Merry Christmas all!

Appointments still remaining between Christmas and New Year

There are still a few spaces available between Christmas and New Year, if you want some pampering or de stressing!

Thurs 27th: 3pm.
Sat 29th: 10/10.30am.

Contact Dannie, dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

ALL APPOINTMENTS NOW GONE!

A Very Merry Christmas!

A big shout out to all those lovely people who have enjoyed a massage from Drift Away this year.  Thank you for booking in your massage treatments and for supporting my business this year.  I hope you have all enjoyed some wonderful treatments.

I wish you all a wonderfully relaxing Christmas, full of joy, happiness and the creation of wonderful memories.  Enjoy the time spent together and being with loved ones at this very special time.

 

 

Merry Christmas from Drift Away, see yo in 2013!

Last remaining availability for Christmas.....

with this week being the last one before Christmas, it's filling up fast!

Still available is...
Tues 18th: 11.30am, 1.30pm.
Thurs 20th: 10am or 11am or 5pm.

Contact Dannie: dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199.

Equally the spaces between Christmas and New year are almost full too. Still remaining is;

Thurs 27th: 1pm or 3pm.

Fri 28th and sat 29th are already full and that is it until 3rd Jan:-)

Just a little reminder.....

Just a reminder that i am away from Saturday till late on Monday doing the Christmas round. I will be available via text and email but won't be able to contact people via phone as it is going to be a hectic weekend!

Have a great weekend all and let's see if any snow comes this way!x

Availability week beginning 10/12/12

With this week already full and i am off to Yorkshire tomorrow from Saturday and won't be back till late Monday, it's now time to think about next week's appointments.

Tues 11th: 10.45am
Wed 12th: 12pm, 4pm or 6pm.
Thurs 13th: 2pm or 4pm
Fri 14th: Anytime between 9am and 10.30am, or at 2.30pm.
Sat 15th: 10am or 12pm.

That's it for next week folks! Contact Dannie on dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

Availability week beginning 03/12/12

Availability week beginning 03/12/12

I hope you've all been opening the doors on your advent calender;-)

Tues 4th: 2pm, 4pm
wed 5th: 12pm
fri 7th: 9am or 10am, 12pm

No appointments at the weekend as i will be playing Santa Claus with a visit up to Yorkshire to deliver presents to my family:-)

Availability week beginning 26/11/12

Availability week beginning 26/11/12

Tues 27th: 1pm or 3pm.
Wed 28th: 9.30/10am, 12/12.30pm
Thur 29th: 2pm, 4/4.30pm
fri 30th: 9am, 3pm, (6.45pm - Winchester only)
Sat 1st: 1pm/2pm, 7.30pm

Contact Dannie dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

This week's availability 19/11/12

Just a little update for you all with regards to the remaining availability for this week.

Wed: 9am or 11am.
Thurs: 10am, or between 2.45pm and 5.30pm.
Sat: 1.30pm or 5.30pm.

Have a good Monday everyone and remember to smile!:-)

Availability week beginning 19/11/12

 This week i am away from Thursday to Sunday and as such appointments have almost all gone for this week.

Appointments currently available week beginning 19th November.

Tues 20th: Appointments starting between 9am and 5pm.
Wed 21st: 9am or 11am.
Thurs 22nd: Appointments starting between 9am and 5.30pm
Sat 24th: 1.30pm or 5.30pm.

Contact Dannie: dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199.  It is best to either email or text as i will be hard to get hold of on the phone.  Have a good rest of week:-)

Evening alert!

I have Tuesday at 6.45pm available if in Winchester of Chandlers Ford, so grab yourself a nice evening appointment!

Still remaining

Remaining appointments for this week.

Fri: 9am or 10am
Sat: 9am, 11am or 1pm.

Will post next week's availability shortly, although i am away from Thurs to Sun so only very limited availability next week.

Availability wk beginning 05/11/12

I hope everyone had a good weekend and got to make the most of the spectacular firework displays.  Equally i hope everyone's animals weren't too distressed.

Here is the current availability for this week.

Tues 6th: 9am or 11am.
Wed 7th: 10am or 11am, 3pm.
Thurs 8th: 9am, 11am, 3pm, 5pm.
Fri 9th: 9am or 10am, 3pm.

sat 10th: 9am, 11am, 1pm.

