We know that pregnant soon-to-be Mums suffer from backache – specifically lower back pain, tight glutes, tight hip flexors, sore shoulders, swollen ankles and tight chests. But we’ve noticed that many find it difficult to get a massage in London that will address these issues. All too often we hear that massage therapists would not go deep enough.

As experienced massage therapists, we know it’s important to be safe, and communicate well with our pregnant, or post-partum massage therapy clients. Comfort and safety are of utmost importance! But crucially, we also know how to listen carefully and to safely deliver what our clients request.

You can see some shots here of a team workshop for City Sports Massage Islington this April. Whether our therapists have done these workshops before or not, we like to continually hone our skills to make sure we’ve got it just right. Although we train in Islington, our therapists go on to practice at all of our City Sports Massage London locations.

The pregnant ‘client’ in the shots is City Sports Massage’s very own Becky. She’s worked with us as a massage therapist and staff trainer since the company began. As this is her second pregnancy – she is an ideal position to offer feedback and instruction. Though as you can see from the photo’s here – most of the feedback in this particular workshop was silent smiles!

City Sports Massage London therapists Ade and Claire work on massage therapist and pregnancy massage specialist Becky, who is pregnant.

City Sports Massage London's Principal massage therapist Jon illustrates a massage technique to Ade and Claire, as they work on massage therapist and pregnancy massage specialist Becky, who is heavily pregnant.

City Sports Massage London therapist Claire gives pregnant pregnancy massage specialist Becky a massage! Here you can see Claire relieving the pressure and weight of Becky's bump.

City Sports Massage London therapist Ade gives pregnant pregnancy massage therapist Becky a massage! Here you can see Ade relieving the pressure and weight of Becky's bump.

City Sports Massage London therapist Ade gives pregnant pregnancy massage therapist Becky a massage! Here you can see Ade feeling Becky's baby kicking away! It was a very special and exciting moment for everyone present!

You might have heard about shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, tight calf muscles, and torn hamstrings. It’s enough to make you loose sleep! But the last thing your mind and body need are worry. Stress consumes calories, strips your body of much needed vitamins, and erodes your confidence and well being. Maintaining a balance means looking after mind and body, allowing you to focus on keeping your marathon running training schedule tight. It’s tempting to overtrain, and this is often the reason for frustrating, last-minute sports injuries, especially seen in the run up to the London marathon.

City Sports Massage have an international reputation in using specialist massage therapy to treat sports injuries and stress. We work with our clients as a team – giving and receiving feedback throughout sessions to pinpoint areas that need attention. By listening closely and working efficiently we help our clients maintain a healthy, balanced mind and body – which is why we receive recommendations from marathon and ultra-marathon runners who’ve run the Chicago, Paris, Berlin, New York and Boston marathons.

We operate from multiple Central London locations and our massage therapists work seven-days-a-week to keep London Marathon runners happy!

And if you’re still not sure? Check out our testimonials!

City Sports Massage specialise in providing massage therapy service with consistent, guaranteed standards. We are famously selective in our recruitment process – because we know exactly what our clients like. All of our therapists are highly trained before they join us AND, crucially, they receive advanced massage training in house. Every treatment they provide is bespoke – and you will notice a calm, friendly, precise and intelligent approach that unites our team.

You don’t need to choose between sports massage, deep tissue massage or remedial massage with us. We do them all.

By listening carefully to feedback we have built the most popular sports massage team in London. Our regular, international referrals show that we not only listen – we also deliver.

City Sports Massage’s clients are intelligent and knowledgeable – we aim to give information as well as massage therapy, in order that those who meet us become further empowered, and more self-sufficient.

Whether you’re looking for a sports massage in London, or outside of London, check out our blog posting ‘How do I choose the right massage therapist in my locality?’. It outlines the differences between sports massage and deep tissue massage, and also provides helpful info on carrying out a search – whether you’re looking for a sports massage in London, or elsewhere.

