Clare Partington
Claire became a Reiki Master/Teacher in 2005.
She has just finished four years of training at the Forest of Dean College, where she qualified in Reiki, Swedish Body Massage, Reflexology and Stone Therapy. She has also studied Seicheim and is a keen student of Astanga Yoga.
She regularly attends Federation of Holistic Therapies (FHT) workshops and seminars. The most recent was an Advanced Massage Techniques and Adapting Massage for Cancer Care patients given by Dr Peter Mackerras from the Christie Hospital
Stone Therapy
Stone Therapy is a massage technique using heated stones to give a therapeutic, nurturing, and relaxing deep tissue treatment. It calms the nervous system and balances and grounds, bringing harmony to body mind and spirit. Stones have always been used for healing by many cultures including the Native American Indians, the Mayans , the Chinese Hawaiians, and the Mapuche healers in Chile to name but a few.
The Stones
The stones used for this wonderfully healing massage are basalt. Basalt is an igneous rock formed by volcanic activity. Having lived in the bottom of rivers, the stones have been naturally tumbled and eroded making them flat and smooth, ideal for the work they need to do. They hold the heat for a long time and evenly deliver the temperature required (120F ). They also impart their innate knowledge and energies to us, having existed on the earth for many hundreds and thousands of years. The high mineral content of the stones acts like a magnet, drawing out impurities and enables stress and negative emotions to be released allowing balance to take place.
The Benefits of Stone Therapy
- A soothing and nurturing massage bringing about deep relaxation
- The metabolism is increased and toxins expelled
- Increased circulation, regulation of hormones, and enhanced immune system
- A deep tissue massage which reduces muscle tension
- The lymphatic system is improved, thereby enabling the body to rid itself of harmful bacteria, toxins and foreign material and eliminate excess fluid.
The Treatment
The first treatment will take 1 hour 15 minutes (subsequent ones an hour) to include a full medical history and to make certain that there are no contra-indications. These include high blood pressure, skin conditions and diabetes. These might mean that stone therapy might not be used.
The client will be covered with towels and lie on a massage table. Stones will be placed along the spine, under the torso and along the energy centres. This calms the body and increases blood supply relaxing the muscles. Crystals will be placed on the Chakras, and after oil has been applied, the therapist will hold the heated stones and massage the body. The heat and weight of the stones enables the therapist to deliver a deep tissue massage right into the muscles.
The stones are different sizes depending on where they are placed on the body. The largest ones go on the solar plexus and heart, the smallest between the toes. They will be replaced with hot ones as they cool, so delivering a constant warmth while being massaged with long nurturing strokes bringing relaxation and improving the flow of energy to the body. It is a truly blissful experience as well as one of healing. The face is also massaged, which stimulates and improves the skin, toning it as well as relaxing the features. Cold stones can be used for skin that is prone to redness and needs cooling.
When the stones are harvested they are blessed and prayers of thanksgiving are said to nature and to the stone clan people as they are known, as a sign of appreciation of the healing work they do. With these blessings this treatment cannot fail to be a truly beautiful and spiritual experience.
Swedish Body Massage
Massage has been practised by many cultures throughout the world for health benefits and wellbeing, and records have been found dating back to 3000BC which document the use of massage in China. Homer refers to it in The Odyssey.
Massage can be relaxing or stimulating and has both physical and psychological benefits. Per Henrick Ling, an 18th century Swedish physiologist, was responsible for formalising a system of massage based on the techniques he had learned in China, as well as in Egypt Greece and Rome. It is said that he cured himself of rheumatism. Today, Swedish Body Massage is widely used and respected and forms the basis of many other types of massage, using the movements of effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, (percussion) and frictions. The massage strokes relate to the circulation and lymphatic systems, and organs of the body, encouraging their efficiency and so to speed healing.
Benefits of Swedish Body Massage
- A general sense of wellbeing
- Feelings of relaxation and contentment, alleviation of fatigue
- Increased vitality and energy levels
- Circulation and lymphatic system is improved helping to rid the body of toxins
- Endorphins , the body’s natural feel good hormones, are released
- Stress tension headaches and back pain are relieved
- Recovery from injury
The Treatment
The first appointment will be for the duration of 1hour 15minutes as the therapist will need to carry out a consultation which will include a full medical history and questions about lifestyle. Thereafter a full body massage will take 1 hour. The client will be covered with towels, and oils will be used: usually almond, grape seed or blended oils if the client chooses. The face is also massaged but this can be optional. It is a very good way to unwind and relax while the oils nourish your skin.