Availability week beginning 29/10/12

Appointments available week beginning 29/10/12

Tues 30th: 2pm.
wed 31st: Appointments starting between 10am and 2pm.
Thurs 1st: 1pm.
fri 2nd: 9am or 5pm

Sat is already full!

dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

Availability week beginning 22/10/12

This week's availability is a little late as i have had my days off on Sun and Mon and not had the greatest access to the internet!!  However here it is to let you all know what you could take up.

Wed: 1.30pm or 2.30pm.
Thurs: 10am or 11am or between 2.45pm and 5.30pm.
Fri:10am or 12pm.


Contact Dannie on dannie:driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

Appointments week beginning 15/10/12

All appointments for this week have now gone, so am posting next week's for those who may have missed out this week.

Thurs 18th: 4pm
Fri 19th: Either 2pm or 3pm

07534219199 or dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk

How to get the best out of your treatment

I'm often asked how best to look after your body inbetween treatments and how best to extend the benefits of the treatment.

The important thing to remember is despite how wonderful massage is and how great it is at loosening up the muscles, if you want to get your body back in to its best possible shape, you can't rely just on massage, you need to consider improving body and mind, through a variety of different methods.

STRETCHING
Without a doubt, one of the best things you can do for yourself is Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!  Stretching is so beneficial for you and when we sit infront of computers all day and don't do much physical activity, it can leave us stiff and not fully utilising our muscles.  They become more rigid and by carrying out a regular stretching routine it can help keep the body looser and give a greater range of motion.

Whether you attend pilates classes, yoga classes or have your own stretching routine, you can really look after yourself through stretching as it helps stretch out the tight muscles and give movements to the muscles that remain in stiff positions through out the day.  By combining  a stretching routine with massage you enable your muscles to be loosened up through the massage so that you can go on to get a greater stretch out of them, enabling the muscles to be stretched further than they previously had been which in turn can help them stay looser for longer.

Often people say to me that they try stretching but they feel they can't stretch any further as there is something stopping them, i.e, the muscle is tight.  By having a massage it loosens up those tight muscles in preperation for the stretching work.  I often recommend clients do some light stretching after a massage as the muscles as this is the best possible time to get the most out of your stretching.  The muscles are looser so you can really get that stretch which increases range of motion.


HEAT
Another great way of enhancing the benefits of the treatment is to apply heat to the tight areas, through means such as deep heat and wheat bags.  These enable heat to get to the area, breaking down the tension by getting circulation to the area.  This helps enhance a treatment because it enables less build up of tension inbetween treatments so that when you have your treatment we can really get working on that deep muscle tension.  By encouraging circulation to the area, it helps provide oxygen to the muscles and enables the flushing away of those waste products.

BEATING THE STRESS
One of the best ways you can deal with muscle tension is to work on how you deal with stress.  If you run round like a headless chicken, get worked up over everything, you might tend to carry a lot of tension in those shoulders!  By looking at ways you can become more in tune with your body and reduce those stress levels, you can help reduce the muscle tension and help enhance your treatment.  Different ways this can be done could be through setting aside time to listen to relaxing music, spending time outdoors, having hot relaxing baths (helps the muscles too!) or perhaps taking part in a sport which can help you get rid of the stress and anxiety.

EXERCISE
Looking after yourself, eating the right foods and exercising can all help keep your system in good shape which helps to break down that muscle tension.  It keeps your system healthy so that its not sluggish and so waste products get flushed out of the body quicker and doesn't build up as tension as much.  Exercising such as swimming and walking are especially good low impact exercise.  However, just keeping active is all good for keeping those muscles working.

So, if you want to get the most out of your treatment, perhaps its a case of realising you have to change body and mind and play an active part in helping to get your body in good shape where the muscles are healthier and happier:-)

Evening alert!

EVENING ALERT!: Due to a cancellation, i have this Friday evening free, anytime from 6pm onwards. There is a 6.30pm slot or 8.30pm slot, or if there are two of you, your welcome to both appointments:-)

dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Appointments wk beginning 08/10/12

With almost all appointments gone this week, i'm putting up next week's availability so that perhaps there is a more suitable appointment if you haven't been able to get hold of one this week.

With all appointments now gone this week, i'm posting next week's to make it easier to see availability.

Mon: 3pm or 5pm
Wed:12pm

dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

 

Ill and missing in action!

Apologies for not having put up appointment information this week but i have been ill with cold and then away with visiting family so have been unable to get on the internet to inform you all of appointment availability.

