Stress Reduction for Women

Helping women slow down and nourish their ability to rest

Have you forgotten how to relax?

Research is continuing to show that stress is one of the main causes of illness and disease.
When we don't allow our bodies to relax, rest and feel nourished we can get stuck in the stress response.
This has dire consequences on our bodies ability to heal. Which means our immune system becomes compromised.
So, if you have forgotten what it is like to relax- let me help you remember.

How I can help?

The following modalities are my tools for disrupting the stress response, releasing built up emotions and helping the body lovingly process trauma.

Natural Facelift & Buccal Massage

Hi, I'm Sophia…

I'm a professionally trained Massage and Craniosacral practitioner based in the Byron Shire.
I work specifically with women to help them find their way back to a state of relaxation, where stress is no longer the norm.

Sophia Ashenhurst

Throughout my 16 years as a professional bodywork practitioner I have trained in many different modalities including Remedial Sports Rehabilitation Massage, Hawaiian Lomilomi, Craniosacral Therapy, Sound Healing, Shamanism, Facial & Buccal Massage and today I am a student of Somatic Psychotherapy and Counseling.

My deep love and passion for bodywork grew out of a childhood infused with all things alternative medicine.

I’ve always appreciated and understood the importance of massage and bodywork as a deeply healing art form and have been receiving massage and bodywork since I was a child.

And today after 16 years of journeying across the planet and into different lifetimes, as a Menopausal woman, I have come to see how important the 'little things' in life are- like stress.

Yes, stress

From my own experience I can now see that prolonged, sustained stress is one of the most detrimental things for our health.

Our physical, spiritual, emotional and mental health.

They say now that stress is the silent killer and that most dis-eases and ill health can be attributed to stress.

I also believe when we disconnect from our source, our own inner sanctuary, this is how we become stressed and how we somehow tune out to what is actually going on in our lives.

We become 'adrift' in the sea of life.

So for me, one of the best ways I can break that stress cycle and come back to my inner sanctuary is through receiving deeply nourishing and caring bodywork.

That is why I now focus solely on stress reduction for women through my bodywork practices of Massage and Craniosacral therapy.

If you have forgotten how to relax, I am here to remind you.

To help you nourish You once again and come home to Your inner sanctuary.

Bodywork

Fusion Bodywork

These sessions are a fusion of all the different bodywork traditions I have learnt.

I mix the scientific knowledge of remedial and sports rehabilitation with the flow and the heart of LomiLomi. The stillness and deep listening is from my Visionary Craniosacral background and the ability to perceive the unseen comes from my training in the Shamanic realms.

In these sessions I move and flow in the way my body wants me to move, in response to the person receiving the session.

There will always be deep work, flowing work, joint mobilization and deep listening to facilitate a state of relaxation that is healing and sometimes quite profound.

The focus is on interrupting the stress response and facilitating the deepest state of relaxation possible, without falling asleep (though often that does happen!). In this state- the ability to vision opens up to us and we connect to our inner sanctuary.

These sessions will quieten the mind, relax and nourish the nervous system, boost immunity, clear stagnant energy, move lymph, connect us to our Higher Self and be a balm to an aching heart.

Book Here

5D5633CB-A304-4B3C-A42F-8E1131645032_1_201_a(1).jpeg

Craniosacral Therapy

Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle noninvasive form of Body-work which is performed fully clothed and mostly uses very light finger pressure.

Craniosacral Therapy works with the Cranial Wave which is the movement created by the cerebrospinal fluid as it flows around the brain and spinal column.

This beautiful life giving salty fluid is what our brain and spinal cord float in. It is produced deep within the brain and flows around the brain, all the way down the spinal column and back up again. The internal production of this fluid creates a wave-like motion that can be felt, by trained hands, throughout the whole body.

Each bone in our body responds to this wave and moves in its own unique way.

When we experience trauma of any sort- physical, emotional, spiritual or mental- the natural movement of our bones in response to this trauma can become distorted. In this way our trauma is stored within our very bones.

Craniosacral Therapy gently listens to the bones and helps them find their healthy, natural rhythm once again so the cranial wave can flow unhindered.

This work can help to relieve physical pain but it is also used to access deep states of consciousness where we can gain insight and clarity to our life situation. These sessions sometimes include talking and processing but can often just involve being quietly suspended in a dreamy state.

This state of deep listening is meditative and incredibly stress relieving, allowing our bodies and spirit to process trauma gently, connecting us back to our source and inner sanctuary.

As it is so gentle- this practice is beautiful for anyone who is not comfortable with massage and may have heavy body trauma.

Book Here

Natural Facelift &
Buccal Massage

Natural Facelift and Buccal massage techniques are now becoming well known in the beauty industry as an alternative to more invasive procedures that can possibly have long term side effects.

This holistic technique uses lymphatic drainage, deep tissue massage and intraoral work to tone, lift and rejuvenate the face, neck and decolletage. Releasing tension, improving circulation, stimulating collagen, enhancing facial symmetry, promoting relaxation and the release of built up emotions.

This technique is also incredibly beneficial for anyone who suffers from teeth grinding, TMJ issues and any tightness in the jaw or jaw pain.

The Buccal massage (Buccal refers to the inner cheek) focuses on releasing the muscles of the jaw and creating more 'space' inside the mouth.

Our jaw is an incredibly complex joint that holds very primal and primitive energy, think fear, terror, rage. These feelings are stored within our jaw and when this part of our body is given the space to release and let go, it can be a profound experience.

So too, with the muscles of our face which are responsible for myriad different expressions and ways of communicating in everyday life.

Our face holds so much emotion, this techniques gives us the chance to let go of stored emotions and reawaken this part of our bodies.

During these sessions your face will be cleansed before and after using beautiful 100% natural products, free from any chemicals or perfumes. A day lotion and face oil will be applied after the final cleanse.

Book Here