Jenny Greenwood - Massage & Aromatherapy

10/07/2024

Hello everyone

I'm sorry if any of your messages have gone unanswered, Facebook seems to be hiding things for weeks on end, and then not letting me reply ... Apologies if you have felt I've left you hanging, not my intention.

Best currently to contact me by text message (not whatsapp, not messenger)
to 07815 917746

But in any case, I'm not working now until after the summer. Any text message enquiries I will reply to as and when I can, I'm off grid a lot just now, please understand if it takes me a while.

Hoping you all have a lovely summer too 💚
I will be back.
And who knows, I might even get Facebook to make sense after the summer break

10/03/2024

Hello, it's been a while since Ive posted anything, so here I am again. Thank you for being here too.

I've been asked quite a bit recently about barefoot shoes , so here is a summary of my knowledge and experience and thoughts.

The short version is:
I really like them. I wear them a lot. I've been wearing them for years now. Probably about ten years at least.
AND
You do have to give it some thought, you can't just buy a pair - not even those cheap comfy looking ones for sale online these days - and wear them all the time from then on.

👣 👣 👣

The main thing that causes injuries and problems is stress on the body.
The main thing that causes stress on the body is the way we use it.
If we have optimal movement patterns this causes least stress obviously.
If we have got into bad habits for whatever reason we can either change our movement habits for the better, or we can look for ways to reduce the impact on our bodies.

Shoes that have cushioned soles, arch support, anti pronation technology, lessen the impact for sure.
But they also disguise the movement patterns that caused the stress in the first place (it could be said that anti-pronation technology is helping to correct a movement pattern, but what it's actually doing is making us ever more reliant on shoe technology).

If we don't consciously change our movement patterns, they will not get better on their own.

If we go barefoot or wear barefoot shoes we get feedback from the ground, our bodies soon tell us if our pattern of movement is stressful.
This opens a window of opportunity for us to begin to listen and have a conversation with our body.
Maybe one foot hurts but the other doesnt. What is the not-hurting side doing right?
We can focus on that and this gives the hurting side a way to adopt that better pattern.

If we have worn supportive cushioned shoes a lot, we have lost a lot of those neural pathways through lack of use.
We need to wake up those pathways again, rebuild the brain map, by walking barefoot on different surfaces, sand, pebbles, rocks...
We can go barefoot and/ or wear barefoot shoes, a little at first, a bit more, a bit more, listening carefully to our body about it, and rebuild the neural pathways so that we become ever more attuned to the feedback we get, and use that info to let go of unhelpful movement patterns (Feldenkrais technique is about this I think).

This will also rebuild the strength in all our foot muscles and in time mostly we won't need any cushioning etc in our shoes.
Our toes will also have the room to straighten naturally if they had become misaligned.

There might always be a case for cushioned shoes in certain circumstances because we can't totally undo a lifetime of wearing shoes, eg when we're walking or running longer than usual distances/multi day hikes or runs/carrying heavier than usual loads. Some of Altra's shoes have a bit more cushioning than others, worth looking into.

When we get tired but still have further to go, our movement patterns become less efficient, we may revert to old, less helpful patterns.
The more we have trained, the more resilience we have built, the better our endurance, but padded shoes, with arch support and anti pronation technology if needed, can be valuable at such times and help to prevent the injuries than can be caused by lapsing back to inefficient movement.

It definitely needs to be taken slowly in very small stages, building up the load we put on our feet while wearing barefoot shoes.

👣

There's also the calf muscles and Achilles Tendon to consider: barefoot shoes are "zero drop" meaning no heel raise whatsoever. Your calf muscles will have become shortened over time as an adaptation to wearing shoes with a heel raise, even a slight heel raise as in trainers and running shoes will have some effect.
So we need to take time for the calf muscle to adapt to wearing zero drop shoes, we do not want to be putting strain on the Achilles Tendon by trying to do too much too soon.

👣

Steven Sashen, the CEO of Xero Shoes, recommends this (for runners):

• Your first 'run' in barefoot shoes should be only 20 seconds long (yes, 20 SECONDS) on a smooth hard surface. This will give you the best feedback, without having any hidden hazhards.
• If you do not hurt anywhere 24 hours later, you can run again in them, this time for 30 seconds.
• Again, see how you are in 24 hours, and if all is well, run again, for 40 seconds.
• And so on ...

He cautions not to run further, at first, even if it feels good! The elation some people experience on first wearing these shoes (it feels like being a child again, playing out! Believe me 😁🤸‍♀️🏃‍♀️) can mask any other messages from the body.

