Hardly a day goes by when I don't sing the praises of yoga to my clients.

It's great for relieving stress in both body and mind and very importantly helps correct kyphotic [rounded shoulder] posture. Many of my clients seek treatment for upper back muscle tension and pain caused by a forward hunched posture. By the age of 30 or 40 this posture is often firmly entrenched in the spinal verterbrae and shoulder girdle and unfortunately there's no quick fix to rectify the condition. So yoga is a long term solution, which requires patience, time and dedication to yield excellent and amazing results.

Put you off yet? You don't have to be bendy and flexible or get into eye-watering pretzel positions I promise you.

This article on UK MSN gives a really good overview of the most popular yoga styles.

Give it a go - you'll wish you'd started in your twenties once you do - but better late than never!

If so, then how about a "coffee break" massage at work. Yes, in the time it takes for you to pop out to Starbucks or down to the canteen for your favourite caffiene fix, you could enjoy a 15-20 minute Seated Acupressure Massage.

Among other benefits, your massage with leave you with a caffeine-free natural high.

So what are the benefits of having a regular massage at work?

* eases tight and tense muscles in the back, neck, shoulders, arms and hands
* decreases the likelihood of succumbing to a repetitive strain injury
* lowers blood pressure and promotes a feeling of relaxation and calm
* increases circulation, improving oxygen flow to the body and the brain
* improves concentration and alleviates mental fatigue

What's great about my service?

- You get to sit on a luxury, padded, top of the range chair
- I have top notch professional qualifications and am highly skilled
- I leave you with a stretching programme to prolong the benefits
- My treatments are refreshingly affordable
- You've still got 40 minutes left to eat your lunch!

All you need to do is find three colleagues who'd like a chair massage and I'll come to your office. Find more than 3 colleagues and the price goes down and down .......

Prices:

4 x 20 min Chair Massage - £15 per person
6 x 20 min Chair Massage - £14 per person
8 x 20 min Chair Massage - £13 per person

YOU WORK HARD ENOUGH - NOW LET MASSAGE WORK FOR YOU!

This week I'm thankful for:

- the cute lambs frollicking in the fields
- they are testament to the fact that spring is finally upon us!
- my clients who teach me so much
- my yoga teacher who is just the best
- "The Apprentice"and "Dirty, Sexy, Money" [a girl has to have some vices]

Massage can be a powerful tool to help your body best perform its countless functions in its goal to maintain a healthy balance. Why not do everything you can to get the best possible results from every massage session?

This article is devoted to providing you with some hints to make the most from your bodywork sessions.

Before your session

The mood of your session can be affected by the things currently influencing your life. You can improve your results by preparing yourself before your massage time. If you can put the events of your life on pause for a little while and truly devote your session time to taking care of you, the benefits you experience can be greatly enhanced. Life really will wait a couple of hours for you — and you’ll be in much better shape to deal with your responsibilities when you are feeling your best! Other things you can do, as time allows:

- If possible, take a relaxing bath or shower before your appointment time
- Limit consumption of caffeine and sugar, as well as other stimulants
- Avoid eating immediately before your appointment
- Allow extra time in your schedule so you don’t have to rush to be ready for your session.
- Be aware of your current condition so you can report anything that needs attention

During your session

Share what’s going on with your therapist. A good therapist will work intuitively but don't forget, they're not psychic and will appreciate your feedback. If you have a tender spot or an injured area, bring it up so it can be addressed. If you feel you need more pressure or a lighter touch during the session, please say so. If everything is great, you can lie back and relax. If you find your attention is on something, bring it up so you will be able to lie back and relax!

Specify your preferences. Everyone has different needs and wants, so share yours! Is everything in the massage environment okay? The temperature? The lighting? Any other distractions? Are you completely at ease? Do you like certain music? Is the volume okay? Do you like specific techniques? More time spent on a certain area? Each session is especially for you, so please communicate about what you want! If there is anything you don’t understand, please ask so we can discuss it.

Let it all go and relax! One of the major massage goals for many people is to lessen tension and stress. Many of those aches and pains that demand our attention are linked to stress. In fact — according to Dr. Sandra McLanahan — eighty percent of disease is stress-related, so maximizing the relaxation in each session should help you to maintain a much higher level of well-being!

One way to quiet your mind is to focus your attention on the session — really get in tune with your sense of touch. Proper breathing helps you to relax and to reach your session goals. Slow, deep breathing (from the gut) will provide your body with much-needed oxygen, while signaling your body to let go of its tensions.

After your session

If at all possible, allow for some quiet time before you continue your busy life.

Drink extra water!! Massage releases waste products and toxins from your muscles. Increasing your fluid intake lowers this toxicity and lessens the strain on filtering organs.

Congratulations to Victoria and Saul who ran the Flora London Marathon on Sunday. They'd both done excellent training and their legs were in great condition afterwards. This is testament to what consistent training and putting in the miles can achieve. [Along with having massage of course!].

If you've been inspired to enter for next years race then you'd better get ya skates on. For 2009, the ballot has moved to online only and they have allocated 120,000 ballot places. By Monday evening the first batch of places - 80,000 - had already gone! You'll have to wait until Monday 21st April to try and bag one of the remaining 35,000 online places. There are 5,000 paper entries allowed [for those without access to a computer] but you need to call them to request a paper form.

Flora London Marathon 2009

Good luck!

How about choosing a weapon and bashing your sofa into oblivion?

Your reward will be a free day pass at your local Virgin Active gym.

Play Sofa Bash

Many of my clients have tension in their upper shoulders, neck and between their shoulder blades. This is often caused by prolonged use of the computer, slightly hunching forward toward the screen and sitting for prolonged periods.

In two and a half minutes, without leaving your desk, you can do a series of easy stretches which will mobilise your muscles and joints.

Why not print out this page and attach it to the side of your screen or have it on your desk.

The key is little and often. Maybe before you get up to make a drink or whenever you're aware that you're seizing up. After persevering for a couple of days you'll notice the difference!