Aftercare Advice

After your treatment please follow the advice below in order to gain the most benefit from your treatment.

• Increase water intake following a treatment to assist the body’s detoxification process.
• Have a suitable rest period after the treatment.
• Cut down on consumption of stimulants (ie alcohol/coffee/tea).

Also you may experience the following reactions, these are beneficial to your body, some can be unpleasant but short-lived and over a period of time your reactions will diminish. The main reactions you will experience will be pleasant, for example f) and g).

• You may feel generally sleepy or tired;
• Weepy/emotional (due to release of tension);
• Warm (Due to improved circulation);
• Increased urination / peristalsis (due to the body releasing toxins);
• Aching and soreness in the muscles (followed by a relief from muscular tension);
• Less stressed and more relaxed;
• Improved mood patterns;
• Improved sleep patterns;

Stress Reduction Techniques

Two methods of relaxation are tensing and relaxing muscles and also relaxation through breathing techniques, both methods used together can be extremely successful in de-stressing the system.

Benefits of using relaxation techniques are:

• Maintain emotional and physical health;
• Aid restful sleep;
• Reduce the harmful effects of stress;
• Relieve muscular tension;
• Promote optimum oxygen levels for the body;
• Actively help the body run efficiently and to recover and repair itself.

Muscular Relaxation

This method is designed to relax the body when it is tense, it may be applied to any group of muscles in the body, depending whether one area is tense or whether it is the whole body. This method is achieved by tightly contracting the muscle/s in question as much as possible and holding this state of contraction for a few seconds and then to relax the muscle. This method should be combined with breathing techniques to gain maximum effect (breathing out as you relax the muscle and use imagery to imagine as you breathe out the tension is just floating away).

This method works well when you lay on your back in a dark room, make sure you are warm and comfortable, close your eyes and try to empty your mind of any thoughts. Focus on each muscle or area of tension working from your feet upwards until you get to your facial muscles, tense and relax your forehead and cheeks etc then just feel how heavy your eyelids are and relax there and enjoy the peaceful, relaxed feeling.

If you are unsure about this technique then contact me before your next treatment and I will allow 10 minutes longer after your treatment to run through various exercises of this nature.

Breathing Techniques

This is a very effective method of relaxation. When breathing correctly all the abdominal cavity and nasal area as well as the thoracic cavity and lung area are worked effectively. When we are relaxed we breathe deeply and evenly and in times of stress our breath is shallow and uneven. If we do not breathe effectively allowing our body to inhale properly our body is starved of oxygen and can lead to our brain being deprived of oxygen and may become dizzy due to this.

An exercise to help with breathing and stress is as follows

• Ensure your clothing is not restrictive (loose clothing);
• Place one hand on the chest and another on the stomach;
• Inhale deeply through the nose to fill the upper chest and down to the lower part of the lungs, push the breath to your lower abdominal area allowing this area to protrude;
• Exhale and breathe out whilst your abdominal area will flatten and breathe out evenly and slowly.

Again if you are unsure about this technique then contact me before your next treatment and I will allow 10 minutes longer after your treatment to run through various exercises of this nature.