• If you hurt anywhere, REST (a day or more) until you don't hurt, and then start again, with a shorter run than the one that hurt you, and focus on your running form, if only one foot (or leg) hurts, focus on what the not-hurting foot is doing and the hurt foot will catch on and adopt the better movement pattern ...

It is vitally important to run with short steps, feet landing as close as possible to directly under your centre of body mass.
This way, you naturally land on your forefoot or midfoot, and this is best for our natural shock absorption.
Heel striking on the other hand, which is the natural consequence of striding out ('over striding') has far greater shock impact on the body.

So, faster cadence and shorter steps is what we're looking for. This can be a big change for some people, for others not so big.
And Steven Sashen says there is no magic number, it's for the individual to figure out what works for them, and it will be different going up hill / down hill, fast / slow, accelerating / decelerating.

👣

The 24 hours between runs is important for two reasons:
For the brain to hear what the body says about the impact of that run, and
For building or rebuilding the neural pathways in the brain. This takes time, and happens during the Pause, when we are Not Doing.
It's one of my favourite sayings, "The pause is as important as the note".

👣

It's also important to rest well, to do things that engage the Parasympathetic Nervous System (the vagus nerve) such as slow breathing, slow restorative yoga, chanting, flotation tanks, slow restorative massage, myofascial unwinding...

The body restores and regenerates itself best when we are in the deeply relaxed state of Parasympathetic Nervous System activation (the vagus nerve is the main nerve of the parasympathetic system).

But anything new is perceived by the brain as a potential threat, and the Sympathetic Nervous System ('fight or flight or freeze') is activated. Trying to learn new patterns of movement is initially going to cause this to happen.
So we need to find ways to rest deeply afterwards.

And screen time does not activate the parasympathetic nervous system. So put your phone down after reading this ! 😊

👣

Definitely wearing them (or just going barefoot) around the house and garden first of all is where to start then introduce wearing them for very short walks or runs .... and ditto for when we're carrying heavy loads, such as a backpack.

I also think it's ideal to massage your feet regularly / have massage / or have other foot treatments to help this, wakening up the neural pathways and easing out muscles that either ache a bit from this unaccustomed use or have been tight and 'knotted' for years. You can't strengthen any muscle that is locked up, it needs unlocking first.

👣

We have our own inbuilt shock absorption when our neural pathways and our feet muscles are all working well, the foot arches work like springs, it's when we lose this from lack of use that we need more cushioning in our shoes.
In general.

But there is also the thing that as we age, our natural fat pads on the soles of our feet wear thin.
Like losing the tread on car tyres.

So maybe as we age we'll always need to wear cushioned soles or at least cushioned insoles. The main experts talking about barefoot shoes at the moment are a lot younger than me, so they don't seem to have started considering that fact yet 😂

👣

I think it's always got to be a compromise, what works best for a person.

Ideally, barefoot/ barefoot shoes a lot of the time (ONCE you've accustomed your body and brain map to it) to maintain strength in our feet and to keep our neural pathways in good shape - and save the cushions for the longer days on our feet... 😊

👣

Good brands to look at if you want to are
Altra,
Vibram Vivobarefoot,
Xero.

Yorshire Runner in Otley and Northern Runner in Newcastle stock a good range of Altra shoes and are helpful and friendly.

I haven't found Vivo or Xero in shops here. They are both from U.S. and I've bought online. They do offer a very good guide to choosing your size.

I prefer to shop local and Mountain Wild in Hebden Bridge used to sell Freet, another brand, also good.

👣 👣 👣

Just one more thing. All barefoot shoes have a wide toe box to allow your toes to spread and align nicely and move naturally, and so that the soles of your feet (the plantar fascia) are not scrunched up.
But not all barefoot shoes are for wide feet.

Altra use several different width lasts for their shoes and shoes built on their Original Last are the broadest fitting.
Below in the photos is a handy chart I once saw somewhere of the different widths of barefoot shoes from different brands.

👣 👣 👣

I am still working, part time now. I haven't got a lot of availability which is why I havent posted available appointments on here for a good while.

I'm prioritising existing massage clients to make sure I look after them first, but if you would like to enquire please send a text message (not a whatsapp message thanks, it won't reach me) to
07815 917746

You can also ring that number. I have it on silent when I'm working but I'll get back to you when I can.

I'm pretty much booked up until mid May .

👣

Thank you for reading. Hope you found something helpful.

###

18/06/2023

Hello everyone, Happy Solstice Time of Year.

As I'm away a lot over this summer, I'm not posting availability on here just now because there isnt much, I'm pretty booked up until the end of the summer.

