Tag: wellbeing

Posted on

Pregnancy Massage: 4 Big Differences

Pregnancy Massage: 4 Big Differences.

Pregnancy massage is a wonderful treatment during strange months of gestation. There are, however, some important differences to this type of massage, compared to massages at other times of adult life. Let’s have a look at what they are.

Pregnancy Massage - 4 Big differences. Thumbnail

Pregnancy Massage Indications and contra-indications

All types of massage come with their indications and contra-indications. Pregnancy massage is no different.

Contraindication #1: First trimester

The main contraindication is: no massage of any kind during the first trimester. The first trimester is the time in which a pregnancy is most likely to fail. So, as a general safeguard, we don’t do any bodywork during the first three months of pregnancy. Once twelve weeks have elapsed, we still need permission from the family doctor, midwife, or gynaecologist.

Indication #1: Relief from aches and pains

The number one indication of pregnancy massage is: pain relief.

Pregnant women are not ill. They are pregnant. But, gestation presents a set a challenges that are short-lived, but unique to this special life moment.

The development of the belly presents musculo-skeletal challenges around how and where weight is balanced in the body, and how the spinal column responds the the everyday shock absorption of things like walking. If a woman already has a toddler or babe-in-arms to attend to, the back, neck and arms can get particularly worn out.

Connective tissue changes due to fluctuating hormones can produce aches and pains that come and go during the day, but can be especially tiresome during the night. The laxity in connective tissue during pregnancy means that massage therapists must adopt a “don’t know go slow” attitude, especially when working around the pelvis.

But, a well designed pregnancy massage can go a long way to helping a woman feel more comfortable. That is why it’s indication number one!

Indication #2: Relief from swelling

A pregnant woman has about 50% more blood in her body than usual! More blood equals more perfusion of liquid into the intra-cellular and tissue spaces. The result: swelling.

Edema in the legs and and ankles is an extremely common side-effect of later-stage pregnancy. Manual Lymphatic Drainage massage is uniquely suited to relieving puffiness, calming the central nervous system, relieving pressure on the inguinal lymph nodes, and generally helping an expectant mother feel more herself again.

A qualified MLD therapist will be able to explain about the importance of breathing, and the changes in the diaphragmatic pump during pregnancy. These are specialist topics that won’t often be addressed by the medical team, but which can go a long way to helping a woman understand what is happening to her body.

Through a clear, helpful explanation, and good understanding of the lymphatic system during pregnancy, a women can feel more serene and at ease during this singular moment in her life.

The Four Big Differences

Aromatherapy or Essential oils

During pregnancy, it is recommended that no essential oils be used. In very late stages of pregnancy, some chamomile could be added to the carrier oil. But, I adhere strictly to this rule: No essential oils.

Essential oils are highly concentrated because they have been extracted and distilled. We smell them, and we also absorb them via the skin.

The skin is the largest organ in the body, and has a high degree of venous irrigation. This means that things that you apply to the skin get into your blood supply very quickly.

Essential oils contains lots of organic compounds like terpenes, benzenes, and toluenes. As adults, we have all been exposed to these chemicals and most of us can tolerate them. But a developing foetus has not had any environmental exposure, yet. Although the mother’s liver and kidneys would filter the blood, we still don’t want to mess around with this. Don’t use essential oils in your pregnancy massage practice.

Electromedicine

Devices like Indiba, TENS, or (my favorite) HIVAMAT, all have one thing in common: they use electricity to stimulate the skin and/or connective tissue and/or nerves in order to relieve pain and promote healing.

The developing foetus is particularly sensitive to electrostatic fields. During pregnancy massage, electromedicine devices of any kind are not used.

Reflexology points

Reflexology is particularly nice for the expectant mother. Not only is positioning on the massage couch easier (no side-lying), the feet take a beating during gestation and often need some TLC.

Having said that, there are certain reflex points on the ankles that heels that must be avoided until a woman is full term. Make sure not to stimulate points related to the uterus when giving reflexology massage!

