Pregnancy is such a magical time; to create and grow a new life is a truly remarkable and beautiful process.

The 5 Top Benefits of Thai Oil Massage in Pregnancy:

• The unique combination of acupressure and gentle stretches, given whilst lying on a futon, is a grounding experience that helps to open the hips, back, neck and shoulders. It helps create more physical and emotional space and thus better breathing, promoting equal inhalation and expiration and intake of oxygen - oxygen plays a powerful and primary role in our overall health and wellbeing.

• The ‘Sen Line' work - the palming and thumbing of energy lines along the body - are unique to Thai Massage and make it therapeutically beneficial. Leg pain and cramps are considerably eased by improving blood flow, circulation and stimulation of the natural body's energy, ‘chi'.

• Massage decreases levels of the ‘stress hormone' noradrenaline and a build-up of cortisol, thereby promoting a greater release of ‘feel-good hormones' like dopamine and serotonin. All endorphins (which are neurotransmitters), are produced as a response to stimuli such as stress, fear or pain and are promoted or suppressed by brain neuron interaction. They play a key role in the function of the central nervous system and human activities, such as sleep, appetite, memory and learning, mood, behaviour control and blocking pain.

• Lowering levels of anxiety will improve sleep and consequently induce a gathered sense of calm, safety and wellbeing, for both mother and baby and thus optimal growth. Simplifying is the key to reducing stress levels; not taking on too much, stopping work with good time to prepare for the labour and finding help with day to day necessities.

• During the third trimester, the foetal brain starts to fully develop. Massage helps the neurons and synapse connections form at a greater rate and more abundantly. Singing and talking to your ‘bump' or playing relaxing music all accompanied by a good belly massage by a therapist, or yourself or your partner also does wonders.

Thai Oil Massage during pregnancy and beyond can help alleviate a range of difficulties, enabling you to enjoy a healthier and more relaxing journey throughout each trimester and enable smoother transitions for mother, baby and conceived family.