If and when any vacancies arise, if they're not snapped up straight away, I'll post again.

Meanwhile, I enjoy and look forward to seeing everyone who has booked appointments.
Have a good summer 😊 x

09/01/2023

Hello, happy new year. These are the days I have spaces this month:

Text or phone 07815 917746 to book

January

Tuesday 24th 9.30am, 3pm.
Wednesday 25th
Friday 27th 9.30, 11am, 4pm.

Monday 30th 11am, 2pm.
Tuesday 31st.

Friday 27th

Monday 30th
Tues 31st

February

Weds 1st 2.30pm
Thurs 2nd

Friday 10th

Monday 13th 9.30am 12am, 4pm.
Tues 14th 9.30am, 2.30pm
Weds 15th 9.30am, 2.30pm

Thurs 23rd 9.30am, 11am.
Friday 24th

Monday 27th
Tuesday 28th 9.30am, 2.30pm

My usual appointment times are
9am or 9.30am
11am
2.30pm
4pm

But I can often be flexible if these times don't work for you, just ask.

07815 917746

Hope you are well. Look forward to seeing you.
Jenny x

04/11/2022

I thought I'd write a brief post about the menopause.

10-15 years ago there was hardly anything out there to read, and it wasn't being talked about anything like as much as it is now.

Davina McCall's BBC programmes have probably done more to open up the conversation than anything, with her already being a high profile person, and there are many other valuable resources out there too.

In particular, no one needs to suffer from vaginal dryness and discomfort. If swimming pool water irritates, and riding a bicycle has become very uncomfortable, and many other examples we could all mention, know that vaginal oestrogen is the answer ladies, it really is, go talk to your GP.

Here's a round up of what I've been looking at, mainly since seeing Davina's programmes:

• BBC I-Player, 2 documentaries by Davina McCall on the menopause.

• Book by Davina McCall called Menopausing.

It's also available on Audible and she reads it herself.

For up to date information about hormones, HRT, and many other subjects, with a lot of input from a medical doctor and other menopause specialists, there is probably something in this book for everybody.

• Red School

A website set up by two women to educate and support women around menstrual cycle awareness (MCA) and menopause.

They see menopause as a potentially empowering and dignified rite of passage.

They take the approach of tuning in to your cycle, the hormones, the energy, the challenges, and learning to ride the waves, during menstruating years and on into menopause: a very empowering thing to do in my experience (luckily, as it was all that was available back in the day, when HRT was very basic and came with so many health risk warnings).

Their free resources include podcasts, articles, mini courses, women's stories, conversations and interviews,
and then there are books, and paid content (longer courses, up to and including training with them to become a MCA supporter yourself).
Interview on YouTube, the most recent one, just posted today
https://youtu.be/JGecvdXtxUY

•Book called Mindful Menopause, by Sophie Fletcher (who also wrote Mindful Hypnobirthing and Mindful Mamma, and is highly recommended by my friend who is midwife).

And locally, in person, workshops with specialist physios and GPs from time to time in our area.

The Fierce Dance of MenopauseWith Susannah Darling Khan and Alexandra PopeThank you for joining us for this conversation. For more conversations on the power...

20/10/2022

HUGE APOLOGY to anyone who tried to contact me about appointments in September / October, I put a wrong mobile number !! 🙈

The correct number is
07815 917746

I am so sorry !!
If you contact me now, I promise I will fit you in somewhere !
I might not be able to reply for a few days as I'm away and there is only very patchy minimal signal, but I will reply by Tuesday 25th (when I am back) at the latest.

Thank you for your patience !
Jenny x

18/09/2022

I have been back at work now for almost a year 😊
I was asked last year to say a bit about what I do: here is a re-posting of my reply then ... 😊

I've been doing massage professionally ever since I qualified in Aromatherapy and Massage in 1993 (and before that I used to do a bit for friends and family).

When someone comes to me for a massage, they get a bespoke treatment for them on the day. This can be a one-off stand-alone, or one in a series of treatments for something, and that Something might be a physical condition, pain, restriction, or it might be a need for self-care in general or perhaps nurturing support in a difficult time - or maybe just simply to Have A Massage 😊

I work intuitively and always have done, and my intuition today is informed by decades of experience and learning, studying, being shown and taught, receiving, giving, reflecting.

I've had the benefit of some wonderful teachers and mentors in my life, wise, learned, kind and compassionate, inspiring people who have taught me so much and given me plenty of space to grow.