However, if you’re looking for a massage in Islington, massage in Mayfair, massage in Holborn, or massage in London Bridge – Book an appointment – and find out why we’re so popular!

© Jon Gee 2012

Jon Gee is the founder of City Sports Massage, a team of massage therapists in London who combine deep-tissue massage therapy with stress-reduction and body-awareness techniques.

If you don’t want to book a massage in Islington right now, but you’re interested in learning more about sports and remedial massage, perhaps you’ll be interested in reading our FAQS page, or one of the many blog articles on how massage can help reduce pain and stress? Whether you’re studying for a sports massage course, looking for a sports massage job, or suffering from pain, injury or stress, we hope Islington massage specialists City Sports Massage can help!

But how does anxiety and depression fit into that pattern? Is it any different?

When we become depressed we might be lethargic, sad, anxious, worried and fearful of the future. We can find ourselves in a repeat loop – a seeming endless cycle of frustration and melancholy.

At the bottom of this pit of despair can lie basic assumptions that we are making about our past and our future. The present might seem like a painful place as we agonise about what has been, and what is to come.

Our muscular reactions are no different than in the flight, fight or freeze response – we are, in effect reacting to an internal stimulus that is telling us we have reason to be fearful. And like the sabre tooth tiger in the aforementioned post, it can hurt us – so we freeze, or panic in order to try to combat that fear.

This leads to deep muscle tension, muscle stiffness, chronic back pain, shoulder pain, frozen shoulders and back spasms.

But how can deep tissue massage help?

By using gentle breathing techniques, and giving our clients a sense of body awareness, we can help reduce anxiety and decrease tension. By focusing on the present moment we can facilitate the easing of tensions in both the mind and the body. All City Sports massage therapists can facilitate this inquiry. City Sports Massage principal therapist Jon Gee also uses counselling skills to work through what has led to the present situation of pain and dysfunction – and offers gentle guidance in how to challenge assumptions, and rise above the daily grind of incessant, negative thought patterns. The same thought patterns that keep us locked in a cycle of pain and dysfunction.

A journey of discovery should be an enriching process, and taken at a comfortable speed. But if we are brave enough to meet our pain, then awareness, breathing and bodywork can help us eradicate it.

© Jon Gee 2011

Jon Gee is the founder of City Sports Massage, a team of massage therapists in London who combine deep-tissue massage therapy with stress-reduction and body-awareness techniques.

City Sports Massage offer massage therapy in Islington, Mayfair, Holborn and London Bridge.

City Sports Massage regularly attract referrals from across the globe – North and South America, all across Europe, even China recently! We are well known because we’re friendly, approachable, and have a very high standard of work.

CSM run a Graduate Training Scheme for appropriately qualified freelance sports massage therapists. If you’ve done a sports massage course, but feel like you need help in developing your confidence and building a practice, we might be just the right people to speak to.

Our training includes a full program of intensive workshops, training sessions developed individually around specific needs, and close mentoring and support. Teaching ratios are often three teachers to one student, and never less than one teacher to two students! After an initial series of workshops, those undertaking our training program are considered fully-fledged members of our team, and are promoted through our marketing channels and large, ever-growing database of clients. As graduate trainees thus begin working and earning as CSM Therapists, they receive continuous feedback via our extensive support network, which greatly assists in the fast-track learning process.

Entry is limited to a very small number of applicants per year. Applicants are expected to continue working freelance for us post-completion of all training.

If you are interested in working in a supportive atmosphere, and being part of the best, most widely known sports massage team in London, please read more here to find out how to apply.

Please note that you must be a graduate of a sports massage course in order to train on our Graduate Training Scheme.

It might seem like a dream come true for women of a certain age, but City Sport’s Becky is off on tour with Take That! – as their personal Deep Tissue and Remedial Sports Massage Therapist! Becky will be taking care of the lad’s aches and pains as they perform on a three month tour across Europe.

You can see occasional updates from Becky via our CSM Twitter.

