still.point

I'm a passionate advocate for therapeutic bodywork of all kinds, and have been practising holistic massage for over 25 years. I'm part of the early generations of the massage movement; when I trained originally in London in the 1980s neither the commercial, spa-type 'massage by numbers' nor the symptom oriented 'remedial' massage really existed, and we were into the deeper, more subtle aspects of bodywork as a bodymind therapy. After qualifying with ITEC I later worked with the rather more holistic Massage Training Institute, with which I was for a time involved in teaching and supervision. In 1995 I trained and qualified in Oriental Aromatherapy with Gabriel Mojay at the Institute of Traditional Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy, the only school to link the practice of aromatherapy with the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine. I continue to pursue new bodywork approaches and am currently completing a post-graduate training in pulsing with Guy Gladstone, and exploring craniosacral therapy. For the last 15 years I've also practised as a person-centred counsellor/therapist and hold a post-graduate Diploma in Counselling plus an MA in Counselling Studies, both from the University of East Anglia; I've come to believe that the greatest therapeutic power lies in the integration of 'talking' therapy with bodywork and continue to work on a model that works within my own philosophy to integrate the two.

After eight amazing (but exhausting) years doing something completely different - running a tiny restaurant with rooms in north Norfolk - in 2007 I moved with my partner to Ariège, where we're in the final throes of renovating our house ready to receive guests for holidays and retreats (have a look at us here, and yes, still.point massage will be on offer!) Amongst other things I love cooking, growing, dancing and walking, practise and teach meditation, and continue - not always successfully - trying to live simply and close to the earth.