I aim to provide a safe relaxing private space for you to meet your needs,
be that the need to relax and destress,
maybe to meet your body's memories and find a supported way through,
or to help with specific aches, pains, niggles and injuries old or new
- or just the experience of having a massage 😊

We all want to be living our best life and if I can support you with massage treatment and self care ideas then we are on to a winner.

The skills I bring to the massage table are

Aromatherapy and holistic massage for relaxation and nurturing TLC

Sports and other injuries assessment and treatment

Myofascial release and myofascial unwinding

Scar and adhesions work

Lymphatic work (however I am no longer doing specialist lymphoedema treatments).

I have also trained in the past in
Indian Head Massage
'No Hands Massage',
Reiki
and specific work relevant to various life stages and health conditions.

There are many good massage therapists and physiotherapists locally who work with assessing and treating acute injuries - I think my 'niche' is in the treatment of chronic patterns and that is where the myofascial work comes in.

As part of the consultation before initial and ongoing treatment, where relevant, I assess posture, gait, patterns of movement in your life including your work (by asking you to show me how you would be moving 'as if' doing certain actions we suspect are problematic, or by my actually observing you at work if possible, eg an artist in her studio, an actor at his rehearsal). Similarly if you have been in an accident, asking you to show me what happened enables me to know in my own body what the impact will probably have been in your body (often more far-reaching than you might at first realise).

My early teachers were legendary and opened my eyes to energy, plant spirit medicine, chakras, crystals, colour, sound and more as well as massage and aromatherapy. All this was new to me at the time (I was a nurse).

Then came other teachers with a passion for, and an awe-inspiring knowledge of, biochemistry of the oils and their applications, anatomy and physiology, the details of the workings of the human body in health and wellness, under stress, when injured, when inflamed, when unwell, when fighting infections and other dis-eases and illnesses.

I have loved having my brain stretched by these teachers and keeping up to date with the latest research findings and ideas about fascia and about the nervous system.

Before massage I was a nurse, and for a while a teacher, and then a nurse again, and various other jobs in and among.
I lived and travelled throughout Africa (particularly rural Zambia and - very much contrasting - Johannesburg) in my 20's-30's, and am forever shaped and influenced by those times when I was young, as we all are.

I moved to Hebden Bridge in 1984 and still love living here 😊 My massage practice has been almost all here in Hebden Bridge, apart from 2000-2005. (Up to 2000 I also continued working as a Registered Nurse, part time.)

In 2000-2002 I was employed at Boots in Manchester as Health & Wellbeing Aromatherapist (giving treatments).
When Boots closed that department, I went to work (self-employed again) at LA Fitness in Manchester doing sports massage and then at Physio & Therapies in Todmorden, all good.

And now I really enjoy working just here in Hebden Bridge.

I recently took a long (18 months) break from work, first because it was lockdown, then to care for a poorly family member, then to give myself a good long bereavement leave.

One of the things that happened (while Dad was poorly and even more so after) was I Iost a lot of useful stuff from my memory, hasn't 100% come back yet, means I often just can't find the words in a conversation, so please bear with me 😊 it can be frustrating but we do our best 🙏 Apparently this sometimes happens, grief, bereavement. Happened to me. Began to feel like this might be Just How It Is Now, and if I wait for my memory to come back I might never go back to work.
It doesnt stop me being able to work. If anything, my Intuition (informed by past decades of learning and experience, all in my body-memory) is even stronger than ever. My body tunes into your body through my hands and all of my senses, and I know what to do. (I just don't always know how to explain what I'm doing, in the moment, until my brain hopefully catches up.)

I had a wonderfully healing and enjoyable summer doing the things I most love in the relaxing company of many of the people most dear to me, family, friends, camping and van-camping, walking, fresh air and berries, sea, sky, earth, trees, campfires, stories and singing, trees, wide open spaces, sun, moon, stars, sunrises and sunsets, mist, rain, wind, rainbows, dolphins, hares, ravens, red kites...
leave-no-trace,
tread-softly-on-the-earth 💚

I bring all this into my work: the earth, the air, the fire, the water
😊🍂🍁🌳🏕🐬🌊🌅💚🏞🌄🌞🦅🐻🔥😊

I am delighted to be back 😊

I'm going to continue going away for long weekends to feed my soul 😊 so the days of the week I work will vary and I will keep posting my availability.

Do feel free to send a message, however...

FOR APPOINTMENS IT REALLY IS BEST TO SEND ME A TEXT MESSAGE TO MY MOBILE NUMBER

07815 917746

When I'm at work I have the phone on silent of course so it doesnt disturb the massage. In between appointments I look at my phone briefly, but only at text messages, I haven't got head-space to also check facebook messages, emails, listen to voicemails etc - so it ain't gonna happen, sorry 😊🦅💚

I look forward to seeing you.