The availability this week has been very limited due to everyone being good and booking well in advance.

The only appointment still available is Saturday morning at 9.30am.

I will post next week's appointment shortly so that you can all see what is still available.

Appointments week beginnng 24/09/12

Sorry for the late post guys, have had a busy couple of days!

So, what do we have available this week!

Mon 24th: 4.30pm
Tues 25th: 2pm
Wed 26th: 5pm
Thurs 27th: 4pm
Fri 28th: 12.45pm for a 40min slot.  4.30pm or 6.30pm/7pm.

I am away this weekend and the beginning of next weekend as i take a trip up to Yorkshire to visit the family and no doubt ensure that they get their massage treatments too!

Appointments week beginning 17/09/12

Hope your all having a good start to the weekend and have some wonderful things planned.  Below is the latest availability for the week beginning 17/09/12

Tues 18th between 11.45 or 4pm.
Wed 19th between 5pm.
Thurs 20th at 9am, 3pm or 4pm.
Fri 21st between 9am and 12pm.
Sat 22nd at 9.30am/10am or 12pm

Contact Dannie: dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 0753419199

Let's look ahead.......

As a lot of appointments for this week have already gone and availability is very limited, i figured i would give you all some insight into what next week has currently available.

Tues 18th between 9.30am and 2pm.
Wed 19th between 10am and 3pm.
Thurs 20th at 9am or 11am, 3pm or 4pm.
Fri 21st between 9am and 4pm.
Sat 22nd at 9.30am/10am or 12pm

These appointments will begin to fill up quickly, so if your interested, get in touch:-)

Appointments wk beginning 10/09/12

Appointments wk beginning Mon 10th:-)

Tues 11: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 1pm.
Wed 12: 1pm.
Thurs 13: 5.30pm.
Fri 14: 9am or 4pm.

Appointments available wk beginning 03/09/12

Appointments available wk beginning 03/09/12

Tues 4th: 12pm or 2pm
Wed 5th: 11am
 Thurs 6th: 9am
Fri 7th: 10am.
Sat 8th: Appointments starting between 9am and 1.30pm.

Have a good weekend all and i hope its a relaxing one! Don't forget the paralympics are on:-)

Something for you all to think about!

Picture courtesy of Limassol sports massage.

Appointments available Wk beginning 27/08/12

I hope you've all been having a lovely bank holiday and taken some time to relax and enjoy some of your own time.  I spent yesterday visiting Portsmouth kite festival, seeing the sky full of beautiful kites, so had a relaxing day!

There are not that many appointments available this week, however if your struggling to find a slot for yourself, then the Sunday daytime may help:-)

Bank hol mon: 10am or 11am.
Wed: 11am.
Thurs:  Appointments starting between 11am and 3pm.
Fri: Appointments starting between 11.45am and 3pm.
Sun: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 3pm

Contact Dannie: dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

EVENING APPOINTMENTS NOW FULLY BOOKED UP!

EVENING APPOINTMENTS - Fully booked up!

As many of you will have noticed, evening appointments are becoming more rare and as such i am now fully booked for evenings on a permanent basis. I have dropped down from working five evenings to four evenings, as working till 10.30pm five evenings a week is taking its toll on me!

There will be occasions where evening appointments are available and i will post these on here up to three weeks in advance so that if there should be anything, you can get in there quickly.

Sorry to disappoint, but there just aren't enough evenings in the week. However Drift Away is open on SATURDAYS for those of you who struggle to have appointments during the week days, so no need to dispair!

Have a good week everyone:-)

Drift Away open bank holiday weekend:-)

Drift Away will be open the Saturday of the bank holiday and also the Bank holiday Monday, so a great opportunity to fit in an appointment, especially if availability has been a bit limited.

Currently availability left for the bank holiday weekend is;

Sat: Appointments starting between 9am and 6pm.
Bank hol Mon: Starting between 9am and 11am or at 3pm or 4pm.

Here's hoping it's a good and relaxing bank holiday, although perhaps best to avoid the motorways!

Availability: wk beginning 20/08/12

I trust you all enjoyed the lovely sunny weather we were lucky enough to have this weekend:-)  It looked like summer had finally arrived.  I spent my Sunday, white water rafting and using muscles i didn't know i would!  An enjoyable day where you definitely felt fitter afterwards!

