Massage
Regular Massage “tune up” for your body and mind.
Even more than your car, you use your body for everything; massage bodywork maintenance helps to keep your body and mind tuned and feeling good. If you have specific pains and injuries it is best to have more frequent treatments initially, to address these problems with your step-by-step personalised care plan. Then maintenance treatments “tune ups” offer maximum benefit to you when booked every 4 to 8 weeks. You have the freedom to choose whatever frequency works best for your time schedule and health budget.

Great health is a combination of things that supports the 12 body systems. Massage and yoga primarily care for your skeletal and muscular body systems and your nervous system, by helping you to relax, release stresses and tensions, physically, emotionally and mentally.

Here are some lifestyle tips to add extra benefits to your health and enhance your treatments.

Correct breathing – available in blog

Back Care
Posture is the support framework for the organs, skeletal and muscular systems. Maximising posture reduces stress and tension on your framework.

Standing Posture
Soft knees, not pushed back (hyperextended), helps corrects pelvic framework for the rest of your body.

Seated Posture
Have your lower back pressed into the back of the chair or car seat, do not slouch or slump your spine. A small cushion or physio lumbar roll placed into your lower back corrects seated posture and reduces lower back pain. If tired lie down rather than slouch. If you have back pain use a pillow under knees for back- sleeping and between knees for side-sleeping.

Shoulders
Standing and seated – pull shoulder blades down and together at the back, then release. Do this often during the day to tone weakened upper back muscles and commit to your personalised treatment stretches and strengthening exercises from Serenity Health Studio. Stretching and strengthening is the magic formula for your physical body. This creates longer and stronger muscles and soft tissues.

Neck
Necks are vulnerable, think of your neck like a bowling ball sitting on the top of a broom stick, it doesn’t have the added support structures like the rest of the spine.
Regular neck stretching with full breaths in each position helps to keep your neck flexible and stronger and reduces stiffness.

Three Neck stretches
1.Draw your chin to your chest, hold. 2.Turn over each shoulder, slowly. 3.Bend your ear towards your shoulder, slowly. Do each stretch 3 times on each side, then hold for 3 breaths in each stretch.

Pillow
Side-sleeping make sure your pillow is pushed into your shoulder not under your shoulder to fully support your neck. Ensure your pillow is the correct height so that the spine of your neck is in line with rest of the spine. If you always back-sleep a thinner pillow is usually better.

Heat
A heat pack placed on neck and shoulders regularly, is very soothing to your body and nervous system. Heat sends a direct message between the brain and soft tissues to relax, release and let go of daily tensions, especially for the neck and shoulders as this is where most people carry their stresses and tensions.

Yoga
Serenity Health Studio offers private yoga lessons and group classes with chair yoga or mat options. For an introduction to yoga you can also access free yoga videos at YouTube. Search “yoga for beginners” or “chair yoga”. What a gift and its free!

Water
Avoid dehydration, this places stress on the body systems. Your body is made up of approximately 75% water, water is lost when sweating, going to the toilet and breathing out tiny water particles when you exhale.
Men should drink 2.5 litres/10 cups of water each day. Women should drink 2 litres/8 cups of water each day.
If you are exercising, sweating a lot or are in a hot work or recreational environment, you will need to drink extra water to make up for the water you are losing.
Use a BPA-free or stainless-steel bottle to avoid plasticines leaching into your water.

Exercise
Mounting evidence that lower fitness levels are associated with high risk of cardiovascular disease and early aging and that pumping oxygen through your body helps to:

• Feel better and stress less
• Breeze through daily challenges
• Be faster, lighter, stronger in your body and mind
• Raise your physical, mental and emotional health
• Turn back the clock it’s never too late to benefit from regular exercise, even for those who haven’t been active in the past

Experts recommend a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise five times a week with heart rate increased, feeling puffed. If you have any restricting health issues check with your doctor first.

Caring for you and supporting you with your massage and yoga needs at Serenity Health Studio