THAI MASSAGE FOR RELAXATION - By Michelle Hansel

I have never experienced Thai Massage before so when I arrived at the Ashleigh Clinic in Stoneygate it was with some trepidation. I was asked to make myself comfortable on a futon style mattress in Claudia Walker's consulting room and allowed my body to be manoeuvred into various yoga type positions. Thai massage is unlike other massages I have had as you are fully clothed and there are no oils used at all. It is just the touch and skill of the person doing the massage that brings fantastic results. It can induce a deep state of relaxation similar to meditation and I did feel incredibly light at the end of it and my body felt much more flexible. Claudia told me: "The intention is to work on the totality of body, mind and spirit, incorporating a theory of energy blanacing which is based on the principle that life energy flows through lines within the body, forming a complete network of energy pathways". Once I had relaxed, the experience was excellent, particularly when Claudia massaged my head and neck, releasing knots I didn't even realise I had.
Claudia trained at the Bodyharmonics Center in Cheltenham, under world-renowned oriental massage and acupuncture specialist Maria Mercati.
Contact: Claudia on 0796 7856182. Practicing at Ashleigh Clinic, 26 Stoneygate Road, Leicester, LE2 2AD