Spineworks.eu Comprehensive Physical Therapy | Mindful Body Therapy

Treating Maria This is a picture of me doing a treatment in the NYSY studio (for Yoga and Pilates) in Athens. I think the client was one of many Marias and the picture was taken by one of my recently qualified students who came on several days simply to observe me giving treatments. Maria was so impressed at the improvement in her knee after just one session that she subsequently brought along for treatments her mother and father and a gfriend of her mother. They are now seen by one of the students who studied in an early course.

Athens Parthenon I have been teaching in Athens since 2004 and now teach at the Natural Health Science school which is based in Paliro Faliro and has another venue in Maroussi. After several successful years we are taking a break for 2010/11 but keeping the course on the books and looking to run another in 2011/12. So if you are interested, contact the school.

Working on the Spine As its name suggests, Spineworks does have a focus on the spine, or rather, THROUGH the spine. Here we see a student carrying out part of the close spinal examination in class. I use the term "through the spine" since all our nerves run down it and come out between the vertebrae to control some organ or motor function. Releasing tight muscle helps to reduce stress on the spine and potential impingements on the nerves.

Edinburgh Castle I have recently taught in Edinburgh, which some call the "Athens of the north". So I can say I have taught in two Athens. I have yet to visit the one in America, but who knows. Edinburgh is a beautiful old city with many original features still standing, and here is a picture of the castle taken from the gardens off Princes Street. The other thing you may have heard about is the Edinburgh Festival, which now is among the largest in the world. It started out as a classical music international festival (which is still part of the whole event) but now has been somewhat eclipsed by the famous 'fringe' events which take place all over the city, even in back gardens and living rooms! There are also a jazz festival and a book festival at the same time.

Treating the neck Spineworks is a whole body treatment and works areas other than the thoracic and lumbar spine. This was actually taken in a photo session (thanks Babs) and shows one way how we treat the neck. In this picture Lynnie had her head out over the edge of the table so we could take clear pictures. Normally the client would have her head over the table but she still looks quite relaxed.

Athens Class This is me demonstrating a technique for releasing the joint at L5/S1. The class was in 2008/9 for the Natural Health Science School in Athens. (The Greek one, not the USA one.) The man on the left (wearing glasses) has now become a teacher in Greece, based in Crete. The woman on the front left (in orange) is Despina, our translator in previous years who was so impressed that she decided to take the course herself that year. She had studied Aromatherapy previously. The three women in the background are Jenni, Athena and Maria.

Helping Yvonne This is a picture of me helping a student. Yvonne was on a course several years ago and with Erica runs her own school in north London. All my courses are very practical with lots of hands-on sessions for you to try out each new technique or idea. In the body awareness workshops (or, rather, playshops) most of the time is spent in some form of movement or experience of your body. → MORE

Athens Parthenon Top I have been teaching in Athens since 2004 and now teach at the Natural Health Science school which is based in Paliro Faliro. This is an unusual view of Athens, taken from the top of the Parthenon itself where the 'public' is not allowed since renovation and restoration work is still taking place.. One of my clients works as a conservator on the Acropolis site where the Parthenon is one of several major structures. We went up a spiral staircase inside the Parthenon to reach this platform viewpoint. You can see Lykavitos Hill in the background. The spiral staircase is all that is left of a mosque that was built within the Parthenon during the time when Athens was invaded by Muslim forces. Most of the statuary on the hill is reproduction as the originals have been taken to the new (in 2010) museum.

Working with Greek students This is me demonstrating part of the spinal examintion to the class in Athens. You can't see in this picture that we use a face cradle for the client. Face holes are so last year! And they are uncomfortable if you are face down for a while. Face cradles are adjustable so you can make the client more comfortable and also angle it down for better access to the low neck and upper thoracic areas. Dimitris, to the left, is now a teacher and is based in Crete. Despina, former translator, is the one bending over in the orange T-shirt. And in the background are Maria P (sitting) Irene-Maria (standing) and Kyra (sitting on the floor).

Back Pain? Ever feel a bit like this?
Of course we are much more than a skeleton and even more than a skeleton covered in meat. We often think of anatomy as parts - skeleton, heart, liver, 600 muscles etc, but we do not grow like that. We grow from a single egg and magically become a whole person, not lots of parts stuck together. → MORE

Edinburgh Scott Mon One of Edinburgh's original features is this monument to the writer Sir Walter Scott, famous for his novels and poems. Perhaps his most famous are Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, but he wrote many others including his Waverley novels. This picture was taken on an occasion when I was in Edinburgh teaching and had been out with old friends for the evening. I was returning to my hotel, camera in pocket, when I took this nightime shot of the monument which is situated on Princes Street near Waverley railway station and the gardens.

Translator - Despina Despina came to do the verbatim translation some years ago and worked with me for several years. She has also revised the translation of the manual as she had the advantage of attending all the classes and hearing me speak so she had a good idea of the nuances of meaning which are so hard to translate from one language to another. Although there will still be a Greek manual for those who wish it, it will not be updated any more. This picture was taken in the class of 2008/9 when she decided to take the course herself. She had been studying Aromatherapy. In future years there will not be a translator in the class so all students will ned to speak English.

Translator - Maria This is another rare shot. This time it is camera shy Maria K, our translator for 2009/10. Maria is a practising Shiatsu therapist and came along for some Spineworks sessions to find out about it. She trained in Spineworks in the 2008/9 class and was kind enough to take over the translation the following year. In future years there will not be a translator in the class so all students will ned to speak English.

Mindful Body Therapy

Recently, Ian went to Bhopal to work with two free clinics, Sambhavna and Chingari, supporting adult and child victims of the 1984 gas leak disaster. He kept a diary of events, thoughts and musings which you can now read as a book. Click on the 'Bhopal Book' tab above to buy a copy for only £2:50 and support the work of the Bhopal Medical Appeal and the two clinics. Thank you.

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FOR THE HARD OF HEARING OR THOSE WHO PREFER TO READ, THERE IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO BELOW:

Hi; My name is Ian Jarvis and I’d like to tell you a little about Spineworks b efore you have a look around.

Your body - right now - is the sum history of everything that’s ever happened to you in your life: all those knocks, bumps, accidents, injuries, illnesses, surgery – and, yes, emotional upsets, too. In Spineworks, when we work on your body we’re working on that history in a really profound way.

The muscle and other soft tissue in your body makes up about 75% of your body weight, and burns more energy than everything else put together. If your muscle is in spasm then not only is it using more energy than it needs to but it's also affecting everything you do and can influence your health in various ways such as tightening across the joints, squeezing on those blood vessels and pressing on nerves.

So,if we’re to resolve your pain and problems - first we have to release that tight muscle! And in Spineworks that is exactly what we do using a variety of gentle techniques which includes skeletal alignment.

If you’re a bodywork practitioner already, then learning Spineworks will undoubtedly add another dimension to your work. You can attend one of my courses or you even organise one locally yourself (if you do that, then you’ll get a discount or a free place). You may even find you’d like to become a teacher of Spineworks yourself.

But whether you’re a therapist looking to increase your skills or what you're in need of is a powerful and effective remedial treatment, contact me for more information. You’ll find my details on the Contacts page and I’ll look forward to talking with you.