This week's availability is rather limited, in part due to all you lovely people booking in and also due to me doing my witness bit at the court on Tuesday for my previous car accident.

However, here is what currently remains;

Tues: 9.30am or 10am
Wed: 9.30am
Sat: Anytime starting between 9am and 6pm.

Not much this week left but plenty for that bank holiday weekend:-)

Massage helping to relieve pain after excercise

I've already detailed on this blog, about the importance of stretching, both for those who exercise regularly and for helping to deal with aches and pains.  There are things you can do such as regular yoga or just creating a stretching programme.

However i digress!  I often search the internet for interesting articles with regards to massage and health and i cam across this article by Human Kinetics where a new study was published in Science Translational Medicine with regards to a group of people having a limb massaged.  The research showed how massage helped with pain relief after exercise and may involve the same mechanism as those targeted by conventional anti-inflammatory drugs.
 
Here is the article.   http://humankinetics.me/2012/02/06/how-massage-relieves-pain-after-exercise/

Why bother with massage?

Out there, there are still people who have never had a massage or have had one as part of a treat, but have often wondered why they should bother having a massage and especially regular massage.  The difference in a person's body between those who don't have massage and those who have them regularly is evident in the way the muscles feel.  I sometimes have people say to me 'Is that not bone your massaging?' I explain that it is tight shoulder muscles, they are just used to them being so tight and hard all the time they always thought it was bone!

Benefits of regular massage

• Muscles stay free from tension longer and are looser
• Clients comment on experiencing less pain and able to move more freely
• Clients tell me that they are able to perform better in sports and experience less injuries
• Clients comment in a reduction or complete stop of their headaches
• Clients find that it greatly helps with their sciatica and muscle aches and pains
• Clients comment on how it helps to reduce their stress level and they look forward to having their treatment each month
• Massage can also help to boost the immune system
• Clients say how great they sleep after a massage
• Clients comment on how they have a greater range of motion, feeling more flexible.
• Clients find it helps with their mood, alleviating some of their anxiety and lifting their mood.
• Clients note how it helps reduce muscles cramps and they experience less spasms
• Massage helps to stretch out weak and tired muscles
• Massage is beneficial for over use injuries such as RSI
• Clients find that their chronic pain and muscle issues are reduced and they are able to lead a more active life
• Clients comment on how they tried massage because they wanted to stop relying on pain killers and how it has enabled to cut down or completely stop taking them
• Massage can help boost circulation

At the end of a massage, people comment on how they wish they had done it sooner!  Perhaps now you can see how great massage really is for the body and the changes it has already made to the lives of my clients just by experiencing massage:-)

Next week's availability:-)

As this week is now full, i thought it best to give you all a heads up on next week's appointments.

So here is what we have!

Tues 14th: Appointment 2pm
Wed 15th:  Appointments starting between 11am and 1pm
Thurs 16th: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 11am.
Fri 17th: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 3pm
Sat 18th: Appointments starting between 12pm and 3.30pm.

Contact Dannie: dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

Current availability wk beginning 06/08/12

I hope everyone is having a good weekend and are proud of the work team GB are doing, in bringing home six gold medals today:-)  An amazing achievement.

To help get rid of some of the stress experienced whilst watching the games, you could always have a relaxing massage.  There are still some appointments available for next week, these being;

Wed 8th: 2.45pm
Thurs 9th: 12pm
Sat 11th: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 11am

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Appointments from Monday 6th Aug

All appointments for this current week are now full and so to make you all happy, i'm putting up next week's availability now:-)

I hope your all enjoying the olympic coverage at the moment, there has been some great sports seen so far and some great athletes winning, both for England and other countries participating.

Mon 6th: 8.30pm/8.45pm
Thurs 9th: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 4.30pm
Fri 10th: Appointments starting between 12.30pm and 3.30pm or 8.30pm
Sat 11th: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 1pm

Contact Dannie on dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

Back open and latest availability

Hello all, i am now back from my charity trek in the jungle!  Everything went well and there weren't too many creepy crawlies, with exception to the lizards and mosquitoes which regularly took a bite out of me!

Drift Away is now fully back open after my break away and there are still some appointments available for this week.

Tues 31st: Appointments available between 12pm and 4.30pm..
Thurs 2nd: Appointments between 9.30am and 11.30am.


Contact dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199.

