Stress, rest and the body
While away camping last Sunday, I woke at 4.30am. Seeing clear skies through the window, I couldn’t resist getting up for an early walk. The sunrise was so beautiful that,…
When symptoms begin to make sense
One of the questions that has accompanied me throughout my career is, “Why do symptoms appear when they do?” As a physiotherapist, I was trained to assess the physical body.…
What Is the Buttafly? The Constant Behind Back Care, Yoga and Meditation
One of the challenges I’ve faced over the years is explaining exactly what the Buttafly is. Simply speaking, the Buttafly is a posture and positioning tool designed to support comfort,…
A Healthy Spine for LIFE: why this is not a typical course
One of the challenges in writing about A Healthy Spine for LIFE has been finding the right words to describe it. From the beginning, I knew it wasn’t a typical…
What’s the difference between back care and spine health?
People sometimes ask why I describe my work as Natural Back Care and Spine Health rather than simply focusing on back pain or the spine alone. The answer is simple:…
Can stress make back pain worse? Part 1: the breath and posture
Think about the word crestfallen. We use it to mean disappointed or deflated — but it is also a precise physical description. When we feel let down, we fall at…
What do they eyes have to do with posture?
When we think about posture, we usually think about the spine. We think about how we sit, stand and move. We may consider the position of our pelvis, the curve…
The Buttafly Technique for back pain and sciatica
If you’ve ever been told you have a disc bulge or prolapse on MRI, you might worry that your back pain is inevitable or permanent. But as we explored in…
Disc prolapse or disc bulge: understanding your MRI
For anyone who has had an MRI for back pain, seeing words like disc prolapse or disc bulge in a report can feel worrying. It is easy to assume these…
Reflections on the Subtlety of Pain Relief
“Although I initially felt no significant effect after a 20-minute session, that night I experienced my most comfortable night and slept 8 hours through for the first time in years.”…
Tight Hips? Start With Your Spine
Many people tell me they can’t sit cross-legged because their hips are too tight. Sometimes that’s true. However, often what feels like a hip problem is actually a whole-body pattern…
Buttafly: Transform Your Yoga – Free Booklet For You
Like many yoga teachers and practitioners, I found myself frustrated by the limitations of regular yoga blocks, cushions, and blankets – hard edges that dig in, shapes that don’t fit…