the hardest thing to achieve is the breathing – Pilates works rather like a good diet; it essentially questions and brings about changes to our postural habits – it identifies our alignment weaknesses- strengthens us in practical movement patterns. Thus it is really bringing about a change in how we move and perform daily physical tasks.

Pilates Strengthens our bodies for the practical task of our everyday lives.

The criticism most often rallied at Pilates as the perfect exercise is that it is not cardiovascular and unless practised at most advanced level will never really be so. However, it was never devised to be the sole type of exercise for an individual but rather was aimed at an already extremely fit section of society i.e. ballet and gymnasts to help them avoid postural problems, improve balance and poise by providing ‘core stability’. Essentially when we study pilates it is those elements we are undertaking and it is assumed that we are having other exercise on a regular basis to address our cardiovascular requirements.

Pilates is in my opinion the perfect exercise as it strengthens us for daily life and is suitable for almost any age group and ideal for those with back problems which so often find exercise which they most need prohibitive to them. However if you are on any medication or have a heart or joint problem it is advisable that you ask your GP about the suitability of Pilates for yourself before beginning a class. Inform your tutor of any joint problems you have and they will be able to help you if not in the class in a one to one session or they may be able to specifically tailor make a routine for you to practice at home.

Melanie O’Brien qualified as a Pilates instructor in 2003 her classes are held at the following venues

Tunbridge Wells, King Charles The Martyr Church Hall on a Wednesday eve at 7pm. Beginners level the class

Dunks Hall, Hawkhurst, Kent on Tuesday evenings at 6pm for beginners and 7pm for intermediate level.

Kings Street Therapy Rooms West Malling on Monday evenings at 6pm

One to one sessions are also available. All bookings and enquiries to be made on 01892 518670

With the summer holidays and the intense summer heat that we have been experiencing I thought it might be useful to discuss the alternatives to sunburn. Firstly, everyone’s first aid travel kit and kitchen cupboard should include for burns of any kind Lavender essential oil. Aloe Vera and Manuoka honey are likewise very useful to have handy as well.

An old country remedy for sunburn cream which is considerably cheaper and more effective than most after-sun preparations and possibly the children on holiday could be involved in helping you prepare it is;

Elderflower Ointment.

2 handfuls of fresh elderflowers, 4 ounces lard (shortening)

Strip the flowers from the stalks and heat gently with the lard, stirring constantly. Simmer for 15 minutes and then strain whilst still warm through sieve into bottles.

Likewise, an essential addition to every lady’s dressing table in olden times would have been Elderflower water which would have been used to spritz the complexion, remove freckles and prevent the effects of sunburn keeping the skin pale soft and white.

Elderflower Water

Remove the stalks from a sufficient quantity of elderflowers to fill a large earthenware pot.

Pack the flowers in well and then pour 4pints of boiling water over them.

Leave to cool slightly and then add 3 large tablespoons of pure alcohol.

Cover with cloth and leave in warm place for 6hours

Move to cool place and allow to get cold

Strain through muslin.

Bottle and securely cork.

Use liberally on face, neck and hands.

For those amongst unfortunate enough to get “prickly heat” or “heat rash” whenever the weather gets hot. The best way to treat these itchy sore bumps which are in fact an allergic reaction to the sun is to start as soon as you can apply liberal amounts of vinegar frequently to all parts over exposed to the sun, along with other sun creams.

After the initial stinging if the skin already prickling the skin dramatically improves and the smell evaporates quickly in the heat. This remedy works because either the vinegar serves to toughen the delicate skin or more likely because it neutralises some of the skins own acidity.

Pilates with Melanie

Back to Top

Poster

Back to Top

The Power of Touch

Back to Top

The Healing Power of Touch (Continued)

Massage as Medicine:

In the 13^th Century the German Emperor Frederick II, curious to know what language children would speak if they were raised without hearing any words at all, decided to conduct a little empirical research. Seizing a number of newborn children from their parents he handed them to nurses with strict instruction to feed them but neither talk to or hold them. The babies never learnt a language. They all died before they could talk. Frederick’s experiment whilst failing to find the answer to his desired question had nevertheless made an important discovery; that tactile stimulation is essential to life.