Positioning on the massage couch

It is unlikely that a women past her first trimester will be comfortable lying face-down for any period of time. Structure the treatment so that she is at ease.

Avoid lying for too long on the left side, as this makes her heart work harder. Try side-lying on the right side, with pillows between the knees and in front of the belly (for the free arm).

If she can lie on her back, slightly raise the legs, to relieve pressure on the lower back. Work with your patient, making sure she knows that she can speak up in case she needs to move or, as often happens, she needs to get up to pee halfway through the treatment.

How to book an appointment

If you like what you have read here, and think that you may know someone who could benefit from a massage during pregnancy, send her my way! I have an intuitive and easy-to-use booking system that allows you to choose your time and date.

I can also prepare a gift card for your loved one. Just drop me a line at rosetintyourlife (at) gmail (dot) com and I will get back to you. You can also use the Whatsapp button on the bottom right of your screen.

Pregnancy massage at Rose Tint Your Life

At Rose Tint Your Life, I am here to help you live your best life in plenitude and wellness. Here’s to your good health!

-Rachel

Posted on

4-6: A powerful breathwork technique to enhance the wellness of your mind and body.

Discover powerful breath work techniques to enhance the wellness of your mind and body.
Discover a powerful breathwork technique to enhance the wellness of your mind and body.

Discover a powerful breathwork technique to enhance the wellness of your mind and body. Yoga has numerous pranayâma practices, each with a specific purpose.

Diya Motwani cited one of my favourite breathing techniques in her article “Three Ways to Incorporate Self-care in 2023¨. It is always nice to get a mention in the International Press.

If you want to learn how to use breathwork to take care of both your mind and body, please read on!

4-6 Breathing: A Simple Breathwork Technique

Counting the breath is one of the simplest ways to learn to breathe better. Most people are breathing far too quickly. Breathing too fast puts stress on the heart. The heart wants the blood to be fully oxygenated, and that’s hard to achieve if we are breathing too fast.

Let’s try to slow the breathing down just a little, and see how we feel. Start by closing your eyes and checking in with yourself. A brief body scan can reveal areas where tension is being held, such as the jaw, hands, or hips.

Let’s breathe!

Breathwork technique for mind and body wellness
4-6 Breathwork technique

Sitting comfortably, breathe in through your nose whilst counting 1-2-3-4. Try to make your breath last the whole time.

Then, breathe out through your nose, counting 6-5-4-3-2-1. Again, try to make your breath last the whole time that you’re counting.

Repeat for as long as you can. A nice length of time for breathwork is ten to twelve minutes.

Don’t worry if you notice little pauses after the inhale, or after the exhalation. This is perfectly normal. For this breathwork technique, we are focusing only on the lengths of the inhale and the exhalation.

Mind and Body Wellness

The breath is the bridge between the body and the mind. Most of us would love to be able to tell our thoughts to just STOP. But, we cannot. Nor can we just tell a racing heart to settle down. The breath, however, is under our conscious control. Becoming friends with the breath is the first step to becoming friends with the mind.

Breathing for Longevity

There are so many health buzzwords around these days: inflammation, toxicity, intermittent fasting, mindfulness, and the list goes on. It can be confusing to navigate the world of self-care and wellness. Rest assured, if you feel a bit lost, you’re not alone.

Good breathing, however, would underpin and accompany any diet, exercise, therapy or lifestyle change. Breathing is common to everyone, and it is safe to say that the better you breathe, the better you feel.

If you try this technique, and it feels good, please let me know. I care about the outcome.

-Rachel

Posted on

Good sleep habits: 5 important factors for a longer life

Good sleep habits have been shown to increase life expectancy by up to five years. A study that will be presented next month has thrown up some startling new data. Over 172,000 adults of an average age of 50 years were tracked for five years. Their sleep habits were recorded and correlated with death rates and causes of death.

“Participants were followed for a median of 4.3 years during which time 8,681 individuals died. Of these deaths, 2,610 deaths (30%) were from cardiovascular disease, 2,052 (24%) were from cancer, and 4,019 (46%) were due to other causes.“

The 5 good sleep habits

Good sleep habits can increase life expectancy by 2-5 years. Rose Tint Your Life logo with a half moon and two zz's representing sleep.

