It wasn’t until I’d suffered years of chronic back, hip and shoulder pain that I discovered how much of a difference massage can make!  I wish I’d realised earlier what a worthwhile investment it can be. I’m now a qualified Sports Therapist with the Federation of Holistic Therapists!

I spent 5 years childminding, 3 years doing office work and long drives, and then 8 years teaching English  – with the accompanying stress and marking books of course.  I finally left teaching to become a private tutor, enabling me to take control of my timetable and vastly reducing my stress levels.  However, by this time, I was suffering with a range of pain and symptoms similar to Fibromyalgia, and at some point developed a bulging disc in my lumber spine, which took years to diagnose with my confusing range of symptoms!  Looking after myself had been too low on the priority list perhaps.

Eventually, I discovered the benefits of regular treatment with a massage therapist who was able to respond to my needs and tailored each session to my current  and ongoing aches and pains, which was totally invaluable.  I had tried massage in the past to little effect, but this was different.  Deeper work helped to persuade knots to ease and tension to recede, restoring equilibrium and reducing pain to manageable levels, where I can focus on life, not on my discomfort.

While my symptoms had greatly improved with massage, as well as physiotherapy and medication, I was still finding the contortions of sitting with pupils difficult to manage, as I was teaching over 25 hours a week as a tutor.

Finally the light dawned and I decided to pursue massage as a way to keep myself moving and reduce all that sitting down, craning my neck.  I trained with the wonderful Kathryn Ellis at the Central School of Massage, in Sports Massage, which began with a thorough training in Swedish (holistic) massage and deep tissue techniques. This included a Level 3 Anatomy and Physiology qualification, which definitely helped me to start understanding aspects of my own health better too!

I quickly began to see for myself the power of massage to bring relief from pain, stress and tension, offering my ‘practice hours’ during my training to family, friends and neighbours.  The great feedback I was getting really encouraged me too!

Living so close to the town centre of Royal Leamington Spa, we were ideally located to set up a home studio.  As a husband-and-wife team, we feel immensely privileged to be able to practice our respective skills in massage and counselling from home so effectively.  Our central location makes Leamington Therapy an ideal choice for those who live and/or work in the town and those in surrounding towns and villages: Warwick, Kenilworth, Gaydon, Southam, Stratford-upon-Avon and Coventry, to name but a few.

For more about Justin, follow the link: http://Jstone-therapy.com