Have a good week everyone and enjoy the sunshine that now appears to be here:-)

www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Current availability wk beginning 30/07/12

These are the appointments i currently have available for the week i return from my trek.

Tues 31st: Appointments starting between 12pm and 4.30pm.
Wed 1st Aug: Between 3pm and 5pm
Thurs 2nd: 1pm or 2pm

If you are interested in any of these appointments it is best to email as i will be replying to emails on my return on 29th July.

Thank you, Dannie

Drift Away closed for the charity trek:-)

As some of you may know, i will be leaving England on Thursday for a charity trek in Thailand to raise funds for Clic Sargent children's cancer charity who do a great job in supporting children experiencing this illness.  I find the work the charity do invaluable and am keen to support them. 

As a result of me heading out to do the trek, Drift Away will be closed from Thursday 19th at 1pm until Mon 30th July at 9.30am.  Emails will be responded to on 29th July.

Have a good week and see you on my return!

Current availability week beginning 09/07/12

Apologies all, i had written this but forgotten to publish, doh!  So here is my availability, both for the rest of this week and for the days that i am working next week.

I WILL BE UNAVAILABLE FROM THURS 19TH 1PM UNTIL 9AM 30TH JULY AS I WILL BE CONDUCTING MY CHARITY TREK IN THAILAND.

Thurs: Between 9.30am and 2pm.

Fri: 3.30pm

Sat: Between 9.30am and 1pm

Mon 16th: Between 1.30pm and 5pm

Tues 17th: 5pm or 8.30pm

Thurs 19th: 11.30am

dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

Stretching!

Having a massage is only part of the treatment and if you want to get the full benefit not only from your treatment but from your own body and to get yourself in the best possible shape you can do, then it's important to think about stretching and strengthening.

Stretching is so important to the body it can help alleviate tension, open up the chest and the back and release all those muscles that have been held in tight and restrictive positions through action such as driving, sitting in front of the computer and sat watching television.  This summer may be a wash out but that is no excuse for just sitting around!

Stretching only needs to take a few minutes if that and if you can carry out simple stretches through out the day then you are working on constantly freeing up the body and allowing more movement and for the blood to flow.

 The body can become stuck in positions and how many of us are guilty of ending or even starting a  day with our shoulders up around our ears, yet simple shrugging techniques or rolling the shoulder blades backwards and forwards can warm our body up for the day ahead and leave us more relaxed and less tense than we originally were.

Classes such as pilates and yoga can be fantastic for the body and they say that within a few sessions of pilates you can really feel the difference within your body.  Pilates is especially good as it strengthens your core muscles known as the power house which in turn helps to support the back by strengthening the stomach and glutes.  I've been going to pilates for only a short time now but am realising why it is good for me and why i shouldn't have put it off for so long.  It has made me much more body aware and is showing how i was tight in muscles that i never knew i was.

However you don't need to attend a class to benefit from stretching, just a few minutes each day perhaps whilst you wait for the kettle to boil on a morning, can warm up the body and loosen up those stiff muscles meaning they are carrying less tension.
At the Drift Away website there is a page dedicated to stretching and these are by no means the only ones to do, there are many out there and just looking on the internet, or doing a stretching dvd or joining a class will provide you with many more. 

Don't forget that to get the most from your treatment, you need to think about what you are doing in between treatments and how your helping yourself and you can help yourself by stretching:-)

Here is a link to the Drift Away page for stretching.   http://www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk/driftawaystretching.html

Here is a link to Judy Gill Dougherty who does a great stretching or one to one class.

http://www.authentic-pilates.co.uk/

Understanding muscles

Often when working with clients i am asked about muscles and what is going on inside the body and what muscle names are.  Sometimes we can become a little confused and easily forget the names of muscles or where they are in the body, but over my time as a therapist i have found out about a great site which clearly labels the muscles and acts as a good visual aid to constantly refer to.  This can be quite useful sometimes for you guys, especially for when you want to know what muscles we have been working on or what the muscle is called that seems to be giving you a constant ache in the back.

Below are some links to the site i use for any of you that might be interested in finding out what is going on underneath your skin!


 http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/HumanBody/Muscles/Anterior_Muscles.php

 http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/HumanBody/Muscles/Posterior_Muscles.php

Availability week commencing 02/07/12

I hope you are all feeling nicely rested after the weekend and it was good to finally see the sun shinning, albeit in between the showers.   We managed to have our first barbeque of the year, here's hoping it may be the start of more, but with the constant rain who knows.