But don’t worry, Becky’s Thursdays will be covered by Senior Therapist Fuchsia, so you will have an uninterrupted, fine-quality service!

Becky will be back performing massage in London at our Islington location in August…

Becky will be massaging Take That on their current 2011 European Tour. Although this picture is a few years old now, we are assured they are in just as fine a form.

However, relief for our busy team is here, and we are delighted to announce we have finally managed to find a brand new, up-and-coming star of the massage world!

Claire Lydon-Strutt – available Saturdays at London Bridge too!

Deep Tissue and Remedial Sports Massage therapist Claire will be working on Mondays and Fridays in Holborn, Saturdays at London Bridge, and Sundays in Highbury and Islington. Click on Claire‘s picture to view her profile!

City Sports Massage Therapist Claire

JM: Running has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, growing up I lived next to the beach and used to find myself running through the dunes for hours on end. At school I played rugby, and being out on the wing, and then later playing at fullback, I found I had to combine speed, agility and stamina to survive. Once out in the big, bad world, I needed a sport that I could pick up and take with me anywhere, and running perfectly fits that bill!


JG: What led you to enter such a challenging race?

JM: Good question, and one I ask myself before every run!

I subscribe to a podcast Marathon Talk, where they interviewed the famous South African runner Bruce Fordyce. I find Bruce really inspiring, he has won the 56 mile race 9 times, with 8 of them being consecutive wins! I was planning to run a race for the charity ARC, and my wife Lis and I thought that Comrades was a big enough challenge, and one that people would engage with and support.


JG: You have a full-time job – How have you managed to fit training and nutrition into your life?

JM: Taking the training first, running should be a part of your everyday routine and needs to be scheduled in where possible. Longer runs are on Saturday and Sunday, this involves early starts and a lot of bartering / chore trading with the missus! However, when you run along the canal on a sunny morning and watch the world wake up it is a wonderful feeling, even after 20 miles! On nutrition for longer runs over 13 miles your body will tell you when it needs fuel, and it is best to eat often and sparingly. I take a sports drink make up from powder `High 5’, `9bar’ snacks and bananas. Everyone is different so the best advice is to just to find what you like and stick with it.


JG: You’ve been a long-term client of City Sports Massage in London, and I know you’ve approached training methodically, carefully even. Do you think that has been part of your success so far?

JM: Definitely, long distance training needs to be carefully planned with routes, mileage and times all prepared and monitored. There are plenty of plans out there for half, marathon and ultra-distances; find one and stick to it. Don’t be tempted to exceed, or beat the plan, it’s far better to build gradually and progressively. For Comrades I have used a remote coach Ian Corless of www.runwildrunfree.co.uk.


JG: What would be your ‘Top five tips’ for would-be, long-distance runners?

JM:
1. Find, stick to and monitor progress against your plan.
2. Try and buddy up with someone to run with every so often, it helps improve pace and the time flies by.
3. Factor in time for rest and recuperation, its ok to have an off day.
4. Incorporate regular massage sessions into your training, a massage therapist can really help flush the muscles out, making them feel lighter and faster. It also heals and prevents injury and helps prepare you for the next challenge.
5. Celebrate the success of finishing, and live to fight another day!


JG: Thank you for your time Jon, we know our readers will be happy to be privy to your experience and advice. We look forward to catching up with you when you get back from South Africa, and you can tell us what it’s like to experience 56 miles of the Comrades ultra-marathon! Good luck from all of us at City Sports Massage!

Jon McGowan is running for the charity ARC. Find out more about his story here.

I recently spent a weekend on an intensive 2 day workshop entitled ‘Group Dynamics’, led by Tamara Alferoff at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education. It forms part of a 1 year Foundation in Counselling and Psychotherapy, taking place in a large, peaceful, Victorian building overlooking Little Venice in London.

During the weekend, in which cynical financial traders, airy-yummy mummies, and muscular tree surgeons all rubbed shoulders, there were tears, dramas and a bonding that was natural, deep, and very unforced in this disparate group.

