about lindsay

I aim to provide a holistic approach to wellbeing through massage and yoga, understanding that the mind and body are not separate entities and that the health of one is very reliant on the well being of the other. 

My yoga teacher training combined with Diplomas in Swedish Massage and Advanced Remedial Massage mean that I look at the entire individual even when treating a very specific and localised complaint or injury.

Diploma in Advanced Remedial Massage (DARM) | Diploma in Remedial and Sports Massage (DRSM) | Diploma in Swedish Massage (DSM) | Yoga Teacher (200hr YTT)

From an early age I’ve been an active individual, partaking in and expressing myself through a range of sports and physical activities at a variety of levels from extreme beginner to weekend warrior to international level competition.  As a child and adolescent I was a competitive gymnast and then when I went to university I fell in love with spending time in the Scottish highlands and the Alpine ranges of the continent, developing a passion for rock climbing and mountaineering.  I started practicing yoga in 2007 when I was living in Western Australia, at the time I was practicing Ashtanga yoga, a really dynamic and flowing style, it felt great to be doing moves akin to gymnastics again, all the while focusing on the breath - it might sound silly but this was my first experience of breathing consciously - what a revelation!  During my 6 years in the WA sunshine I also learned to surf and kitesurf, developing a deep love and respect for the ocean.

In the cooler months in Oz, I took up running and laterly triathlon, culminating in completing a marathon in Perth in 2011 and then a half ironman in Busselton in May 2012, just a month before moving back to the UK.  

Upon my return to the UK, my role in my first career as a Water and Environmental Engineer became increasingly desk based, I got fidgety report writing and longed to work with people in an environment well away from computer screens.  Life circumstances also got me very interested in self care and mental, emotional & spiritual wellbeing so I decided to start my yoga teacher training with CYS in 2016 to develop my own practice with a view to teaching classes one day...watch this space.

It was during the yoga teacher training where my journey into massage therapy really started, over 3 weekends of the teacher training course we did yoga anatomy workshops run by an Osteopath, I found the anatomical and biomechanical side of the training fascinating and I knew I’d like to further deepen my understanding of these topics.  My yoga teacher and friend Hazel recommended I did a Swedish massage course to learn about the subject in an applied context. It was brilliant advice, as by the end of the course I knew I loved the massage side of things too!   Upon completing my Swedish massage training, I instinctively wanted to use the problem solving skills that I learned and developed in my first career to help people with their musculoskeletal problems so I went straight into studying Sports and Remedial massage.

I completed my Diploma in Remedial and Sports Massage at the Scottish Massage Schools in November 2017. then, just two weeks later severely injured myself in a mountain biking accident, it was by far the worst sporting injury I’ve ever sustained.  My career in remedial and sports massage therapy had not commenced entirely as planned...  

I’m happy to say that I was very fortunate to receive some great care from the NHS and I recovered quickly and well from the neck injury, getting back to massage work within 3 months of somersaulting over my handlebars.  Although it was an unfortunate incident, I think the experience has made me a better therapist, it taught me so much about the body’s ability to heal, about pain and the process of sustaining, living with and recovering from a major physical injury.  I believe that my personal experience helps me to understand my clients hopes, fears around recovering from injury and pain better.

In 2019, I undertook further massage training in the form of a Diploma in Advanced Remedial Massage with Scottish Massage Schools in Edinburgh.  The training has allowed me to assess, identify and treat a much wider range of conditions and injuries with much greater precision and effectiveness using neurological testing, muscle testing, muscle energy techniques and gentle joint mobilisations to carefully and gently encourage realignment of the spine and other joints of the body and help to redress muscular imbalances.

The gratitude bit…

I’m really indebted to Hazel for the part she played in the path I’m on, I love my work and it really doesn’t feel like a job most days.

Donald S for his help with branding design

Duncan C for his mean photography skills

Greig T for modelling, he’s a natural

Kirsty M for designing and building my website

All my tutors, mentors and student learning buddies at CYS and SMS

My family and friends who’ve been there for me over the years and given me the confidence and support to make the leaps and changes I’ve made to get to writing this. It takes a village to grow a human!