There are several spaces this week including plenty of availability for Sunday day time, so now that evening appointments are rather elusive, you may be able to sort yourself out with a weekend appointment instead.

Wed: 5pm
Thurs: Appointments available between 9.30am and 3pm
Fri: Appointments available between 9.30am and 12pm, 4pm or 5pm.
Sun: Appointments available between 9.30am and 12pm

Contact Dannie on dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199


www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Last remaining availability for this week:-)

Having been away for a few days visiting family in Yorkshire, although still putting my massage skills to use! i am enjoying being back massage and working away on those knots!

This week appointments have been available Wednesday through to and including Sunday, however most days have filled up quickly.

There are still some remaining appointments though, these being;

Wednesday: 2.30pm
Fri: 1pm or 3pm
Sun:  11am

Next week's appointments will be posted shortly so that you can get take advantage of what still remains:-)

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone and just a little reminder that next weekend is the Winchester Hat fair, so a great opportunity to watch street acts and wander the streets, great for the muscles and entertaining too!

http://www.hatfair.co.uk/

Freeing the shoulder

On Saturday 30th June i will be attending a course in Newport, called Freeing the shoulder with Darrien Pritchard.  I have attended a course with Darrien before, which was a course aimed at using different parts of the body instead of the hands, in order to get a better pressure and apply less tension to the joints of the hands.  The previous course was very informative and developed my skills further as a massage therapist.

The course on the Saturday will focus upon learning new and different techniques to work on providing more freedom within the shoulders, enabling greater rotation and less tension.  It will involve not only deep tissue and pressure techniques, but stretching and passive movements to ease up the area and increase flexibility.

In today's society with so many people living sedentary lifestyles or spending so much time on computers and driving the shoulders can become stiff and rounded, hunched due to spending time on the computer or up round our ears when we are stressed!  We forget to exercise these muscles and put them to good use, hence they become tight and less mobile.  Exercise such as swimming, yoga and pilates or general exercise can help to keep these loose.

Darrien Pritchard - Dynamic massage

Current availability wk beginning 18/06/12

I hope everyone had a good weekend and enjoyed finally seeing some sunshine, i knew it was there somewhere!

This week is very busy and almost completely booked up.  There is only one current space available this week, this being Thursday 21st at 2pm.

www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

I will of course update if there is any cancellations.

There are no appointments this weekend as i will be away in Yorkshire visiting my family and no doubt putting my massage skills to use up there

Current availability wk beginning 11th June

Due to the fact that all appointments for this week have gone, i am putting up the availability for next

week, the week commencing Mon 11th June.  Hopefully there is something there for everyone!

Mon 11th June: 9.30am.
Wed 13th: Appointments available between 9.30am and 5pm.
Thurs 14th: Appointments available between 9.30am and 3pm.
Friday 15th: Appointments available between 9.30am and 1pm.
For ideas of treatments and prices, check out the website:-)

www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Great bank holiday weekend:-)

I hope you have all had a lovely bank holiday weekend and did lots of great things.  We had a street party along my road, which saw all the neighbours come together for food, wine and a bit of dancing!

Due to it being the bank holiday, lots of you have booked in for your treatments and the bank holiday has been busy with massage appointments.  The rest of this week is also looking very busy and as such there are only a very limited amount of appointments available this week.

Wednesday: Starting between 10.15am and 1.30pm
Thursday: 5pm for a 40minute appointment.

That's it guys!  I will post appointments for next week shortly so that those who have missed out may be able to arrange something for next week instead.

Deep tissue massage

Drift Away in Winchester specialises in providing deep tissue massage to help ease muscles, break down tension, increase mobility and flexibility.

Deep tissue massage can be a rather intense massage but the benefits are longer lasting and it's known to be very effective in targeting pain and taking away the muscle tension and discomfort that can plague people.

Deep tissue uses techniques to work deeper into the tissue structure of the muscle and fascia, working them to stretch and break down the muscle tension. Deep tissue is especially good at targeting and focusing upon problem areas and over a period of time being used to specifically release and help to remedy problems in specific areas which are holding on to chronic tension.

Pressure is applied using the fists, knuckles, forearms and elbows using slower methods and working for longer periods on affected areas.

