There is a phenomenal book written by Dr Bessel van der Kolk, psychiatrist and founder of the Trauma Research Foundation, called The Body Keeps the Score. This book has had a profound impact on me, both personally and professionally.

I’ve yet to meet an engaged and informed counsellor, bodywork practitioner, yoga teacher, or similar who hasn’t read it and come away inspired. Most have gained knowledge that sparks a beautiful butterfly effect, improving their practice and deepening their own sense of self.

Fancy coming along to a friendly, cosy gathering for book lovers? Let’s say, the first Wednesday of every month. There’s no particular theme to worry about, and we keep the group small and intimate, with a maximum of 8 people, so everyone gets a chance to chat. Refreshments will be provided, making the evening even more enjoyable. You fancy it? Well, I certainly do. I love books, and I love talking to folks who also love books. This is a bit of a self-motivated gathering because it genuinely makes me happy, and if it makes you happy too, and if you’re in or around Edinburgh, then please come along, it’s going to be grand.

There’s a moment in every massage - just before the body fully yields - when something shifts. The breath slows, the nervous system exhales, and the layers of tension begin to unravel. It’s in that moment that massage moves beyond technique and into something deeper: an intuitive conversation between practitioner and client, a meeting point between science and soul.

This blog post is from journaling I did a small while ago when processing the passing of my grumpy, beautiful, mischievous much missed dad. It was my privilege and my pain to be with him as he passed. The picture is a rose, his favourite flower, he tended his rose garden with such a dedicated heart (he was no gardener, it was huge). And a rose is a traditional flower, and my dad was traditional in every sense of the word, Goodness knows how he contended with a child like me, but contend he did. This wee post of mine helped me make a little more sense of things when they felt senseless. Writing has always been my catharsis, and at times my nemesis.

Let me share with you my thoughts on massage, because there are many but it is also inherently simple.

Massage is an age old, multifaceted and delicately nuanced art. In contemporary times we have a raft of terms that are used to describe different types of massage, which can and are helpful when trying to discern which approach and which modality would best fit your particular needs at any particular time. So you’ll see I offer a range of different types of massage, yet when you come to book, you have the choice of booking ‘massage’ and a time frame that the massage is carried out.

In an ideal world, where finances were infinite, time was available, responsibilities were covered, how often should you come along for massage? The answer? It depends.

Gaargh, I hear you cry. That doesn’t help me one bit. Stick with me.

It’s all grounded in your body.

Massage is such a unique to you kind of thing. And the make up of you is nuanced, full of moves and turns that it isn’t quite so simple. A lot of folk who come to see me for massage carry their experience of the world in their body. And by that I mean they carry not just the ridiculously tight and uncomfortable shoulders or the creaky neck. They also carry the tension of that comes with life as a human - work, family, relationship, finances, overload across any and all of them. The thing with the living of life is that it creates a physical presence in the body as well as in the mind with your thoughts.