Unfortunately Frederick’s findings has inadvertienly been confirmed many times since then, most recently during the 1990’s in Romania, when thousands of infants warehoused in orphanages and left virtually alone in cribs for two years were found to be severely impaired. Such findings only serves to confirm what we instinctively know that touch and contact is a primal need, as necessary for growth as food, clothing and shelter.

Michelangelo realised this when he painted God extending a hand towards Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He chose a casual, carefree touch to depict the gift of life itself.

From the caresses between a mother and a child that form the foundations of self, to the holding of hands between a child and a dying parent that allows a final letting go, touch is our most intimate and powerful form of communication.

There are no less than 5,000 000 touch receptors in our skin, with 3,000 being present in a single fingertip, touch has the ability to reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure. It communicates the message you are not alone I am with you.

Touch stimulates the brain to produce endorphins, the bodies natural pain suppressers, or opiates for the ‘feel good’ factor. This is why a mother’s kiss on an infants scratched knee can quite literally ‘heal’ it.

Touch enhances the immune functions and thereby builds resistance to disease. Touch lowers the levels of the stress hormones cortisol and norephrine. Touch stimulates the vagus cranial nerve which influence various bodily functions; – one branch of which travels to the gastrointestinal tract, where it facilitates the release of food-absorption’s hormones such as insulin and glucose. This explains why massaged premature babies gain weight faster; their food absorption is more efficient than non-massaged premature babies.

So why when it has so many wonderful, proven, benefits do we still find so much resistance to massage?

Partly because we live in a culture that is still essentially ‘touchy about touch’.

Many insurance companies shy of insuring such treatments particularly on infants.

A limited nursing staff who are over worked and underpaid now and who as such have little time to take on additional responsibilities of either training or duties due to inadequate resources.

The Miami Touch Research Institute (TRI) the world’s only scientific centre devoted to exploring the effects of touch on health. In research conducted on the benefits of massage on premature babies discovered that such massage may in fact be saving the infants lives. The TRI study of premature babies suggested results, which were astonishing. They conducted a study providing to premature infants three massages a day for a period of 10 days, which they found not only increased alertness, activity, responsivity more than other nonmassaged infants of same size and premature condition. But that the children became more tolerant to noise and to be able to quiet themselves. That they slept more deeply. And had fewer episodes of apnea; a brief cessation of breathing; a risk factor of sudden infant death syndrome, and they were found to gain

weight at a staggering 47% faster than the nonmassaged child and thus were able to leave hospital sooner.

These advantages for premature infants who have massage are also applicable to all babies it is just the progress you would be hoping for is with a more long-term view rather than an immediate one as with the premature child one is hoping to make them safe, stabilise their condition and get them out of the isolette. In general child or baby massage what the mother is aiming for is the development of a happy healthy child both physically and emotionally.

Baby massage in general helps to establish the following in an individual:

-The development of a sound personality, inner strength, resourcefulness and independence.

-An enhanced immune system with increased resistance to disease.

- Enhanced bonding between parent and child.

- To stimulate, develop and strengthen all the body’s developing systems.

- To develop muscle strength co-ordination and improved joint flexibility.

-To improve baby’s sleep pattern by introducing relaxation and calmness.

- In addition massage can help with some childhood problems such as dry skin which can be common baby condition aggravated by preparations such as talc and baby oil. Such preparations are mineral oil-based and thus are not easily absorbed by the skin and can cause pores to become blocked and can make babies sensitive skin dryer.

Another skin condition common to the early months of childhood, which can be greatly improved by massage, is cradle cap. This refers to a brown flaky mark on scalp. Shampoo tends to aggravate this condition, drying it out, but gentle stroking with grapeseed or almond oil moistens skin and serves to loosen the cradle cap.

