Total Balance Complementary Therapies Teesdale

18/05/2026

20/04/2026

And we're back! with both online and in-person workshops in May. I'd love to write with you on Zoom or at Dilston Physic Garden - or both!
Spring creativity with Writing for Wellbeing workshops - https://mailchi.mp/fb75dda8b20c/writing-workshops-for-a-new-year-6754110

10/04/2026

Struggling to unwind before bedtime. Can’t switch off? White Chestnut can help.

Traditionally used to calm a racing or overactive mind, switch off repetitive/unwanted thoughts, reduce mental chatter and support relaxation.

Particularly helpful for individuals who are experiencing stressful situations and moments of anxiety due to overthinking, or who are having difficulty unwinding because of an active mind before bed.

10/04/2026

Could supporting your nervous system help protect your memory?

New research* is exploring how stimulating the vagus nerve may support brain health — particularly a region linked to memory, focus, and stress regulation, and one of the first areas affected in Alzheimer’s disease.

The vagus nerve is central to the body’s “rest and digest” response, helping shift us out of stress and into repair.

In Bowen Therapy, this principle is foundational.

A specific vagus nerve procedure, along with all Bowen moves, aims to calm the sympathetic nervous system and support parasympathetic balance — creating the conditions for the body to reset.

As science continues to explore these connections — including their potential role in conditions like Alzheimer’s — it’s a powerful reminder:

Supporting the nervous system supports the whole person.

* Elizabeth Riley, Lecturer in Psychology, Cornell University

10/04/2026

Many people expect Bowen Therapy to feel like other hands-on therapies.

It doesn’t.

It’s lighter.

Slower.

More about response than force.

And for many, that’s what makes it different.

03/04/2026

Would you pay attention if your body came with a low battery warning?

HINT: It does.

Tight shoulders, aching back, poor sleep, irritability — these can be signs your nervous system is running on empty.

Bowen Therapy works with your body’s natural repair mechanisms, gently reminding your system to rest, rebalance, and recharge, to the best of its ability.

Sometimes, the body doesn’t need more pressure — it needs permission to reset.

Time to top up your inner battery?

17/03/2026

A small region of the brain called the insular cortex plays a remarkable role in how we experience the body.

It helps interpret signals related to:

• pain
• temperature
• internal organs
• emotional states
• body awareness

In other words, it’s one of the brain’s key centres for understanding how the body feels from the inside.

Researchers studying touch, movement and body awareness often look at this region because it helps translate sensory signals into conscious experience.

Bowen Therapy works through gentle, specific movements that provide subtle sensory input to the nervous system.

While science has not specifically demonstrated that Bowen “targets” the insula, therapies involving touch are part of the broader conversation about how the brain and body communicate.

Because the nervous system is always listening.

16/03/2026

We love creative stress relief.

But if your colouring starts looking like this…

…it might be time to book a Bowen session!

05/03/2026

We often treat tension as a flaw.

Something to stretch away. Push through. Power past.

But the nervous system doesn’t create tension randomly.

It creates protection. Protection from overload. From instability. From perceived threat — physical or emotional.

The body adapts in the best way it knows how.

Bowen Therapy doesn’t force that protection to drop.

It introduces gentle, precise input — allowing the nervous system to reassess whether it still needs to hold on.

When the system feels safer, it can soften.

And that’s very different from being weak.