Craft Projects for Massage Therapy - Part 4

Lavender Eye Pillow

Eyes often hold lots of stress, fatigue and tiredness. The simple act of resting your eyes, by turning your awareness inwards invites your mind and body to follow. A lavender eye pillow is an easy and effective way to relax and enjoy the wonderful benefits of lavender aromatherapy. 

Simply place the eye pillow over your clients eyes, the soft gentle pressure of the eye pillow gently releases tension in and around their eyes, whilst they inhale and begin to relax and enjoy the calming benefits of lavender. Lavender is also a great aid for headache relief.

A great tip it to place the lavender eye pillow before treatment in the freezer, which is especially nice to help reduce puffiness from allergies.

To make this eye pillow you will need:

Two pieces of organic cotton, silk or even a warm velvet

4″ x 8″ is a good size, slightly larger than a cheque book

Weight (when filled) around 1/2 lb or 230 grams is ideal

Fill with linseeds (they are lighter, gentler and softer than rice)

Full instructions on how to make the Lavender Eye Pillow here

Craft Projects for Massage Therapy - Part 3

Soft Cloth Face Cradle Covers

Make your own reusable face-cradle covers from cloth is far better than using paper face-cradle covers, which are then thrown away after each use and far more eco friendly to the environment.

Things you will need:

Sheet of butchers paper

2 yards of fabric, cotton or fleece

Sewing pins.

Choose a fabric. Fleece is a good option because it wicks away moisture, is soft and easy to work.  Polar fleece is soft and is made from wool and recycled plastic bottles, so it is a good use of recycled materials. Organic cotton is very soft; both are washable.

Read more: How to Make Your Own Face Cradle Cover 

If you are not that creative, you can purchase handmade face cloths from this Etsy site

Craft Projects for Massage Therapy - Part 2

Holster for Massage Oils

Another great creative project for your Massage Therapy business.

Does your massage oil when massaging always seem to be too far away or in the way? The massage oil needs to always be close at hand so you can apply more to your client easily without interrupting the flow of the massage and breaking contact.

Making your own holster can add that uniqueness to your business whilst saving you some pennies too.

Read more: How to Make a Holster for Massage Oils  or if you prefer you can purchase some ready made handmade pouches from Hipholster on Etsy, who ship to the UK too

Craft Projects for Massage Therapy - Part 1

Bolster Cushions

We are all looking for a little uniqueness to add to our professional services, whilst looking for ways to save money. I found these great creative projects whilst surfing online, that can be added to your Massage Therapy business, that will enhance your practice by adding that finishing touch.

Bolster cushions are a great addition when massaging. Bolster cushions can provide extra comfort for your client on the massage table. They help support the natural curvature of the body and encourage deeper relaxation. The more relaxed your client is, the more beneficial the massage will be.

Here are some tips for using bolster cushions in the face up massage (supine), face down massage (prone), and side-lying massage positions.

Face Up Massage (Supine)
Place a massage bolster under the knees. Using a bolsterto elevate the head and neck is helpful for clients with asthma, allergies, or congestion in the chest or sinuses. Adjust the bolsters as needed.

Face Down Massage (Prone)
Place a massage bolster pillow under the ankles. You can also slide a bolster under the hips or just above the chest area with the arms resting on the forward arm shelf. Find a position that works for your client.

Side-lying Massage
With your client lying on one side, slightly bend the top leg at the knee and rest it on top of a full massage bolster. Keep the bottom leg fairly straight in a relaxed position and aligned with the rest of the body. Give your partner a pillow to hug for arm support, and slide a pillow or bolster under the neck.

Always ask your comfort level of your clients when positioning the massage bolsters.

Making Your Own  Bolster Massage Cushions

Materials

2 pretty and matching fabrics
Pillow filling
Matching ribbon 1/4" wide

Patterns and Cutting

You will need three rectangles to make this bolster pillow. One for the body and the two for the sides. Use a different fabric for each one.

Decide how long and wide your pillow will be. Add 1/2" to each measurement for seam allowances and trace a rectangle. This will be the body of the pillow.

Make the side rectangles using the measurements of the body

Sew it Love it, claim to say that this bolster can be made in half hour or less, full instructions here

My Animoto Video

My Animoto Video

Pernicious Anaemia, my struggle

In 2009, I had taken myself to the doctors as I was gaining weight, feeling very run down and extremely fatigued, all the symptoms of an under active thyroid. I finally got diagnosed with Pernicious anaemia. Although nothing wrong with my liver, it has the inability to store B12.


The first few weeks I had what they called booster jabs, then every 10 weeks I have to have a top up, for the rest of my life. It took about 6 months for the fatigue to settle down, needless to say it made me feel very depressed, although this is also a symptom of B12 deficiency. Your body needs B-12 for nerve function, red blood cell formation, and the creation of substances such as DNA, hormones and proteins. 


In August 2011,  last year I decided I wanted to do something about the weight gain, so I took up walking. I was power walking about 15 miles a week. Then in October 2011 I signed up to do the London Moonwalk for Breast cancer research to keep me on track. This marathon walk wasn't until May 2012, so I had something to work towards, but instead of losing weight, I found myself gaining again, a stone! So another trip to the doctors, again they tested my thyroid, and again all clear. The doctors attributed my weight gain to the possibility that I may be peri-menopausal, certainly didn't feel peri-menopausal!


The more research I do on Pernicious Anaemia, the more I find out, yet find not many people suffer with weight gain, it's usually weight loss along with all the other symptoms. In America they give B12 jabs to help people lose weight as it's speeds up your metabolism.


I hate looking at my body image in the mirror, would love to see a fit and tone image.  I eat healthy, hard drink any alcohol, don't smoke, love all my vegetables and fruit. I tend to eat I high protein, low carb diet most of the time, avoiding bread as much as possible as it bloats me out. 

Bearing in mind my healthy diet, no weight loss is happening so I figured drastic measures needed to be put into place, so today, Thursday 5th July 2012, I went for my enrolment at my local gym, where I was talked through a core fitness programme and discussed nutrition with my trainer. I am going to keep a food diary for the week, so she can see if there are any areas that may need working on. I will keep posting back on my progress to let you know how I am doing.


Would love to have you comment if you a sufferer or any diet advice that worked for you. Thanks  for reading

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