Bonding refers to strong physical, emotional and spiritual attachment. For bonding to occur between babies and the parents special time together needs to be made, particularly straight after birth, which is why more people are choosing home births of the Leboyer type, where there is minimum medical and technological and nursing procedures to interfere with the normal birth process. This way the birth experience, the bonding and the welcoming time all belong to the parents and their new baby. The mother and her baby are not separated but close together, and soon get to know each other; the father at their sides, involved, loving and bonding too.

The baby through touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell develops bonding. Behaviour by parents such as fondling and gazing are indicators of bonding attachment to their baby.

The ideal birth, is however not always possible sometimes things go wrong and medical intervention is needed. Events which interfere with mother/child bonding are delay in infant and mother being together after the birth; drugs which anaesthetise either mother or baby, prolonged separation after a Caesarean Section, or the necessary use of the isolette. In such instances massage given to the child by a person other than the parents can be very calming to the child and reduce the separation anxiety such a situation can cause. Remember up until the moment of birth, when due to powerful uterine contractions the baby has been squeezed down the narrow birth canal and thrust upon the world, he/she has been completely surrounded and supported by the womb and has been intimately connected to the mother and suddenly is all alone and very afraid.

Whilst some hospitals respect the Leboyer type of birth so often in hospitals a normal birth involves noise, bright lights and separation from the mother and thus little opportunity for bonding.

Massage is an expression of pure love through a special kind of positive, caring touch. When mothers massage their babies at an early age, the massage continues the bonding process and helps to establish a warm, positive, parent-child relationship. It also creates a metaphysical energy flow of love between mother and child. This is an energising experience to both and a deep communication is formed. Baby massage is an introduction of caring touch to and infant that can continue to any age. Toddlers, teenagers and adults are all more receptive to touch if they were massaged as babies. They have been granted permission to touch; reassured that it is okay.

Where there is a lack of loving touch with a child the emotional and physical development of that child will be impaired of arrested; if given freely the child will become confident self assured and to have an inner strength and resolve which will make them more prepared to cope with life and less prone to anxiety and fearfulness. Likewise a child that has been taught to appreciate positive touch is unlikely to later be someone who would engage in negative touch which is so much a problem today.

Massage is also useful for improving the relationship between mother and child when it has been strained by a difficult ‘colicky’, irritable baby and mum feels negative angry thoughts about this child. The interjection of a positive, touching caressing approach may be invaluable in altering the mother’s negative reaction to a positive one. Massage is in general a means of reducing stress between parents and their child.

Through massage a warm and loving relationship is developed, and a positive flow of love between parents and baby is established. The love of the parents, directly expressed through touch, promotes relaxation and encourages the baby’s growth and self-healing potential. Massage is beneficial to babies in their developing years and can remain valuable throughout their lives. When early bonding is well established and the mother child relationship is warm and caring, it lays the foundation for similar warmth and caring with others in later life.

Likewise, holding a child close will provide a valuable energy exchange from mother to child. Breast feeding or; if have to bottle feed supporting the child next to a bare breast as you give them the bottle can be helpful. Along with the use of baby ruck-sacs which are useful; allowing mum to get through her daily activities with baby feeling secure next to her body warmth and heartbeat and hearing her voice and smell. All are calming to a baby. However, in Britain we seem to have the idea that to give a child so much contact will spoil them whilst in fact it will serve to provide them with the best start in life based in security and confidence of their parents unconditional love.

Bibliography:

Dawes N. Harold F. Massage Cures London Thorsons 1988

Ashley Montagu’s Touching – The Human Significance of the Skin London Harper and Row.

Walker P. The Book of Baby Massage. London Bloomsbury 1988

Amelia D. Auckett Baby Massage The magic of the loving touch

Frederick Leyboyer Birth Without Violence 1974

Newsheets from the Organisation for Prenatal Education