Photos taken at work 😊

18/09/2022

September-October 2022

🌞AVAILABILITY THIS WEEK🌞

🌞Thursday 22nd 3pm and
🌞Friday 23rd 9am or 9.30am.

🌞Text message to 07815 917746 to book, or ring and leave a brief message, thank you.

FOR AVAILABILITY THIS MONTH AND NEXT, SEE BELOW.

Greetings everybody, I hope it has been a good summer for you
I am back at work again, very much refreshed and happy, and I hope you are in good spirits too, but whatever your circumstances I look forward to seeing you again or meeting you for the first time.

Getting a little bit older 😆 I no longer practice lymphoedema management and I suppose you could say I am semi-retired, I am starting to say that myself 😁
There are other really good therapists around who do treat lymphoedema though, and I am very happy to pass on details.

What I do offer is massage - holistic, sports and injury treatments, myofascial release and myofascial unwinding.
With 30+ years of experience in this, my hands still know what to do and my heart is still in the right place 😊💚

This week is almost fully booked up - I have TWO SPACES AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Thursday 22nd 3pm and
Friday 23rd 9am or 9.30am.

Text message to 07815917746 to book .

Going forward, these are the dates I will be working (and still have availability) this autumn:

Edited Monday 19th September.

SEPTEMBER

Monday 26th 4pm
Tuesday 27th 9am or 9.30, 11am
Wednesday 28th 9am
Thursday 29th 9am or 9.30, 11am.

OCTOBER

Wednesday 5th 9am
Thursday 6th 9am or 9.30, 11am

Wednesday 12th 9am, 3.30pm
Thursday 13th 9am, 2.30pm
Friday 14th 9am, 4pm.

Monday 17th 11am, 2.30pm, 4pm

Wednesday 26th 9am, 2pm, 3.30pm
Thursday 27th 9.30, 11am, 2.30pm, 4pm
Friday 28th 9am, 10.30, 4pm.

Monday 31st 9.30, 11am, 2.30pm, 4pm.

I will post any cancelations or other days/times as they are arise (after giving existing clients first choice by text message). Sometimes I am able to do times a little earlier or later than shown, feel free to ask.

And November-December dates will be posted in a week or two.

🌞🍂🌞🍃🌞🍁🌞🍂🌞🍃🌞🍁🌞

Photo of late summer loveliness, in Pembrokeshire 😊

04/07/2022

Hi Everyone

On my way back from Wales, will be working his week and I've got some covid etc cancelations.

The following appointents are available:

Tuesday (tomorrow) 4pm
Wednesday 6th 3pm or 3.30pm
Thursday 7th 9.30am

Next availability after this is:

Wednesday 20th July 4pm
Thursday 21st July 4pm

Thursday 4th August 4.30pm
Wednesday August 8th 10.30am, 4pm
Thursday August 11th 2.30pm, 4pm.

Monday August 15th 9am
Tuesday August 16th 11am, 2.30pm
Wednesday 17th 9am or 930am, 11am, 2.30pm

To book, please send text message if possible to 07815 917746 as that's the best way to contact me.
Thank you. Xx

28/05/2022

Good afternoon all
Happy weekend 😊
Further to my post earlier this week, I have no available appointments left now until August.
I will post any August availability in a few weeks.
Thank you.
Xx

24/05/2022

Hello everyone
Isn't it lovely to be enjoying some sunshine here.
This pic is actually Ilkley Moor a couple of weeks ago, so not totally local but not far away and lovely anyway. Cotton grass 😊
I realise I've not posted in ages, sorry about that. Busy. Then had covid. And now busy again.
And going to be away for quite a lot of this summer.
I will be here, and working, for a week or more each month.
These are beginning to book up, and I want to make sure my regular clients get the appointments they want, so I'll keep the wraps on availabity until the end of this week and then post again for everybody to see.

Thanks all !
Bye for now xx

21/01/2022

Edit- it's gone. Other availability also updated.

Cancelation today 2.30pm
Text 07815 917746 if you want it 😊

Other availability left this month is:
Monday 24th 2.30pm.
Tuesday 25th 4.30pm

And in February:

Thursday 10th 9am
Friday 11th 9 or 9.30am

Tuesday 15th 2.30pm
Wednesday 16th 2pm
Thursday 17th 11am

Wednesday 23rd 11.30am, 4.30pm
Thursday 24th 11.30am, 4.30pm
Friday 25th 9am or 9.30.