Why I've Spent the last Six Months Training In A Different Way Of Working With The Body

As therapists, there is never a shortage of courses we can take. Deep tissue massage. Hot stones. New facial techniques. New tools, new trends and new treatments.

When I decided to invest the time and money into further training, I wasn't looking for another technique to add to my treatment menu.

I was looking for something deeper.

Over the years, I've noticed that many women don't come to me simply because they have tight shoulders or an ache in their neck. Of course, physical tension is often part of the picture, but what they're usually seeking runs much deeper.

They're exhausted from carrying so much.

They're overwhelmed.

They're navigating change.

They're feeling disconnected from themselves.

They're longing for a moment where they don't have to perform, achieve, care for everyone else, or hold everything together.

I've always believed that the body, mind and soul are connected. As a therapist, I chose to train initially in Complementary Therapy rather than standard massage or beauty because I was fascinated by the connection between the body, mind and soul.

Ironically, massage wasn't at the top of my list. In fact, it was probably the therapy I felt least confident in during my first two years in business. Yet I found myself being told by my tutor that I gave the best massage she had ever received. At the same time, massage appointments became my most popular modality.

For something I lacked confidence in providing!

I couldn't quite believe it.

To build my confidence, I became increasingly curious about the massages I was giving and the role touch plays in helping us reconnect with ourselves.

Why were women leaving feeling so different?

Why did something as simple as touch seem to have such a profound effect?

That curiosity led me to six months of training in devotional bodywork.

When I stumbled across Zoe's work at The Body Whispering Institute, it felt like a lightbulb moment.

For the first time, I found someone putting words to things I had instinctively felt throughout my work as a therapist.

The importance of presence.

The power of slowing down.

The idea that touch can be so much more than a technique.

That it can help someone feel safe, supported, connected and truly cared for.

One of the ideas that stayed with me throughout the training was the difference between working on the body and being with the body.

Many massage techniques focus on what to do next.

This training focused on how to listen.

How to slow down.

How to create safety.

How to become fully present with the person in front of you.

Because when life feels busy and overwhelming, being truly present with another human being is becoming increasingly rare.

And yet, it's often what we are craving most.

You Can Never Go Too Deep, But You Can Go Too Fast

When people hear the word "deep", they often think of pressure.

But one of the most valuable lessons I learned is that depth and pressure are not the same thing.

Sometimes the deepest experiences come from slowing down.

From allowing space.

From not rushing to the next movement.

From letting the nervous system settle.

The body often tells us what it needs when we stop trying to force it.

This approach supports deep relaxation, nervous system regulation and a greater sense of connection with ourselves.

One of the things that struck me most during the training was how little space many of us have to simply receive.

We're constantly thinking about what needs doing next. Looking after children, partners, parents, homes, businesses and endless to-do lists. Even when we finally stop, our minds often don't.

I realised that many women arrive for a treatment carrying far more than physical tension.

They're carrying responsibility.

Decision fatigue.

Grief.

Change.

Pressure.

Sometimes they don't even realise how much they're holding until they finally put their head on the treatment bed and exhale.

The training explored intentional touch, supported stretching, breath, stillness and presence, but more than anything, it reinforced something I've always believed: that there is immense value in creating a space where someone feels safe enough to let go for a while.

Not because they're broken.

Not because they need fixing.

But because being human can be heavy sometimes.

And we all deserve moments where we don't have to carry it alone.

Why This Matters

The more I reflected on the training, the more I realised that it wasn't teaching me something completely new. It was giving me language for something I'd already felt to be true throughout my work.

The women who come to óm holistic are rarely looking for a massage alone.

They're looking for a pause.

A reset.

A chance to reconnect with themselves.

A moment where they can stop being everything to everyone else and simply be.

For me, this way of working feels like a natural evolution of everything I've built over the last few years. The rituals I create have always been about the whole person - body, mind and soul - and this training has deepened that understanding even further.

The result of those six months is Held.

A ritual created for women navigating a season of change, feeling disconnected from themselves, or simply longing for a little more space in a world that rarely stops.

Held is the longest, most immersive and most deeply personal ritual I offer at The Bothy.

Before you arrive, you'll receive a personal reflection questionnaire to help me understand where you are and what you're carrying. From there, the experience unfolds through ceremonial cacao, conversation, intuitive bodywork, supported stretching, stillness and time to integrate before returning to the outside world.

It's difficult to explain Held as a treatment or even a ritual because it feels like so much more than that.

It's a few hours carved out entirely for you.

A chance to slow down.

To exhale.

To reconnect.

To be supported, witnessed and held.

And if that sounds like exactly what you've been craving, I'd love to welcome you to The Bothy.

Reserve