Hi I’m Kirsty, a relatively new therapist at YOU Massage. I’d like to introduce myself to you and provide you with some details of my training, experience and area of interest.
I am a holistic therapist with 15 years experience in working with pregnant women, babies and their partners. I am trained in Pregnancy Massage, Holistic massage, Swedish massage, Reflexology, Shiatsu (specifically for pregnancy), Reiki, Kinesiology (muscle testing) and infant massage. I am also a teacher trainer with the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM) and have taught students to instructor level how to teach new parents the art of massaging their babies for nine years. I am involved with the organisation at an international level, specifically within ethics and research. These classes are held in a group setting, similar to a yoga class.
My passion for working with pregnant women stems from the privileged time spent in Africa where I lived and worked for four years, travelling extensively during that time. Whilst there I was lucky enough to live within the local community and experience firsthand women’s trust around all aspects of birth. The women were massaged by the women in their community and they massaged their babies after birth with herbs and oils. When I returned from Africa in 1999 I wanted to bring a bit of Africa back with me so I trained as a massage therapist and went on to specialise in pregnancy and birth and subsequently teach, always holding onto the magic of Africa within my practice.
Having seen the benefits of shiatsu and massage for women and their families during the antenatal period I started to attend births (mainly at home with low risk women) and experienced how empowering to both woman and birth partner the techniques are for assisting the safe delivery of baby. I believe the chosen birth partner has an incredibly important role to play during birth and I work with women and their partner towards the end of pregnancy teaching shiatsu and massage techniques which can be used during labour either at home, in a birth centre or on labour ward.
I am currently training to be a Midwife and plan to incorporate my holistic training and experience into medical base practice to empower women to trust in their bodies. By doing so I endeavour to keep even the highest risk labour ‘normal’, loving and full of nurturing touch. Saying all of this- I am not limited to pregnancy and birth although I feel my background enhances my empathy and understanding of all aspects of health. With a truly individual, tailor made and holistic approach I take time to understand where clients are in their body mind and spirit and encourage through different techniques a release and letting go in order to transgress the limiting aspects of ourselves.
I very much look forward to meeting you,
Kirsty