According to the August 2005 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, 34,000 people ranked deep tissue massage more effective in relieving osteoarthritis pain than physical therapy, exercise, prescription medications, chiropractic, acupuncture, diet, glucosamine and over-the-counter drugs.
Deep tissue massage also received a top ranking for fibromyalgia pain. People often notice improved range of motion immediately after a deep tissue massage.

At Drift Away massage the deep tissue massage used combines deep tissue techniques with a variety of other related remedial massage and advanced techniques to work more effectively into the muscles and to provide deeper more longer lasting benefits.

Drift Away uses soft tissue release to lock in the tension and then stretch it out releasing the tight fibres and getting a better stretch to the muscles.  Within the deep tissue massage muscle energy technqiues are also used as are mobilisation techniques in order to provide greater movement to the muscles and greater range of motion and increase flexibility.

Drift Away is regularly increasing their knowledge of deep tissue massage and these advanced skills to continue to provide a more comprehensive and specialist massage treatment.

Myofascial release

On April 15th i was fortunate to attend an excellent course on a subject i had become increasingly aware of and very intrigued by.  Having worked as a massage therapist including deep tissue for four years i had become aware of the feeling of the muscles pulling to one side or feeling very restricted and wanted to know more.  Through out attending various courses such as soft tissue release, muscle energy techniques and advanced deep tissue techniques, i had developed a deep understanding of the body and the different way that muscles move and how they can tend to pull to one side due to restrictions.

However it wasn't until the myofascial release course that i was able to put another piece of the jigsaw together and learn more about these restrictions and this tightening or pulling to the side.  I often describe massage as a game of Jenga, where you are having to work the muscles and each move you make can have a knock on effect on the next muscle, so the next peace of the jenga game!  The body is far more complex than most people realise and requires a variety of techniques to effectively work the muscles. The fascia of the body is like this and due to its connective nature the restriction of the fascia in one area can impact on the next area.

The myofascial release course has enabled me to add another skill to the toolbox and we have been seeing effective results when integrated with both deep tissue and Swedish massage.

So what is myofascial release?

The whole body is made up of this connective tissue called fascia, literally from head to toe, covering the whole body just like your skin.  As it covers the whole body you can see how restriction in one area can have a knock on effect on another area, when this fascia becomes tight it can cause restrictions.  In the normal healthy person, the fascia is relaxed and wavy around the body. It has the ability to stretch and move without restriction. When we experience physical trauma, scarring, or inflammation, however, the fascia loses its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted and a source of tension to the rest of the body.  When this fascia become tight and restricted it can affect the muscles ability to move and perform it's full role, this then has a knock on effect on other muscles, flexibility and movement.


 
The aim of myofascial release is to unwind and free up this fascia through soft tissue techniques, through gentle yet effective stretching techniques, in order to relieve pain and increase movement within the fascia.  The myofascial release is carried out without oil in order to allow the fascia to stretch and gradually move whilst still firmly holding it within the stretch.  The stretch is held for around two minutes in order to ensure that the stretch is effective and happens on a deeper level rather than as a temporary issue.

At Drift Away these techniques are incorporated within the massage, usually at the beginning before the use of oil in order to get the best stretch and ensure that the fascia is loose so work can begin on the rest of the muscles.

At times myofascial release can feel a little intense but often it feels like it is doing very little but the effects are very surprising.  Having had the treatment myself i was surprised by how loose i felt afterwards and a little achy despite feeling that not much had happened!

Away on holiday.....

I will be away from Tuesday 22nd May to Tuesday 29th May inclusive, so no appointment next week guys!

I will be back working from 30th May, the current availability for then is as follows;

Wed 30th: Appointments starting between 2.45pm and 5.30pm.
Thurs 31st: Appointment at 5pm.
Sat 2nd June: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 5pm.

Contact Dannie on 07534219199 or dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Current availability week beginning 14/05/12

I hope everyone has had a good weekend and enjoyed the sunshine.  This week's availability is a little limited but there is still plenty of space on Saturday. 

Tuesday: 11.30am
Wednesday: 12pm
Thursday: Am starting between 9.30am and 11am or at 3pm
Friday: 12.30pm
Saturday: Starting between 9am and 5pm.

There are no appointments available next week as i am on holiday from Tuesday 22nd May till Tuesday 29th May inclusive.

Have a good week everyone!