The five factors of good quality sleep are:

  1. ideal sleep duration of seven to eight hours a night
  2. difficulty falling asleep no more than two times a week
  3. trouble staying asleep no more than two times a week
  4. not using any sleep medication
  5. feeling well-rested after waking up at least five days a week.

Those study participants who reported that they slept 7-8 hours per night, had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep less than twice per week, used no sleep medication, and awoke feeling rested most days lived, on average 2-5 years longer than the study participants who did not fulfill all these criteria.

Bear in mind, these good sleep habits are self-reported. So, they are subjective.

What happens when we sleep

We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, but science, as yet, is not fully able to explain the whys and wherefores of sleep. Still, we know that there are certain good sleep habits that we must get right, most of the time.

What we do know is that humans seem to need about 7-8 hours of sleep, in nighttime hours, preferably at the same time, every night.

Deep breathing

When we think of someone sleeping, we usually imagine a person lying down and breathing deeply. In fact, for a breathwork instructor like me, sleeping breath is endlessly fascinating. Countless people are assailed by snoring and sleep apnea at night, But, the healthy sleeping breath is slow, deep and rhythmic, with a sound not unlike that of waves upon a seashore. Good sleep habits, for me, include breathing through the nose and not snoring.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CFS)

This slow, deep rhythmic breath seems to help “wash” the brain by stimulating the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, or CFS. (There is even one study that confirms that yogic breathing techniques also stimulate CFS flow in the brain).

Lymph

Deep breathing also stimulates lymphatic flow. This is due to the pumping of the diaphragm and the resulting push-pull in the ventral (abdominal) space. Lymphatic flow is vital for immunity, so it stands to reason that the deep breathing of good sleep helps immunity. Also, just lying down takes the pressure off our lovely lymphatic system. What more reason do you need??

How to sleep better at night naturally

Habits for better sleep include keeping regular hours, not eating heavy meals late at night, using alcohol moderately, and practicing yoga, breathwork, and meditation. Yoga has been shown to help people sleep better. Massage also promotes better sleep quality. It would almost seem that my whole professional offer is about better sleep! Well, not quite. But, I am a former insomniac and I can tell you that I now sleep better and longer than ever before.

Good sleep habits for insomnia include not lying in bed for too long if you do awaken at night, not drinking too much water before bed, taking Magnesium and/or GABA (not if you’re on anti-depressants), and making sure that your bed linen is not too heavy or too light. If you are prone to waking with racing thoughts, keep a book and a pen next to your bed so that you can jot down whatever it is that you’re thinking and, hopefully, get back to sleep.

Your sleep hygiene checklist

If you need a little help to get some rest, do try to limit screen time before bed, avoid energetic exercise, avoid spicy food and caffeine after midday, practice deep breathing and conscious relaxation, take time to hug and caress your loved ones, and spend some time looking at the moon, the stars, or even a pretty plant. In short, tune into yourself and tune the world out!

Conclusion

Rose Tint Your Life is a conceptual project on how to make life a little more fun, just by tweaking normal everyday habits. I hope to offer insight into research and theory on longevity and anti-aging. I always work from the basis of Spirituality with my feet on the ground.

Sleep is cheap, natural, and normal. We all do it, but some people truly struggle to sleep well and enough. If you are interested in using natural methods like yoga, breathing, and massage to help you to sleep better, get in touch with me via my Whatsapp button or my contact form.

If your head is what is spinning, meditation and mindfulness might help, too. I teach both in private and online sessions. I think you’re worth investing in. Do you?

Good sleep habits, if not learned in childhood, can be developed in adulthood. Learning good sleep habits is fundamental for good health and for longevity. Not only does sleep allow the body to rest and the spirit to dream, but it also lets the CFS and the lymph flow. So what are you waiting for? Get to bed!

Sending good vibes from here,

Rachel