Baby Massage - The Ideal Place To Start .......

Whilst we include an element of massage in all our 'yoga based classes', as it is so important for warming up the body, helping circulation and also boosting immunity (one area which every mum is really keen to know more about), we tend to avoid massaging with oil in our yoga sessions - for obvious reasons, as slippery upside down babies just isn't wise!

Therefore, the massage we use as part of our combined classes is what is known as 'dry massage' i.e. through clothes.  this is great, because it can be done anywhere - sitting on a bus/train, in a cafe, at grandma's etc.

For the early weeks, skin-to-skin touch in particular is so important and there is extensive research out there to acknowledge how it can help baby to grow and develop and form important bonds with mummy and daddy.  The process of stimulating baby's skin helps to release vital hormones into their system (controlling emotions, digestion and neurological development) and at the same time releases mum's happy hormones too. 

Lazy Daisy offers private lessons in traditional Indian baby massage, allowing parents to enjoy learning a full body massage routine (with oil), to soothe and comfort their baby.  This course is a fantastic starting point for our yoga groups and really empowering for mums keen to find techniques to soothe colic, assist development (perhaps baby was born early) and promote sleep.

This  session also give mums the opportunity to discuss issues such as 'over stimulation', 'colic/wind', and 'bed time routines' in an informal,  comfortable setting. 

Calm, relaxed, happy, gurgling babies!  Happy, sociable, revived parents!

Songs, rhyme and music to converse with baby whilst we massage. 

We link our strokes to rhythm, beat and change the intonation of our voices to begin to allow baby to recognise the 'feeling' of a word ..... when we stroke 'up' the body our voices go uUPPP!

Mums learn the importance of the basis massage strokes:  effleurage, petrissage, tapotement and also learn to incorporate 'REFLEXOLOGY', 'INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE' and 'SHIATSU BASED' techniques, to make massage time more effective

You're never too old for massage!  However, techniques do need to be adapted to suit the age of baby and we usually find that as soon as baby discovers how to flip over onto their tummy, things become slightly more challenging. As a very general rule of thumb, if baby is becoming more mobile they may well prefer are more active yoga or sensory sessions.

"Thank you for such an enjoyable three weeks.  I feel much more confident now about handling my baby and have made a couple of fantastic friends who I will definitely be seeing on a regular basis ..... I felt your teaching was so comprehensive and covered all the key points I needed to know .... " 09/06