Current availability week beginning 07/05/12

I hope everyone has had a relax and enjoyable bank holiday weekend and enjoyed their three day break.  Here at Drift Away we were closed Sunday and Monday, giving us time to recharge our batteries and relax, so that were ready to get back to work again:-)

This week's availability

Wed starting between 9.30am and 11am, at 2.30pm or at 5pm.

Thurs starting between 9.30am and 4pm.

Friday starting between 9.30am and 11am or at 3.15pm

Contact me, Dannie on 07534219199 or at dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk

www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Current availability week beginning 30/04/12

I am away visiting friends Monday and Tuesday so will not be around those days.  I hope everyone has a great May day on the 1st May.

Wednesday starting between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. 
Thursday 11.30am or 3.30pm
Saturday starting between 9.30am and 11.30am or between 4pm and 7pm.

Not much left for this week but a fair few appointments left for the week after.

Have a good start to the week everyone:-)

Current availability - week beginning 23/04/12

This week there are plenty of early appointments to make the most of!

Tuesday - 12.45pm.

Wednesday - Starting between 9.30am and 5pm.

Thursday - Starting between 9.30am and 5pm.

Friday - Starting between 9.30am and 1pm.

Saturday - 1.30pm.

Contact Dannie on 07534219199 or dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk.

Have a good week everyone!

Current availability week beginning 17/04/12

A bit of a late update as i was on a myofascial release massage course on Sunday. Very informative and a great way to loosen up tight fascia within the body, fascia covers the whole of the body, so its very important to loosen it up!

Current availability wk beginning 16/04/12

Nothing available until Friday!

Friday: Appointments available starting between 9.30am and 10.30am. Friday at 5.30pm.
Sunday: Appointments starting between 10am and 1pm.

That's it for this week, but there are appointments available for the week after that.

Current availability week beginning 09/04/12

I hope that Easter was a wonderful occassion for everyone and allowed for some rest and relaxation. I know plenty of you had some lovely massage treatments over the Easter weekend:-)

Hopefully a nice start to the week despite the erratic weather.

Current availability week beginning 09/04/12

Wed starting between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.
Friday starting between 9.30am and 5pm.
Saturday starting between 9.30am and 12pm.

Not much for this week but still a couple of spaces that you can all enjoy!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Current availability week beginning 02/04/12

Listed here are available appointments which i will be doing each week so that people know exactly what is available and so can pick their appointments more easily:-)

Current availability week beginning 02/04/12

Wednesday 4th April: 12.30pm

Thursday 5th April: 11.15am or 5pm

Good Friday: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 5pm.

Easter Sunday: Appointments starting between 10am and 1pm or 8.30pm

Easter Monday: Appointments starting between 9.30am and 11am, or between 3pm and 4pm.

Contact Dannie on dannie@driftawaytherapies.co.uk or 07534219199

www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

What is Drift Away?!

Drift Away is a mobile massage service based in Winchester and serves areas within a fifteen mile radius of Winchester including Southampton, Romsey, Chandlers Ford, Alresford to name but a few.

Drift Away provides a range of massage treatment and particularly specialises in deep tissue massage and hypno massage. Drift Away doesn't just focus on remedial massage but includes treatments to relax both body and mind through the hypno massage, hot stone massage, swedish massage and Indian head massage.

Treatments are tailored to individual's needs so if you have tight legs and a tight neck these can all be catered for! Equally you can mix and match to make your own treatments, so combining head massage with a face massage and a back massage too.

Dannie is the person behind Drift Away and has been running the business since July 2008, providing massage treatments to a wide array of people, helping to release tight muscles and provide much needed stress relief to those over worked muscles.

Being a mobile service means that you can relax in your own home and don't have to worry about having to travel anywhere or lose that lovely relaxed feeling by getting in the car afterwards.

You can find out more about Drift Away here www.driftawaytherapies.co.uk

Welcome to Drift Away massage Winchester and Hampshire

Welcome to Drift Away's new blog and thanks for stopping by. I have created this blog in order to keep you all up to date on developments in the field of massage, interesting articles that may appeal to you all and to answer many of the questions i get asked about massage.

This blog will also be used to update you on goings on at Drift Away, from new courses attended to new treatments added and any relevant business developments. I have also created this blog as i often have people asking about last minute appointments and who are unable to check my facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/DriftAwaymassage so hopefully this blog can be used as a useful resource to make you aware of what appointments are still available.

So, welcome to the Drift Away massage blog. If you have any questions or would like particular posts published, please let me know and i will do my best to answer things.