What roles do we play in a group, and why?

We began by examining the typical roles that make up a group. What roles could we identify in our group? ‘The Prankster?’, ‘The Sceptic?’, or ‘The Mother’ perhaps? We looked at what roles we each felt that we filled in a group setting. We examined what motivates this behaviour when we are part of a group, and we looked at our own personal history to see how that role might have developed.

How do we view our group?

Our focus was then drawn to how we viewed our group as an entity. Furnished with coloured pens, glitter and paper, we were asked to draw a picture of ‘the group’ as we perceived it. We then formed small teams, and shared the results of our creative endeavours with each other.

What we didn’t know was, this was a clever trick played by our teacher, Tamara. When we arrived the next morning we had to explain the picture in the first person. In short, we were being asked to describe the picture as representing ourselves, rather than the group. This led to stumbling responses, and one point-blank refusal. But what we learnt (apart from that we had walked into a cunning trap), was that we had all, quite accurately, summed up a deep part of ourselves, and then projected this image onto how we viewed the group.

This revealing bombshell introduced us to the idea of how powerfully we can ‘project’ our feelings, thoughts, fears and hopes onto others, without even being conscious of it.

Our ‘Family Tableaux’.

The next stage of our journey involved hand picking colleagues from our large group to play the roles of our family members. The family member could be dead or alive, young or old. They were asked to stand on an impromptu ‘stage’, and placed in a position that represented the position they hold in our mind’s eye. So if a Father was domineering, he might have been placed standing on a chair, looming over the proceedings. If a Mother was distant, she might have been asked to stare out of the window. This tableaux was added to until all of the relevant family was present.

All of the ‘actors’ were then asked to vocalise how they felt in these positions, purely from their perspective.

I remember watching ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, and Gregory Peck, playing the part of ‘Atticus Finch’, tells his young son “If you just learn a single trick, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

This basic truism is demonstrated in this exercise. As members of our group set up their Family Tableaux, they heard the points of view that each of their family members might have had. In addition, their own feelings were validated, as they heard the actor playing them on stage, expressing emotions, unprompted, that they themselves had often felt when in that position.

The combination of insight into their family members perspective, as well as validation of their own experience and emotion, led to some profoundly deep, personal realisations.

Now to the nitty gritty – how can all this help us?

It sounds like a cliche to say that people reminding us of our family members can provoke such intense behaviour and responses, but it does.

This wasn’t a scientific study, rather an experiential one. As individuals in a group we found that we were both attracted, and repelled by characteristics that reminded us of the behaviour of family members that had played important parts of our early lives.

It appears that our behaviour, as well as being heavily influenced by our genes and socialisation, is also inherently driven by our family backgrounds.

For myself, I was drawn to pick ‘family members’ from my group that were two people in the group who had antagonised me on earlier workshops. It was only then I realised why I had become so easily affected by these folk. They had stirred emotion in me that went back many years. And despite my supposed ‘emotional intelligence and awareness’, I hadn’t even seen it.

What that allowed me to do was to put the antagonism, and therefore the relationship, in perspective. Rather than personalising it, I was able to create a buffer zone, which de-intensified the emotions, and allowed me to see that perhaps I also reminded my colleagues of someone they had had difficulties with in their past, and they too were clouded by unexpectedly irascible feelings.

Perhaps though, I was just downright irritating to them. I guess I’ll never know!

Using the lessons of our past.

It’s easy to say that simple ‘personal chemistry’ is responsible for not getting along with others, and of course there’s much truth in that. But it’s certainly not the whole truth, and without acknowledging the full picture we can never understand, develop and maximise our opportunities and potential.

Yes, we should live in the present moment, but by neglecting to put our personal landscapes into a historical perspective, we miss the chance of learning from the patterns of our past, and therefore compromise our chance of a peaceful future.

©Jon Gee 2011

Jon Gee is the founder of City Sports Massage, a team of massage therapists in London who combine deep-tissue massage therapy with stress-reduction and body-awareness techniques.